Manhattan Reborn 1978

Asia.

Island country, Tokyo.

After dinner~

On the west side of Tokyo Tower, inside a high-end apartment building.

Marat, Yuri and Nobunari Kihara followed Toshiki Wada into a spacious small conference room.

In the conference room, there were three telephones placed on a small rectangular table.

Toshiki Wada picked up one of the microphones and smiled at Marat: "This phone can help you contact Mr. Popov."

"The other two phones are extensions of this phone, just convenient for us to listen together."

"Listen in..."

Marat raised his eyebrows and smiled confidently: "I remember you said that you are proficient in Russian?"

"Yes~"

Toshiki Wada admitted generously: "When I was studying for my master's degree, I learned French, German and Russian in my spare time."

"They can help me better access the latest papers and information published by foreign scholars."

"..ok!"

When Marat heard this guy's "deliberate" showing off, he was briefly stunned for two seconds, then smiled at Yuri and Kihara Nobunari, who were still in a daze.

"Please come over and help me take notes."

"Uh... ok!"

Yuri, who had just drank a glass of beer, loosened the buttons on his collar, walked to Marat with Nobunari Kihara, and watched him pick up the phone and make a call.

. . .

Nearly half an hour later.

Marat put down the phone, glanced at Yuri who was sweating on his head, and smiled at Toshiki Wada.

"You heard everything we said~"

"what do you think?"

After Toshiki Wada put down the phone, he pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "I think the transaction plan you discussed... seems a bit too hasty, right?"

"Mr. Popov took a tanker and temporarily docked at the Toyama Prefecture dock. There must be no problem!"

"But his request..."

Marat, of course, understands Toshiki Wada's concerns.

He had just finalized the details of this crude oil spot transaction with Uncle Popov, whom he had not seen for a long time.

Popov volunteered that he would take a 22-ton oil tanker flying the Indian flag tonight, departing from Nakhodka, the largest commercial port in the Far East, passing through the waters of the island country and heading to Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

The tanker's route "happened" to pass through Toyama Prefecture, located in the central and western part of the island country.

Therefore, when this tanker passes through the waters near Toyama Prefecture tomorrow afternoon, it will "accidentally" suffer a major mechanical failure that cannot be repaired at sea. It must go to the nearest seaport to stop for repairs before it can continue sailing.

The tanker terminal in Toyama Prefecture is undoubtedly the best temporary stop.

As for the transaction issue. .

"Hehe~"

Marat smiled and took the call record from Yuri, glanced at it quickly, and nodded.

"The fact that he was asking for a cash deal was not excessive."

"After the oil tanker he was on docked at the Toyama Prefecture terminal, all the crude oil cargo would have to be unloaded in order to repair the sudden major mechanical failure on the ship."

"And we happen to be willing to take over this batch of crude oil spot as energy reserves."

"It shouldn't be difficult for Wells Fargo to raise 12 million yuan in cash for him during at least 3000 hours when they were stationed for repairs, right?"

"..." A trace of curiosity flashed in Toshiki Wada's eyes, he looked at the three Marat people and nodded.

"Cash, no problem."

"I'm still curious... Could you please answer me?"

"Of course!"

Marat walked over to Toshiki Wada and sat down, placing the call records in front of him, assuming a master's attitude, and smiled.

"Excuse me~"

"..."

Toshiki Wada looked down at the call record, thought for a while and said.

"You and Mr. Popov just said on the phone that this transaction is our first transaction, and both parties will try to use cash + commodities for settlement...?"

"Yup!"

Marat felt funny and shrugged: "The public identity I used with Uncle Popov is that I am an immigrant trader from the Great Bear Country who has obtained American citizenship."

“I came to the island country this time to follow my boss, Mr. Orlov, and his assistant, Mr. Kihara Nobunari, to inspect the island country’s import and export trade market for my boss. By the way, I went to Toyama Prefecture to visit you and Mr. Yasuda Fengichiro. .That’s all!”

"and you?"

"You warmly entertained us in Toyama Prefecture and talked a lot about the market conditions of the island country's export commodity business. You also told an interesting story about an oil tanker that passed through the waters around Toyama Prefecture and temporarily docked at the dock for renovations."

