"Mr. Chen, you're back?"
Xiong Baiming, lost in thought, greeted Chen Fan respectfully. "I just went out to look for some friends."
Chen Fan nodded, waiting for him to continue.
"The ninth, tenth, and eleventh floors are currently not open to the public because some important figures are staying there," Xiong Baiming said. "However, there is a way to access most areas of the cruise ship."
"What way?" Chen Fan asked.
"A friend of mine is acquainted with a captain in the ship's security department. If you're willing to pay, you can disguise yourself as ship security personnel and patrol around," Xiong Baiming explained. "Of course, there are certain risks involved."
Chen Fan pondered for a moment and said, "Well done. Give me your account details."
Xiong Baiming's face lit up. "I'm glad I can facilitate Mr. Chen's actions."
"Give me your account, and I'll have someone transfer three million to you. If it's not enough, we'll discuss it further."
Xiong Baiming's heart skipped a beat. Three million was no small sum for someone like him. He didn't refuse and provided his account details.
Chen Fan immediately called Han Shuying, instructing her to transfer three million. He then said, "There's no time to lose. Let's go now."
Posing as ship security personnel would be quite advantageous for Chen Fan. Moreover, if he could find Wu Zhao or Du Fumin before Wu Zhao made his move, it would be even more beneficial for their upcoming situation. Concealing his identity would also serve him better.
"Alright, Mr. Chen, please follow me."
He followed Xiong Baiming out, heading towards the stern of the ship. They arrived at an office. The sign indicated it belonged to the Guest Relations Department. At a corner outside the door, Xiong Baiming made a phone call.
Soon, a young woman with an attractive appearance and a somewhat wild look emerged. She opened a room next door and, after sizing Chen Fan up, said in a low voice, "Brother Xiong, are you sure about this?"
Xiong Baiming nodded. "I'll give you a hundred thousand, and I'll have someone transfer it to your mother's account. You arrange things with the person in charge."
The woman hesitated. "Captain Yuki is a bit greedy. The price might not be low."
"You just need to take us to see him," Xiong Baiming said, glancing at Chen Fan.
"Alright." Seeing Xiong Baiming's determination, the woman said, "Please wait here for a moment. I'll go fetch Captain Yuki."
"Hurry up."
Chen Fan and Xiong Baiming waited. About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and the woman from before entered, leading a Japanese man. This Japanese man was in his thirties, slender, but with sharp eyes and a steady bearing, exuding a unique aura characteristic of a martial artist. He was clearly a martial artist, though not highly cultivated, but he had definitely trained.
Looking at Chen Fan and Xiong Baiming, he revealed a greedy glint in his eyes and said sternly in Japanese, "What do you want? What are your intentions?"
Seeing Yuki's confrontational attitude, the woman's expression changed, and she was about to explain. Chen Fan waved her off and said in Japanese, "Ten million Japanese Yen."
Upon hearing this, Yuki immediately changed his demeanor. "Thirty million!"
"Deal," Chen Fan replied. "I'm just looking for someone. Give me an account, and I'll transfer ten million to you first. I'll transfer the remaining twenty million after I find the person."
Yuki was overjoyed. He had expected to haggle, but Chen Fan agreed without a second thought. Furthermore, Chen Fan's fluent Japanese put Yuki at ease. While he didn't engage in such dealings often, he had no qualms as long as it meant money. In fact, he had done many questionable things on this cruise ship, such as extorting tourists and setting traps for them, but he had always been clever enough not to leave any evidence, thus remaining undetected. He thought for a moment and immediately provided an account number.
Chen Fan then contacted The Oracle, arranging for an underground transfer, which arrived within minutes. After confirming the money had been received, Yuki was ecstatic. "From now on, your name is Hirano Takeichi, and you are my subordinate, responsible for patrolling with me. Come with me now."
"Mr. Chen?"
Chen Fan nodded at Xiong Baiming. "You go back and stay put. I'll contact you if anything comes up. Take good care of the suitcase I brought."
"Understood, Mr. Chen."
Chen Fan then left the room with Yuki and took the staff elevator to the seventh floor. They entered an office where several cruise ship security personnel were present. Seeing Yuki bring an outsider like Chen Fan in, they all looked somewhat surprised. However, none of them asked any questions, appearing to be quite intimidated by Yuki.
"Hirano-kun, take off your uniform and hand over your ID to this gentleman," Yuki commanded one of them, pointing at one of the security guards. "Starting now, you can take a rest. If you wish, you can even disembark for a vacation."
"Hai!" The man named Hirano offered no resistance, cooperatively removing his uniform and handing it along with his ID to Chen Fan.
"Everyone, do you know what to do?" Yuki asked, scanning the room with a cold smile. "Act like you know nothing. You'll be rewarded later. If anyone dares to gossip, don't blame me for throwing them into the sea to feed the sharks."
"Hai!" All the security guards responded, bowing deeply, not daring to look up. It was clear that Yuki had long been accustomed to bullying his subordinates, and none of them dared to voice any dissent. Of course, this was irrelevant to Chen Fan; such a situation was even more advantageous for him.
"Hirano-kun, this way," Yuki beckoned to Chen Fan, his tone now a casual familiarity. This meant Chen Fan was impersonating Hirano Takeichi and using his identity.
Chen Fan took the uniform and, along with Yuki, left the office and went to Yuki's room. After changing into the uniform and putting on the ID, Chen Fan rubbed his face, altering his appearance further.
"Hirano-kun, don't hesitate to ask if you need anything," Yuki said, his smile becoming overly enthusiastic as he looked at Chen Fan like a pile of glittering cash. Chen Fan's promise of thirty million Japanese Yen, which was nearly two million in Great Xia currency, was a substantial sum in Yuki's eyes, making him a veritable god of wealth.
"Yuki-kun, are you in charge of security on this floor?"
"I'm responsible for the third, sixth, seventh, and eighth floors," Yuki replied. "The VIP area is not under my jurisdiction, but I can take you around. It's just a matter of some cash."
Chen Fan nodded. "Let's check the surveillance room first. Is that alright, Yuki-kun?"
"No problem," Yuki agreed readily and led Chen Fan to the surveillance room on the fifth floor. Screens displayed various surveillance feeds, allowing the security department to monitor the situation. Chen Fan then asked Yuki to arrange for the retrieval of surveillance footage. The footage was retrieved quickly, but yielded no significant findings. Across twelve floors, even if one could access every surveillance room, reviewing the footage would take an enormous amount of time, likely two to three days. This approach was clearly unfeasible. Given the time it would take to review the surveillance, it would be more efficient to knock on each room door and search directly.