Chapter 96: Money Laundering
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"So if I'm right, the reasoning behind what we've done is dojos for Connor and Sam's units, an accountant and lawyer as well as an office for my unit, and a gathering space for Karim and his unit," Zack summarised.
"Yeah, and there's still more," Xavier revealed.
After working on the first few objectives for a few hours, Zack had formed a list of suitable people and places for all the criteria that Xavier had set, which was much larger than Xavier had previously expected.
And he had to check each and every one of them until he found a suitable one for each of the things he needed in person.
The reason for that was he trusted his instincts more than anything, and from first impressions of a person or place, one can tell a lot, which is exactly why Xavier had to do it himself.
But as not to waste any time, while he was out checking out the places that he and Zack had listed out so far, he left Zack with another task that might take him a little longer to accomplish.
"Zack, could you do 2 last things for me? I need you to do a background check on Sam, just to find out more about him and it would be good if you could do one on everyone else in the Outlaw Gang."
"Including yourself?" Zack questioned.
But, from the way he asked, it seemed as though he already knew something.
"It's fine if you know about what happened, Zack, and you wouldn't be as worthy as I thought if you hadn't looked into my police records and everything. But I'd prefer it if you didn't bring it up to the others or talk about it."
"Okay, I understand."
Of course, Zack respected Xavier's wishes, but not just because he was his boss.
It was because even if that sort of thing had happened to anyone else, he would have kept it a secret and avoided speaking about anything remotely close to such a thing.
"And Zack, most people have their own secrets and pasts that they would rather not speak about. Maybe because they regret them or are ashamed of them, or maybe because they bring back painful memories, but they are all key indicators of people's characters and personalities. So for that reason, show me everything you find, but keep it between us, okay?"
Zack nodded his head and could see that, although the Outlaw Gang was very ragtag and all over the place currently, Xavier had a detailed plan of what he foresaw the Outlaw Gang becoming.
And it seemed as though he was a key part of that, which he appreciated, as he started to do exactly as he had been asked to.
-
Meanwhile, Xavier had snuck back out of Zack's house, jumping out of the window, so as not to alert Zack's grandmother of his presence in the house, which might surprise her.
Then he started making his way to each of the places and people that he and Zack had decided had the potential to be suitable, running around everywhere on foot, not wanting to waste money on taxis or end up getting stuck in traffic.
But Xavier quickly realised how inconvenient it was to do so.
'I really need to get myself a motorcycle, or at least a bike. But for the time being, I'll just think of all this running around as exercise,' he thought to himself as he kept on moving, not wanting to waste any time.
-
He had already given his word to the rest of the Outlaw Gang that he'd be able to generate a couple hundred thousand dollars in the matter of a week, and he truly believed that he could do so, but it came with quite a few issues.
First off, the method he had in mind for earning money would rub some dangerous people the wrong way and would likely cause them to keep an eye on him.
Secondly and more importantly, it would also be troublesome and very difficult to clean such a large amount of money.
But almost as if Zack could read his mind and knew his worries, Xavier suddenly received a call.
"Xavier."
"What is it?"
"I've got a way to clean the money you're going to get from gambling at the Wild Dog Fight Club."
"What?! And how'd you know that I was planning on making money that way?"
"It's pretty obvious. You are planning on working with me for the whole day and probably getting some training in during the afternoon. So all that leaves is the night. And considering that you trust your instincts completely and have a high battle IQ, it is probably the safest and fastest way to generate some quick money."
Xavier laughed to himself, and it seemed as though he had underestimated Zack.
"Are you sure you're younger than me?"
"Well, not by much, but yes."
"You really are one special kid."
"Kid?"
"Yeah."
Zack didn't bother trying to argue with Xavier, "Thanks I guess."
The source of this content is n/ov/elbin[./]net'
"You're welcome. And what was that plan you were speaking of?"
"Oh yeah. Well, it basically involves using cryptocurrencies. I've been doing some research and also looking at what some hackers do to clean and hide money that they are able to acquire through different methods that I'm not really proficient in or interested in delving into. And what I found is, they all follow some sort of algorithm."
