Chapter 144 The Plane’s Damaged
The outdoor temperature now was around 10 degrees Celsius. It was a cold feeling as the seawater hit the legs. When the seawater gradually covered his head, Chen Fan leaned his body forward and swam toward the electric eel that was nearby.
At the hideout, the electric eel gently raised the ironclad so that its hatch was above the water. After Chen Fan slipped inside, it fastened the hatch again and dived underwater before tightening the toy-like valve.
What did it feel like laying on the mountain of boxes filled with USD? It would be a lie to say that one was not excited, but the dark enclosed cabin diluted much of the excitement.
After three hours and 15 minutes, the electric eel, as if on steroids, found its way to the seaside of the Virgin Islands.
At the border of Road Town and Russell Hill in the Virgin Islands, Chen Fan smoothed his wet hair and popped out his head on a beach cluttered with reefs. Chen Fan had spent more than 10 minutes finding this location. Its surroundings were covered with palm trees and tall bushes, and there was only one public road pa.s.sing by a distance away. Not only was transportation inconvenient, its location was also very obscure.
It was already around 11 p.m. local time, and there wasn"t even a car on the distant public road. After Chen Fan changed his clothes and attached the Kunwu dagger inside the ironclad onto his waist, he placed the sleeping bag he prepared beforehand under a palm tree and decided to sleep until the next day.
Here in the Virgin Islands where he was a stranger, Chen Fan couldn"t find any hotel which didn"t require a pa.s.sport for registration.
......
The 23-year-old Birkdale was extremely happy! After being on the phone the entire night with his girlfriend who lived in Road Town, she finally agreed to go on a date with him to Mount Toro.
"Oh, Mount Toro…" As he was driving, Birkdale took out a small, squarish paper box and kissed it. "My dear Durex, I"ll be depending on you later!"
The journey from Slany to Road Town was over 40 minutes. In order to see his girlfriend earlier, the bright-eyed Birkdale couldn"t help but keep stepping on the accelerator of his Ford. After driving for about five minutes, Birkdale suddenly saw something hilarious. At about 500 meters ahead, there was an Asian man wearing a black jacket with a cap and a pair of yurt sungla.s.ses waving fiercely at the cars driving past. Needless to say, he was trying to hitch a ride.
However, this Asian man"s luck was terrible. He continuously waved at three cars but not even one slowed down.
Haha, see how I"m gonna get dust on your a.s.s with this Ford! Birkdale was full of evil intentions, and his gradually decreasing car speed suddenly shot up.
Nearing, nearing… Birkdale even started squinting his eyes, ready to enjoy the shock on the Asian man"s face.
Screech… Suddenly, Birkdale"s pupils magnified six times in astonishment. Within one-fifth of a second, his right foot pushed the brake all the way down, and the Ford under his b.u.t.t dragged abruptly along the asphalt road for seven to eight meters. After that, Birkdale suddenly displayed the skills of a racing driver, pulling the reverse gear to make a small drift before stopping firmly beside the Asian man.
"Dear sir, is there anything that I can help you with?" Birkdale"s fawning tone could even put an emperor"s eunuch to shame.
"Go here!" Chen Fan waved the five attractive US bills and a note written in English, opened the door and slipped in.
"Yes, my lord!" Birkdale greedily took the five bills and the note written in crooked English words. Although there were some grammatical errors on the note, it didn"t hinder Birkdale from recognizing it.
Seral Street—The world"s second largest registered place of offsh.o.r.e companies!
...….
At 9 p.m. that night, an old green Volvo box truck clattered as it stopped on the road.
"d.a.m.n, this thing is real difficult to drive!" Chen Fan spat before jumping down from the driver"s seat with an annoyed face. Chen Fan gotten the old-fas.h.i.+oned truck from a local Chinese, after paying a deposit of 20,000 USD and a daily rental of 1,000 USD, in order to transport the 20 huge boxes of US bills.
