"No problem!" Fu Tianlai thought for a moment, then added, "The political situation in Somalia is extremely unstable. We cannot directly enter Somalia because we cannot yet determine which pirate gang kidnapped Yingying's parents. There are approximately thirty pirate gangs in Somali waters, four of which are relatively large. Somalia is one of the most impoverished countries in the world, suffering from severe disasters and economic hardship. Years of war have brought immense poverty to the people. It is estimated that there are at least 1.1 million refugees in Somalia, with an additional 20,000 refugees arriving every month in Mogadishu. The increasing number of refugees has led to a lack of livelihoods, skyrocketing food prices, and exacerbated domestic crises by excessive inflation and natural disasters such as drought. Frequent violence within the country has rendered humanitarian efforts by UN and other organizations impossible, preventing the delivery of essential supplies such as food to Somalia. Even if supplies are delivered, they cannot be properly distributed and are often robbed. Recently, the security situation in Somalia has further deteriorated, with frequent attacks targeting UN staff and aid workers. Most international aid agencies have already withdrawn from Somalia."
The refugees, lacking clothing and food, endured days of hardship, suffering from hunger and cold, which fueled violence. Therefore, piracy was merely one form of violence at sea. These actions garnered support from refugees and local residents, giving piracy a broad popular base. This popular support emboldened piracy, making it more frequent and brutal, and many civilians and refugees joined pirate organizations!
Zhou Xuan frowned upon hearing this. Organizations supported by the people are actually the most difficult to deal with because they cannot be isolated.
Fu Tianlai clapped his hands, and the bodyguard quickly entered the living room, his eyes fixed on Zhou Xuan as he came in. Fu Tianlai probably ordered him to expel the boy.
The bodyguard certainly knew Fu Ying. In their eyes, the only man worthy of Fu Ying was an extraordinary one, while Zhou Xuan was far from being extraordinary.
But Fu Tianlai didn't tell him to send Zhou Xuan away. Instead, he told him to immediately call over Wang Wei, the company's secretary.
Wang Sun's name immediately reminded Zhou Xuan of when he first met Fu Ying. When Zhou Xuan first met Fu Ying, Wang Meng was her assistant. He met Wang Meng when he first met Fu Ying at Chongkou Seaside Park.
Wang Sun arrived at the Fu family's residence within twenty minutes. Her job was to serve the Fu family members, so she knew the way well after receiving Fu Tianlai's call and arrived in the shortest possible time.
In the living room, Wang Meng met Zhou Xuan. Somewhat surprised, he quickly asked Fu Tianlai, "President, what are your instructions?"
"You," Fu Tianlai pondered for a moment, then pointed at Zhou Xuan and said, "You listen to Zhou Xuan's instructions. Whatever he asks for, you do it. Prepare it as quickly as possible. If there are any difficulties, tell me."
Although Wang Se found it strange, her habitually obedient nature prevented her from asking why. Instead, she directly said to Zhou Xuan, "Mr. Zhou, please give your orders!"
Zhou Xuan didn't stand on ceremony and immediately said, "Miss Wang, time is of the essence, so I won't say much more. I need a translator who speaks both English and Chinese, as well as two plane tickets to the nearest neighboring country of Somalia. You can arrange the travel arrangements; I'll only be responsible for getting there. I also need someone who is very knowledgeable about the terrain of the Somali waters, essentially a tour guide!"
After listening, Wang Sun nodded. Of course she knew about the situation in Somalia. Going there was practically risking her life. But none of that mattered in the United States. As long as you could pay a tempting enough reward, someone would be willing to risk their life!
In this day and age, time is more precious than money. Every minute that she stays there increases the danger for Fu Ying and her parents.
After Wang Sun went out on his business, Fu Tianlai wanted to talk to Zhou Xuan, but Zhou Xuan stood up and said, "Grandpa Fu, I'd like to rest for a bit. Could you arrange a room for me?"
"Of course!" Fu Tianlai immediately called the woman in and led Zhou Xuan to a guest room on the second floor to rest.
Zhou An didn't want to chatter on and on with Fu Tianlai right now. His ice energy wasn't at its best yet, so he needed to use all his free time to practice and get it back to its best as soon as possible. He could easily guess that he might encounter the most dangerous thing in his life once he got to Somalia!
Perhaps even more dangerous than the two sinkholes and caves, Zhou Xuan had no idea what the future held. The only way to increase his safety was to master the ice energy. By now, Zhou Xuan had long regarded the ice energy in his left hand as his most reliable and trustworthy life-saving treasure, and the ice energy was indeed an inseparable part of his body!
If Fu Ying cannot be saved, then let us return to that sea together. Without Yingying, Zhou Xuan has no reason to live, and he has clearly felt this feeling in the past few days.
In the room, Zhou Xuan sat directly on the bed and began practicing his ice-qi technique.
In the living room, Fu Tianlai dismissed the bodyguards and watched alone. What Zhou Xuan had just done still shocked him greatly. Where did the coffee table, the cane, go?
Fu Tianlai has always been the kind of person who makes decisions on his own, otherwise he would not have been able to create such a huge business empire. And his judgment is indeed accurate, including his judgment of people. But now he knows that he misjudged Zhou Xuan, and he was extremely wrong about him!
Wang Sun weighed less than four jin. Within an hour, she reported to Fu Tianlai that there were already four applicants, and Fu Tianlai immediately told her to bring them home.
Then Fu Tianlai asked the maid to get Zhou Xuan up and wait in the living room.
