America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 269 Seagoing Ships

Zhang Ailun: I like it very much.

My female assistant sent me several more bonus photos.

After exchanging a few frivolous remarks with the other party, Zhang Ailun made an excuse to end the conversation, put away his phone, drove back to Los Angeles, and went to Sanji Bar to inspect the work.

The store is doing good business as always, but it seems that only Geese is working today. Mary didn't come. Is she absent again?

The leader immediately thought that after she started working, he would call her into his office and give her a good beating.

Zhang Ailun strolled around the bar for a while before returning to his office to check the income.

While Mary was out of her post, Giss pushed open the office door, carrying two glasses of drinks. He closed and locked the door, and greeted her with a smile, "Boss, would you like some soda, brandy, or... me?"

Simply pull the neckline down.

It bounced out like a ball with a thud.

Seeing her bold style of dress, Zhang Ailun took a deep breath and waved to her.

Giss chuckled, strode over, and sat down on the table.

Time quickly passed to afternoon, and Old George sent a message to the Grand Master.

Zhang Ailun took out his phone and glanced at it during a break.

Old George: Do you remember Coulson?

Zhang Ailun: That bald, perverted guy? What happened to him?

Old George: He's got his eye on a wealthy man from Central Africa and has made connections with casinos in Las Vegas, planning to set him up. But he's missing a few people to cooperate with him. He knows you're rich, so he's thinking of inviting you to act as a figurehead, to gamble with the Central African tycoon on a ship and win all his money.

Zhang Ailun: I may be rich, but I'm not stupid, nor am I a gambling god. How am I supposed to beat him?

Old George: The casino staff will cooperate with you. With high technology, how can you not win? Coulson said that all the money you win in the process is your reward. If you buy up all of the other party's assets at rock-bottom prices, you can sell them later and get another bonus! At least ten million US dollars in bonuses.

Zhang Ailun: Ten million? How much are their assets?

Old George: That group of Central African tycoons is very rich. Their assets and collections in Las Vegas are worth at least $100 million! One of their antique pieces, a Gheno lioness from the ancient West Asian country of Elam, is worth at least $60 million! Coulson knew he didn't have the ability to take a slice of this pie, so he needed to cooperate with others. He found someone from the casino to set up the scheme, splitting the profits 50/50. Apart from the Central African tycoons, everyone in the private room was one of his own.

It sounds great, but the reality is harsh.

Apart from Coulson, the people in the VIP box were basically his own people, just so you could take over their burdens.

Zhang Ailun: What if I lose money?

Old George: Coulson said there's no such problem. Of course, Coulson would say anything to get me to ask you for help, but I always felt something was off, so I didn't get involved. I also advise you to just put in a few hundred thousand and participate; you'll make a small profit if you win, and it won't hurt if you lose. It seems he even found someone to team up with you and help you cheat.

Zhang Ailun: Okay, I agree. What time should I go? Do you need me to bring bodyguards?

Old George: Coulson will pick you up in his private jet, and he'll let you know in advance when he arrives in Los Angeles. How could a billionaire not have bodyguards?

Zhang Ailun: OK.

After agreeing on a time, Zhang Ailun put away his phone and fell into deep thought.

Giss crawled out from under the table, clutching his cheek, and looked at him expectantly. "Boss, is something on your mind?"

"How did you know? I was indeed considering the issue," Zhang Ailun said without changing his expression.

"You've shown it all!" Giss said resentfully.

"Perhaps you should be working diligently during working hours instead of coming to your boss to ask for extra hundreds of millions in compensation," Zhang Ailun said irritably. He was furious when he heard her dare to slander the Grand Master's lack of strength.

They dragged the person out and slammed them onto the table.

"I'll show you what I'm like when I get serious!!"

"Oh! Shit..."

Half an hour later, Giss's phone rang, and he answered it weakly.

"Hey, honey. What? Of course I'm at work. What did you think I was doing? Fxxk, I haven't done customer service for ages. Oh, I'm just a little out of breath from mopping the floor... No, you don't need to come see me. I'm not sick! Okay, I'll go see a doctor. Maybe he'll give me a shot and I'll be fine."

Gis hung up the phone dismissively, gripping the wobbly corner of the table tightly.

She turned around and said defiantly, "Doctor, could you please hurry? My boyfriend is coming to see me."

Zhang Ailun raised an eyebrow. "As you wish."

Gis gasped, feeling like a lone boat on a raging storm, being battered by the crashing waves.

He rolled his eyes to the heavens.

"I don't think I've ever met your boyfriend before." Afterwards, Zhang Ailun stroked Geese's head.