"So, driven by curiosity, we followed you to the pier to see what happened~"

"After that, I was surprised to find that I actually met an acquaintance... He was Uncle Popov whom I hadn't seen for a long time!"

"Uncle Popov, when he saw me on the pier, he was also very surprised that we never meet again in life."

"Then we went to the hotel for a drink at your warm invitation. Uncle Popov talked about the difficulties he encountered at the wine table."

"but!"

"Your island country and the big bear country have not publicly established diplomatic relations and trade relations yet~"

"He wants to unload this batch of crude oil first and sell it to us at the original price in the contract."

"But he can't receive the payment from any bank at all. He can only trouble you to raise enough cash to complete the transaction!"

"..." After listening to this "story" made up by Marat, Toshiki Wada couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth slightly.

Yuri Orlov and Kihara Nobunari couldn't help but look at each other, and both looked at the "story king" Marat, silently giving a thumbs up in their hearts. .

Marat obviously was not confused by the "story" he carefully made up. .

He pointed at the call record with his hand and said to Toshiki Wada with a smile.

"22 tons of crude oil, about 140 million barrels."

"According to the price we just negotiated - 20 meters per barrel, the total price of 140 million barrels is 3080 million meters."

"Mr. Popov's request is 3000 million yuan in cash + 80 yuan in coffee, brand-name cosmetics, Panasonic hair dryers and other commodities."

"Surely these products are not difficult to buy in Toyama Prefecture, right?"

"...No! You may have overlooked an important point." Toshiki Wada glanced down at the call record, shook his head with a wry smile and said.

"What I just wanted to say...is also the point."

"For the first time we cooperated, Mr. Popov specifically asked for a batch of high-end cosmetics produced by Dior and Lancôme on the phone."

"But in our Toyama Prefecture, there are no high-end cosmetics from these two companies for sale..."

"Here in Tokyo, we can only try our luck everywhere to possibly buy something that meets Mr. Popov's requirements..."

"Because most of the high-end cosmetics sold in our department stores are produced by major international cosmetics companies and are specially developed for the skin characteristics and usage needs of our islanders..."

"Even if we bought these two brands of cosmetics in Tokyo, I think it would be difficult to satisfy Mr. Popov."

"Forehead.."

Marat, who felt that he had indeed overlooked this small detail, was speechless.

The formulas of high-end cosmetics produced by Dior and Lancôme sold to islanders and Xiongda people will definitely be different!

Different skin colors + different regions + different cultures + different usage requirements make Popov’s request a difficult problem that cannot be solved in the short term. .

Marat frowned and thought for a moment, then looked at Yuri Orlov who was also lost in thought, and his eyes slowly lit up.

"Have!!"

"Oh?" Toshiki Wada looked at Marat a little surprised, wanting to hear what "high opinions" he had to say.

Marat pointed at Yuri Orlov with a smile and explained.

"His girlfriend Ava Fangtian is a very famous model!"

"When we were chatting in Hawaii, she once mentioned some interesting things about girls in the modeling circle who like high-end cosmetics from Dior and Lancôme."

"For example: Girls really like the ones sold at the Dior store in Macy's department store in Manhattan."

"Um...you mean!?"

"That's right!"

"We can have someone fly a batch of high-end cosmetics that meet Uncle Popov's requirements from France to satisfy him!"

"Or we can directly ask friends in Hawaii, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to help us buy some... and ship them back!"

"..." Toshiki Wada looked at Marat with a strange expression for a while, nodded, and asked.

“It’s no problem to find someone to help temporarily!”

"But Mr. Popov's stay...?"

"It's ok!"

"As long as we move quickly enough, even if there is a slight delay in time, Uncle Popov will not have any problem."

Marat gently rubbed his chin with his fingers, stared at the phone and said, "Should I contact the boss now and ask him to find a way to transfer the money to your Fuji Bank account?"

"..Can!"

Toshiki Wada stood up very wisely, extended his right hand to Marat and smiled.

