109: Chapter 109 The Extravagant Private Island, Lin Long's Independent Kingdom

On the tarmac of a US military base, hot wind carrying the smell of oil rushed toward them.

Lin Long held Suzuki Sonoko's hand and stood in front of a dark green Chinook transport helicopter.

This helicopter was larger than standard military transport helicopters. The cabin door was open, and inside sat a dozen fully armed members of the Reaper Mercenary Group. Their tactical vests were covered in grenades and magazines, and their eyes scanned the surroundings vigilantly.

"Come on up." Lin Long tidied the loose hair by Sonoko's ear and placed a pair of noise-canceling headphones on her head. "It'll be a bit noisy when we take off."

Suzuki Sonoko nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

This was her first time riding in such a military transport helicopter, not to mention going to an island that belonged entirely to them—just thinking about it made her heart race.

The two walked into the cabin, and the mercenaries immediately stood up and saluted, their movements uniform and precise, exuding an aura of lethal intent.

Lin Long signaled for them to sit down, then took Sonoko to the observation position at the rear of the cabin, where there was a reinforced glass window that offered a view of the scene below.

The Chinook's rotors began to spin at high speed, emitting a deafening roar as the fuselage slowly lifted off and flew toward the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

Suzuki Sonoko gripped Lin Long's hand tightly, watching the scene outside the window gradually shrink—the military base became the size of a matchbox, the coastline looked like a silver ribbon, and eventually, it was swallowed by the boundless blue ocean.

"How much longer until we arrive?" She leaned into Lin Long's ear and shouted, her voice largely drowned out by the noise of the rotors.

Lin Long pointed to the military watch on his wrist, the screen displaying the real-time flight path: "About two hours. Sleep for a while, I'll wake you when we arrive."

Sonoko shook her head, her eyes staring brightly out the window.

She had never imagined that one day she would own an island. And she certainly never imagined that this island was a wedding gift from the US—if she told anyone, they probably wouldn't believe it.

Two hours later, the transport helicopter began to descend.

"We're here." Lin Long patted Sonoko's shoulder and pointed outside the window.

Suzuki Sonoko immediately pressed against the glass and was instantly stunned by the scene before her.

In the middle of the deep blue Pacific Ocean floated an island that looked like a secret realm.

The outermost perimeter was a ring of continuous mountains, like a natural city wall, encircling the entire island.

Inside the mountains was a vast freshwater lake, the water crystal clear and shimmering with a verdant glow under the sunlight.

In the center of the lake was the true main island, covering an area of fifty square kilometers, covered in dense, lush tropical rainforest that stretched out of sight.

"Wow..." Sonoko couldn't help but exclaim, "This is just like a place from a fairy tale!"

Lin Long also looked out the window, his gaze deep.

He noted that the orientation of the mountains was very peculiar, forming a near-perfect defensive circle, with only a few narrow mountain passes that could be traversed.

The freshwater lake looked quite deep, enough to block large vessels from approaching.

In the center of the main island, one could faintly see a smaller lake, like a sapphire embedded in a green carpet.

"Easy to defend, difficult to attack." Lin Long commented in a low voice, "The US certainly knows how to pick a spot."

The geographical location of this island was practically born for defense.

Whether attacking from the sea or launching an aerial assault, one would first have to break through the two lines of defense—the mountains and the lake—and the tropical rainforest inside the main island could provide natural concealment and space for maneuvering.

The Chinook transport slowly lowered its altitude, flying into a passage between the mountains.

Only then did Sonoko realize that the passage was artificially created; its width was just enough to accommodate a medium-sized yacht, and on the cliff walls on both sides, one could still see uncleared traces of blasting.

"It seems the US had designs on this island long ago." Lin Long chuckled.

The transport hovered over an open space on the edge of the main island and lowered its landing gear.

The cabin door opened, and air mixed with the fresh scent of soil and vegetation rushed in, dispelling the smell of oil inside the cabin.

"Want to go down and take a look?" Lin Long looked at Sonoko.

"Yeah!" Sonoko nodded vigorously, unable to wait to unbuckle her seatbelt.

The two walked off the transport under the protection of the mercenaries, their feet stepping onto the soft ground.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground, and the crisp chirping of birds and the sound of murmuring water could be heard.

"The air here is so fresh!" Sonoko took a deep breath, an intoxicated expression appearing on her face, "It smells a hundred times better than the air in Tokyo!"

Lin Long looked around, his gaze landing on the central lake not far away.

He could feel that the water quality there was excellent; he could even faintly see the sand and stones at the bottom of the lake.

"Let's go, let's go over there and take a look." He took Sonoko's hand and walked toward the lake.

After passing through a patch of low shrubs, the view suddenly opened up.

The central lake was larger than imagined, the water a rare, jewel-blue.

The shore was lined with a large stretch of white sandy beach, the sand fine and soft to step on.

"We could build a swimming pool here! No, something even bigger than a swimming pool!" Sonoko excitedly ran onto the beach, took off her shoes, and stepped into the water, "The water temperature is just right!"

Lin Long stood on the shore, looking at the scene before him, his mind already beginning to outline the future appearance of this island.

