224: Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-Two: Everything is Ready 224: Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-Two: Everything is Ready On the Carol Dillin, there was no difference from other merchant ships.
After boarding, Gao Yang and the others were allocated to their cabins, but as soon as the merchant ship resumed cruising at economical speed, they immediately took on the responsibility of escorting.
Gao Yang and his companions could wait in their cabins, and if they actually encountered pirates, they could go out after receiving an alert; it wouldn’t be too late.
Unlike tanker ships with super-large and spacious decks, spending time on the deck of a fully containerized cargo ship wasn’t interesting.
Therefore, Gao Yang and his companions chose to stay in their cabins rather than go out.
After figuring out how to have a real business talk with Morgan, Gao Yang occupied a cabin by himself and dialed Morgan’s number.
“Hey, Gao, how’s life at sea?
Isn’t it pretty cool?”
“It’s fine, but if I have to be honest, life at sea is awful, especially after the excitement wears off.
I’ve had my fill of sunrises and sunsets, I’m tired of the monotonous food, and what I can’t bear the most is the salty air.
In short, everything that people think is wonderful about the sea, I can’t stand.”
After listening to Gao Yang’s complaints, Morgan laughed heartily and said, “If you’ve had enough, then come back to land.
But buddy, I don’t think you called me just to complain, did you?”
“That’s right, I’ve got a business deal I want to talk to you about.
If you’re not interested, maybe you can give me some advice.”
Upon hearing that Gao Yang wanted to discuss business, Morgan’s voice immediately became serious, and he said in a deep voice, “Discuss a business deal?
Alright, buddy, I’m listening.
Go ahead.”
After explaining the recent situation and plans in detail to Morgan, Gao Yang said in a deep tone, “We now have ten million US Dollars on hand, and my partner Captain Antoncel has enough connections and relationships to secure plenty of business.
What we are missing now is another ten million dollars and a qualified Maritime Security Company to start combat escort work in the Gulf of Aden.
I think if you’re interested in joining, these would not be problems for you, would they?”
After a moment of silence, Morgan replied in a grave tone, “Sorry, Gao, I don’t think I’ll join your business.
A ten million investment isn’t big, and the return is considerable, but this deal is a bit too small for me to put in too much effort.
You know I have a lot to deal with right now, and I don’t have the right personnel to take charge, so I’m sorry.”
Gao Yang was very disappointed, but he couldn’t bear any grudges against Morgan.
For Morgan, business was business.
Regardless of who he conducted business with, it was still business.
And had Gao Yang asked for help as a friend, Morgan might have lent Gao Yang ten million dollars and helped without expecting anything in return.
But since Gao Yang wanted to discuss business, Morgan treated him as a business partner and swiftly rejected the possibility of collaboration between the two.
Understanding Morgan’s attitude, Gao Yang didn’t show any signs of disappointment or dissatisfaction.
Of course, he was disappointed, but not resentful towards Morgan.
After pondering for a moment, Gao Yang asked in a deep voice, “Then, could you give me some advice?
Should I continue trying to establish a Maritime Security Company, or should I just give up?”
“Considering your investment and its returns, I strongly advise you to carry on with this.
But registration of a private security company in the United States takes too long.
My suggestion is you should look for a company to collaborate with rather than starting your own.
Out of friendship, I’ll offer one more piece of advice, free and valuable: you don’t need to register in the United States at all.
You can talk to Simon’s friend, Destin.
He has a private security company in Israel, and Israel is a major exporter of private security services with far fewer regulations.
Do you understand?”
Gao Yang immediately became excited again and said, “So, you’re saying that if Destin agrees to work with us, all our problems will be solved, right?
That’s fantastic.
Thank you, Morgan.
By the way, is Destin currently in the United States or in Israel?”
“Israel.
Destin’s injuries are almost fully healed now; they’ve been in Israel for a few days.
Give him a call.
Even if he refuses to partner up, he will definitely be willing to let you do various things under his company’s name.”
Gao Yang pumped his fist energetically and then laughed, “Thanks, Morgan.
I won’t take up more of your precious time.
I’ve called Bob twice without getting through, so when you see Bob, tell him I’m having a great time at sea, but definitely don’t tell him about my complaints.
That’s all, goodbye, Morgan.”
“Wait, wait, speaking of Bob, uh, I suddenly thought of something.
He’s graduated from college, but he seems to have no interest in finding a job, nor does he want to help me with my work.
Well, I don’t want him mixed up in my business either, but Bob needs to learn to do something eventually, right?
