America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 313 Jehovah's Island

After signing the order contract, Zhang Ailun paid General Electric Boat a 30% deposit for the destroyer and chose to have their personnel deliver the behemoth to Jehovah Island port, paying an extra amount for postage.

The main problem is that the current leader doesn't have enough people at his disposal. Even if he wanted to pilot a destroyer, it would be a stretch, and it would be impossible to sail at sea. But that's not a big problem. As long as there's money, all kinds of people can be recruited.

He also told Qibatu that he could recruit more people after he returned, especially those with strong hands-on skills who could join the transformation plan. Beggar Clan disciples should be given priority, followed by outsourced workers.

Retired naval personnel with a history of naval service can be given priority consideration to be in charge of operating littoral combat ships. If there are no such personnel, they can be trained by members of the Beggars' Sect.

Qibatu readily agreed.

Zhang Ailun shook hands with Darcy, the beautiful head of General Electric Boat, and walked out of the dock. He let Sieg drive him back to Los Angeles, while he chose to take his men directly aboard the littoral combat ship and sail to Jehovah Island to officially take over his "paradise".

It took half an hour to debug and familiarize themselves with the operating system of this littoral combat ship. With the concerted efforts of the crew, the combat ship was slowly started.

With the roar of the engine, Zhang Ailun stood on the observation deck, holding onto the railing, and took out his binoculars to gaze at the azure sea. As the warship began to turn around, it slowly sailed away from the coastal dock.

Using a satellite navigation system, Jehovah Island was located. Located hundreds of kilometers from the California coastline, Jehovah Island appears as a tiny black dot on a world map, a privately owned and classified area. Even at the speed of a littoral combat ship, it would take several hours to reach.

Zhang Ailun also sent a message to Boketu, instructing him to fly the Black Hawk helicopter ahead of time and take over the work from the mercenaries stationed on the island. He suggested that they bring some professional equipment in case of any unexpected situations or conflicts.

Boketu agreed and began preparing for the flight.

Two hours later, Zhang Ailun received a notification that the money had arrived. He glanced at it and saw that $1.6 million had been transferred to the Hamburg Foundation's account. It was no surprise that Dave had cashed the Swiss cheques and the foundation's cheques at the bank.

I glanced at the foundation's project: a nine-digit number starting with 6, followed by a decimal point; over six hundred million US dollars—more than they could ever spend, absolutely more than they could ever spend.

After touring the littoral combat ship, I went from feeling excited at first to gradually getting bored. Fortunately, there was internet access to pass the time.

More importantly, Gwen, as the female assistant, stayed close to the leader, serving him tea and water and doing basic service work.

During this time, Jennifer also sent a message to the leader, informing him that the two Black Hawk helicopters had been delivered to Tijuana and that the remaining balance of $998 million had been paid. The expenditure on the Littoral Combat Ships was immediately recouped.

Zhang Ailun praised her and asked her, along with Eileen and the Beggar Clan disciples involved in the escort work, to withdraw some money from the project as a bonus.

A few hours later, we quickly arrived at the waters off Jehovah Island. In the distance, we could see the coastline and the towering buildings on the island in the azure sea, with signal receivers flashing red and green lights.

Zhang Ailun also received a call from Boke, and after answering, he inquired about the situation.

"Boss, the other side isn't cooperating. I've already told them I'm Mr. Kim's man, but they insist on waiting for you to arrive."

On Jehovah Island, Boktu glanced at the fully armed mercenaries, numbering about fifty or sixty, and reported the situation to the Grand Master.

As soon as they landed their Black Hawk helicopters on the tarmac, the other side's leader surrounded them, trying to confiscate their weapons. But Boketu was no pushover; he immediately ordered his men to bring out clay explosives and RPG rocket launchers, aiming for a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.

With his reckless courage, he managed to intimidate the mercenaries and they engaged in a friendly exchange.

"Don't get into a conflict with them. We'll be there soon, and I'll handle this then," Zhang Ailun reassured them. After hanging up, he went to find Qibatu in the cockpit and told them to speed up.

On Jehovah Island, a group of people remained locked in a tense standoff.

"Since you are mercenaries on this island, doing things for money, you should understand that the Jehovah Priyan you speak of is currently missing, and his children have sold their property. This island has also been acquired by our boss and is now his private property. You should be the ones leaving. We are just here to take over this island on orders."

Boktu tried his best to communicate with them gently to avoid conflict and bloodshed.

