Chapter 309

310. Chapter 306: Information and the Coast Guard

The alcohol that was originally planned to be delivered to the federation a few days ago was delayed by a few days due to the storm, but Laini was not very concerned about this.

A few days early or a few days late, he did not care; in any case, this money would eventually end up in his own pocket.

He knew he had offended Lans, and he had also offended Alberto, but he did not care about that either.

This is Xiang Yalan, this is the Republic of Xia Ji; this is not the federation. Whether it is the Sumuli people of the federation or Lans, this is not a place for them to run wild.

Those drinks of his would sell for at most 300,000 to 400,000 to Lans, but now selling them to others would fetch at least 600,000 to 700,000. This is nearly a doubling of profit, and it is pure profit!

When Lans spoke to him earlier, he had also expressed his willingness to continue doing business with Lans, but they could not just pay him a little money as they had previously agreed.

He must pay according to the current price.

Laini could give him a "friendship price" for the sake of everyone "knowing" each other, but this figure would not be too low: 580,000. He thought it was very appropriate; Lans's face was worth 20,000.

Any more, even a single cent more, would not do.

After that, he did not speak with Lans again, and he did not want to talk to that stingy young man anymore.

At this time, the cargo ship full of alcohol had already departed, and he picked up the telephone receiver and dialed the number for the federation.

The moment the call was answered, he immediately revealed a smile and laughed loudly, "... Mr., good morning. What I want to say is that the storm in Xiang Yalan has ended, and I have already watched those little darlings being loaded onto the ship."

"In about two days, you will be able to see them... Yes, I guarantee it, so you had better be able to prepare the payment for the goods."

"Whether it is cash or a transfer, we accept both."

"... Good, no problem, I look forward to the next cooperation."

He put down the phone, lifted his two feet onto the edge of the table, and took that huge cigar from the ashtray to hold in his mouth.

Xiang Yalan also produces various kinds of tobacco and cigars, especially the tobacco leaves of Yasuna, which are very famous in the world.

They hire sixteen-year-old girls to pick tobacco leaves and make cigars... Alright, that is a lie. In fact, most cigars are made by adult men and adult women, and their appearance is not very good.

It has absolutely nothing to do with the slender, tender, white hands people imagine. The plant substances in the tobacco leaves make their hands look old and cracked, and the color is also dark.

But it cannot be denied that Yasuna's cigars are indeed excellent.

In the past, Laini could only afford those cigars worth 30 to 50 federal Sol each, but now, whether they are a few dollars each or ten-odd dollars each, he can consume them as he pleases!

Every ship of alcohol represents a profit of at least tens of thousands, and at most over a hundred thousand or several hundred thousand; a cigar that costs ten-odd dollars is nothing!

Thinking of this, he could not help but reveal a faint smile full of pleasure on his face. Who the hell could have imagined that he, who was transferred to the Republic of Xia Ji by the family as if he were being exiled, would have a day like this?

Before the federation issued the prohibition, the local alcohol was simply worthless.

Only those more famous brandies and red wines could sell for a price.

Wines like the ones he had in his hands that were not worth much were even more worthless; there was simply no market for them.

But who could have imagined that just because of a prohibition, everything had changed.

He narrowed his eyes and thought of those guys still on Sumuli Island; they must be so jealous right now that their eyes are turning red, right?

In a place he could not see, a Sumuli young man a little over twenty years old wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, greeted others with a smile, and left the pier.

He found a small restaurant and ordered some food. Before the food was served, he asked, "Boss, can the phone here call the federation?"

There was a phone on the counter, and the boss nodded, "One dollar a minute."

The young man held a cigarette in his mouth and walked to the side of the phone. He dialed a number, and after the other side answered, he said, "The things I sent you are already on the way, arriving tomorrow night or the morning after tomorrow..."

He hung up the phone after speaking, paid one federal Sol, and returned to his seat.

Before long, the delicious food was served. Having worked all morning, he could finally enjoy a good meal!

At this time, Alberto, who received the call, relayed the news to Lans. Although Lans and the Pasileto family had some unpleasant business, the "target" of this matter was Dofu, not him or Paul.

Alberto did not like Dofu either; in fact, no one would like those who have special privileges. He did not think Lans had done anything wrong.

Perhaps because of this matter, the two did not say too much on the phone; they just exchanged a few simple pleasantries and then hung up.

After Lans received the news, he recruited his men, "Between tomorrow midnight and the morning after tomorrow, Laini's alcohol will be coming in by sea."

Aierwen, who had hurried back from outside, was slightly stunned when he heard this news. He did not react immediately and asked directly, "Is he willing to sell the alcohol to us again?"

Lans shook his head, "No, I haven't spoken to him. This batch of alcohol should have been ordered by someone else, and I intend to eat it up."

"Even if I can't eat it up, I have to find a way to destroy it."

"He won't let me be happy, so I won't let him be happy!"

