Chapter 627
The news of the hijacking of the Silver Cloud cruise ship spread through various channels.
Because of the many channels and the lack of a unified statement, there were many different opinions about the truth of the hijacking of the cruise ship.
There were rumors that the hijackers were a group of pirates near the coast of Mexico, who had bribed the security guards of the cruise ship to collaborate with each other in an attempt to hijack the cruise ship and kidnap the passengers.
There are also rumors that the hijacker is a dangerous terrorist organization.
There are also threatening rumors that the mastermind behind the hijacking is a major power trying to force the U.S. to make some concessions.
The more outrageous rumor is that the hijackers were aliens, aiming to capture the cruise passengers for human biological experiments, and that it took a joint operation by the FBI and Navy SEALs to defeat the aliens.
Several of the above claims, one sounding more outrageous than the other, but each has a certain number of advocates, with the seemingly most implausible alien abduction claim being the most hotly debated, with a handful of people convinced of it.
October 28th morning.
With much anticipation, the Silver Cloud cruise ship pulled into the harbor.
The pier was packed with people, almost all of whom had come to greet the passengers of the hijacked cruise ship.
Many of these people were family members and friends of the cruise passengers, waiting at the harbor early in the morning with concern for their families.
There were also some enthusiastic citizens who came out of sympathy or curiosity for the hijacked passengers.
At the very front of the pier stood many men in FBI uniforms, keeping order and looking off into the distance.
Under the anticipation of the crowd, a tall cruise ship came from the distance, from far to near, and its speed dropped, and the characters ”Silver Cloud” printed on the cruise ship could be vaguely made out.
At the bow of the cruise ship stood a dark-haired man, none other than Luke.
Nami Inoue walked over and looked at the crowd standing on the pier, a burst of shouts could be vaguely heard, a smirk appeared on her pretty face, “Finally back, this cruise trip is really exciting.”
Luke laughed, “On your next vacation, will you still take a cruise?”
Inoue Naomi thought seriously, “I don’t think so in the recent period, who knows about the future?”
Luke asked, “Did you send the video of the news interview to the TV station?”
“Of course, it’s all been taken care of.” Nami Inoue smiled and continued, “I made an appointment with the director to broadcast the news interview of the hijacked cruise ship as soon as the cruise ship lands at the pier, this is the most appropriate time to do so, and it’s also the moment when the news is at its peak of fervor.
I’m sure the news interview will be powerful when it airs, especially the image of you shooting the hijackers in the cruise ship restaurant, it’s more exciting than a blockbuster movie.”
Luke was a little expectant and a little apprehensive, and he wasn’t sure what the exact impact of the news would be.
Of course, what could be predicted was that after the news was broadcasted, his popularity would definitely be taken to the next level, before, he was only a little famous in Los Angeles, now the whole United States would know that there was such a person like him.
As for, this fame can be translated into how much actual benefit is not yet known.
But at least for the time being, it didn’t seem to have a negative impact on him yet.
“Wooo……” the cruise ship gave a long roar and slowly docked towards the pier.
The cheers of the crowd on the pier were so loud that Luke could even make out the enthusiastic smiles of the people.
Smiles were contagious, and Luke couldn’t help but have a smile spread across his face.
In the crowd, Luke found a few familiar figures, the leader was a white middle-aged woman with floppy hair and a popular face, wearing a black professional outfit, it was the deputy supervisor of the FBI Los Angeles office, the minister of the Counterterrorism Department, Lynn Blois, and Luke’s nominal superior.
Previously, Luke had cooperated with her a few times and was considered an acquaintance.
Because of the cooperation, Luke was also not unfamiliar with the other agents of the Counterterrorism Department, and a few of them were still on good terms and had drinks together.
At this time, the passengers had already rushed to the deck with their luggage, and the SEALs were on the deck to maintain order.
The cruise ship lowered the escalator and Luke was the first to step off the ship.
Lynn Blois greeted him and shook Luke’s hand, “Man, welcome to the FBI Counterterrorism Department officially.”
Luke laughed, “Isn’t that a surprise? So am I.”
Lynn Blois shrugged, “I should say it’s a surprise, you’ve already gotten credit for your work before you even officially reported, it’s only fitting that a talent like that comes to the Counterterrorism Department.”
Luke teased, “Honestly, has my arrival made you feel any pressure?”
Lynn Blois gestured with her right index finger and thumb, “A little.”
Luke laughed, “Man, put your heart in your mouth, my focus is still on the Heist and Murder Division, I have no thoughts of replacing you.”
“Then why did you parachute into the Counterterrorism Division? I didn’t even get a whisper of it.”
Luke spread his hands, “It was Supervisor Ayesha Garde’s decision. Maybe she thought it would be more appropriate to handle this case as the Counterterrorism Department.”
“Either way, it’s a pleasure to have you in the Counterterrorism Department.” Lynn Blois forced a smile, but it didn’t come across as easy.