Well, Gao, if you don’t object, I’d like to ask if Bob would be interested in working with you on something.”
Gao Yang was startled for a moment, then said, “Of course, there’s no problem.
You know the relationship between Bob and me.
It’s wonderful to work together with friends.
Why would I refuse?”
“Great, I’ll ask Bob about it.
If he’s willing, I’ll give him five million US Dollars as startup capital to do some business.
He gets along well with you and is eager to join you guys, so I think he should start learning how to do his first business deal.
I could give Bob more money, but I have to leave a share for Destin, so five million should be enough for Bob.
There’s one more thing you have to promise me, Gao.
Don’t let Bob get into any dangerous situations.”
With earnestness, Gao Yang said, “Rest assured, it’s very safe on the transfer ship.
Plus, Bob doesn’t actually need to be at sea all the time.
He could entirely stay at home and make money.”
“No, you don’t understand.
It’s not about the money.
I just want Bob to get some training.
He still has a lot to learn, and now’s not the time for him to enjoy life.
Okay, go do what you need to do.
I’ll have Bob give you a call.”
After hanging up the phone, Gao Yang excitedly punched the air again.
Things were going better than he had even hoped for in his best-case scenario.
Gao Yang found Destin’s mobile number and dialed it but discovered Destin’s phone was off.
Aside from the mobile number, Gao Yang only had Destin’s office phone number.
However, Gao Yang figured that Destin, recently recovered from a serious injury, wouldn’t start working so soon.
To his surprise, as soon as he rang Destin’s office, someone picked up immediately.
“Destin, who is this?”
Hearing Destin’s voice, Gao Yang said with surprise and delight, “Hey, Destin, it’s me, Gao Yang.
I’m really sorry for not calling you for such a long time.
I came to see you before, but you were still unconscious.
I didn’t expect you’d get back to work so soon.
Are you completely healed?”
Having a good relationship and shared experiences in combat—and to a great extent, Gao Yang and his friends having saved his life—Destin was very pleasantly surprised to hear Gao Yang’s voice.
He exclaimed aloud, “Gao!
I’m so happy to hear your voice.
How are you?
I heard your situation was even worse than mine, and you emerged from the critical period even later than I did.
Now, I’m just not used to having only one eye, and I look much uglier than before, but everything else is fine, definitely better than being dead.
And, my wife didn’t plan to divorce me, haha.
Where are you now?”
Gao Yang laughed and said, “I’m already starting to make money in the Gulf of Aden, but I’ve encountered a little problem and need your help.
I hope you won’t blame me for calling you just because I need help.”
As soon as Destin heard Gao Yang needed help, his voice immediately became serious.
He said gravely, “Whatever the problem, please say it.
I will do my best.”
After Gao Yang briefly explained the situation, he asked with a smile, “Are you interested in collaborating?
We still have a five million-dollar funding gap, and we need to leverage your Maritime Security Company to start the escort work.
You can invest and partner with us.
Of course, you can also choose not to invest and just use the security company to take a share in the business.
What do you think?
Interested?”
Destin laughed heartily and said, “Gao, this isn’t asking for my help; it’s like you’re bringing money to me.
Do you think I could possibly say no?
Thank you, Gao.
Jobs are hard to come by these days, and now at least I can arrange a good job for my people—well-paid and safe.
We have also considered starting work in maritime security, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the right channels to begin with.
You’ve given us a great opportunity.
And you know, we’ve just received some money from Morgan, so investing is no problem at all.”
Gao Yang was overjoyed.
He said, “That’s fantastic!
I’ll draw up a charter soon, and if possible, we can start discussing the details very soon.”
Destin also responded with a light laugh, “I’m waiting for your good news.
Also, do you have nowhere to go now?
Why not come to Israel?
Do you know the destination port of the merchant ship you’re on?
It actually goes to the Red Sea.
I guess you must pass through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, buddy.
You’re already very close to Israel.
Why not come visit us?
We can get together and discuss the details at the same time.
What do you think?”
Gao Yang thought it made sense; the ship he was escorting generally either came through the Suez Canal to the Gulf of Aden or was en route to the Suez Canal—and from there, Israel was very close.
If he went to Israel, it would indeed be convenient.
After joyfully accepting Destin’s invitation, Gao Yang went to the next room and found Li Jinfang and the others.
Then, with an excited face, he said, “Brothers, the investment is settled, and the security company is found.
Now, as long as we negotiate the share issue with Antoncel properly, our company can be established.
If we can make this happen, we can look forward to sitting at home and collecting money.” (To be continued.
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