The mercenary remained restrained, showing no intention of taking immediate action. He calmly stated, "Before Mr. Jin arrives, we will not allow anyone to land on the island and infringe upon its security and privacy. Before your arrival, an armed conflict occurred on Jehovah Island yesterday, resulting in the deaths of at least twenty people. Some desperados left the island in yachts and private planes, carrying valuables. I heard they are now wanted by the police. There are also many others trying to take advantage of the situation. Therefore, I cannot confirm whose side you are on."

They continued their verbal sparring, each standing firmly on their own position, refusing to yield an inch, until their throats were dry from talking.

"No need to say more, our boss has arrived." Boketu suddenly noticed the small black dot on the sea surface, took out his binoculars and took a look, and was overjoyed.

He said, "Let's wait for our boss to come and talk to you personally. What's your name?"

"My name is White Wolf," the mercenary leader said.

Turning his head, he noticed an object resembling a warship on the horizon. He quickly took the binoculars from someone else, glanced at it, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Is that a warship? A littoral combat ship? Is it being piloted by one of your people?"

"We have military Black Hawk helicopters, so why would we lack a naval warship?" Boketu chuckled.

The group of mercenaries were also secretly astonished, whispering among themselves and discussing the matter.

Soon, the enormous vessel sped through the waves at an incredible speed, approaching the port area of ​​Jehovah Island and stopping near the bay.

Zhang Ailun led his men onto the deck. Looking at the mercenaries and Boketu's group, he shouted through a megaphone, "I am Humbert Juan King! This island is now my private territory. Whether you are mercenaries or outlaws, do not act recklessly on my land!! I order you to lay down your weapons immediately! Do not resist in vain! Otherwise, I will consider any action you take as a provocation and bomb you without mercy!"

Qibatu activated the ship's cannons, pointing them at the coastline. A group of mercenaries were startled by this and immediately dropped their weapons, surrendering obediently.

Those naval guns, only a few tens of millimeters in diameter, with their dark, gaping muzzles—who knows if there are any shells inside?

If you get hit, you'll end up with bruises all over your body, one here and one there.

It shattered instantly!

This behemoth is far more intimidating than a Black Hawk helicopter.

Boketu and his men successfully took over their weapons and equipment, and Zhang Ailun nodded in satisfaction. "That's right, a wise man submits to circumstances!"

You used to earn hundreds of dollars a day, but now nobody pays you anymore. Why are you risking your life like that?

He immediately ordered Qibatu to dock the warship at the bay port, shut down the engine room, and unload the yacht and small boats at the stern.

The group arrived at the island's port coast in a small ship.

It's called a port, but it's really just a hastily constructed ordinary harbor for mooring ships. It's fine for accommodating private yachts and small cruise ships, but as for warships... sorry, that thing is a bit too scary.

Zhang Ailun led his men to land on Jehovah Island. Looking at the factory construction in the distance, as well as many lines and cement pillars, he came to the group.

Looking at those fully armed mercenaries, they had the basic infantry three-piece set, and the guns in their hands were AR series and M4 series American guns.

He asked, "Are you mercenaries working for Prien? Why didn't you take advantage of the chaos to leave?"

"Sir, we want a stable job. Our employment contract with Mr. Prian is a five-year contract, and there are still two and a half years left before it expires. He still owes us a penalty for breach of contract," the mercenary leader, White Wolf, hurriedly said.

"Then you probably won't be able to wait for him to pay you the penalty for breach of contract, because that guy Prian is in dire straits himself, he's already in a vegetative state."

Zhang Ailun smiled and said, "Perhaps Prien's children would be willing to pay the bill for you?"

Seeing the surprised mercenaries, he waved his hand to reassure them, saying, "But it doesn't matter who you work for. Considering you didn't take advantage of the situation to loot the island's supplies or valuable collectibles, I can continue to fulfill the contract I made with you and have you work for me."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Kim." The mercenary leader was overjoyed.

"Don't get too excited. If I see your true value and you're not worth that price, nor can you provide me with enough security, I will fire you without hesitation! After all, I'm not short of manpower myself. I have plenty of capable and brave men under my command, and they are all veterans," Zhang Ailun said, waving his hand.

"Sir, we will definitely do our best to satisfy you," the mercenary leader, White Wolf, said immediately.

"How many dollars did Prim pay each of you per day before?" Zhang Ailun asked again.

