Chapter 82

It was past 4:00 pm when Zachary and Clay finally sat in a smoothie shop. Clay went to order two fruit smoothies while Zachary pulled out a notebook and started jotting down notes. Throughout the afternoon, Zachary gathered useful information from local vendors and passersby. The main obstacle to the development of the Economic Development Zone was a local gang controlling the area. Most of the gang members, including the boss, were locals who had received compensation for relocation. To them, the Economic Development Zone was their turf. Any outsiders looking to invest had to "collaborate" with them, which meant paying an annual protection fee. As Clay set a fruit smoothie in front of Zachary, he asked out of concern, "Zachary, do you really think this project is worth pursuing?" He had followed Zachary all afternoon, and from what he had heard, the area seemed too chaotic to be worth the risk. With local gangs, developing a market or building a factory here seemed more trouble t