"Do you have information on Michael's family?"
After wandering outside for a while and making sure no one was following him, Lynch arrived at Mr. Fox's office on the basement level.
There was a trace of pity for the weak on his face, which is the greatest sorrow for people like Mr. Fox in this era.
They are wealthy, perhaps not as wealthy as those big capitalists, but definitely far above the average small merchant. Yet, they can't even rent a decent office.
They cannot be in the spotlight. Neither their business nor their wealth receives legal protection; instead, they attract legal scrutiny, so they can only work in this damp, moldy basement.
The mold spots in the corners and some yellowed decorative panels made Lynch want to laugh. If he had that much money and resources, he would have soared long ago.
His "business" with Mr. Fox was still in its honeymoon period, with Lynch providing thousands of loose change every day, making him the center of attention for Mr. Fox.
Initially, he thought Lynch couldn't do it, but as time went by, Lynch's pace increased. Now, he can provide change three to four times a day.
Although the frequency has clearly decreased compared to the dozen times on the first day, the amount of change provided has increased, effectively helping Mr. Fox quickly turn the money into bankable funds.
Before leaving work each day, he would voluntarily report once on the income situation, letting the Tax Bureau's people watch as they emptied the money from each washing machine's coin box, counted it, and deposited it directly into the bank.
Large amounts require tax documents to prove the legality for them to be allowed into the banking system.
This also means the money laundering speed for Mr. Fox is accelerating, and within a few months, he might be able to rent a storefront in Sabin City's most bustling area and work in a splendid environment.
This keeps their relationship well. Lynch makes some money, while Mr. Fox avoids certain problems; it's a suitable business.
On arriving today, Lynch asked first about Michael's family information. The other party had caused trouble several times and even punched him, so he can't pretend nothing happened; he wants revenge.
Mr. Fox frowned and soon relaxed, "You shouldn't get entangled with him. You know, he's someone with a 'license,' and it'll absolutely not be him who suffers in the end!"
People with a "license" don't mean those with a driver's license. It refers to someone working for the Federation Government with law enforcement rights. These people are troublesome; they naturally view each other as a whole.
When you deal with someone, you might not be dealing with just him but the entire group.
There was such an interesting case where a lawyer received a ticket for illegal parking from a motorcycle officer. The lawyer joked with friends, saying he would not only avoid paying the fine but also get an apology from the officer.
Soon, the lawyer took the local Police Station to court and, after intense litigation, won the case. Just as he said, he not only avoided any fines but also received an apology from the officer in court and in front of the media.
But is this the end of the story?
No, it's not.
The lawyer won the case but lost his life. From the day he won, the Police Stations in all seventeen states of the Federation were watching him.
On the highway, he was forcibly stopped by no less than eleven highway bureaus in his section and was pinned down on the hot highway surface eleven times for searches and photos.
Is this all?
No, even now, he lives in fear. The police often come knocking for trouble, citing absurd reasons, such as someone hearing screams from his house, or someone reporting his home invasion...
Each time he barely finishes repairing the front door, it gets shattered by a battering ram, followed by a swarm of tactical police rushing into his home, dragging him and his wife out of bed, and throwing them into the yard...
So it's best not to get entangled with someone with a "license" here. If he angers the entire group, Lynch's life will become a nightmare, especially since his opponent is the Tax Bureau.
The Tax Bureau will monitor every transaction and encourage those who transact with him to report him. As long as one item is verified, they could put Lynch behind bars for life.
But Lynch just smiled, "I just want to send over some gifts to resolve the conflict; he shouldn't see it as an insult, right?"
Mr. Fox hesitated. He couldn't tell if Lynch was telling the truth or lying, but regardless, he had said everything he needed to. Even if he didn't tell Lynch, Lynch would get the information from somewhere else.
By that time, it might create gaps with him, so he opted to tell him directly.
Lynch seriously recorded Michael's information, then chatted with Mr. Fox a bit more. If there were no surprises, at the current pace, Mr. Fox's money should all be in the bank within two or three months.
That's a good thing, but Mr. Fox had new issues, "Lynch, my friend, I know you're a young man with ideas. How would you make my business legal?"
He smiled as he spoke, "I've finally rid myself of these troubles, but I don't want to easily fall back into them. Maybe you'll have some methods I haven't thought of?"
What Mr. Fox essentially runs is lending money to those in need and charging interest, but his interest exceeds the highest limits set by Federation law.
Furthermore, some agreements contain illegal compounding interest issues, making his business awkward. Even if he can recover money, it can't be deposited in banks.
If transactions went through banks, the opposing party could simply provide agreements and bank statements to convict Mr. Fox—his demanded interest exceeded Federation law.
Not only would he face investigation from prosecutors and the Tax Bureau, but he also couldn't recover the money lent; the law won't acknowledge the agreements' legal validity and won't support Mr. Fox in collecting debts and interest through legitimate means.
This is the common issue most people in this industry face; they can't resolve these problems, and no matter how they whiten the money, it eventually becomes gray again.
Lynch didn't answer, only shrugged. In fact, he knew how to solve this problem, but he wouldn't reveal it now.
After chatting with Mr. Fox for a while, feeling satisfied, Lynch left. He wandered outside for a bit before arriving at Michael's residence.
Michael's home is located in a high-end community in Sabin City. He has a decent family.
His wife is quite pretty, looks very young, presumably a full-time housewife revolving daily around her husband and children, spending the rest on TV and socializing with the housewife community.
His son, Little Michael, is in high school, attending a nearby private school. His academic performance is average, having had several girlfriends, is interested in everything except studies.
Simple, common, very typical low-level privileged class family.