Darkstone Code
Chapter 97 - 0096 Come on, be happy, after all, there’s plenty of time!

Chapter 97: 0096 Come on, be happy, after all, there’s plenty of time!

There are some issues with these children themselves. The Bail Federal has a Child Protection Law, prohibiting the use of child labor under the age of fourteen. For some heavy labor roles, including those involving contact with hazardous materials, individuals under eighteen are prohibited from undertaking related work.

These newspaper delivery boys are mostly twelve or thirteen or fourteen years old, so they basically fall into the category of illegal child labor.

Previously, the welfare institution would send them to the newspapers for "boarding" — not adoption, just "boarding". They would leave the welfare institution around sixteen years old, so they needed to be exposed to society in advance and learn some livelihood skills.

In return, the newspapers would provide some economic rewards to the welfare institution. Many people knew about such things, but few were willing to expose these social issues.

When it’s not exposed, the child labor users and welfare institutions could rely on each other for a win-win situation. Although the children lived a bit harder, in the end, they were laying the groundwork for the future.

However, once these matters are exposed, the entire illegal child labor industry comes to a halt. The first to collapse would be the major welfare institutions. If the welfare institutions go bankrupt, a large number of elderly and children will be left unattended, and eventually, the local City Hall will have to clean up the mess.

Sometimes, the society’s ignorance towards certain forms is not inaction; it’s just that this currently is the best choice.

But Lynch and the newspaper heads are different. People can tolerate the newspaper heads using child labor, but they will not tolerate a "big capitalist" doing so. This is probably because, in most people’s eyes, newspaper heads are not doing better than ordinary people, while the lives of capitalists are better than those of ordinary people.

People instinctively sympathize with those weaker than themselves, but simultaneously hate those stronger. In the past, they didn’t have any good ways to do anything for themselves, but now they can at least proclaim so-called justice in the media.

Hence, two issues arise from this.

The first issue is his illegal use of child labor. When no one reports him, he won’t have any problems. Once someone does report his illegal use of child labor, he might have to face extremely troublesome litigation. Such lawsuits not only take a long time but also cause terrible negative effects in society.

Undoubtedly, as he continues to expand at an increasingly faster pace, more and more forces will focus their attention on him.

Some come from grassroots, like justice-seeking reporters.

Some come from peers in the industry. No one in this world can hope for the demise of peers more than the peers themselves.

And some are from various departments of the Federation Government. He is already a marked person, and some will want to find mistakes in him.

The second issue is that these children are not qualified to work, but paradoxically, they genuinely create profits. So, how should Lynch pay their salaries?

Paying them would confirm his crime of illegal use of child labor, while not paying them means this money can’t just be transferred to these children’s hands for no reason. Even if the books are perfect, issues might still arise.

Because the foundation of this employment relationship is already flawed and problematic, no matter how much it is covered up, it cannot change the nature of the matter itself.

However, adopting these children would be different. He could pay taxes for the children, and then distribute the money to them under the pretense of giving pocket money.

Even if someone accuses him of misusing child labor or investigates, he wouldn’t be afraid.

He only lets those fourteen-year-olds work on things like distributing flyers or gathering information, tasks that are allowed. Younger ones can return to school to learn something, or simply do some logistics work. As long as they aren’t publicly exposed, there’s no issue.

Considering many factors, he also needs a team of his own, so adopting these children is evidently a great bargain. In three or five years, they can become his most important support.

When coming out of the VIP room, Lynch unexpectedly glanced at Wood sitting in the distance. He had a deep impression of Wood, who was a very lucky young man. The people on his side frequently raised bids at today’s auction, bringing him a great advantage.

If it weren’t for the 200 seats held by the newspaper delivery boys, clearly outnumbering Richard and Wood, Wood would definitely have been the first today, with Richard as the second.

He had a good impression of Wood, a young man able to endure hardship. Many middle-aged and elderly can endure because they’ve long passed the impulsive years, but there aren’t many young people who can.

This is precisely the age when they challenge authority and pursue self-esteem, yet Wood can calm down, and Lynch believes as long as he doesn’t mess around, he’ll certainly become someone noteworthy.

Seeing Wood sitting alone, seemingly devoid of any wish to participate, Lynch thought it might be because he was too inexperienced.

As the boss of these people, he had an obligation to ensure they are as happy as possible when happy, so he picked up the microphone, pointed at Wood, then pulled out a wad of cash and waved it.

The rustling sound of the cash drew the attention of many as he said with a faint smile, "Whoever can give him a break, the money in my hand is theirs!"

The girls absent male companions instantly lit up their eyes. The wad of cash in Lynch’s hand held denominations of twenty dollars, surely amounting to several hundred if not a thousand, far exceeding their company commission and being "extra" personal income.

Immediately, a girl enthusiastically rushed over, and Lynch sat with a smile on a chair by the stage, watching Wood awkwardly and helplessly deal with those girls.

In less than a minute, with a tearing sound, his sleeve was ripped open. After a short pause, the girls stopped being reserved, and soon Lynch laughed as he watched Wood calling for help.

Eventually, his cries gradually faded, and he completely blended into the environment around him.

Work hard when it’s time to work, and fully relax when it’s time to relax. Only by truly enjoying can one reinvest all their energy back into work.

After an hour or so, regardless of whether it was Lynch’s guys or the girls sent by the brokerage company, they all lay scattered in various states of disarray.

Money, alcohol, and pleasure, the most stimulating things for humans, were unlimitedly supplied here tonight, and everyone but Lynch was exhausted.

He instructed the front desk to call the brokerage company, and soon the company’s people were on the scene. After settling the costs, the brokerage staff loaded those girls onto a trolley-like moving corpses, and in order, sent them outside.

Brokerage companies like these are widespread throughout the Federation. They provide not escort services but performance services. As for what happens during performances, it isn’t none of the company’s business — a personal affair.

Sometimes Federation’s laws are this absurd — forbidding escort services on one hand while allowing these people to exploit legal loopholes on the other.

Looking at the gang of guys lying on the ground, Lynch got up and left the small conference hall. The staff would wake them up by nine the next morning.

Standing outside the door, he took one last look at the unseemly young men inside, reached out and turned off the light, and the light slowly disappeared through the gradually closing door gap.

Eventually, the room was in complete darkness!

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