As he walked on the beach, Chen Fan couldn"t put his mind at ease and switched to the electric eel mode again. Using its eyes, which were 100 times better than a night vision device to observe the surroundings carefully, he didn"t see anything suspicious within 2,000 meters of the eel"s sight.
Half a minute later, huge waves suddenly rose up beside a large reef standing underwater at 200 meters on the left, and a dark metal s.h.i.+p slowly came out of the water. Then, the metal vessel suddenly got flung up by a strong force and fell straight onto the beach.
At that moment, Chen Fan who was hiding at the side quickly jumped onto the beach, opened the hatch of the ironclad, and pulled out a huge orange plastic box from inside. The box was bought in Zhongyun. Before coming here, Chen Fan had already placed the bills neatly into 20 identical boxes, with 24 million USD in each box, to facilitate transportation.
Even if Chen Fan"s physical strength was equal to that of a world"s top athlete, he was still exhausted after spending three hours moving the 20 boxes weighing over 150kg each onto the truck.
...….
It was 8 a.m. the next day at the Swiss International Bank"s branch on Seral Street in Road Town. The Swiss Bank is the world"s largest a.s.set management company and also the largest investment guarantee bank. Not only does it control a quarter of the world"s wealthy people"s a.s.sets, it is also the world"s largest offsh.o.r.e financial center holding 30 percent of the world"s offsh.o.r.e currency amounting to a total of 2 trillion Euros.
There was once a joke circulating among the employees about a wealthy man bringing a load of US bills into a Swiss bank and requesting to open a deposit account. The bank teller asked him, "Sir, how much would you like to deposit?" The wealthy man looked around nervously before whispering, "5 million USD." The bank teller replied apologetically, "I"m sorry sir, please go to the counter at the side for small deposits."
As Chen Fan pulled a huge box into the 27-story building with a logo of three intersecting silver keys, he was totally stunned by the grandeur. There were countless rich people in suits and ties, and strong bodyguards beside them. The bodyguards were all carrying large aluminum boxes filled with money notes, and many were carrying one box with the help of a few of the others.
The black marble floor which reflected clear silhouettes beneath his feet, the luxurious crystal chandeliers above him, and the heavily armed guards cruising in the crowd fully showed Chen Fan the magnificence a world"s top bank should have.
"Eighty-one, eighty-two…" Chen Fan stared blankly the endless bank counter number. The counters here could only be described as a super luxurious VIP rooms. Not only were they separated by black crystal walls, leaving only two thick gla.s.s doors, there was also a huge alloyed safe at the back of the room.
Chen Fan suddenly felt like a failure. He had initially thought that he was very cool pulling a huge box of 25 million USD, and hence walked arrogantly. However, he suddenly realized that he was wrong. The huge orange box in his hand did not attract anyone"s attention at all, even though everyone knew that it was either US dollars or British pounds inside.
"Frog in the well!" Chen Fan sighed as he pulled the box toward the counter.
Two expressionless bodyguards with electric batons and pistols on their waists opened the gla.s.s door on each side to let Chen Fan in.
There were two blonde-haired, blue-eyed young ladies in black suits sitting beside the long table in the center. "h.e.l.lo sir, how can I be of service to you?" They asked in fluent English and a professional smile.
"Save." Chen Fan lifted up the orange box at his feet and pa.s.sed her a crumpled note. Although Chen Fan couldn"t understand what the girl was saying, but the opening lines in a bank were roughly the same.
Swish, swis.h.!.+ Two white security guards quickly came over and lifted the box up before sending the stacks of US bills into the professional counterfeit money detector. In less than 20 minutes, the four employees, including the guards, settled the 24 million USD, and Chen Fan successfully received a proof of deposit which he couldn"t understand.
After repeating the same thing for nine different counters, Chen Fan suddenly realized that what he did was a little unnecessary. This was overseas, and this was the world"s second largest a.s.sembly point of offsh.o.r.e companies. This was also the Swiss bank which controlled the wealth of 30 percent of the world"s offsh.o.r.e companies.