"But don't all these hackers eventually get caught and have their money seized?" Xavier couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, and that's why I never really got into it, but there is a way to make the process more complex, and since we will probably be starting with cash, it will be doable. All we need are some cash mules who will put our money into their accounts, and we'll give them a small cut for doing so. Then they'll send the money into cryptocurrency wallets that I control, and after a series of transactions to make the money even harder to track, I will place the money in offshore accounts that only we can access."
"Yeah, that sounds good, but what are the chances of the cash mules getting into trouble with the police? And also how foolproof is this money laundering method of yours?"
"I've looked into it thoroughly, and it's our best option for now. I'll work with Karim on this, and he can get an unlimited number of cash mules through his connections in different high schools. And since they are only high schoolers, they'd do almost anything for a bit of cash and just get a slap on the wrist if they were to get caught. All Karim needs to do is make sure that there's no way to trace it back to us in that regard."
"As for after that, the chances of someone catching on are very low. We'll only be dealing with small amounts of money in the grand scheme of things and even if someone does catch on, it is unlikely that they'll be from the authorities, and even if they are, they'll end up spending more than we are holding just to seize our money. And even if that does happen, the offshore accounts will be opened using false identities and I'll make sure my IP cannot be traced either."
Xavier was in awe.
"You really have thought about this deeply. I'm impressed. And it seems as though you and Karim will be working together a lot when it comes to money."
"Sadly, yes. But no matter how much I may dislike him, I see his value and if we work together, we can accomplish a lot. I've even got plans for how to launder money once we expand a bit more. Fronting as small businesses, when we are managing many around the city, we'll be able to launder money much more easily and we can still continue to use the first method in tandem. This way, we can switch between them whenever we need to."
"Great! Then I'll leave it all to you, and once I get the money, I'll come and drop it off at your house," Xavier stated nonchalantly.
"But there is one thing, Xavier..."
"What is it?"
"Um well, I need some equipment to do all that and I can't afford any of it. You might think I've already got enough computers in my room, but most of them are merely processors that are running continuously to spoof my location. And so far, all I've ever done is sell fake IDs, do some basic hacking and snoop around on the dark web. So..."
"Yeah, don't worry about it. Just let me know how much it'll cost you beforehand and take all the money you need to purchase it Just make sure you take someone from the gang with you when you go and buy what you need, just in case."
Zack was astounded by how nonchalant Xavier was about money.
"Just like that? You're going to leave hundreds of thousands of dollars with me at my house and let me spend whatever I need on equipment. What if I...?"
But before he could even finish his question, Xavier stopped him.
"I trust you, and I know you wouldn't do anything to jeopordise the Outlaw Gang. And even if you did, it wouldn't work out well for you."
"Is that so? What could you possibly do if I took the money and ran off across the country?" Zack questioned, not seriously, but just out of curiosity.
"Well, first I wouldn't let that happen. I would be able to tell if you had such intentions, but let's say hypothetically you did manage to take the money and go into hiding. I would be able to find you easily. And I wouldn't need any of your skills and computers to do so."
"You'd obviously take your grandma with you and would need transportation and a new home. And even if you were to use false identities, there'd be a record of new movers in America. Then I'd look at the ones that were in the most remote states that also had the pharmaceutical and medical abilities that I assume your grandma requires. After that, it's just a matter of hours or at most days to narrow it down and find you."
"Hmmm. But what if I left the country or went completely under the radar?"
"Well, you wouldn't be able to leave the country on a plane with such large amounts of cash, and so I'd have to assume that you travelled using a car or ship. And so I'd have to spread my manpower thinner to find you, but essentially I'd use the same process and find you."
"But to be honest, you probably could get away if I never caught onto your plans in time, and with your skills, finding you would be a hassle. But you wouldn't do that, Zack. And you're the one that would help the most with tracking if it comes to it, so prepare yourself for that."
"Yeah, and thanks, Xavier."
"What for?"
"For trusting me. And don't worry, I won't let you down."
"I know you won't because if you do..."
Just as Xavier was going to start threatening him as a joke, Zack ended the call and got the last laugh, leaving Xavier to continue his search for suitable people and places for the Outlaw Gang.
