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Chapter 210 Ulysses’ S.S. Aviator
TL: Kyous
Ulysses led the group from the beach into the woods, where they weaved and wandered until they discovered a narrow path hidden among the trees.
The path was quite secluded and narrow that Leo could barely pass through without brushing against the shrubs on either side. Besides, the woods were infested with gigantic black mosquitoes that relentlessly swarmed around him and the others.
However, despite the mosquitoes’ sharp proboscis, they were unable to penetrate the tough skin of Leo and Bucky.
Meanwhile, Ulysses and Mark were accustomed to such an environment. The two shirtless men casually swatted the mosquitoes without affecting their speed.
As the group followed the path to its end, a vast expanse lay before their eyes. It was a clearing of nearly a hundred square meters, with two tents pitched in the center. A smoldering campfire lay diagonally to the entrance of the tents, giving the whole scene the feel of a cozy little campsite.
Taking a quick glance at the campsite, Ulysses frowned and shouted out loudly, “Which two rascals are on duty today? It’s not even that late and they’re slacking off! Do they really think I won’t blast them both with a single shot?”
Just as Ulysses finished speaking, two skinny black men dressed lightly popped out from the two tents, one with a bald head and the other with a buzz cut. Although they didn’t wear much, both of them were armed with guns, displaying a high level of alertness.
They stepped out with their guns and upon seeing that it was Ulysses and Mark, they immediately lowered their guns behind them and greeted with cheerful smiles, “Boss, aren’t you in America? How are you back so fast?”
“So you think you can slack off when I’m not around?! You two lazy bums!” Ulysses took off the down jacket that was tied around his waist and gave each of them a whack.
The two men didn’t even flinch. Instead, they laughed even more brightly, with a pleading look in their eyes.
“Forget it. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let you two off the hook,” Ulysses said, waving his hand nonchalantly. “Bring the boat over, take us to the main vessel.”
At this time of year, it was the rainy season and evening was the period of high tide. So, the abandoned ships in the shipyard were submerged in over two meters of water and to board the main vessel, they had to rely on a smaller boat to shuttle them back and forth.
The skinny bald man took off the rifle strapped to his back right away and handed it to his companion, saying, “Boss, let me take the wheel. I’m the best at driving a gas-powered dinghy in this shipyard.”
The other skinny man didn’t argue and obediently took the rifle, watching as his partner and their boss led the group toward the beach.
After walking a short distance along a winding path, Leo caught sight of the beach again. A small boat was moored on the shore and upon closer looks, it was fitted with a gasoline engine.
The bald skinny man waded through the water and climbed aboard the boat, walking over to the gasoline engine. He pulled a cord and the engine roared to life, producing a loud noise.
Ulysses and Mark also stepped into the water and climbed aboard the board with big strides. Bucky lowered his head and looked at his leather shoes and shook his head before walking into the water as well.
Just as Bucky approached the boat, a figure suddenly flashed over his head and landed on the boat without causing any huge movement. Looking up, he saw Leo standing at the stern, looking down at him.
On the other hand, Ulysses and his two henchmen were stunned, staring at the distance of at least fifteen meters between the boat and the beach.
At this point, Bucky had already waded into the water and reached the side of the boat. He grabbed onto the edge and began to climb up, muttering to himself, “If I had known, I would’ve just jumped over. There goes a nice pair of leather shoes.”
Hearing Bucky grumbling, Leo just smiled without saying anything.
Of course, Bucky could have made the jump of fifteen meters with a running start, but the impact of his landing surely would sink the entire boat.
It was thanks to Daredevil’s “Enhanced Body Balance” that Leo could perform such a feat with ease.
Climbing onto the boat, Bucky glared at Ulysses, “What are you waiting for? Start the boat already!”
Bucky’s clothes were completely soaked now and he was anxious to change into something dry on the boat.
Realizing this, Ulysses swiftly instructed the dazed bald skinny man to drive the boat. The skilled henchman shifted the gears and steered the gasoline-powered dinghy towards a large ship on the southwest side.
Pointing at the ship they were heading to, Ulysses introduced Leo and Bucky, “That big ship we’re heading to isn’t the biggest one in the shipyard, it’s the third biggest. You see if this place gets exposed, the enemy might go for the biggest ship right away. Sometimes, being big doesn’t mean it’s good. It just means you attract more attention, like being a tall tree that catches the wind.”
Both Leo and Bucky remained silent, but the henchman immediately tried to flatter, “Boss, you’re truly wise.”