"Go, go." Chen Fan patted the shoulders of the two security guards, pointed at the empty box on the floor and then gestured for them to follow him.
The two security swaggered as they followed Chen Fan out. After seeing that there were 10 identical huge boxes in the Volvo, they looked at each other before giving Chen Fan a "you"re impressive" stare.
In less than three minutes, 20 security guards rushed out from the bank and unloaded the 10 huge boxes from the car. Behind the guards was a staff-member who spoke fluent Mandarin.
"Dear honorable guest, how can I be of service to you?" The person bowed before asking in fluent Mandarin.
"Deposit this money into my company account." Sitting on the soft couch, Chen Fan gave the cap on his forehead a tug as he took out a piece of paper with the bank account of "Cruiser" offsh.o.r.e company and pa.s.sed it to him.
"Just a moment please, we"re verifying the funds!" The staff had the look of an old butler of an aristocratic family. It couldn"t be helped, since 240 million USD and 24 million USD were not significant at all.
"Dear honorable guest, please do not worry. No other bank in the world can match our security measures here."
"We"ve always implemented a "no questions asked" confidentiality policy for deposits, and a "no questions will be answered" policy for checks on customer data." The staff-member probably saw Chen Fan"s concern. "As long as the offsh.o.r.e company account is registered here, I can guarantee that it will be the world"s safest account."
"Oh!" Chen Fan nodded, but still didn"t remove his cap and sungla.s.ses. Instead, he crossed his legs and leisurely drank the freshly ground coffee in the cup.
One hour later, the staff-member handed him a high-quality black bank card with three silver keys on it. "This is the VIP card our bank specially provided for you!"
The person pointed to the bank card in Chen Fan"s hand. "You can go to any Swiss bank in the world and enjoy unrestricted manipulation of the remaining funds in the account, without the need to make any appointment. We also have dedicated service staff at your service 24/7, you only need to call the number here, and you will have ready access to your account information."
After changing the pa.s.sword on the computer, Chen Fan kept the card and said, "Alright, bye!"
"Please hold on."
"We have the world"s most professional wealth management team here at Swiss bank. If you entrust your a.s.sets for us to manage, we can guarantee that you will receive a minimum return of five percent! We also…"
"I"ll go back and consider. I"ll give you a call after I decide!" Chen Fan gave a perfunctory reply before pressing his cap down and walking out.
"d.a.m.n it!" Chen Fan drove the old car for a long distance before taking off his cap and throwing it aside. "If I had known there were so many rich people here, I would have just deposited everything in one go." Nevertheless, Chen Fan couldn"t be blamed for being so cautious. An amount close to 500 million USD was still considered a huge sum even to the Swiss bank, which was used to seeing large amounts of a.s.sets. No matter how the Swiss bank boasted, anyone with this sum of money would still be cautious.
...….
Chen Fan got onto the "electric eel s.h.i.+p" and headed to Miami to meet Wu Ruoyu, who was waiting there. Inside an office on the 27th floor of the Swiss bank"s Road Town Branch, the bank president, Calder, keyed in an extremely complex pa.s.sword three times before successfully retrieving the account opening information of a company named "Cruiser".
The information was very simple. The company only had one employee including the director who was Chen Xiaohu, and there was a string of bank account number of the offsh.o.r.e company bound to him.
"President, should we adjust his account information to that of a Grade A client?" The employee who had pa.s.sed Chen Fan the VIP card was standing in front of Calder"s desk. After s.h.i.+fting his eyes away from the screen, he said in English, "This young man must have an extremely strong power or enterprise backing him up. From what I know, although there are many rich men in that country, few are willing to deposit so much money in a bank. They"re into industrial investments, and not too interested in international finance."
"Um...I heard from the guards that he deposited more than once. He probably felt that it was too troublesome and eventually got the guards over to help." Calder closed the data column and nodded, but shook his head again. "Put him as B+ for now. Change him to Grade A if he has other huge deposits in the future."
...….
Four hours later in Miami, local time 530 p.m.
