People often say that greed leads to destruction. With the lure of money, efficiency in loading and unloading indeed increased significantly.
For those folks, while riches hold great appeal, William White's conditions were even better. In this world, only what suits you is the best choice.
Gold may be valuable, but can you exchange a similar volume of it for water in the desert?
Gold's best use is as a safe stash. You might manage to acquire a few tons, but if you're thinking of more than ten tons, just forget it.
Don't let the large figures of gold futures trading in London fool you; that gold never really moves. It's merely transferred from one warehouse to another.
"Sir, the mission is accomplished; we're on our way."
"Great, be safe on the road."
At this point, it was practically guaranteed that the situation was under control. William White wasn't worried about safety during the journey; once they were out of that sea area, even the top brass asking would be of no concern.
In fact, the military ships responsible for that area were currently in dry dock and would never show up. Since the voyage had begun, a problem was unlikely.
As for the crew capable of handling such a mission, they were certainly no ragtag group; unexpected issues just couldn't happen.
William White was cautious and had always harbored a vengeful spirit. To be honest, this kind of personality worked fine for a tech whiz, and it didn't matter when being a playboy. However, ruling a financial empire was a whole different ballgame.
Legendary World faced scrutiny.
He tolerated it, as he wouldn't deny that a monopoly existed.
He missed out on this wave of the stock market.
He also accepted that it was part of his strategy.
His advisory team was criticized for being all talk and no action.
He put up with that too; after all, words wouldn't cost him a dime.
But that didn't quite fit his character. It was easy to brush off, but staying discontent was necessary. To bring clarity to his thoughts, he had to pull off something big.
William White believed seeing those treasures would certainly lift his spirits.
Although he instructed them to erase all traces, he wasn't overly concerned. With no witnesses left, who could touch him?
"Sir, the support team has arrived; we should have about fifteen days."
"Okay, I got it. After we're done, we won't need the transport anymore."
"Don't worry, sir."
For this operation, William White deployed his luxury yacht. This wasn't about showboating; it was rare for cargo ships to dock at Lanai. If someone noticed, it wouldn't sit well.
As for that high-speed cargo ship, it was originally stolen; it was best if it stayed hidden.
This mission was well-prepared; while it couldn't be called foolproof, it was definitely thorough.
...
With worry lifted, William White felt at ease. With his daughter still awake, it was the perfect time for some father-daughter bonding.
Watching the playful father-daughter duo on the floor, Suzuki Meiko felt speechless. This guy spoiled his kid too much. Observing the scene, she couldn't help but feel a bit dazed; which version of William White was the real him?
That little girl could really be ungrateful; she would cling to her all the time, yet the moment this guy showed up, she became just another face in the crowd.
"Meiko, the little one seems tired."
"She's been too active; it'll be noisy again tonight."
"Why don't you let the nanny help her sleep? I'm going to take a shower." After all these years, Meiko knew what he was up to.
Thinking of that made her cheeks flush. She didn't quite understand; they weren't just an old married couple, they'd been through so much together over these years, yet there it was.
...
"The device is in place; it will detonate in five minutes."
"Good, nothing left behind, right?"
"None at all, checked it several times."
Moments later, a muffled bang resonated as an unmarked cargo ship began to sink slowly.
"Alright, let's go."
The Athena was certainly more comfortable than the cargo ship. However, the people present weren't concerned with such matters. They only knew once they boarded this vessel, nothing else would go wrong.
Speed hardly mattered; this super yacht was equipped with two helicopters, and for this mission, they were all armed to the teeth.
Some might say the excavation marks could never be completely concealed. Eventually, someone would discover it.
But that really didn't matter. This island had been excavated for decades; a few signs of digging weren't surprising. Prohibiting treasure hunting was a recent development. In fact, many had snuck in and dug up treasures. It was just too bad; they found the right island but missed the right spot.
William White slept soundly. These past few days, he'd felt uneasy. If someone caught him red-handed, that would be tough to explain. At the very least, he couldn't articulate how they'd pinpointed the exact location.
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