by <unknown>
"Thank the heavens, you'll surely be a kind master." When the white-bearded captain heard this, he sighed in relief.
"Sorry, but this ship is sealed off."
However, just as they reached the entrance of the Symphony of the Seas, they were blocked by two European men dressed in black. One of them sized up the group, then said something indiscernible into his headset.
"These are the people from the European Federal Bureau of Investigation. Play nice as much as you can." The Captain reminded Chen Chen in a low voice.
"I'm the chief of the Walvis Bay Police Station. We need to check out something on the ship. I hope that you can accommodate us."
The black man who had remained silent all this while now spoke in a dignified tone as he showed his identification.
"All of you are going into the ship?"
When he heard this was the police, the European man lightened up a little, but still said, "There are too many of you. Only three can pass at most."
"Very well, in that case, I, Chief Maddaloni, and Captain Bernard will go." Chen Chen waved his hand and made the choice.
Seeing that they did not object, Chen Chen let Cheng Cao and the rest remained where they were while he moved on first.
On the ship, Chen Chen ignored the facilities on the main deck and immediately headed below. With Captain Bernard guiding the way, they reached the engine room.
"This machine that looks like a firing pin is the generator of the Symphony of the Seas."
Captain Bernard pointed to the colossal component that was four to five meters high and dozens of meters long. "Although it looked different from diesel generators on land, there's absolutely no problem with its power output."
"I know. That's a Leroy-Somer LSA62 generator with a power of 20,000 kilowatts," Chen Chen replied without having to think.
"Huh, you've researched engines before?" Captain Bernard asked, astonished.
"It's because I've just visited the Meyer Shipyard two days ago."
Chen Chen smiled as he explained, "My customized cruise ship will also use this generator in the future."
"I, I see…"
Captain Bernard gave a dry laugh and said nothing else.
The three of them did a quick tour around the bottom section. Chen Chen observed carefully and only nodded in satisfaction after he had walked around the entire generator room.
The three main generators and the two backup generators were all intact. The combined power of the five generators would reach a hundred thousand kilowatts.
One hundred thousand kilowatts of power meant that the power generated would be one hundred thousand kilowatts per hour. Even if these generators could not generate electricity at full power throughout the day, they could still generate at least ninety percent.
This level of power generation was one-tenth the efficiency of the power plant Chen Chen had used in Cape Town.
Although it was only one-tenth, Chen Chen only had five days to absorb the electricity from the power plant in Cape Town. That was far more restrictive compared to this ship, where he could absorb electricity anytime he liked.
Just when Chen Chen was about to disembark, his cell phone rang suddenly. Chen Chen turned it on to find that Little X had sent a message.
"Heh." When he saw the message from Little X, Chen Chen chuckled, then immediately dialed Cheng Cao's number.
"Ask everyone from the Black Security Service to gather at the dock."
After giving that order, he hung up.
"Mr. Chen Chen, what's going on?" On one side, Chief Maddaloni raised an eyebrow. He knew what sort of people were in the Black Security Service.
"Nothing much. Someone's just trying to trap me." Chen Chen shook his head.
"What, someone dares to trap you?"
When Chief Maddaloni heard this, he instantly said angrily, "I'll call my officers from the police station!"
"No need for that. I'll settle this myself." Chen Chen smiled peculiarly as he stopped Chief Maddaloni from making the call.
What Chen Chen did not say was, if Chief Maddaloni called his officers over, the officers would end up having to help the other party.
"Very well."
Seeing this, Chief Maddaloni said hotly, "If there's any way I can help, just let me know."
After making sure that the generators were working fine, Chen Chen and the rest made their way to the deck and strolled around. Chen Chen only suggested that they disembarked from the ship after Cheng Cao called to inform him that those from the Black Security Service had arrived.
The three of them quickly left the Symphony of the Seas.
However, just as they got off the ship and reached the dock, Chen Chen immediately saw twelve white Caucasians dressed in suits approaching him aggressively.
"Are you Mr. Chen Chen?"
The man at their head wore a pair of dark sunglasses, looking like Agent Smith from The Matrix.
At this moment, he was walking to Chen Chen as he flashed his identification. "We're from the European branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There's a case that requires your cooperation. Please come with us."
As he spoke, two large, imposing European men came up from behind, ready to lead Chen Chen away. One of them was even holding handcuffs.
"Hold on!"
Chief Maddaloni hurried forward and said in shock, "What are you doing? Mr. Chen Chen is our guest here in Namibia. You have no right to do this!"
"Sorry, but we're asking Mr. Chen Chen to cooperate with the investigation on behalf of the Federation. Those who aren't involved should stay out of this." The man in sunglasses pushed Chief Maddaloni aside with an icy expression. Chief Maddaloni only flushed red but dared not retaliate.
"Just a minute."
Chen Chen spoke breezily, but they did not seem about to stop. Just as the two men had moved to Chen Chen's side and were about to seize him, several firearms popped out from behind Chen Chen and promptly pointed at the group of federal agents.
