However, judging from his confident expression, he did seem to have some certainty.
“Show me the value you’ve described.” I said bluntly, “Mr. Albertoni, I’m a hospitable person… but my time is also valuable.”
Damn, if it weren't for the fact that he was a guest visiting and had a good attitude, I would have kicked him out long ago... what a waste of my time! Qiaoqiao has become obsessed with shooting these past few days and has gone to the back to ask Xiluo to help her practice her marksmanship. Yandi is the only one in the room... I was hoping to get rid of this Italian guy while Qiaoqiao was away so I could spend some time alone with Yandi...
Seeing my impatience, Albertoni dared not keep me in suspense any longer.
“Mr. Chen Yang, I think you’ll be very interested in the conditions I’ve proposed.” He spoke confidently, then said in a deep voice, “As you know, I used to be involved in some smuggling business… I even owned a smuggling boat… but recently, the pressure at sea has been immense. The coast guard has been chasing us like madmen… so I had no choice but to sell the boat… and you know what? Under these circumstances, people quickly came to me wanting to buy my boat… and I think you’ll definitely be interested in them…”
"oh?"
“Of course!” Albertoni chuckled, lowering his voice. “They were two Vietnamese men…”
My eyes lit up, I sat up straight, and a smile appeared on my face.
“Oh, this is indeed very interesting,” I laughed, seemingly forgetting all my previous impatience in an instant, and pointed to the teacup in front of him: “Please have some tea, dear Mr. Albertoni… This is top-quality tea from China!”
"Thank you." The man coughed slyly before continuing, "I found it strange at first... You know, the Coast Guard is on a rampage these days, tracking people everywhere, so business is really tough. I was prepared to lose money when I sold the boat. But these Vietnamese didn't even consider the price. They accepted the price I offered without a second thought... I think even if I had doubled the price, they probably would have accepted it too."
"Then what?"
“Then…” Albertoni chuckled, “I didn’t handle the deal myself, but I had my brother test them when he spoke with them… What struck me as odd was that these guys who bought the ship knew absolutely nothing about smuggling; they were complete laymen. What even struck me as odd was… they didn’t even have basic nautical knowledge… So I can at least be certain of one thing: they bought my ship not for smuggling… and certainly not for fishing.”
I lit a cigarette: "Go on."
“Sailing is no simple game…it requires at least some experienced sailors and crew! Otherwise, even if you have a good ship, you won’t be able to sail it,” Albertoni laughed. “So, I quickly discovered that someone was recruiting sailors through underground channels. And unfortunately, I found out that the person who sent this message was none other than the Vietnamese buyers who bought my ship.” He paused deliberately, then laughed, “I think this is a great opportunity! Those damned Vietnamese have caused me a lot of trouble…and I think many people are looking for these Vietnamese now, aren’t they? They’ve found a ship, and their purpose is clear…they want to leave Canada! And I think their approach is clever…because if they found other smuggling ships and wanted to board them, they would inevitably be discovered. If someone had informants among the captains in the smuggling trade, they wouldn’t be able to escape…and at that time, I think not many people would be paying attention to the sale of used ships…To be honest, I was lucky to run into them…if it weren’t for me…I think these Vietnamese would have already bought a ship and run away without anyone noticing.”
indeed!
He's right!
Even though I suspected the Vietnamese would flee by sea, I only asked Captain Wick to keep an eye on the smuggling and illegal immigration boats coming and going at sea, and to watch out for any suspicious people boarding the boats to leave!
However, I also overlooked the "used ship trading" market!
I have to say, this Albertoni is really lucky!
“You know… I sensed this was an opportunity… I thought many people were looking for these Vietnamese… so…” He smiled, “While they were searching for sailors, I immediately sent two of my men down. They were both experienced seamen, so they were quickly recruited… But after they boarded the ship, they never contacted me again. This once again proved my suspicions!”
At first, I suspected my two men had probably been killed by them… but I noticed that the Vietnamese hadn't sent out any more recruitment notices for sailors… so I deduced that my two men were still working on the ship, but the Vietnamese had clearly restricted their contact with the outside world.”
I sighed and frowned, "So... even you don't know where the Vietnamese are now?"
“No, no, no, no…” Albertoni shook his head like a rattle: “Of course I know! My dear Mr. Chen Yang… To be honest, if I didn’t know, how would I dare to come to you? I would probably have been kicked out by you long ago.”
He winked and smiled: "You've never been to sea... You probably don't know what it's like for a ship to sail on the vast ocean... Oh, this isn't the 18th century anymore, where you could set sail with just a compass and a few nautical charts... Now we have much more advanced technology! My ship... has a positioning system, which I paid a lot of money for to ensure safety at sea!"
He smiled and slowly uttered a few letters: "GPS".
Then, the cunning Italian looked at me and said, "I suppose you're interested in the news I've brought, aren't you... So... if I may ask, have I already won your friendship?"
“Of course!” I said without hesitation, extending my hand to him and smiling. “Mr. Albertoni, from now on, you are my friend!”
Oh, Da Ruan... It seems even the heavens are on my side!