'This is going to be a long day,' he couldn't help but think to himself as he did so.
However, looking towards the future, he was excited about what was to come...
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"So if I'm right, the reasoning behind what we've done is dojos for Connor and Sam's units, an accountant and lawyer as well as an office for my unit, and a gathering space for Karim and his unit," Zack summarised.
"Yeah, and there's still more," Xavier revealed.
After working on the first few objectives for a few hours, Zack had formed a list of suitable people and places for all the criteria that Xavier had set, which was much larger than Xavier had previously expected.
And he had to check each and every one of them until he found a suitable one for each of the things he needed in person.
The reason for that was he trusted his instincts more than anything, and from first impressions of a person or place, one can tell a lot, which is exactly why Xavier had to do it himself.
But as not to waste any time, while he was out checking out the places that he and Zack had listed out so far, he left Zack with another task that might take him a little longer to accomplish.
"Zack, could you do 2 last things for me? I need you to do a background check on Sam, just to find out more about him and it would be good if you could do one on everyone else in the Outlaw Gang."
"Including yourself?" Zack questioned.
But, from the way he asked, it seemed as though he already knew something.
"It's fine if you know about what happened, Zack, and you wouldn't be as worthy as I thought if you hadn't looked into my police records and everything. But I'd prefer it if you didn't bring it up to the others or talk about it."
"Okay, I understand."
Of course, Zack respected Xavier's wishes, but not just because he was his boss.
It was because even if that sort of thing had happened to anyone else, he would have kept it a secret and avoided speaking about anything remotely close to such a thing.
"And Zack, most people have their own secrets and pasts that they would rather not speak about. Maybe because they regret them or are ashamed of them, or maybe because they bring back painful memories, but they are all key indicators of people's characters and personalities. So for that reason, show me everything you find, but keep it between us, okay?"
Zack nodded his head and could see that, although the Outlaw Gang was very ragtag and all over the place currently, Xavier had a detailed plan of what he foresaw the Outlaw Gang becoming.
And it seemed as though he was a key part of that, which he appreciated, as he started to do exactly as he had been asked to.
-
Meanwhile, Xavier had snuck back out of Zack's house, jumping out of the window, so as not to alert Zack's grandmother of his presence in the house, which might surprise her.
Then he started making his way to each of the places and people that he and Zack had decided had the potential to be suitable, running around everywhere on foot, not wanting to waste money on taxis or end up getting stuck in traffic.
But Xavier quickly realised how inconvenient it was to do so.
'I really need to get myself a motorcycle, or at least a bike. But for the time being, I'll just think of all this running around as exercise,' he thought to himself as he kept on moving, not wanting to waste any time.
-
He had already given his word to the rest of the Outlaw Gang that he'd be able to generate a couple hundred thousand dollars in the matter of a week, and he truly believed that he could do so, but it came with quite a few issues.
First off, the method he had in mind for earning money would rub some dangerous people the wrong way and would likely cause them to keep an eye on him.
Secondly and more importantly, it would also be troublesome and very difficult to clean such a large amount of money.
But almost as if Zack could read his mind and knew his worries, Xavier suddenly received a call.
"Xavier."
"What is it?"
"I've got a way to clean the money you're going to get from gambling at the Wild Dog Fight Club."
"What?! And how'd you know that I was planning on making money that way?"
"It's pretty obvious. You are planning on working with me for the whole day and probably getting some training in during the afternoon. So all that leaves is the night. And considering that you trust your instincts completely and have a high battle IQ, it is probably the safest and fastest way to generate some quick money."
Xavier laughed to himself, and it seemed as though he had underestimated Zack.
"Are you sure you're younger than me?"
"Well, not by much, but yes."
"You really are one special kid."
"Kid?"
"Yeah."
Zack didn't bother trying to argue with Xavier, "Thanks I guess."
The source of this content is n/ov/elbin[./]net'
"You're welcome. And what was that plan you were speaking of?"
"Oh yeah. Well, it basically involves using cryptocurrencies. I've been doing some research and also looking at what some hackers do to clean and hide money that they are able to acquire through different methods that I'm not really proficient in or interested in delving into. And what I found is, they all follow some sort of algorithm."
