Burn Money

"Jack, it's been days already. Why hasn't Ghost sent any word? Isn't he supposed to be omnipotent online?" Jerry had been rather irritable these past few days. The money was in the car, and the car was parked in the airport garage.

He doubted whether Ghost could be trusted and had complained constantly these past few days. Since they had the money, why hadn't they taken it and left back then? The other party might not have dared report them. Even if they did, Ghost might not have been able to get away either. Jerry's thoughts had begun to twist.

"Jerry, you've seen what Ghost can do. Don't worry, he'll contact us. Making money isn't that easy, or we wouldn't have been on the verge of bankruptcy. All we can do now is wait. I'm anxious too. Jennifer's school term is about to start, and I need to get back as soon as possible." Jack spoke patiently. He was anxious as well, but as the leader of this small team, he needed to remain calm.

Roy said nothing beside them. His wife was nearly out of medicine, and he also wanted to take the money home as soon as possible, go to a major hospital, and cure her illness completely. But Jack and Jerry had this conversation several times a day now, and he did not want to add to Jack's troubles.

The Cayman Islands were a nice place, but they had no interest in sightseeing. They killed time in their rented office during the day, then huddled in their hotel at night and waited. Their phones never left their hands as they waited for Ghost to contact them.

"Ring, ring..." Jack's phone finally rang. All three of them froze for a moment before Jack hurriedly answered it, his voice somewhat rushed. "Hello?"

"Jack, have you been anxious these past few days?" Jack let out a breath of relief. It was Mr. Ghost's voice. After days of anxious waiting, he had finally called.

"Yes, we've been extremely anxious. I don't know..." Jack did not finish the question, but his meaning was obvious.

"Haven't you checked the investment company's financial account?" Mo Fei asked speechlessly.

"We really haven't..." Jack replied awkwardly. Only then did he remember that Mr. Ghost had used the account of the company they had registered.

"Fine, I can understand how you feel. You can buy plane tickets and come back now. Also, check your company's account first. And Ghost Investment Company is quite an unusual name." Mo Fei hung up directly.

Jack put down his phone. Jerry and Roy stared at him with wide eyes. Jack smiled. "We can go home, but first, we need to go to the company!" With that, he grabbed his coat and rushed out of the hotel room. The other two had no idea what was happening, but they followed him anyway.

The three entered the office. Jack turned on the computer and checked the company account. The balance clearly showed 4.8 million dollars. He counted the zeros three times. "We did it!" Jack jumped into the air.

Roy and Jerry desperately squeezed in front of the computer, pointing at the screen as they counted over and over, afraid they might have miscounted a zero. Then both of them shouted and danced with joy.

"All right, guys. Book the tickets now. We can go back, but someone needs to manage things here. I don't want to shut this company down. What do you think?" Jack voiced his idea.

"You decide. Whatever it is, count me in." Roy was still delighted, and Jack was better at this than he was, so he might as well listen to Jack.

Jerry thought for a moment. "All right. We can't just close it down. We still need a cover, right?"

"No, Jerry. We need to start a business, understand? I don't want to work for anyone else again. I'll never work for anyone else again for the rest of my life. I want to be my own boss. I won't let my employees go bankrupt. I only ever want something like that to happen to me once, and this time is already in the past." Jack's expression was solemn.

He had worked diligently for over twenty years, only to end up with nothing. The feeling was too tragic. Jack did not want to go through it again. Now that he had money, why not start his own business?

"But what can we even do?" Jerry was reluctant. After all, the three of them had only ever been workers.

"We'll discuss that after we get back. Right now, I just want to go home." Jack actually already had an idea: bring Ghost in and start a company together. But the other party might not agree, so he hoped to have a chance to contact Ghost after returning and talk about it once he had confirmed it.

The three hurriedly booked tickets. The nearest flight was late at night, but they could not wait any longer. They bought the tickets immediately, then hired someone. There were many such employees in the Cayman Islands. They specialized in watching over registered companies, since most companies came there to avoid taxes rather than make actual investments, so hiring a caretaker was enough.

Early the next morning, they returned to the United States. But they were uneasy now, afraid the car might be surrounded by police. They cautiously approached it and looked around before finally getting in. Jack drove straight out of the airport, and the three of them immediately relaxed. There were still more than four million dollars in the trunk. Just thinking about it made them happy.

"Ring, ring..." Not long after Jack got onto the highway, his phone rang again. "Mr. Ghost?"

"It's me. Get off at the next exit and find somewhere deserted," Mo Fei said over the phone.

"All right, but I have something I'd like to discuss with you. Would it be possible to talk for a while later?" Jack asked carefully.

Mo Fei fell silent for a moment, then said, "Fine. Find a place first. I'll call again in half an hour." Mo Fei hung up. Jack continued driving, then exited the highway and headed down a side road.

Jerry and Roy did not know what was going on. "What is it, Jack?"

"I'm not sure, but Mr. Ghost told us to find somewhere relatively deserted," Jack said casually.

"You trust him too much. What if he has people waiting to ambush us?" Jerry suddenly panicked.

"Jerry, does Ghost need to do that?" Jack glanced at him. Jerry thought about it blankly for a moment, then calmed down.

"Ring, ring..." Half an hour later, Jack's car was parked in an open space in a small forest. There was not a soul around, and the three of them had checked the area themselves.

"Mr. Ghost, may I ask what this is about?"

"How is your location? Is there anyone nearby?" Mo Fei asked.

"No. The three of us have checked the area!"

"Very good. Now take out the money. You can keep some, but not too much. Burn all the rest!" Mo Fei said directly.

"What? Burn it?" Jack cried out. That was more than four million dollars. Burn it?