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Sixty-One: Thunder Fox
"Listen up, I don't care what methods you use... I don't care about anyone else, I only want one person... that's Da Ruan!"
Looking at the row of men in diving suits in front of me, I whispered my instructions.
Standing at the front was Scorpion, the skinny guy who was the most ruthless. He was said to be the best hand-to-hand fighter among the paratroopers who came this time, besides Stone. Moreover, he was also an excellent swimmer.
I asked Wick for help, and he brought over two ships. Wick dispatched seven or eight of his most capable men, who were also his best sailors and crew. He assured them that their loyalty was beyond question.
With the information provided by Abbottoni, and the GPS tracking system left on the ship he sold to the Vietnamese, I found the ship's location without much effort.
Da Ruan is undoubtedly a smart man; at least the fact that he thought of buying a boat to leave Canada surprised me. If it weren't for the coincidence that God helped me, he would have just happened to buy Albertoni's boat, and Albertoni was just trying to use it as leverage to get something out of me...
If it weren't for these coincidences, Da Ruan might have really escaped right under my nose!
"This is a shallow bay, a fairly secluded location." The person Wick sent to help me was an old acquaintance. It was that burly white guy I'd beaten up badly before; though he was a bit simple-minded, he was still quite skilled at sea. He quickly analyzed a possible route:
"I have a suggestion... We don't need to make overly complicated plans... This operation is different from previous double-crosses... If it were a double-cross, we'd have to consider whether the enemy ship had the cargo we wanted. Now, we don't need to worry about that... Our men can bring more bombs and dive in from the outside. Then we'll blow their ship up underwater!" This guy looked like a muscular man, but when talking about these maritime attacks, he was full of energy, even licking his lips. With a somewhat sinister smile, he said, "Their ship isn't very big, maybe two rafts at most. In a rush, as long as we sink their ship and force these Vietnamese to jump into the sea... Hmph, in the sea, they won't be able to be arrogant! The location is relatively remote, even if the noise of blowing up the ship alerts the surrounding area... Even if something unexpected happens, it will take at least thirty minutes for the coast guard to arrive! Thirty minutes. That's enough time for us to finish the battle."
I readily agreed to this plan. Moreover, this incident stirred a little something in my mind…
Hmm. One of Wick's men is so experienced with these kinds of attacks at sea... It seems Wick used to be quite the double-crosser pirate when he was in the smuggling and human trafficking business! That kid isn't a good person either...
At that moment, I dispatched ten paratroopers, led by Scorpion. All ten were excellent swimmers. Stone didn't participate; he's not a good swimmer. Also, there was Wick's subordinate, with two others.
There were thirteen people in total. Thirteen sets of diving equipment, and I even got them a few underwater fish arrows as weapons.
These thirteen divers will board our boat and, under the cover of night, approach the location where Da Nguyen's ship is hiding. Then, the thirteen divers will dive close, carrying bombs, and sink the Vietnamese ship! Forcing the people on board to jump into the sea!
Then... in the sea, thirteen highly skilled divers, fully armed and well-rested, were sure to handle the Vietnamese men on the boat, whose swimming skills were mediocre at best.
I'm injured and haven't fully healed yet. At this point, let alone diving, it would be difficult for me to even fight someone on land. So I won't be participating in this operation.
However, to give Xiro some experience, I still let him go along. We borrowed two boats from Wick; Xiro commanded one, and Stone commanded the other.
My goal is simple: I want Da Ruan! I want to see him alive or dead!
It's worth mentioning that...
The most important feature of this operation is that, for the first time, in addition to my own trusted men and the paratroopers who came this time, I also joined several people from the auto repair shop.
There are six people participating this time, and the list is one I carefully selected... Three of them will go with Stone, and I'll have Xiluo take the other three with him... At the same time, I naturally gave Xiluo some special instructions!
Afterwards, I returned from Lighthouse Island, and now only Hammer is with me. Of course, I don't have a driver, so Hansen will have to make do.
Hansen acted as my driver, and with Hammer, the three of us were in one car. There was also another car from the repair shop, leading the way with four of the guys…
My destination is...the airport.
At 9:15 p.m., I stood at the customs exit of Vancouver airport and casually glanced at the time.
Just now, the announcement came over the loudspeaker that flight XXXX from Hong Kong has landed!
I stood there, with Hammer behind me, standing half a step behind. Hammer had a blank expression, but his eyes were constantly scanning left and right. Hansen acted as my temporary bodyguard. He had reverted to his original attire, wearing a black suit and sunglasses. Given his Black appearance and incredibly strong physique, he looked exactly like a SWAT officer in black.
His four brothers stood behind us in a fan shape.
Ten minutes later, I saw the customs exit and finally the person I was waiting for appeared!
In the distance, two people, one fat and one thin, walked out. The fat man in front was of medium build, and his whole body seemed round. He was wearing a suit, large sunglasses, and carrying an old-fashioned leather suitcase. He looked somewhat comical.
But when I saw him walk out, a hint of excitement was already showing on his face.
Finally, the guy saw me too. He put down his suitcase, took off his sunglasses, revealing his chubby face full of fat. He blinked his small eyes a few times and finally smiled.