"Maybe he is the one in charge in Xia Ji, but this is the federation, this is New Jincheng. Between him and me, I am the one in charge!"

New Jincheng is definitely one of the places with the highest sales volume of alcohol. Perhaps the price may not be the highest, but it is definitely relatively high.

Like those small cities with only a hundred thousand people, even if there are many alcoholics, how much alcohol can they consume in a month?

Looking at New Jincheng, with a population of over 1.5 million and still expanding, most people here need alcohol, especially those sailors.

They not only need to drink cup after cup, but they also need to bring alcohol onto their ships.

Surrounding cities and even the surrounding states are also trying to import goods from New Jincheng. For example, Galio of Fides City, he imported a large batch of alcohol from Lans.

There are too many businesses related to alcohol here, and it is not that whoever has the alcohol has the decision-making power; these drinks still have to be able to get in!

Everyone already knows that this place is filled with countless wealth. If Laini's alcohol can never get in, but the alcohol of others from the Republic of Xia Ji can get in.

Then even if Laini's power is great, as one grows and the other wanes, he will soon be caught up, surpassed, and then left far behind.

He tore up the agreement with Lans, so he must bear the corresponding consequences.

Laowu stood by the door and asked, "Are we going to rob it after the ship docks?"

Lans shook his head, "The ship docking means that the handover of this batch of alcohol is already finished. No matter who ordered this batch of alcohol, we cannot have a direct conflict."

"I mean, before they receive the goods, we find a way to get rid of them!"

Aierwen considered it seriously for a while and raised his own question, "We can get some speedboats, but we don't have transport ships."

"And we haven't fought on the sea surface. I'm not doubting you, or ourselves; I just feel that we might not be good at this."

"Shooting on a swaying deck, I don't hold much hope for hitting anything!"

Fighting on the sea surface is indeed different from fighting on land, and this time, not only do we have to deal with those who are escorting the goods, but we also have to find a way to get the alcohol on the ship back.

His consideration is very correct. If those who are escorting the goods are old sailors, Lans and his men will be in danger instead.

Do not fight others in an unfamiliar field; this is a summary full of wisdom!

Lans pondered for a while, "I will find a way, you guys also need to be prepared."

It was still early, so he took a car (followed by several cars) and went directly to the port. He wanted to have a chat with Jack.

Jack works at the customs, responsible for the spot-check work of containers entering and leaving the port. Although the work is not easy, he does have some real special power in his hands.

When he saw Jack, he was leading people to spot-check those countless containers. They would open some containers to test whether the goods inside met the federal import and export standards.

If they encountered ones that did not meet the standards, or ones that had not been declared, they would be detained.

This is a very ordinary and hard-working job, but that is only how it looks.

When Lans and his group stood to the side, Jack had to see them, even if he didn't want to.

He arranged the follow-up work and took the initiative to walk over. The two walked to the shore, far away from the crowd.

"Is there something?" he gave Lans a cigarette and asked.

Lans looked him up and down, "This uniform looks great!"

Jack smiled. The Coast Guard has begun to strengthen its forces one after another. As the largest port in the federation and the busiest port in the Northern Hemisphere, New Jincheng is also the first to change into new equipment for the Coast Guard.

They have already begun to use gunboats for patrols, which also means that those smugglers can no longer send goods in at will.

Either face the Coast Guard and their bullets and artillery fire.

Or, follow the formal procedures of the pier and face the spot-checks of the customs.

In the past, they were unwilling to go through the pier because the pier had the risk of being inspected and confiscated, but now, compared to a whole ship of goods being ruined, going through the pier actually has less risk.

This has also led to a huge change in Jack's current status. Those smugglers and businessmen who didn't think much of him in the past are all contacting him and the people in his department.

Hoping to be able to let certain containers go during the spot-checks.

These people are also not stingy and are willing to give anything as long as they speak up.

However, right now, neither Jack nor his department has quite adapted to these changes, and they are also worried about whether there will be any trouble if they take money to do things.

This is a very contradictory process. On one hand, Jack does... want to get some money.

Whether in this era or in the future, the importance of money is always ranked first.

On the other hand, he is very worried about whether the Congress or higher levels will pay attention to the changes at the pier, making him passive.

"Don't say these nice things. Do you have some goods that need to come in?" He exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at the people around them who were far away.

This gave him a very subtle, nervous feeling, as if he were doing something bad in front of everyone.

Even if some people were not looking at him, he would feel as if these people were looking at him.

Lans shook his head slightly, "Do you know anyone from the Coast Guard?"

Jack didn't react at first, but soon nodded and said, "I know them, what's wrong?"

"Is the relationship good?" Lans asked again, "It would be best if it were a captain or something like that."

Jack frowned and thought for a while, "I do know them, but there is no deep friendship. What are you going to do?"

Lans said softly, "Between tomorrow night and the early morning after tomorrow, a ship full of smuggled alcohol is coming into New Jincheng."