The mountain passage needed to be reinforced, with hidden surveillance and defense systems installed; the freshwater lake could be used for aquaculture and could also serve as a natural moat; most of the tropical rainforest on the main island should be preserved, with residential and functional areas carved out only at the edges; and this central lake... could have a villa built on the water, serving as their private space.

"How about it, have you thought about how to build it?" Lin Long walked to Sonoko's side, bending down to help her wipe the water droplets off her feet.

Sonoko looked up, her eyes sparkling with longing: "I want a wooden house with a swing, built right by the lake! And it needs a big garden, filled with roses and sunflowers! Oh, and we should build a tennis court so we can play together!"

"No problem." Lin Long nodded with a smile, "However, that's not enough."

He took out his phone and brought up a holographic projection showing a 3D map of the island.

He traced on the map with his finger: "We'll build a helipad here that can accommodate large transport aircraft; we'll live on this island and use private planes for travel; we'll build a dock here for yachts and patrol boats; in the valley over there, we can build a small defensive fortification and deploy a few anti-aircraft guns; and the entire island will be covered by the most advanced surveillance systems and networks to ensure safety."

Sonoko watched him planning methodically and stuck out her tongue: "It feels like building a military base."

"Pretty much." Lin Long put his phone away, his tone serious, "This island is our home, and safety will always be the top priority."

He had experienced too many dangers and knew deeply that without sufficient defense, even the most beautiful home was just an illusion.

Especially since he had offended so many factions, he had to make complete preparations.

"Let's go, it's time for us to head back." Lin Long looked at the sky, "The design plans need to be made as soon as possible."

"Back? Now?" Sonoko looked at the beach with some reluctance, "I haven't stayed long enough yet."

"There will be plenty of time in the future." Lin Long ruffled her hair, "Once it's finished, we'll live here every day."

The two boarded the transport again; the mercenaries had already begun preliminary exploration and guarding of the island.

When the transport lifted off again, Sonoko watched the island getting smaller and smaller and suddenly thought of a question: "By the way, how long will it take to build this island? Such a big project, I'm afraid it will take two or three years, right?"

Lin Long shook his head, a confident smile curling the corner of his mouth: "It won't take that long. Half a year, six months at most, and it will be finished."

"Half a year?" Sonoko widened her eyes, "How is that possible? Even if you hire the best construction team, they wouldn't be able to catch up, right?"

"A regular construction team, of course, wouldn't be able to." Lin Long took out his satellite phone and dialed a number, "But I'm not using a regular construction team."

The call was connected quickly, and a rough voice came from the other side: "BOSS, what are your orders?"

"It's me." Lin Long's tone was concise and clear, "That island in the Pacific, you know the one? I need a combat engineering unit, preferably an experienced one, to be responsible for basic construction and defensive fortifications. Budget is not an issue, the faster the better."

"A combat engineering unit?" The person on the other end was stunned for a moment, then immediately replied, "No problem! I know a battalion commander in the Army Corps of Engineers who just finished building a base in Afghanistan and happens to be free. Should I have them set off tomorrow?"

"That works." Lin Long nodded, "Have them bring heavy equipment: excavators, cranes, concrete mixers... whatever they can use, bring it all. Also, mobilize a batch of building materials, from steel to glass, prepared to the highest standards."

"Understood! Guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Hanging up the phone, Lin Long looked at the dumbfounded Sonoko: "See? Using the military's combat engineering unit, half a year is enough."

Sonoko opened her mouth, unable to speak for a long time.

Letting the military's combat engineering unit build a private island? This... this is too exaggerated, right?

She finally understood what Lin Long meant by "budget is not an issue."

For ordinary people, building an island would take years of time and astronomical amounts of money, but for Lin Long, with just one phone call, he could mobilize a well-equipped combat engineering unit—this was no longer something money could achieve; this was absolute power and connections.

"You... just how many more secrets do you have?" Sonoko looked at Lin Long, her eyes full of curiosity.

Lin Long smiled and didn't answer, simply pulling her into his arms and looking out the window at the island gradually disappearing on the horizon.

Half a year. He had absolute confidence.

The engineers of the Army Corps of Engineers were the best "rapid construction" unit in the world.

They could build a base in the desert in a month, and carve a road through the jungle in two weeks; building a private island was just a piece of cake for them.

And all he needed to do was pay some "overtime pay"—for Lin Long, money was not an issue. Given Lin Long's current status, he could proudly say, "I, Lin Long, am not interested in money."

"When it's finished, we'll have a real honeymoon here." Lin Long said softly, "No politicians, no Zaibatsu, just the two of us."

Sonoko leaned into his arms, listening to his strong heartbeat, and nodded.

She suddenly felt that no matter how many secrets Lin Long had, no matter how complex his world was, as long as she could stand on this island with him and watch the sunrise and sunset, it was enough.

The transport flew through the clouds toward the US military base.

Outside the cabin, the waves of the Pacific were still raging, but the secret island that belonged to Lin Long and Suzuki Sonoko was already quietly brewing a earth-shattering transformation.

In half a year, this place would no longer be a desolate tropical rainforest, but a private kingdom that integrated luxury, safety, and comfort.

And all of this would be created by his own hands.