Goose City, underground Arcade.
Li Chang was sitting in a Race Car seat playing a Game when he suddenly heard his Boss's voice.
"A Chang, get ready to buy boats!"
He quickly got up and saw Zheng Hai, his face flushed red, clearly having had quite a bit to drink.
Drunken Zheng Hai put his arm around his shoulder and ordered, his breath heavy with alcohol:
"I'm giving you three hundred thousand now. Go buy the remaining four boats immediately; I want to pull off a Big Business!"
Seeing Zheng Hai’s showy demeanor full of high spirits, Li Chang couldn't help but ask:
"What Big Business is it, Boss?"
"Luxury Cars, of course!"
Since there were few people in the Arcade during the day, Zheng Hai spoke frankly:
"A batch of Lexus （ arrived from Hong Kong, the newest LS400!
Previously, a fellow from Shanghai spent 930,000 to buy one. The dealer is preparing to bring in another batch from the USA; the cost price smuggled in is less than three hundred thousand, and the resale profit is fifty thousand!
The Hong Kong police have been making big moves recently. Those people took a liking to my Speedboats, and I already agreed to bring in at least ten Cars. One boat isn't enough!"
"Nine hundred thousand?!"
Li Chang certainly knew Lexus, but this was the first time he had heard of one costing that much.
In fact, the LS400 was the model Lexus launched to compete with the "Tiger Head" Mercedes-Benz. In the 90s, it already featured a series of luxury configurations like an electric sunroof, Leather Interior, power-adjustable front seats, power windows, and rearview mirror—features that would still be considered rich even twenty years later.
Currently, this Car sells for $35,000 in North America, but if it enters the mainland with Tariffs, it costs over seven hundred thousand. By the time it reaches individual sellers, it exceeds 900,000, and it’s in high demand but short supply.
The water route is different; bringing one over from a USA dealer costs just over two hundred thousand, making the Profit shockingly high.
Even if he has to give Zheng Hai a Profit of one hundred thousand per unit, the price difference is still considerable.
This batch of ten is just testing the waters; there will only be more in the future.
Compared to items like Electronic Products, Cars, although their Weight isn't very high, take up a lot of space. "Duty-Free No. 1" can just barely fit one.
The reason Zheng Hai was impatient to take on the entire business was to accumulate Capital to participate in it.
If he were an automotive dealer himself, one unit would mean hundreds of thousands!
Moreover, smuggled cars are different from other goods; the Buyers are invariably influential figures, making it very convenient to build good karma.
One Speedboat was far from enough. Zheng Hai had just sold off the last shipment, giving him sufficient funds to purchase new boats.
He had also been inquiring around these days and knew that Tang Wen and Wu Lao Er were heavily dealing in Diesel Engines of questionable origin. This, conversely, made him believe Tang Wen could acquire high-Horsepower Motors.
However, the thought that Tang Wen had Refused his invitation and instead connected with someone else made Zheng Hai very unhappy.
"A Chang, have you found out which faction is connected to Tang Wen?"
"Not yet, Boss. I can't find any useful leads."
"Forget it. Once we deal with that kid, we'll be able to make contact. Someone like that must have connections in the Island Nation too; maybe we can cooperate and make some money together."
Due to his idea of doing the smuggled car business, Zheng Hai changed his previous plan to Expel the Over-the-river dragon and instead wanted to connect with the other party.
In his view, high-power marine Motors must also be smuggled goods from the Island Nation. More routes mean more money!
Of course, if Tang Wen knew this Idea, he would definitely tell him that this route wasn't through the Island Nation, but through Minsk!
……
Having received the Boss's instruction, A Chang got into the HiAce Van and prepared to withdraw money to buy boats. However, as he turned a corner upon leaving, he nearly hit a Truck.
After slamming the Brake, he realized it was a very retro, old-style Truck, so he immediately rolled down the window and cursed, "Damn it all."
But the Truck had already passed the intersection, so he could only curse his bad luck sullenly.
"Brother Shi Ba, you really didn't bring it this time, did you? We absolutely cannot let anyone see it in the city."
Wu Lao Er, squeezed next to Tang Yi in the Co-pilot seat, was restless, constantly glancing around to see where a Heavy machine gun could be stashed.
Goose City is not the countryside; showing that thing off here would cause huge Trouble.
Tang Yi replied:
"Trust me, we are a legitimate Shipbuilding enterprise; how could we use that kind of thing? That's all nonsense."
After making the Telephone call yesterday, Tang Yi and Tang Shi Ba came to Goose City to buy books, bringing Wu Lao Er along to act as a guide.
The route to Goose City was mostly main roads without much Trouble, but the style of the Ten-wheel truck was too eye-catching. Older people on the Roadside almost thought they had time-traveled back a few decades.
In reality, the most conspicuous part was the observation window （ machine gun port ） on top of the cabin. Wu Lao Er somehow always felt there was something there.
The address for selling books was somewhat remote, and Wu Lao Er wasn't very familiar with the city, so he had to stop frequently to ask for directions.
Passersby all cast curious glances at the military-style Truck. Not long after, Wu Lao Er looked at a Car approaching on the road and suddenly thought of something, saying:
"Brother Shi Ba, our vehicle doesn't have a License plate, does it? What if we run into traffic police?"
He only thought of this issue after seeing the License plates on other Cars. It didn't matter when driving around the town, but one had to be careful in the city.
However, Tang Shi Ba said:
"License plate? What License plate?"
"……"
Seeing the confused looks from Tang Shi Ba and Tang Yi, it seemed they genuinely didn't know about it.
Wu Lao Er could only helplessly Explain:
"It's like how you need a Driver's license to drive a Car; Cars also need License plates. If you don't have one, you'll get points deducted and a Fine."
"Is that so."
Tang Shi Ba Breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled sweetly:
"Don't worry, we won't get points deducted or Fined."
"Why?"
"Because you need a Driver's license to get points deducted. If you don't have one, how can they deduct them?"
Tang Yi: "Exactly, exactly."
"……"
Wu Lao Er had an expression like a Black man asking a question, recalling the scene of speeding on the country road a few days ago, and his heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
Although driving without a license wasn't particularly rare in those days, their attitude was too nonchalant!
But compared to the Wild chicken neck, this was insignificant.
The Atmosphere in the cabin fell into an awkward silence. Fortunately, there were no traffic police on the road, and they finally arrived at their destination without incident.
The Residential Community at the address had a gatehouse. The old man guarding the gate naturally came out to stop the vehicle. Upon seeing the Ten-wheel truck, he instinctively took a step back, scrutinized it carefully, and showed an expression of disbelief.
"Uncle, we're here to find..."
Wu Lao Er was about to Explain, but he saw the gatekeeper had already approached, leaning against the side of the Car to listen to the Train Head's Engine sound.
That wasn't all; the old man even lay flat on the ground to look at the Truck's Chassis. Wu Lao Er was so scared he quickly told Tang Shi Ba to step on the Brake, got out, and helped the old man up.
The gatekeeper dusted off his pants, his face blank, and asked:
"Four-wheel drive with locking differentials, a General Motors Truck, and the Engine is an older model too—genuine USA goods. Where did you drive this thing from?"
"Uncle, how did you know?"
"I was an automotive soldier back in the day; I used this exact type of captured vehicle to transport Shells. Yours... even has a machine gun port—it's the high-spec version!"