Chapter 148 The Tusman Strait (Second Update)...

The Udenev aircraft carrier.

The deck is still rusty, but now there are fewer seagulls and more people on the aircraft carrier.

"Miss He, you're back? We'll be crossing the Tusman Strait tomorrow, so we need to rest and prepare for any unexpected situations tomorrow."

The speaker was a refined-looking middle-aged man dressed in simple work clothes, holding a bowl of steaming instant noodles in his hand. He was the foreign aid that He Changyi had invited from the domestic shipyard.

He Changyi said, "Engineer Song, I'm a little worried. I went to the deck to check. We can only breathe a sigh of relief after we've passed the Tusman Strait."

Engineer Song nodded knowingly: "It is indeed troublesome. Turkmenistan is located between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, a natural pass that is virtually impregnable. But this host not only demands tolls, but also always tries to cause trouble. I heard that Turkmenistan frequently blocks Chinese cargo ships; they have a bad heart. Fortunately, our ship has already obtained the necessary permits, otherwise we would have been in real trouble."

Alexei stood quietly to one side, watching the two exchange pleasantries, like a shadow whose presence was too obvious.

When Song noticed him, he switched to his somewhat broken Emei language and said, "The canteen cooked a bucket of instant noodles today, and each person will get two sausages and an egg. Hurry up, or they'll be gone."

He Changyi thanked Engineer Song with a smile and then led Alexei toward the ship's temporary canteen.

Conditions on an aircraft carrier are limited, and the transportation of supplies is inconvenient. Fresh water and food can only be delivered by small boats or helicopters. Sometimes, when the sea is rough and the wind and waves are high, supplies cannot be delivered, and the people on board have to go hungry.

Although He Changyi was the boss who paid for the boat, she didn't care. She ate, lived, worked, and went hungry with everyone on the boat. She didn't have fancy clothes or bodyguards, but instead earned everyone's respect.

Alexei could have returned to Russia long ago, but he insisted on going with He Changyi, and together they boarded the unfinished aircraft carrier on their return journey.

"Miss He, Mr. Alexei, you've arrived! Today's instant noodles have some vegetables in them, which is a good way to give everyone some vitamins. We'll also give each of you an orange after the meal."

The chef is also from a domestic shipyard. He is said to be an excellent cook who won over the factory's most beautiful girl. However, due to the limited conditions on the ship, he can only cook instant noodles and slice sausages now.

He Changyi arrived last, so she helped tidy up the makeshift kitchen and chatted for a bit. Alexei didn't treat himself like an outsider and expertly started making noodles. He had a bowl of plain noodles, while He Changyi's bowl was piled high with sausage and eggs.

He thought for a moment, picked out some noodles, put them on top, looked at them, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Miss He..."

The chef hesitated for a moment, then, unable to contain his curiosity, lowered his voice and asked, "I heard that the company that bought the aircraft carrier is the Eros Company. Why didn't you look for engineers from Eros, but instead went to China?"

He Changyi was tossing the scattered instant noodle packets into a large trash can, and asked with a smile, "Guess?"

The chef slapped his thigh and said, "Hey, how could I have guessed that? It can't be that Emirates can't find suitable engineers, can it? Our shipbuilding industry started many years earlier than ours. If we're talking about hiring people to accompany the ship, Russian engineers might be cheaper, and they'd also be better able to talk to the experts at the Ukrainian shipyard."

The Ukrainian expert he mentioned refers to the engineer sent by the shipyard to safeguard the aircraft carrier. He participated in the construction of the carrier, has a thorough understanding of its structure, and can be considered the person in the world who knows the Udnev best.

However, these Ukrainian experts were not cheap. They were paid on a daily basis, and He Changyi was responsible for all expenses incurred from the day the aircraft carrier set sail until it arrived at the Far East port. In addition, he had to pay high insurance premiums and pay the shipyard an extra sum of money, which amounted to more than $300,000.

The inclusion of a shipboard safety expert was not originally included in the purchase contract; it was proposed by the shipyard, which is currently facing financial difficulties and is looking to make as much profit as possible.

He Changyi readily agreed, after all, it was obvious that the assistance of shipyard engineers was needed to get a large, unpowered ship through unfamiliar waters intact on this long voyage.

He Changyi also proactively raised the daily wage standard for experts, but she also had a requirement. The requirement was simple: the shipyard needed to send as many onboard engineers as possible, the more knowledgeable they were about aircraft carriers, the better. Money was not an issue.

The shipyard was delighted and immediately packed a large group of security experts onto the ship. If it weren't for the fact that some of them were too old, they would have liked to bring together all the engineers who had participated in the aircraft carrier project.

He Changyi returned to China again and met with General Qin. He then borrowed several experienced engineers from a large domestic heavy shipyard to be responsible for inspecting the aircraft carrier, so as to avoid discovering problems only after it sailed out of port.

