The Chrono Admiral

Chapter Three: Father Lin Yongsheng

Inside Lin Daxin's single room at the construction site, Lin Daxin stared intently at the computer monitor, his teeth clenched, veins popping out on his forehead, and fists clenched tightly.

In the past few days, Lin Daxin has gained a general understanding of history after 1892. He knows that the Qing Dynasty collapsed, that there was warlordism after the Qing Dynasty, that there was the War of Resistance against Japan, that there was the War of Liberation, that there was the founding of New China, that there was reform and opening up, and that China has become powerful in modern times!

Even seeing the Qing Dynasty fall didn't faze Lin Daxin; in fact, he thought it was normal. Despite his youth, Lin Daxin knew that the Qing Dynasty in his original timeline was rotten to the core. Even the navy's funds were diverted by Empress Dowager Cixi to build the Summer Palace! It would be strange if such a dynasty didn't perish!

Lin Daxin felt indignant seeing China, a nation with a history of five thousand years, being bullied so badly by foreign powers.

However, what worries Lin Daxin is that he knows the First Sino-Japanese War will break out two years after he arrives in the 1892 timeline.

What worries and angers Lin Daxin the most is a passage displayed on his computer.

During the Battle of the Yellow Sea in the First Sino-Japanese War, after the sinking of the Zhiyuan, the Jingyuan continued to fight the Yoshino. It was attacked by the Yoshino, Naniwa, Akitsushima and Takachiaki. After being hit and caught fire, the entire ship fought bravely. The crew of the Jingyuan "fired cannons to attack the enemy and splashed water to put out the fire, and still maintained good order."

The Jingyuan warship fought against four enemy ships and resisted for a long time. During the fierce battle, Captain Lin Yongsheng was unfortunately hit by a shell and died with a split brain. His assistants, First Officer Chen Rong and Second Officer Chen Jingying, were also killed by shells one after another.

Finally, under the combined attack of the Naniwa, Yoshino, Akitsushima, and Takachiaki, the Jingyuan was heavily hit. Soon after, its port bow began to sink. At 123 degrees 40 minutes 7 seconds east longitude and 39 degrees 51 minutes north latitude, the ship capsized and sank, bow facing east. Of the more than 200 officers and men on board, all but 16 survived.

Upon seeing this, Lin Daxin, unable to contain his anger, shouted at the computer: "You Japanese devils, I curse your ancestors for eighteen generations! I, Lin Daxin, swear I will never let you Japanese get away with this!"

Why was Lin Daxin so angry when he saw this?

It turns out that Lin Daxin is the son of Lin Yongsheng, the captain of the Jingyuan warship. Knowing that his father died in a naval battle against Japan, it's no wonder he was furious and cursed his mother!

Lin Daxin paced anxiously in the room. Was he really going to just stand by and watch his father die in battle two years later? No, absolutely not! Now that he knew about the Sino-Japanese War two years from now, he had to find a way to save his father's life!

Should he prevent his father from participating in the Battle of the Yellow Sea during the First Sino-Japanese War? The moment this thought crossed his mind, Lin Daxin immediately rejected it! Lin Daxin knew his father Lin Yongsheng's temperament all too well; his mind was filled with loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, making it utterly impossible for him to avoid participating in a national war like the First Sino-Japanese War!

Even if my father, Lin Yongsheng, knew that he would die in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, he would still command the Jingyuan warship into battle without hesitation!

However, he could now travel between two timelines! Thinking about what he had learned about the modern world these past few days, Lin Daxin stopped in his tracks, stared at the computer monitor again, and read through the text about his father Lin Yongsheng's death in battle. Lin Daxin secretly decided that he must take advantage of his ability to travel between two timelines to change his father's fate!

Time flies. Three months after receiving the ring, Lin Daxin took his three months' wages—8,000 yuan—and said goodbye to Zhang Guangfu, leaving the construction site. But Lin Daxin had more than just that much money in his hands.

A few days ago, Lin Daxin asked Zhang Guangfu to sell a jade Guanyin pendant that he claimed was brought from the Qing Dynasty. He lied and said it was an heirloom, promising Zhang Guangfu a 20% commission no matter how much it sold for. In reality, the jade Guanyin pendant was a birthday gift from Lin Daxin's maternal grandfather.

