Chapter 17: A Scheme Born from the Heart—A Dollar Business?!
The next day, in a coastal city in the southern part of Simple Village: Gore City.
At Gore City Airport, Lin Wendong walked out alone.
The city he chose wasn’t the poorest in Simple Village; otherwise, it wouldn’t even have an airport. Its economy was just average.
Being by the sea meant future transportation costs would be much lower.
“I’ll find my own way first…”
For a ‘foreigner’ like Lin Wendong wanting to set up a factory here, it was naturally not an easy task, but…
He had a plan—a straightforward one.
That was—to throw money at it!
He would go directly to the city mayor, offer him a million US dollars. Could the mayor resist such a temptation?
One must understand, Simple Village was an incredibly poor country; the officials here hardly ever had chances to embezzle anything.
Lin Wendong took out a million dollars, and in US currency no less! Could the mayor not be tempted?
Integrity?
Wholehearted service to the people?
Then make it two million!
Money can move mountains, not just empty words. Besides, Lin Wendong starting a business here was also meant to boost the local economy.
From any angle, the city mayor had no reason to refuse.
Suddenly, a dark-skinned local man approached Lin Wendong. Instantly recognizing him as Chinese, he asked in broken Chinese:
“Bro… want to exchange money? We offer great rates here.”
Lin Wendong glanced at him and casually asked, “Do you have US dollars?”
The so-called money exchange was about profiting from the exchange rate difference.
When the man heard “US dollars,” a flicker of something unusual crossed his eyes. “Yes! How much do you need?”
Lin Wendong looked around to ensure no one was paying attention, then raised one finger.
“A thousand? Ten thousand? A hundred’s too little, we won’t do that!”
Lin Wendong shook his head slowly and said, “Exchange one million US dollars for your local currency.”
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“What?!”
The man’s pupils constricted, nearly bursting out a scream!
One million dollars—that was an enormous deal.
No one had ever come to exchange such a huge amount with them before; such sums were usually handled by banks.
Lin Wendong knew that exchanging money through a bank was safest, but that took too long. Take China for example.
If he wanted to exchange one million US dollars, he’d have to make an advance appointment and go through all kinds of tedious procedures, like proving where the money came from.
The bank would regulate what the exchanged dollars were for.
Imagine if Lin Wendong tried to exchange money domestically and the bank clerk asked what the dollars were for.
If he said, “To start an arms company,” that would be… quite a scene.
“Can you exchange it?” Lin Wendong’s voice snapped the money dealer’s attention back to reality.
The latter immediately nodded, excitement barely concealed: “Yes, yes!”
One million dollars! He was about to get rich, and…
At that thought, a trace of greed flashed in the dealer’s eyes.
“One million dollars isn’t small change. You have to come with me to get it. Are you alone?”
Lin Wendong didn’t answer but asked, “Can it be ready this afternoon?”
“Yes!” The dealer patted his chest confidently.
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“Honored guest, time is tight. Come with me now to get the money.”
Lin Wendong nodded. The two walked to a van, and the dealer kindly opened the door for him.
To the dealer, Lin Wendong was no ordinary “honored guest” but rather… a money-making godsend!
Lin Wendong sat in the passenger seat while the dealer drove. Along the way, he made a call.
In the local language, he said, “Boss, I met a goldmine today! He wants to exchange one million US dollars right off the bat. I’m bringing him to you now.”
Glancing at Lin Wendong, who remained expressionless, he concluded the man didn’t understand Simple Village’s language.
Then he said into the phone:
“The batch of fake US dollars we just made will come in handy. Although the craftsmanship is rough, he’s alone. Even if he finds out, would he dare say anything?!”
“Boss, get ready. I’m almost there with him!”
Lin Wendong expressionlessly watched his system panel:
[Host: Lin Wendong]
[Money Value: 30,000]
[Lucky Draw] [Store]
[Skills Acquired:]
[Martial Arts Master] [Expert in Firearms] [Don’t Pretend You Know Stinky Tofu] [US Dollar Manufacturing Technique] […] [Language Proficiency]
The last skill was obtained just now on the plane after spending 100,000 money points on the lucky draw.
Simply put, it allowed him to master all languages on Blue Star.
This of course included the language of Simple Village, so he had clearly understood the conversation beside him.
“Roughly made fake US dollars?” Lin Wendong’s face showed no expression, but a bold idea took root in his mind.
Looking at his [US Dollar Manufacturing Technique] skill, his gaze flickered slightly.
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After hanging up, the money dealer couldn’t help but spit out the window in frustration, muttering:
“Damn it, why are our fake bills so easily detected?”
“Which step is going wrong?”
Just as he was brooding, a calm voice sounded by his ear: “I’m good at making fake bills. Let me take a look later.”
“Really…” He suddenly looked up, about to say something, then realized—it was in Simple Village’s language!
This Chinese man could speak Simple Village’s tongue?
That meant he’d heard everything just now. No way! He couldn’t let this guy get away. He had to…
As he was thinking, suddenly he felt a chill on his forehead.
“Where did this gun come from?”
Cold sweat broke out across the dealer’s back, and he could barely keep the van straight.
Lin Wendong wore a simple white T-shirt and shorts, with nowhere to hide a gun. Yet suddenly, he pulled out a pistol and pressed it against the man’s temple!
This was utterly incomprehensible to the dealer!
The gun, of course, was purchased from the system store.
Lin Wendong spoke calmly: “Drive properly. Take me to your boss. I have a deal to make.”
With a gun pressed to his temple, the dealer didn’t dare utter a word.
He could only obey submissively, terrified that if Lin Wendong slipped and fired, he’d be meeting his ancestors soon enough!
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