Lorenzo understood power. You didn't strong-arm the government. You bought your way in.
Money was the key, and Lorenzo had no shortage of it.
A few hundred billion for Heaven's Ladder was an enormous offer. The director's eyes went wide.
"If you're serious about investing, I can bring you onto the base as a sponsor. One condition. You come alone. You wear a blindfold. You get one day. Then you leave."
Lorenzo agreed on the spot.
He signed the contracts. He wired the money. He put on the blindfold.
A day in a jeep. Two days on a ship. Five hours in a helicopter.
When the blindfold came off, he was in the desert. Nothing but sand.
But inside the base, it was calm. Green plants. Good buildings.
"Welcome, Mr. De Luca." The base commander, Sebastiano Moretti, smiled. "Long trip? We've
