My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 17 A Heart of Vengeance and Ruthless Hands

Early morning, Cheka Market Warehouse Hotel.

As dawn broke outside the window, the winter chill of Moscow seeped into the room through the old window.

Qin Yuan, Gangzi, Da Binzi, and Lao Zhangtou sat around a small table, on which were spread a map and some slips of paper with numbers written on them.

The number of packages piled up in the corner has decreased significantly, but four packages remain.

This is their fourth day since arriving in Moscow.

Of the ten packages of goods brought, six were sold through the combined efforts of the stalls at the Cheka market and the university area. The remaining four packages must be cleared out within two days!

Gangzi took a swig of cold water to refresh himself, and looking at the pile of goods, he couldn't help but mutter, "Brother Yuan, can Jianhua and those other students really handle this?"

"Selling things isn't just about talking; you have to be shameless and persistent! We've been at the Cheka market for the past two days, and our voices are hoarse from shouting, and we've thickened our skin to finally sell these few items."

"A bunch of intellectuals, they're too shy to even bother trying to sell to the Russians."

He recalled the embarrassment he felt when he first started selling his wares and deeply understood the situation.

Qin Yuan was looking down at the university town area marked on the map when he heard this. He looked up, his eyes calm and resolute: "Gangzi, don't underestimate these students."

“Take Jianhua for example. He looks delicate, but he has a strong will and a quick mind.”

“Zhang Wei, Wang Haiyang and the others are not bookworms.”

"Especially Wang Haiyang, with his Russian girlfriend helping him, he achieves twice the results with half the effort. Give them a chance, and they will unleash energy you can't even imagine."

He paused, then looked at Da Binzi and Old Zhang: "Binzi, Uncle Zhang, did Jianhua and the others come to your stall in the university area yesterday? Or did they call?"

Da Binzi shook his head: "No, Uncle Zhang and I didn't see them before we packed up, and we didn't receive any calls either."

Old Zhang tapped his pipe: "There's no movement from the hotel either."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Qin Yuan's lips: "That's good. No news is good news."

"This means they're either busy or things are going well, and they don't need support for the time being. Just wait, they'll definitely come today."

He stopped dwelling on the issue and pointed to the Moscow State Bank on the map, saying, "Time waits for no one. We need to sell the goods and exchange the rubles for yuan as soon as possible. Once Jianhua and the others arrive and receive the payment, I'll go to the bank here and exchange all our money for yuan."

He thought clearly.

The official exchange rate for the US dollar to the ruble is currently 1 to 1.8.

If you try to exchange rubles for dollars, you definitely won't get that much money back.

Because the Soviet Union itself was also short of US dollars.

If you want to exchange it, you can only do so on the black market.

However, the exchange rates on the black market vary greatly.

However, the RMB is different; the two countries have industrial exchanges.

Moscow State Bank has a lot of RMB.

While the ruble's exchange rate hasn't collapsed and the banking system is still functioning normally.

With an exchange rate of 1 ruble to 5 yuan, they're really trying to squeeze every last drop out of their big brother's money.

None of them had any objection to this.

They always felt uneasy holding rubles in their hands.

The RMB is still better.

We can get a share of the money when we get back.

Seeing their joy, Qin Yuan calmly said, "Binzi, Gangzi, now is not the time to relax."

"Today, you two go to this stall in the Cheka market. Keep Vasily and Ivan on the line and get as much cargo as possible out of the market."

He turned his head, his gaze landing on the seasoned veteran, Old Zhang, with a deeper, more calculated look in his eyes: "Uncle Zhang, there's something even more important that requires your intervention."

"Didn't you spend quite a few years in Khabarovsk? You still have those connections there, right?"

Old Zhang's eyes narrowed, and he put down his pipe: "Khabarovsk? We do have a few old connections, but it's been a long time... Yuanzi, what are you planning? That place is close to our border, just across the Heilongjiang River is Fuyuan, but what does it have to do with our business now?"

Qin Yuan leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "Uncle Zhang, we've made quite a stir this time. Setting up stalls at the Cheka market, selling goods on university campuses, and making a fortune in rubles... It's impossible that no one back home has caught wind of this."

"The K3 line is destined to become lively in the future, and all sorts of strange things will try to get in."

"When we get back, we'll have hundreds of thousands of RMB in our hands. This is a piece of meat that can't be hidden away. There will be no shortage of people who are envious, who want to get a piece of the soup, or even snatch it!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Gangzi and Dabinzi's slightly tense faces, before continuing:
"Looking back now, the Russians' 'gold rush' only had two legitimate paths: one was like we did last time, using Hungarian visas as a roundabout way to stay in Moscow."

