Chapter 340: The Wood of the Itely Royal Family

After about five hours in the air, the plane finally landed at the Itely International Airport. As the cabin door opened, a sudden blast of cool air hit the passengers. It was obvious that Itely, located at a high latitude, was much colder than warm California. + Top Fiction, of course, it's a good thing it's already April, otherwise Zhou Ming would have to come back with winter clothes.

He took the airport shuttle bus to leave the airport, and then took a taxi to Orlando, a county town located on the outskirts of Itely and Itely's wealthiest and most stable county town. Zhou Ming was going to live here first and make plans after gaining some understanding of the whole of Itely and the Wood family.

Zhou Ming chose a Lincoln taxi, which is also a major feature of Itley. Due to some special reasons, and the fact that the headquarters of the three major American car manufacturers are all here, the taxis in Itley are divided into three classes: luxury, business and ordinary.

The luxury class is what Zhou Ming chose. The taxis in this class are all luxury brands such as Lincoln and Cadillac, and the drivers are all specially trained white people. Not only are they the entire situation in Itely very well, and can give customers the most direct understanding of the city they are visiting. At the same time, they are also very professional. In Itely, where the crime rate remains high, they are also the safest taxis, and of course the cost is also the highest.

The business class is a little worse than the luxury class. Not only are the cars of an ordinary brand, but the drivers are also a mixture of white and black. However, these drivers have at least received special training and belong to large taxi companies, so their professionalism and safety are guaranteed.

As for the ordinary taxis, they are not so impressive. Since these taxis are all affiliated with small taxi companies, there are all kinds of models, even modified cars. The drivers are basically all black. Although the price is are low, but the quality of the drivers varies greatly. Not to mention professional ethics, sometimes there is even a lack of safety. You also have to worry about drivers with tattoos all over their bodies, wondering if they might suddenly pull out a gun and rob you.

It is that there is a saying in Itely: if you don't have a gun with you, don't take a regular taxi, otherwise you're a lamb to the slaughter.

Therefore Generally speaking, ordinary taxis are only taken by the poorest people with no money, or by outsiders who don't know the market price, or by gangsters who are not afraid of anything. Even if you have a little money in your pocket, you will choose a more expensive business class taxi.

Zhou Ming was not afraid of protection, but since he had just arrived in Itali and knew nothing about the situation here, he thought it best to avoid trouble and take a luxury taxi to get a better idea of the situation first.

'Hello sir, the Brontà luxury taxi is at your service. Where would you like to go?'

As soon as get in, the enthusiasm of the taxi driver in front of him was transmitted to the back. His accent was a bit Eastern European, but fortunately, Zhou Ming had been in northern Russia before and was not unfamiliar with the accent there, otherwise he would really have to pay close attention to his continuous rolling tongue.

'We We are going to the Gross Hotel in Orlando County. Could you please give us some information about Itly?' Zhou Ming said to him, and handed him a tip of 50 US dollars.

After receiving the tip, the driver's face, named Blountia, suddenly became more sincere. He said to Ming Zhou, 'Dear guest, thank you very much. I guess this is your first time in Itely, right? You can choose Orlando is really a wise move, because it is the most luxurious and safe place in Etly. The Gros Hotel is also a very luxurious five-star hotel, but if it were the Great Wood Hotel, that would be even better. It is our Etly no. 1!'

'Really really? Then why is the Grand Wood Hotel so good? Is it because it is owned by the Wood family?' Zhou Ming asked curiously. His curiosity was not entirely fake; in fact, he was genuinely curious.

'I didn't realise that you, as a guest, even knew about the Wood family. It seems that you also have a certain understanding of Itely,' the driver said, 'Yes, the Grand Wood Hotel is owned by the Wood family. It is said that the hotel was built as a showpiece for entertaining guests from other consortia or families. That is why the Wood family made the hotel very luxurious. If your financial situation allows, I would recommend that you choose the Grand Wood Hotel.'

'No no, I've already booked the Gross Hotel, so let's go there,' said Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming of course could not go to the Great Wood Hotel. Although Zhou Ming was sure that the Wood family did not know that he had already arrived, it would be a bit too brazen to so openly stay in their family hotel. He did not want to be discovered so early. And this the Gross Hotel, apart from anything else, is most crucially owned by the Down family in a joint venture, which is obviously much safer in comparison.

The chauffeur, although a little surprised by Zhou Ming's insistence, said nothing more and continued to drive his car dutifully.

'I I'm not going to the Great Wood Hotel, but I have heard of the Wood family. I've heard that this is the royal family of the automobile kingdom of Itely, right?' Zhou Ming asked again.

