I am a Big Player
Chapter 476: Steve’s Identity Mystery (Second Update)_1

Chapter 476: Steve’s Identity Mystery (Second Update)_1

Just as the FBI agents began to check all the crew members on board, Ren He also got the list he wanted. Including himself and Steve, there were only four new crew members who had joined before this sailing.

Ren He had considered whether the other party might stay onboard as a passenger, but in fact, Steve had denied this possibility. The FBI wasn’t foolish—those who have certain freedom of movement on the ship and can interact with passengers without concern could only be the crew members.

If it’s a passenger, how could they conveniently conduct their search? Moreover, this person is very likely to be a member of the housekeeping staff.

Ren He looked at Steve suspiciously. The other two new hires were indeed from the housekeeping department. He was beginning to suspect that Steve had seen this crew manifest before speaking so confidently.

"What unit did you retire from?" Ren He asked, puzzled. When Steve spoke with such certainty, Ren He suddenly became interested in his past.

Steve was very skilled, and Ren He was certain of this. It was just that Steve had the misfortune of coming across Ren He, who possessed peak human physical prowess and master level combat skills.

When Steve first found out that Ren He was the one involved with the National Security Agency, his reaction was more about resisting getting involved in the turmoil than being afraid.

Ren He believed that if it were his former self who encountered this situation, he would probably be scared to death. But Steve wasn’t.

Afterward, Steve was able to provide a crew identity for Ren He and even help smuggle guns on board. Was this something an ordinary retired soldier could do? Ren He didn’t think all American soldiers could act like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.

This world isn’t so magical.

However, Steve was tight-lipped about his former identity, seemingly intending to keep his secrets hidden forever.

Ren He felt he really found the right person in Steve, who was clearly no simple individual. He was only down on his luck because the money he had after retirement simply wasn’t enough to live on.

It was the same in China. Many soldiers didn’t have an easy life after retirement. Ren He had known a veteran in his previous life who had been a scout and later joined the Three Armed Forces Parade Team. The company had hired him for military training; they paid him just 3,000 yuan for 15 days.

You can imagine his life wasn’t particularly successful.

This time, it was only after Steve received the money that he seriously analyzed the situation and concluded that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had already intervened. He seemed to be very familiar with the procedures involved.

Ren He asked again, "How many agents do you think are on the ship?"

"One or two, at most. Every day, numerous ships and cruise liners leave ports. Even the FBI could face a shortage of personnel. They can’t possibly dedicate the nation’s entire effort to capture you because the things they are doing themselves are not exactly honorable," Steve seemed well-acquainted with the ins and outs, "If they had caught you back then, of course, that would have been best. But they didn’t, and now they have to carefully consider how to prevent the incident from escalating into a diplomatic dispute."

So, does that mean the other two new crew members are likely FBI agents? Ren He felt he definitely had to avoid the housekeeping department. There was no need for him to confirm whether or not they were agents. He just needed to keep a low profile and stay out of their way until the cruise ship left U.S. waters.

Ren He decided that once the ship reached the Caribbean, he would disembark and contact his home country. With Project PRISM in the United States, he didn’t dare make a long-distance call abroad.

Suddenly thinking of something, he said to Steve, "Aren’t you a great thief? Here’s the deal, I’ll add 50,000 US dollars to your payment if you sneak into the crew manifest and delete our names. Even though they are aliases, they almost certainly will start paying more attention to the newly hired crew members."

"Thanks a lot, I’ll gladly take the money. But I’ve already deleted the names from the list," Steve said proudly. He hadn’t expected Ren He’s money to be so easy to earn. He had simply deleted the names on a whim, never expecting to make a quick 50,000 US dollars from that.

Steve felt that Ren He was truly the best client in the world; if he weren’t so set on retiring, he’d be tempted to ask Ren He if he needed him to keep handling some shady business for him...

That night, Steve slept with that bag of US Dollars hugged close, fearing the money would be gone upon waking.

The dream of striking it rich through gambling was also ruthlessly crushed by reality by Ren He; the remaining hope was to safely escort Ren He out of the country and then enjoy his own retirement fund, living out the rest of his life with his wife and children.

...

After 4 a.m., the entire cruise ship fell from its daytime bustle into silence; even the casino, which operated around the clock, had few people left in it.

A Caucasian man dressed in civilian clothes left the crew quarters of the housekeeping department and quietly made his way straight to the first mate’s office.

On this cruise ship, it had always been the first mate who managed all the crew’s staffing matters, such as joining and leaving. If he wanted to know if there were any newcomers on board, the investigator thought the most convenient thing would be to take a trip directly to the first mate’s office.

Upon investigation, it was found that this first mate was a former CIA member, whose records were well documented. He was absolutely loyal and had kept a low profile since leaving the CIA; hence, the FBI had reason to believe he wouldn’t blunder over such matters as national fugitives.

However, there was still some risk in directly asking for the list; what if he was an accomplice deliberately committing fraud? It seemed more reassuring to check the records himself.

Moreover, the FBI and CIA were inherently competitive. The FBI had law enforcement authority overseas, too, and it was not the first or second time that the two departments had minor conflicts. Once escalated to the collective level, it became a matter of collective face.

If the FBI asked for assistance from a former CIA member, where would that leave their pride?

It is indeed true in this world that "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line," yet in the adult world, most people do not choose to conduct matters in such a way.

And especially so in the political realm; this is why people always question why government efficiency is so low — it’s a result of collective thinking.

The investigator covertly entered the first mate’s office and booted up the computer, cracking the password of a standard civilian computer, which was a piece of cake.

The investigator, full of anticipation, had already checked all the passengers; only the crew remained. If he could find that violent criminal, it would be a great achievement.

But the investigator didn’t want to expose himself; after all, they knew exactly what that criminal had done.

This was the person who dared to shoot a bloody path through the center of New York City with a sniper rifle. The investigator admitted to himself that he lacked the courage and ability.

The investigator opened the file on the first mate’s desktop and scrolled down to the newly recruited personnel detail. Clearly, in the past three months, only he and another housekeeping crew member named George had joined...

George? The guy in his own dormitory snoring loudly and with damn smelly feet? Could he be that violent criminal? What a joke!

...

I’ve been very tired lately, and so is my mental state; there’s no energy left to code too much, my apologies. There are only 3 days left until the wedding, and what I can assure you is that the updates won’t stop...