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墨書 Inktalez
"Please fasten your seatbelts, we are about to begin our descent. We expect to stay at Honolulu International Airport for seven minutes, during which time the plane will be refueled and cleaned. You may enter the terminal to rest for a while."
After that, we played a few more rounds. I couldn't tell if our luck had run out or if someone was secretly sabotaging us, but Chen Rui didn't win a single game, whether as a werewolf or a villager.
Finally, after more than eight hours of flying, the plane was about to arrive in Honolulu, Hawaii. Like most cities in Hawaii, it is a port city that was historically known for its abundant sandalwood, which was heavily exported to China, hence the Chinese name for Honolulu.
The landing was quick; the aircraft's landing distance was less than a thousand meters. Wang Bolin piloted the G65 and smoothly taxied to the terminal, proudly occupying a parking space right in front of it, instantly attracting attention.
As we descended the stairs, our group entered the lounge through the airport's VIP Passage. Although I knew that eighty percent of the gazes from inside the terminal were directed at the plane, Chen Rui couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
Qiaoqin and Wang Bolin did not enter the lounge; instead, they coordinated with the ground crew next to the plane. Although it was clear that the ground crew was highly skilled, no one could afford to overlook such an expensive toy worth hundreds of millions of Renminbi.
Deng Jun also skipped the lounge. After saying goodbye to everyone, he went directly through the VIP Passage. Although I had no idea what he was doing in Hawaii, it certainly didn't seem like an official trip. With his status, it was unlikely he would arrive without anyone to pick him up, and given his public identity, there was no possibility of him being involved in any espionage activities.
When Chen Rui entered the lounge, he was taken aback. Despite being mentally prepared for something different, he hadn't expected this situation at all. There were no extravagant decorations; instead, it had a very classical style reminiscent of traditional Chinese aesthetics—pure wooden floors, sand-colored tea tables. Though simple, it exuded an air of dignity.
Looking outside, one could see artificial hills and lakes in the courtyard, giving off a vibe similar to a mountain tea house. If you disregarded the sponge mats on the sand and the large LCD screens mounted on the walls along with two rows of quartz glass, the entire room resembled an ancient Chinese residence's main hall.
"This place has quite a character," Xiang Xiao said with a smile. "Don't look at me; it's my first time in Hawaii too."
"Indeed! I never expected this. Although I shouldn't say this, I can't help but wonder when our country's service industry will be able to be so heartfelt," Ruan Yu remarked helplessly.
Chen Rui used his rusty English from years of disuse to ask a server, "Excuse me, do you have tea? The pure leaf kind, not milk tea." After saying that, even Chen Rui himself was surprised at how well his English had come out.
"Yes, please wait a moment, sir," the server replied respectfully before leaving the lounge. Chen Rui and his group then felt free to relax and enjoy themselves.
Chen Rui looked at the coffee table filled with entertainment items and couldn't help but chuckle. In such a traditionally styled Chinese room, the only game set was a chessboard, which felt quite out of place.
He sat down on the sofa and said, "Who plays international chess? Want to challenge me to a game?"
Qin Xionglin rolled up his sleeves and replied, "Just watch me wipe the floor with you."
"Can I go first?" Chen Rui asked with a smile. "No problem."
The two sat facing each other, with Chen Rui playing white and Qin Xionglin playing black, thoroughly enjoying the game.
Before long, a waiter entered with a tea tray, formally serving each of them a cup. Chen Rui was deeply engrossed in the game when he took a sip and immediately grimaced.
"What’s wrong?" Qin Xionglin was startled by Chen Rui's expression.
"Nothing much, just not used to this taste," Chen Rui replied with a wry smile. Although the room was decorated with distinct Chinese characteristics, the tea brewing skills left much to be desired; the flavor hadn't been extracted at all. It seemed like they had simply poured hot water over it like instant coffee.
"Come on, be grateful," Zhang Jun shot Chen Rui a glare. "Who told your nanny not to come along?"
Chen Rui choked on Zhang Jun's words. "What nanny? Liang Yu is my assistant. What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Assistants just serve tea and water? Other people's assistants can even take over their work," Jiang Ming added silently, delivering a jab.
"That's because she hasn't mastered it yet; your tasks are just a matter of time."
"Gentlemen, have you all rested well? We can head out now," Wang Bolin's stern face appeared on the LCD screen.
"Alright, let's head out. After all, we can't fall behind," Zhang Jun said again, subtly hinting that the trip to Kiribati involved more than just Chen Rui and his group.
As Chen Rui walked past a waiter, he heard a soft "gd handse!" He couldn't help but tease, "That handsome guy is my friend. If you want his number, you can come to me."
The waiter paused for a moment, clearly taken aback. Chen Rui shook his head, realizing he had forgotten they were in Hawaii and had spoken in Chinese; how could anyone understand him?
