Chapter 168: Chapter 108: The Mole People Under New York

Looking at the conflicted Don Quixote, Li Wei had made up his mind. He was determined to make him give up his asset management company and decoration business to focus entirely on being his agent.

Part of the reason was his hope that Don Quixote would approach the job with a more professional attitude. More importantly, he felt the things Don Quixote was currently doing just weren’t worth the effort anymore; the cost-benefit ratio was simply too low.

Although Don Quixote might feel that, as his elder, becoming his agent was taking advantage of him, and harbor a complex resistance to the idea of depending on Li Wei for a living after being the senior family member, Li Wei still had to try his best to persuade him to give up this part of his business.

"I know you’re attached to your booming business," he said with a shrug. "But we both know sunk costs shouldn’t factor into your decision. Don’t fall into that trap."

Don Quixote’s phone, which was sitting on the table, suddenly started vibrating.

The screen displayed the contact name: ’Tony - Bronx Building Materials’.

Don Quixote looked at the name, then back at Li Wei. In that instant, the days of arguing until he was red in the face over a few hundred USD for decorations suddenly felt so absurd and distant.

’Li Wei was right. Sunk costs really shouldn’t be part of the decision.’

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and rubbed his throbbing temples.

When he opened his eyes again, he immediately silenced the call. "You’re right. I really shouldn’t be making such a rookie mistake."

"I’ll contact a buyer as soon as possible and sell off the business," he said, his tone gradually becoming lighter. "That building in the Bronx recently went up to 3.4 million USD. My shares should have some room to grow, so getting 350,000 USD for them shouldn’t be a problem."

"Think about it," Li Wei said with a smile. "My signing bonus alone is 5 million USD. Your commission from that is 150,000 USD. Isn’t that much better than working yourself to death for scraps?"

"You’re getting ahead of yourself," Don Quixote scoffed. "That 5 million USD is pre-tax."

Li Wei was suddenly reminded of an unpleasant fact. He was currently in the United States of America, a country notorious for its endless taxes.

"So..." he said hesitantly, "how much do I get to keep after taxes?"

"Why don’t you take a guess?" Don Quixote said leisurely, crossing his arms. "Go on, test me. This is stuff I just happened to learn about recently."

"I guess..." Li Wei thought for a moment before saying, "It has to be at least 3.5 million USD, right?"

"You’re probably thinking too optimistically," Don Quixote mused. "After taxes, you’ll probably get around 2.3 million out of that 5 million."

"How much?!" Li Wei shot up from his chair. "Are you sure that’s not just straight-up robbery?"

"It is robbery," Don Quixote nodded. "But do you dare not pay? The Internal Revenue Service will be at your door tomorrow, armed and ready."

Li Wei sat back down.

’I have to endure this.’

"The biggest chunk of this has nothing to do with me," Don Quixote shrugged. "First off, in the United States of America, a signing bonus is taxed as ’supplemental wages.’ The Internal Revenue Service requires a 37% withholding on the amount over 1 million USD, and the first million is withheld at 22%. That means you’re paying 1.7 million USD in federal taxes alone."

Li Wei’s fists clenched. ’I really want to fight the IRS.’

’Calm down. I can’t take on a missile yet. Endure.’

"Then there’s the New York state tax, which is in the 9.65% to 10.3% range," Don Quixote said after a moment of thought. "So, let’s just calculate it at 10%. That’s another 500,000 USD."

After the 1.7 million USD deduction for federal taxes, 500,000 suddenly didn’t seem so outrageous to Li Wei anymore. ’Keep enduring.’

"And since your green card is coming through soon, you’ll also have to pay a 3.876% New York City tax and a 2.44% Social Security and Medicare tax," Don Quixote said. "You’ll end up with about 2.47 million USD, but you still have to deduct my 150,000 USD agent commission. So in the end, you’ll be left with only around 2.3 million USD."

