The engineer named Will Kendrick, who had come to Providence on vacation, was very talkative, and after asking for two glasses of whiskey, Tommy Hawke learned a piece of news from the small talk with him.

That is, at this moment, on the high seas near the territorial waters of the United States, a large tobacco processing ship of the Philip Morris Tobacco Company is working at full power, producing red and white Marlboro cigarettes day and night.

A processing ship is an independent medium-sized tobacco factory, operating on the high seas, the products are sold as they are produced, and sold wholesale to cargo ships that go to pick up the goods, and because the high seas are used as a base for the production and sale of cigarettes, Philip Morris can be exempted from a series of procedures such as docking customs declaration and payment of management fees, and most importantly, all of this is a legal act that occurs on the high seas.

Tommy Hawke talked about some business history in the last life of the professor in the business school, about the history of the development of American tobacco companies, the professor did talk about the business method of producing cigarettes on the high seas in order to seize the market, and then smuggling into a certain country to seize the market, but at that time it all happened in Canada, China, the high seas near RB, those countries repeatedly protested to the United States, and the U.S. government went to other countries with no malicious sales of goods by its own tobacco companies. It's just that the reason for production on the high seas prevaricates the past.

As for whether it is legal for domestic companies to rob the US government of taxes in the pockets of the United States by the same means, Tommy does not know, but perhaps officials of both parties in the United States should not dare to provoke the largest tobacco company in the United States, after all, the other party is slightly dissatisfied, which can make their political donations a lot less, and there are countless legal advisers and lobbying companies behind such large tobacco companies like thugs, ready to help tobacco companies solve various problems.

The reason why the tobacco processing ship, which was supposed to be anchored on the high seas near Plasson, Canada, sailed to the northeastern waters of the United States is that the New York area and Massachusetts and other places have recently raised tobacco taxes, and smokers have to pay more taxes on cigarettes purchased through formal channels, resulting in a rapid decline in cigarette sales.

In New York, for example, a box of Marlboro used to cost less than $3, but after the tobacco tax was raised, the price of a box has risen to nearly $4.

Moreover, the large increase in the price of cigarettes through formal channels has naturally spawned a number of unscrupulous cigarette dealers who want to make a profit, and they will find ways to stock up on large quantities from other Northwestern states with low tobacco taxes, smuggle them to New York or Massachusetts to sell, or simply produce fakes to make money.

The tobacco company's processing ships sailed to the nearby high seas to provide convenience for these smugglers, who no longer need to find a way to find a source of goods, but can directly get the goods at the source factory, eliminating the middlemen to make the price difference, and the most important thing is to ensure that the goods are genuine and the taste will not have any problems.

In other words, cigarette smugglers can easily complete the transaction as long as they drive a boat to a factory at sea and pay for it with one hand and take the goods with the other.

This is the United States, where as long as there is money to be made, the capitalists can always come up with intimate ways to cooperate.

Of course, this kind of business is not without risks, and simply quietly going to the high seas to buy cigarettes may not attract much attention, but whether the smugglers will be caught when they return to the land and are ready to wait for the opportunity to ship depends on their own luck, after all, it is very difficult to take advantage of the US tax department, and they may be tolerant of tobacco processing ships far away from the US mainland, but these smugglers who are lying on the tax and sucking blood must be resolute and unrelenting.

"A box of fifty strips, only two hundred yuan?" When Tommy Hawke learned the ex-factory price of cigarettes, he was shocked and asked Will, "That is, the price of a cigarette is four dollars?" Four dollars, a piece? Ten boxes? ”

You know, the price of a box of Marlboro in New York is close to four dollars, and at this moment, Will said that the factory price is only $200 for a box of Marlboro, which is only 40 cents when converted into a single box.

Will nodded a little drunkenly: "Of course, boy, otherwise why do you think those smugglers would risk being hunted down by the tax department to do this kind of business, the tobacco business has been so profitable since its birth." ”

"Sir, what is the minimum number of boxes?" Tommy Hawk only felt a little hot in his body, maybe alcohol played a role, but more often it was the word profiteering that kept burning and stimulating him.

"Boy, you know what, it seems to me that you shouldn't be here talking to an old guy like me about this lethargy topic at all, you should find a hot dancer to call it a worthwhile trip." Will Kendrick said a little boringly: "What's more, the factory is not a convenience store, if you just want to buy a few boxes of cheap cigarettes, you should go to the street and ask those cigarette sellers, at least buy more than 100 cases at a time, and the factory will receive you." ”

He didn't expect this kid to sit here and just talk to him about this dull tobacco problem, and every time he wanted to brag to the other party about his experience of picking up girls when he was young, this boring boy named Tommy would turn the problem back again, which made him lose the desire to continue chatting with Tommy.

