Chapter 301: A Business That Crumbled Before It Even Began

"Hmm?" Winston wasn't moved by the two or three hundred million dollars. He knew that the money was nominally his, but in reality, he was just helping William manage it.

William understood this as well. Because Winston had no children and was getting older, he didn't care much about money. The only thing he was attached to was the management rights of the Continental Hotel.

"What could possibly interest you?" Winston hesitated for a moment but couldn't resist asking.

"Haha, Uncle Winston, I thought you could hold back from asking. I didn't expect you to be curious too," William laughed heartily.

"That's only because it's you. If it were someone else, I definitely wouldn't ask," Winston said with a smile.

William understood that Winston no longer saw him as an outsider. Among close relations, it was acceptable to share some non-core secrets.

So William straightened up and said, "Ever since I decided to take out Pushkin, I've been thinking about what benefits I could get from Vigo Tarasov. I can't really get involved in traditional gang businesses—it's no good for me. But just taking some money and intelligence network in exchange for letting Vigo have a big gang feels like too good a deal for him.

After doing a lot of research, I found out that within the Polar Bear Gang, there's a transportation company that occupies nearly 40% of the market share across seven or eight large cities and more than a dozen mid-sized cities on the northern East Coast."

"Wait," Winston interrupted William before he could finish, "If I were you, I wouldn't go near the Truckers' Union. You should know that unions like these can influence votes in some cities. If you're not a local power or a big gang, no one can handle the Truckers' Union.

Don't think you can use the Polar Bear Gang to protect you. If you want their help, you'll have to let them get involved. But once a gang gets involved, your reputation will be ruined. And without the gang's involvement, you, as an outsider, would be absolutely crushed by the Truckers' Union. In their eyes, you're the fattest sheep. They won't stop until they've squeezed you dry. They don't care if the company goes bankrupt.

Take my advice, William—getting into this industry is absolutely not a good idea."

After talking for a while and seeing that William was still hesitant, Winston had to get up and sit next to William. In a low voice, he said, "The unions in the USA have completely changed. Many of them are now semi-open criminal organizations, and the Truckers' Union is even worse. Even if you have the ambition to make big money, don't get into this industry. It's not worth the trouble, and it's too easy for your enemies to cause problems. They could just wait on a remote road and fire a few shots, and your company would be bankrupt. If you don't believe me, look into what happened to Greyhound buses in the USA. People used to wait by the road and shoot at them."

William didn't need to investigate. Sunday quickly reported into his ear, and after listening, William felt that Vigo Tarasov and Abram Tarasov were actually the good guys. After thinking for a long time, he finally nodded helplessly and said, "Alright, I'll consider it carefully. I didn't expect these union guys to be such talents. Corruption is so rampant; no wonder fewer and fewer people are joining unions these days."

Damn it, William thought. He had planned to take advantage of the cheap land prices and stockpile some land to replicate the logistics system of China in the USA. But this business idea was crushed before it even began.

"But it doesn't sit well with me to let Vigo Tarasov and Abram Tarasov off so easily," William said, feeling a bit indignant.

"What's there to be indignant about? Tell me, what was your original goal?" Winston tried to persuade William, seeing that his stubborn nature had flared up again.

"Don't tell me the Boston warehouse incident wasn't your doing. The way all the guards were silently taken out—I can only think of a few special organizations capable of that, and you're one of them. You have the ability, and you were conveniently in Boston these past few days."

Seeing William glance over at him, Winston laughed and said, "Don't worry, your ambushes were well-executed. If I didn't know you so well, I might have been fooled. But now that this matter is over, you'd better go back to Oxford immediately. Even though you've covered your tracks well, some things don't need evidence. Because as long as trouble happens wherever you go, people will start blaming you.

Those who lost large bribes might not be able to cause you legal trouble, but if you think about investing in the USA, forget it. Only when Vigo Tarasov has satisfied their appetites will this matter truly be over."

Winston said meaningfully, "No matter how powerful you are, you can only deal with a few individuals. But they're a group, a vested interest. Anyone who harms their interests is an enemy. And the methods some people in Washington use to deal with enemies are much harsher than ours."

William shrugged indifferently. "Ha, without evidence, what can they do to me?"

"They can't do anything to you, but don't forget, every time you come to the USA, something happens that some people don't want to see. A few more incidents like this, and you'll be seen as a source of chaos by certain people. You wouldn't want to be denied a visa next time you try to enter the USA, would you?"

After Winston said this, he suddenly burst out laughing. "It seems you've already been permanently banned from Montenegro."

Damn it, William thought, covering his forehead. He realized that every time he came to the USA, there seemed to be death and chaos following him. If this happened a few more times, it would indeed become more difficult to come to the USA in the future. At the very least, the FBI would definitely keep a close watch on him. Damn it, I need to stay far away from this Polar Bear Gang split. With that thought, William lightly tapped his ear and said, "Sunday, prepare a plane for me. I'm going to Los Angeles. And while you're at it, check if there are any special sports events in the next two days. I need the public to know that I'm just here for fun."

It was September, so NBA games were out of the question. But aside from the NBA, William had no interest in American favorites like baseball or football. The Triple Crown horse racing series had already ended in June.

"SIR, the only well-known event in September is football. If you need, I can book you VIP tickets for the Los Angeles Raiders."

"Forget it, I don't understand football," William said, shaking his head in frustration. If he wasn't going to Los Angeles, then he might as well appear openly in public. "Book me a table at the restaurant on Madison Avenue, number 11. If there are no games to watch, I'll just find some beauties for dinner."

William stood up and said to Winston, "Sorry, Winston, I'm going to chat up some girls, so I can't have dinner with you."

"Alright," Winston said helplessly as he got up and hugged William. "Have fun, kid. Hopefully, starting today, the next generation of the Devonshire family will be growing in the girl you're dating."

"Heh," William rolled his eyes at Winston. "I'm not even 20 yet; the last thing I want is a child. But to avoid Winston's nagging, William lied, saying, "I'll try."

Before Winston could say more, William released him. "Bye, Winston, I'll come see you when I have time."

"Bye..." Winston was speechless as he watched William turn and walk away. After a moment, when William entered the elevator, Winston turned to Garon and asked, "Am I really that unlikable to him?"

Garon smiled and said, "Sir, Mr. Devonshire just didn't want you to bring up the topic of children again. For someone not yet 20, having a child now isn't a good idea."

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