Chapter 553 - 326: Homesick, Restraint, and With Money, You Really Can Do Whatever You Want

Chapter 553: Chapter 326: Homesick, Restraint, and With Money, You Really Can Do Whatever You Want

If worst came to worst, there was always one last option.

Defection.

No matter which country he defected to, he would surely secure a place for himself.

He might not be good at construction, but when it came to destruction, he was an absolute expert.

His thoughts began to drift. Lin Chu reined them in and went back to the magazine in his hands.

Looking up a moment later, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure over by the band area.

An Yunzhi, wearing a long, black evening gown, sat at a piano in the middle of the lounge area. The music flowed from her fingertips.

The beautiful melody had attracted a small crowd of onlookers.

’Hm?’

’What is she doing here?’

A slight smile touched the corners of Lin Chu’s lips.

’Looks like she’s working on this cruise ship now?’

’As a pianist?’

’Probably to earn money.’

Tsk.

At that moment, Lin Chu felt a faint sense of kinship, as if with a fellow soul down on their luck.

Of course, her situation was much worse than his. Money was universally accepted, but power came from one’s superiors.

He could still roam the world, while her family’s assets had most likely been seized, forcing her to fend for herself.

Otherwise, with her personality and pride, she would never stoop to working in a place like this.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Chu decided not to approach her just yet.

’After all, I’m in disguise. It’s not a good idea to go up there and cause unnecessary trouble.’

"Brother Chu, I’m back."

Liu Chenhui approached from the other side, carrying a briefcase. His eyes scanned their surroundings warily as he spoke in a low voice.

Lin Chu stood up, a small smile playing on his lips. "Let’s go. It’s pretty boring here. Let’s go play a few rounds."

"Sounds good."

The two of them went to the third floor, the gaming area. Lin Chu had never been to Las Vegas or Australia Island, but he had a general idea of what to expect. The scene before him couldn’t compare to a professional casino, but it still looked quite luxurious.

It was mostly slot machines, Texas Hold’em, and mahjong.

There were quite a few players coming and going, and there were far more Asian faces here than in the other areas.

In the mahjong section, Lin Chu even saw a few tables of old men and women. They looked like typical aunties from China, playing with great enthusiasm and joy.

"You play. I’ll watch. Once you lose it all, we’ll go back and sleep."

Lin Chu’s eyes swept across the room, his interest minimal. He spoke casually to Liu Chenhui.

Even now, he wouldn’t gamble. Of course, he wasn’t trying to drag Liu Chenhui into it either; it was just a way to kill time.

Liu Chenhui: ...

"I don’t know how either."

Speechless.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He thought Lin Chu had wanted to play.

"Heh... you’re no fun."

Lin Chu teased with a laugh.

Liu Chenhui licked his lips. "Aren’t you the same? What’s so fun about this stuff? I have no concept of money. I can’t even spend my monthly allowance."

"Me neither."

The two exchanged a smile, a shared sense of profound boredom hanging between them.

They wandered around aimlessly. Lin Chu stood behind a few old ladies and watched for a bit. They were playing with the Red Dragon tiles, clearly people from Guangdong Province. They were chatty, gossiping about trivial family matters, and their accent felt comfortingly familiar.

Lin Chu stood there blankly for a while.

’I’m homesick.’

’I really am.’

It had been a long time since such a vulnerable emotion had surfaced, but right now, he was truly homesick.

He had called his dad last night to tell him he was safe.

His dad didn’t use his phone much, so at the time, he still didn’t know about what was being reported in the foreign and domestic news.

But by now, he must know.

He had also told his younger cousin, Wang Hao, to take good care of his dad, or he’d skin him alive when he got back.

Gao Haitao had also sent bodyguards back to his hometown...

’For now, I probably don’t have to worry.’

But at this moment, Lin Chu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

His dad used to always say—"If there’s no wanderer in the family, where will the wealth come from?" He had always trusted him, telling him to go out and make his way in the world. If things didn’t work out, he could always come home, where there would at least be a meal waiting for him.