Gis said hesitantly, "He's no different from Mary's boyfriend."

"Alright, honey, it's time to leave work. Please allow me to take half a day off. Your performance today was truly impressive, and more importantly, that annoying Mary wasn't here. I really hope it's just the two of us here from now on." Geese waved his hand contentedly and turned to leave the office.

Zhang Ailun agreed to her leave and got up to open the curtains to let in some fresh air.

Not long after, the sound of brakes was heard outside the bar. A silver-gray Jetta stopped in front of the door, and a young man was sitting in the driver's seat.

Giss changed his clothes, got into the car, and they talked about something, but the other stepped on the gas and they quickly drove away from the street.

Zhang Ailun watched them leave, then continued checking the bar's accounts. After resting for a while, Mary also came to work. Hearing that the head of the organization was in his office, she simply pushed open the door and came in.

Mary immediately sensed something was amiss as she entered the room. She gave the head of the organization a meaningful look and asked, "Boss, where's Giss?"

"She's on leave, what are you going to do? You'd better not get any funny ideas." Zhang Ailun saw Mary approaching and immediately refused. The Grand Master really has no money left.

"I knew that guy always liked to steal food," Mary complained, but still respected the leader's wishes. "Boss, I'll come back for my share when you've fully recovered!"

"..."

What do you take the Grand Master for?

Finally, as evening approached, the bar was about to switch to nighttime operation mode. The waitresses had changed into new, revealing outfits, and Coulson had called the head of the bar.

Zhang Ailun answered the phone, and the other party immediately said enthusiastically, "Hello, Mr. Jin, I believe old George has already told you, right? I'm at the Los Angeles airfield now. Where are you? I can send someone to pick you up."

"I can go by myself." Zhang Ailun chatted with the other party for a few more minutes to confirm the location, then hung up and sent a message to Sig. He asked Sig to send two Beggar Clan disciples with their equipment, while he went out and got into his Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

After waiting for a while, we saw Sieg arrive with his men.

"Boss." Sig waved.

"Go to the Michelin parking lot in the south." Zhang Ailun shared the location and navigation information with Sieg, got out of the car, changed seats, and sat in the passenger seat.

"What are we going there for?" Sig asked, fastening his seatbelt as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Someone invited me to gamble with some people at a cruise ship casino in Las Vegas, offering me a share of ten million US dollars," Zhang Ailun said. "I've never been to Las Vegas before, so this is a good opportunity to take you guys on a cruise ship to broaden your horizons."

"Such a good thing? There must be a trap here!!" Sig immediately disbelieved upon hearing this.

The other two Beggars' Sect disciples nodded in agreement. "Boss, making money isn't that easy. Casinos are places that devour people without a second thought."

"Of course I know. Don't talk nonsense. Just follow my lead," Zhang Ailun instructed.

"Okay." Sig nodded in agreement and drove to the airport in southern Los Angeles.

After passing through more than a dozen traffic lights and taking some time, they arrived at the airport. After parking in the parking area, Zhang Ailun got out and led the group through security before entering the parking area. They saw a six-seat private jet parked there, even longer, wider, and larger than his own Cirrus Flying Shark.

Upon seeing the arrival of the Grand Master, the bald, middle-aged man, Coulson, waved warmly and greeted him, "Mr. Kim, you've arrived."

"Your plane is pretty good," Zhang Ailun praised.

"This isn't mine; it's a loan from an old friend of mine, the casino manager," Coulson said with a smile. "With Mr. Kim's wealth, this kind of plane isn't something he can just buy casually; it's nothing to him. I've also prepared a surprise for you this time."

"What surprise?" Zhang Ailun asked in confusion. "Besides being shocked, what else is there to be happy about?"

Coulson clapped his hands and waved to the private jet. "Come on down and say hello to Mr. Kim."

Under Zhang Ailun's gaze, two blonde beauties dressed in red dresses, black stockings, and high heels walked down and waved enthusiastically.

Sig and the Beggars' Sect disciples stared wide-eyed.

The Grand Master looked at Coulson speechlessly. "This is the gift you prepared?"

"This is Natasha, Betsana. They are Hollywood actresses who have appeared in many excellent films. They are also our assistants whom we have hired this time. She will help you win money," Coulson introduced.

"Hello, Mr. Kim." Natasha and Betana rushed up to her enthusiastically, almost getting hit by the Grand Master's ball.

Zhang Ailun took a deep breath. He politely declined their enthusiasm and followed Coulson onto the private jet, where Sieg and the Beggar Clan disciples also boarded.

"Do you know what movies they've acted in?" the leader asked Sieg, his knowledge of Hollywood actresses limited, knowing only a handful of film stars.

