Ever since James Collins appeared with Helen Wilson, he had always carried an air of superiority, leaving James Brown secretly surprised. Generally, those in the underworld business, including smugglers, value a good buyer greatly, but Collins seemed indifferent, as if making a deal with Brown was not a significant matter at all.
That also implied that the smuggling group’s goods were very popular and always had a good market, so they were not worried about finding buyers. This showed how large the smuggling group’s scale was, and the tight security of their operations indicated their considerable strength.
"Uncle, as Little Sam must have told you, I’m a straightforward person. My wife keeps a tight leash on me, so I don’t have much spare cash on hand. I only have one million dollars for now, and I want to take one million dollars’ worth of goods this time. I wonder if we can make this deal happen."
"One million dollars..." James Collins looked at James Brown with a hint of surprise and asked, "You’re sure you want one million dollars’ worth of goods in one go?"
It was only at one million dollars that the other party showed some interest, and James Brown immediately added, "That’s right, I want to test the waters this time. If it all goes well, I can raise some more funds for next time; getting three to five million won’t be a problem."
It was fortunate he had prepared one million dollars. If he had brought less, he wouldn’t have been able to capture the higher-ups’ attention, and he and Helen Wilson would have had no chance to make contact with them.
James Collins took a drag on his cigar, and a thick cloud of smoke billowed from his mouth before he spoke, "Mr. Brown, don’t you think you’re being a bit rash? It’s not a problem for me to supply you with the goods, but whether you can sell them back home is not so simple. And as for whether you can avoid trouble, that’s not easy either."
James Brown laughed proudly and said, "Uncle, you worry too much. In my area, I can definitely handle customs and public security. As long as the goods reach there without issue along the way, it won’t take a month for me to sell out this one million dollars’ worth of goods."
"What kind of goods does Mr. Brown want then?"
James Brown quickly responded, "Do you have any luxury watches? These items are in very high demand in our area, and because of their small size, they’re less likely to cause issues."
"Luxury watches are not only in high demand in your area; it’s the same here. Although we’ve received a lot of watches this time, most of them have already been pre-ordered."
"Ah? What about cameras, cell phones, and other electronic products?"
"We do have those items. How about this: since it’s our first time doing business, I’ll give you seventy thousand dollars’ worth of watches, plus twenty thousand dollars’ worth of cameras, and thirty thousand dollars’ worth of cell phones. What do you think?"
James Brown slapped the table with excitement and stood up, exclaiming, "Great, great! I’m truly grateful to Uncle."
James Collins nodded coolly and said, "There’s no need to thank me. I also hope we can have a long-term partnership. But I have to say the uglier part upfront: you’ll need to give me seventy thousand dollars as a prepayment. Only then can I prepare your goods. The rest of the payment will be settled upon delivery, and there will be no contracts or receipts. If you agree to this, then we can do business. If you’re still worried, then let’s forget about it."
James Brown’s expression became a bit stiff, his face changing several times. Collins’ requests were indeed too risky. If he gave Collins the money and Collins just walked away, that entire one million would go down the drain.
Biting his teeth, Brown slapped the table once again and declared loudly, "Alright, let’s do it that way."
"Are you sure?" Collins asked with a smiling gaze at Brown.
"I’m sure! In this business, even if I had a contract or something, it would be completely nonsensical and without any legal protection. So whether it exists or not, it’s completely useless. I’ll just trust Uncle’s word."
Collins laughed heartily and said, "Good, Mr. Brown is indeed decisive. I enjoy doing business with someone like Mr. Brown."
At this point, Collins gestured to John Smith and said, "Go ahead and serve the food. Today I want to have a good drink with Mr. Brown to celebrate our future successful cooperation."
The meal was enjoyed by all, and James Brown and Collins drank quite a bit. Helen Wilson also frequently toasted to Collins, and since the business was nearly concluded, Collins didn’t give Wilson any trouble. However, when Wilson went to the restroom, Collins patted Brown on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Listen brother, it’s okay for a man to enjoy wealth and play around a bit. But women, they often spell disaster. Many have been ruined by women in the end. If you want to grow bigger in the future, it’s best not to bring women along."
Brown laughed and assured, "Uncle, don’t worry about that. Little Johnny is absolutely devoted to me. If not for me, she would’ve been dead already."
Collins gave a slight smile and said, "The minds of women are something men will never quite understand. Their demands change all the time. It’s okay to have fun, but it’s not good to involve them when trying to tackle major tasks."
At this, Brown earnestly responded, "You’re right, Uncle. Next time I come out, I won’t bring her along."