"But don't all these hackers eventually get caught and have their money seized?" Xavier couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, and that's why I never really got into it, but there is a way to make the process more complex, and since we will probably be starting with cash, it will be doable. All we need are some cash mules who will put our money into their accounts, and we'll give them a small cut for doing so. Then they'll send the money into cryptocurrency wallets that I control, and after a series of transactions to make the money even harder to track, I will place the money in offshore accounts that only we can access."
"Yeah, that sounds good, but what are the chances of the cash mules getting into trouble with the police? And also how foolproof is this money laundering method of yours?"
"I've looked into it thoroughly, and it's our best option for now. I'll work with Karim on this, and he can get an unlimited number of cash mules through his connections in different high schools. And since they are only high schoolers, they'd do almost anything for a bit of cash and just get a slap on the wrist if they were to get caught. All Karim needs to do is make sure that there's no way to trace it back to us in that regard."
"As for after that, the chances of someone catching on are very low. We'll only be dealing with small amounts of money in the grand scheme of things and even if someone does catch on, it is unlikely that they'll be from the authorities, and even if they are, they'll end up spending more than we are holding just to seize our money. And even if that does happen, the offshore accounts will be opened using false identities and I'll make sure my IP cannot be traced either."
Xavier was in awe.
"You really have thought about this deeply. I'm impressed. And it seems as though you and Karim will be working together a lot when it comes to money."
"Sadly, yes. But no matter how much I may dislike him, I see his value and if we work together, we can accomplish a lot. I've even got plans for how to launder money once we expand a bit more. Fronting as small businesses, when we are managing many around the city, we'll be able to launder money much more easily and we can still continue to use the first method in tandem. This way, we can switch between them whenever we need to."
"Great! Then I'll leave it all to you, and once I get the money, I'll come and drop it off at your house," Xavier stated nonchalantly.
"But there is one thing, Xavier..."
"What is it?"
"Um well, I need some equipment to do all that and I can't afford any of it. You might think I've already got enough computers in my room, but most of them are merely processors that are running continuously to spoof my location. And so far, all I've ever done is sell fake IDs, do some basic hacking and snoop around on the dark web. So..."
"Yeah, don't worry about it. Just let me know how much it'll cost you beforehand and take all the money you need to purchase it Just make sure you take someone from the gang with you when you go and buy what you need, just in case."
Zack was astounded by how nonchalant Xavier was about money.
"Just like that? You're going to leave hundreds of thousands of dollars with me at my house and let me spend whatever I need on equipment. What if I...?"
But before he could even finish his question, Xavier stopped him.
"I trust you, and I know you wouldn't do anything to jeopordise the Outlaw Gang. And even if you did, it wouldn't work out well for you."
"Is that so? What could you possibly do if I took the money and ran off across the country?" Zack questioned, not seriously, but just out of curiosity.
"Well, first I wouldn't let that happen. I would be able to tell if you had such intentions, but let's say hypothetically you did manage to take the money and go into hiding. I would be able to find you easily. And I wouldn't need any of your skills and computers to do so."
"You'd obviously take your grandma with you and would need transportation and a new home. And even if you were to use false identities, there'd be a record of new movers in America. Then I'd look at the ones that were in the most remote states that also had the pharmaceutical and medical abilities that I assume your grandma requires. After that, it's just a matter of hours or at most days to narrow it down and find you."
"Hmmm. But what if I left the country or went completely under the radar?"
"Well, you wouldn't be able to leave the country on a plane with such large amounts of cash, and so I'd have to assume that you travelled using a car or ship. And so I'd have to spread my manpower thinner to find you, but essentially I'd use the same process and find you."
"But to be honest, you probably could get away if I never caught onto your plans in time, and with your skills, finding you would be a hassle. But you wouldn't do that, Zack. And you're the one that would help the most with tracking if it comes to it, so prepare yourself for that."
"Yeah, and thanks, Xavier."
"What for?"
"For trusting me. And don't worry, I won't let you down."
"I know you won't because if you do..."
Just as Xavier was going to start threatening him as a joke, Zack ended the call and got the last laugh, leaving Xavier to continue his search for suitable people and places for the Outlaw Gang.
