What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 335 The Blame
"Gonzalez: Male, 41 years old, graduated from the Virginia Military Academy, and took over his position after Sukha was transferred to the south."

Hobbies: Going to sea, gambling, video games...

Latest developments: On April 3rd, media outlets publicly stated that Luzon has economic interests in the Reed Bank and demanded international intervention…

After receiving the information that Wang Hu had collected, Tang Wen felt a bit of a headache.

While González may not be much else, his fact that he graduated from Mikhail Miguel is crucial intelligence.

There's a 99% chance this guy is an IAA informant; if something goes wrong, Gaijin will have to take the blame.

Just like when Tang Wen went to the United States, even if a homeless person spat on him, the local police would go crazy. Gonzalez's resume means that he can't be touched at this time.

Aside from maintaining surveillance, they can only secretly cause minor disruptions.

Judging from the timeline, González is currently in the stage of making public appearances to stir up emotions. His actual trip to The Hague is expected to be at the end of the month or next month, and it will take at least another month before a "verdict" is reached.

June and July are a crucial time period.

Tang Wen appeared on Vale Island and inquired about the current development of the pirate crew.

Wang Hu: "We have recruited a lot of local Chinese. Now the core organization has seventy or eighty members, and the peripheral underlings have about two hundred members. Half of them are Chinese, but they are not qualified to come to the island."

"So you only recruited a dozen or so people?"

Seeing that Tang Wen was beginning to question, Wang Hu quickly explained:

“It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that the local Chinese business community is too powerful. Their families have taken root here, and their relationships are very complex. Almost all Chinese people are influenced by them.”

Even joining a gang is something they wouldn't dare do without their approval, otherwise they'd be ostracized in the local business world and wouldn't be able to survive.

Tang Wen: "Didn't you explain your identity? It would definitely be more beneficial for them if you did it than for the local gangs before."

"It's no use. They just want to be local tyrants, and they're even more hostile to us because we're the same kind of people."

Wang Hu stated the facts with frustration: the saying "fellow countrymen stab each other in the back" is not just a joke. As a local Chinese businessman who often does this, he is even more wary of Wang Hu and would rather stick with Suha, who represents the local faction.

"According to my plan, there should be more than two thousand people on Varee Island after July, and then Varee Island should declare independence."

“That’s impossible. If they don’t agree, we can only absorb the garbage that’s excluded. Even so, many people still don’t believe in us.”

Despite his current success, Wang Hu has no real connections in the area and has no confidence in achieving Tang Wen's goals.

The latter frowned; he still wanted to gradually absorb the influence of Southeast Asia and truly build the "Dragon Group."

But in reality, Chinese businessmen all wanted to enjoy themselves in their own little kingdoms, so it's no wonder they ended up like this.

The local main industries are fruit, coffee and rubber, making it a natural fit for farmers.

Looking at the empty Varee Island, Tang Wen increasingly felt that those people were just a bunch of insects not worth helping.

If they were really allowed to form a "Dragon Group," it would probably fall apart within three days.

"Okay, I really don't want to do this."

Tang Wen looked at Wang Hu:

"Didn't you claim to be developing infrastructure on Varee Island, gathering all those prominent Chinese businessmen under the guise of buying and selling materials and contracting projects? Hmm, I'll provide you with a yacht."

……

Santa Maria City.

"Patriarch Huang, thank you for gracing us with your presence!"

At the bustling dock, a somewhat outdated-looking yacht, adorned with colorful lights, attracted everyone's attention. Wang Hu, accompanied by his underlings, personally stood on both sides to welcome the patriarch of the Huang family who had arrived for the meeting. The patriarch before them monopolized almost half of the rubber production in the south and also owned two shipping companies; he was a true super tycoon.

Theoretically speaking, Wang Hu, a pirate king, is not worth his personal visit.

But Suha also invited him, as one must give face to a general who has been parachuted in.

He was pleased to see Luffy fawning over him. Whether it was the local gang or the "outsider," they were all poor wretches who could be appeased with a little money.

"Luffy, call me Hector. I've been back to my ancestral home for decades!"

Forty years ago, the voice of the indigenous people of Southeast Asia rose, and the Chinese had to localize and have a "real name" to replace their previous surnames.

The Huang family was able to survive largely thanks to the fact that the Huang family head directly adopted the indigenous people as his ancestors and changed his surname to Haoketuo.

Wang Hu quickly agreed and encouraged his underlings to cheer, which made him even more satisfied.

It took him a lot of effort to persuade Hector, but as long as he came, everyone in the circle had to give him face.

Even if you cannot go in person, you should send a sufficient number of trusted confidants and children.

However, Luffy's sincerity is also very important. He somehow acquired a luxury cruise ship called "Coral Princess," which is a rare find even in the local area. Attending a yacht party can also elevate one's status.

However, the celebrities did not notice that Luffy's eyes kept glancing at the lifeboats on both sides of the cruise ship.

……

The Coral Princess likely sank in the 60s, and its structure and facilities were still in relatively good condition.

However, its speed is not high, and it takes some time to reach the high seas.

To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Tang Wen checked the submarine's ambush location while watching television.

Just as he was watching the old version of the Battle of Red Cliffs in the Three Kingdoms, the underwater U2501 launched all six torpedoes from its bow in one go.

The TV series just finished airing as debris rained down on the water.

Tang Wen unconsciously switched channels, and it happened to be international news:

[Breaking News: On the afternoon of April 11, a cruise ship carrying 764 people sank 200 kilometers east of the Bahamas.]

According to BNN’s interview with survivors: the cruise ship broke apart and immediately took on water and sank after being hit by three torpedoes, and the first helicopter arrived at the scene for rescue 40 minutes later.

The cruise ship, known as the "Clover," is operated by a Florida shipyard. At the time of the incident, it was hosting a maritime cultural and arts exchange festival, which included students and renowned professors from multiple universities. More than 20 people have been successfully rescued.

Imperial Navy Secretary Johnson declared a state of emergency, dispatched two Seawolf nuclear submarines to the area, and claimed that the Second Fleet was suspected to be responsible, with leads already available.

After the host finished his serious report, the camera immediately switched to the scene. The cruise ship was no longer in sight; all that could be seen was a pool of floating garbage and the noisy background noise of helicopters.

Tang Wen immediately ran through all the submarines in the vicinity in his mind. None of the captains admitted to it, and there were no submarines near the Bahamas in the last 48 hours since yesterday.

Since the last time one of them was sunk there, they have long since bypassed the key defenses there.

But then the camera focused on a survivor, who was crying and gesturing to show the “white line” and “high-speed unidentified approaching object” he had seen. He said that he was looking at the scenery on the side of the cruise ship when he was blown away by the explosion. Fortunately, he was wearing a life jacket and escaped the disaster.

If it wasn't me, then who launched the torpedo at that cruise ship? And in the waters near the US coast?

At that moment, Zhao Hande called and immediately asked if Gai Jin had done it.

Tang Wen immediately shook his head:

"I swear on the oil production in the Spratly Islands, this has absolutely nothing to do with us!"

(End of this chapter)