The Prisoner's Gold

32

Designed to look like a Ming Dynasty junk, the triple-masted ship’s square, maroon sails billowed in the breeze. Despite its historical appearance, the boat was powered by propellers and filled with the latest technology. Like its owner, the yacht honored the old traditions of Ancient China but embraced the modern world.

Feng He leaned forward in his deck chair and smiled his best smile.

The man across from Feng was an American named Harold Ledner. He was proposing the sale of Mobility, his telecommunications company, to China Mobile, the world’s number one telecom, for an exceedingly reasonable price of $130 billion. Although Feng wasn’t the actual buyer — China Mobile was — Feng would get the credit in his homeland even though the world media would never hear his name.

That was just how Feng preferred things.

Ledner wanted assurances about a variety of things, none of which Feng actually intended to deliver on. He just had to put on a good show. Drinks, women, the ship’s sail — it was all a part of his sales pitch. Yet another attempt to convince a decadent Westerner into giving up something valuable for much less than it was worth.

Feng had dealt with hundreds like him before.

He knew what buttons to push.

The acquisition of Ledner’s company would do wonders for Feng in political circles, but unlike some businessmen who focused only on the bottom line, this transaction had little to do with money. Feng’s chief goal was securing China for the Chinese. Telecommunications was a booming business, and even though China Mobile had the number one spot, Verizon and AT&T were constantly eyeing China as the new frontier. The way to stop them was simple: Feng would acquire all of the smaller companies — like Ledner’s and his closest competitors — then he would use the increased revenue to buy out Verizon. After that, if AT&T didn’t get the hint to stay out of China, he would gun for them, too.

Ledner took a sip of his single malt Scotch, savoring the 40-year-old limited edition Bunnahabhain. Feng swirled the similarly colored liquid in his own glass: nothing more than apple juice over ice: the same trick Elvis Presley used to employ.

‘Let’s get down to brass tacks, Mr Feng. If China Mobile buys out Mobility, it’ll put you in a perfect place to take on the competition in America. What are your plans for the US?’

Feng smiled while seething inside.

Why did Americans always assume that everything revolved around their country?

Feng couldn’t care less about economic development in America. He only cared about the 1.4 billion people in China. Ledner still thought the whims of the market were dictated by what Americans bought and sold. Instead, it would be the rising Chinese middle and upper classes that would sway the world.

‘I have no plans to take on AT&T. They would crush us. The same with Verizon. No, we’ll be happy to keep your European clients and our hold on the Asian market.’ Feng leaned closer, as if sharing a secret. ‘We’re actually focusing on Africa. If the sub-Saharan countries ever get their acts together, the market will be huge.’

Ledner laughed. ‘You know what they say about fixing Africa. Can’t be done — internally or externally.’

‘Perhaps. But with money thrown at agriculture and education, instead of pointless NGOs and unstable petty warlords, a company like China Mobile might have a chance.’

‘Good luck with that,’ Ledner said with a laugh. ‘So, no interest in the US?’

Ledner seemed surprised, but Feng knew it was exactly what the man wanted to hear. He was happy to make a fortune selling to China, so long as the Chinese didn’t make further inroads into his country.

‘None,’ Feng lied. ‘The competition is too tough. You know how Asians are. We’ll sit back and wait until the competition shoots itself in the foot. Then we’ll offer a helping hand when AT&T is dying — if it ever comes to that. But we don’t want to walk in the door. The American people will gladly buy foreign TVs from Wal-Mart, but they’ll never pay a monthly bill to a Chinese telecom.’

Ledner laughed again. ‘Truer words, my friend, truer words.’

I am not your friend, you overweight slug, Feng thought, yet he managed to keep the disgust from his face. They hadn’t signed the papers yet, but the deal was done.

Just then Lim Bao appeared at Feng’s side. While Feng had more athletic ability and raw power than Lim did, the smaller man was stealthier than a cat.

He leaned down and whispered into Feng’s ear.

‘A situation, sir,’ he said in Cantonese. While Ledner might be familiar with the Chinese Mandarin language, it was extremely unlikely he could speak Cantonese, a far more complex one, with eight ‘tones’ to Mandarin’s four.

Feng stood slowly. ‘Excuse me, please. I’ll just be a moment. Should I send the girl up with something to eat?’

Ledner had been staring at the serving girl all night. His leer consisted of one part lust and one part awe. She was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. He would gladly sign away his fortune just to taste her. ‘Definitely. She can serve me all night long.’

Feng ignored the remark and followed Lim below deck for a private conversation.

‘What is it?’ Feng demanded.

‘Remember the two foreigners from the Loulan ruins?’

‘Of course. The only reason I didn’t have Chen killed was because of the sheer range of the sniper’s attack. I still don’t know how he killed a man from that distance.’

‘It took us a while, but we were finally able to recover the hi-res video from the helicopter’s camera system. We identified him as a former US Marine. His name is Joshua McNutt.’

Feng stroked his chin in thought. ‘An American soldier in Xinjiang. Very interesting indeed. But surely you didn’t call me out of the meeting just for that.’

‘No, sir,’ Lim said. ‘You know me better than that. The Marine and the other man were spotted arriving on a private plane in Hong Kong earlier today.’

Feng was stunned. ‘They’re here?’

Lim nodded.

‘Outstanding. I assume our brothers are watching them?’

‘They just checked into the Peninsula with another two men and two women.’

‘All military?’ Feng asked with a hungry gleam in his own eyes.

Lim could tell that his boss was already envisioning how he would punish the foreign intruders. ‘No. That’s the strange thing, sir. One man is French. A businessman. The others we couldn’t identify, although one woman is Chinese.’

Feng wondered about her ethnicity. ‘Han?’

‘She appears so.’

Feng thought about the information and fell into silence.

‘Should we pick them up?’ Lim asked.

‘No, not yet. Let’s see what they’re up to first.’

‘Of course, sir.’

‘One more thing,’ Feng said, ‘when Ledner is done signing the papers, make sure his trip home meets with some kind of horrible tragedy. His manners are atrocious.’

Lim smiled. ‘Perhaps a mugging on his layover in Singapore? That city is getting so dangerous these days.’

Feng nodded. ‘Perfect.’