50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 655 Buy One, Rent Three
Although they had decided on Subi Island, Sun Zhiwei couldn't let Prabovo's wishful thinking get too big.

"Director Qasim, are there any more islands available?"

"Of course, with so many islands, there are bound to be more suitable ones, but it takes time to screen and investigate." Qasim couldn't possibly lie about this.

Prabowo chimed in, "Yes, Mr. James, actually, the size of the island isn't the most important issue."

"Among the tens of thousands of islands in our country, many are still inhabited by native inhabitants. Some of these native inhabitants are quite xenophobic and pose a significant danger to ordinary people."

Sun Zhiwei understood his meaning: 'We do have many islands, but most of the habitable ones still have indigenous tribes. It's not impossible for a tourist to end up on their dinner table if they're not careful.'

"Will it take a lot of time to investigate?" Sun Zhiwei frowned and said, "The company's plan is to start using the new base in Southeast Asia next month. I don't have that much time to wait."

“Mr. James, if that’s the case, then Subi Island is your best option right now.”

"There is a newly built town on it, but the population is not very large."

"The city hall can help persuade them to move, so you can get a town that you can use right away very quickly."

It seems Prabovo is prepared to invest heavily; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken on such a thankless and arduous task as demolition.

Are those relocated residents useless? Of course they are.

If Sun Zhiwei falls out with them in the future, or if they want to take back the island, these people can be used as waste paper again.

They will be a hidden tool for Prabovo to restrain Pinkerton in the future.

"Thank you both for your help. I wonder how much the demolition compensation is per person for your residents now? I need to prepare the compensation funds in advance."

“Mr. James, according to our standards, we need to compensate each person we relocate with $5. Currently, there are only 125 people in the small town of Subi Island, including adults and children.”

Sun Zhiwei wanted to spit in his face when he heard his quote. "Do you think Subi Island is Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou? 50,000 per person, and in US dollars!"

If $5000 of Chief Qasim's $5 offer actually reaches the residents, then they'll be considered to have at least a conscience.

However, Sun Zhiwei didn't care: "Okay, then I'll prepare the funds in advance. When can the relocation work begin?"

"We can start anytime, Mr. James. Would you like to go and check it out in person?"

"Of course, this island is very important to the company, so I'd better stay here and oversee it."

"Then tomorrow morning, have the military's helicopters take you to Subi Island. In addition, the Navy will send a destroyer to help the island's residents relocate."

Good grief, it's just a move, and they're threatening us with a destroyer? This kind of behavior doesn't seem like Prabovo's style at all. On the contrary, it would be more normal for Colonel Latif to do this.

He couldn't figure out the underlying logic right now, so he could only keep it in mind and wait for more clues to emerge.

Just as the purchase of the island was about to be finalized, Prabowo and Director Qasim were about to get up when Sun Zhiwei, supporting them with a map, stopped them.

“Mr. Prabowo, Director Qasim, I would like to ask about the situation of the ring of islands and reefs around Subi Island.”

“You two should know what kind of company Pinkerton is. If the company’s training base is constantly being spied on, that’s definitely not going to work.” The two men thought his words made sense, so they looked at the map in the direction he was pointing.

On the map, Greater Natuna Island is located 100 kilometers northwest of Subi Island, so you can ignore that.

However, 10 kilometers south of Subi Island is Panjang Island; 17 kilometers further south is Selasang Island; and 30 kilometers southwest is Selaya Island.

These three islands are all very close to Subi Island. If you take a speedboat from these islands, you can land on Subi Island in less than 10 minutes.

If a surprise attack were to occur, Subi Island wouldn't even have time to react. Therefore, he would never allow such a blind spot to exist.

“Mr. James, I understand what you’ve said. I also have a naval background, so I know a bit about the defense of islands like this.”

"Even so, we took a great risk by selling you Subi Island, and it's impossible for us to sell you any more islands."

Sun Zhiwei also has no need to buy more islands: "I understand, so my request is not to buy more islands."

“Our Pinkerton Company could easily lease these islands to grow coconuts. We would then pay rent and taxes every year. Wouldn’t that be great?”

"Of course, I demand exclusive operating rights and the right of first refusal. Unless I decide I don't want it anymore, the surrounding islands cannot be leased to others."

Prabowo and Qasim exchanged a glance and agreed to the lease arrangement. It's perfectly normal for businesses to lease islands; it's completely legal and reasonable, and there's nothing to hesitate about.

So, Director Qasim began processing the paperwork for Sun Zhiwei to purchase Subi Island and lease the surrounding islands.

According to international practice, the dividing line for actual territorial possession in international law is 100 years.

When the occupation lasts for more than 100 years, the territory may be considered actual territory rather than leased territory.

Therefore, when signing the lease agreement, Sun Zhiwei naturally chose to lease for 99 years to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

By the time all the formalities were completed, it was already the next day.

Fortunately, those islands were prepared in advance by Prabowo and his team, so the detailed island data was complete and the agreement could be signed directly.

If it's an unfamiliar island, then an exploration team will have to go up there to carefully survey the terrain and landforms, measure the island's area and the surrounding sea conditions, which will take a long time.

After completing the formalities, Sun Zhiwei received a property certificate for Subi Island, and he also received lease agreements for other surrounding islands.

On the morning of the third day, Sun Zhiwei took a Javanese Army Black Hawk helicopter and flew directly from Jakarta to Subi Island.

A few hours later, the helicopter carrying Sun Zhiwei had flown over Subi Island, and he could see a destroyer anchored at the dock next to the town in the distance.

The town was bustling with activity; it seemed all 120 residents had come out and were gathered in the town square, arguing about something.

Sun Zhiwei instructed the pilot to land the plane directly next to the square, but it was too late for the city hall officials who had accompanied him to speak up and stop him.

At this moment, all the town's residents were in the center of the square, with many sailors who had come down from the destroyer standing nearby, each of them armed and on high alert for any possible mob.

(End of this chapter)