Zhang Guangfu knew a bit about jadeite, and he was astonished when he saw the jadeite Lin Daxin had brought out—it was a glass-type imperial green! If it was genuine, it would be incredibly valuable! Finally, Zhang Guangfu took Lin Daxin to an antique shop to sell him a jadeite Guanyin pendant. The owner of this antique shop was a friend of Zhang Guangfu. He didn't overcharge Lin Daxin much.

The jade Guanyin pendant sold for two million RMB in one go. Lin Daxin got 1.6 million RMB and Zhang Guangfu got 400,000 RMB. Both of them were very happy!

As Lin Daxin left the construction site, he was dressed in a Nike tracksuit, Nike sneakers, and a black Nike baseball cap. His braid, which he had loosened while working on the site, was now tied back with a hair tie, reaching his waist. Although his long hair still attracted attention on the street, it was better than having a braid that would seem odd. Besides, Lin Daxin knew that many men in this modern world also had long hair, which gave them an artistic air.

Lin Daxin was also carrying a black Nike backpack, which was bulging with contents.

Lin Daxin bought all of this outfit at a Nike store near the construction site.

Soon Lin Daxin arrived on the street. Although it was the suburbs of Weihai City, the shops on both sides of the road were lined up one after another.

Over the past three months, Lin Daxin has visited the shops along the streets near the construction site more than once, but he still can't help but look at the dazzling array of goods and marvel at the abundance of modern-day supplies.

Lin Daxin hailed a taxi on the street, got in, and drove to the bustling city center of Weihai, stopping in front of a five-star hotel.

"Welcome!" The waiter at the door smiled and opened the taxi door for Lin Daxin.

Lin Daxin got out of the car with his travel bag, thanked the waiter, and then walked into the five-star hotel to the service desk in the lobby.

"Welcome! Hello sir! How can I help you?" a young and beautiful receptionist asked Lin Daxin from behind the counter.

Lin Daxin glanced at the female receptionist in her early twenties and couldn't help but marvel at how many beautiful women there were in modern times!

"Give me a room!" Lin Daxin looked up at the room prices on the wall behind the reception desk and then said, "One standard room will do!"

"Okay, sir! A standard room is 800 yuan per night! Do you have a membership card? If so, you can get a 50% discount!"

"No membership card!"

"Oh! Sir, a deposit of 2,000 yuan is required. Will you be paying by card or cash? Please check out before 1 p.m. tomorrow! Also, please show your ID card so we can register your information."

"I need to stay a few more days, so please leave a deposit of 10,000 yuan!" Lin Daxin said, taking out a stack of 10,000 yuan RMB from his backpack and placing it on the front desk. He then took out an ID card from his jacket and handed it to the female receptionist.

It is indeed an ID card, and a genuine one at that. Lin Daxin spent 200,000 RMB to have Zhang Guangfu process it for him after selling the jade Guanyin pendant.

As a contractor, Zhang Guangfu had extensive social connections, and through connections in Taoyuan, he even managed to obtain a genuine ID card for Lin Daxin.

The name on Lin Daxin's ID card is Lin Tao. He is from Liuzhuang, a county directly under Weihai City. His age on the ID card is a bit older, stating that he is 20 years old.

After several months of research, Lin Daxin realized the importance of ID cards in modern society. So even though he "spent" 200,000 yuan, Lin Daxin still felt it was worth it and later gave Zhang Guangfu 50,000 yuan as a token of his gratitude.

After paying the deposit, Lin Daxin took the room key and took the elevator to the twelfth floor of the five-star hotel, where he booked room 1210.

After entering the room, Lin Daxin opened his backpack and looked inside. Besides a mobile phone he had bought a few days ago and several bundles of cash totaling 10,000 yuan, he also had 8,000 yuan he had earned working on a construction site for three months.

In addition, there were four long cardboard boxes. Lin Daxin stared at the four cardboard boxes and muttered to himself, "These four paintings should be worth a lot of silver in this time and space, no, they should be worth a lot of RMB!"

These four paintings were purchased by Lin Daxin by chance from a down-on-his-luck scholar in Weihaiwei City during the Qing Dynasty!