Chapter 618 Silver Cloud

October 17, nine o'clock in the morning.

A black Maybach drove to the door of Li Zhaofeng's house.

Luke dragged his luggage out of the house, and the driver put his luggage in the trunk. Luke got into the back seat of the car and waved goodbye to his father.

The black Maybach slowly left under the watch of Li Zhaofeng.

Luke turned to look at Hamadi Xiao sitting next to him, "Mr. Xiao, do you plan to drive this car to Los Angeles?"

Hamadi Xiao lit a cigar and handed it to Luke, "Consultant Li, there may be some changes to this trip plan."

Luke took a puff of his cigar and asked slowly, "What do you mean?"

Hamadi Xiao took out another cigar and cut off the top of the cigar, "I'm going to take a cruise to Los Angeles."

Luke blew out a puff of smoke, "Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm serious."

"Why didn't you tell me in advance?"

"What I thought before was to get to Los Angeles as soon as possible. It would save more time to drive.

However, the directors of my company have doubts about acquiring the terminal and suggested that I think carefully before acquiring it.

According to my understanding, there is a cruise route from New York to Los Angeles. It departs from the Atlantic Ocean, stops at several important ports in the United States, enters the Caribbean Sea, passes through the Panama Canal, then enters the Pacific Ocean, and finally arrives at the Los Angeles pier. I would like to conduct an on-site inspection of the voyage.

routes and important ports.

This helps me make accurate judgments on acquisition plans.”

"How long will this sea voyage take?"

"eight days."

Luke said, “Taking a cruise is a longer journey than driving, takes longer, and has more unpredictability.

Once the cruise ship enters the sea, it will become an island.

If the person who wants to kill you also gets on the cruise ship, he will not even have a chance to escape and will have to fight to the death with him, and the risk will be even greater."

Hamadi Xiao said, “Once the terminal acquisition plan is launched, our company will invest billions of dollars, and I think this risk is completely worth taking.

Moreover, the cruise trip to Los Angeles is completely confidential, only me and my bodyguard know about it.

Just relax, I'm sure it will be an easy journey compared to driving."

"You should have told me earlier."

"I swear, I really just decided yesterday."

"Yeah?

I thought you didn’t trust me and were worried that I would leak the news, so you didn’t tell me the real route.”

"How could it be? You are Negan's friend, that is, my friend. I will never deceive a friend."

Luke didn't believe his lies. Hamadi Xiao had long known that he couldn't fly and would definitely study other routes to Los Angeles. How could it be a temporary decision?

But having said that, there was indeed no basis for trust when the two met for the first time, and Luke did not give a clear answer at the time. From Hamadi Xiao's perspective, it is understandable that he had reservations.

But Luke also has his own attitude and wants to protect his own interests.

Luke sighed, "In the past two days, I have been studying the route to Los Angeles by car, but now it seems that it is no longer useful."

Hamadi Xiao said, "If everything goes well in Los Angeles, I will definitely acquire the terminal in Los Angeles. I will travel between the two places frequently in the future. It should be useful next time."

Luke continued, "Since we have decided to temporarily change the route, should our consulting contract also be changed?"

"How to change it?"

Luke said very straightforwardly, "Taking a cruise to Los Angeles means the distance becomes longer, the time becomes longer, and the risks become greater.

The consulting fee of 200,000 US dollars is far from enough. I ask for it to be increased to 400,000 US dollars.

If you feel it is inappropriate, we will terminate our cooperation now and I will keep the previous conversations confidential."

Hamadi Xiao took a long puff of his cigar, "I changed the route temporarily, and you changed the consulting fee, which is very reasonable.

However, I don’t want something like this to happen again.”

"That's what I want to say." Luke only has a cooperative relationship with him, not his subordinate, and increasing the consulting fee is also an expression of his attitude.

After the negotiation was settled, Luke began to ask about the cruise ship's route and ports.