It turned out that, at an unknown time, Brando had arrived with the thirty members of the Black Security Service.
"Click click click!"
Thirty Glock 17s were aimed at the twelve agents without any hesitation. The federal agents were stunned. In a conditioned reflex, they drew their pistols and faced off against Brando and the others.
All at once, the atmosphere at the dock turned into one of taut hostility…
Chapter 149: Resolve |
At one end of the dock, two groups of people had suddenly drawn their firearms and were facing off. Behind them was the blue glassy stretch of ocean where seagulls and flamingos were wheeling about close to the water.
When Chief Maddaloni was confronted with this sudden turn of events, he was rather dumbfounded, not knowing which side he should assist.
According to international law, of course, he should help the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After all, this department could be said to be the Federation's core law enforcement agency that possessed cross-continent authority in carrying out its duties.
Although some powerful regions had their own forces and did not give a f*ck about this agency, in a minor nation like Namibia, they did not have this capacity.
On the other hand, Chen Chen was a major bankroller to the authorities. If Chen Chen was apprehended in Namibia, Chief Maddaloni's career would naturally come to an end. From then onwards, they could forget about Chen Chen continuing to invest in Namibia.
Chief Maddaloni was momentarily caught in a dilemma.
"Mr. Chen Chen, are you planning to rebel against the Federation?"
The man in sunglasses was fearless as he stared down the gun muzzles. Instead, he proclaimed, "We represent the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If you go against us, you're going against the entire Earth Federation. Please think carefully."
"I've always been a legitimate businessman and a law-abiding citizen. Why would I rebel against the Federation?"
Chen Chen smiled carelessly. "I'm just afraid t
hat someone would impersonate the Federal Bureau of Investigation and try to kidnap me. After all, Officer, you must also know that I'm of considerable status. Many people have their eyes on me."
"Is that so?"
The man in sunglasses narrowed his eyes. He took out his identification and held it before Chen Chen. "Have you got a good look now?"
"Sorry, I'm short-sighted. I can't see it at such a distance."
Chen Chen spread his hands innocently. "Please hold it closer."
The man in sunglasses snorted coldly and walked closer, holding his identification right in front of Chen Chen's eyes. "Surely you can see…"
"Swoosh!"
Just as he had placed it right before Chen Chen's eyes, his vision went blurry for a split second. The identification he was holding was now in Chen Chen's hands!
"You!"
The man in sunglasses bellowed in rage.
"Shh —"
Chen Chen raised an index finger, making a silencing gesture. Following that, he slowly tore the entire document in half in front of the man while a sneer curled upon his lips. "This identification is fake!"
"How dare you!"
The man in sunglasses stepped forward, but Cheng Cao's gun was directly pressed into his face.
Chen Chen tore the document into fragments and raised one hand. Countless shreds of leather and paper fluttered through the sky. Meanwhile, Chen Chen walked forward at once without even glancing at the ashen expression of the man in sunglasses.
"Mister Officer, next time, remember to bring some authentic identification before you come."
"Chen Chen!" The man in sunglasses clenched his fist, yearning to arrest his target. Even so, with thirty guns trained on him, he dared not take a single step past the boundary.
Each of Chen Chen's bodyguards was bursting with a bloodthirsty aura. Were these still bodyguards? They were a group of savage mercenaries!
This businessman from Mainland China had nurtured his own private army!
Cheng Cao took the lead in putting his gun away only when Chen Chen had got into the car. Then, he made a gesture and everyone put away their firearms, turned, and walked away.
This display of extreme obedience caused the man in sunglasses to narrow his eyes.
He watched steadily as Chen Chen got into the car, then tore off his sunglasses and flung them onto the ground. At the same time, he glared at the black police chief beside him. "Chief Maddaloni, where are your officers? Even for a case under our Federal Bureau of Investigation, your local officers won't cooperate at all?"
"I…"
Chief Maddaloni opened his mouth with a blank expression.
"Sir, we…"
The deputy on the side was about to ask the man in sunglasses a question.
"Enough. We'll just report this to the higher-ups. Those who resist the Federal Bureau of Investigation will get what they deserve!"
With that, the man who wore sunglasses dusted off his hands and stalked off in the other direction.
Chen Chen sat in the car, silently watching the departing federal agents with a grave expression.
While he was on the Symphony of the Seas, Little X had sent a message, saying that a group of agents sent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reached Walvis Bay. Moreover, they had completed the extradition procedures and were ready to transfer him to the North American Continent while he was caught off guard.
In truth, if the Federal Bureau of Investigation had just come to question him, there would be no issue at all.
However, the crucial thing was that the Symphony of the Seas was a cruise liner owned by Royal International Cruise Line, which was an European company, just like how the man in sunglasses and his team belonged to the European branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Therefore, even if Chen Chen was extradited, he should be extradited to Europe, not North America.
Something fishy was certainly going on.
Indeed, Little X now sent another message.
Through targeted investigations, Little X had eliminated endless information on the Internet and finally came up with some useful data.
