What's more, Hui Ge recently heard that a casino owner in Las Vegas has specifically requested that they be found and eliminated.
Hui understood perfectly well that the reason was that Jervis, whom they had hired, had not returned to Las Vegas. This greatly displeased the casino owner, who was preparing to participate in the year-end gambling tournament, and he had mobilized many of his men to gather information about Hui and his group.
This is also the main reason why Hui Ge decided to become a pirate. His whereabouts at sea are unpredictable and difficult to catch. If he were to settle down anywhere, he might be killed by the assassins hired by the casino boss one day.
"Fifth brother, go and deal with those Indonesian monkeys. Make sure they're cleaned up and sunk them to the bottom of the sea..."
Taking the binoculars from the third brother, Hui estimated the ships sailing on the distant sea. They should arrive in about an hour, which would be enough time to deal with the people in the cabin.
If it weren't for the fact that these crew members were needed to pilot the ship, Brother Hui would have killed them two days ago. You know, because of hijacking this ship, Brother Hui even fell into the sea once and was almost swept away by the big waves.
When the ship entered the Strait of Malacca, it was still midnight when it was spotted by Brother Hui's men. After following it for several hours, just as dawn broke, Brother Hui personally led his men to take action.
When the ship was stopped, the captain tried to speed away and sprayed water at Hui Ge, who was trying to approach the tanker in a small boat. Unfortunately for Hui Ge, he was swept into the sea by the high-pressure water jet and almost drowned.
Later, the firefighters fired a rocket at the tanker. Although no one was injured, it intimidated the people on board, allowing them to take control of the ship.
Hui-ge, who was dizzy and disoriented from being sprayed by the water jets, lost his temper after boarding the ship and shot and killed two crew members. This escalated the original hijacking incident, and they had no choice but to find another way to sell the ship.
"Bang...bang bang!"
Not long after Huo Jiang left, a burst of gunfire rang out on the deck behind the cabin. Hui Ge frowned as he heard it. These bullets cost money too. Why not just tie a rock to your body and sink into the sea?
The ship had only about thirty crew members. After a burst of gunfire, the sea breeze blowing from the aft deck carried a strong smell of blood.
"Go, wash all the blood off the deck..."
Hui turned to the man beside him and said something. Although he had officially "gone into the sea" and had taken many lives, Hui still felt that his behavior was a bit "undignified". After waiting for nearly forty minutes, a speedboat was launched from the ship that was coming from a distance and sailed towards the oil tanker, which was more than 10,000 tons.
"Datu, my old friend, you are very welcome..."
The spiral staircase was lowered onto the tanker, and Brother Hui respectfully stood by it. The person coming up was his VIP.
Even though he got into the pirate business, it was thanks to the help of this Malaysian tycoon that he was able to buy that frigate. However, money can be a powerful motivator, and people's hearts are unpredictable. Hui Ge still turned back and ordered his men to prepare for a bloody battle.
After wiping the sweat from his face with the white towel handed to him by his subordinate, Datu shook hands with Liu Minghui and said, "Ahui, I didn't expect you to have set up your business so quickly. It seems you really are a natural-born professional..."
Datu was also in his early fifties and was very fat. The fat on his cheeks was almost drooping, and you could see several layers of chin on his neck without even looking down.
Although Datu is a Malaysian native, he traveled to many countries when he was young and speaks fluent Mandarin. At this moment, he is talking to Liu Minghui in Mandarin.
In the early days of doing business at sea, there were few respectable people. As Dassault said, the initial accumulation of capital was always bloody. Dassault was a businessman on the surface, but in secret he was also a murderer and arsonist who amassed wealth and power at sea.
Although he had made enough money to go ashore and even obtained a title of governor in China, Datu still maintained close ties with pirates in Malacca and even Somalia.
The company that owned the oil tanker that Hui Ge hijacked was a competitor of Datu, and all of Hui Ge's intelligence was provided by Datu.
In this way, he could both strike at his opponents and acquire such a large fortune at a low price. Even though Datu was worth billions, he was still happy to do this.
However, this is precisely the main reason why Brother Hui guarded Datu. He had done plenty of things like "crossing the river and then dismantling the bridge" and "using the millstone and then killing the donkey" when he was a wanderer in the underworld.
"Go check the quantity of crude oil..."
After exchanging a few words with Liu Minghui, Datu sent someone to inspect the crude oil cargo on the ship. In fact, his information came from inside the other company, and he knew more about the crude oil than even the captain.
“My old friend Datu, this is all thanks to your help. This ship hasn’t moved since it arrived here. You can rest assured about what I, Ahui, do…”
Hui knew that the fat man opposite him looked like a fat pig, but he had a lot of influence in Southeast Asia. He probably sponsored several pirate organizations. As a newcomer to the pirate world, he couldn't bargain with him. Therefore, he was very respectful to Datu.
"Of course, with our decades-long friendship, what could I, Datu, possibly worry about?"
Datu laughed so hard his fat trembled. He knew Liu Minghui's background. Years ago, he had asked Liu Minghui to set a trap to drag Malaysia's largest shipping company into a financial crisis, which is why his company is now so large.
