Allen Zhang: Recently, I helped him deal with the Modern Brothers, and I began to feel that he might be thinking about retiring. But I didn’t expect he would actually do it. If he’s going to transfer ownership, perhaps we can take over his recycling station.
Dominic: That’s exactly what I was thinking. If we have enough funds, it’s indeed possible to take over a recycling station. After all, the can recycling machine can only sell a few hundred dollars’ worth of cans every day, and many communities and Rich District can’t really contract business. I’m going to bike over now and see what Old Karl has in mind.
Allen Zhang: OK, I’ll head over in a bit.
After passing countless intersections and traffic lights, and spending some time, he arrived at Eito Street.
Olivia parked the Lexus by the side of the road.
"Darling, see you another day."
"Goodbye." Allen Zhang unbuckled his seatbelt, kissed Olivia farewell, got out of the car, and as she stepped on the gas, she left the street.
Walking half a block, Allen Zhang reached the recycling station, and the moment he entered the yard, he saw Old Karl chatting with Dominic.
To the side, the towering piles of cans and cardboard from days past were gone, leaving only the broken-down pickup and Dominic’s Trek Bicycle.
Allen Zhang went over to greet them.
"What’s the occasion today, bringing the two of you over? Old Karl was a bit puzzled, "I surely didn’t shortchange you for yesterday’s cans, did I?"
"Of course, there’s something else we want to discuss with you." Allen Zhang said, "I saw the news that you’re transferring your recycling station online, what’s going on? Are you really planning to retire and go back to the countryside to farm and raise chickens?"
"Hahaha, you guys are really well informed! But I’m no Texas Redneck, even if I go back to the countryside and open a farm, I wouldn’t actually work the land myself. I’ve saved up some money, who knows, I might buy a couple of plots of land, and if I’m lucky, even find oil on my own land!"
Old Karl laughed heartily.
"You’re dreaming in broad daylight now?" Allen Zhang teased.
Though the West Coast is Free America, where gunfights occur every day, I must say that privatized land is rather well done here, even if it means paying expensive property taxes every year, you still enjoy a certain degree of privacy and sovereignty.
If you dig up antiques, gold, or oil on your own land, it’s yours.
If you really strike oil on your own property, then major oil companies will definitely compete to come and sign a contract with you.
Discovering oil in the Middle East or other places, I’m afraid it only invites trouble, but on the Eagle’s own turf, well, it has to show some restraint.
The profit of oil isn’t that excessive, after all. Small oil fields can’t compare to the drug trade. You sell a barrel of oil to an oil company for just tens of dollars, and your private oil field may not have much reserve, with initial investments in drilling costing a lot of money, and it’s easy to lose everything, just like Gold Diggers and Treasure Hunters, a high-risk, high-reward job.
As for weed, large-scale input costs at most a few tens of thousands of dollars, with a bit of processing, you can earn back hundreds to thousands of times the profit, though it’s risky and you can end up behind bars.
"Although I can’t become an oil tycoon, I still want to pursue my old-age dreams and enjoy a free life. If nothing unexpected happens, this recycling purchase station will close in one or two weeks at most." Old Karl said, pondering.
Upon hearing this, Dominic said, "Are you really not planning to continue? Karl, is it because business isn’t too good?"
"No, my family heard some news about the recycling station being robbed, and they also learned about the ongoing gang violence nearby. They were a bit worried about my safety, so they came to talk to me about retiring. They’ve already sold the house in the city and are preparing to move back to the countryside to live. They convinced me to go with them, and after thinking about it, I agreed."
Old Karl explained, "After all, living alone here is indeed boring, and there are many shortsighted youngsters in the streets who like to cause trouble. I’m getting old, living a quiet life in the countryside may suit me better."
"I’ve spent enough time in this city, there’s nothing much to miss, except for this recycling station and those bright-eyed eighteen-year-old girls."
Old Karl was visibly moved, "Actually, in the countryside, there are also many hot girls, and they’re easy to woo!"
You might as well die in the bed of an eighteen-year-old girl, having enjoyed life to the fullest.
But Allen Zhang also felt he probably had no place to judge Old Karl, being quite a rover himself.
Although Dominic was somewhat reluctant, he still blessed him, "I hope you can live the life you want in the countryside, Karl, and stop messing around, maybe you can live a few years longer."
"Thanks for your blessings, kid. But in this world, only beautiful women and alcohol shouldn’t be wasted! I also hope you can leave the street life soon and live like a normal person."
Old Karl revealed a satisfied smile; he had played enough all his life.
Even if someday he really overdoes it with kidney tonics, and wakes up no more, he would still be passing away with a smile.
It would be a blissful end.
"Karl, how are you planning to sell this recycling station? Through the online Opportunity Network to find clients?" Allen Zhang inquired.