mage in the late qing dynasty

Chapter 1096: Unsinkable Crash into Iceberg

The Titanic will first stop in France, where some people will disembark and some will board.

Then the next day, the ship sailed towards the United States, increasing its speed to a maximum of 23 knots.

Zhao Chuanxin occupied the last first-class cabin.

He slept till dawn and felt refreshed.

The Titanic was truly luxurious.

The boards of solid wood furniture are so thick that an average person cannot lift them alone, and the wall panels are thicker than those used in home decoration.

Magnificent.

When Zhao Chuanxin went to the restaurant, he flashed in.

Because there were waiters at the door checking the tickets, perhaps to prevent passengers in the second and third class cabins from sneaking in.

He heard someone mutter, "The carpet here is so thick that it reaches up to your knees."

Zhao Chuanxin had to rub the mud on the soles of his shoes that he brought from Quetshalan on the carpet.

After rubbing it twice, he felt something was wrong.

Carpets are fucking valuables.

Like the lounge of the Petit Trianon Palace in France, there's actually a fucking fireplace with a carving of "The Hunting Goddess of Versailles" on it.

Zhao Chuanxin took a look and said: "This fireplace is great. We must cut it down and move it back."

The equipment in the gym is great, I have to move it back.

The oak paneled staircase is nice, but forget about this one.

But Zhao Chuanxin didn't intend to let go of the gilded railing.

The clock mounted on the wall at the top of the stairs was interesting, with allegorical figures carved on both sides. Zhao Chuanxin felt it necessary to take it away.

While strolling, Zhao Chuanxin bumped into a man head-on.

Alfred Vanderbilt frowned and looked at him: "Sir, are you Japanese?"

Among the Asian countries, Japan is currently the strongest, so he asked this question.

People from other Asian countries may appear on the ship, but it is difficult for them to hang out in the first-class area.

Zhao Chuanxin raised his hand and slapped him: "Forgive me for your poor eyesight."

"..." Alfred Vanderbilt was furious: "You dare to hit me?"

"If you scold me, I will hit you."

"I didn't scold you."

"You said I was Japanese, and you didn't call me names?"

"Ah this..."

Zhao Chuanxin: "Ah... tui!"

But he turned and left.

Alfred Vanderbilt was furious.

His servant came out of the dining room at this time, and seeing that he looked unhappy, he asked hurriedly, "Master, what's wrong?"

Alfred Vanderbilt yelled, "Go find the captain and tell him somebody just hit me."

The servant was surprised.

Captain Edward John Smith wouldn't bother with ordinary people.

But Alfred Vanderbilt was different.

He hurriedly brought people over to inquire.

Seven or eight crew members began checking the public area while Edward John Smith went to look at the passenger list.

Then he discovered that there were eight Chinese passengers in the third-class cabin on the ship.

The Chinese names recorded on the list are very strange, such as Ah Lam, which is tentatively translated as Ah Lin; and Len Lam, which is tentatively translated as Lin Lun.

In this way, the eight Chinese passengers were A Lin, Lin Lun, Li Bing, Fang Lang, Zhong Jie, Zhang Fu, Xu Ling and Li Ling.

He asked someone to bring up eight Chinese people.

The eight Chinese stood at a loss in front of Alfred Vanderbilt, being examined like police witnesses screening suspects.

Even though the Qing Dynasty has fallen, many people still keep their braids.

For example, these eight people at this time.

Alfred Vanderbilt glanced at them fiercely: "No, it's not them. That man has no braids. He is much taller than them, stronger than them, and better dressed than them. Oh, and he is wearing a double-palace silk suit that is popular recently. He has thick hair and beard, and when he gets angry, his expression is cold and fierce, which is unforgettable..."

As he was speaking, Alfred Vanderbilt suddenly stopped talking.

Captain Edward John Smith wondered: Why don't you say anything?
He looked at Alfred Vanderbilt.

Alfred Vanderbilt's expression changed, and he suddenly waved his hand: "Forget it, let them go back, don't bother looking for them."

Edward John Smith became excited: "How can that be possible?"

"As long as I say yes."

The captain had to give face to a wealthy man like Alfred Vanderbilt.

Since that was the case, people dispersed.

Instead, Alfred Vanderbilt pulled out an insurance policy certificate from his pocket.

He had never met Zhao Chuanxin, but JP Morgan and John Rockefeller had.

