Saidar is a privately owned transport company that secured the rights to operate public transport in Sabin City for the next four years, extendable by another four years, through bidding a few years ago.
The official explanation for the four plus four-year contract is that if Saidar Company does poorly in the initial four years, the subsequent four-year contract won’t be renewed.
But in reality, this contract is determined by the Federation President’s term. Each president’s inauguration and re-election aren’t solely personal matters but affect the entire Federation Government’s upper echelons.
The ministers selected by the President also choose their desired deputies. This is a complex yet straightforward process, fundamentally a matter of allegiance.
Perhaps initially, many people did not realize that becoming President could yield benefits beyond power, but now people know that includes wealth.
Every President, every eight years, sees an economic entity forming around their ruling power that the public never knows about.
These consortiums, which originally formed under the President’s name or surname, often hide within other consortiums. For example, the Jotson Group Company related to the previous President Jotson remains unseen by the public.
A conglomerate shields such a group company, making it so most people won’t directly see "Jotson’s" name, rather under some consortium or its sub-companies. The truth remains out of reach for the people below.
Saidar is a company that benefits similarly. The Saidar’s owner has some connections with a staff officer from the President’s faction, not too close but just enough. While not intimate, they exchanged a few words.
As a result, they almost effortlessly secured the public transport operating rights in Sabin City, and covertly funneled resources upwards as a sign of loyalty.
Don’t underestimate city public transport; it’s a lucrative business. Sabin City, with a total population of only 760,000, has about 200,000 daily trips relying on public transportation for city travel.
If these trips are assumed as short, within five kilometers, with a fare of just twenty-five cents, ticket sales alone would generate over fifty thousand dollars daily, accumulating over a million in monthly revenue.
Perhaps when faced with these figures, the owner of Saidar might argue about operation costs, like fuel, staff salaries, attrition, and even initial investments.
Some might be fooled, but not everyone, as the City Hall also provides an annual subsidy to Saidar Transport Company.
The tender is not about how much it costs to contract the city’s transport plan but about the minimum funding that’s required for them to "survive."
Yes, the devotion and sacrifice of Saidar Transport Company are indeed touching. Knowing well it’s unprofitable, they strive to reduce the fiscal subsidy; for what?
This is the spirit of sacrifice, a spirit of burning oneself for others.
Alright, that was just nonsense.
At this time within the Saidar’s company, people from the FBI’s Financial Crime Investigation Division and Sabin City’s Federal Tax Bureau gathered. The Saidar’s owner was initially reluctant to comply with their requests until he received a call, then reluctantly began cooperating.
He signed several agreements under the watchful eyes of cameras and witnessed them dump baskets of coins into a pool, only to be retrieved and dried.
He even saw them rolling some transparent, colorless ink onto one- and two-dollar bills, after which no further cooperation from him was needed.
The federal top brass was unhappy with the law enforcement scandal erupting in Sabin City, leading the FBI to intervene in the criminal activities here. Reportedly, FBI higher-ups were upset about being equated with the Tax Bureau, although the investigation bureau often does cause problems.
This prompted them to decide to cooperate with the Federal Tax Bureau, aiming to quell the uproar and scandal ignited in Sabin City. Proving Lynch’s guilt would make everything easier.
First, following customary procedures, in dealings involving Lynch and Mr. Fox alike, the primary step is to confirm Lynch is providing Mr. Fox with the necessary "ammunition" to launder himself.
His legality can be interpreted as exploiting legal loopholes, where the Tax Bureau can enact a local legislation to invalidate Lynch’s business legality, throwing him into prison.
This requires a complete evidence chain—evidence generated under third-party or multiple witnesses, naturally passed into Lynch’s hands, which Mr. Fox would personally bring to the Tax Bureau for verification. The on-site verification of income brought in by Mr. Fox becomes the evidence of revenue circulating in the market, and if it exceeds a certain proportion, the judge will recognize the entire criminal process, acknowledging the illegal transactions between Lynch and Mr. Fox.
To gather a large amount of coins without alarming these people, they specifically approached Saidar Transport Company, where a few dollars in change daily would suffice to produce enough evidence to tackle these criminal activities.
Under these circumstances, Investigator Richard, who had been watching for days, led the transaction. He acquired five thousand dollars in change at once, with a promise of continued supply.
Saidar Company requires at least one armoured cash transport vehicle daily to send the funds to the Tax Bureau for registration, then deposit it in the bank. This isn’t because they are idle but due to the sheer amount of money. Converting it to larger denominations indeed saves Saidar Company extra expenses in some aspects.
There also exists enormous profit herein, calculated at one percent, even if only half of the coins, say twenty thousand, those handling the transaction can privately pocket at least two hundred dollars.
Not illegal, not violating rules, nor embezzlement; just swapping from one hand to the other earns a few hundred dollars, so why refuse?
This money not only flowed to Lynch but throughout Sabin City; the anger from the Investigation Bureau and Tax Bureau required engulfing the entire city to subside.
Under the ultraviolet lamp light, the blinding fluorescence on these bills blossomed into smiling faces. Lynch poured the chemical cleansing agent in, rapidly eroding the fluorescence on the coins with an invisible force.
He washed them four times in total, finally purging all fluorescence, but it was worth it.
He wiped his hands, exited the warehouse, smiled at Vera who turned back to look at him, then proceeded to the table and picked up the phone, "Mr. Fox, you can arrange to collect the goods now!"
After hanging up, he tore the check stub and handed it to Vera—the check wasn’t merely a check, besides things invisible to the naked eye, it consisted of a check and a check stub. Whenever necessary, the Tax Bureau would use this stub to the bank for reconciling cash checks to authenticate the book figures, determining whether there were problems.
Apart from the stub, there’s also a legally registered company stub, the triplicate voucher. Having started, no flaw should be left.
Watching Vera finish these tasks, Lynch casually pressed on the back of her chair, with a slight bodily contact. Vera instinctively leaned forward, while Lynch, as if oblivious, inquired about her well-being, "You look...," He pursed his lips, "... a bit haggard. Did something happen? Need my help?"
Vera forced a smile, "It’s nothing..." She averted her gaze to somewhere else, brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Pale cheeks adorned with a few locks of hair released an enchanting fragrance, as Lynch’s hand rested gently on her shoulder, sincerely he said, "We’re friends, if you ever need me, or there’s anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to let me know, anytime!"
Vera gratefully looked back at him, instinctively nodding, "I will."
Each person is unique, each person is invaluable. This statement is generally true but when comparisons arise among people, some are worth their weight in gold, while others appear worthless.
Lynch’s eyes spoke volumes during their gaze lasting about three, four, five, six, or seven seconds, then he nodded and decisively turned away.
Watching his retreating figure, Vera’s lips parted slightly as if to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.
Her gaze absentmindedly shifted back to her palms resting on her lap, staring at the wedding ring on her finger, feeling like it was all a joke.