"That’s not necessary. Since she’s already involved in this matter, you need to keep a close hold on her heart so she doesn’t cause trouble later. As for other women, they shouldn’t be involved."
"I understand. Thanks for the advice, Uncle."
"You’re good, capable of listening to my advice."
James Brown nodded repeatedly, saying, "Uncle is a veteran, I’m just a newbie. Uncle’s advice is definitely for my own good." Raising his glass, he said, "Uncle, I toast to you."
"Good!" James Collins clinked glasses with James Brown and drank heartily.
The meal did not last long, and neither James Brown nor James Collins drank much. After the meal, James Collins said to James Brown, "Little Sam, accompany Little Lee to pick up the money. The goods will be delivered at twelve o’clock in the middle of the night the day after tomorrow."
Then he said to James Brown, "Little Lee, I’m quite busy these days, so I can’t keep you company for the next two days. We still need to keep in touch frequently in the future."
James Brown immediately replied, "Uncle, you’re busy; I trust that we will have plenty of time to meet later."
Uncle nodded, left with two bodyguards, while James Brown and John Smith went to the bank. James Brown directly withdrew seventy thousand dollars and gave it to John Smith, and then John Smith left.
Back at Helen Wilson’s house, James Brown said to Helen Wilson, "Seventy thousand dollars just gone like that, it really hurts."
But Helen Wilson was excitedly saying, "What’s there to hurt about? We’ve now hooked a big fish. I’ve known about Uncle for a long time; he’s quite famous in our YODC City, holds status in both the underworld and the lawful world, and I never would’ve thought that he’s involved in smuggling."
"You mean, he is the big boss?"
"No, no, he’s definitely not the big boss. But within this smuggling ring, he is certainly a figure of great importance. Didn’t you see those two bodyguards with him? They were quite formidable. If his status were not high, how could he have such powerful bodyguards?"
"So, is it that by arresting him, we can completely deal with this smuggling ring?"
"Impossible, although James Collins is very important, without more evidence, we can only arrest him and can’t affect the roots of this smuggling ring. Therefore, with him, we can only collect evidence and can’t do anything else. After we finish this deal, we will try to make contact with more important figures than him."
"Sister, after we put in one million dollars for this deal, we will be out of money. How are we going to negotiate the next deal?"
Helen Wilson’s face stiffened; she really hadn’t considered that.
"I think it’s almost enough. By catching James Collins, at the very least, we could make the other side lay low a little. Plus, by catching such a big fish like him, you would be credited with a great achievement and there would be a chance for you to get promoted. Why should you work so hard?"
Helen Wilson’s face darkened, and she said, "I want to crack this case, not to get promoted or rich. I just want to maintain social stability and the peace of the people. As long as there are bad guys, I want to catch them."
James Brown gave Helen Wilson a glance, saying, "You really are stubborn. You need to consider your own capabilities. You’re just a small station chief and should act according to that role. A station chief attempting to do the work of a bureau chief—what would your leaders think? And you don’t have so many resources. I know your sense of justice is strong, but I suggest you wait until you get a higher position. When you become the head of a district bureau, then do what is within your means. When you’re the city bureau chief, you can do bigger things."
Helen Wilson pondered for a moment, then shook her head firmly, saying, "I’m doing this not necessarily by myself. I just need to gather enough evidence. Then I can let the higher-ups make the arrests. By doing so, I wouldn’t be overstepping my authority or offending anyone. This would mean delivering them a great accomplishment on a silver platter—why wouldn’t they be willing?"
"You really are naive, working yourself to the bone just to dress others for the wedding."
"That’s just the way I am. But what do we do next? Once we handle this batch of goods, we’ll be out of money."
"Then we sell those goods, right? That way, we can also gain their trust more."
"Sell? Would that not make us smugglers too?" Helen Wilson’s eyes widened in shock.
"Telling you, you’re just too rigid. If we want to gain their trust, of course, we have to sell the goods. Only then can we be considered real smugglers. How else would they trust us? Plus, we solve the problem of funding too. Why not do it?"
"But... if we sell the goods, wouldn’t it be troublesome to confiscate them back later? And those who bought our goods would suffer major losses. It’s practically scamming people."
James Brown gave Helen Wilson a glance. This female police officer was always so by-the-book and principled; her ability to adapt was lacking, which could be quite frustrating at times.
At that moment, the phone rang. It was Gina Lopez calling. James Brown answered the call, and Gina’s voice came through, "Honey, how’s the business negotiation going?"
That "honey" was rather alluring for James Brown, sounding exactly like a wife calling her husband. It almost made James Brown feel as if Gina Lopez was his real wife.