After practicing for several hours, Zhou Xuan's ice energy had been greatly restored. Along with the restoration, his mental state and expression improved significantly, showing no signs of fatigue. The group Wang Sun had invited consisted of four people: three men and one woman. The woman was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, quite beautiful, but her expression was melancholy. Zhou Xuan glanced at her several times, not because she was particularly pretty, but because she had an appearance similar to his own—an Eastern person.
The other three were men in their thirties, but they were all foreigners.
Wang Se explained, "Mr. Zhou, so far, I've received over forty applications for my online job postings. I've selected four of the most suitable candidates, and that includes Ms. Gao Yuzhen. She's Korean, but she studied in Shanghai, China for four years and speaks excellent Chinese. The main reason I chose her is because her father was a crew member on our Far East cargo ship. After the ship was seized by pirates, Ms. Gao was also working tirelessly to help her father."
No wonder Zhou Xuan noticed the deep sorrow on Gao Yuzhen's face. For a young girl to do this for her father's safety was admirable; at least her goals were similar to his—both were striving for their loved ones. It was for this reason that Zhou Xuan decided to help Gao Yuzhen.
“The other three are either veterans of the U.S. Navy or have carried out multiple missions in the waters off Somalia and are quite familiar with the terrain there, or the last one is a businessman who has been to Somalia, failed in his business, and urgently needs funds,” Wang Meng explained about the other three.
The two veterans, one black and one white, were both rugged and tough. The black man was named Brooklyn and the white man was named Thomas.
Zhou Xuan immediately contacted Brooklyn and Thomas, abandoning the businessman. Zhou Xuan's icy energy detected that the businessman was physically weak and unlikely to withstand the long journey. Their trip was an adventure, not a vacation. Brooklyn's name was rather amusing, sharing the same name as the Brooklyn district in New York. However, Zhou Xuan didn't understand; many people use place names as their names, and it wasn't unusual in America.
Zhou Xuan was satisfied with these two people because they were both from the navy, experienced, and not intimidated. Moreover, they had carried out missions in the waters off Somalia and were familiar with the terrain there, which was exactly what Zhou Xuan needed.
Gao Yuzhen was quite nervous because she didn't know if Zhou Xuan would keep her. She had no other choice. Although the Fu Group had made public efforts to rescue her father, everyone knew that it was a very slim chance.
So she needs a large sum of cash. In fact, she still doesn't know what mission Wang Se is up to, but what she cares about is the extremely generous reward Wang Meng offered: 300,000 US dollars. Maybe with this money, she can save her father's life!
Zhou Xuan, of course, didn't care how high the reward the Fu family could offer these people. He didn't care about the money; he just wanted the people. He nodded and whispered to Wang Se, "Miss Wang, please keep Sister Gao, Brooklyn, and Thomas!"
Wang Se nodded, then immediately said a few words to the businessman and politely invited him out of the Fu family home.
Gao Yuzhen understood Chinese, and when she heard Zhou Xuan ask her to stay, she was excited, but also more hesitant. A reward of three hundred thousand US dollars—what kind of job was this? High returns also come with high risks, a truth everyone knew. And for her, three hundred thousand US dollars was probably an astronomical sum that would take her ten years to earn!
After Wang Meng led the businessman out, Zhou Xuan, Fu Tianlai, Brooklyn, Thomas, and Gao Yuzhen were the only five people left in the living room.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Xuan looked at the group of people and said earnestly, "Miss Gao, would it be convenient for you to perform the 'turning over' for me?"
Gao Yuzhen immediately exclaimed with delight, "Of course!" and her Mandarin was also very standard.
Shuai Xuan nodded and said, "Miss Gao, your Mandarin is very good, even more standard than mine!"
Gao Yuzhen smiled shyly and then said, "I studied in Shanghai for four years, majoring in Chinese."
Zhou Xuan nodded again, then his expression turned serious. He said, "Miss Gao, I'll now explain the specific reasons for inviting you here. I believe Miss Wang also specified some of the conditions, right?"
“Yes, I know,” Gao Yuzhen replied. “Miss Wang said that the job I’ll be doing is translation, and I need to be fluent in both Chinese and English. I’m guessing it won’t be working in New York?”
"Of course not!" Zhou Xuan said calmly. "Miss Wang told me that Sister Gao Shan's father was a crew member on Fu's ocean freighter and was kidnapped by pirates?"
Gao Yuzhen's face darkened instantly, her eyes reddened, and she choked back a sob before saying, "Mr. Zhou, let me be frank with you. I applied for this job because of the high reward of 300,000 yuan. I desperately need that money; I hope to earn it to redeem my father!"
Zhou Xuan stared at Gao Yuzhen, sighed, and then said, "Miss Gao, let me be frank with you. I invited you here to resolve this matter in Somalia. Just in case, I need a translator and a guide familiar with the terrain of the Somali waters. Think about it, and also give Brooklyn and Thomas a translator's test to see if they are willing!"
Gao Yuzhen froze, her mouth agape. It took her a long time to recover before she asked, "Mr. Zhou, you...you really are going to Somalia? But how can you rescue my father and the others?"
“You don’t need to worry about how to rescue the hostages. Your responsibility is only to handle the rescue work. Of course, given the special circumstances of this case, there is a great risk to lives, so please think it over carefully. If you cannot agree, I will ask Miss Wang Meng to find someone else!” As Zhou Xuan said this, Wang Meng returned and sat down beside him.
Gao Yuzhen hesitated for a moment, then said resolutely, "I'll go, but I want to confirm something. The reward—" she hesitated again before asking, "Is the reward really three hundred thousand US dollars?"