Although the possibility of interception on the way is unlikely, we still need to take precautions. After receiving this money, we must do the corresponding things well.

Half an hour later, the car arrived at Tuckers Harbor, New York.

A white cruise ship appeared in front of Luke. It was about 156 meters long and nine stories high. The cruise ship had "Silver Cloud" printed in large blue letters on the side.

During this trip, in addition to Luke as the security consultant, Hamadi Shaw also accompanied him with four bodyguards.

At this time, passengers had already passed through the security checkpoint and boarded the cruise ship one after another.

A group of people surrounded Hamadi Xiao and lined up for security check.

There is also a loudspeaker at the security checkpoint that announces in a loop, ‘Welcome passengers to board this cruise ship.

This cruise is a US East Coast cruise, departing from New York, crossing the Panama Canal, and ending in Los Angeles.

The trip duration is eight days and seven nights.

In order to ensure the safety of all passengers, please go through security checks in sequence.

All dangerous goods and weapons are prohibited on board the cruise ship.

Thank you for your cooperation.’

Luke frowned and asked Hamadi Xiao, "Do we also have to hand over our weapons?"

Hamadi Xiao pointed to the side of the cruise ship and said, "There are security guards on the cruise ship."

Luke looked up and saw two armed security guards standing at the front and end of the cruise ship, "I don't think it's a good idea to place your own safety on other people."

Hamadi Xiao said, "The management of this cruise ship is very strict. It has been sailing on the sea for decades and has never heard of any major navigation accidents.

Moreover, even if someone who wants to kill me gets on the cruise ship, they will not be able to carry weapons, and the risk will be greatly reduced.

Not to mention that the cruise ship still has security guards to maintain order."

Luke asked, "Is there any way you can bring a pistol on a cruise ship?"

"No." Hamadi Xiao shrugged.

Soon, it was Luke and others' turn to conduct security checks.

One of them took a security wand and checked Luke's body, making a beeping sound, "Sir, do you have any weapons on you?"

Luke opened his coat and showed his gun, "Yes."

"Sorry, our company has regulations that no passengers are allowed to carry weapons on board the cruise ship."

"So, you want me to throw the pistol into the sea?"

"Customized Nighthawk 1911, this is a good gun. It would be a pity if it was thrown into the sea." The security guard saw the model of the gun at a glance, "I suggest you separate the bullets and put them in the suitcase for check-in.

When the trip is over, you can just get your suitcase back. This is the easiest way.

In addition, the weapons can also be handed over to the cruise management office for custody."

Luke didn't like either of these methods very much, "Who is your person in charge? I want to talk to him."

"If it's an issue of carrying weapons, I don't think it's necessary. It's useless to talk to anyone."

Luke showed his FBI ID, "I didn't hear what you just said clearly. Can you say it again?"

When the security guard saw the FBI ID, he was stunned for a moment and said, "Please wait a moment, I need to report to my superiors."

"Thank you." Luke turned to Hamadi Xiao and said, "You go and wait for me on the cruise ship."

"See you soon." Hamadi Xiao smiled. If Luke could carry a gun on the cruise ship, he would also have an extra layer of protection.

The security guard made contact via the intercom, and then asked Luke to wait in the office at the pier.

Soon, a white man with a big beard walked into the office and greeted Luke, "Hello, I am Rory Caton, the first mate of the Silver Cloud."

"Hello, Chief Carton, I'm FBI consultant Luke Lee." Luke showed his police officer ID.

"Sir, I heard that you want to bring weapons on board the ship?"

"Yes."

"But our company has clear regulations that no passengers are allowed to carry weapons on board the cruise ship."

Luke said, "I respect your company's rules, but what is the reason for customizing the rules?"

"To ensure the safety of cruise ship passengers."

"What should passengers do if they are in danger without carrying weapons?"

"We have security guards on board the cruise ship to ensure the safety of every passenger and promptly prevent things that infringe on the interests and safety of passengers from happening."
To be continued...