Chapter 33: Complex Environment
1187 Words
Chapter 33: Complex Environment
After the recent conflict, Jiang Yuesheng realized that the current security forces were severely understrength and that immediate expansion was necessary, along with equipment upgrades. No wonder President Cao had repeatedly emphasized to him, "Focus on conflict resolution, and research will follow."
He quickly drafted a report to President Cao, detailing the conflict and requesting the expansion of the security team and an increase in equipment.
At the same time, in order to establish a long-term, stable relationship with the local indigenous fishermen, he planned to collaborate with them on several cage aquaculture projects.
President Cao replied swiftly, acknowledging Jiang Yuesheng's crisis management approach and ideas. He approved both the request to expand the security team and the proposal to work with the locals on aquaculture projects. Additionally, President Cao added, "The scale of expansion can be larger!"
With President Cao’s support, Jiang Yuesheng decided to increase the security team to 100 people, equipping each member with a dagger, stun gun, shield, and a laser handgun. He also ordered ten laser rifles and two electromagnetic light machine guns.
He hired a retired special forces unit commander named Cheng Manjiang to serve as the head of the security team, offering him a high salary.
To collaborate with the locals on cage aquaculture, Jiang Yuesheng invited an expert in marine aquaculture from Xiabu and worked alongside artificial island designers to create a dedicated floating platform for the project.
The platform was not large, covering only 200,000 square meters (0.2 square kilometers). It featured sections for fish farming, shellfish farming, seaweed farming, and leisure areas. Additional facilities included solar power panels, batteries, desalination systems, and a small section for preliminary seafood processing.
The entire platform was built without any financial contribution from the locals, but 30% of the output would be allocated to them. Furthermore, 80% of the workers would be employed from the local community.
One day, Jiang Yuesheng was reviewing a document in his office when he noticed a ship parked in the distance on the sea. He focused on it and immediately tensed up, for it was no ordinary vessel—it was a warship.
The radar on its island and the electromagnetic cannons on its deck stood out conspicuously.
The warship appeared a little worn, with a small tonnage—probably less than 2,000 tons—but its sharply angled bow and the barrel of the electromagnetic cannon gave off a strong sense of intimidation.
"What is a warship doing here?" he wondered aloud. "Which country's warship is that?"
He picked up a pair of binoculars from his desk to get a closer look, but he couldn't spot any flag.
He called Captain Cheng, instructing him to keep a close watch on the warship and report any developments.
The next day, the warship was still anchored in the same spot.
Feeling uneasy, Jiang Yuesheng reported the situation to President Cao.
Upon hearing the details, President Cao, unsure of the reason for the warship’s presence, advised Jiang Yuesheng to heighten security levels on the floating island and remain vigilant.
Five days later, the warship finally left, only to return a few days later.
This time, internal chatter within the research institute began to rise. Speculations and rumors spread quickly, with some saying the locals were planning to expel them, and others claiming pirates were involved.
Some employees even began submitting leave requests to visit their families.
Jiang Yuesheng reported the situation to President Cao again. This time, President Cao did not comment, but simply advised him to remain extra cautious.
Two days later, a tugboat arrived, towing a decommissioned cargo ship within a mile of the warship. After dumping the ship, the tugboat left.
The following morning, as the floating island research institute’s employees were waking up, they suddenly heard two loud explosions. They looked toward the source of the noise and saw the decommissioned cargo ship engulfed in flames, quickly sinking.
The warship, possibly startled by the explosion, seemed to vanish under the cover of darkness that very night.
After the incident, many employees, shaken by the event, began preparing to resign.
In order to stabilize morale, Jiang Yuesheng decided to bring his wife, his grandmother, and his young daughter—who was less than a year old—from Chongqing to the floating island research institute. A few senior executives followed suit, bringing their families to live on the island as well, setting an example for the employees. Slowly, this helped to ease the crisis.
One morning, Jiang Yuesheng went to the same dock where the trouble had started. He saw the logistics team unloading fish from the local fishermen's boats.
Then, something caught his eye: about 200 meters offshore, he noticed a large white object floating in the water. Intrigued, he ordered the logistics team to speed over in a speedboat to check it out.
When they returned, they reported that it was a massive foam object, likely a piece of floating material from one of the islands.
"Is it from our floating island?" Jiang Yuesheng asked.
"It doesn’t seem like it. The color is different," the logistics personnel replied.
"Drag it over and compare," Jiang Yuesheng ordered.
The team quickly retrieved the object and brought it back for comparison.
Jiang Yuesheng carefully inspected it and confirmed that it wasn’t from their island. The color and texture of the foam were clearly different. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Could there be another floating island nearby?"
Suddenly, he recalled the recent incident with the warship, and a pressing thought crossed his mind: they needed an unmanned reconnaissance drone. With such a drone, they could potentially track the warship’s movements and also scan the surrounding area for any other floating islands or suspicious targets.
Jiang Yuesheng immediately wrote a report to President Cao, requesting the purchase of reconnaissance drones.
President Cao approved the request quickly, granting permission to purchase two drones for rotating use. He also suggested acquiring a small decommissioned warship and a sonar detector.
Upon receiving the approval, Jiang Yuesheng moved quickly, acquiring two vertical takeoff and landing reconnaissance drones, a sonar detector, and sending a team to investigate where to find a second-hand small military vessel.
As the drone surveillance coverage expanded, they indeed discovered a floating island 100 nautical miles to the northeast.
From the video footage provided by the drone, it appeared to be a floating factory, as rows of factory buildings were clearly visible.
A few days later, the sonar detector arrived. Although it was an older, lower-end model, it had a scanning radius of 100 kilometers. After installation, they immediately used the sonar to scan the surrounding area and were shocked to find an unidentified object next to their floating island.
Jiang Yuesheng, along with his team, followed the sonar’s coordinates and discovered a damaged small submersible near the dock. The submersible’s rudder had become entangled in seaweed, causing it to get stuck next to one of the dock’s pylons.
After some investigation, it became clear that someone had been monitoring them for a while.
"Science and technology are the primary productive forces."
- Writer
