Chapter 1: A Rough Start

With the rumble of an engine, a small passenger plane landed at the Long Island Airport in Charles. As the cabin door opened, Ming Zhou and Caitlin got off the plane one after the other.

Feeling the hot breeze outside, Ming Zhou said to Caitlin, 'Virginia is truly a southern state. Compared to the cool weather in Brighton, it's much hotter here, and it makes me feel like I've returned to my hometown in Jingchu.'

Caitlin's explanation was simple: 'Maybe it's just because of the similar latitude.'

Then they walked out of the airport and hailed a taxi. Perhaps because there were fewer tourists here, the young black driver was very enthusiastic: 'Welcome to the beautiful Charles Long Island! Trust me, the beaches here will definitely satisfy you more than the 10,000-person bathtub to the south. Especially for honeymooners, you really have good taste!'

Hearing the enthusiastic words of the black driver made both Ming Zhou and Caitlin feel a little embarrassed. Although they had both expressed their feelings for each other, they were still very embarrassed to actually talk about getting married. Instead, they enthusiastically engaged in conversation with the black driver.

Later, the black driver stopped talking about the honeymoon, and Zhou Ming let out a sigh of relief. But when he was about to speak, Caitlin spoke first. She said with emotion, 'I thought we would not leave until the end of the month at the earliest, but now we are leaving.'

'This is the best reflection of how plans cannot keep up with changes! I also didn't expect President Walsh to come and find me yesterday. In fact, I also wanted to learn more about the outside world before going, but now I have to take things as they come,' said Ming Zhou.

Their purpose of coming to Charles Island was to go to that 'outside world'. According to Caitlyn, there is a special port here that leads there.

It turns out that Zhou Ming's trip to the 'outside world' today was also unplanned. Perhaps since his rebirth, due to the intergenerational relationship, Zhou Ming has become more and more confident in everything he does, but he is not blindly arrogant to this extent. . The reason for this is none other than President Walsh's initiative to visit yesterday and the special phone call from the domestic Yang Lao to avoid misunderstandings.

Yesterday President Walsh basically didn't talk about anything else. From the beginning, he kept pointing to the 'outside world', and even reprimanded those wealthy people affiliated with the church in front of me for transferring their wealth back and forth between the church and their own pockets through charity. He also asked about the future plans for himself and Caitlyn.

This was already too obvious. Zhou Ming guessed that what could make Walsh so anxious was obviously that the outside world was undergoing some kind of change and urgently needed this variable to join as soon as possible.

So what kind of change will the 'outside world' undergo?

Zhou Ming guesses that it is most likely aimed at the church and the wealthy aristocrats affiliated with it. After all, the church has monopolised too many resources and enjoyed too many privileges, This made the later rich and powerful people very dissatisfied and they wanted them to give up their positions.

This is to put it in the simplest of terms, wealth is a sweet piece of cake, and everyone wants a bite, but the table with the cake is already full of the church and his cronies , so that no one can arrive late. Then the only way to get a piece is to turn the table over. Either no one gets any, or there's room for one more person and some cake is spared.

Of course this could also be a trap, and Walsh deliberately told himself this to let him enter the 'outside world' earlier.

However, this possibility is very low. This is not because the church does not have the ability to do so. Zhou Ming believes that if the church is really like what Caitlin introduced, he must be able to the ability to get the US president to deliver this message. But there was no need for this, and Ming couldn't figure out the purpose of the church going to such lengths.

Perhaps he had personally blocked the Tower project, changed the course of the Gulf War, sniped at the British pound, taught the Great Wood family a lesson, and even alerted the US President.

These are amazing to ordinary people, but that is only for ordinary people. In the eyes of organisations like the Church that control the world, they are still not impressive enough. Perhaps they are not even as good as their own agents, so why would they set a trap just for them? Furthermore the attraction of his wealth to them is also not enough.

Therefore After much thought, Zhou Ming decided that he should go to the 'outside world' as soon as possible. After all, Zhou Ming was confident, but not blind. With the size of the church, without the help of others, Zhou Ming was convinced that he would not have any chance.

So last night, Ming Zhou called Caitlin and asked about the way to the 'outside world'. Then this morning, Caitlin took Ming Zhou on the first flight to Charles Long Island. This Long Island is both a city and a region. It is a long, narrow peninsula protruding into the sea from Virginia. According to Caitlin, there is a harbour here, where ships can go to the 'outside world'.

The airport was built right by the sea, so it only took half an hour for them to reach the port Caitlyn had mentioned.

This Port Charles looked no different from an ordinary small port, but after seeing the Down family's Quan'an Island, Zhou Ming would not underestimate this unremarkable so-called small port.