We both stepped forward at the same time, quickened our pace, and walked together. We looked at each other, then burst into laughter and gave each other a tight hug.
Fatty Fang's arms were still as strong as ever, and his laughter was still as hearty as ever. We hugged each other tightly, then he let go, glanced at me, and punched me in the chest, laughing loudly, "Good lad! Good lad! It hasn't been that long... and you're now a regional warlord."
He punched me in the chest, making me wince in pain, and then I said with a wry smile, "Brother, please go easy on me. My body can't take your iron fist right now."
Fatty Fang frowned, immediately showing concern: "Are you injured?"
I sighed and whispered, "Thank goodness, I won't die. This injury, though serious, is much better than before."
Fatty Fang chuckled and said, "Yeah, I knew you were tough as nails."
After the jokes were over, he lowered his voice and whispered, "You've really gone all out this time! You've shaken up our area... Well, the other guy who came with me is no pushover, so I won't say much. Just be careful."
After he finished speaking, he stepped aside.
Then, I recognized the skinny guy standing behind him; he was the Vietnamese man who always followed Fatty Fang. This guy had once saved my life. Before I smuggled myself across the sea, if it weren't for the bottle of glucose water he gave me, I would have died at sea long ago.
I smiled at him. He, however, stood quietly behind the fat man with a serious expression.
At this moment, two more people walked out of the customs building.
These two were naturally Chinese. The one in front was an elderly man, around fifty years old, dressed in a traditional Chinese suit, with his hands behind his back. His aged face had a scar near his eye, and his facial features suggested a serious demeanor, with a hint of arrogance in his expression. The young man beside him, around thirty years old, was clearly a bodyguard or something similar. Judging from his steady gait, he seemed quite skilled.
The old man walked up to me. His expression wasn't exactly hostile, but it certainly wasn't friendly either. He glanced at me indifferently and didn't say anything.
Fatty Fang sighed: "Xiao Wu, this is Uncle Lei. He's a senior, and back in the day, the name 'Lei Hu' was quite famous!"
I smiled, smiled back at the old man, and respectfully called him "Uncle Lei".
The old man, nicknamed Thunder Fox, looked me up and down, said nothing, just grunted, and then immediately turned his gaze to the fat man, saying slowly, "Xiao Fang, it's not convenient to talk here. Let's go back and talk slowly."
Who is Fatty Fang? He was called "Little Fang" but showed no reaction on his face. Instead, he immediately replied, "Okay."
I was already prepared. The people from the Asian Big Circle Gang who came here might not have good intentions towards me. Sure enough, they didn't give me a friendly look as soon as we met. I didn't care about that. After all, they were seniors. Even someone like Fatty Fang was just "Little Fang" in their eyes. As for me... I'm not good enough for them, so it doesn't matter.
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter Sixty-Two: Clash
I politely invited Lei Hu and Fatty Fang into my car. I was well-prepared; my car was a minivan, and there was enough room for Lei Hu, his bodyguard, and Fatty Fang to all ride together.
Along the way, Fatty Fang and I chatted casually about catching up, while Lei Hu remained silent, his eyes fixed on the scenery outside the car window. I noticed that before getting in the car, he gave Hansen a deep look, seemingly with a slight surprise.
After all, the Big Circle is a Chinese organization. And the fact that I hired a Black man as our personal driver must have surprised him.
Perhaps the atmosphere had been a bit too somber on the way, so Fatty Fang wanted to ease the awkwardness between me and Lei Hu, so he deliberately smiled and said, "Uncle Lei, how many times have you been to Canada?"
Lei Hu pondered for a moment, then actually smiled, but there was a hint of desolation in his smile. He said softly, "Heh... I can't remember anymore... And Vancouver now... well, things have changed... things have changed so much..."
When I heard these words, I sneered inwardly but remained silent.
Things have changed... Hmph, no need to ask, the phrase "people have changed" is directed at me.
The car arrived at the repair shop, which was open today, and we drove both cars into the shop.
Then, Lei Hu suggested that they first go to the mourning hall to pay their respects to Eighth Master and the others, a request I naturally couldn't refuse. I had already made preparations; almost everyone in the repair shop, except for the guards at the gate, had gathered in the mourning hall.
In the mourning hall, Lei Hu first took three incense sticks from my hand, lit them, and bowed to the memorial tablet of Eighth Master...
On the platform, the memorial tablets of Eighth Master, Old Huang, and all the brothers who had recently died were arranged in a fan shape, with Eighth Master's tablet naturally placed in the most prominent position at the very front and center.
After Lei Hu finished his prayers, he suddenly coughed and then said loudly, "Fang Ba, Fang Ba! Your old brothers have come to see you! In heaven, watch closely, and your brothers will surely give you justice and avenge you!"
After he finished speaking, he bowed again and placed the incense sticks into the incense burner with both hands.
I stood to the side, my face expressionless, but the muscles at the corners of my eyes twitched slightly...
Hey... this guy doesn't seem friendly.
Forget about spirits in heaven. Open your eyes and see! See justice! Seek revenge!