American Gossip King

Chapter 87 Surrender Yourself (Part 2)

Inside the room, Ian continued his analysis with composure: "Besides the money, there are other benefits. For example, you'll become celebrities! You'll receive many interviews, and each interview will bring in a fee; additionally, I can help you get into the film and television industry and become actors. You'll become famous and give speeches everywhere. You'll talk about all the bad things you've done, and of course, the ending must be that you've realized your mistakes and are determined to turn over a new leaf."

He looked at the three men and said earnestly, "Three young men who came here from Italy, determined to turn their lives around, are writing their own legendary American story! This is the quintessential American Dream!"

The three of them remained silent.

After a long pause, Gan Lun said, "Sounds pretty good?"

The freckled woman shook her head: "I don't really trust him. What if he doesn't do as I say?"

Lyle nodded. "Yes, if he goes back on his word, we're finished. I think it's better to kidnap him; we're good at that. There's a famous saying, 'Don't try to make money beyond your understanding,' right?"

Ian laughed. "You know that saying?"

Lyle had his gun pointed at Ian: "If I were you, I would choose to renege on the debt."

Ian remained calm; he had already turned off the safety on the other man's gun.

He said, "No, you're just afraid that I'll lie to you. But I have every reason not to lie to you."

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...

The three listened attentively.

Ian said, "You know I own a major media outlet. The Los Angeles Herald is mine, and WND is mine too. For me, this has several advantages. First, I can get a blockbuster story. I found you and persuaded you. I have a part in your path to reformation. And this story alone will earn me more than two hundred thousand, not to mention that I will be even more respected because of it."

Everyone nodded in agreement; it was true.

Ian continued, "Then it's time to publish the book. It will be serialized in the Herald, and I'll earn more than you guys."

The news of the Palos bank robbery is so sensational that it would be a huge waste not to translate it into increased sales for the newspaper.

Unlike newspapers and news websites, which cannot publish videos, newspapers can delve into people's inner thoughts and tell their stories.

This is something that TV stations and news websites find difficult to do.

Therefore, the best opportunity is to take advantage of this, conduct in-depth research on the bank robbers, and then publish the findings in the newspaper like a serialized novel.

Jin Yong used his novels to boost the sales of Ming Pao newspaper back then.

Ian is now using real-life robber interviews to boost newspaper sales—a long serial, turning the highest sales into daily sales!

This is an unsolvable, overt strategy, and also a demonstration of Ian's business acumen—CBS will believe that Ian is a capable businessman, not just a talented reporter.

The freckled-faced man blurted out, "Then you gave too little."

Gan Lun was speechless: "We haven't agreed to him yet."

The three of them put down their guns and looked at Ian with the seriousness of elementary school students, their eyes full of expectation.

Ian Carr's pie is so delicious!!!

Ian continued, "After you surrender, I'll hire lawyers to handle your case. It won't be cheap, but it'll be worth it for me. This case itself will be high-profile news, and most importantly, it'll be more enduring than regular news. It can be continuously investigated and reported on, and I'm the only one who can report on and exclusively interview you! The Palos bank robbery has already given me two hot news stories, and your surrender will bring my website and newspaper another! I have a bet with my readers on five hot news stories, and you've already helped me achieve three. Just one more and I'll have fulfilled the bet. I want to do it by the end of June, and I'll become the most famous businessman in America, fulfilling the bet six months ahead of schedule and beating the Los Angeles Times! The benefits this brings me are numerous, so why would I renege on my promise?"

This time, all three young people spoke in unison: "Then what you gave us is definitely too little!"

Ian was amused.

Yes, that's exactly the attitude we want.

It's a good thing that they're willing to bargain.

Ian laughed and said, "Although I earn a lot, I also spend a lot. To bail you out, shorten your sentences, or even grant you pardons, I need to hire the best lawyers. The legal fees alone could cost millions."

The three of them shouted in unison, "Fuck! They're even better at robbing than we are!"

Ian said, "Don't worry about how long I'll keep you in jail. Remember when I said I'd get you on TV, doing interviews and acting? You can't do those things in jail; you'll only be able to do them when you're out. So, for my own financial gain, I won't keep you in jail for too long. My best-case scenario is that you might get a three-year sentence, but you could get a pardon in a year at most."