However, Datu really didn't expect that this group of swindlers from back then would actually have some talent when it came to violence, and even be more efficient and clean than some of the old pirates.
It's important to understand that the disappearance of an oil tanker weighing over 100,000 tons is a major event that would shock the world. Only Tadah could handle such a large shipment and tow the tanker to his own shipyard for repainting and renovation.
About half an hour later, the person checking the goods approached Datu and whispered in the local dialect, "Boss, all the goods are here, nothing is missing..."
"Haha, bro, let's transfer the money..."
Upon hearing his subordinate's words, Datu's face broke into a wide smile. He looked at Brother Hui and said, "Although you suffered a bit of a loss this time, you know my family is a large and powerful enterprise with many employees. Besides, the price for this batch of goods can't be too high. But a steady flow of business is the way to go, and we'll have plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future..."
"That's...that's..."
Hui nodded in agreement. Although he was very dissatisfied with the price offered by this fat pig, he dared not show it on his face. Observing people's expressions is an essential quality for a conman.
Hui-ge had a Swiss bank account and had even obtained a satellite transfer machine for convenient money transfers while holding hostages at sea. When he saw Datu transfer $80 million into his account, Hui-ge's face lit up with joy.
He had been a pirate for just over two months and already had a net worth of nearly a billion. Although he agreed with Datu's words about making a steady living, he had already made up his mind to pull off one or two more heists and then disappear from Malacca.
"Brother, wait a minute..."
After the transaction was completed, the oil tanker no longer belonged to them, and Hui and his group were about to leave the ship when Datu stopped them.
"Mr. Datu, is there anything else?"
Hui Ge was stunned for a moment, his nerves immediately tightening. He hadn't been in this line of work for very long, and his biggest fear was being double-crossed.
Datu waved his chubby, radish-like fingers to signal Liu Minghui not to be nervous, and said with a smile, "Hehe, brother, I'll give you some news. I heard that the gambling king in Macau sold his largest luxury merchant ship to a young man from your country. It's currently being refitted in preparation for setting sail. You can keep an eye on this information..."
"In Macau, the gambling tycoon sold his ship to a young man? What's his name?"
Upon hearing Datu's words, Hui Ge's pupils contracted sharply. He sensed that the young man must be Zhuang Rui, the one who had emptied his pockets.
"I can't remember his name, but I think his surname is Zhuang. Brother, I'm quite interested in that ship. If you can take it, I'll give you this price..."
Datu held up one finger. A few years ago, he had offered the gambling king a price equivalent to 2.5 billion RMB to buy the ship, but the gambling king refused. Now that he could get the casino at a lower price, how could Datu let this opportunity pass?
Upon seeing Datu's gesture, Hui Ge narrowed his eyes and asked, "One hundred million US dollars?"
"Yes, it's one hundred million US dollars..."
Datu nodded. Although the luxury ferry had been built for many years, it was worth more than four hundred million US dollars and could be used as a gambling ship.
Genting Casino in Malaysia is considered the second largest casino in the world, making a fortune every day. Datu has always wanted to get involved in the gambling industry.
However, if this guy knew that Zhuang Rui had completely altered the ship, I wonder if he would still be willing to pay this price.
Chapter 932 Maiden Voyage
"That person's surname is Zhuang, and his given name is Rui, which means wise?"
A cold glint flashed in Liu Minghui's narrowed eyes. He couldn't forget who was responsible for everything that happened today. Although he was doing quite well now, the pain of not being able to go home was something most people couldn't understand.
Rumors had already reached Brother Hui's ears that a gambling tycoon in Las Vegas had offered a huge sum of money to buy his head. So, although Brother Hui owned properties and women in China and several Southeast Asian countries, he didn't dare go back at all, and he didn't even dare to reveal his whereabouts.
In Hui Ge's mind, all of this was thanks to Zhuang Rui. If Zhuang Rui hadn't defeated Jervis, he would definitely be enjoying the sun on a Caribbean island right now, instead of spending his days fighting people at sea with a submachine gun like a fierce demon.
"Yes, that seems to be the name, bro. You know, although I can speak Chinese, I'm not very fluent. It should be this person..."
Datu was a little puzzled as to why Liu Minghui seemed to grit his teeth when he mentioned this name. He never imagined that the reason Liu Minghui had sought him out in his destitute state was because of Zhuang Rui.
“Alright, Mr. Datu, as you wish, I will hand over that luxury cruise ship to you…”
Upon hearing this, Liu Minghui laughed, a very happy laugh. He had originally thought he would never be able to avenge this arrow wound in his lifetime, but he never expected that the opportunity would come so quickly.
Moreover, after pulling off this heist, he would receive another $100 million, enough for him and his dozen or so men to live a carefree life for the rest of their lives.
Once the island I buy is equipped with weapons and a surveillance and defense system, I won't be afraid even if that gambling tycoon sends assassins.