「队长一小时65美元的时薪，副队长60美元，队员55美元。特殊技术人员50-90美元。」

The leader, White Wolf, said, "Everyone works an eight-hour shift, with weekends off. You can attend parties and gatherings on the island. In case of emergency, you will be paid double the hourly rate for every hour of overtime. Medical expenses for accidental injuries will be fully covered, and you will receive a minimum of $1000 and a maximum of one million dollars in injury or death compensation."

"So tall?"

Zhang Ailun was somewhat surprised. "No wonder you guys are unwilling to leave this island. With such a high salary, you only need to stay on the island every day to eat, drink, and have fun, do your job well, and you don't need to worry about anything. You can easily earn more than ten thousand US dollars a month."

This is a blessing far greater than the 996 work schedule.

Even a wild mercenary, no matter how hard they fight on the battlefield, would never earn such a high salary.

"Sir, we're not just doing nothing on the island," explained the mercenary leader, White Wolf.

"Don't tell me there are still international pirates these days, they'll come and steal my stuff!" Zhang Ailun laughed upon hearing this.

"There are no pirates. But there are often many desperate outlaws and international theft gangs coming to the island to stage accidents!"

White Wolf explained, "According to international conventions and geographical location, Jehovah Island is not part of the Gulf of California. Although nominally it belongs to the United States, it is actually a private island near the Gulf of Mexico. This shipping route is also a place where many drug traffickers and outlaws travel by cruise ship, whether they are smuggling drugs to South America. Because of this, the forces involved at sea are complex and many people want to take advantage of Jehovah Island. Mr. Priyan is a well-known billionaire, and he hired us to protect the island to eliminate this potential threat."

"..." Zhang Ailun fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

"Boss, about two weeks ago, a group of hackers from the Philippines broke into our security network and cameras. They also hired a professional theft gang to break into the island and steal some collectible paintings. If we hadn't discovered them in time, they would have almost taken Mr. Priyan's gold reserves! Several of our people were also injured in the fight with them."

The mercenary next to him also spoke very seriously.

"..."

Zhang Ailun's smile froze, and he looked at the mercenaries with a sense of existential doubt.

Oh no, I've really become Old Jin from Perico Island now.

Damn it, will someone actually come to the island and rob me of my money later?

He quickly calmed down and said, "If they want to experience the power of a littoral combat ship's guns and missiles, they can try. I'm not Prien!"

"Sir, you are certainly not Prian. You are richer and more powerful than Prian. But it's not the theft you should fear, it's the thief who has his eye on you. Those international outlaws are not very bright. They would risk their lives for money. You can't stay on this island forever and guard your own little plot of land every day."

"When others receive news that you're not on the island, they'll definitely try to take advantage of the situation and plunder your treasure!" the white wolf said. "Unless you don't keep anything of value on this island."

Zhang Ailun pondered, "I'll definitely transfer some of my assets here; otherwise, what's the point of having this island?"

This will be his base of operations from now on.

Decentralization, debanking, and the preservation of hard currency such as cash, gold, and collectibles.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows; one should always have several backup plans.

Otherwise, if his assets on the West Coast ran into trouble and were seized, leaving him penniless, he could simply declare bankruptcy.

The wealthy typically acquire land and real estate around the world, or more simply, build bunkers and vaults to store gold or cash.

Madison not only had his own private island where he stored his collections and hard currency, but his assets and money weren't all in California. He had accounts at UBS, Royal Bank of Switzerland, DBS Bank, and TD Bank, and his network spanned developed countries around the world.

But Madison's most substantial assets are on his private island, where a vast collection is worth at least several hundred million dollars. Everything else in the bank is just numbers.

This old man, Deng, has a net worth of at least two billion US dollars without saying a word!

The head of the organization now only uses the foundation to store funds. To be honest, although it's quite safe, it's not that safe either; its main purpose is to offset taxes.

"Take me to see the other constructions on the island first. Do you have the blueprints for Jehovah Island?" Zhang Ailun said. He hadn't properly explored his private island yet.

"Sir, these are the blueprints for the private island. I am the chief engineer of Jehovah Island." A middle-aged man wearing a white construction hat and glasses hurriedly came over, took out an A4 sheet of paper from his briefcase, and handed the secret core blueprints of the island to the leader.

"This blueprint shouldn't have been leaked, right?" Zhang Ailun glanced at it. Important structural locations were marked on it, including towers, bunkers, and underground works. It seemed that construction was not yet complete. If the classified parts were leaked, then it would have to be demolished and rebuilt.

"No, those people were only focused on fighting over gold and antiques yesterday; they didn't care about the blueprints at all." The engineer shook his head. "That place was originally intended to be used to build an underground laboratory."