"Is this your doing?"Fredrick, who had been busy in Chicago for over two months, came back home and immediately grabbed Naier, asking the question without hesitation.No need to ask; he was certainly referring to the fact that the West Virginia state government had been besieged by various major social organizations. In the end, they surrendered, setting up a new supervisory committee, establishing new rules for fund distribution, and announcing the construction of a dam.
"Let go, let go, you..." Naier was standing there, startled. He almost ended up falling into Fredrick's arms.
"Speak, was it you?" Fredrick let go of Naier.
"It was nothing, just a small thing," Naier straightened up and said this with an air of superiority. He couldn't tell others, but Fredrick was different. They were like brothers who knew each other well, so it didn't matter.
"You brought those people here, didn't you? You must have really disgusted those politicians in Charleston, hahahahaha..."Perhaps recalling the awkward positions of the state's governor and lawmakers, Fredrick couldn't help but burst out laughing. It's not every day that common folks get the upper hand on the elites.
"Nothing like that, nothing like that. So, how was it in Chicago?" Naier waved his hand and moved on. That matter had already been put behind them.
"It was okay."The two of them walked back from the station. The weather was just right; the early summer afternoon in West Virginia was quite pleasant, perfect for a walk. While chatting, Fredrick gave Naier an overview of the situation in Chicago.
The first and most direct piece of news was that Charles Luciano had completed his sentence and was officially released after serving nine months, adhering to his secret agreement with Dewey. Now, he had gone to Las Vegas to continue his gambling empire.
No one should doubt "American speed" now; infrastructure was a specialty. During this time, cheap labor was abundant, and workers had received basic elementary education, providing a labor force with some knowledge. With the ongoing economic crisis, prices for industrial goods like cement and steel were low. Las Vegas' construction was bound to progress quickly.
Don't believe it? Here's an example: New York's Empire State Building!Construction began in March 1930 and, in just 410 days, it was completed and open for use. It was almost impossible to believe that, while building the Empire State Building, there were 800,000 people in New York who couldn't even afford food, and the entire U.S. was in the midst of a terrifying economic crisis.
It is said that millionaire Laszlo Scob only decided to build the Empire State Building to show off his wealth. He brought in renowned architect William Lamb and asked, "How high can we build the building?" Lamb thought for a moment and replied, "1,050 feet."Scob wasn't satisfied with this height, as it was only 4 feet taller than the newly completed Chrysler Building. So, William Lamb added a 200-foot-tall spire, making the Empire State Building 1,250 feet tall.The Empire State Building, which stood as the tallest building in the world for fifty years, was completed in just over a year. So, imagine how quickly other buildings could go up.
The Italian Mafia, with the money from the Japanese, was throwing large sums of money around, and in just ten months, they had nearly finished building a luxurious hotel-casino that combined all imaginable forms of entertainment. What was left were some simple soft furnishings and recruitment for staff and special workers.Unless something unexpected happened, once the Hoover Dam started generating power, the Italian Mafia's casino-hotel would begin operations.
Moreover, Las Vegas wasn't just home to Charles Luciano and Meyer Lansky's casino; other casinos were also under construction. To ensure that visitors to Las Vegas had the time of their lives, the Nevada state government had undertaken massive infrastructure projects in the city.
You should remember that Nevada's governor, Gene, had promised both voters and the national media that he would use the money from licensing fees to improve the infrastructure of the Indian reservations, including building power plants, fire stations, banks, schools, hospitals, and other facilities.Gene was truly a man of his word; Nevada was heavily investing in Las Vegas' infrastructure, including paving roads, installing sewer systems, and building water supply projects. They were wholeheartedly working to transform the Indian reservations, keeping the original promise.
As for the money originally allocated for infrastructure and annual subsidies for the Indians, well, we all know what happened.
"Maybe we should visit Las Vegas sometime," Naier nodded. It would be nice to experience the future world-class casino and witness its prosperity.
"Sure, we can go. And we can fly there!" Fredrick suddenly seemed to have an idea.
It was hard to imagine, but Las Vegas had an airport, and it seemed that plans were in place to open flights from Las Vegas to major cities across the U.S. It was clear that Las Vegas' investors had excellent foresight and recognized the great potential of airports in the future.In the future, it would be difficult to acquire land in Las Vegas, where space was as precious as gold.
"Let's give it a try," Naier said. He had flown before in his past life, but in this era, he had no knowledge about airplanes, or rather, he had never seen one before.
As they were talking, a delivery man suddenly threw a stack of newspapers in the town center and started distributing them to pedestrians. "Extra! Extra! The first-ever successful round-the-world flight is complete!"
What a coincidence! Just as the two were talking about airplanes, here came the news about one. Naier stepped forward, grabbed an extra copy, and started reading.
The story was simple: Willy Post and Paul Getty had set off from Roosevelt Airport on Long Island, New York, flown over Newfoundland to England, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and then continued their journey through Siberia. Finally, they made their way through Alaska and Canada, returning to Roosevelt Airport.
Total time: 8 days, 15 hours, and 51 minutes!
This was truly a monumental achievement for humankind, symbolizing the arrival of a new era. What was once an impossible global journey could now be completed in just eight days.
Meanwhile, far away in Germany, Wilhelm Emil Willy Messerschmitt received the news as well. However, accompanying the news was the announcement of the bankruptcy of his aircraft manufacturing company in Augsburg.