Thinking of this, Hui Ge's smile became even brighter, as if he was already enjoying a blissful sexual life on a Caribbean island.
"Brother, I know you won't let me down. Don't worry, I'll keep you updated on the ship's movements. I wish you every success!"
When Datu saw that Liu Minghui had agreed, he smiled broadly. In his opinion, Liu Minghui and his group were ruthless and cunning. Dealing with a cruise ship that had no weapons or equipment would be a piece of cake.
It's important to understand that pirates were able to roam the seas not because of their numbers, but because of their superior weaponry.
Just like the frigate that Liu Minghui bought, the 100mm cannon on the bow alone was enough to make many merchant ships surrender obediently.
Moreover, most merchant ships are rarely equipped with heavy weapons; at most, they carry a few pistols. To confront heavily armed pirates with such weapons would undoubtedly be like throwing an egg against a rock—utterly futile.
The reason Liu Minghui shot and killed people during the hijacking of the oil tanker was twofold: first, he was thrown into the sea by a high-pressure water jet, and second, after boarding the ship, he saw someone trying to draw a gun.
Some people might find it strange that if there are guns on the tanker, why use high-pressure water jets to repel the enemy instead of using pistols?
This is actually easy to explain, because the firepower of the two sides is simply not equal. A few pistols would only provoke the pirates to go on a killing spree. Therefore, when merchant ships encounter pirates at sea, they will not take out their pistols unless they are carrying weapons such as submachine guns.
The crew of the oil tanker did not expect that even after they surrendered, they could not escape their fate of death. If they had known this outcome, they might have fought to the death from the beginning and caused some damage to Liu Minghui's pirate gang.
After saying goodbye to Datu and returning to his own frigate, Hui Ge breathed a long sigh of relief. He was always on tenterhooks when handing over stolen goods, fearing that something might go wrong.
"Third brother, send someone to Hong Kong to see if you can make contact with the crew on that ship, find out what defensive weapons they have, don't be afraid to spend the money, and if you can recruit one crew member as an inside man, that would be even better..."
Once the escort ship had sailed far away from the island, Liu Minghui gave his third brother some instructions. He explained that he had underestimated Zhuang Rui before, which led him astray and resulted in him losing all his bird eggs. This time, Brother Hui was much more cautious and was unwilling to act rashly.
"Brother, don't worry. Getting a few words out of him is just our old job."
In the old Qianmen organization, the third brother always played the role of a guinea pig. He was no good at fighting, but he was good at coming up with bad ideas and making friends with certain people.
"Don't let your guard down. That kid is also a member of the underworld. He might have some tricks up his sleeve. Remember, even if it costs you hundreds of thousands, you have to get to the bottom of this..."
Hui-ge's face was somewhat gloomy. Every time he thought of the name "Zhuang Rui," it would put him in a very bad mood. ...
"Boom... Boom boom..."
The sound of helicopter rotors filled the air on the "Xuanrui". The strong wind generated by the rotating rotors caused Zhuang Rui, who was not far away, to quickly hug his son who wanted to come closer to watch the excitement. The little guy had lost his balance and sat down on the deck.
"Brother Zhuang, this thing isn't fun to fly, military aircraft are much more exciting to fly..."
About three or four minutes later, the helicopter door opened, and Peng Fei jumped out with a showy air, enticing the little guy in Zhuang Rui's arms, saying, "Fangfang, let Uncle hold you, Uncle will take you on a plane ride..."
The little guy was clearly unable to resist the temptation, twisting his body and opening his little hands towards Peng Fei. Zhuang Rui, annoyed, lightly slapped his bottom and chuckled, "You little rascal, if this were before, you'd be traitor material..."
Zhuang Rui had his own reasons for equipping the ship with a helicopter. The sea is unpredictable and full of dangers, and even a merchant ship with a displacement of over 10,000 tons could not guarantee that nothing would happen.
With a helicopter, as long as one is not far from the coast, they can generally save themselves. Moreover, Zhuang Rui didn't even pay for the helicopter himself, so why not take it?
"Zhuang Rui, how much did this plane cost? You've got everything now – airplanes, ships, you name it!"
The commotion of the helicopter landing on the deck also alerted Huangfu Yun and the others. The people who were originally in the room all came to the deck and stood by, nodding and commenting.
"Over twelve million RMB, Brother Huangfu, it's not like you can't afford it, is it?"
Seeing his wife carrying their daughter over, Zhuang Rui quickly took her into his arms and said, "My daughter is the best! Come on, Dad will take you for a drive..."
In the past two years, Huangfu Yun's wealth has skyrocketed thanks to Zhuang Rui's support. The dividends he has received from the museum in just the past two years alone amount to nearly ten million yuan, which is why Zhuang Rui made such a joke.
"Come on, I'm not that flashy. Peng Fei, let's go for a spin in the sky..."
Huangfu Yun shook his head, but pulled Yun Man directly into the car. Peng Fei smiled and stuffed the excited little Fangfang into Yun Man's arms, then sat in the driver's seat himself.
"Damn it, you're just like your father, taking advantage of my wife..."