"I will return to Toyama Prefecture immediately to solve the problems that may be encountered when tankers dock near the sea."

"In addition, I will also find someone to help say hello to the Marine Patrol~"

"As for the US naval base, should you give Mr. Davis Leahy a call?"

"Of course!"

Marat squeezed Toshiki Wada's "delicate" right hand hard and grinned.

"I will contact Mr. Leahy."

"Okay!" Toshiki Wada calmly retracted his right hand and nodded to Yuri and the others.

"Tomorrow morning, there will be a car left to take you to Toyama County."

"Let's meet tomorrow at noon?!"

"must!"

. . .

Toshiki Wada is gone.

Marat did not pick up the phone immediately, but walked to sit next to Yuri and quietly waited for his questions.

Yuri fiddled with the pen in his hand, glanced in the direction of the door, and asked hesitantly in a low voice.

"Did he deliberately arrange this... call?"

"Yes~"

Marat crossed his legs, pointed at the phone and said with a smile: "He wants to hear the conversation between me and Uncle Popov with his own ears, to make sure we are not making up stories to deceive people!"

"..."

When Yuri heard the word "making up stories", he nodded with a strange smile and asked in a lower voice.

"Where's the gas price?"

Marat waved his hand to him nonchalantly and explained: "I told you before that Uncle Popov has signed an export contract with a European crude oil middleman."

"The price on that contract is 20 meters per barrel."

"But during the call just now, Uncle Popov temporarily raised the price to 22 meters per barrel."

"The extra 200 yuan is our cost to steal the goods from that middleman!"

"The other 80 yuan worth of merchandise is a gift for those friends who helped Uncle Popov complete this transaction."

Marat looked at Yuri, who had a look of surprise on his face, and then glanced at Kihara Nobunari, who was frowning and thinking silently, and smiled.

"Both of you have heard of the famous CIA, and you must have heard the name of the Xiong Daguo Secret Security Committee (TCSS for short) from some media, right?"

"Uh... I've heard of it." Yuri and Kihara Nobunari nodded.

"Hehe~"

Marat shook his head with some sigh and said: "You can probably know a little bit about CIA's abilities from many American media..."

"But you can never imagine how powerful the agents of TCSS are."

"Let's take... the transoceanic phone call just now."

"Nakhodka, the largest import and export port in the Far East, and its neighbor to the west in Vladivostok (Vladivostok), is the Pacific Fleet base of the Chinese navy stationed in the Far East!"

"You said that Nakhodka is less than 100 kilometers away from Vladivostok, which is extremely confidential. Would the tcss agents be careless and not pay attention to it?"

"..Won't!"

"So, the phone call you just made was also being monitored and monitored by the agents?" Yuri asked, feeling a little numb.

"Ok!"

Marat spread his hands and smiled: "What else?!"

"Who do you think those goods worth 80 meters are specially prepared for?"

"Yes...but do their agents secretly accept gifts?"

"Hahahaha~"

Marat looked at Yuri's eyes full of "curiosity", raised three fingers and smiled.

"You remember!"

"In this world, there are three psychological weaknesses that most people cannot get rid of: vanity, greed and unwillingness!"

"When people no longer have to worry about and run around all day for basic clothing, food, shelter, and transportation, they need to meet more of their own psychological needs..."

"Even though he's a determined agent, he's still human!!"

"He also has his own family, lovers and friends!!"

"Xiong Daguo strictly controls the sales of imported goods. Ordinary people can only watch the big shots waving foreign exchange coupons in their hands and entering special stores to spend happily."

"That's why the underground black market was quietly born in the major cities of the Bear Country, gradually became popular, and formed a semi-public distribution center for in-demand goods!"

Marat tapped the table in front of Yuri with his finger knuckles and said with a meaningful smile.

"In addition, after President Nixon visited Moscow a few years ago, the relationship between the two superpowers has tended to ease to a certain extent~"

"The agitations in many people's hearts have slowly surfaced in recent years!"

"For example: many young people see the latest fashion trends in magazines and hope they can own a pair of jeans."

"Then, a Greek businessman discovered this business opportunity very keenly, went to the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Xiongda and successfully won an order of 20 meters of jeans fabric per year."