It turned out that several financial groups in North America had formed an organization called the "Als Mutual Aid Association". Through certain channels, this organization learned about the technologies Chen Chen possessed and started to get its own ideas.
The plutocrats in this mutual aid association came from families that were not inferior to financial oligarchs such as the Edwards and the Rodriguezes. Naturally, they were not afraid of the eleven financial groups backing Chen Chen.
"Sure enough, some things can't be hidden forever."
Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. Although God's Forbidden Zone had never shown itself in formal events, no secret could be kept forever. Furthermore, so many members of the families had regained their youth. Once something like this was exposed, it would instantly spread like wildfire among the upper classes.
Presumably, many plutocrats had learned of all this by now.
At first, they were merely onlookers, but now that Chen Chen was involved in a case, of course, those who were eager would take advantage of this, using certain methods to test Chen Chen.
With the lure of technologies that could restore one's youth, even the upper echelons of the Federation would be highly tempted, to say nothing of those plutocratic families.
If Chen Chen could not even handle this first wave of challenges, naturally, he would be seen as a weak target to be bullied. In that case, more forces would surround and assault him.
It was akin to a pack of wolves that smelled blood, gradually entrapping a sheep in their midst.
"Since that's the case, you can't blame me…"
A fiery light flashed in Chen Chen's eyes as he mumbled softly.
Although he could rely on the power of the eleven great families to resolve this crisis, surely that would be going too easy on his opponents? Since they had extended their claws toward Chen Chen, they should leave their claws with him.
Even if they were to end up sitting down and talking it out, Chen Chen would have to rip off their claws first before doing so.
Otherwise, would people not think that they could sh*t on his head in the future?
With this in mind, Chen Chen opened Little X's app on the phone and said in a low tone, "X, hack into the airline's network and book two tickets for me and Cheng Cao under fabricated identities. You know the destination…"
Chapter 150: Kidnapping |
In that same afternoon, Chen Chen and Cheng Cao both boarded a plane to New York.
After only five hours, when it was evening, two of them stepped into a narrow but busy street in Manhattan, New York City.
This street was only five hundred meters in length and a pitiful eleven meters in width. There were various sorts of towering buildings on both sides. Even on a sunny day, there was no sunlight here to speak of.
Nonetheless, this haphazardly planned street was well known throughout the entire Federation.
In one glance, Chen Chen could see the headquarters of Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, the New York Stock Exchange, and other buildings.
This location represented the financial hub of the entire North American Continent. It was Chen Chen's current destination — the Blanc Company's headquarters, owned by Paul Blanc, the president of the Als Mutual Aid Association.
Paul Blanc was the founder of the Blanc Financial Group. Compared to other long-established groups, they were a relatively young financial group first set up by Harlan Blanc in 1922.
The group started as the "National Bank". In World War II, Harlan Blanc and several other consortia of the new generation took control of the oldest aluminum company in North America and joined the ranks of financial oligarchs.
Through these channels, the Blanc Financial Group controlled the banking and industrial capital of the Pittsburgh area. In the following decades, his son Paul Blanc gained control of Gulf Oil, and the family became a top consortiu
m in one leap.
This company had also become the most important industrial pillar of the Blanc Financial Group.
Through these years of development, the Blanc Financial Group finally broke into Wall Street and became a major puppet master of North American finance and economy.
Chen Chen's current opponent was a colossal figure like this.
"In other words, the one who tried to trap me this time was Paul Blanc, the president of the Als Mutual Aid Association and leader of the Blanc Financial Group…"
Chen Chen was in a black car. As he read the information sent by Little X, he displayed a pensive look.
He read on in the car, then looked out the window again. On a building by the street, a massive B-shaped logo was ostentatiously displayed, resonating with the logos of other financial groups.
This building was the headquarters of the Blanc Company.
"Cheng Cao, this is the man you're looking for."
Chen Chen took out his phone and sent Cheng Cao a photo of a middle-aged Caucasian man who had swept-back hair and a steely expression. "Sloane Blanc. He's in the general manager's office. Just knock him out and bring him out. Remember not to alert anyone else."
"Got it."
Cheng Cao glanced at the photo, nodded with a grimace, got off the car, and walked directly toward the main doors of the Blanc Financial Group headquarters.
Soon, Cheng Cao pushed past the heavy glass doors and said something to the front desk. Then, he moved out of Chen Chen's field of vision.
At the same time, all surveillance devices in the building suddenly became ineffective as they fell into a mode of playing videos on loop. The security in the building did not notice this at all.
As remote surveillance was often needed, most foreign surveillance systems were connected to an external network. Due to this, Little X was able to interfere with the building's surveillance.
With help from Little X, in addition to Cheng Cao's GS protective suit and cloaking device, every defensive measure would be futile against Cheng Cao, unless the other party had already prepared and were lying in wait.
Indeed, in a little over ten minutes, the glass doors of the Blanc Financial Group headquarters suddenly swung open by themselves as if there was a strong wind. Those at the front desk merely glanced up in bafflement, then stopped paying attention.
