Like any businessman, Li Yi'an deeply understands the importance of information in commercial activities. This is also why, without exception, all major conglomerates have corresponding intelligence agencies. In the business world, information is money, and intelligence is wealth.
Sugar is one of the most inconspicuous bulk commodities, but currently, it is the most demanded commodity in the American market.
"55 cents per pound of sugar."
Sitting in his chair, Li Yi'an looked at the prices on the report. After the Pearl Harbor incident, the market price of sugar entered a period of crazy inflation. It increased more than fourfold from the initial 12 cents per pound, fluctuating around 55 cents, and this was the official price set.
"The black market price is $1. Profit doesn't seem to be that great..."
Although the profit wasn't substantial, it was significant in volume. After all, the demand for sweets among the public remained strong, and the demand was quite intense.
"Because the government is conserving transportation capacity for other urgently needed supplies, sugar is in short supply. Candy manufacturers cannot obtain sufficient raw materials, sugar has disappeared from many households' kitchens, and candy store owners are leaving the best candy for those willing to pay the highest price, even transactions for bubble gum have formed a black market!... The current sugar market gap is 5 million tons..."
5 million tons!
Li Yi'an did some calculations on the notepad. Even at the official price, each ton of sugar could be sold for around $1,200.
5 million tons equated to a market of $6 billion!
$6 billion! It's a fortune that could last a lifetime!
Just then, a cry of astonishment interrupted Li Yi'an's reverie.
"Oh my God!"
If it wasn't Zhu Yihai, who else could it be? Opening the company's door, Zhu Yihai was stunned by the warehouse filled with cars.
A series of brand-new BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, Audis, and other luxury cars were neatly parked in the warehouse, making him almost think he was hallucinating.
"Boss, boss..."
Seeing the boss coming out of the office and standing on the railing of the second floor, Zhu Yihai exclaimed excitedly.
"Are these the ones you brought from England?"
"Are they all new cars?"
"Mostly, with a few used ones."
"Boss, there's no way these are just some used cars. I can guarantee you, once these cars are put out there, they'll be snapped up like hotcakes!"
Snapped up?
No, others wouldn't even have a chance!
...
"Thank you for your tea."
The voice was soft and gentle, and the smile on the face was sincere, even giving off a feeling of a warm breeze.
"You're welcome."
Looking at Carlo Gambino, Li Yi'an smiled as well.
In fact, he was prepared for this moment. Doing business with the Mafia, sooner or later, he would meet the Godfather.
Now, the Godfather of the Mafia had finally arrived.
Dozens of cars blasted out a big fish— the reclusive Godfather of the Mafia finally appeared!
The appearance of the Godfather was the premise for the Mafia to continue expanding its business.
What was the biggest benefit of doing business with the Mafia?
They didn't ask many questions, paid cash crisply, of course, as long as they dispelled the idea of double-crossing.
And the information revealed by these cars was enough to dispel their doubts.
Most importantly, he needed to use the Mafia's sales channels to sell his goods.
And for that, the Godfather had to personally show up.
"I rarely interfere with business matters."
Carlo Gambino looked at the young man in front of him and said.
Being low-key was his biggest characteristic. He always handled things through his advisers and trusted subordinates, never showing up in person.
Now, the reason he came here wasn't because of the dozens of cars, but because of the other party's ability to transport the cars here.
"I came here today hoping that we can have long-term cooperation in the future. If you have more cars or other goods."
Carlo Gambino said directly with a smile.
"Just like today, I will offer you the best price, and all transactions will be in cash."
"That's also why I chose to cooperate with you."
Li Yi'an smiled and said.
"I believe we will have more opportunities for cooperation in the future."
Then he said without any pretense.
"I have some connections in the official transport team. We can bring in a lot of goods from England in the future. Of course, we can also get them from other places."
Li Yi'an said this cautiously. Dealing with the Mafia required caution. Nowadays, the Mafia were all like the ones who buried bodies with Tommy guns. They said true and false information to make them think there was bigger support behind them, so they would be cautious about eating each other.
Carlo Gambino was slightly stunned, suddenly thinking.
"So, the last transaction was just a test?"
In an instant, he seemed to understand the other party's identity. This Chinese man was just representing certain people, maybe even officials in Washington. After all, nowadays, any ship that could sail on the high seas was requisitioned by the authorities. Only those official people could transport big items like cars on the ships, and there were only a few days between the two transactions. Could it not be a test?
"Gambino, let those little thugs in Brooklyn stay away from here. This is Mr. Li's place. He is our friend."
Friend?
The Mafia is reliable, even sows climb trees!
This sounded nice, but it was just listening to it.
But Mafia money is still money!
This transaction yielded a profit of $510,000!
But what really surprised Li Yi'an wasn't the huge profit of 500%, but that this transaction earned him over 120,000 experience points, and the system even unlocked a new feature.
[System trading function available, do you want to enable it?
"System trading? Does this mean I can trade within the system?"
Could this be the real system's big gift?
With a somewhat excited mood, Li Yi'an chose "Enable," and then, more text appeared on the screen.
"Temporary increase in storage space quota available, with a maximum increase of up to 50%, and a duration of no more than 24 hours."
Facing the system's prompt, Li Yi'an raised his eyebrows.
Is this it...
Is this the long-awaited big gift?
Is this big?
Temporary expansion of space... It costs 10,000 experience points!
"Damn, isn't this too expensive..."
Although he said so, his body was honest. Although he felt that temporarily increasing the space capacity was a bit expensive, the profits were still considerable.
"In fact, we could also consider Cuba..."
Once again, Li Yi'an brought up this matter concerning Cuba.
Firstly, Cuba is very close to the United States. Secondly, it is the most important source of goods for families like Gambino.
"Maybe, we should try Cuba."
After making up his mind, Li Yi'an and Zhu Yihai exchanged a few words of advice, asking him to see if he could buy cigarettes from other channels. At the same time, he drove to the consulate in New York, where he found an old colleague of Li Guoren. Relying on US dollars, he easily obtained a passport. Compared to the temporary certificate he had before, this passport was the real proof of identity, and it also served as a travel document for other countries.