Chapter 225: We're Not Noble Either

"What the hell is going on, Uncle Goodman?"

"We just discussed how to deal with the influx of outsiders, and now this happens. If this proposal passes prematurely, I'm afraid the tensions will escalate, and our situation will become even more chaotic!"

Just as they had feared during their earlier conversation, survival was the priority here, not citizenship.

At present, things seemed manageable, but as the depression continued to worsen, people's savings would eventually run out. Even in the United States, especially during these times, the depletion of savings was not far off.

Since the 1970s, inflation rates in the United States had rarely dropped below 10% for nearly a decade. In such circumstances, borrowing more money actually benefited borrowers as long as the interest rates did not exceed 10%. It was the lenders who suffered.

Taking advantage of the situation was common. In the beginning, some might hesitate, fearing that if inflation rates dropped, they would end up losing money. However, with high inflation persisting for so long, even the most conservative individuals began to explore new ways of living. And now, after ten years, nearly everyone had only one dollar in savings left.

For instance, despite Douglas having a population of nearly fifty thousand, the total deposits in the bank accounts of its residents amounted to less than four million dollars. This indicated a significant problem!

Once people ran out of money to buy bread, what options did they have to survive?

Moving to places with job opportunities was one option, but what if that wasn't possible?

"In the face of such unexpected events, there's not much we can do."

Clearly, Goodman also shared Carter's concerns. After sighing heavily, he tentatively suggested, "Why don't we contact Mr. Benjamin and ask to temporarily suspend this proposal? Not to modify it, just to postpone it for some time before discussing it again."

Changing course abruptly was undoubtedly a leader's greatest taboo. Proposing something one moment and retracting it the next was akin to embarrassing oneself. Neither of them wanted to do that.

However, if they didn't act, Goodman couldn't help but feel a sense of dread about the environment Carter was worried about.

People driven to desperation could resort to unimaginable acts. Robbing a cash van or committing highway robbery would become commonplace.

If this had happened in the past, Goodman could have accepted it. After all, staying indoors and retreating within Douglas seemed feasible. But now, with their business expanding, staying confined to the city was no longer realistic.

"Let's discuss this later. If there's no other way, then we'll have to ask Mr. Benjamin for help. I'm just curious, what's on that old man Bass's mind? If they don't allow early repayment of loans, won't that money flow to us? At a time like this, capital outflow..."

Lighting a cigarette, Carter felt his mind spinning.

To be honest, Carter himself actually wished that all the banks in his vicinity would behave like Bass Bank. If they couldn't repay the first loan early, their demand for the second loan, i.e., from their own bank, would significantly decrease.

This would undoubtedly alleviate some of the financial pressure he was currently feeling. Furthermore, as these loans flowed into Douglas or Pearson, they would need to buy houses, spend on living expenses, and so on. As this money poured in and was spent in these two cities, the local economies might even show signs of improvement.

This would be the best news for his bank's business! After all, they wouldn't need to repay those loans themselves, would they?

On the contrary, if they built houses with the first loan and immediately borrowed from their bank to repay the previous loan, it would actually result in more capital outflow, although it would be less compared to the inflow.

Looking at it from this angle, Carter suddenly realized that he should sympathize with Bass Bank, as they seemed to be helping him?

This was outrageous!

"Why else? It's all about profits! Allowing early repayment, they can only earn a year's interest at most, even with the penalty, that's a year and a half's interest at most. It's just making a few thousand dollars more. Most borrowers probably won't even pay that much. But for a ten-year loan, it's $67,000! With inflation, the interest differential would be several times that."

Goodman shrugged. He felt no surprise about what Bass Bank had done. Not every savings bank was as ethical as Carter's.

In fact, he believed his bank wasn't any nobler than others. Everything he and Carter had done recently was simply because they had more capital to resist this dark period and seek greater profits in the future. If Blake Bank hadn't received the money Carter brought back from New York, he felt he would have done the same as Bass Bank.

Even though he knew that capital outflow at this time would make the local situation worse, he needed to make money! He needed to survive too, didn't he?

"So, what do you think will happen next?"

After listening to Goodman's explanation, Carter couldn't argue. Instead, he chose not to dwell on that question and asked Goodman's opinion instead.

"It's hard to say. It depends on how Mr. Barnes and Old Bass react. If Old Bass appears to relent and announces the cancellation of the early repayment restriction, things might be resolved quickly. But if he announces it, he's not going to have a good time in the future!"

Announcing the permission for early repayment might appease Mr. Barnes and even most of the people in Aguil, but if it came to implementing it, that old man would have a hard time!

"I can agree to early repayment, Mr. Barnes! But it must be three years later, not before. This is my bottom line, even if you kill me now, I will say the same!"

Meanwhile, inside the tightly closed doors of Bass Bank in the center of Agil City, Old Bass frowned as he looked at his son, who was already scared to the point of wetting his pants. Inwardly, Old Bass lamented that his son's mental resilience was still lacking. With gritted teeth, he stared at Barnes with a gaze that seemed to want to devour him, and said word by word.

For Old Bass, who regarded money as his lifeblood, asking him to give up easily attainable benefits was akin to asking him to kill himself. However, in the next moment, Old Bass was dumbfounded.

Barnes, upon hearing his words, chuckled.

"No need! Whether early repayment matters now or not is irrelevant. At this point, I am already a life sentence. Killing one more person won't make much difference, and sparing one won't either. Do you think you can walk out of here alive?"

"All of this, is your own doing! Bass!"