'This is going to be a long day,' he couldn't help but think to himself as he did so.
However, looking towards the future, he was excited about what was to come...
"So if I'm right, the reasoning behind what we've done is dojos for Connor and Sam's units, an accountant and lawyer as well as an office for my unit, and a gathering space for Karim and his unit," Zack summarised."Yeah, and there's still more," Xavier revealed.After working on the first few objectives for a few hours, Zack had formed a list of suitable people and places for all the criteria that Xavier had set, which was much larger than Xavier had previously expected.And he had to check each and every one of them until he found a suitable one for each of the things he needed in person.The reason for that was he trusted his instincts more than anything, and from first impressions of a person or place, one can tell a lot, which is exactly why Xavier had to do it himself.But as not to waste any time, while he was out checking out the places that he and Zack had listed out so far, he left Zack with another task that might take him a little longer to accomplish."Zack, could you do 2 last things for me? I need you to do a background check on Sam, just to find out more about him and it would be good if you could do one on everyone else in the Outlaw Gang.""Including yourself?" Zack questioned.But, from the way he asked, it seemed as though he already knew something."It's fine if you know about what happened, Zack, and you wouldn't be as worthy as I thought if you hadn't looked into my police records and everything. But I'd prefer it if you didn't bring it up to the others or talk about it.""Okay, I understand."Of course, Zack respected Xavier's wishes, but not just because he was his boss.It was because even if that sort of thing had happened to anyone else, he would have kept it a secret and avoided speaking about anything remotely close to such a thing."And Zack, most people have their own secrets and pasts that they would rather not speak about. Maybe because they regret them or are ashamed of them, or maybe because they bring back painful memories, but they are all key indicators of people's characters and personalities. So for that reason, show me everything you find, but keep it between us, okay?"Zack nodded his head and could see that, although the Outlaw Gang was very ragtag and all over the place currently, Xavier had a detailed plan of what he foresaw the Outlaw Gang becoming.And it seemed as though he was a key part of that, which he appreciated, as he started to do exactly as he had been asked to.-Meanwhile, Xavier had snuck back out of Zack's house, jumping out of the window, so as not to alert Zack's grandmother of his presence in the house, which might surprise her.Then he started making his way to each of the places and people that he and Zack had decided had the potential to be suitable, running around everywhere on foot, not wanting to waste money on taxis or end up getting stuck in traffic.But Xavier quickly realised how inconvenient it was to do so.'I really need to get myself a motorcycle, or at least a bike. But for the time being, I'll just think of all this running around as exercise,' he thought to himself as he kept on moving, not wanting to waste any time.-He had already given his word to the rest of the Outlaw Gang that he'd be able to generate a couple hundred thousand dollars in the matter of a week, and he truly believed that he could do so, but it came with quite a few issues.First off, the method he had in mind for earning money would rub some dangerous people the wrong way and would likely cause them to keep an eye on him.Secondly and more importantly, it would also be troublesome and very difficult to clean such a large amount of money.But almost as if Zack could read his mind and knew his worries, Xavier suddenly received a call."Xavier.""What is it?""I've got a way to clean the money you're going to get from gambling at the Wild Dog Fight Club.""What?! And how'd you know that I was planning on making money that way?""It's pretty obvious. You are planning on working with me for the whole day and probably getting some training in during the afternoon. So all that leaves is the night. And considering that you trust your instincts completely and have a high battle IQ, it is probably the safest and fastest way to generate some quick money."Xavier laughed to himself, and it seemed as though he had underestimated Zack."Are you sure you're younger than me?""Well, not by much, but yes.""You really are one special kid.""Kid?""Yeah."Zack didn't bother trying to argue with Xavier, "Thanks I guess." The source of this content is n/ov/elbin./net'"You're welcome. And what was that plan you were speaking of?""Oh yeah. Well, it basically involves using cryptocurrencies. I've been doing some research and also looking at what some hackers do to clean and hide money that they are able to acquire through different methods that I'm not really proficient in or interested in delving into. And what I found is, they all follow some sort of algorithm.""But don't all these hackers eventually get caught and have their money seized?" Xavier couldn't help but ask."Yeah, and that's why I never really got into it, but