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Chapter 161: Ch.160 Arrangements

He didn\'t speak right away. Instead, he poured himself a drink. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to stronger alcohol and no longer enjoyed sugary sodas, treating various liquors as his new beverage of choice.

"Do you know why I called you here today?"

Gin, still the same as ever, wearing his old-fashioned glasses and not having gained any weight over the years, sat obediently on the sofa as usual.

"Please give your orders, boss. I hope it\'s not because you\'re planning to release a record?"

"Haha, take note. Buying a record company is indeed one of the things to do."

Su Ming thought for a moment. In this era, record sales weren\'t great, but acquiring a company now and transitioning it into a media corporation later could prove useful.

Although Gin held the title of second-in-command at the distillery, the distillery wasn\'t exactly a mafia organization. In reality, he was just Su Ming\'s secretary. Gin pulled a small notebook from his suit pocket and began jotting down Su Ming\'s instructions in shorthand.

"The Great Depression has hit, and it will last for ten years. I\'m probably the wealthiest person in New York right now, making this the perfect time to expand. I\'m giving you a month to acquire a large steel mill, a major chemical company with oil extraction rights, several arms companies, an aircraft manufacturing firm, and a large shipyard with at least four dry docks. Additionally, buy as many ranches and farms in New York state as you can."

Su Ming spoke slowly, the old-fashioned desk lamp casting a dim light across the room. Gin carefully took down every detail using his unique shorthand, while Su Ming sipped his drink thoughtfully.

"Boss, the economy is in a severe downturn right now. Many companies are deeply in debt. While it will be easy to acquire them, we\'ll also be taking on their debts. Conservatively, we\'re looking at costs of over fifty million dollars, and it\'s hard to sell any products right now."

Gin reviewed the list of items, frowning as he did some calculations.

"The financial crisis in America will affect the entire world, but places without currency won\'t be impacted. Gold and oil will always have value."

"Places without currency?"

"Do you know what Africa\'s special resources are?" Su Ming rubbed his desk and sat down in his chair, asking casually.

At this time, most of Africa was still under British and French colonial rule, but the colonizers didn\'t care about how the natives lived. In many areas, there was still a tribal or slave system in place.

Bartering was common there, meaning their economy was unaffected by financial fluctuations.

Their economic situation depended more on the year\'s climate and rainfall, and food was the most valuable commodity in those regions.

It was like when the Spanish conquistadors first encountered the Mayans: they could trade a single blanket for a large piece of gold because the Mayans\' trade system was based on alpacas and cacao beans. To them, gold was just material for building palaces.

So, when white pigs traded fine cloth for gold, the natives thought it was utterly foolish.

The Spaniards used cheap industrial goods and plundering to transport thousands of tons of gold out of South America. Before the British navy crushed their invincible armada, Spain had been the dominant maritime power.

It\'s no exaggeration—many can\'t imagine just how wealthy the Americas were. The Spanish treasure fleet that sank in 1702 remains the largest missing treasure in the world.

According to historical records, more than 5,000 wagons\' worth of gold went down with the fleet. One ton of gold only occupies about 0.05 cubic meters, and a wagon could carry four tons, meaning the gold was just a thin layer.

That was the fleet\'s final voyage, and prior to that, countless amounts of gold had already been brought back to Spain.

Gin was no longer as clueless as he had been when he first arrived in New York. Over the past two years, he had studied hard to better assist Su Ming.

"Africa\'s main resources are gold, gemstones, and tribal conflicts."

"Exactly. We\'ll also need to acquire some ocean-going cargo ships and establish a company to transport our products to French North Africa. From there, we can distribute throughout the continent. Also, send a few trusted people to find information about a nation called Wakanda."

"Understood, boss."

Gin realized Su Ming\'s plan was to use various goods to exchange for hard currency in Africa. It was indeed a smart business move. While Africans were now aware of gold\'s value, they would likely just demand more food in return.

Gin nodded, stood up, and buttoned his hat, ready to leave and get to work. He had always been diligent, treating Su Ming\'s orders like divine decrees.