Ulysses glared at his henchman before continuing, “Don’t be fooled, it might look old and rusty on the outside, but it got everything we need inside. It’s equipped with a nuclear power generator that not only keeps the lights on but can also support weapon manufacturing.”
Suddenly, Ulysses lowered his voice and leaned in close to Leo and Bucky, making sure his henchman couldn’t hear him. He whispered, “Between you and me, most of the money I made from selling the VIbranium went into these dozen giant ships. Otherwise, where would I get the money to build a nuclear power generator?!”
Leo wasn’t particularly interested in these old ships, but Bucky seemed very intrigued. Pointing at the approaching ship, he asked, “Ulysses, does it have a name?”
“She has, before she was scrapped, she was called S.S. Aviator. But now…” Ulysses chuckled. “She’s called Ulysses’ S.S. Aviator!”
The small boat was moving fast, and the abandoned giant ship wasn’t too far from the coastline. Even at low tide, the mud at the seabed would be exposed. So in no time, the skinny bald man manned the boat next to the giant ship.
At the entrance of the ship, there were guards on duty who saw Ulysses and immediately showed happy expressions on their faces. A long ladder was extended from the entrance of the ship and offered to the side of the small boat.
Ulysses led the group to climb up the ladder and onto the abandoned giant ship.
As the leader of the shipyard, Ulysses was warmly welcomed by his henchmen upon his return. They praised him and tried to curry favor with him. Simultaneously, they became curious and suspicious of the strangers, Leo and Bucky.
However, Ulysses was highly respected here and his words carried great weight. He briefly introduced Leo and Bucky as his good friends before urging everyone to treat them with the utmost respect in the future. This easily fooled and dispersed the crowd that had gathered around.
And because Mark injured his wrist, Bucky sent him to the ship’s infirmary for treatment. Since both Ulysses and Bucky were drenched in sweat, Leo wasn’t in a hurry to retrieve Vibranium first and was instead brought to a lounge by Ulysses.
As expected, the lounge was a relaxing oasis with music, cold drinks, air conditioning, and even Haagen-Dazs ice cream, as Ulysses had promised.
Ulysses led his Boss Bucky to shower and change clothes, leaving Leo to enjoy his leisure time eating ice cream.
When Bucky returned with Ulysses, it had been ten minutes. Bucky had changed into a clean outfit, typical African casual attire, and had shed his previous awkwardness, regaining his coolness and handsomeness.
Unwilling to wait any longer, Leo opened the fridge and tossed a tub of Haagen-Dazs to both Bucky and Ulysses. Then, he let Ulysses lead the way to where the Vibranium was stored.
The cabin was quite large and filled with all sorts of stuff as well as many people.
As they walked through a noisy workshop filled with workers, with a tub of Haagen-Dazs in his hand, Bucky asked Ulysses, “What are they working on? They seem to be working very hard!”
“Weapons. They are producing weapons. Then I sell the weapons, buyers give me money, I give them money, and they go enjoy. That’s why they work so hard,” answered Ulysses, while talking about his business with excitement and boldness. But the sight of him tightly clenching the Haagen-Dazc ice cream was quite out of place.
Bucky curiously asked, “So, how’s your business? Do they sell well?”
“I’m a black market arms dealer with no background or connections, so I can only sell discreetly and make just enough to get by,” replied Ulysses without holding back. “I make about nearly ten million dollars in net profit each year.”
Bucky sneered, “That’s not exactly enough to get by…”
Leo was anxious and didn’t want to listen to their banter anymore, so he urged, “Enough chit-chat, Ulysses. Take me to the Vibranium now.”
“Sure thing, boss. This way.” Ulysses said, pointing to the stairs on the left.
Turning his head, Bucky glanced back at the bustling scene and was lost in thought. He subconsciously nodded, as if he had recalled something.
Ulysses led Leo and Bucky down four or five flights of stairs. Based on Leo’s estimation, they were approaching the bottom of the ship, submerged below the water level.
The three of them arrived at a metal door, and Ulysses stopped in front of it. Looking around to ensure there was no one nearby, Ulysses took out a key from his waist and unlocked the door, pushing it open with all his might.
Inside the door was a rather spacious warehouse with several wooden crates piled up inside. The crates were just ordinary shipping containers with nothing special about them.
Nonetheless, the walls surrounding them were marked with small Arabic numerals in white paint, indicating the storage compartments within the warehouse.
One, two… seven, eight. When they reached the door labeled ‘08’ on the white-painted wall, Ulysses stopped and used both hands to pull open the sliding door of the storage compartment.