America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Zorro gladly accepted the task, grabbed the satellite phone along with a camera and ran to a distance. He began to take pictures of the scenery, crafting a story with fake information to deceive the other party, step by step setting traps and pitfalls, making them believe everything was true.

The people from the oil company also came forward to meet them, extending their hands to enthusiastically shake hands with the General Sect Leader. The middle-aged white man who was leading had a female assistant by his side, and he introduced himself, "Hello Mr. Jin, I am Walter, the manager of the California branch of Watson Petroleum, and this is our Deputy Manager and Assistant. We have also met before at the auction."

"I have some impression of you," Allen Zhang nodded, then turned to look at the sexy blonde assistant who looked to be in her late twenties, and said in surprise, "However, it's my first time meeting this lady."

Why are you dressed so scantily?

Judging by your outfit, it seems like you're not wearing anything underneath, right? Going commando?

"Hello Mr. Jin, you can call me Camille," the female assistant smiled slightly, very warmly, and didn't want to let go of the General Sect Leader's hand, seemingly straightforward and pushy.

If it weren't for the fact that the place was crowded and outdoors, she might have even wanted to hint at something more.

Allen Zhang was also internally taken aback by the other party's enthusiasm and finally managed to withdraw his hand after some effort.

The managers from Merlin Petroleum Company and the other petroleum company also came over to enthusiastically shake hands and greet the General Sect Leader.

The woman with short hair leading that group wore a sexy OL outfit, high heels, and black silk stockings on her tall legs. She introduced herself with enthusiasm, "Hello Mr. Jin, I am Davis Merlin, the department manager of the California branch of Merlin Petroleum. Although we haven't met before, I feel very close to you as soon as I see you."

"..." Allen Zhang had never before seen such an effort to make a relationship seem close.

I'm an Asian, and you look like you're of Euro-American descent; there's no 'closeness' to speak of.

If we're talking about feeling close, then I'd say I feel it with the manager from the other petroleum company, who, at least, appears to be an Asian with yellow skin.

Allen Zhang said with a peculiar expression, "Ms. Merlin, I also feel close to you. Is your last name Merlin? Isn't Merlin Petroleum Company your family's property?"

It was supposed to be a playful remark, but she admitted it straight away!

"Indeed, Merlin Petroleum is a family enterprise, founded by my great-great-great-grandfather and currently, it is managed by shares held by eight directors of our board. Our Merlin Company has operations in Texas and Kansas, as well as collaborative exploration projects in the international Middle East. The California branch is also under my management," Davis Merlin said with a slight smile, "I truly hope you can consider our sincere offer and reach a cooperation agreement."

A true white, rich, and beautiful lady.

The General Sect Leader was totally caught off guard by her.

"Hello Mr. Jin, I am Feng Fei, the Deputy Manager of the California branch of the other petroleum company. You can call me Feng Fei," the manager of the other company, an Asian, said with a friendly smile on his slightly plump face.

He probably intended to establish a rapport by using shared ethnic and linguistic ties, but the General Sect Leader was not biting.

When a fellow countryman meets another fellow countryman, they sometimes shoot each other in the back—general Sect Leader would rather keep American Chinese at arm's length.

He smiled and nodded, "Hello Mr. Feng, your manager didn't come?"

Others came with managers and deputy managers, or female assistants; why did you only bring a driver and an accountant? Don't you even have a hot girl by your side?

It seems to the General Sect Leader that you lack sincerity.

I might not want it, but you can't not offer it.

"Our manager is currently handling an oil field issue in Las Vegas and is unable to come, so I am here in his stead. Please rest assured, Mr. Jin, we are indeed sincere," Feng Fei said.

"Okay, you must have already surveyed the three oil fields in Green Field Manor Ranch, and I presume that the yield has already met your company's estimated standards," Allen Zhang led a few people to the three oil field distribution areas and the nodding donkey locations.

Across the several hundred acres of the barren plain, there were only three solitary nodding donkeys standing there, already demarcated into three distinct areas with heightened fences.

Even though the oil is extracted from the same estate, the geographic and stratigraphic locations of the fields are completely different and unconnected. As such, they are not considered the same oil field by regulation.

After all, in some states, even within the same oil field, there is a rule that forbids the connection of two oil wells within a hundred meters to precisely control the output of private oil, and oil companies would purchase them separately. A large oil field often has dozens of buyers, who then entrust it to the oil company for joint management.

This also prevents any one individual from becoming an oil tycoon who could impact the state's oil market prices. The cake is contested by hundreds, so it's impossible for just one person to hold it.

As for California, such regulations are quite lenient, with no mandatory spacing distance between installations. On an oil field, nodding donkeys can be installed at will, with a few meters, even up to a dozen meters, between them to drill for oil frenetically. However, as long as the underground oil resources are not connected and the depths of the deposits are different, they are considered separate oil fields.

Even if your oil field is right beside another on the surface, but at different depths underground—one at a thousand meters and the other at a hundred—with only a half-meter surface gap between them, they would still count as two separate oil fields and would not impact the extraction operations.