"Another example: Many families have been dissatisfied with the government's policy of restricting the purchase of sugar for many years."

"But they cannot buy enough sugar from normal channels to meet the needs of their families."

"So, the underground black market merchants who discovered this business opportunity smuggled a batch of sugar through special channels and made a huge profit in the New Year of 75."

"So... do you think the TCSS agents don't know about these things?"

"Do you think the officials working at the customs can't see it?"

"Hehe~"

"of course not!"

Marat stood up, patted Yuri on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Our boss David Coleman, although he is very young..."

"But his understanding of how to satisfy people's psychology and needs has exceeded our imagination!"

Yuri looked up at Marat, couldn't help but smile and asked: "That's why you are willing to work for him?"

"No!"

Marat smiled brightly and shrugged: "I prefer to regard our relationship as mutual cooperation and win-win!"

"I worked faithfully and hard for him."

"He gave me corresponding rewards and respect!"

"... Phew~ I understand."

"Thank you!"

"Hahaha~"

"You don't have to thank me for anything."

"One of the tasks my boss has given me is to help you grow quickly!"

"Yuri, you have many advantages that I don't have, and you are very valued by the boss."

"So, in the future, if you become able..."

"I will!" Yuri nodded vigorously before Marat finished speaking.

"Yeah~" Marat smiled and reached for the phone and dialed.

Kihara Nobunari, who was sitting next to Yuri Orlov, seemed to have just "come back" from a distracted state. He glanced at the two of them with a slightly complicated look and bowed his head silently.

----

the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

USA, Texas.

Northwest of Houston, eastern suburbs of the small city of Hempstead.

The warm sunshine in the morning dispels the coldness of the night.

David groggily got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom.

After half an hour.

David rubbed his still dry eyes, came to the restaurant on the first floor, smiled and waved to his family.

"Morning everyone!"

"morning!"

Lilith, who was wearing an apron, held a plate of breakfast with a red face and smiled.

"Good morning, brother!"

Her sister Loisa, who was wearing shiny silver braces, quietly kicked her sister Salonia and smiled sweetly at David.

"Come over for breakfast!"

Sierra's mother, who saw Loisa's little moves under the table, greeted her son with a smile to come and sit next to her, pointed to the breakfast on the dining table, and said.

"These are all Salonia and Lilith, who woke up early to make them for everyone..."

"Oh?!"

David deliberately wiped the corners of his mouth with his hand, sucked his saliva, pulled Lilith, held her in his arms and smiled.

"Are these the loving breakfast you carefully prepared for me?"

"...Yeah!" Lilith struggled a few times and responded with a redder face.

Salonia, whose face was even more rosy, sat across from David and said nothing. .

Seeing that her son seemed to be "snubbing" Salonia on purpose, Sierra's mother smiled at him and said, "Go upstairs and shout..."

"Ok!"

Salonia hurriedly "jumped" out of her chair and trotted to the second floor to call Old David for breakfast. .

My younger sister, Loisa, saw that her elder sister was so "weak", so she could only helplessly spread her little hands to Sera's mother, and said something pointed.

"My brother likes to act stupid every time, and my sister is too shy and timid..."

"What should I do?"

"Hahaha~" Sierra's mother picked up a piece of apple and threw it on Loisa's face, smiling.

"Eat your breakfast!"

David tilted his head and deceived "little clever ghost" Loisa, hugged Lilith tightly and smiled.

"Don't worry!"

"When you reach the age where you are trapped by love, you may not be as good as me!"

"..." Loisa blinked her big eyes and stopped talking.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Sierra's mother patted her son's arm and smiled at Lilith, who looked slightly disappointed.

"Let's have breakfast quickly~"

"Ok!"

Lilith "struggled" to break free from the embrace of "shameless idiot" David, sat next to him, adjusted her mood and introduced to him the breakfast she had carefully prepared.

While David listened to her words very seriously, a very ridiculous idea suddenly came to his mind.

Salonia. . !

How about starting to find a great guy for her now?

Emm. .

Okay, try it!