"Desire Lover, Blood-Red Flower, Pain and Pleasure..." Sieg recited them off as if they were his own treasures.

"Judging from the title, it's not exactly a serious film." Zhang Ailun's expression was strange.

"Of course, these are all movies that men like, R-rated films that kids can't understand. Basically, every one that's made is taken down. There are very few of these films, which means the actresses who star in them aren't very famous," Sieg replied. "You can think of them as porn stars."

"Okay." Zhang Ailun nodded. He then turned to Coulson and asked, "You called me here just so I could chat and play cards with those wealthy Central Africans?"

Coulson said with a smile, "I invited you here mainly to show my support. The casino has also arranged a few clients, and the only acquaintance I can think of is you, Mr. Kim! As long as we can get the Central African tycoon to lose all his money at the casino, we can buy up his assets at rock-bottom prices and make at least tens of millions of dollars."

"Are you sure the manager of the cruise ship casino is reliable? Are those Central African tycoons really that rich?" Zhang Ailun asked again.

"We've known each other for over a decade," Coulson assured him confidently. "Those wealthy Central Africans have pawned items with me—expensive watches and jewelry worth hundreds of thousands of dollars! Absolutely no problem!"

"I believe you." Zhang Ailun nodded, hoping you wouldn't burst into tears when the time came.

Cry? Crying also costs money.

Anyway, the leader can make money.

The pilot flew the plane to Las Vegas. The journey, which took only a few tens of minutes, passed in the blink of an eye. Along the way, Coulson continued to ramble on about his plans and future development, describing the life of a billionaire with a hint of excitement. Zhang Ailun, however, was not very interested, as he was already a billionaire.

The plane landed smoothly at the port airport in Las Vegas.

After getting off the plane, I saw several staff members and casino managers in charge of welcoming me.

Coulson walked over and greeted them, introducing them as, "This is my VIP client, Mr. Kim. He's a well-known tycoon in Los Angeles."

The manager warmly shook hands with the chief helmsman and said to Coulson, "The ship will be heading out to sea in half an hour. We can go aboard and rest for a bit. Our guests from Central Africa will arrive in a few minutes. We have plenty of time to plan this."

Coulson readily agreed.

Zhang Ailun, accompanied by his bodyguard Sig, arrived at the port and saw a huge ship with flashing neon lights, resembling a skyscraper.

Stepping onto the cruise ship on a red carpet, I found the decor to be extremely luxurious, with everything one could need. Rather than a ship, it was more like a floating park and hotel.

At this time of day, there are already quite a few passengers on the ship. They are not all gamblers; there are also foreigners who are here for tourism and experience. The ship's film and television area, living area, shopping area, and mortgage area are dazzling to behold.

Floors -1 to 3 house the monitoring room, security room, and cockpit; floors 1-3 are the entertainment area; floors 4-5 are the shopping area, hotel suites, a water park, and a water museum; floors 6-7 feature a gymnasium, restaurants, a spa, massage parlors, double-row seating, and a variety of international attractions. The top floor has a balcony lounge area, sun loungers, and a helipad.

The private suites start at $2600 per person, exuding extreme luxury and opulence!

This ship is so luxurious that it would cost at least a billion dollars to buy. One-third of the ship's hull is already equivalent to the entire fortune of the ship's owner.

The casinos on the ships are also divided into several casino areas, and are not managed by just one company. For example, the famous Venetian, Caesars Palace and Wynn Palace all have their casinos on the first three floors.

The casino manager who was on good terms with Coulson was the head of a casino called Brilliant Casino, which had an entertainment area with a dozen or so VIP private rooms. He was also a former junket operator.

"Mr. Jin, this is the pawn shop I rented at sea." Coulson led Zhang Allen and the others to the third floor of the ship, to a pawn shop in the mortgage area. However, there was not much business at the moment, as it had not yet opened for business.

"The guest hasn't arrived yet, so you can wander around. Natasha, Betana, you two keep Mr. Kim company. Do your best to meet any of his needs," Coulson instructed the two actresses. They were there to do their jobs for money, and serving the guest was just a side job, so they readily agreed.

"Mr. Jin, please come with us." The two men, one on each side, led the captain on a tour of the cruise ship's scenery.

Zhang Ailun readily agreed and did not refuse, and strolled around a few times with them.

Sig and his men boarded the ship armed with guns, presented their legal documents, and passed through security. They felt very safe there. There were guards every three or ten steps, but there were at least twenty hidden cameras overhead, so there were basically no blind spots and it seemed that there was no need for any security.

(End of this chapter)