Faced with this question, the driver immediately perked up and said happily: 'Yes, that's right. The Wood family is the superfamily with the longest history, the largest and the richest in our Itely oldest, largest and wealthiest superfamily in our history. The Wood family may not have produced any presidents, but they have bankrolled every single governor for the past 100 years!

' In fact, it wasn't just governors. From Studebaker to General Motors, from Lincoln to Cadillac, all the car manufacturers owe their rise to the support of the Wood family, which has thus gained absolute control . It can be said that for the past hundred years, the three major car manufacturers have simply been working for the Wood family. Whether it's the cars on the road in Itely or even most cars in the United States, broadly speaking, they all come from the Wood family!'

The driver continued, 'But to be considered a true royal family, it's not enough to just hold a controlling interest. The Wood family actually also has a controlling interest in all the rubber processing plants and steel instrument glass and other material parts industries in Etly.'

'You You know, to build a house, it is impossible without reinforced concrete. So now the Wood family controls the production of all auto parts, which is equivalent to strangling the three major auto companies.' The the driver got more and more excited, 'My dear customer, you know that our Ettley is the kingdom of automobiles. A family that can make the three major automobile companies bow to its will, I can't think of any other name but royalty!'

'So I see. When I came here, I only heard that the Wood family was very powerful, but I didn't realize it was to this extent. Apart from controlling the three major car companies, does it have any other influence?' Zhou Ming asked again.

In response , the chauffeur thought for a moment before saying, 'That's hard to say, because the Wood family's influence on Ettle is in every aspect.'

'For For example, every car produced by the Big Three automakers has to pass through the Wood family's logistics company before it can be shipped out of Itely. Every new company registered in Itely wants to get venture capital from the Wood family. Without this step, you are doomed to go bankrupt unless you have the support of another major consortium behind you. For example the Gross Hotel where you are staying, is backed by the California Consortium and the Tang Dynasty Bank.'

The driver thought for a moment and then said, 'Or I could tell you about something that really happened to me. It was at the Pan American Auto Show last year, and the governor was there. But the show, which was scheduled to open at 9am, was finally delayed until 12 noon, because the Wood family members who were attending the expo were delayed by some matters. I think you can understand what I'm saying, can't you?'

Zhou Ming of course he understood, because the governor of the United States is equivalent to the provincial party secretary in China.

Now at an expo attended by the secretary, the expo was actually postponed for three hours because someone from a certain family didn't show up. This influence is not to mention anything else, at least in the state, it is the absolute authority that no one can provoke.

From the airport It took more than two hours to get from the airport to Orlando, and the driver obviously thought that Zhou Ming had a strong interest in the Wood family, so he kept telling Zhou Ming about the Wood family. From the the Wood family's initial history of getting rich, to how the Wood family helped the three major car manufacturers gain a foothold in exporting their products around the world, the driver's vivid narration was clearly not the first time he had told his guests these stories.

'The Wood No one knows how much money the Wood family has made over the past 100 years, but I think the reason the Wood family has been able to remain in Etrile is because they have always given back to the community. It is said that the Wood family has invested more than 300 million US dollars in charitable causes, and it is very rare to help everything from unemployed workers to women and children to terminally ill patients,' the driver said.

Compared to the driver the driver's enthusiasm, Zhou Ming did not say much along the way. At most, he would say a few more words when asked key questions. For the most part, he just listened to the driver.

After the last two hours passed, and Zhou Ming and was finally delivered to his destination. The car was parked in front of the Hotel Gross. Looking up, the Hotel Gross had a very special style reminiscent of ancient Greece . Several large stone pillars that no one could hug around were towering high, and there was a statue of a character in the style of Michelangelo from the Renaissance and a fountain square at the entrance.

Zhou Ming took out a thousand US dollars and handed it to the driver, which immediately perked up the driver, who had been a bit listless after talking the whole way.

He said to Zhou Ming said, 'Hey, guest, if it's okay, I hope you can still remember my contact information, because Etrile is not as safe as you think. Downtown, especially in places where the niggers hang out, is very dangerous, and I can effectively help you stay out of danger.'

'I . But I don't think I need it, thank you very much,' Zhou Ming said to the driver, and then walked into the Hotel Gross with his luggage.

On the other side, the driver excitedly counted the banknotes that Zhou Ming had given him. It was only after Zhou Ming's figure disappeared from view that the driver's expression cooled. He took out a walkie-talkie and said in perfect English, 'This is Blount Blountia. I'm at the entrance to the Hotel Gross, and a Chinese guest has just got out of my car. I think it's likely that he is the one they're looking for, Ming Zhou, who came from California.'