7: Chapter 7 Are Cigarettes Really That Powerful?

"Everything points to his identity. Although there are fifty billion humans in this world, the upper class is very small—less than fifty thousand people. That's a ratio of one in a million. Screening fifty thousand people should be easy for you, right? Around twenty-five years old, 180cm tall, male, standard build... Is that enough?"

The young man in black nodded repeatedly. "President Li is right, I'll go check right away! But... investigating the upper class, wouldn't that be too sensitive? Some people's identities are classified; a forced investigation might attract the attention of the high-level authorities!"

Li Qingmei was stunned for a moment...

"Check first. It's best if you can find something... if not... then there's no need to continue! Those whose information cannot be found hold an even higher status!"

...

From a distance, Gao Yuan saw Qin Mugutan walking toward that restaurant. He was alone, his expression relaxed and carrying a hint of joy...

Gao Yuan felt relieved; it seemed that Qin Mugutan didn't have any ill intentions, at least for now...

What Gao Yuan didn't know was that no matter where he went, he would be regarded as a member of the upper class. In this world a thousand years in the future, social classes had completely solidified, and ordinary people absolutely did not dare to challenge the upper class...

The reason classes had solidified without people revolting was that in this world, even at the very bottom, you could live very happily if you weren't ambitious.

There was nutritionally complete Nutritional Paste, Constant Temperature Clothing, welfare housing, free games, free transportation, and free medical care. If needed, one could even apply for a free intelligent robot nanny or robot nursing!

Gao Yuan sat for another ten minutes before getting up and walking toward the restaurant.

As soon as he entered, Qin Mugutan walked toward Gao Yuan with a face full of smiles.

"Brother Gao, I thought you weren't coming..."

"Haha, Brother Tan, I was delayed a bit on the way. How is it? Is it settled?"

"Settled, completely settled. It was just a matter of spending some money. How could I not take your matters to heart, Brother Gao?"

Saying that, he took out a chip and handed it to Gao Yuan. "Brother, this is your Identity Chip. I know people like you certainly won't have it implanted, so I won't say much... This Identity Chip already has a bank account opened, and I've transferred thirty million into it for you..."

"Why is it thirty million?" Gao Yuan asked.

"Heh, regarding those cigarettes, I met a tycoon who offered twenty million to buy them..."

"Are cigarettes in such high demand?" Gao Yuan asked.

"Of course! That's natural tobacco, only supplied specifically for the leaders. For ordinary people, even if you have a net worth of a hundred billion, you might not have the channels to get cigarettes...!"

Gao Yuan had found another way to make a fortune. He had given the alcohol business to Li Qingmei's Jiayuan Antique Shop, so could he also open a line here with Qin Mugutan? For now, Qin Mugutan seemed reliable.

"Brother Tan, are you interested in playing big?"

"How big?"

"If I give you a hundred packs of cigarettes, can you sell them?"

Qin Mugutan showed shock, followed by a face full of excitement.

Gao Yuan watched with a touch of pity. A hundred packs of cigarettes was only ten cartons... was it really worth that much?

"Brother Gao, are you serious?"

"Of course..."

Qin Mugutan was ecstatic. He was going to hit it big! Hadn't he been waiting all these years for just such an opportunity?

When he came today, Qin Mugutan was still hesitating whether to transfer that extra ten million to Gao Yuan. With his current income, he only made a few million a year... ten million was a significant sum.

As for the lighter Gao Yuan gave him, he had tucked it away as a treasure, intending to keep it as a family heirloom!

At this moment, hearing Gao Yuan actually say he would provide a hundred packs of cigarettes...

What kind of concept was that...

It meant that Qin Mugutan would become the largest tobacco dealer in Longjing...

And it was authentic natural tobacco. In a business like this, making money was secondary; more importantly, it could expand his network and social standing...

Qin Mugutan excitedly grabbed Gao Yuan's hand. "Brother Gao—no, Boss Gao, how can I ever thank you? I have no way to repay you... If I had a daughter, I would definitely have her marry you..."

"Right, Brother Tan, what is the name on this identity?"

"Hehe, it's a four-character name. For convenience, your name is Gao Yuanyuan Gao. Someone was already using this name, but I spent some money and bought it outright..."

Gao Yuanyuan Gao?

That name was certainly easy to remember; Qin Mugutan had been quite thoughtful.

However, his own reward was also very generous.

"Boss Gao, you can log into your Brain-Link now. I've already added you as a friend, and we can have virtual interactive calls anytime!"

"Brain-Link?"

"Yeah, it's... what we ordinary people use to chat!" Qin Mugutan explained.

"Okay, I understand. Brother Tan, I'll bring you the cigarettes tomorrow. I'll charge you twenty million per pack! Half will be offset with supplies, and the other half will be direct transfer!"

Qin Mugutan pondered for a moment. "Brother Gao, twenty million a pack... to be honest, I'm taking advantage of you. This price..."

"I know. Currently, the price of cigarettes is definitely higher than twenty million, and that's for ordinary ones. I'll give you different varieties of cigarettes; you can categorize them into tiers based on taste, tar content, and brand to earn even more... But, you should also know that the price of cigarettes is high now mainly because of extreme scarcity..."

"When a large amount of stock appears on the market, the price will definitely go down... Don't complain about having no profit then!"

Hearing Gao Yuan's words, Qin Mugutan waved his hand.

"No, no, no, Brother. If I'm the only one with stock, I certainly won't lower the price! Besides, you don't understand—there are fewer than a thousand people in this world who can smoke the special supply, but there are nearly a million tycoons with a hundred-billion-dollar net worth. Which of these tycoons wouldn't want to be holding a natural cigarette instead of an E-cigarette?"

"Besides these tycoons who aren't short on cash, there are also millions of multi-millionaires. Although they can't afford to smoke them long-term, it's very necessary for them to buy a pack occasionally to show off! So, cigarettes are not lacking buyers!"

Gao Yuan's eyes widened...

"Are cigarettes really this powerful?"

"Of course! You are a person of wealth and status who grew up smoking the special supply, so you don't understand! Nowadays, there is simply no place on Earth suitable for planting. Brother Gao, do you know how much a pound of soil for planting costs? You don't know—a pound of soil costs fifty thousand, and seeds are even more expensive..."

"Even if someone wanted to plant Tobacco Leaves, they wouldn't have seeds... and more importantly, there's the control from above!"

"Brother Tan, are cigarettes a controlled substance?"

Gao Yuan asked.

"Not exactly. Cigarettes aren't, but Tobacco Leaves are. It means you can't plant them, but if you have money and connections to buy cigarettes, that's your own capability. You understand—this is actually leaving a way for people like you to make money! Of course, generally speaking, people like you wouldn't look down to earn this kind of money..."

After Qin Mugutan finished speaking, he suddenly felt something was wrong...

With a face full of embarrassment: "Brother Gao, I wasn't talking about you... My point was that even ordinary wealthy people can't get this many cigarettes!"