Chapter 122: Zaprica Country
The next day, the group prepared to go back to Amber City to visit granduncle, whose surgery was scheduled that day.
The surgery ended some time before noon, and Granduncle had a thick bandage wrapped around his head. However, he was already sitting up a few hours later and even chatting around, showing that he was very much okay now.
The man was confined in the VIP room, so there were comfortable beds for Grandma and hangout places for the rest of them.
While they were in the ward, Kael’s phone rang, and his expression turned somber as he listened to the person on the other side. When he hung up, he looked at everyone to ask for their opinion.
"I’ve gotten the information that some hidden forces related to the Red Gang are still out and about. Some are even looking for the leaks, so they might eventually zero in on Naia," he said.
"After the surgery, why don’t we lie low for a while?"
"We move around anyway, don’t we?"
Then Kael smiled. "Why not do it abroad?"
...
Other than those who had been to Varma, this was everyone’s first time going overseas. Not everyone had passports, but there was no need to. They could just hide in her space and reappear on the other side.
They got Granduncle out and just took note of what to do with his aftercare.
They had less than two months before the approximate date of the Fall, and they should be back much earlier than that, considering contingencies.
After discussions, they decided on two countries, each of which had a multitude of resources.
The first country they went to was the Zaprica Country, one of the biggest cities in a desert continent, geographically opposite the globe from their home country.
The continent was large, but it was located near the largest river and became the economic center of the entire continent. Even if the resources were sourced in different parts of the continent, they would be bought at a good price in this city.
The weather and living conditions were horrible, but the continent was very rich in resources.
It had oil, special metals, and gems. It was one of the reasons why it had a long history of slavery back in the day. Powers love to exploit other people’s things, after all.
The abundance and variety of resources were why this was their first stop. Of course, they also went to do some sightseeing as long as the location was not far away from their itinerary.
The experience was very novel for many of them, even Naia, and she certainly would cherish the memories.
It had petroleum, natural gas, and coal deposits for fuel. For metals, there were plenty, though her target to feed her space was the platinum and palladium metals.
For gems and precious minerals, it had gold, diamonds, emeralds, and so on.
A lot of things to buy indeed.
"How much budget do we have?"
"About a hundred million," Kael said. It was the share he got from taking down the Red Gang base.
"...: "
Anyway, now that money was overflowing, she finally decided to shop blindly, all without looking at the room!
The two of them had pooled their remaining wealth. Now, these tens of millions could support a family for a lifetime, but they needed a lot of things.
They would definitely have to steal a few things, but it definitely wouldn’t be grand theft or anything. Passports recorded real names and itineraries. They wouldn’t want the Interpol AI or something filtering their names as present in all areas where a grand heist happened, right?
They did not have connections or the time to get smuggled either, and it was too risky to walk around without a proper entryway. Even a simple traffic transgression could blow up.
They considered targeting criminals to steal from them. After all, even if the heist was successful, they might not be able to get help from authorities because of the source of the money and goods.
But safely doing so would require time to investigate them, and they did not have that. In the end, they decided to assign a certain amount per country to spend.
Naia and Kael moved together. Some of the others were let out together, rented out a warehouse for them, and let them buy whatever they wanted or needed.
Globalization was at its peak, and there was a lingua franca most people knew, even the less educated ones, so they did not need translators.
Mostly, they went through malls and wholesale stores. Some items were cheaper here than back home, and they certainly hoarded a lot of those.
They bought a lot of basic grains, seeds, and so on as well. Everyone, including the kids, also started spending their prize money.
As for those who would do the formal sales, only Glen, Gale, or Uncle were allowed as they were the only ones who went there on paper. Their only identities were their passports, so it was better to be safe than sorry.
They rented out several trucks to cover their tracks, and they also rented out a large warehouse. Such a large purchase could get monitored, especially since corruption wasn’t weak in this place.
As for Kael and Naia, they bought metals. The nearest one was the mines for palladium and platinum. They posed as purchasers for a tech company. People didn’t really do background checks here, especially since they paid with cash.
They got a lot of compliments, including their beauty as a couple. Neither one denied it, tacitly agreeing to it. Kael’s eyes always landed on Naia whenever they could. He wasn’t speaking, but he was obviously in a good mood.
Naia rolled her eyes at him, wanting to say she didn’t deny it because of the mission. Otherwise, he’d better confess to her 19 times if he wanted a formal title!
Anyway, they filled the car with ingots of the metals, and then the trucks would be parked inside the warehouse.
For metals, Naia decided she could embezzle a bit without guilt. In the apocalypse, these would be useless anyway.
As such, she took a few... hundred...extra ingots from different areas.
With this, the space once again experienced some changes.
Comments