When she suddenly received the news that Luke was going to be transferred to the Counterterrorism Department as the deputy minister, she had some mutterings in her heart, Luke’s identity was rather special and his ability was outstanding, which gave birth to a sense of crisis in her.
Now hearing Luke’s words, she was slightly relieved, since Luke had no intention of replacing her, Luke’s threat directly dropped by a large margin, but she didn’t completely relax.
Luke’s position was directly arranged by Supervisor Gald, did it mean that the supervisor was not satisfied with her recent work? Letting Luke come to knock himself out? Or was she overthinking it and it was just a temporary transfer.
However, that old lady was not a light, so one should be careful in recent times.
FBI Senior Agent Armand Haynes walked over and shook Luke’s hand, “Counselor Lee, we can work together again, no, I should give call you Minister Lee now.”
“Haha, call it whatever you want.” Luke patted Armand Haynes on the shoulder, when he worked with the Counterterrorism Department before, Armand Haynes had been giving him a hand, and asked, “How’s the investigation of the cruise ship hijacker’s downline in Los Angeles going?”
Armand Haynes replied, “Those people are in charge of drug distribution, they have already been deployed and are ready to make arrests.”
Luke pursued, “How’s the situation with the gunman coming along?”
Armand Haynes said, “He has a complicated background, and shouldn’t be related to trafficking and selling drugs, he should be involved in other cases.”
Luke nodded and described the situation of Hamedi Shaw and the gunman.
“This friend of yours wants to acquire a harbor in Los Angeles?” Lynn Blois frowned slightly and asked rhetorically, “It wouldn’t be this current harbor, would it?”
“That’s right, this is it.”
Lynn Blois said, “I’ve also heard some news that this port is having problems with its operation, and the smuggling is quite serious, involving several local gangs in strife.
It’s hard for the local forces to handle it, let alone outsiders.”
Luke laughed, “That’s why he needs the friendship of our FBI. Any interest?”
Earlier, Luke’s deal with Hamedi Shaw was to get him to Los Angeles safely.
Before the cruise ship arrived at the harbor, Hamedi Shaw found Luke and asked Luke to continue investigating the gunman who attacked him and find the person who hired the killer behind the scenes, a person who was a bigger threat to him and who might send another killer as long as he didn’t find the other party.
Hamedi Shaw also wants Luke to continue to guarantee his safety in Los Angeles, for which he is willing to pay another substantial consultant fee to ensure that the acquisition of the harbor goes smoothly.
Luke carefully thought about it, the port cargo involves a lot of interests, if something really goes wrong, it is not a small matter, it is difficult for him to get it done by himself, and at that time, he will definitely need to rely on the power of the FBI or the police.
Instead of temporarily looking for someone to help, it would be better to pull the FBI in now, the port involves the transportation of goods around the world, so that the FBI Counterterrorism Department to join the more appropriate, the authority is also greater.
Moreover, Luke is not bad now, there is no need to eat alone, pull more people in, the bigger the spread, the bigger the network of relations, the more solid his position.
With the support of the FBI Counterterrorism Department, Luke doesn’t need to take too much risk to get a stable income, which is also considered a benefit that he brings to his new colleagues in the FBI Counterterrorism Department.
Lynn Blois thought for a moment and said, “The port involves the interests of all parties, and there are often gangs fighting over it, and the stability of the whole of Los Angeles is at stake, so it really needs to be watched closely.
I think we can talk about it.”
Luke said, “Then find out who’s behind the hiring of the gunmen as soon as possible, and show Hamedi Shaw what we’re capable of.
I’m sure a guy like him who does big business won’t skimp on security consultant fees.”
The three men laughed and began discussing their next plan.
Luke and Hamedi Shaw, Lynn Bulova was in charge of the endorsement, and Armand Haynes was the one who would carry out the plan.
Just like Luke said, as long as Hamedi Shaw could successfully acquire the harbor, it would be a long term entry that would benefit everyone.
At this point, the entire port of Los Angeles was buzzing with excitement as passengers stepped off their cruise ships to reunite with family and friends, all hugging and greeting each other in a joyous scene.
Many of the media, who had heard the news, also captured the touching scene.
At the same time, Nami Inoue’s interview news was officially broadcasted on CBS TV. Nami Inoue was on the scene when the hijacking took place, and she used her cell phone to capture many precious and thrilling images, such as Luke killing the hijacker in the dining room, the SEALs fighting against the hijacker’s accomplices on the sea, and Luke giving a speech on the deck, and so on.
Naomi Inoue also interviewed many of the cruise passengers, portraying from their mouths the thrilling images of the time, and many of them expressed their praise and gratitude to Luke.
After Nami Inoue’s news was broadcast, it once again brought the cruise ship hijacking incident to a climax, and news media all over the world broadcasted the incident, and Luke’s heroic deeds became the talk of the town after dinner.
For a while, Luke became the hero of L.A. in people’s mouths.