"One more thing—buy a few tractor factories. They\'ll come in handy later. It\'s best if all these factories are on the East Coast. Once the acquisitions are complete, consolidate and restructure them. When Midnight Express makes deliveries, ask our clients if they\'re willing to work for me. These factories will need workers. Of course, the pay won\'t be great, but it will keep them alive."

"Your kindness, boss, you\'re too generous. The people of New York will thank you."

Gin smiled, flattering Su Ming before hurrying off to complete his tasks. Su Ming simply shook his head, downed his drink, and sat quietly in his chair.

"A good guy card."

Gin didn\'t need to run around too much. As Su Ming had said, they had plenty of money. At a time when people were jumping off buildings left and right, he had spent only a small amount to hire the best legal advisors in New York.

The top lawyers on Wall Street now charged the same rate as a private detective in a back alley: just ten dollars a day and a lunch. However, the elderly lawyer, currently considered the best in New York, admitted that before the crash, he ranked only tenth. The top nine had either jumped to their deaths or shot themselves, leaving him as number one.

Since he hadn\'t invested in the stock market, he hadn\'t lost any money. But the person in second place had, and to survive, that person had lowered his rate to eight dollars a day. The lawyer had no choice but to follow suit.

That\'s how the market had deteriorated. This was once the fee for just five minutes of work from a top lawyer. Yet now, even with such drastic price cuts, there wasn\'t much work to be found.

The whole country was busy drowning their sorrows in alcohol—who had time for lawsuits?

Gin, ever quick-thinking, immediately hired the elderly lawyer as the company\'s chief legal advisor. Now, he didn\'t have to worry about where his next meal would come from, and he could also refer others to work for the distillery.

Gin understood that a gang needs both lawyers and doctors. With Su Ming\'s expanding empire, maintaining a legal team would be essential.

The old man didn\'t mind working for them either. He was a New Yorker and had heard of the "distillery." The distillery had a great reputation—its territory had the best public safety in the city. Before the crash, people didn\'t even need to lock their doors, and gang members acted more like corporate employees.

Moreover, money was money, and he had bills to pay.

Americans didn\'t have the same saving habits as the Chinese. They spent whatever they had, and the old man had just bought a new car that needed to be paid off.

So, he prepared all the necessary paperwork and signed on as the distillery\'s chief legal advisor, though the employer\'s name on the documents was "Wilson Enterprises."

Su Ming had considered many names and suffered from indecision—Umbrella, Vault-Tec, SCP Foundation, Wanda—but in the end, he chose a simple one. The inside jokes wouldn\'t be understood by anyone here; it was a lonely kind of cleverness.

After handing over the expansion efforts to Gin, who in turn delegated to the lawyer, things moved faster than Su Ming had anticipated. Many of the companies were on the brink of bankruptcy and were desperate to sell for cash.

Gin just came back to report expenses, while Su Ming signed the checks. His money was safely stored in the Federal Reserve Bank. Although it was affected by the recent panic, it was backed by the U.S. Treasury and wasn\'t at risk of collapse.

Su Ming eventually met the old lawyer in person. It was only then that the lawyer realized the one-eyed young man before him was the true boss of the distillery.

This made sense. The lawyer had lived a long life and met many people. While Gin was clever and diligent, he only had the makings of a good accountant or manager, not a mob boss.

But this young man was different. Just one glance filled the lawyer with an overwhelming sense of fear, as if he were standing before a monster. Now this was what a real mob boss felt like.

The lawyer was actually relieved. Now that he had met the true boss, it meant he had been brought into the inner circle and was considered "one of them." And gangs always treated their lawyers well.

Su Ming didn\'t bother correcting the lawyer about the company not being a mob organization. He acknowledged the man\'s work and generously handed him a $1,000 bonus, telling him to enjoy himself. He even gave the lawyer the codename "Vodka."

Despite the strange smile on his new boss\'s face, the money was real, so the lawyer left full of gratitude.

Su Ming had indulged his own sense of humor, but as always, the joke was only understood by himself. With a sigh, he turned his attention back to the blueprint in front of him, sketching out his next plans.