And Will Kenderick's last words also doused Tommy Hawk's enthusiasm like cold water, if the minimum sales start at ten boxes, after he figured out the market supply and demand and sales methods, he could borrow money from Ruby to try it, but a hundred boxes of sales, that is, aside from other expenses, also need to come up with a principal of 20,000 US dollars.

Ruby couldn't have lent him such a large sum of money for a seventeen-year-old, and if he did, he would probably say hello to his father.

Feeling that Will Kendrick next to him had no interest in chatting with him, and he couldn't come up with a principal of 20,000 dollars to do this kind of business, Tommy Hawk exhaled, and then shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject: "You're right, Mr. Kendrick, it's worth the trip, it's right to have fun in time, come on, let's go to the single curtain to see how it is, I'm in for a treat, but to make it clear, it's only one song, give me some recommendations, which dancer has a more graceful dance, you've been here for three days on vacation, you should know better than me, give me some recommendations." ”

"Hahahaha~" Will heard Tommy's words, laughed happily, he held a whiskey glass and said to Tommy: "Boy, that's right, let me teach you how to have fun in this kind of place, the rules are as follows, first, never treat yourself, spend money on women, you have to let him come by himself, second, don't believe other people's recommendations, let alone keep your eyes on the hot rotten things in the hall." ”

"So what do I choose? Shouldn't I go to the dance floor like in the movie, generously throw out a few small changes, and ask the other party to accompany me to dance between the curtains? Tommy laughed too.

"No, of course not, I'll teach you how to play Miami, come on, boy, show you." Talking about women, Will put his arm around Tommy's shoulders and walked towards the single area.

There was a tall bodyguard standing outside the single area, Will took out two one-dollar bills from his shirt pocket, walked up to the other party, and stuffed the banknotes into the bodyguard's suit pocket: "Man, we're going to watch a one-man show in the curtain, help me go backstage and call out two spicy enough dancers, here's your tip." ”

The single curtain area will be equipped with one or two bodyguards, one is to deter the guests, to prevent the guests from doing something to the dancers in their own club, and the other is to help the dancers silently calculate how many dances they danced, if the guests enjoy three dances, but only willing to pay the dancers for two dances, the bodyguards will stand up and teach the guests the correct way to count.

"Yes, sir, each of you, please choose a curtain room." The bodyguard seemed to be accustomed to this kind of play proposed by Will, and made a gesture of invitation to the two, and then took out the walkie-talkie on his waist and called: "Two guests in the curtain, I don't like the fat mothers on the dance floor, send two glasses of spicy enough wine." ”

"You know, when the dancer comes to dance for you, and the time you wait, it's the coolest moment, you can let your imagination fly and guess what the waiting woman looks like." Will walked over to a curtain and let go of Tommy's shoulder: "Tommy, have a good first striptease trip, go in, by the way, remember clearly, rule three, don't believe any nonsense the dancer says, everything she says is just to empty the money in your pocket." ”

Tommy was pushed by Will and walked into this cramped and narrow single curtain room, the so-called curtain room, similar to the small room of the club where the protagonist went to in the game "GTA5", a small room separated by cheap synthetic panels, no door panels, only hung half-length or even faintly transparent gauze curtains, and there was not even a sofa in it, only two chairs placed opposite each other.

Tommy was sitting on a chair against the wall, as if waiting for the prisoner to be interrogated, waiting for the dancer to arrive.

However, what Will said does make sense, before the dancer actually shows up, men can't help but guess what kind of appearance the upcoming woman will have, what kind of hot body she will have.

Two minutes later, the sound of high heels stepping on the ground outside sounded from far and near, and a woman wearing a golden fringed bikini and long blond hair walked in from the outside with the curtain open, and when she saw Tommy's appearance of looking up with her hands around her hands inside, she was shocked on the spot:

“OhMyGod……”

And when Tommy Hawk raised his head and saw that it was Aunt Melonie wearing a blonde wig who walked in, he was stunned at first, and then immediately made a shushing gesture to Melonie, and said loudly to the outside: "Man, help me open a champagne box." ”

"Yes, sir, please come here." The bodyguard said yes outside, and when he saw Meloni, who had obviously not come back to her senses, standing still, he came over and urged: "Beatrice, go and prepare champagne for the guests first." ”

Melonie turned around and walked towards the champagne box area a little dazed, the bodyguard looked at Tommy's face with a little more smile, the young man is so impulsive, he doesn't need a reason to see a beautiful woman, he can obediently send the banknote over: "Sorry, sir, she is new here, and she is still a little unfamiliar with this process, please come with me." ”

In another curtain room, Will, who was twisting his body with his hands around his head by a dancer, heard Tommy Hawk's voice just now, and he frowned: "Boy! Rule Three! Oh, my God...... I was in this kind of place for the first time when I was sixteen, but after dancing three songs, I was tempted by the dancer to go to the champagne box, and I bet this kid couldn't have become a pickleman......"