During the chat, everyone talked about Zhao Chuanxin, and the two described Zhao Chuanxin's appearance.

It is said that the double-palace silk suit was a fashion trend started by Zhao Chuanxin, and its price is now very high.

Zhao Chuanxin is less than 6 feet 2 inches tall, and the man who beat him was also of the same height.

Zhao Chuanxin had thick hair and beard, and so did the man who beat him.

Zhao Chuanxin was so strong that the man who beat him didn't dare to fight back.

Zhao Chuanxin killed people like crazy, and the man who hit him glared at him with an amazing momentum.

Alfred Vanderbilt didn't dare to think any further.

He hurried to JP Morgan's room and knocked on the door.

Old Morgan opened the door and invited him in.

After both parties sat down, Alfred Vanderbilt asked old Morgan: "Mr. Morgan, is Zhao Chuanxin this tall, looks fierce, has a beard this long, has a low hairline, and has thicker hair than ordinary people..."

JP Morgan nodded repeatedly and said, "But there is one thing, Zhao Chuanxin is not as unreasonable as the legend says. If you talk to him nicely, he will be happy to talk to you calmly. But if you say something he doesn't want to hear, then you're on your own. He even gave toys to my grandson back then, which shows that he really likes children."

Alfred Vanderbilt asked again: "What kind of things would he like to hear? What kind of things would make him angry?"

Old Morgan was stunned: "Why are you asking these questions? Are you going to look for him?"

"No, I'm just asking."

"You can't discriminate against Chinese people in front of him. Otherwise, at the very least, he will beat you half to death, and at the worst, he may even shoot you. However, it is said that he now likes to use a hammer."

Alfred Vanderbilt's instinctive disdain: "Such sensitivity is usually based on inferiority complex. Could it be that he is inferior to his own skin color?"

Old Morgan sneered, "You know I have some connections. My friend knows Zhao Chuanxin's butler Freddy Pavitt. It is said that when Chinese newspapers scold Zhao Chuanxin, Zhao Chuanxin never gets angry, and he doesn't even care when his own newspapers scold him. So it's nonsense to say that he has low self-esteem. But if you scold his compatriots, he might kill you."

"Will anyone who insults him be killed?"

"No, he has a very strange personality. You can't bully the lower-class Chinese. He likes to stand up for the lower-class people. If it was the upper class, he might just laugh it off."

Alfred Vanderbilt couldn't help but feel scared when he thought about the interrogation of the eight Chinese people.

Fortunately, fortunately...

Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.

Old Morgan is very cunning.

Although he did not ask any more questions, he had already figured out something from Alfred Vanderbilt's expression.

After he saw the other person off, he sat in a chair and fell into deep thought.

If Zhao Chuanxin was on board, the insurance...

If Zhao Chuanxin was on the boat, where would he be now?

This year is a warm winter. On the afternoon of April 4, the North Atlantic Ocean was calm.

Old Morgan came to the deck, wrapped his coat tightly, and stared at the sea in a daze.

He turned around and saw the first-class cabin next to his own first-class luxury cabin.

After thinking it over, he walked over and knocked on the door gently.

The door was opened, and when he saw Zhao Chuanxin, his guess was confirmed: "Zhao, you are here."

Zhao Chuanxin happily moved aside and let him in.

"The older you are, the wiser you are." Zhao Chuanxin pulled a chair over to him and said, "You actually found out."

"That's not hard to guess." Old Morgan shrugged. "Alfred should have seen you, right? He came to me to ask about you. I looked at the passenger list, and your name was not on it. If you were on the ship, your extraordinary courage would force you to appear in the most high-profile place."

What he wanted to say was that the more skilled one is, the more courageous one becomes.

Zhao Chuanxin took out a cigar and handed it to Old Morgan: "My extraordinary courage is nothing, but my tired body needs a good environment to rest."

"Zhao, why are you so tired? I heard that you were selling insurance, and now you're on the boat again. Do you have any conspiracy?"

"I was exhausted because I traveled thousands of miles from China to board the ship. There is no conspiracy, but since someone has bought insurance, I have to be responsible for the personal safety of the customer."

Old Morgan took out the insurance certificate from his pocket and said, "I also bought Thomas Insurance."

"Congratulations, you will have the ultimate safety experience."

