Chapter 835: New Journey
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
During that time, mine 122 was surrounded by bad smells. Fortunately, the mines were so large that the smell quickly faded.
During the previous two nights, Li Du had used the little bug to determine the location of the pits around the mine, and then dug holes down to the mine. He told Aubrey to get two dung-filled trucks from town, and then he poured feces into the holes. He did the same to all eight pits.
Who asked you to invade my territory!? Li Du raged to himself. He wondered, Are they thinking it is still the Eight-Nation Alliance era? As President Peng once said, the history of the imperialist conquest of a country on the coast was over.
Using liquid feces to deal with the mine hole was an effective method Li Du had thought of. The mine hole underneath was very close to the surface. The inflow of fecal water would further ferment, and with the passage of time, the smell would not be reduced but would actually become worse!
The miners had no way to deal with it, no deodorant, no high-pressure hoses. Because the holes were so close together, a lot of deodorant combined with the fecal matter would produce harmful substances. If it had been on the surface, it would have been fine. The substances could evaporate. However, they could not evaporate in the pits.
In an attempt to clean up the mess, not even the high-pressure hoses would do. The water would carry the fecal matter into the stone crevices. The mess would not disappear but instead, would remain inside, so the stink would not be able to be removed.
Over the next two days, the mine owners went nuts and started cursing at the edge of the mine. Li Du and his miners watched the show while having some melon seed snacks.
“Boss, your idea is wicked, but I love it, haha,” Aubrey said.
“I’ve heard that Chinese people are very good at scheming and subterfuge. There’s a book called, ‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu that teaches people how to play dirty,” exclaimed Holiday.
Aubrey gave him a punch and said angrily, “Boss is my idol now. You mustn’t insult him!”
“How did I insult him?” asked Holiday.
“You said he is a Sun Zi,” said Aubrey sternly.
“D*mn it, I said ‘Sun Tzu’s Art of War,’ you uneducated fool,” Holiday replied.
Li Du burst out laughing. Watching the mine owner on the other side clenching his teeth, unable to do anything, was extremely hilarious.
After that, Li Du did not do anything else to irritate the mine owners. At the end of May, he and Sophie were going to Sydney, leaving behind unscrupulous miners. He was afraid that if he irritated their rivals any further, they might ally and take revenge on Aubrey and his gang. If it had not been for that worry, he would not have let those people off so easily. However, they definitely still regretted digging on his mine!
At the end of May, a sky blue helicopter flew to Lightning Ridge and picked up Li Du, Sophie, and Brother Wolf, and took them to Sydney. It was a business class helicopter with a spacious cabin that seated five people. Each seat had a folding desk, and there was a large screen behind the cockpit for viewing movies, playing games, and watching the news.
The cabin was covered with a thick, soft carpet. Ali touched the carpet for the first time, then jumped up, startled and confused. Ah Meow, Ah Ow, and Crispy Noodles were more experienced. They immediately found comfortable places to occupy once they climbed into the helicopter. Ah Ow laid directly on the carpet, belly up. She was so comfortable, her tongue lolled out.
There was a small refrigerator in the helicopter. A pilot came to get everyone drinks and asked, “Mr. Li, is there anything I can do for you?”
Li Du was interested in the helicopter and asked, “What is the model of this helicopter? Tell me about it.”
“It’s a Dolphin EC-155-B1, 5-ton, twin-engined helicopter released by Eurocopter. As an enhanced version of the much-used Dolphin helicopter, the EC-155-B1 has 40 percent more cabin space than the same class of helicopter, using today’s state-of-the-art technology and higher-power engines,” the pilot explained smoothly.
“The aircraft has sufficient residual power and has the fastest cruising speed of its kind, reaching 278 km per hour. It also has a long range of about 800 kilometers.” He explained all the parts of the helicopter from the hardware to the software.
Li Du finally asked the price, and the helicopter cost about 14,000,000 Australian dollars. The price was astounding! In this case, you would get what you paid for, and the astounding price was equivalent to the comfort of the aircraft.
It took at least seven or eight hours to travel by land from Sydney to Lightning Ridge, but it took only two and a half hours to get over to Sydney by helicopter. They had to drive along the road on land, but now they could fly through the air.
There was another advantage to taking the air route, which was better scenery. As the helicopter flew over Sydney, Li Du and Sophie could overlook the city. Sydney was the biggest city in Australia and the business center of the country. Many people did not know the Australian capital, Canberra, but they knew Sydney. The city was located on the coast. From the air, they could see not only the city but also the ocean.
It was noon, and the sun was shining. The sky and the sea were blue, and Li Du and the others were flying in between the two. Looking in the distance like that, Li Du was actually in a trance for a moment, not knowing where the sky was, where the sea was, or whether he was facing the sky or the sea.
“Look, it’s the love port! Wow, the Sydney Opera House… I see it at last! Give me a camera. I want to take a picture. This angle is great. Our geography textbook had the same picture from this angle for the introduction of this building. I’m sure they took it from here,” Sophie said excitedly.
The pilot’s voice came over the intercom, “Mr. Li, would you like to hover around the city? We’re at your service.”
Li Du pondered and said, “Please keep the helicopter here for a while. My girlfriend wants to take a picture.”
The helicopter’s powerful ability to hold its position in the air was demonstrated, and after he gave the order, the helicopter came to a steady halt in the air. Sophie’s camera captured the landscape below, photo by photo. Besides the famous Sydney Opera House, they also overflew the Olympic Park, Royal National Park, Rose Bay, Sydney Harbor Bridge, and other attractions. The helicopter pilot was so good, he stopped at the best position every time and asked Sophie to take pictures.
Eventually, the helicopter landed on the rooftop tarmac at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney, ending their aerial journey. However, it also marked the start of a new journey for the Four Seasons, one of Australia’s most prestigious hotels.
Brother Wolf jumped out of the helicopter, opened the door, and helped Sophie down. Li Du came out after them, and then he saw Cole, who was in high spirits.
