The First Step Toward Legend

The First Step Toward Legend

"Today's money..."

Mr. Fox looked at the bags of money Lin Qi had hauled over in two trips with considerable effort and fell silent for a moment.

To be honest, his men had been watching Lin Qi all along, so he already knew how Lin Qi had obtained this small change. He was both curious and shocked by Lin Qi's mind.

What kind of person could come up with such a method to quickly obtain these coins without causing any noticeable social impact?

At this moment, he could have followed Lin Qi's method himself and saved ten percent in handling fees, but he had no intention of doing so.

Suddenly, he realized that compared to that ten percent handling fee, what was truly valuable was Lin Qi's mind. That mind, which always surprised people, was his greatest asset.

"Do you need to count it?" Lin Qi straightened up and stretched, letting out a breath. He dropped into a chair without the slightest concern for appearances, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and took a satisfied drag. "I Can wait."

Mr. Fox shook his head and had his men take the coins away. Later, the money would be sent to the Federal Revenue Service for counting and registration, then taxes would be paid before it was deposited in the bank.

For some time now, people like Mr. Fox had not had any particularly good methods or channels for dealing with these problems.

To put it bluntly, most people in this line of work were hardly society's elite.

They had little education and knew absolutely nothing about many professional fields. Some of them could barely even read.

Their business did not require those things. As long as they were not afraid of death or trouble, that was enough, and that led to many problems.

In recent years, the Bayer Federation Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Revenue Service had kept a close eye on these people. They were not only trying to catch them for certain activities, but also watching the money in their pockets.

They did not have many legitimate businesses, which left them facing all kinds of trouble. Having money but being unable to spend it had become a silent agony.

For this reason, the Bayer Federation had introduced a series of laws restricting large cash transactions. Cash transactions exceeding five thousand dollars had to be reported, while those exceeding fifty thousand had to undergo review.

Even large cash deposits into banks required prior disclosure of the source of the funds and their intended use, along with sufficient and complete proof of tax payment to prove that the money was clean.

With all-around restrictions, combined with the Federal Revenue Service staff known as "investigators," "agents," and even "special agents" guarding against them, everyone had a hard time.

The vaults were clearly stuffed with banknotes, yet they could not take them out. Even trying to enjoy themselves once could lead to targeted questioning and investigation. Life was truly difficult.

But now, Mr. Fox saw something special in Lin Qi—not merely coin exchanges, but something more, something he had long desired.

He came back to his senses in a daze, looked at Lin Qi, and shrugged. "I should pay you..."

"Round it down. Five hundred and sixty dollars." Lin Qi generously wiped off the few dollars in change, also to build trust between them.

Mr. Fox smiled. He pulled open a drawer filled with banknotes, including quite a few fifties and hundreds.

When his hand reached for the hundred-dollar bills, Lin Qi gave a light cough. "I think fives and tens would be better. What do you think?"

Mr. Fox nodded without changing expression and counted out five hundred and sixty dollars for him.

Hundred-dollar bills were rarely used in daily life. Most of the time, they were used for corporate settlements and reported large cash transactions.

This was a society that had not yet developed the internet or electronic office systems, and the banking sector had many loopholes that could drive people mad.

To avoid certain problems they had already discovered, large transactions between companies were still conducted in cash rather than through telephone transfers. Interbank transfers in particular always seemed to have problems.

If someone spent a hundred-dollar bill outside, certain departments would definitely notice him immediately. Never underestimate people's sense of justice.

When many shop owners handled official matters, such as filing taxes, they received pamphlets or had someone directly explain certain things to them.

For example, what they should do if someone paid with a hundred-dollar bill, what benefits they would receive for doing so, and what consequences they would face if they did not.

This made hundred-dollar bills very difficult to spend among the lower and middle classes. If someone carried more hundred-dollar bills on them, a judge might even approve a search warrant despite insufficient evidence.

This was also the greatest pain of people like Mr. Fox. The money sat in drawers or wherever else, yet not only could they not spend it, they could not even be sure others would accept it.

The reason he had acted as if he were going to take out hundred-dollar bills was actually to test Lin Qi. If Lin Qi had said nothing, their business would have been limited to coin exchanges.

Someone who could not distinguish what was important, did not understand the danger, and lacked sufficient caution and vigilance was not worth deeper contact. Fortunately, Lin Qi had passed this test smoothly.

Mr. Fox rested both arms on the chair's armrests and tilted his head slightly as he looked at Lin Qi. "This pace is too slow. Do you have a better method?"

Lin Qi likewise did not count the bills before stuffing them into his pocket. "In a few days, there will be more and more of them. And soon, your treasures will be able to see the light of day."

Mr. Fox did not press further. He merely let out a breath. "I look forward to that day!"

Sabine City, where Lin Qi lived, was a small city that ranked near the bottom among the Bayer Federation's second-tier cities. Its total population was under eight hundred thousand.

Yet every day, this small city sold at least one hundred thousand newspapers. In other words, even if they were all local papers, that represented fifty thousand dollars in small change.

And in Lin Qi's plan, newspapers were not the only source of small change. There were also all kinds of retail businesses.

The currency circulating throughout society now mainly consisted of coins, along with one-, two-, and five-dollar bills. While two- and five-dollar bills could not possibly appear at laundromats, one-dollar bills could.

Once his influence began to expand, he could draw in all the small change from the entire city. But this business could not last forever.

The Revenue Service would notice him, and the Bureau of Investigation would investigate whether he had overly close ties with these people.

He did not want to become someone like Mr. Fox, forever hiding in corners and shadows. He wanted to become a tycoon, a legend.

He wanted to stand beneath the spotlight and receive people's admiration and praise. That was the life he wanted.

Everything he was doing now was merely to ensure the most perfect start possible.