"But this method is, firstly, unstable, and could be cut off by policy at any time."

"Secondly, it's not under our control; anyone can leave, and it's too easy for it to become commonplace."

"Third," Qin Yuan's eyes turned cold, "Even if others don't stop it, I have to stop it myself! We can't let others easily imitate it and dilute our profits!"

"You cut it off?" Gangzi asked in a daze, a little confused by Qin Yuan's train of thought. "Brother Yuan, why? Wouldn't that be cutting off your own escape route?"

Qin Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile: "A way out? We need a narrow bridge, not a broad road!"

"Only by making the road difficult and setting high barriers to entry can we filter out those incompetent, cowardly, and unresourced nobodies!"

"We are looking for partners who are cooperative, capable, and abide by the rules, not to attract a swarm of locusts!"

Old Zhang's cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp light. He completely understood Qin Yuan's intention and slapped his thigh: "Yuanzi! You mean... an 'invitation'?!"

"That's right, it's an invitation letter!" Qin Yuan said decisively. "You need to buy an 'invitation letter' to apply for a visa to Russia. According to Soviet regulations, the security department of any city has the right to issue these kinds of business or family visit invitation letters. This is our opportunity!"

He slammed his fingers heavily on the table:

"Moscow is the capital, the regulations are strict, and the government offices are like a deep sea. It's too risky to expect them to issue invitations to a large number of us 'smugglers'!"

"But it's different in other places, especially in Far Eastern border cities like Khabarovsk!"

"With the emperor far away and the bureaucratic system lax, as long as the rubles arrive, those 'Ivan' and 'Peter' who stamp documents don't care who you invite or what they're doing! To them, it's just a matter of stamping more documents and signing more names, and how much money they get!"

Qin Yuan stared intently at Old Zhang:
“Uncle Zhang, you have connections in Khabarovsk and know people who can influence you and are willing to take money to do things.”

"Please make this trip, and bring enough rubles to pave the way! There's only one goal: to get as many blank or named business invitations as possible, all stamped with the official seal of Khabarovsk!"

"The more the better! As for the price, you can decide, as long as it's within our budget, let's discuss it!"

Old Zhang took a deep breath, his wrinkles seemingly smoothing out, and he exuded an excitement of returning to his old ways: "I get it! This is exploiting loopholes in the Russian system to establish 'franchises'!"

"It's unconventional, but it works!"

"Those old foxes over there who're in charge of the seals, if you bribe them enough, they can probably get you not just an invitation letter, they might even get you a blank passport! Leave this to me, I'll take the train there this afternoon!"

He was a little impatient.

Selling invitations is a unique business that takes advantage of information asymmetry.

Da Binzi frowned and raised the key question: "Brother Yuan, if Uncle Zhang can get an invitation letter from Khabarovsk, then can't others think of the same way? Wouldn't this business not last long?"

Qin Yuan smiled, a smile that carried both the calm insight into the world and the cunning of a businessman:
"Binzi, that's a good question. But this is precisely the kind of deal that can establish our position with a single blow!"

"Think about it, besides us, how many other people know about this shortcut? By the time they realize it and figure it out, our invitations will have already been sold and the money will be in their pockets!"

“What we need is the first batch, the largest quantity of invitations. Once we return with dozens or even hundreds of invitations, we will be the ‘only’ and the largest ‘supplier’ on this route!”

"Reputation and distribution channels were then established."

"Even if others follow suit, can they match our quantity, speed, and reliability?"

Qin Yuan's eyes sharpened. "Our goal isn't to sell invitations, but to screen for genuine partners! Anyone who wants to work on the K3 line has to buy our invitation first."

"Through this, we can know who has the strength, who has ideas, and who follows the rules."

"In the future, the truly lucrative and high-barrier-to-entry bulk transactions, such as steel, timber, and used cars, will be the focus."

“We only cooperate with these selected ‘partners.’ Those lone wolves who just want to take advantage of others are naturally kept out!”

These words were like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly making Gangzi and Dabinzi understand Qin Yuan's deeper plans.

This is not just about making a quick buck; it's about building a network of interests and barriers to entry centered around oneself!
Old Zhang nodded repeatedly as he listened, his eyes filled with admiration and amazement as he looked at Qin Yuan.

This kid is ruthless, has a sharp eye, and uses ruthless methods!
(End of this chapter)