Chapter 860 - 139: Crossing the Storm (Part 1)

To get from the UK to Belgium, one must cross the Channel—

The sky is quite gray: in a while the typhoon will make landfall in the UK, and by then shipping, air transport, and even land transport may all be suspended. If they miss this window, they’ll be huddled in Foxstone waiting for the storm to pass!

If this movement doesn’t forge ahead when the momentum is strong, it will again become a laughingstock in European Union history—

"It’s over..."

Sevens looked at the gray sky, feeling as oppressed as the weather.

He turned to look at Elliot, who was staring at the sky but did not seem as hopeless as he did.

Sevens certainly wanted to pull off a big deal, and being adventurous at heart, he immediately stepped down from his position after completing the procedure to reduce the share of the European Tunnel Company and set up a special committee—

The internal duty of this committee is to keep Elliot’s "workers’ movement" from spiraling out of control, while its public duty is to patrol possible or existing cyberpsy cases nationwide and report them, calming public opinion.

This position has a very high upper limit: unlike fixed positions, he can report these matters directly to the superior of any department, anywhere.

But the lower limit is obviously also very low: if this massive workers’ movement comes to an abrupt halt, he can’t even compare to a small street management captain in Foxstone...

It’s easy to transfer away, but it’s difficult to be transferred back shamefully.

The person responsible for the Bruges parade on the registration form is Elliot. If he wasn’t there at the time, who knows what the company would do to those demonstrators?

[Lille: First, figure out what’s going on, ask for details.]

Upon receiving instructions, Elliot asked, "What exactly is the situation? The transport management department’s announcement shows operations will be stopped in three days."

Sevens said bitterly, "I booked the International Partner Network’s business travel service, but they told me due to safety requirements, all business travel services have been canceled by the market management department... primarily because the business department in Bruges opted to suspend.

Looks like the European Tunnel Company got smart and reached an agreement with the people over there in Bruges.

The International Partner Network Company gave us two solutions: One, they directly compensate tenfold.

Two, they transfer us to a port on the opposite shore that can be reached directly, then use land or air transport service to reach Bruges...

But the routes they could choose won’t reach Bruges until five days later, and nearby ports have been closed."

Elliot has always not minded speculating the worst in companies. With the time elapsed, he immediately caught on:

"Although the Northern Construction Group has diverted some resources, the European Tunnel Company still controls most of the Franco-English Channel traffic...

They can completely block available ports and postpone our arrival until after the Bruges parade!

They know the workers in Bruges plan to march!"

Sevens held his head: "It must be, I just reported the situation over there in Bruges to the senior department and it sparked this incident..."

Alina furrowed her brows: "Wait a minute, doesn’t that mean we exposed their marching time and place on purpose? We..."

"Illegal parades will land directly in jail! This is a second-degree felony!"

The company will follow the rules of the European Union, and of course, they must adhere here too!

Elliot looked at the port, where there were still floating freighters and maritime freighters being loaded: "So, business travel is not an option... just business travel?"

"What are you thinking? The shipping company would never go against the European Tunnel Company—they are one, and boarding without a permit is smuggling! You’ll be thrown into the slaughter zone!"

Elliot was silent this time, but soon... his eyes began to fill with astonishment, staring at the sea...

The reason lay in the solution suggested by Lille:

[Lille: With such a wide sea, who says we must take a boat?]

Elliot’s silence drew Sevens’ attention, who followed Elliot’s gaze and saw the means of transport Lille talked about:

On the wavy nearshore, black tail fins could be seen occasionally splashing in the water.

He was eyeing the fish!

Sevens’ expression started to change continuously—on one hand, he realized this plan might actually work, but on the other hand...

He’d never endured such hardship!

"You’re not thinking..."

"Right now, immediately go to the International Partner Network for a refund and warn them tenfold isn’t enough. The more they refund, the better, or we’ll make a big fuss!"

A new plan was coming to fruition:

The International Partner Network Company is a service company. The services they provide for travelers include not just transportation but also meals, dining, and even preparations for appropriate work attire and rest schedules, belonging to the class of high-end business travel contractors.

But they are merely a broker, offering a final package that combines transportation resources, clothing, and other material and virtual services, also preferred by high-end travelers.

However, they are not the ultimate owners of the sea—

This channel is under European Union control, since it is relatively close to human-occupied areas, there are indeed maritime routes, and air routes are also open. After experiencing economic downturns and internet collapse, ocean resources have basically been monopolized by three companies in different degrees and fields:

They are the International Navigation and Ocean Company (CINO), Ocean Technology Company (OTEC), and the International Commercial Vessels Company (IHAG) in monopoly.

These three companies were initiators of the Fourth Corporate War. No matter what, they eventually became the ultimate owners of various oceanic resources—

The transportation resources from Foxstone to Bruges are managed by United Express Company, from whom the International Partner Network Company contracts the transportation resources, packages them with other services, and sells them to customers like Sevens.

In some sense, they can be said to have monopolized transportation resources, packaging them as high-end business travel services.

But the major shareholder of this company is CINO—

CINO’s business includes Biological Weapon, including those controlled intelligent whales and sharks!

If the weaponry is removed, they can naturally also serve as means of transport, allowing Elliot’s team to bypass and cross the damned Channel!

More importantly: in the Fourth Corporate War, CINO was beaten thoroughly by OTEC in ocean technology while being suppressed by IHAG in mechanical vehicles. Such an opportunity to promote their Biological Weapon, how could they refuse?

How could they abandon a potentially positive promotion opportunity for "lower-tier enterprises" like the International Partner Network and United Express?

Riding on fish through the storm, crossing the channel, Sevens’ face, accustomed to comfort as a European Union official, turned pale, and even Alina, the mercenary, felt a bit nervous!

But right now, it is the only option:

"We’re riding fish!"