NOVEL WEB Chapter 268: It works for us.
"Well-known cartel leaders, mafia leaders, dons, fraudsters, scammers are living here in Maraci, enjoying their life, but nothing is being done against them… that's a little strange and ironic, because they killed more than all of the people in the camps."
He tried it, he wanted to try it, to see at least once a civilian reaction to it, to see what he thought about this situation, because he knew there's no way they didn't know about it.
That they don't see these criminals walking around in the public.
Though with it, he hinted or more like implied that he knew about something to Mike, who started to finally realize what is happening or getting close to it.
"They are all under heavy surveillance, they can't do anything in our country, just enjoy it, and they're benefiting us, if they're banking here." The driver said, and his voice didn't change, he didn't even try to hide the truth. "They can live here, bank here, invest here, but if they start to do something criminal, they will die or be sent to a camp." He glanced at the mirror. "A lot of them tried to bribe officials, to have power, to build up gangs… they all perished. There is no corruption, there is no door to be opened for them."
"Yeah, there's no doors… only if you have enough money, huh." Yeah, what Darvik said, the hundred-billion line that gives you freedom even if you are at the worst point.
Suddenly the driver laughed. "Exactly, but everything works this way… we let in foreign factories because they bring a lot of money with them, creating workplaces for our people, so the two are the same in the end." He glanced at the mirror. "Both benefiting us, the civilians."
With this he finally understood that people here in Maraci don't care about nothing but their own good, and that it's a perfect country, where criminals can roam around without a single eye on them, because they bring in money and make the country more great.
Like a fucking fantasy land.
"Then how much is the average income?" Mike asked, because the driver was just too proud of his country.
"It's also in law, and it can be lower than 50 thousand dollars per year."
"Huh, that's 4000 per month. What is the tax rate?"
"It is 20%."
"So the lowest income in the country is at 4000, but with tax rate it is 3200. To be honest, looking at this beautiful city, I doubt that with 3200 you can pay the rent, and then live happily." Mike said and it was obvious.
The city was just looking too luxurious to comfortably live with a 3200 dollar salary, pay rent, for food and bills, only the basics.
"You're dead wrong, mister," the driver said. "Until the age of 30, you're tax-free, and the government even offers free housing after you finish your college studies. If you don't go to college, you still get free housing in a major city for five years, so young people have a chance to build their future. There's also free healthcare for everyone, and many additional benefits, like how anyone who earns a bachelor's degree gets 50 thousand dollars. So in my opinion, Maraci is a great country with great opportunities, especially for young people."
As he finished it, James was mind blown by it… like how much fucking money does this whole deal with the criminals bring in to them… that 50 percent cut are truly something else if they can afford to give these things to its citizens. Billions upon billions.
"What about your salary then? Can you afford to live in this city?" Mike asked.
"Me? Yeah, I make four thousand, and I get my veteran benefits from the military, which adds another two thousand so I make six thousand a month. And thanks to the veteran benefits, I also have an apartment in the city." He answered.
"How big is that apartment?" Mike asked again, pushing it, he just wanted to hear something bad about Maraci, because up until this point, it truly seemed like a dream country to live in.
"It is an average one." He answered, kinda teasing Mike as he heard the jealousy in his voice.
"What about citizenship? Can a foreigner be a citizen?" James asked.
"A full citizen? No. There are only citizen cards for foreigners, valid for five years, and they don't come with the benefits a normal citizen has. I only know of a few foreigners who got full citizenship, but they were politicians or people who did a lot for our country."
Huh… so Darvik handing out citizenships… but what if all of this falls. He thought, and he was true about it… if something would turn bad, then it would mean the whole country and its system would just break… like all of these things the driver said, was built and possible because of the amount of money the criminal deal brings in to them. And if it would stop, or something big would happen, then it all would burn to ashes.
That would be a literal catastrophe, a humanitarian catastrophe… though James was sure about it, that it is impossible to actually break everything. The driver said too many things and benefits, and it all needs billions upon billions to be able to maintain, and who knows what deals they made with other people too, not just with criminals but countries. Mineral and resource deals… yeah more billions.
There has to be a federal reserve fully stacked with gold backing up the country and its economy… or maybe the federal reserve is actually the criminals and billionaires who are keeping up Maraci… because with that 20 percent tax rate it's just impossible to maintain this level of wealth and benefits.
There's something more to it… but what it is… maybe the—
"We are here." the driver said as parked the car and just noticed they came to the embassy. "Are you guys like government officials?" He asked, though they said nothing back. Mike just gave him some money, not even waiting for the change, and hopped out, with James.
And shit, that was an embassy… like it looked like a chateau, with green covering everything. There were barriers, big gates, barbed wires, and soldiers all around.
Truly a safehouse.