The meeting lasted less than an hour, and Deng Shiyang didn’t stay in Cape Town. After leaving the hotel, he immediately headed to the airport and booked a 2:25 PM ticket at the South African Airways counter. He then had a simple lunch at the airport restaurant before boarding a flight back to Durban.
Meanwhile, at the Sunshine Coast Hotel in Luanda, the capital of Angola, Semler sat silently in a single chair in his room. He appeared anxious, chain-smoking one cigarette after another, looking restless. On the small oak side table next to him lay a nearly empty box of Davidoff cigarettes, alongside a large glass ashtray filled with cigarette butts.
He had spoken with Keith over the phone the previous night. Keith was dissatisfied with the current progress and urged him to speed up the work, setting a final deadline for the week. Keith also mentioned in the call that a new member would arrive in Durban next week. Semler knew this was a warning—if he didn’t complete the task before the deadline, the two supervisors in Durban would not hesitate to replace him.
Upon arriving in Luanda, Semler immediately went to the post office and sent an urgent airmail letter. It was a long, handwritten letter, addressed to a tribal leader of the Mbundu people living in Soyo. In the letter, he claimed to be working for a private military company, hoping to recruit soldiers from the tribe. He promised a fifty-dollar referral fee for each recruit and included his contact information, urging the recipient to respond as soon as possible.
After the collapse of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc, the Angolan government abandoned the socialist path in 1990 and introduced a multi-party system. In May of the following year, mediated by the former colonial power Portugal, the MPLA and UNITA signed a peace agreement, ending more than a decade of civil war.
However, in September 1992, tensions flared again between the two parties over the presidential election, and in October, the second civil war broke out. Not long after Semler joined EO, Eeben Barlow dispatched him to the port city of Soyo in northwestern Angola to train a unit composed of Mbundu people to protect local oil facilities. It was during this time that he met the chief of the largest local tribe.
By 1993, the Angolan Armed Forces were suffering defeat after defeat at the hands of UNITA, and the MPLA''s rule was hanging by a thread. The Angolan government then signed a contract with EO, hiring the company to fight UNITA. That same year, Semler began serving as a military adviser, responsible for training government soldiers until he was transferred to Sierra Leone in 1995.
Considering the distance between Luanda and Soyo, the urgent airmail would take about two to three days to reach the recipient. However, ever since last night''s phone call, Semler had been feeling uneasy. He had already made up his mind that if he didn''t hear back from Soyo in two days, he would use his connections in the Angolan Armed Forces to recruit 100 retired soldiers through familiar officers. Though this might alert the Angolan government, he couldn’t afford to lose his current job and wouldn’t hesitate to take drastic measures if necessary.
After glancing at the cigarette pack on the table, he took a deep drag from the half-smoked cigarette and crushed it into the ashtray.
As he stood up to walk toward the door, his phone rang from the nightstand.
March in Antwerp was as cold as in Ostend. Mark Vlaminck shivered and instinctively tightened his coat.
He was wearing a sleek charcoal black suit, with a crisply pressed white shirt underneath and a maroon tie with off-white stripes around his neck. Due to his build, the suit felt somewhat awkward on him, and combined with his rugged, stubbly face, he looked oddly mismatched.
The tall Belgian was clearly not used to this kind of attire. He reached out with his right hand to loosen his tie and then unbuttoned the collar, finally feeling a bit more comfortable.
In contrast to the gloomy, overcast weather, Mark was in high spirits. He had just left the headquarters of FEMAS Maritime, located near Central Station, after wrapping up the first meeting about purchasing a ship.
He had spent the entire morning carefully reviewing the company’s factory records, registration documents, and some receipts that proved the "Cristo" had undergone maintenance and upkeep.
From the documents at hand, the background of the "Cristo" was clean, and all its certificates were in order. Moreover, the ship already had a crew in place. The eighteen crew members, including the captain and first officer, were experienced sailors. Once renamed, the ship could immediately set sail, saving the trouble of recruiting a new crew.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
For now, everything about the ship seemed ideal. The only dissatisfaction was that, despite Marc showing enough sincerity and intent to purchase, the seller remained firm on the price. At the end of the meeting, he told the other party that while he was very satisfied with the "Cristo," he would need the buyer''s approval before proceeding.
After leaving FEMAS, Mark called a friend in the shipping business in Ostend, asking them to verify the authenticity of the documents. He then had lunch at the "Samba" restaurant in the city center before walking to the taxi stand by the Scheldt River and taking a cab back to his hotel, the Holiday Crown Hotel.
