Chapter 118: Hidden Explosions Amidst Decline

The most directly affected individuals by the downturn in the real economy were perhaps the truck drivers. When companies went under, there was no longer a demand for logistics, leading to unemployment for truck drivers.

The more companies that went bankrupt, the more truck drivers became unemployed, and this kind of unemployment was different from that of regular workers.

Regular workers could still seek other jobs after losing their jobs, and if lucky, could still find a way to make a living. But for truck drivers, without new logistics demand, job opportunities would only decrease, not increase.

This also meant that once truck drivers became unemployed, it was very difficult for them to find suitable jobs, even if they lowered their salary requirements.

Truck drivers were a special group; they could be categorized as part of the working class, but clearly, the workers were not willing to accept this group of truck drivers who earned higher wages, had better benefits, and had relatively easy jobs.

Similarly, truck drivers were unwilling to mix with sweaty workers, especially because they had their "exclusive vehicles."

This also resulted in a lack of attention from the Workers' Union regarding the issue of truck drivers' unemployment. If they could take advantage of the situation and organize a protest, they would certainly do so. However, if they couldn't, they would simply feign ignorance of the matter.

In fact, the work of truck drivers was not only hard but also dangerous.

Even today, there were still many highway bandits active on intercontinental highways, and the hundreds or thousands of kilometers of uninhabited highways were like a journey through hell for every truck driver, with each trip dancing on the edge of life.

One small mistake, and they could die on the road at any moment, with their trucks taken away by others, leaving behind nothing but a pile of bones soon to be integrated into nature.

So when truck drivers hit the road, they often traveled in convoys, especially on intercontinental routes, where even two or three trucks running together were still very dangerous, often with five or more trucks together.

They wouldn't stop if something happened on the road; they would just plow through. So don't expect to flag down trucks on intercontinental highways, let alone try to force them to stop.

But were all big truck drivers good people?

Obviously not. In the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on highway murder cases in the past, most of the murder cases related to highways were more or less related to big truck drivers.

The most famous case was the "Highway Serial Killings", where a lone truck driver, known for his solo operations, appeared helpful but would ultimately murder those he assisted. After his arrest, the driver confessed to dozens of murders along highways, some of which law enforcement hadn't even discovered yet.

In short, this was a very special group. Outside of the highways, they were just ordinary people with not much difference, perhaps looking a bit fierce, but overall, just ordinary people.

But once they entered their "territory," these people would undergo a fundamental change from the inside out.

Lynch led them to the outdoor parking lot where over forty truck cabs were parked across the entire ground without their trailers. They were there to inspect the truck cabs, not the trailers after all.

Spotting one of the truck cabs, Cook suddenly felt a surge of excitement. He rushed up to it, his lips trembling slightly. As he gently touched the headlights, a mixture of remorse and tenderness washed over him.

Cook's friend James stood nearby and explained to Lynch, "That was Cook's truck from before our company went under."

"I understand..." Lynch said. He was a man of great tolerance and kindness; he didn't want to disrupt the heartfelt reunion between Cook and his beloved truck.

After a while, Cook finally came to his senses, scratching his head in embarrassment. This seemingly monstrous man actually looked a bit shy and timid at this moment.

This was also a significant feature of truck drivers lacking social interaction; their circle was too narrow.

There was a kind of longing in his eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to express it. However, Lynch understood and gestured to the staff, "Bring the key to that truck and let my friend take a look."

As soon as Lynch said this, the expressions of all the truck drivers changed. First, they began to respect Lynch because his actions showed that he didn't look down on Cook or view him in any other demeaning way. Instead, he fulfilled Cook's small wish by asking for the keys to his truck.

Secondly, he didn't refer to them as subordinates, employees, or directly as truck drivers, but used the word "friend."

Perhaps because there were often horrifying news stories coming out of the highways, not everyone in this civilized society was willing to be friends with these truck drivers on the highways.

Coupled with their narrow social circles, inherent social barriers to some extent, and their irritable personalities, only they could accept each other.

The fact that Lynch, a wealthy businessman and boss, would refer to them as friends, was both moving and comforting for them, imparting a sense of warmth and camaraderie.

