Ultimate Firepower

Chapter 674 Private Meeting
The Alsmith Memorial Foundation Gala Dinner was founded in 1946 to raise funds for children, but what makes this charity gala important and famous is clearly not the millions of dollars it raises each year.

The Alsmiths charity dinner is held annually, but it is also the last event for the two candidates to attend together before the US presidential election, making it a major event every four years.

This isn't an election year, so it's a bit of a shame we won't see the two candidates sarcastically exchanging barbs.

The banquet was held at the Hotel Astoria, and there's so much to say about this hotel; countless celebrities have stayed there.

The hotel is on Park Avenue in Manhattan, and time is tight, but if there's a helicopter, then there won't be any problems.

The president sent someone to pick him up, and all Gao Yi had to do was change into a suitable outfit.

Attending a banquet requires formal attire, which Gao Yi doesn't have, but that's not a problem. Whatever he needs now isn't an issue; there are many things he hasn't thought of that others will prepare for him.

“You really should have a few formal dresses ordered; obviously you’ll need to wear formal dresses a lot in the future.”

There wasn't time to order a custom-made suit, so they could only hastily buy a few suits to fit Gao Yi's figure. Although they fit him fairly well, they were clearly not commensurate with Gao Yi's current wealth.

Xin Feng couldn't help but complain a few times, while Gao Yi changed his clothes in the car and then got out to tidy them up.

After raising his arm and having Xin Feng help him tug at the back of his clothes, Gao Yi looked down at his new outfit and frowned, asking, "Where do I put my phone?"

The dress had several pockets, but they were all symbolic. The two outer main pockets were definitely not meant to hold anything, and the breast pocket was only for a pocket square, but Gao Yi didn't put a pocket square in it.

Wearing a black bow tie and a black tuxedo, Gao Yi, with his excellent physique, certainly looked much more energetic in this outfit.

But there's one problem: where do I put my phone?

Generally speaking, people who attend these kinds of charity galas don't bring their phones, and even if they do, they certainly don't carry them themselves.

"Don't put your phone in your inside pocket. It's too heavy and will ruin the lines of your dress. Besides, you'll be meeting the president first, and his guards won't allow you to bring your phone. Instead of handing it over to them, you might as well leave it with me."

That's true. It's better to hand the phone over to the Windseekers than to let those Secret Service bodyguards have it.

Gao Yi shook his head helplessly and said, "Okay, then I won't bring my phone. You can drive over and wait to pick me up."

"it is good."

You can't bring your phone, but you can still bring your wallet. Gao Yi's wallet is very light and thin. He put two bank cards and two hundred yuan in cash in it.

After thinking about it, I decided to keep my wallet on my person. I was a little uneasy because I didn't have a single penny on me.

After the clothes were almost tidied up, a helicopter roared down and landed on the lawn not far from Gao Yi and his group.

It's not the president's private jet, but a Secret Service business helicopter, a Bell 206. The helicopter isn't large, so it requires little space for takeoff and landing.

After the helicopter rotor speed decreased, a man in a suit opened the cabin door, jumped out of the helicopter, and quickly ran to Gao Yi, saying very politely, "That is Mr. Goldberg."

Gao Yi stepped forward, and the middle-aged man gestured for him to enter, saying, "I have been ordered to come and pick you up. Please."

Gao Yi made a gesture to the wind, and then quickly boarded the helicopter with the Secret Service agents.

The helicopter flew very fast and in a straight line, so in just twenty minutes, Gao Yi arrived over the busiest part of Manhattan. The hotel had its own helipad. After the helicopter landed, several heavily armed special agents could be seen standing at the entrance leading from the helipad to the hotel interior.

Normally anyone can enter this hotel, but today the president is here, so there will be stricter security measures from top to bottom.

"Is this Mr. Gobbs? The president is waiting to see you. Please come with me."

Another agent was waiting to pick up Gao Yi, also dressed in a black suit. His clothes were much more refined than the others, suggesting he was a security guard who would accompany the president around the country; even his clothes were different.

Gao Yi thought he would be taken directly to the banquet hall, but after entering the hotel from the helipad and passing through a luxurious corridor, the person who picked him up did not take him to the banquet hall downstairs. Instead, they took him to a heavily guarded private stairwell and pressed the elevator button to go up.

Gao Yi couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to the banquet?"

Gao Yi knew he shouldn't have asked, but this was clearly not the way to the banquet hall.

"Entry to the banquet begins at 6 p.m., and the banquet starts at 7 p.m.

The Astoria Hotel is known as the Presidential Hotel, so it naturally has presidential suites. Many presidents have stayed here, and it's perfectly normal for a president to stay overnight after attending a banquet here.

Furthermore, the banquet starts at 7 p.m. and entry is at 6 p.m. As the president, he would naturally be the last to enter, and there's no way he could wait in the banquet hall for an hour.

The bigger the star, the later they arrive; that's the rule.

The presidential suite is in the Waldorf Tower, so you have to go upstairs after coming from the helipad. The elevator is quick, and when you reach the top floor, the presidential suite floor, the elevator doors open, and there are several secret agents outside.

You can only see seven or eight people; there are many more you can't see.

An agent walked up to Gao Yi and gestured for him to raise his hand. Then, the two agents carefully searched Gao Yi's entire body.

Gao Yi was not exempt from the search. After a thorough body search, an agent knocked on the heavy front door. The door then opened from the inside, and Gao Yi slowly walked in.

Panetta was very helpful, setting a ladder for Gao Yi, and the president was also very accommodating, not only allowing Gao Yi to attend the dinner but also personally summoning him for a private meeting.

After passing through the not-so-large living room, Gao Yi was led into a place that resembled a study. The president sat in a large office chair and casually said to him, "Hi, how are you feeling?"

Gao Yi stood across the desk and said respectfully, "It feels very good, Mr. President."

The president waved his hand and said with a serious expression, "Panetta said that Margaret might be a threat to me. Are you sure?"

So that's what you wanted to ask. I have to answer carefully. Gao Yi said cautiously, "I can't be 100% sure, but it's unlikely to be wrong."

The president's expression suddenly changed, and he said with a deep look, "These are people close to me. They've already reached out to me. I'm very angry. I've replaced most of my bodyguards, but I still can't guarantee their safety. I don't like this. What are your thoughts on this?"

What is Gao Yi thinking? How is he supposed to answer this question? Is he supposed to say, "I'll take care of all your opponents"? That's not realistic.

So, this question is really not easy to answer.

(End of this chapter)