Old Morgan: “…”

He smiled bitterly: "Zhao, for the sake of our friendship, please tell me the truth. Does your presence here mean that the Titanic will encounter an accident?"

"You'll have to ask God. That son of a bitch has a good sense of humor. But I promise you, your life is saved."

July 4th, Saturday.

night.

A first-class passenger rushed to the captain and said, "Three hundred thousand pounds worth of jewelry and money in my safe are missing, including a 23-carat blue diamond necklace worth one hundred thousand pounds..."

The captain's face grew serious.

I blanch...

Three hundred thousand pounds is not a small sum. A thousand ordinary first-class tickets only cost three hundred thousand.

Coincidentally, someone came to the captain and said that a collection of his poems was lost in the safe.

The captain was confused: "What's the big deal about a book of poetry?"

The man was anxious: "That is a collection of poems by the 11th century philosopher Omar Jayam, decorated with thousands of gems..."

The captain's head was buzzing.

Captain Edward Smith went to see Joseph Ismay, the head of the White Star Line, to report the situation.

Joseph Ismay told him: "This is the maiden voyage of the Titanic. It is inevitable that there will be problems, but we must minimize the impact. After all, we will have to sail for many years to come and cannot affect our reputation."

Edward Smith stroked his white beard and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"We ask passengers who have been stolen not to spread the news. We will conduct a low-key investigation."

He took the captain to the stolen cabin and found that the safe was tightly closed and the lock was not damaged.

Joseph Ismay asked the stolen passenger: "Do you still have the keys?"

"Here I am."

The passenger took out the key and opened the safe.

Joseph Ismay looked carefully and saw that the Titanic logo plate and lock on the safe were intact.

It's strange.

He really wanted to ask the passengers if they were trying to blackmail their company.

But in this case, the passengers may lose control and cause a commotion, which may have a bad impact.

He repeatedly assured them that he would give them an explanation.

He had his crew patrol the first-class area.

Not to mention patrolling, even if the deck was full of people, it wouldn't stop Zhao Chuanxin from stealing.

He did not destroy the lock, but let Xingyue control the black puppet craftsman to plant the key directly in the keyhole.

There is no lock that he cannot open.

Wearing a shadow cloak, he went from door to door.

Old Morgan said that he was a man of great skill and courage, but he never imagined how courageous Zhao Chuanxin was.

Even if there was someone in the room, Zhao Chuanxin would not tolerate it and would just open the door and go in.

In some rooms, people were practicing ground techniques on the beds, and Zhao Chuanxin was opening the safe next to them to take out the goods.

But he did not rob everything. He took away the valuables and left the worthless ones.

Watches, jewelry, jewellery, artwork, antiques, money...

Then he went to the food cold storage and installed a copper eye.

During the next day, more people came to the captain to report the loss.

Edward Smith and Joseph Ismay were in a state of panic. Because of the warm winter, the icebergs in the north drifted farther south than in previous years.

Ships passing nearby sent ice condition reports to the Titanic via radio.

What's the result?

The only binoculars on board were locked in a cabinet by the second mate.

The second mate who was in charge of the keys was not on board at the time...

Crew member Frederick Fleet could not find a telescope and had to rely on his naked eyes.

It's fine during the day.

noon.

There was a knock on Zhao Chuanxin's door.

Xingyue told him: "The person outside is old Morgan, with Alfred Vanderbilt."

Zhao Chuanxin opened the door and two people came in.

Old Morgan was not shy, but Alfred Vanderbilt, one of the richest men in the United States, was restrained in front of Zhao Chuanxin.

He greeted awkwardly: "Mr. Zhao."

Be the first to reach out.

Zhao Chuanxin shook hands with him and then wiped his hands with a towel.

Alfred Vanderbilt: "..."

Although he was unhappy, he didn't dare to say it.

Old Morgan said to Zhao Chuanxin: "We are here to invite you to have lunch at the restaurant. Let me introduce you to Alfred Gwenny Vanderbilt, the heir to the Vanderbilt shipping and railway. Alfred, you have met this man, Mr. Zhao."

Zhao Chuanxin opened his closet, and the two saw that there was only a black satin coat in his closet, with golden deer antlers, camel heads, cow ears, ghost eyes, snake necks, clam bellies, fish scales, eagle claws, and tiger paws embroidered on the back of the coat.

This is a Zhongshan suit with a stand-up collar.

