Locke didn't care at all that Erin was cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s screening.
Setting aside the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. had absolutely no way of figuring out the ingredients of the antidote inside her, Locke's biggest strength was his ability to put himself in other people's shoes.
If it were him, he would also want to find out exactly what he had swallowed.
In fact, Locke had actually tried doing that before.
He had specifically bought minor health potions and antidotes from his system and brought them to top-tier chemistry experts. In the end, besides CPH4, the results were just a long list of completely unknown substances.
Locke had actual, physical samples on hand and still couldn't get answers. S.H.I.E.L.D. only had some leftover traces in a blood sample; if they could actually figure it out, it would be a miracle.
Unless they faked the data!
Well...
Soon, because they were able to hitch a ride back on the Homeland Security private jet, the group didn't have to rush to the airport in a panic after breakfast. Instead, they just hopped online after eating and canceled the commercial plane tickets they had already changed once before.
Even though canceling after changing tickets wasn't financially worth it...
A little bit of money was still money, and nobody here was swimming in cash.
Then there was the matter of returning the rental cars.
Luckily, the rental company had a part-time local rep, so they didn't have to drive all the way to the major airport to return them. It took about an hour to get everything sorted out, and around noon, they rode in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Fords to a small, private airfield.
A very beautiful Gulfstream jet was already waiting for them on the tarmac.
"Mr. Broughton."
Mockingbird smiled as she saw Locke step out of the car, pointing to the canvas gun bag in his right hand containing his Remington 770.
"I'm sorry, but since you aren't law enforcement, firearms aren't allowed in the cabin. You can hand it over to the flight crew for now and pick it up after we land. It's regulations."
Locke nodded and handed the gun bag to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent next to her. "Thanks, appreciate it."
See? He was actually a very easygoing guy.
It was all for flight safety. As long as he wasn't wearing his Peerless persona glasses, he was more than happy to follow the rules and regulations.
After all, when he didn't have his glasses on, he was just enjoying life!
The plane took off into the sky, flying fast.
At this rate, it would take less than two hours to land smoothly at JFK Airport in New York.
Even though it was technically a Homeland Security plane, it was operated by S.H.I.E.L.D. In Locke's eyes, S.H.I.E.L.D. was as fragile as a house of cards, but to anyone else, they were a terrifyingly powerful organization.
"What a shame," Gwen murmured, leaning against Locke's shoulder as she watched the white clouds drift past the window.
"I thought we'd get to stay for ten days, but we were only there for two."
She had packed enough clothes for a full ten days. She had been preparing for this summer trip since May, only for it to end almost instantly.
Locke didn't think it was a shame at all. He comforted her,
"It's fine. When we get back, we can always go out deep-sea fishing with Mr. Stacy."
He was seriously starting to suspect whether he was being targeted by the universe, even when he didn't have his Destiny Is Mine title equipped.
Otherwise, why did something crazy happen every single time he went on a trip?
Last year's winter break trip on the Poseidon was unforgettable. This year's summer hunting trip was equally memorable.
It was definitely safer to just stay in New York. If he ran into a disaster every single time he stepped out of the city, he'd start wondering if he had some kind of natural disaster magnet trait.
I'm not Conan, Locke thought to himself.
Hearing Locke's suggestion, Gwen shook her head.
"I don't know if I even have the courage to go out to sea anymore."
Just like how people who survived a plane crash usually developed a fear of flying, Cindy and Maggie were completely traumatized by the ocean. Both Kahn and Dylan went out of their way to avoid even mentioning anything related to sea travel.
Gwen and Jennifer were a bit better—they didn't completely hate the ocean, but the shadow of the incident was still there.
Locke nodded. "I know. That's why I bought a yacht."
Gwen snapped upright, sitting straight as an arrow as she stared at him.
"You bought a what?"
Sitting not far away and chatting with Rebecca, Helen also glanced over, though she quickly turned back to her conversation.
Even Erin, who was getting a headache trying to read through the documents on CPH4, looked up.
George and Hank, naturally, locked their eyes onto him instantly.
Looking at Gwen's completely shocked face, Locke smiled.
"It wasn't that much money. When I went to order my car back then, I happened to run into a guy in the yacht business. We chatted a bit, it seemed pretty nice, so I spent just under five million dollars on it."
Gwen's mouth dropped wide open.
Just under... five million dollars?
Rebecca shot Helen a look that clearly asked: This is the orphan you told me about? You've got to be kidding me.
George's eyelid started twitching again.
Like he always said, if Locke were just a reckless rich kid blowing through cash, he had a hundred ways to kick him right off his daughter's ship.
Black Widow and Mockingbird didn't show much reaction. After all, just the money transferred to Locke's account from the Poseidon casino was over thirty million. Five million was pocket change to him.