After he made his money, he did indeed give his dad a very good life, providing him with anything and everything he wanted.

But perhaps this was a case of gain and loss coming from the same source. Now that something like this had happened to him, his dad was bound to be worried.

He felt his eyes growing a little moist...

Lin Chu went to the restroom and splashed some water on his face.

When he came out, his cheerful and carefree expression had returned, as if he didn’t have a worry in the world.

’Fuck it all!’

’Fuck them!’

’Fuck everyone!’

’Fuck everything!’

’Even if I’m drowning in sin, I have to survive. I have to provide for my dad in his old age and see him off, to let him live out his final years in peace.’

...

They took the five hundred thousand back with them the same way they brought it. Neither of them touched any of the games of chance.

It wasn’t that they were scared; they just found it boring.

For an ordinary person, it was a game of thrilling risks, but for the two of them, it was nothing at all.

What could be more thrilling than a global, real-life battle royale?

Liu Chenhui remained constantly vigilant, afraid someone might pop out of nowhere—be it one of Liszt’s people or someone from another faction.

In this situation, drinking was out of the question. They had to stay sharp and rational at all times.

"How about... I find a girl for you? We can go back to the room and have some fun?"

Liu Chenhui, sensing Lin Chu’s boredom, asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Lin Chu glanced at him, shrugged, and smiled. "Together?"

He: ...

His face even flushed slightly as he instinctively shook his head.

Of course, Lin Chu was just joking. He shook his head with a laugh. "Forget it. Let’s go buy two laptops. I need to look some things up back in the room."

He had already arranged the method for future contact with his people. All communication would be done through the dark web using private software. While there was no guarantee it was completely impossible to monitor, the security level was much higher than phone communications, though it couldn’t be guaranteed to be in real-time.

As for An Yunzhi, who was downstairs playing the piano...

Although a man always carries a bit of a fixation on the ones that got away, at a time like this, Lin Chu resolutely chose to let it go. ’A moment’s impatience can ruin a great plan.’

There was no need to get entangled with her again.

A short while later, they bought two laptops from a shop downstairs. The two went upstairs, returned to their deluxe king-bed room, closed the door, and double-locked it. Lin Chu sat at the desk, opened a laptop, and logged into a private website.

His inbox showed two new emails.

The first was from Gao Haitao.

He had already arrived in the Philippines by plane, met with Xiong Jianwu, and they had gone to Daber Island together.

Construction on the island was underway. The progress wasn’t fast, but it wasn’t slow either. The foundational hardening was complete, and the conditions were livable.

Old Gao was gathering men—at least fifty completely trustworthy individuals—to first secure the island while waiting for Lin Chu to arrive.

On an Overseas Island like this, the security level was the highest.

As long as official government forces didn’t get involved, no other factions had the right to enter. Otherwise, the island’s own guard force had the authority to open fire.

You could think of the island as your own home.

The weapons had also been taken care of through Xiong Jianwu’s channels. Although it was just rifles and pistols, it was enough.

Old Gao felt that Xiong Jianwu was trustworthy for the time being, with no apparent issues.

At the same time, he had also sent people to the Hawaii region to purchase another island.

A two-pronged approach.

The plans didn’t conflict.

The other side of the ocean might be Liszt’s home turf, but there would be more freedom, and money would have a greater effect.

After reading the email, Lin Chu lit a cigarette, a smile appearing on his lips.

’Old Gao is really reliable. He’s considered every angle.’

He didn’t rush to reply.

Lin Chu turned to the second email.

It was from Liu Junfeng. The content was simple but substantial.

"Brother Chu, it’s done. An official identity from Grenada. Military Officer with diplomatic immunity. They’re asking for five million US dollars. The identity is secured. You can make the payment."

Lin Chu: ...

’Uh.’

Although he had expected it wouldn’t be too difficult, he hadn’t thought it would be *this* simple.

And the price was so... cheap.

Only five million US dollars.

However, considering it was a small country with a population of just one hundred thousand, five million US dollars was not a small amount.

’Damn it. With money, you really can do whatever the hell you want.’

...

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