"You're that..." The owner had barely laid eyes on Zhou Yi before his face turned hostile and he started to curse, only to be stopped by the fat policeman beside him.
The fat policeman could tell at a glance that Zhou Yi was no ordinary person.
As a seasoned police officer, being able to read people and make an initial judgment about their background was a crucial skill.
Otherwise, one careless mistake could mean offending someone he couldn't afford to provoke, and that would lead to serious trouble.
The moment he saw Zhou Yi, the fat policeman knew that whether this man truly was an IRS field agent or not, it was best not to provoke him lightly.
Aura was a mysterious thing, but it truly existed.
"Sir, I'm Brandt from the Langley City Police Department." The fat policeman extended his hand. "After receiving a report from a member of the public, I came here and need to inspect your identification."
"Since when did the police get involved in this sort of thing?" Zhou Yi said without looking up.
Just then, Snake had finally filled the entire screen. After eating the last piece of food in the final gap, the snake grew by another segment, leaving itself nowhere to go and ultimately bursting itself to death.
"But," Zhou Yi said as he put down his phone and handed over his credentials, "go ahead and take a look. While you're at it, you can tell them whether these documents are real or not."
"Of course..." Brandt's heart skipped a beat. Zhou Yi's attitude had almost completely convinced him already.
With the police standing right in front of them and asking to see their identification, what kind of thief or con artist would stubbornly insist on their innocence instead of running away? Only an idiot.
Of course, there was also the possibility that he was simply gambling on luck. The odds were slim, but such people did exist.
You could never imagine how many things existed in reality that even novels dared not write for fear of being criticized as unrealistic.
Yet after inspecting the documents, Brandt was completely convinced.
They naturally had their own methods for determining whether credentials were genuine, and no matter how he checked, Brandt had to reach one conclusion—every one of Zhou Yi's documents was authentic and valid.
In other words—his friend was in deep trouble.
The IRS's reputation was known throughout America.
Once Brandt concluded that all the documents were genuine and valid, his attitude instantly became even more respectful. He obediently returned every credential to Zhou Yi.
The owner and employees who witnessed this felt their scalps go numb.
They were in deep trouble!
"Well then, since that's the case, if you have no objections," Zhou Yi said, raising an eyebrow, "I..."
"Sir!" Brandt still spoke up. He did not want to see his old friend lose everything. Although the matter had little to do with him, he was already here, and standing by coldly did not seem right. "I think there may be another way to resolve this?"
"Oh?" A smile appeared on Zhou Yi's face as he looked at Brandt. "I'd like to hear it."
"Look, even if you really shut this store down completely, at most you'll get a bonus. You might not even get anything, since this is only a tiny phone shop," Brandt said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "If you choose not to report this matter, perhaps Kiran can offer you greater compensation..."
"I see. You're trying to bribe me?" Zhou Yi asked with a smile.
"No, no, of course not!" Brandt hurriedly shook his head. "Th-this is simply us becoming friends. And as friends, we'd like to give you a small gift..."
"Yes, yes, it's a gift! Just a gift!" Kiran, the owner of the shop, hurriedly added.
"So that's how it is..." Zhou Yi nodded as if deep in thought. "Since it's a gift, then how about ten thousand US Dollars?"
"Ten thousand US Dollars?" Kiran's eyes widened.
"Ten thousand US Dollars to become friends with me. Isn't that a good deal?" Zhou Yi asked. "Let me guess. Your entire fortune... should be worth more than ten thousand US Dollars, right?"
The implication could not have been clearer.
Either hand over ten thousand US Dollars, or wait to lose everything.
"I..." Kiran was so furious he nearly coughed up blood, but after seeing Brandt frantically signal him from the side, he could only swallow his anger and say, "Of course it's a good deal!"
He said it with great force, especially that word "good," sounding as though he wanted to swallow Zhou Yi whole.
"Then that's wonderful. I never expected to make another friend so soon." Zhou Yi smiled and nodded, putting on an exaggerated performance. "So, my friend... where is my 'gift'?"
Ten thousand US Dollars was neither too much nor too little. It hurt the owner enough, but was still an amount he could afford, and it also let Zhou Yi verify something.
A moment later, Zhou Yi counted the money in his hand and left the phone store with satisfaction.
His IRS Employee profession gained one experience point.
This confirmed Zhou Yi's conclusion—so long as compensation was obtained through that profession, whether legitimate income or gray income, it would be counted toward experience points all the same!
Before this, while he was still in the Fast & Furious World, Zhou Yi had noticed a few small details.
For example, before Zhou Yi had fully established his business, he had once modified a car for a wealthy Middle Eastern client. The man had been so pleased that he gave Zhou Yi an extra ten thousand US Dollars as a tip, and those ten thousand US Dollars had also counted toward experience points.
From then on, Zhou Yi began to wonder whether any kind of compensation, whether legitimate payment, tips, or even gray income, could be counted toward experience points.
Later, after a series of tests, Zhou Yi finally reached several conclusions—
1. Legitimate payment could be negotiated, such as material costs and labor fees. As long as the other party was not forced into a transaction with him, such as through threats of violence, the full amount could be counted toward experience points.
2. Extra compensation such as tips and bonuses could also be counted toward experience points, but he could not force the other party to give them to him in any form. Otherwise, they would not count, and the total could not exceed the originally agreed payment.
But as for gray income...
What gray income could an auto mechanic possibly have?
Zhou Yi was not an employee. He was the boss!
So it was only just now that Zhou Yi finally had the chance to test whether gray income earned through a profession could be counted toward experience points.
The final result was quite pleasing.
The world was neither black nor white, but a refined shade of gray.
Zhou Yi guessed that this was why gray income could also be counted toward experience points!
Of course, Zhou Yi also understood that gray income would have rules and restrictions as well, but he would have to continue experimenting in the future to find them.
Internship is so exhausting... but my girlfriend's hands are so soft...
Before you continue