Gwen realized she had spoken a bit too loudly and quickly dropped her voice to a whisper.
"But why did you buy a yacht? Just to go fishing with my dad? Come on, Locke, he can just rent a small boat. What business does he have fishing on a luxury yacht? The fish he catches probably wouldn't even cover the cost of the fuel."
Even though she whispered, George heard every single word.
His fists clenched tightly.
What the hell did she mean, 'what business does he have'?
I am his future father-in-law! Why shouldn't I sit on his yacht and fish?
This daughter wasn't just a leaking jacket; she was made of solid, pure black-hearted cotton!
Calm down. Don't get angry.
George took a deep breath, hoping his old friend sitting next to him hadn't heard that.
But as George cast a sideways glance at Hank, who was drinking with him...
Great.
Hank was shaking his head with a look of fake confusion, but the massive smirk on his face completely gave him away.
The next time they went out to sea, one of them was definitely getting thrown overboard! George clenched his fists again.
Gwen poked out her tongue, seemingly sensing her dad's sudden killing intent, and looked back at Locke.
"I didn't mean it like that. I just mean it's not a smart investment."
No matter how you looked at it, it was a waste of money. For pleasure? Unless you went out every week, it just wasn't worth it.
And besides...
"Do you even have a license?"
"Yeah."
"What?"
The corners of Locke's mouth turned up. "After I ordered the Gwen, I spent a tiny bit of time studying, and then picked a weekend to pass the yacht captain exam."
To be exact, it took him five seconds.
Open the system interface, click to learn the skill, upgrade it to basic, then intermediate, and finally advanced. Five seconds flat, and his boat driving skills were maxed out.
He felt like he could drag race a yacht on the ocean now; even if a military warship showed up, he'd dare to overtake it.
But Gwen's attention was caught by a completely different detail.
"Wait." Gwen blinked, a beautiful look dawning on her face. "The Gwen?"
Locke nodded. "Yeah. It should be delivered in the next few days. I remember the broker sent me a concept rendering; I was planning to make it a surprise for you."
Gwen's eyes turned into absolute stars as she watched Locke pull out his phone to search through his pictures.
Usually, custom yachts didn't get finished that fast. But when they were talking that day, the broker mentioned that due to the financial crisis, a billionaire who had ordered the yacht couldn't make the payments, so the shipyard had put it on hold. Locke took one look at the specs, liked it, and just bought out the contract.
Locke found the concept image and handed the phone to Gwen. "Look."
Gwen stared at the screen. Out on the sparkling blue sea was a magnificent, silver-white yacht featuring a mid-deck swimming pool and a small helipad on the back. Painted beautifully on the hull, the name *Gwen* gleamed in the light.
"Wow..."
"Pretty, right?"
"Yeah."
Gwen couldn't hide the pure joy in her eyes. No woman could turn down a romantic surprise like that, and Gwen was no exception.
But looking at the scale of the boat on the screen, she couldn't help but look up at Locke.
"Are you sure this only cost five million?"
Locke nodded. "Yeah, because of the financial crisis. The original price was seven million, and it even came with a complimentary, factory-serviced Little Bird helicopter."
Plus, the insurance for both the yacht and the helicopter was already sorted out through Silver City Insurance. They were always efficient—he knew that from how fast they paid out for his ruined Audi R8.
Locke looked at Gwen. "Do you like it?"
Gwen nodded happily.
Locke smiled. "Then when the time comes, we'll go out to sea together. With our own yacht, we don't have to worry about any unexpected accidents."
Let's see the ocean try to throw a rogue wave at this hull. If it capsized, Locke would change his last name.
Still, even though the yacht only cost five million, the ongoing maintenance and docking fees weren't cheap, and Locke had only been spending money for the first half of the year without any income.
Seeing his savings drop to around twenty million dollars, he was feeling a minor budget squeeze.
Fortunately, he had a solution ready.
Regarding that ancient voodoo manual he had obtained, the Earl King family had already tracked down two highly motivated buyers. They had tried to call Locke a couple of days ago to make the deal, but Locke hadn't been in New York and wasn't in a rush.
Now, with their vacation cut short, the timing was perfect. Before boarding the plane, Locke had contacted the Earl King family to lock in the deal for tonight at the Continental Hotel.
The starting bid was set at five million dollars. With two eager collectors competing in a private auction, a conservative estimate meant the final price would easily clear twelve to fifteen million. After deducting the commission for the Earl King family, he would net over ten million dollars.
Once he dumped that cash back into his family trust fund, his end-of-year dividends would look incredibly fat.
***
Welp, we didn't get 400 stones either.
Let's keep the goal same as usual.
Thanks for the support
***
Read 40 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666