Chapter 288: The Audacious Jack
The total amount of these accounts, including principal and interest, was nearly 1.5 billion!
Of course, the majority of these were bad debts and uncollectible accounts, or debts outsourced to Edward for collection, which were difficult to recover.
However, that was under Edward's management.
His recovery rate was only about 10%.
But now, things were different. The entire grey area of Oceanbridge City had been unified, and Jack had people everywhere.
So collecting debts was much easier than before.
Those who tried to run were caught by Jack's men before they could leave Oceanbridge City.
Not paying?
Beat them!
Pull out their nails, pour chili water, use the tiger bench, electric shocks, splash paint...
Use the harshest methods to get the money back.
Currently, under Jack's high-pressure collection tactics, the recovery rate had increased to 15%.
The additional five percent recovery rate alone had earned Jack over ten million. So these days, Jack was living quite comfortably.
Besides handling Edward's accounts, he also acted as an intermediary, taking money from wealthy people to lend out as high-interest loans.
The interest generated was split with the lenders, and this way, there was no risk. If the money wasn't repaid on time, he just had his men collect the debts.
If the money couldn't be recovered, Jack had no losses.
This lifestyle was much more lucrative than collecting protection fees on Orchard Breeze Avenue.
On Orchard Breeze Avenue, the annual protection fee income was just over a million.
But now, in just a few days, he could earn a million, something he never dared to imagine before.
However, what Jack didn't expect was that someone dared to beat up his men and even wanted to ask him face-to-face what law stipulated the interest rate.
"That guy must be brain-dead! He injured my men and still dares to meet me!"
Jack sneered, asking the thug Logan:
"Where is that guy?"
"Over there!"
Logan pointed at Noah: "It's him. He injured over a dozen of our men and wants to ask you face-to-face what law stipulates the interest rate."
Jack looked in the direction Logan pointed. The streetlamp's dim light obscured the young man's features, but his figure seemed familiar to Jack.
This made his eyelid twitch slightly.
"Let's go take a look."
Jack waved and walked towards Noah.
The seven or eight thugs immediately followed.
"Hmph, Jack is here. Kid, you won't even know how you died later!" Logan sneered triumphantly.
In a few seconds, Jack walked up to the young man.
"Noah!"
Seeing the young man's face, Jack was stunned, his expression changing dramatically, filled with extreme shock.
This young man was clearly Noah!
His heart surged with waves of fear and unease.
Although he had been living comfortably these days, with hundreds of men under him and a high status, he felt a bit inflated.
But Jack knew that his current status was all thanks to Noah.
Without Noah, he would still be a small-time thug collecting protection fees on Orchard Breeze Avenue!
Without Noah, there would be no Jack of today.
So Jack had always been grateful to Noah.
But Jack never expected that the person who injured his men was Noah!
If he angered Noah, Jack would likely have to return to Orchard Breeze Avenue as a small-time thug!
"Noah, what... what are you doing here..."
Jack's thoughts churned, his expression uneasy, forcing a smile and showing great respect.
Hearing this, the thugs were all stunned, dumbfounded.
Jack... called this kid Noah?
And judging by Jack's attitude, it seemed this kid was Jack's boss! Jack was very respectful towards him!
Why?
Timothy and Kenneth were also stunned.
They didn't expect the big shot Jack from the grey area to be so respectful to Noah.
"This supermarket is mine. If I weren't here, it would have been completely trashed by your men." Noah glanced at Jack, speaking calmly.
Boom!
Jack's body trembled as if struck by lightning, cold sweat pouring down his back.
This supermarket actually belonged to Noah!
I had my men trash Noah's supermarket?
"You idiots, dare to trash Noah's supermarket? Kneel down now!"
Jack turned and coldly shouted at Logan.
Logan trembled, his legs going weak, and he knelt before Noah.
He was still confused but understood that this young man must have a significant identity!
"Noah, if I had known this supermarket was yours, I wouldn't have dared to touch it even if I had ten times the courage!"
Jack smiled bitterly, feeling utterly hopeless.
"I don't blame you for not knowing." Noah said calmly.
Hearing this, Jack breathed a sigh of relief, feeling extremely grateful for Noah's magnanimity.
"But I still want to ask you something."
Noah's tone changed, making Jack's nerves immediately tense.
"Three million principal, and in just a few months, you demand seventy million in interest. What law stipulates this interest rate?"
Noah's gaze turned icy as he looked at Jack.
Jack's spine chilled, and he said bitterly:
"Noah, I'll be honest with you. These are all Edward's accounts. In other words, they are high-interest loans. After I took over Edward's forces, I also took over these accounts, so I came to collect the debts."
"High-interest loans."
Noah's gaze grew colder: "It seems you've been busy collecting debts these days?"
"Yes, Noah!"
Jack gritted his teeth, not daring to hide anything.
"With such high interest, many people must have been ruined, right?" Noah asked again.
"Yes, Noah. Two families sold their houses to repay the debts. Another couple divorced directly." Jack said truthfully.
"Well done."
Noah's face was cold, his entire body exuding a chilling aura:
"Now there's a nationwide crackdown on organized crime, and you still want to stand out and court death?"
"Noah..."
Jack trembled, opening his mouth to explain.
"Tell me everything you've done since taking over Edward's forces, without hiding anything." Noah interrupted him.
"Yes, Noah!"
Jack began to recount the events, his expression respectful, like a subordinate reporting to a superior.
Five minutes later, Jack finished his report.
After listening, Noah was so angry he nearly fainted.
He despised high-interest loans, gambling, drugs, and similar things the most.
But he never expected that in less than half a month, Jack had used methods like splashing paint, illegal detention, and vandalism to collect fifteen of Edward's accounts.
These fifteen accounts had earned him over twenty million.
But even worse, Jack had set up an intermediary agency, distributing flyers to help wealthy people lend high-interest loans.
The interest was split fifty-fifty.
"You really are courting death!" Noah glared at Jack, his eyes filled with coldness:
"Taking over Edward's forces, weren't the profits from his bars and clubs enough for you? Why did you have to touch high-interest loans?"
"Ruining families and causing divorces, don't you feel guilty?"
