145 Hiring a Frigate for Security

Netizens were hardly surprised that Li Daniu, having just finished his music project, was suddenly pivoting to the auction business. Compared to his previous forays—from writing to filmmaking, producing shows, and even singing—entering the auction industry, which is purely a matter of commerce and requires little innate talent, seemed perfectly normal. Many entrepreneurs and corporations have crossed into diverse industries to make investments.

What truly amazed netizens was the priceless jewelry piece he showcased. Jewelry is always synonymous with high prices, but usually, even the most expensive items top out at a few million or tens of millions. Pieces genuinely valued at over one hundred million US dollars are rare in this world.

What can one hundred million dollars buy? The total value of Li Daniu’s private jet is less than one hundred million dollars. An appraisal of over two hundred million dollars could buy three of the world’s top-tier business jets like the one Li Daniu owns. While there are many wealthy people in this world, if you were to ask any of them to suddenly produce over two hundred million dollars in cash, the vast majority would be unable to do so. It is just like those billionaires whose wealth is tied up in stocks; you cannot simply cash out whenever you please. If a major shareholder starts dumping stock, how could the price not plummet?

The necklace Li Daniu previously sourced from the world of *Dark War* had indeed sold for over two hundred million dollars, but that was only after a veteran auction house spent three or four months on a massive promotional campaign. Therefore, while this new piece of jewelry had a price, it might lack a market.

However, Li Daniu did not intend to sell this flagship piece immediately. His real target was the batch of jewelry he possessed, where individual pieces were valued in the millions or tens of millions of dollars. Although the individual value was lower, he had brought back a volume of jewelry twice his own size—the quantity was staggering. If he could sell it all, the profit would be astronomical.

He was using this potentially illiquid necklace merely as a gimmick, much like how every album release needs one or two hit singles. He intended to use this necklace to lure in the wives of the wealthy. Of course, Li Daniu had no ulterior motives; he simply wanted these wealthy women to beg their husbands to take them to see the necklace.

"I'm not asking you to buy it for me, but surely taking me to see it isn't too much to ask?"

The other jewelry, while also costing millions or tens of millions, was undoubtedly much cheaper than the centerpiece. If you won't let me buy the expensive one, wouldn't it be appropriate to buy one of the cheaper ones? Do you even love me?

Whenever Li Daniu imagined those women with shining eyes acting coquettishly toward their husbands during the auction, he couldn't help but laugh. Don't blame me for being cunning, brothers; it's really not easy to make money these days.

Beyond the "treasure of the auction," Li Daniu spent the following days releasing photos of relatively affordable jewelry, using the excuse that they were being sold on behalf of others. You ask who the sellers are? Sorry, we have a duty to protect our clients' privacy.

Everything was ready; only the "east wind" was missing, and that east wind was security. Setting aside the safety of the wealthy guests, which was an absolute necessity, the logistics of transporting almost all of this jewelry onto a cruise ship was inherently dangerous. Because Li Daniu decided to hold the auction in international waters to avoid taxes, who would provide protection? If you don't pay taxes to a country, why would they protect you?

Although Li Daniu didn't fear pirates or greedy international mercenaries, he couldn't exactly go on a killing spree in front of the world’s elite. That was not something a normal human could do, not even the world’s top soldiers. If he were to do that, he would undoubtedly be treated as a lab rat by major powers—they wouldn't care if he was the King of Tuvalu; they would capture him for study.

Li Daniu did not yet have the capacity to handle the machinery of powerful states. Even without mentioning something as extreme as nuclear missiles, if they knew his location, a few helicopters firing thousands of rounds from Gatling guns, or snipers using Barretts or even more advanced rifles, would suffice. Even with his internal energy and light-foot skills, he would still end up dead. Even if they wanted to capture him alive, he would have no way to resist. Modern high-precision weapons are rarely publicized, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. If the whole world wanted to catch him, he would have nowhere to hide.

Most importantly, if that happened, Tuvalu would surely fall. Based on hints from the system, Li Daniu was certain that the fall of Tuvalu meant his own immediate demise. Therefore, until he attained the power to defy everything, it was better to keep a low profile.

Since he couldn't act himself, he had to seek outside protection. Relying on Tuvalu’s own forces, or his newly recruited staff, was out of the question—not only due to trust issues but because they lacked the strength. Since the founding of Tuvalu, they had likely fired fewer bullets than a single platoon would use in a day of training.

How could he reassure the wealthy guests? How could he reassure himself? Li Daniu initially thought of seeking military support from China, but he abandoned the idea, knowing China preferred to keep a low profile and avoided using military force abroad to prevent Western "China Threat" rhetoric. Besides, he wasn't close enough to China to request military protection; they had only established a basic level of cooperation. Other countries were even less likely; without deep ties, why would a nation be willing to use its military to maintain order for him?

After searching online, Li Daniu discovered the existence of the famous security company Blackwater. There were even accounts of the US government hiring Blackwater personnel to fight in wars. What else was there to consider?

After having someone in Castro, USA, contact Blackwater, they agreed readily. During peacetime, such private security firms served the wealthy; they would even deploy mercenaries for African warlords to help them stage coups or seize territory. After Li Daniu informed them of the scale of the upcoming auction, they provided a price list within a single day. The list detailed several options, each with a different price point.

It was Li Daniu's first time dealing with such a company, and he was stunned by the quote; it felt like ordering from a restaurant menu.

Grade C: 50-man elite squad, maximum firepower RPG, 1.5 million USD for seven days.
Grade B: 100-man elite squad, maximum firepower RPG, 2.8 million USD for seven days.
Grade A: 150-man elite squad, maximum firepower RPG, 4 million USD for seven days.

Note: All security personnel are capable of self-sacrificial combat in extreme situations, as well as routine security and close protection for high-value targets.
Armed helicopters (Black Hawk) 3 million USD each for seven days; frigates (2,800 tons, helicopter-capable) 10 million USD each for seven days.

All services listed above exclude ammunition costs in the event of combat; please refer to the attached details for pricing. The company provides comprehensive insurance for personnel casualties; no additional payment is required from the employer.

...

After reading the list, Li Daniu couldn't remain calm. It wasn't that it was too expensive, but the sheer power of this security firm was shocking. 150 men was a small matter, as Blackwater had provided a thousand mercenaries to the US government during the Iraq War alone. The key was their equipment: Black Hawk armed helicopters and even frigates. And their prices were per unit, meaning they had more than one of each.

This was a private security firm capable of launching a war or occupying at least 20% of the world's countries. Looking back at his own Tuvalu, he felt truly insignificant. After his reflection, Li Daniu chose the Grade A security level, along with two Black Hawks and one frigate. As for the handover details, he didn't need to worry.

Having spent 20 million US dollars before earning a single cent, he felt a sharp pang of regret, but he comforted himself: "The wool comes from the sheep."

Li Daniu then added the security contract he signed with Blackwater into his publicity materials. He had to let the wealthy know that he was absolutely secure. With this level of military force, unless a major nation came to rob him, how could mere pirates dare to approach?