Li Wei suddenly spoke up, "You know, I’m starting to have some regrets. Since you’re my uncle, and I’m your dear nephew, do you think we could adjust that 3% figure? I think 1.5% sounds pretty good..."

"Fack! Get lost!" Don Quixote retorted with a laugh. "You should know that for commercial endorsements, it’s normal for an agent to take 5-10%. Me taking 3% is practically a betrayal of capitalism."

After a bit more idle chatter, Don Quixote made a call to discuss selling his shares with Susan.

Late at night, Li Wei was texting with Anya when he suddenly heard a rustling sound from the next room.

Li Wei knew exactly what it was: Don Quixote was about to start sleepwalking again.

He had figured out another one of his uncle’s patterns.

Before, Don Quixote would sleepwalk when he was under a lot of stress. But now that life had gotten better, it had flipped. He wouldn’t sleepwalk when he was stressed, only when he was relatively stress-free.

Li Wei was heartbroken. ’It’s hard to go from a life of luxury back to a simple one, uncle. How have you gotten so lazy?’

He got dressed and went to Don Quixote’s door, speaking up before his uncle could finish putting on his "armor."

"Sir Don Quixote, Knight, the dangers in the nearby lands have recently been cleared. I suggest we embark on another expedition. I shall drive you there in my chariot."

The dream in Don Quixote’s mind hadn’t fully formed yet. Primed by Li Wei’s words, he paused for a moment, then seamlessly continued the narrative Li Wei had started.

"Hmm... you’re right," he said, standing up. "It is indeed time to embark on another expedition."

Before they moved, Li Wei planned to take Don Quixote somewhere a bit farther away to avoid being spotted by paparazzi or nosy fans. Dealing with that would be a huge hassle.

The two of them tiptoed out the door without waking Lily.

Li Wei pulled the car out, and Don Quixote got in once again—though this time, without his iron rod.

A while after driving out of Dyker Heights, as they neared a subway station near Manhattan, Don Quixote suddenly said:

"I hear the voices of goblins!"

"What?" Li Wei was stunned. "Goblins?"

’A new species after Dark Elves and fairies?’

"That’s right, goblins," Don Quixote said eagerly. "A race that lives underground."

Li Wei thought for a moment, then parked the Cadillac Escalade in a hidden corner.

The area wasn’t very safe, but with the [Ring of Universal Success], the chances of someone stealing their hubcaps were probably low.

Li Wei looked at the subway station in front of him and suddenly remembered—this was near Riverfront Park!

There was a freight tunnel here, built in the 1930s and abandoned around the 1980s. It was later taken over by the homeless and graffiti artists, and the tunnel extended deep into New York’s underground.

Li Wei had once heard Craig mention that this tunnel even connected to all of New York’s subway stations, both abandoned and active.

Li Wei helped Don Quixote squeeze through a wire fence and they climbed down a rusty ladder.

As they went deeper underground, the air became thick and damp, filled with the stench of mold, urine, and stagnant water. Only the occasional vibrations from above and the distant rumble of a subway train reminded Li Wei that this was still New York.

This was an underground city completely different from the bustling streets of Manhattan. Li Wei turned on his flashlight, its beam cutting through the darkness to illuminate the stunning graffiti-covered walls on both sides of the tunnel.

Along the walls were makeshift shacks built from cardboard, plastic tarps, and scrap wood. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’So these are the legendary Mole People,’ Li Wei thought silently, listening to the suppressed coughs coming from the shacks. He had seen posts about them online.

A community of people living underground in New York. They might be homeless, or they might not be. It was hard to say if their lives were better or worse than those of the homeless on the surface.

As he walked forward, a quest panel suddenly appeared in his vision:

[You have arrived at the Goblin Kingdom]

[This place is filled with all sorts of races: goblins, Ogres, devils, and even humans—all kinds of humans. Hundreds of years of development have turned this place into a self-sufficient Kingdom, but as the world above ground has advanced, the residents of the Goblin Kingdom have been gradually forgotten.]