Perhaps the Down family might have modelled themselves on the Tang family, because there is also a special access here. Entry is not permitted, but when Caitlin produces a cross-shaped medal, the security guard lets them through immediately.

'This is a special medal of our Harburg family that represents our identity,' Caitlin told Ming Zhou.

Subsequently Zhou Ming and Caitlin were led to the lounge. By this point, Zhou Ming was convinced that the San Francisco Down syndrome family had learned their ways from the 'outside world'.

However At that moment, a tall white man in a suit, accompanied by several security guards, walked through the door and straight up to Ming and Caitlin. 'Hello, distinguished gentleman and beautiful lady. I'm very sorry to disturb you, but I'm Albert, the port manager. Are you the ones who want to take the boat to the outside world?'

Caitlin nodded and said yes. Albert then held out his hand again: 'I know you all have your credentials. Could you please show them to me so I can check them again?'

Caitlin frowned and asked curiously, 'Why? Have there been a lot of people impersonating the 26 Nobles recently and leaving on boats from here?'

Albert smiled and replied, 'Of course not. In fact, if you're not from one of the 13 sects or the 26 noble families, it's hard to find out about this place. And those who do know about it don't need to pretend. I'm just being cautious. here I can first apologise to you. I believe that a beautiful lady must have a forgiving heart and be able to understand, right?'

Although Caitlyn still felt puzzled by Albert's behaviour, but since he had already gone to such lengths and it was only a further check, Catelyn took out her own medal and handed it to Albert.

Albert took and held it in his hands. He recognised it at a glance: 'This is the Harburg family crest.'

'Yes, I am the first-born heiress of the Harburg family. My name is Theresia Catherina von Harburg.' Catherina said her name to remind him.

If it weren't for the accident, things would have been enough here, but Albert didn't think so. After listening to Caitlin, his gentle expression immediately turned cold: 'The medal is real, the Harburg family crest also has an F, but that was in the past. Now you are no longer eligible, beautiful lady, so please leave immediately!'

This sudden came as a bolt from the blue, and Caitlyn was at a loss for words. She couldn't understand what had happened: 'What's going on? Why am I not eligible?'

'I'm sorry, beautiful lady, but I'm just the manager of the port. My duty is to identify every gentleman who goes out there, and I don't have the authority to answer every gentleman.' Albert then then pointed his finger at the door, 'Now, please just leave. You are all honourable gentlemen and beautiful ladies, and I think we should be a little more elegant.'

Caitlin wanted to say something else, but Zhou Ming shook his head at her, clearly indicating that Albert would not be flexible.

Caitlin gave up too, and she also held out her hand to Albert: 'Please return my medal.'

Albert, however, shook his head and said, 'I'm sorry, but this is also not possible, because you have already been disqualified, so naturally we have to take back this medal... Ah!'

Albert's was not finished, it was replaced by a heart-wrenching scream, because he had grabbed his wrist, and then, with a snap of his fingers, the medal fell from Albert's hand, was caught and handed to Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming took the medal and handed it to Caitlyn, then said to Albert, 'I don't know who you're working for, and you can stop us boarding, but you can't just take other people's things. I don't know what kind of behaviour this is to you, but in some countries, you'll be punished by having your hands chopped off!'

'I don't what you're talking about. I was just doing my job. What gives you the right to say that? How dare you do this to me? I won't let you get away with this!' Albert shouted.

Albert did not admit, but the panic in his eyes was clear to Zhou Ming. Then Zhou Ming took Caitlin and wanted to leave. Albert wanted to shout something, but let go and pushed him to sit on the sand and said to him, 'Don't move around. Your hand will regain feeling in ten minutes, but if you move it around, it will have to be amputated forever. This is Chinese kung fu.'

Leaving this and followed in the footsteps of Zhou Ming and Caitlin, leaving Albert sitting there, not daring to move. He didn't know if what he had heard was true, but he could feel his arm going numb and losing feeling.

Outside Zhou Ming and Caitlin had already left the special access route, and the security guards, who had no orders from Albert, were at a loss as to what to do.

'I didn't think you could really scare that guy,' Zhou Ming said with a smile.

He also laughed and said 'It was nothing. He didn't know anything about acupressure, so I just held down the trigger points.'

'Well, it seems that the unknown fear still works,' Zhou Ming said.

'But our journey has also been very bumpy. We've just started and already there's been such a big problem,' Caitlyn also said.

Zhou Ming Caitlin and smiled before they walked out of the port, but were stopped again: 'Hello, dear Miss Caitlin, our young master's cruise ship is waiting for you in the harbour!'