"I"ve waited more than an hour for you, why are you so late?" Sitting in a Chinese restaurant, Wu Ruoyu pouted. "I"ve already bought the air ticket for you, 8 p.m. flight."
"I lost my way!" Chen Fan touched his hair, which was still a little wet. "How much is the ticket, I"ll pay you."
"1,400 USD!" Wu Ruoyu wouldn"t stand on ceremony with him.
After counting and pa.s.sing 14 US bills to her, Chen Fan took the luggage beside Wu Ruoyu and said, "Let"s go, we have to reach the airport two hours in advance! It"s meaningless to stay here in this unfamiliar place, anyway."
If not for the huge pile of US dollars backing him up mentally, Chen Fan thought that he would probably shed tears from being homesick, not being able to speak English in the States. As such, he suddenly felt warm when he saw his neighbor Wu Ruoyu.
"Yeah, it"s more comfy back at home, after all!" Wu Ruoyu sat up and followed Chen Fan outside.
Miami International Airport wasn"t far from the restaurant, and the two reached the departure hall by cab in 20 minutes. Sitting on the chairs, Wu Ruoyu read a fas.h.i.+on magazine with great interest while Chen Fan closed his eyes as he controlled the electric eel to rush toward Zhongyun in advance.
After around 40 minutes, Wu Ruoyu gently pushed Chen Fan"s arm, signaling to him that it was time to change the boarding pa.s.s.
It was already after 8 p.m. when the plane soared into the clouds. Wu Ruoyu wanted to chat with Chen Fan, but saw that he was closing his eyes, looking unperturbed and completely treating her as if she were invisible. Feeling annoyed, she simply turned her head away and stared boringly at the dark sky outside the window.
The electric eel was traveling in a completely opposite direction as the plane; one was traveling in the Western Hemisphere and the other was traveling in the Eastern Hemisphere, joining at Zhongyun after making a perfect arc of the earth.
Chen Fan was immersed in the electric eel when the Boeing 747 suddenly shook violently, forcing him to pull his thoughts back.
"What happened?" Chen Fan immediately opened his eyes and said to Wu Ruoyu beside him.
"Maybe it was turbulence?" Wu Ruoyu was also perplexed.
As her voice trailed off, the plane started shaking again.
"Dear pa.s.sengers, there is a glitch in the engine on the left side of the plane. We will be landing at Phoenix Airport in the state of Arizona in 20 minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and do not panic Our plane has a total of four engines. We are still able to land safely when one breaks down. Please do not panic."
"What did it say?" It was Chen Fan"s turn to be perplexed. Although the plane was vibrating at a low frequency, it was kept at a fixed frequency.
"Dear pa.s.sengers…" The announcement this time was in Mandarin. After listening to it carefully, Chen Fan"s heart almost popped out.
Oh my goodness, why is it like in the movies? First they would say it was a small problem and there was no need to worry. After that it would be "Please have faith in our pilot"s skills…" After that, they would give each person a pen and a paper, "Everyone, please write your will!"
Wu Ruoyu"s face was completely white, and her left hand uncontrollably grabbed Chen Fan"s arms. It was obvious that she was highly doubtful of the cabin crew"s words!
"Fasten your seatbelt!" Chen Fan"s throat was dry. d.a.m.n it, if I survive this time, I"ll never take a plane again. I"ll only take the electric eel!
"Oh…" Wu Ruoyu removed of her shaking left hand, trembling as she fastened her seatbelt. After that, she simply pulled Chen Fan"s arm over and held it firmly in her hands.
Although it was impossible to see what was wrong with the engine in the dark night, its unusual roaring sound gradually got to the ears of everyone. Of the pa.s.sengers in the plane, half were foreigners and half were Chinese. Although they could still manage to stay calm, the fear on their faces couldn"t be hidden.
"Don"t be scared, don"t be scared." Chen Fan patted the shoulder of the trembling Wu Ruoyu. "I have a feeling that there wouldn"t be any danger this time." As though confirming Chen Fan"s words, the roaring sound suddenly disappeared and the plane suddenly stopped shaking.