there is a way to make the process more complex, and since we will probably be starting with cash, it will be doable. All we need are some cash mules who will put our money into their accounts, and we'll give them a small cut for doing so. Then they'll send the money into cryptocurrency wallets that I control, and after a series of transactions to make the money even harder to track, I will place the money in offshore accounts that only we can access.""Yeah, that sounds good, but what are the chances of the cash mules getting into trouble with the police? And also how foolproof is this money laundering method of yours?""I've looked into it thoroughly, and it's our best option for now. I'll work with Karim on this, and he can get an unlimited number of cash mules through his connections in different high schools. And since they are only high schoolers, they'd do almost anything for a bit of cash and just get a slap on the wrist if they were to get caught. All Karim needs to do is make sure that there's no way to trace it back to us in that regard.""As for after that, the chances of someone catching on are very low. We'll only be dealing with small amounts of money in the grand scheme of things and even if someone does catch on, it is unlikely that they'll be from the authorities, and even if they are, they'll end up spending more than we are holding just to seize our money. And even if that does happen, the offshore accounts will be opened using false identities and I'll make sure my IP cannot be traced either."Xavier was in awe."You really have thought about this deeply. I'm impressed. And it seems as though you and Karim will be working together a lot when it comes to money.""Sadly, yes. But no matter how much I may dislike him, I see his value and if we work together, we can accomplish a lot. I've even got plans for how to launder money once we expand a bit more. Fronting as small businesses, when we are managing many around the city, we'll be able to launder money much more easily and we can still continue to use the first method in tandem. This way, we can switch between them whenever we need to.""Great! Then I'll leave it all to you, and once I get the money, I'll come and drop it off at your house," Xavier stated nonchalantly."But there is one thing, Xavier...""What is it?""Um well, I need some equipment to do all that and I can't afford any of it. You might think I've already got enough computers in my room, but most of them are merely processors that are running continuously to spoof my location. And so far, all I've ever done is sell fake IDs, do some basic hacking and snoop around on the dark web. So...""Yeah, don't worry about it. Just let me know how much it'll cost you beforehand and take all the money you need to purchase it Just make sure you take someone from the gang with you when you go and buy what you need, just in case."Zack was astounded by how nonchalant Xavier was about money."Just like that? You're going to leave hundreds of thousands of dollars with me at my house and let me spend whatever I need on equipment. What if I...?"But before he could even finish his question, Xavier stopped him."I trust you, and I know you wouldn't do anything to jeopordise the Outlaw Gang. And even if you did, it wouldn't work out well for you.""Is that so? What could you possibly do if I took the money and ran off across the country?" Zack questioned, not seriously, but just out of curiosity."Well, first I wouldn't let that happen. I would be able to tell if you had such intentions, but let's say hypothetically you did manage to take the money and go into hiding. I would be able to find you easily. And I wouldn't need any of your skills and computers to do so.""You'd obviously take your grandma with you and would need transportation and a new home. And even if you were to use false identities, there'd be a record of new movers in America. Then I'd look at the ones that were in the most remote states that also had the pharmaceutical and medical abilities that I assume your grandma requires. After that, it's just a matter of hours or at most days to narrow it down and find you.""Hmmm. But what if I left the country or went completely under the radar?""Well, you wouldn't be able to leave the country on a plane with such large amounts of cash, and so I'd have to assume that you travelled using a car or ship. And so I'd have to spread my manpower thinner to find you, but essentially I'd use the same process and find you.""But to be honest, you probably could get away if I never caught onto your plans in time, and with your skills, finding you would be a hassle. But you wouldn't do that, Zack. And you're the one that would help the most with tracking if it comes to it, so prepare yourself for that.""Yeah, and thanks, Xavier.""What for?""For trusting me. And don't worry, I won't let you down.""I know you won't because if you do..."Just as Xavier was going to start threatening him as a joke, Zack ended the call and got the last laugh, leaving Xavier to continue his search for suitable people and places for the Outlaw Gang.'This is going to be a long day,' he couldn't help but think to himself as he did so.However, looking towards the future, he was excited about what was to come...
