Blackstone Code Chapter 77

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Chapter 77: Bringing Traffic, Who Else But Me?

Wood, a name so ordinary that if someone shouted it on the street, at least four or five men would turn to look at them.

The young man undercover next to Lynch had such a name that exuded a somewhat old-era aesthetic; it was simple and rough.

Certainly, the name might seem a bit old-fashioned, but it was much better than names like "Dick" or "Pussy." It was much, much better.

After lunch, Lynch and the newsboys left first. But before leaving, he wrote a check for Richard, asking him to guide other people and help them warm up. 

Wood got into character very quickly. He approached Richard and asked, "Richard, I noticed that our boss seems to be very busy. Does he need our help?" His face was bright, with a hint of pleasing expression that made people comfortable; he even showed off his muscles.

Richard just glanced at the check in his hand. He didn't like those muscular men. When it came to muscles, the workers in the factory who worked without clothes had plenty of them. 

This was no longer an era where one's potential was judged by muscles. Only the farmers and workers of the past considered muscles to be something impressive. In this new era, brains and wealth, the abilities to make money, were the important parameters for assessing a person's value in society, not stiff muscles. Though sometimes, he felt a bit envious.

"Focus on your own job and do it well; it's much more important than meddling in other people's affairs. What's your name?" Richard put away the check Lynch gave him and looked at Wood. 

Lynch had just given him a sum of money to have him take these young men to order two sets of uniforms – two short-sleeved shirts with the company's name on the chest, two pairs of trousers, thirty genuine leather briefcases, and a thousand belts.

Lynch told him that those belts would be very useful, but Richard had already given up thinking about what use these belts would have. In his view, a belt was just a belt, and the inexpensive type of belt wasn't very popular. 

Not everything had a good market just because it was cheap. Only essential goods for daily life had a good market; belts were not one of them.

Those who didn't care or weren't bothered would tie their trousers with a simple rope. Those who cared wouldn't buy cheap belts. So Richard didn't know why Lynch needed them. It was too difficult for him to understand with his own mind. 

He was trying hard to get close to Lynch, learning tirelessly, earnestly. He never imagined himself stuck in the role of a mere cog in the machine, working for others his whole life. He believed that one day he would become a boss.

Richard looked at Wood, somewhat eager to have a try. Lynch gave him a position second only to Lynch himself, indicating that in this small group, he was the most trustworthy person. Trust from Lynch and his own sense of responsibility and mission gave birth to something he had never experienced before – a wonderful thing, power!

"Wood, very good..." He patted Wood's sturdy arm, feeling like patting a stone. It was a completely different experience from patting himself, which felt a little bouncy. "You're spirited. Can you do me a favor?"

After a while, Wood got a very suitable manual labor job, while Richard talked to the remaining people about his acquaintance with Lynch. 

No matter how beautiful the future was, it couldn't compare to the facts that had already happened. Lynch's words, no matter how good, would always be met with doubt. After directly revealing his identity, Richard talked about his previous cooperation with Lynch.

To him, it was a kind of cooperation, although it could also be said that he was hired. But he preferred the former, a relatively equal term.

"You all will never be able to fully comprehend how crazy that period was for us. I was making around two to three hundred in daily income. It was the best job I've found in my entire life!" 

The exclamations from the newcomers pleased Richard. He showed off the new watch on his wrist, "See, I bought this watch in just one week, although I originally didn't plan to. And now, I have a new goal."

The watch was worth two thousand bucks; it was just an entry-level luxury watch, considered the most basic product in the entire series. Perhaps because of its entry-level status and corresponding cheapness, many people's first luxury watch was this one. Gradually, people began to refer to this seemingly trash-like item in the eyes of the wealthy as a classic, and it became highly sought after.

This led to an interesting phenomenon: luxury brands and some models widely circulated in lower-class society were not popular in the real upper-class society. Not to mention those so-called "classic" and "hot-selling" models, which were just means to satisfy the terrible vanity of the middle and lower classes.

If one were to inquire about the clothing and accessories worn by the big shots in upper-class society, they might be given the name of a designer or a craftsman they had never heard of. However, for the lower class, the significance of these "classic" items was very obvious. When Richard showed the watch on his wrist, none of the people present could look away.

Considering the average salary in Sabin City, apart from daily expenses, an unmarried young person would need to scrimp and save for two or three years to be able to afford such a watch. A good watch was crucial for enhancing a person's image. Shoes, belts, watches, tie clips, and ties – many people observed a man through these things, and their impact was significant.

Previously, when he said those words, others might have only trusted him to a certain extent. But now, their trust had increased to about seventy percent.

Just when Richard was satisfied with the reactions, Wood, carrying two food boxes, suddenly asked, "If it's really so profitable, why don't we continue doing the jobs you did before instead of doing things we don't understand?"

Richard glanced at him, and the others were all looking at him. He shook his head, "If you've read the newspapers, you'd know."

Previously, the two major authorities had conducted a sweep in Sabin City, targeting underground financial companies. They apprehended a group of individuals suspected of money laundering crimes and dismantled some newly emerging small-scale currency exchange operations.

The atmosphere in the warehouse became a bit heavy. After half a minute, Richard clapped his hands, asking the guy who always caused him trouble to bring him coffee. Then, he continued to talk with everyone about how to smoothly start working.

In the evening, Wood returned to his solitary home. When he was about to unlock the door, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Before he left, he had pulled out a strand of hair and stuffed it into the keyhole. It was a small intrusion detection trick. If someone attempted to open the door lock, any insertion and subsequent removal of the key would inevitably bring out the hair.

Now the hair was gone, indicating that someone had tampered with his door lock.

Whether undercover in some criminal groups or undercover around people like Lynch, they had to be fully prepared. Vigilance was their only guarantee for survival.

At this moment, a familiar voice came from inside the door, "Come in, it's me..."

It was his superior. He opened the door and entered the room, rolling his eyes unhappily, "I almost got scared to death by you!"

His superior chuckled, explaining, "I didn't know when you'd be back. If I kept appearing around here, your identity might be exposed, so I came in directly."

He quickly changed the subject, "How was today? Did you see Lynch?"

Wood nodded, "I saw Lynch and his business partner, Richard..."

"Richard?" Wood's superior frowned, "As far as I know, this Richard is just a small fry who can't even be considered on the periphery. Are you sure he's Lynch's business partner?"

Wood shrugged, walked to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, and took a big gulp. "All I can do is pass on the intelligence; analyzing intelligence is not my job."

His superior fell silent for a moment. He jotted down the information in his notebook and then asked again, "Is there anything else special? Tell me about your experiences today..."

This talk lasted for more than an hour, with the two staring at each other, a feeling that couldn't be described.

The superior tightened his eyebrows, asked with an uncertain tone, "Are you sure... he said the top three can earn over ten thousand?"

"He said so, but whether it's achievable, I'm not sure. I'll try..." 

Wood's superior quickly made a decision, "We'll support you then. This can get you closer to Lynch, be seen as one of his own, and then get closer to evidence of his crimes. Just make sure to protect yourself."

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