Each stowaway received only a spoonful of rice and a cup of plain water, quickly distributed by Ulrich Sandman and his two subordinates, who efficiently gathered the empty plastic containers. Meanwhile, several members of the smuggling gang mingled with the crowd in the dim light. Sounds of scuffling and pleading soon echoed through the room, mixed with sobs as seven or eight women were forcibly separated from the group and driven toward a nearby cabin door.
The other stowaways remained silent.
Female stowaways were already few and far between, and Ulrich understood these were the "unprotected" ones. Without a man's protection, their fate—both now and perhaps even after reaching France—looked grim.
After Ulrich and his two men handed the empty containers back to the kitchen, they returned to the deck, where the mood was already lively. Masked members of the smuggling ring, bare-chested, engaged in a raucous, open-air revelry under the night sky.
Ulrich declined Captain Renault's invitation to join and returned to his cabin with his men. Although his subordinates might have been tempted, they said nothing. They knew their boss could be extremely kind but also ruthless, willing to kill if necessary.
They refrained from participating in the deck festivities, not due to any moral high ground. They were accustomed to operating in the shadows, unbound by law or ethics. The only reason was that it might interfere with their mission.
Back in their cabin, the three played cards for a while before resting. When they woke up, the darkness outside was still thick—the dark before dawn.
Silently, the freighter reached the French coast.
With no dock in sight, over a hundred people boarded a few speedboats that took them to shore near Nice, in southern France.
The next three days passed in cautious, secretive movement from one location to another. Of the 129 stowaways, most were directed to various destinations in France, with only a few going to join friends or family. Ulrich's team continued to follow the operation, as their mission wasn't just to observe the smuggling process but also to investigate the network supporting illegal immigrants in France.
Upon arrival, stowaways were sorted by organized groups based on gender, age, and skill, quickly assigned to various dark corners of the country to start their "new" lives.
Once they had thoroughly documented the entire process, Ulrich and his two subordinates headed to a safehouse near Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
It was July 3.
Ulrich's entire team of five groups had been deployed, tracing all smuggling routes from Latin America, Africa, and Asia to France. While the Asian team was still en route due to the distance, the other teams had safely returned.
Now it was time to compile the data and submit their mission reports.
Inside a spacious lakeside villa office, located on the northern outskirts of Geneva, Ulrich was carefully marking a large world map with a red pen when a subordinate hurried in, holding a document. "Boss, the election results are in—Yeltsin won."
Ulrich barely paused his work, showing little interest.
Dennis Peck, who had just completed a smuggling mission from Libya to France, noticed his boss's indifference, awkwardly set down the printed news, pulled up a chair, and watched Ulrich work. After a moment's thought, he said, "Boss, I think I might have a guess about what our big boss is planning."
Ulrich continued his work in silence.
Dennis sighed and turned to another man at the computer. "Rafael, curious to know?"
Rafael Krich, a man in his early thirties, just smiled and shook his head, showing an equal lack of interest.
Dennis feigned a wounded look but couldn't resist voicing his thoughts, regardless of whether his colleagues wanted to hear. "I think our big boss is aiming to do the exact opposite of what Hitler once did."
Ulrich frowned at this and sternly rebuked, "Dennis, I don't want to hear any more of your speculations about our superiors' intentions. Otherwise, I'll report you. This isn't the job for you."
Dennis shrank back, realizing Ulrich wasn't joking, and quickly promised, "Boss, I swear, it won't happen again."
Dennis was more than satisfied with his job and had no intention of jeopardizing it. Though not usually talkative, he was more open around Ulrich, who had trained him personally during their time in Stasi. Beyond a professional bond, there was a friendship—and even a kinship—between them. Dennis understood that Ulrich's warning was for his own good.
While Ulrich didn't care much about the Russian election results, the rest of the world's media were closely following it.
Simon Westeros also received the news promptly.
After a grueling six-month campaign, Yeltsin, whose approval ratings had once plummeted, managed to secure 53% of the vote, narrowly defeating his main opponent, Zyuganov, to secure another term as Russia's president.
To Simon, this election marked another turning point for Russia post-Soviet Union.
The Russian economy had already collapsed, but with Yeltsin's re-election, the country's oligarchs, who had supported him, would expand their grip on every facet of the nation. Combined with Yeltsin's upcoming lackluster term, the economy would spiral even further.
The next day, July 4, was Independence Day in the USA.
Simon spent the day with the two Jennys, mainly attending the wedding of Daenerys Entertainment CEO Amy Pascal, whose efforts had been integral to the company's growth. In appreciation, Simon devoted his full attention to her big day.