Once on the plane, it was immediately towed away from the gate and joined a long line of flights waiting to take off. Amidst the crowd's attention, they swiftly departed.
The flight from Hawaii to Kiribati took just over an hour. Chen Rui and the others closed their eyes to rest, not engaging in any new activities.
Before they knew it, the plane was approaching Bonriki International Airport in Kiribati. Since it was nearly midnight local time, Chen Rui didn't notice anything unusual upon entering Kiribati. However, based on his memory, there weren't any large airports in Kiribati; yet what lay before him was undoubtedly a major airport—definitely larger than a 4E category airport.
At that moment, Chen Rui didn't pay much attention to it.
His group was arranged to rest overnight in the airport's VIP Lounge. The next morning, a helicopter would transport them to the meeting location. As they disembarked, Chen Rui was once again astonished by the scale of the airport. It featured two large terminals and four runways rated E or higher—a truly rare sight.
The next day.
Chen Rui was awakened by the continuous sounds of planes taking off and landing. After arriving last night, he had carelessly opened the window and then collapsed onto the bed without closing it.
He got up and looked out; all four runways were bustling with activity as aircraft took off and landed at a high frequency—all medium to long-range transport aircraft.
Upon closer inspection, he spotted An-14s, -5s, -17s, A4s, Y-XXs, and more. Chen Rui couldn't help but smile; it seemed this place was indeed the implementation site for the second part of their plan.
Dressed and with his tie secured, he stepped outside only to encounter Cui Hongming knocking at his door.
"Up so early?" Chen Rui greeted.
"Early? Hurry up, we need to leave," Cui Hongming urged, walking over to knock on Gao Zhijie's door.
Chen Rui entered the airport hall and prepared to head to the remote area through the staff passage.
As soon as Chen Rui stepped out of the terminal, he felt the wind hitting his face repeatedly. An UH-6 was poised for takeoff, with Xiang Xiao waving from inside the cabin.
"Is it really that far?" Chen Rui shouted after boarding. The UH-6 was designed for military use, unlike a G65 business jet. Even with the cabin door closed, the loud whirring of the rotor blades could still be heard.
Looking around, Chen Rui noticed they were just four people short.
Soon, Cui Hongming led Gao Zhijie, Ruan Yu, and Tang Yong onto the helicopter.
Before the cabin door had fully closed, Chen Rui felt the helicopter begin to ascend and hurriedly pushed to secure the door.
It seemed clear that these two were indeed serious military pilots, as only military aviators would disregard such details that were inconsequential to them.
The UH-6 was designed to fly normally even with the cabin door open, making it more suitable for personnel onboard to engage in firepower strikes.
The helicopter ascended rapidly and appeared not to be preparing for low-altitude flight; it kept climbing higher and higher. This allowed everyone to easily see a comprehensive view of the island below.
What they saw in reality was completely different from what they had seen in photos. The current Kiribati could definitely be considered a fortress. Ships could be seen on the surface of the surrounding sea, and judging by their size, there were at least four types of vessels: missile cruisers, missile destroyers, frigates, and maritime law enforcement ships.
However, all of this was just on the water; the buildings on the island were simply astonishing.
A tower-like structure stood tall at a large opening located in the northwest part of the island, and what was most striking was that the part touching the low clouds was only its middle section!
On either side of the opening were low-rise buildings. Although they were not tall, they still reached two to three stories, which paled in comparison to the Giant Tower. This area was originally part of the Gilbert Islands, where each island had some low-rise buildings, typically around five stories high.
What was most astonishing was that outside the opening, a massive ship was docked. Its shape was somewhat peculiar, resembling a large Luxury Cruise Ship, but with a sealed structure on top. The upper part even featured an object similar to a Ski Jump Deck found on an Aircraft Carrier. No! That was indeed a Ski Jump Deck, but without a bridge; the entire top consisted only of the deck and the Ski Jump Deck.
A helicopter flew toward the Giant Tower. As it approached, one could see that every so often, there was a circular platform centered around the tower—perhaps it was designed as a helipad.
The helicopter landed unsteadily on the helipad; despite its instability, it was absolutely precise.
From this height, the entire Kiribati looked like a paradise on earth. After all, Kiribati boasted the largest marine protected area in the world, teeming with various marine life. Coupled with less than one-tenth of China's per capita carbon dioxide emissions, the air quality was excellent.
Such a place could truly be called an oceanic nation.
Chen Rui couldn't help but wonder how the United Nations managed to achieve such an extraordinary feat while also protecting the ecological environment so well.
Zhang Jun patted Chen Rui on the shoulder, signaling him to follow. "Stop staring; after the meeting ends, there will be some free time for you to explore."
"This is yours; don't mess it up," Chen Rui chuckled as he followed everyone into the Giant Tower.
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