Zhao Chuanxin designed it earlier than Sun Gongwu, and it was more stylish than Sun Gongwu's design. So he naturally wore it more stylishly than Sun Gongwu...

Old Morgan asked with interest: "Zhao, what is the animal on the clothes?"

"Qilin."

Alfred Vanderbilt gave a thumbs up: "When it comes to fashion, Mr. Zhao is second to none in the world."

In fact, it is a bonus for body shape.

It's like watching a buyer's show and imagining how cool it would look on you.

It really burns the eyes when worn.

Following old Morgan into the restaurant, no one was looking at the tickets.

It's noisy.

JP Morgan friend, do you suspect he doesn't have a first-class cabin ticket?
After ordering, Old Morgan asked, "Mr. Zhao, this has been a smooth journey. What do you think?"

Zhao Chuanxin stared at the women in the restaurant with bird feathers in their hair.

Many women stared at him as well.

Don't talk about discrimination or not.

The Zhongshan suit is a tight fit, but it can't hide Lao Zhao's sturdy figure.

Thick beard and hair, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

An aggressive temperament is the most important weapon against women.

This made old Morgan and Alfred envious and jealous.

Zhao Chuanxin immediately turned his gaze to the piano in the dining room: "Once they have lived long enough, both the soldier and the king will be put into a wooden box. In my opinion, you don't have to rush. Wait until tonight to have a look."

"..."

Alfred Vanderbilt had been slapped in the face by Zhao Chuanxin before.

At this time, he was eager to ease the relationship with Zhao Chuanxin: "Mr. Zhao is interested in piano?"

Zhao Chuanxin smiled and said, "There are many children in my family who are crying for food. I want to equip them with pianos and cultivate their art from an early age. Unfortunately, I am unable to do so. It is already very difficult to feed them."

"..." Alfred Vanderbilt didn't know where to start complaining: "I have a nice piano at home. If Mr. Zhao likes it, I can give it to you."

Zhao Chuanxin twitched his fingers and said, "Well, if you give one, plus the pianos here, the number will be just right."

Well, this person takes courtesy seriously.

However, the two were wondering why Zhao Chuanxin wanted to add the few pianos here?

At this time, Captain Edward Smith walked into the restaurant and looked around with a frown.

He told the crew: "First, second and third class cabins must all be taken care of, and there should be no favoritism."

The crew nodded and bowed.

Joseph Ismay, the head of the White Star Line who was dining nearby, looked at Thomas Andrews, the builder of the Titanic, and nodded silently: "This is a qualified captain."

At a nearby table, there was a fat woman named Jasmine Brown, who had a strong aura.

Because a naughty boy passed by and bumped into her, she grabbed the boy fiercely and said, "Young man, this is not the place for you to make trouble, do you understand?"

When the boy's father saw this, he wanted to speak for his child, but Jasmine Brown stretched out her hand to stop him from speaking, staring at the boy.

The boy went from being naughty to being quiet slowly, and nodded timidly.

Molly Brown then let go.

Zhao Chuanxin grinned and said to Old Morgan and Alfred, "I like this lady."

The two disagreed.

There are all kinds of people on this ship.

After finishing the meal, Zhao Chuanxin wiped his mouth and stood up: "You guys take your time eating, I'm going to the bathroom."

He went to the bathroom, inserted a copper eye into the roof, and teleported to the G deck food cold storage to start moving.

When he came back, he appeared on the sea surface, teleported the cold storage, and continued the transportation.

Back and forth, tirelessly.

On the last trip, Zhao Chuanxin transported to the cold storage, took out the copper eye, and transported to the restaurant bathroom.

He washed his face in front of the bathroom mirror, evaporated the steam with the Lord of Run's greetings, and said to the mirror with a grin, "At least I left them a last supper."

Eat well, drink well, and hit the road.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhao Chuanxin went to the lounge, which was empty.

He cut down the fireplace and took it away.

He went up the stairs and took away the clock embedded in the wall.

In the setting sun of the west, lookout Frederick Fleet on the watchtower performed his duty conscientiously, leaning on his hand to look into the distance.

Zhao Chuanxin glanced at him, smiled and teleported to the restaurant bathroom, then came to the restaurant, sat down, and ordered a cup of ice cream.

4:20 pm.

JP Morgan and Alfred Vanderbilt came together.

Old Morgan sat down and asked, "Zhao, what do you want from us?"

