102: Chapter 102 Hoarding 300 Tons of Gold, Seizing the Economic Lifeline of the Bald Eagle

The Boers transported a full one hundred tons of gold to New York.

Adding the ten tons that Lord Churchill brought from London.

Now, in the underground vault of Wells Fargo, nearly one hundred and twenty tons of pure gold were stacked high.

The golden radiance was dazzling, almost blinding Lin Tian.

To be honest, in both his lifetimes combined, Lin Tian had never seen so much gold.

Others would likely find it hard to believe that he was now the person holding the most gold in the USA.

Although most of the gold here did not yet belong to him.

However, if The Boers from South Africa wanted to take this gold out of Wells Fargo in the future, it would be harder than reaching the heavens. It was like throwing a meat bun at a dog—there was no coming back.

Joseph Bell, the newly appointed CEO of Wells Fargo, stood to the side, his face full of excitement.

"Mr. Bruce, following the promulgation of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, the Federal Government's gold reserves are being consumed frantically. At this rate, it won't be long before the government treasury is completely bottomed out. With so much gold in our hands, we are bound to make a fortune!"

"Hahaha, Joseph, this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for Wells Fargo."

Lin Tian laughed twice, "Once this storm passes, the USA, which implements a bimetallic system, will have no choice but to obediently return to the gold standard. By then, with our massive holdings of gold, we will be able to completely control the economic lifeline of the USA!"

Hearing this, Joseph Bell trembled with excitement.

Lin Tian had an astonishing appetite and continued to arrange, "This little bit of gold in our hands is not enough. Before the redemption crisis fully erupts, I need to forcibly raise Wells Fargo's reserves to over three hundred tons!"

Joseph Bell, who would go on to found the fifth-largest investment bank on Wall Street but was currently just a young man, pondered slightly.

"To reach this figure, we have no choice but to find ways to massively drain the official inventory. According to my estimation, the current stock in the national treasury is around three hundred tons, but this would require hundreds of millions of dollars in cash!"

"Don't worry about the funding; I will handle it," Lin Tian waved his hand, "Your task now is to arrange all the channels to drain the official inventory!"

You have to know, the new paper currency issued this year is entirely measured by silver.

But currently, the USA is still in the period of the gold and silver bimetallic system.

This gave countless speculators a god-given opportunity to exploit loopholes, allowing everyone to take the newly issued paper currency and run to exchange it for real gold and silver.

It is precisely because of this loophole that the official inventory is dropping frantically.

After inspecting the New York underground vault, Lin Tian stepped out of the Wells Fargo headquarters building.

He stood quietly on the streets of Wall Street.

Paul, the driver wearing a black uniform, quickly ran out of the car and respectfully opened the rear door.

"Mr. Lin Tian!"

"Hmm." Lin Tian nodded slightly.

It was already the end of October.

New York had just had an autumn rain, and the air held a hint of chill.

Bruce wore a thin black trench coat and bent down to sit inside the carriage.

"Mr. Bruce, where are we going next?" Paul asked from the driver's seat, turning his head back.

"To the New York Tax Bureau."

"Understood!" Paul responded readily and stepped on the accelerator.

The lins model t emitted a low roar and quickly sped away under the envious gazes of pedestrians on the roadside.

Not long after, outside the main gate of the Tax Bureau.

Another brand-new lins model t was already parked there.

A beautiful woman was sitting in the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly, her expression looking somewhat anxious.

Seeing Lin Tian's car driving steadily towards her, she immediately pushed open the car door and stepped out quickly in her high heels.

As soon as the car stopped, she couldn't wait to greet him.

"Lin Tian!"

Lin Tian pushed the door open and got out, taking her into his arms, and comforted her softly, "Anna, put your heart at ease. Mayor Roosevelt has already spoken with Director Cole of the Tax Bureau, we can just go in and collect the person today."

Anna nodded obediently.

After some calm thinking during this time, Anna finally made a decision: to bail Edison out.

After all, blood is thicker than water.

Even if she resented him in her heart, she couldn't bring herself to be so heartless as to watch her own father rot in prison.

If she really did that, Anna's reputation outside would be completely ruined.

Moreover, the lawyer Edison hired had sent word multiple times, saying that Edison himself was very eager to be rescued by Mr. Bruce.

And he swore to heaven that as long as he could get out, he would definitely reform himself.

Anna naturally wouldn't fully believe such nonsense.

She had long since grasped Edison's temper clearly, and she had prepared chips to deal with him in her heart.

The two walked side by side into the Tax Bureau gate.