Amy Pascal kept the ceremony modest, with fewer than a hundred guests, yet the celebration lasted all day. She and her husband planned to return to work immediately after a short Independence Day weekend, saving the honeymoon for later. Also on this day, the North American summer movie season kicked off with three major releases: MGM's comedy The Birdcage, Disney's action thriller The Rock starring Sean Connery, and Sony's comic adaptation The Phantom.
The following day marked the end of the previous box office week.
From June 29 to July 4, Daenerys Entertainment's summer blockbuster Sleepy Hollow, the only major release solely produced by the company, overtook Spectre, dethroning it from its number-one spot.
Despite no longer being associated with the Batman series, Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with an impressive average media rating of 8.8, nearing classic status.
In fact, the absence of the worn-out Batman series may have enhanced Sleepy Hollow's appeal. Moreover, with Burton's downgraded Hollywood status, the film's production budget was a modest $70 million, well below the $100 million in the original timeline.
In its seven-day debut, Sleepy Hollow grossed $51.39 million with an average per-theater gross of nearly $17,000.
In the original timeline, Sleepy Hollow earned around $100 million domestically. This time, backed by Daenerys Entertainment's powerful marketing machine, the fantasy thriller, promoted as a "film where every frame could be a stunning poster," was expected to see at least a 50% increase in domestic box office revenue due to its rave reviews.
With production and marketing costs totaling $100 million, a domestic gross of no less than $150 million would cover most of the expenses. As with Daenerys's other blockbusters, the film's real profit would come from international markets, ensuring substantial returns.
Along with Sleepy Hollow's success, the film's leads, Johnny Depp and Mia Kirshner, saw their popularity skyrocket.
Following his breakthrough in Edward Scissorhands, Depp's career had been rocky, and while he had acclaimed roles like What's Eating Gilbert Grape, he struggled commercially, even slipping from the B-list to the C-list. However, his standout performance in Sleepy Hollow, coupled with the film's box office success, firmly elevated him to Hollywood's A-list.
Mia Kirshner, the quintessential "Westeros Girl," was another example of Simon's Midas touch in Hollywood. Despite no official term, it was clear that Kirshner was a star created by Simon's influence. At just 20, she had already received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for Little Women, a rare achievement in Hollywood.
Inside sources noted that Simon had given Tim Burton extensive creative freedom on Sleepy Hollow, except for the female lead. He had insisted on casting Kirshner, whose innocent yet melancholic aura added depth to the role.
With Sleepy Hollow's success, Daenerys Entertainment capitalized on the momentum by announcing that Kirshner would star in up-and-coming director James Mangold's new film Girl, Interrupted, alongside Oscar-winner Jon Voight's daughter, Angelina Jolie.
Following the holiday weekend, Spectre managed to hold strong despite facing Sleepy Hollow's competition, dropping only 31% in its third week and adding another $38.6 million, bringing its three-week total to a high of $183.99 million.
With its steady performance, Spectre seemed poised to secure the top spot in the 1996 summer box office. Whether it would claim the yearly box office title depended on the performance of Wonder Woman 2, Charlie's Angels, and other releases later in the year.
After the holiday, July 8 brought a fresh week and saw the Westeros Group initiating the second half of its bond issuance plan.
First up was a $3 billion bond issuance by America Online (AOL).
The Westeros Group's extensive share sales earlier this
year had raised concerns about a potential tech bubble burst. Although Simon had paused long-term share divestments due to public pressure, the sudden bond issuance at the start of the second half caught many by surprise.
Though AOL's announcement stated that the bonds would be primarily targeted at overseas investors, the North American stock market took a notable hit on the day of the announcement. The Nasdaq fell by 1.2% as the market was not naive.
But as often happens, intelligence and rationality are two different things.
After Monday's 1.2% drop, the Nasdaq rebounded by 0.7% on Tuesday and 0.8% on Wednesday, ultimately finishing with a slight gain over three days.
As of the close on Wednesday, July 10, the Nasdaq had reached 4,215 points.
Meanwhile, Egret Corporation, the market's leading tech stock, was soaring. By Wednesday, this internet behemoth's market value had climbed to $387.6 billion, pushing it to the brink of becoming the Nasdaq's first $400 billion company.
Analysts predicted Egret could end up capturing nearly 10% of the entire Nasdaq market.
Egret's valuation would have seemed unbelievable in Yahoo's era, but it was now a vastly different beast.
With constant business upgrades, Egret's reliance on its original web portal business had diminished.
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