Zhao Chuanxin crossed his legs, smoked a cigar and said, "Wait a minute, let's talk about it when more people are here."

The two could only hold back and wait.

A couple walked into the restaurant. Zhao Chuanxin stood up and walked forward: "Mr. and Mrs. Herman, right?"

"Ah?" The two were confused: "Who are you?"

Zhao Chuanxin took out a credential and said, "I am the person in charge of Thomas Insurance. I need you to gather in the restaurant around 11 o'clock at night. Do you see those two people over there? When the time comes, you will sit with JP Morgan."

The two of them looked unhappy.

No one likes to be ordered around.

But when they saw old Morgan, they smiled again.

There is no way around it. In the United States, sometimes even those in power have to give some face to the rich.

Ordinary wealthy people are certainly not as rich as old Morgan.

The two of them apologized: "Excuse me!"

Then he walked towards old Morgan, apparently to seek confirmation.

Old Morgan didn't dare to reveal Zhao Chuanxin's background, but just told them: "If he says so, believe him once for my sake."

The two were surprised.

Where did this Asian come from?
How could he make old Morgan submit?
Zhao Chuanxin continued to wait.

Until the end of dinner time, there were still two people who had not arrived for dinner, so Zhao Chuanxin dragged Old Morgan and the other man to go and look for them in person.

Everything went well.

At 11 o'clock in the evening, everyone gathered in the restaurant.

They were asking old Morgan why they were gathering here.

Old Morgan was vague.

I can't tell them: Zhao Chuanxin asked me to come, so how dare I not come?

At ten past eleven, Zhao Chuanxin appeared in the restaurant.

Be polite to old Morgan, but not to Zhao Chuanxin.

"Sir, what on earth do you mean by asking us to come here?"

"Yeah, it's late. I usually go to bed."

"It's really too much..."

Zhao Chuanxin has taken off his Qilin costume.

He was wearing a tactical uniform at this time.

The waiter, who was panting heavily because of his outfit, stepped forward to stop him: "Sir, you..."

Zhao Chuanxin raised his hand and cut towards his neck.

The waiter fell without saying a word.

Everyone was shocked and looked at Old Morgan.

If you didn't know who Old Morgan was, you would think that Old Morgan was cooperating with the pirates to carry out a robbery!

Zhao Chuanxin copied it with his hand.

In his hand, he had a Xingyue M1909 light machine gun, the one with a sound-absorbing cold iron silencer.

He fired at the thick carpet.

Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo…

"what……"

Everyone screamed.

Old Morgan was also furious.

He thought Zhao Chuanxin was so crazy that he was planning to gather the wealthy people from all over the world for a major purge.

However, Zhao Chuanxin did not hurt anyone.

He carried a gun and held a cigar in his mouth, and said coldly: "Everyone, my name is Zhao Chuanxin. In order to save your lives, please cooperate with me now, and let's stay here obediently."

Alfred Vanderbilt asked fearfully, "Mr. Zhao, why is this?"

"Wait, you will know what will happen in a moment."

Everyone waited anxiously.

Someone tried to escape and quietly walked towards the bathroom.

Zhao Chuanxin naturally saw it, but he just looked at his pocket watch and ignored it.

At 23:40 p.m. in the evening, lookout Frederick Fleet spotted a table-sized shadow in the distance, which was gradually getting bigger as the ship approached.

He was horrified and immediately rang the alarm bell on the bridge three times.

By the way, he picked up the phone: "There is an iceberg right ahead."

Murdoch was also surprised when he received the news, and hurriedly ordered: "All engines slow down, full left rudder! Propeller No. 3 reversed..."

Only 37 seconds passed from the time Frederick Fleet spotted the iceberg to the time the Titanic struck the starboard side of the ship.

In such a short time, it would be too late to give any order.

Due to the violent impact, the rivets on the starboard bottom were broken and part of the waterproof bulkhead was cracked.

The water keeps coming in.

The Titanic had a displacement of 46328 tons, and the supplies Zhao Chuanxin looted were only a few tons, a drop in the bucket, which could not affect the sinking of the ship at all.

There was a shaking in the restaurant.

Zhao Chuanxin bared his teeth and said, "Well, your unsinkable Titanic has indeed hit an iceberg. Now whoever wants to die, please get out."

Everyone in the restaurant staggered, looking miserable...

(End of this chapter)