If this had happened before, they might not have felt so strongly. But now, several months to half a year after losing their jobs, Lynch's words were like the warm sunlight melting the ice in their hearts!

Cook didn't know how to express his feelings and emotions at this moment. In the end, all the words and phrases could only be expressed with a simple "Thank you"; he was a beast who didn't understand how to express himself.

After receiving the keys, Cook immediately transformed into a different person. He effortlessly retrieved his toolbox from the cabin, then opened the hood and began inspecting the vehicle's condition, quickly immersing himself in his role.

Meanwhile, Lynch looked at the others, "What about you? What are you waiting for? Perhaps your truck is also here, or maybe not, but there might be a truck you like. Why not take a look or give it a try?"

This statement immediately stirred these people, who had long wanted to act but were more restrained.

With Lynch's permission, they immediately expressed their thanks and took the keys to examine their own vehicles. Lynch stood at the edge of the parking lot, watching these truck drivers.

As they say in this era, the highways were lawless lands, especially the intercontinental highways, where there was nothing to see for hundreds or thousands of kilometers.

Even on state highways, there were only occasional police cars at the entrance to the highways, but they wouldn't actively interfere with what happened on the highways; that was the territory of the truck drivers.

If someone could control most of the truck drivers within a state, it would be equivalent to controlling the entire state's logistics system.

Trains?

Well, that was indeed a good way to avoid truck drivers, but trains still faced two problems.

The Baylor Federation still didn't have a complete railway network that could cover the entire federation due to geological and topographical reasons. Not all places were suitable for railway construction, and in excessively remote areas, railways also needed to face the problem of potential loss or abandonment due to their impracticality.

Moreover, the private use of railways was not high, which prevented railway companies from developing and growing, making them a thing of the past.

Running railways was a losing proposition, which had become the consensus of everyone nowadays. But railways still existed; generally speaking, there were railway networks covering major cities in each state, facilitating population movement, but intercontinental-level railways were rare.

If Lynch controlled the logistics within a state, he would have a hold on some people's necks. Even if he didn't do anything, it would be easy for him to get involved in certain businesses in the future.

Even if he didn't invest money, he would still be able to obtain a certain level of stock. After all, he controlled transportation logistics.

After waiting for over half an hour, Cook finally finished organizing his tools and tidied himself up a bit. He enthusiastically remarked that the truck cab was well maintained, aside from a few minor issues that had been present for a while, there weren't any major problems.

The others had similar opinions about their own vehicles or the ones they had selected, and Lynch didn't waste any time, directly discussing prices with the dealership manager.

For such big trucks, a new one would cost around thirty to fifty thousand. Although the prices weren't particularly high, they were not affordable for truck drivers like Cook.

Even now, these trucks were already second-hand, but their prices were still above fifteen thousand.

After a friendly conversation with the dealership manager and the owner, Lynch signed a special agreement with them. Within six months, he would purchase no less than one hundred trucks in total, with the price reduced to below twelve thousand each.

The dealership would only provide vehicles for Lynch to choose from, and how he chose was Lynch's freedom.

If this agreement had been placed in front of the dealership owner five years ago, he would have torn it up without hesitation and roared, "Get out!"

But now, his eyelids twitched as he signed the agreement, thanking Mr. Lynch for taking care of his business.

Having the vehicles in hand meant that the funds were tied up. However, the times and situations were changing every day.

Facing a future that was already bleak, having money in hand was completely different from having dozens of vehicles.

Even if the profit was not substantial, or even if there was no profit at all, for the car dealership owner, this was still a rare opportunity to break free from the shackles. He must grit his teeth and sign this agreement.

Immediately after, Lynch let Cook and his friends drive the trucks to the club. After several days of arrangements, everyone at the club had reached a consensus on the matter, ending their careers at the club.

As a boss and philanthropist, Lynch should go and comfort these people, giving them recognition for their past work at the club.

Before that, he had to visit Joegleman's place again. Now that he had purchased more vehicles, it was natural for him to pledge them to the bank. Using other people's money to serve oneself was the essence of "financial games."

As for those who used their own money to serve themselves and had to bear the risk… Lynch would never discriminate against such people with intellectual disabilities; instead, he would find them adorable.