Chapter 6

Wen Desi went to Shanghai, of course, not by the extremely arduous method of walking, which would take at least half a month. He used the all-terrain vehicle in the garage.

The reason he only made contact with the people of this time on the fourth day after his arrival was that, apart from creating bio-humans and gathering intelligence, he had been repairing the two all-terrain vehicles. After two days of hard work, he finally managed to fix one. Later, when they went to Neijiang, they used this vehicle.

This "Antelope 670" all-terrain vehicle was a completely different concept from the "vehicles" of the past. It had no wheels and moved by magnetic levitation. Strictly speaking, this mode of transportation should be called a "flying vehicle." The reason it was still called a "vehicle" was that its levitation height was not high enough, and its speed was not fast enough.

Its maximum altitude was 10,000 meters above ground level, and its maximum speed was 1,000 kilometers per hour. This data was nothing special in the 23rd century, but at this time, it was absolutely the fastest and highest.

This time, Wen Desi brought 18 bio-humans to Shanghai, filling the "Antelope 670" to its 9-person capacity. Fortunately, this was 20th-century Earth; if it were the 23rd century, such overloading would have landed Wen Desi in jail for a few days.

Two hours later, the "Antelope 670" all-terrain vehicle, racing under the cover of night, arrived at the outskirts of Shanghai and silently landed by a pre-selected riverbank.

After everyone got out of the vehicle, Wen Desi took out a remote control and pressed a few buttons. The all-terrain vehicle immediately closed its doors and windows and drove into the Huangpu River, submerging itself. The water here was over 10 meters deep and in a remote area, so no one could see it. They had done the same thing when they went to Neijiang a few days ago.

This place was on the edge of the Eastern District of the International Settlement, which later became Yangpu District. It was a few kilometers away from the bustling areas.

It was now around 2 AM, and there was no one in sight. It was a dark and windy night, and this remote area had no streetlights, making it almost pitch black. However, this was no problem for Wen Desi and his team. They were equipped with night vision goggles, which made this environment no issue at all.

A bio-human looked at the electronic map and said, "Mr. Wen, the hotel is about 1.5 kilometers southwest..."

"Good, let's go. We'll rest here today..." Wen Desi adjusted his night vision goggles.

...

The Huangpu Hotel where Wen Desi and his team stayed was a Chinese-run hotel, considered mid-to-high-end at the time. It had a mixed Chinese and Western style, a three-story brick and wood structure with arched windows and doors. In addition to accommodation and dining facilities, it also had a dance hall, billiard room, small garden, and orchestra pit.

It was almost 2 AM, and the arrival of such a large group of guests caused quite a stir at the hotel.

"Hmm, the environment here is quite nice..." After entering the hotel, Wen Desi looked around and nodded.

By the standards of the time, this place was indeed quite good, with running water, electric bells, telephones, electric fans, and private bathrooms. The furniture was made of redwood, the beds were Western-style, and the bedding was silk.

Wen Desi opened his handheld computer, reviewed the plan for this trip again, and after some contemplation, went to bed.

The next day, Wen Desi and his team split into two groups and took the hotel's hired carriages to the Central District of the International Settlement, the most bustling part of Shanghai.

Wen Desi, along with Cromie and four others, went to Christie's Jewelry Store in the settlement. This was a British Jewish-owned jewelry store and the largest in Shanghai.

"Sir, we have arrived at the jewelry store!"

The carriage door was opened, and the carriage attendant quickly lowered the folding ladder and respectfully held the door.

"Thank you for your hard work..." Wen Desi smiled, and the bio-human bodyguard behind him placed two silver dollars in the attendant's hand.

Cromie said, "Mr. Wen is very satisfied with your service. This is a tip for you."

"Yes, sir, we will wait here..." the attendant said respectfully.

Wen Desi had hired the carriage for the day, and the daily rental fee was 6 yuan. The tip of 2 yuan made the driver and attendant very happy. This tip did not need to be handed over and was equivalent to their daily wage.

A series of footsteps echoed in the hall of Christie's Jewelry Store. The salesperson looked up and saw several "gentlemen" walk in.

The salesperson quickly stood up and approached them.

"Good morning, gentlemen! Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Is your manager here? We have a business proposition..." Cromie said.

...

An hour later, in the jewelry store's office.

"Oh, Mr. Karl, these diamonds are all top-quality, no problem..." the appraiser put down the magnifying glass and said with a red face.

"Yes, both the clarity and color grade are top-notch. They just haven't been finely processed, only roughly cut..." another appraiser nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Karl, the goods brought by the Americans are definitely fine..." the third appraiser made his judgment and then whispered, "Manager, you can definitely buy them. As long as we do some fine processing, the price can easily double..."

Karl thought for a moment and nodded. "Very good, thank you for your work..."

He then walked to Wen Desi and smiled. "Oh, Mr. Wen, I apologize for keeping you waiting. We are very satisfied with this batch of goods..."

"Of course, I hope the price you offer will also satisfy us..." Wen Desi said calmly.

There was no doubt that these diamonds were real, but they were artificial. These diamonds were used for drill bits and were not cut into the intricate patterns of jewelry, which could have hundreds of facets. They were cut with only 20 to 30 facets, which made them less valuable but easier to sell.

Karl said, "Based on our appraisers' assessment, your diamonds are flawless top-grade. This is the price we are offering. What do you think?" He placed a price list in front of Wen Desi.

The price of diamonds can vary greatly. A small difference in size can result in a significant price difference. The smallest of Wen Desi's diamonds were 10 carats, and the largest were 30 carats.

Wen Desi picked up the price list and saw that the 10-carat diamonds were priced at 15,000 pounds, and the 30-carat diamonds at 100,000 pounds. The total price was 1.75 million pounds.

"Hmm, Cromie, you handle the negotiation..." Wen Desi handed the task of haggling to Cromie.

"Mr. Karl, I think this price is too low. This price can only buy second-grade diamonds. The appropriate price should be..." Cromie looked at the price list and said.

Karl immediately shook his head. "Oh, no, no, no, this price is very reasonable. We also need to make a profit..."

After a heated negotiation, the final price for the batch of diamonds was 2.12 million pounds.

"Mr. Cromie, I see you are also Jewish, no wonder..." Karl wiped the sweat from his forehead and signed the contract.

"Yes, I am an American Jew..." Cromie smiled and showed his American passport.

Wen Desi's American passports were essentially genuine. Even the U.S. embassy would have considered them real. There were no anti-counterfeiting measures on passports at the time, not even a photo of the holder. The database in the office had the design of American passports from this era and the signatures of the officials.

A few days earlier, Wen Desi had sent someone to Shanghai to obtain a real passport. They then found similar paper, used computer typesetting to create the design, and printed it using a 3D printer to replicate the original.

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