"The owner of this batch of goods has offended me."

Jack confirmed it again and again, "A smuggling ship?"

"Yes, a smuggling ship."

A relaxed smile appeared on Jack's face, "You want this batch of goods to be detained?"

"Not just detained, I want to buy it."

Seeing Jack's confused look, he added, "From the hands of the Coast Guard."

Jack was stunned for a long while before teasing, "Is this how you always talk business with others?"

"Honestly, your words make it hard for me to keep up with your rhythm. You are buying illegal smuggled goods that they confiscated from law enforcement officers. I have absolutely no idea what to say about you!"

Lans had a relaxed smile on his face, "Don't be like that, Jack. Don't make this sound so unsettling."

"If you have something confiscated by the police, or if you want something they confiscated, give me a call."

"I guarantee that it will only take an extremely cheap price to get these things into your hands, and it will even be delivered to you by a police officer driving a police car!"

"Help me make an appointment with your friend. I will convince him. Ask him if he has time at noon."

Jack was still hesitant, but after thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth, "No problem, I'll call him."

There are many public phone booths on the pier. Lans asked curiously, "Don't you have your own office?"

Jack shook his head, "Not yet."

Lans pursued, "This 'not yet,' how far off is it?"

"Can it be solved with money?"

Originally, Jack wanted to say it was far off, but suddenly he thought of something. He stood there in a daze for a while before saying, "I'm not quite sure."

Lans kept this small change of his in his heart; he would ask about it later.

The call was connected quickly. Customs and the Coast Guard have quite a lot of business cooperation. For example, they cover each other and cooperate with each other in anti-smuggling.

The person on the other side readily agreed to the appointment and set a time.

At this time, it was still a while until noon, so Lans didn't want to keep disturbing Jack's work and left first.

More and more people on the pier recognized Lans, and many people took the initiative to come over and greet him.

"Mr. Lans, I heard... alcohol is going to go up in price?"

The club recently mentioned this matter, saying it would go up by a few cents. In fact, compared to the price increases outside, it was as if it hadn't gone up at all.

But for the workers, spending five cents more every day means spending 1.5 dollars more every month. Maybe they don't just drink one cup a day?

Lans could only appease them, "The price of alcohol is rising too fast now. I lose several thousand every month. If we don't raise the price, it might be difficult for us to maintain it for too long."

"But you don't have to worry too much. I will talk to Vice President Woen."

Although the Dockworkers' Competition was not so perfect because of the shooting, it had already begun to attract attention in the entire labor system.

Especially the "Lans White Rating Method," which has been considered by the Labor Union as an excellent scheme that can effectively divide professional skill levels. They are actively discussing and formulating grading schemes for various types of work.

If nothing unexpected happens, Lans will soon become famous, and by then, workers across the entire federation and even the world will be grading themselves according to the grading method compiled from the suggestions he proposed.

Among the working class, he had gained great prestige.

President Sikaote has already held such a grand event that is enough to change the working class. Having been noticed by the General Union, he will be transferred to work at the Dockworkers' General Union around October.

Vice President Woen will naturally become the next president.

After appeasing several groups of workers, Lans finally had time to make a phone call. He called Weilian.

"How do you have time to call me?" Weilian was busy in the office, dealing with the propaganda strategy of Mr. Qiaobafu.

So he felt curious about Lans's sudden call.

"I'm at the pier, at Jack's. I want to know if he wants to be promoted one more level—I don't know what position that is—but if he wants to be promoted one or two levels, how should he go about it?"

"I don't know much about this, so I wanted to ask you."

Weilian put down his work and thought for a while. Having worked in the federal government for so many years, he wouldn't dare say he knew every department clearly, but at least he knew how things operated.

"Customs is relatively independent. We don't know anyone at the high level, but I have a proposal."

"After I am elected as a municipal councilor, I will have the opportunity to contact them. Wouldn't that be more appropriate?"

After the two talked for a while, Lans hung up the phone and went to the labor office, which was still crowded.

The prosperity of New Jincheng has brought more illegal immigrants here. They crave a job, and only this place can give them one.

Now the office can earn an income of over 20,000 to 30,000 from these people every month, which is actually a very remarkable income!

It's just that compared to Lans's other income, it seems a bit unremarkable.

By 12:30 at noon, Lans arrived at the restaurant they had agreed upon ten minutes early. After about four or five minutes, Jack and a middle-aged man walked in.

Lans took the initiative to stand up, pushed the chair away, and went to greet them.

"This is Captain Maikeke. He is responsible for patrol, towing, management, and rescue work during one shift."

"This is Lans, Lans White. He is my sister's boyfriend."

Captain Maikeke is also a typical federal person. He has a beard, looks a bit rugged, and wears a pair of tea-colored sunglasses.

His skin is slightly rough and dark, which is also a common problem for people who are often on the sea.

While shaking hands with Lans, he smiled and said, "Lans of the Lans family?"