He looked at the three men: "Serve a year in jail, and when you come out, you'll be successful and famous. Each of you will become a millionaire, legally! By the way, I'm also looking to contract out prisons. If I'm lucky, I'll let you into one of my contracted prisons. In that case, I'll make sure you're so comfortable you won't want to leave... Of course, I can't guarantee that. I reckon you won't catch this wave of profits, but I can still take care of you while you're in prison... You can be treated like royalty there!"

A burning desire appeared in the eyes of all three.

Seeing that they were indeed interested, Ian slowly opened the bag he was carrying, took out three contracts, and handed them to them, saying, "Sign this contract, and you'll be my employees. I'll make you successful!"

The three looked at each other and finally nodded.

Lyle asked, "What should we do with the stolen money?"

Ian replied, "That must be returned."

Ganlun was very reluctant: "We've already spent quite a bit."

"How much did it cost?"

"Twenty...fifteen...I spent fifty thousand." Looking at Ian's sharp eyes, Ganlun could only regret that he had spent money too slowly.

Ian said, "I'll make up the 50,000 for you. If you don't return it, you'll spend more time in jail, which will affect your ability to make big money."

The three finally decided to accept.

They quickly signed their names, and Ganlen looked at Bledson: "What about him?"

"He doesn't need one," Ian replied. "There are only three people. We couldn't find the driver; you don't know him, so we hired him temporarily. That's all!"

Lyle grinned at Bledson: "Then you're not going to get rich."

Brydson scoffed, "Mr. Ian hired me as his driver; the pay is decent, and most importantly, I won't go to jail."

The three looked at each other and said in unison, "This is a necessary sacrifice!"

They stood up and said, "Shall we go?"

"Where to?" Ian asked.

"Go and turn yourself in!" Gan Lun replied, "Didn't you say you would turn yourself in?"

The latest novel is first published here!

"No, no, no, don't rush!" Ian hurriedly said, "Didn't you see I brought a camera?"

The three were puzzled.

Ian said, "We can't talk about what we just had; we need to record it again. I'll talk to you, and you'll tell me about the unfair treatment you've suffered... You've been through it, haven't you?"

The three nodded: "Of course!"

Ian smiled. "Then say it. School bullying, racism, sexism, and everything."

The freckled-faced man blurted out, "I haven't been discriminated against. I'm white. It's us who discriminate against and oppress others!"

Ian was speechless.

He looked intently at the freckled face: "You want to publish a book? You need tragic experiences and a turbulent life! Don't worry, I've already arranged everything. Now tell me everything about you, and I'll help you make some changes. These things will become your new life background, your capital for a bestselling book, and also evidence for a lenient sentence in court."

The three of them were overjoyed at the same time!

That's right, we're not the bastards, society and the world are the bastards!

The freckled-faced man asked, "Do you need me to be sodomized?"

Everyone: "..."

In the end, Ian said, "We can discuss the details later."

So next, Ian taught them how to weave new pasts based on their own origins, how to mix truth with falsehood, and how to blend truth with falsehood...

After making them memorize everything about their background, Ian redesigned the negotiation scenario.

This time, the content changed.

Ian spoke righteously and earnestly to them, urging them to lay down their weapons and surrender immediately, while the three young men began to tearfully recount the dark side of society.

It was truly a well-acted show.

"Click! Let's do it again. You need to be more excited, your hands need to shake a bit, act more convincingly! The safety is off, your finger is on the trigger, aim it at my face, and your tone needs to be firm."

"Cut! One more time, be pessimistic, be desperate, be hysterical..."

"Fuck, don't pull the trigger! You're getting too carried away, you idiot! Thank goodness the safety was off, you almost blew my head off!"

Inside the cabin, Ian, like a director, instructed them on how to cooperate with him, and thus began a "live interview".

Brideson, who was standing guard at the door, watched this scene and found it inexplicably funny.

Is this the boss who scared Kreps to death?

He not only possesses terrifying methods of killing, but also chilling scheming.

Hmm, being his driver must be quite an experience.

(End of this chapter)