Just as everyone was about to heave a sigh of relief, the dreadful voice of the announcer came from the speaker again.
"Dear pa.s.sengers, we have already shut off the second engine on the left, and the plane will tilt to the left and the right. However, our pilot who has over 10,000 hours of flying experience can guarantee that the plane will be stabilized by continuously adjusting the direction of the rudder. Please have faith in the flying techniques of our pilot…"
Chen Fan wanted to give the announcer a few slaps. Why did he have to say the same lines as in the movies? Fortunately, the flying technique of the pilot was quite good. Although the plane shook to the left and the right, it was only around five degrees.
"Do you think we will…" Wu Ruoyu turned her pale face at Chen Fan.
"How can we die so easily? Don"t worry, we"re good-fortuned!" Chen Fan was naturally also scared. After all, a plane is known to be unstable. Even a small bird could damage it, let alone a faulty engine? Nonetheless, as a man he could only force himself to say consoling words.
Twenty minutes later, as the plane wobbled and touched the runway before giving out a huge tire screeching sound, everyone finally put their heart at ease, gradually.
Due to the time difference between the east and the west, it was already around midnight in Phoenix. Other than the blinking lights in the airport, there were only light spots a distance away in the dark.
After unfastening his seat belt and standing up, Chen Fan could only feel his legs trembling like the plane 10 minutes before.
"You...you alright?" Chen Fan stretched out his hand as a signal to Wu Ruoyu to grab his arm to stand up.
"I"m...okay...should be fine!" Wu Ruoyu blinked hard to dispel her fear before grabbing Chen Fan"s arm and standing up.
At this moment, the cabin door opened slowly and was linked immediately by two pa.s.senger steps. Then, a large group of airport staff rushed in to console the pa.s.sengers in English, promising to compensate everyone for the various losses.
As the crowd walked into the airport, dozens of staffs brought over hot coffee and hot dogs to help everyone get over the shock.
"Phew!" Chen Fan heaved a long sigh before gulping the hot coffee in the cup. It was a great feeling to have survived an ordeal, especially after drinking a hot beverage when the outdoor temperature was only over 10 degree Celsius.
"Why are you like a bull?" Wrapped in a white blanket, Wu Ruoyu smiled as she turned a cup in her hands.
After experiencing huge fluctuations in emotions, she felt especially warm when she saw her neighbor Chen Fan, that even the awkwardness that Chen Fan caused her when he got drunk the previous time was no longer an issue.
However, her smile was short-lived. As this was just a small ordinary airport between cities, it suddenly became extremely crowded with 500 more people at one go. The second provisional redeployed aircraft would only arrive at 8 a.m. After arranging all the places of accommodation, Chen Fan and Wu Ruoyu, who were chatting happily, were naturally taken as a couple by the airport staff and allocated to one room.
It was fine if Wu Ruoyu didn"t agree to it, since the airport staff were all ready to stay overnight in the departure hall. Even the air stewardesses had to squeeze in the conference room, so she could squeeze with them if she didn"t mind. As for the other pa.s.sengers, they were mostly couples or with families, and the remaining 10 over single ones were all men.
She could get out and stay in a hotel, but there was no one to take her, and she had to go a few dozen miles to stay in one! After some hesitation, Wu Ruoyu agreed to the airport"s arrangement. After all, it was just staying in the same room, not sleeping on the same bed.
However, when she and Chen Fan walked into the room, Wu Ruoyu"s face suddenly turned as red as a watermelon. There was only one bed in the small room, and it was a single bed which could barely sleep two thin people!
"This...this…" Chen Fan suppressed the excitement inside him as he stood at the door scratching his head. He wasn"t going to act gentlemanly, as that was only for honorable and upright people. As a normal man, he wasn"t going to reject this "luck with women." Neither would he say things like "Don"t worry, just sleep. I"ll stand guard on the side."