The person responsible for receiving them was a fat man over one meter eighty tall.

This person was the highest official of the New York Tax Bureau, Cole Gene.

The Tax Bureau is directly under the Ministry of Finance; logically speaking, even the current Mayor of New York, Theodore Roosevelt, had no right to directly govern him.

But Cole was very worldly-wise and gave Roosevelt and Lin Tian a huge favor very readily.

The rules were simple: as long as Edison honestly paid all the back taxes and paid an additional hefty fine.

The tax department would immediately drop all charges.

In today's USA, as long as the matter hasn't entered judicial proceedings, everything can be settled with money.

In the detention room.

Looking at Edison, who had been locked up for over a month and had lost a significant amount of weight.

A trace of unbearable feeling flashed in Anna's eyes after all.

"Alright, since Mr. Bruce is willing to pay off all your back taxes and fines for you, our Tax Bureau will no longer hold you accountable, Mr. Edison!"

Director Cole looked down at Edison, then tactfully turned and left the room.

Hearing this, Edison was like a withered tree meeting spring, and a smile finally squeezed onto his old face.

He looked eagerly at Lin Tian and said with tears of gratitude, "Thank you so much, Lin Tian!"

Lin Tian stood where he was, expressionless, with no intention of paying him any mind.

Instead, Anna, who was standing to the side, made a move.

She opened her handbag, took out a thick document, threw it directly onto the table, and pushed it forcefully in front of Edison.

Edison looked down and glanced at the header of the document, his face changing instantly.

He raised his head abruptly, glaring angrily at his own daughter.

"Do you have to go this far? Anna!"

"Don't you have any idea? In order to get you out of this hellhole, how much money did Bruce have to throw in? Bank loans, high taxes, astronomical fines, and the huge amount of wages owed to the workers!"

Anna did not yield an inch, staring unblinkingly into Edison's eyes, her aura very firm.

"A full three hundred thirty-four thousand eight hundred and sixty-two dollars! My dear father, what do you intend to use to pay back this astronomical figure?"

"But my patents are worth far more than this money! No, I absolutely refuse! It's all my hard work..."

Edison jumped in anxiety and argued loudly.

Before he could finish, Anna snatched the document back.

She reached out and took Lin Tian's arm, her voice cold, "Since you are reluctant, then continue to stay in this broken place! You know better than anyone that if Lin Tian hadn't stepped in, you would have been sent to court long ago! By then, prepare to spend Christmas in prison chewing on dry bread!"

Once these words came out, Edison was instantly silenced, and the entire detention room fell into a deathly silence.

Of course, he didn't want to go to jail.

Once he went in, the reputation and prestige he had accumulated all his life would be completely finished.

However, making him hand over all his patents in one go was even more painful than cutting off his own flesh.

Seeing Anna pulling Lin Tian and turning to leave, Edison was sweating profusely, his back teeth almost crushed from clenching.

"I'll sign!"

Anna stopped, pushed the document back again, and handed him a fountain pen.

Edison's hands trembled, and with a few quick strokes, he signed his full name at the end of the document.

After confirming the signature was correct, Anna carefully stuffed the document into Lin Tian's hands.

"Lin Tian, from now on, all the patents under my father's name belong to you."

Lin Tian nodded with satisfaction and pocketed this priceless patent transfer agreement.

Subsequently, he looked down at the penniless Edison.

"Mr. Edison, rest assured, I will let these patents realize their maximum value. Also, considering that your pockets are cleaner than your face right now, I wonder if you are interested in accepting a brand-new job?"

Hearing this, Edison was stunned on the spot.

Now the laboratory was completely sealed off, and the company he had painstakingly managed was declared bankrupt. To be honest, even if he regained his freedom now, he didn't know where to settle down.

After pondering for a moment, he silently nodded at Lin Tian.

No matter how tough a bone he was, he still had to fill his stomach. At only forty-something years old, he couldn't bring himself to shamelessly rely on his daughter's support to get by.

Seeing the other party compromise, a satisfied smile appeared on Lin Tian's face.

The three walked side by side out of the New York Tax Bureau.

Looking back at the high lintel, a sense of desolation, as if from a lifetime ago, welled up in Edison's heart.

Before stepping through this door, he was still the world-renowned great inventor and the powerful business owner; now, walking out again, he ended up with nothing, forced to work for others to pay off his debts.

It sounded truly ironic to the extreme.

Outside the door, it was empty, and one could no longer see a single reporter hounding him like a fly.

Perhaps in the eyes of the media, Edison, having fallen from his pedestal to become an ordinary person, had already lost his value for hype.