By the time Deng Shiyang returned to Durban, it was almost five o''clock. He took a taxi from the airport''s taxi stand and returned to the villa at Brighton Beach.
Keith and Du Preez had arrived earlier than him. Deng Shiyang went to his room to drop off his luggage, then took a small bottle of Grapetiser grape juice from the refrigerator in the kitchen and sat down in the living room to chat with the two of them.
After briefly recounting his experience in Cape Town, Deng Shiyang took a sip of the juice and summarized, "I don’t trust that guy named Schlink. And of course, he doesn’t trust me either."
"That’s normal. Anyone involved in arms deals is not to be trusted." Du Preez chimed in.
Keith thought for a moment and asked, "What kind of person do you think this Schlink is?"
"That guy is cautious to the point of being neurotic, and I don''t think he''s as capable as he boasts," Deng Shiyang paused and added, "Besides, I have no doubt that if he gets the money, he would sell us out to the police. That’s why I asked him to help arrange the EUC. It will cost a little more, but this way, he has to be on our side. Otherwise, the cops will find out that he used fake documents to buy weapons from the South African government."
Keith nodded and said, "Your analysis makes sense. I''m sure the boss will agree."
Seeming relieved, Deng Shiyang took a big gulp from the bottle. After the fizzy grape juice flowed down his throat, he asked, "How are things going on your side?"
"Not so well," Keith replied with dissatisfaction. "I met with that Alan Baker today, and it turns out he''s a big fraud. The guy is just a broker, with no capital for dealing in aviation equipment, and his background isn''t as solid as he claims." He clicked his tongue and added, "He did offer to introduce us to Skylink, but we’ll have to negotiate prices directly with the seller."
"Just arranging a few meetings and he wants to pocket a $50,000 commission? That guy is really greedy." Deng Shiyang frowned.
"I also feel that Alan Baker is unreliable," Keith echoed, displeased. He then turned to Du Preez and said, "Your second task is to help us find any helicopters for sale. The place of origin and model don’t matter, but it has to be a medium helicopter of around ten tons, with a full-range of at least 400 miles. It also needs to come with a pilot and a mechanic." He emphasized, "The pilot must be someone with night-flight experience, and it''s fine if the salary is higher. Got it?"
"Understood," Du Preez nodded and replied.
"Oh, by the way," Keith suddenly remembered something and turned to Deng Shiyang, "Both Semler and Mark called while you were away and gave updates."
Deng Shiyang glanced at him and asked, "Good news?"
"Not exactly good news, but there’s some progress," Keith paused before explaining, "In Angola, the German contacted a chief with considerable influence in Soyo. He plans to head there tomorrow to recruit. Meanwhile, Marc has verified that the ''Cristo'' has a clean background. The problem now is that the seller refuses to budge on the price, so we can’t move forward until that’s settled."
"That’s up to the boss, but I think he’ll agree," Deng Shiyang said as he glanced at the clock in the living room, noticing it was almost six. He then said to the two men, "It’s getting late. Let’s go out for dinner tonight."
Naturally, neither of them objected. They got into Du Preezs’ Land Cruiser and drove to the port district, where they had a meal at an Indian restaurant near the commercial center. It wasn’t a lavish dinner, but the lamb masala was rich in flavor.
At 8 PM, Deng Shiyang and Keith made a phone call to report the updates. Harrowby was somewhat satisfied with the progress but had some complaints about the price of the ship.
Knowing that Harrowby was a businessman who cared most about the cost-benefit ratio of a project, Keith said, "I believe this ship is the best option at the moment. While the price is a bit high, it will save us a lot of time."
There was a brief silence on the speakerphone.
"Also, we have less than seven weeks left. Considering the time needed for the purchase and the voyage, we don’t have much leeway," Deng Shiyang added in agreement.
"Can’t you buy a ship in the Middle East or the Mediterranean to save time?" Harrowby asked in dissatisfaction.
But Keith, clearly not putting his employer on a pedestal, replied calmly, "That might be possible, but we''re amateurs in ship trading. That’s why we need Mark’s connections in Belgium. You wouldn’t want to spend a fortune on a ship that breaks down halfway through the journey, would you?"
Caught off guard by this, Harrowby didn’t know how to respond for a moment. After a long pause, he said with some frustration, "Fine, if you say so, I won’t object. But remember, this operation must succeed! Do you understand?"
"Rest assured," Deng Shiyang smiled slightly, speaking with confidence, "That’s exactly why we’re here."
Thus ended the ninth day.