Although the Ukrainian shipyard was puzzled as to why an aircraft carrier destined for a shipbreaking yard would still need to undergo inspection, they felt that whatever the payer did was right, given the greenbacks.

However, some people were still curious and asked questions. He Changyi's reason was also very valid. Although she bought them to dismantle scrap metal, there are differences between scrap metal. Those four mainframes were worth 80 million US dollars. She spent a lot of money and was not here to be a sucker.

When everything was ready and the Udnev aircraft carrier officially set sail, the ship was extremely lively. There were He Changyi, Alexei and his bodyguards, engineers from the Chinese shipyard, and Uzbek shipboard security experts. It was bustling with activity, like a tour group going on vacation at sea.

As dusk fell, the dock was crowded with people seeing off the ship. The atmosphere was somber and heavy, and everyone's face was extremely gloomy. Many shipyard workers had tears in their eyes as they took one last look at their Udnev.

This is a huge ship that they built themselves!

Every screw, every weld, every steel plate… all embodied their hard work and dedication. Even when construction was halted, they still hoped that one day the aircraft carrier could be completed.

However, there was no possibility of continuing construction on the Udnev.

Now they have lost not only the aircraft carrier, but also their hope for the future.

They may not have a tomorrow.

Amidst a long whistle, and with the combined pull of multiple tugboats, the aircraft carrier, which had been stationary for years, began to move slowly. Seagulls suddenly took flight into the sky, and a ray of dawn appeared at the edge of the dark sea.

After five river tugboats towed the aircraft carrier to the Black Sea, it was transferred to three high-powered tugboats and headed towards the Turkmen Strait.

As the only outlet connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Turkmenistan reaped all the benefits of the strait. All ships passing through it had to pay tolls, making their lives even more comfortable than those of bandits who ruled the mountains.

After all, bandits still face the risk of being wiped out, while Tusmans, jumping back and forth between the United States and Russia, became happy fence-sitters.

However, among the three permanent members of the UN Security Council, Turkmenistan harbored the strongest animosity towards Zhong Guo, and would try to cause him trouble whenever possible.

Previously, when the ownership of the aircraft carrier was still under the name of Haojiang Entertainment Company, which was controlled by Xu Shaobo, Tusman repeatedly rejected the navigation application submitted by Haojiang Company. The reasons were simple: today, the aircraft carrier is a large warship and will pose a military threat to the country; tomorrow, the aircraft carrier is not yet completed and there are concerns that it will block the strait waterway if it gets out of control.

Finally, Tusman's solution was to remove the bow, flight deck, and island superstructure of the Udnev, meaning that the carrier would only be allowed to pass through the strait after being completely dismantled into a scrap ship.

He Changyi guessed that Xu Shaobo probably stopped considering towing the aircraft carrier back to China to make money after Tusman rejected his navigation application one after another. Instead, he decided to take advantage of the situation and cheat as much as he could.

Given Turkmenistan's deep-seated hatred for Zhong Guo, He Changyi did not handle the air traffic permit procedures himself, but instead left them entirely to Mikhail and the KGB consulting firm.

Although He Changyi hoisted the aircraft carrier's flag in a small, laxly managed Caribbean country after signing the sales contract, everyone knew that it was the people of Ecuador who sold the Udnev.

Furthermore, those who came to Tusman to handle the formalities were all from Emirates. They stuffed stacks of US dollars into the hands of everyone authorized to sign the permits, urging, "Please hurry, we're in a rush. The Chinese company is still in litigation with the shipyard. If they win, we'll have to return this big ship!"

At this time, the newspapers were following up on the high-profile lawsuit between Zhongguo Company and Uzbekistan Shipyard. People knew that the shipyard was fixated on a minor flaw and secretly resold the aircraft carrier, which had been publicly auctioned and for which a deposit of two million US dollars had been received, to a third party, Eguo Company.

The Chinese company doesn't want a two million dollar deposit or compensation; all they want is the aircraft carrier. A spokesperson even claimed that as long as the carrier is towed back to the shipyard, they will not pursue any responsibility against the shipyard and will continue to pay the agreed-upon twenty million dollars.

The more anxious the Chinese side became, the more anxious the Eurasian company grew, repeatedly urging the tugboats to increase their speed and quickly take the ship away from the Black Sea. Once it entered the vast Atlantic Ocean, regardless of the final outcome of the lawsuit, the aircraft carrier would belong to the Eurasian company.

This is why the people of Emirates are so eager to apply to Turkmenistan for navigation permits.

Turkmenistan was both tempted and hesitant. They were tempted because it would cause trouble for China again; they hesitated because it was, after all, an aircraft carrier, even if it was not completed.

"Although your Alaska is also a Black Sea coastal state, and your warships theoretically have the right to freely pass through the straits during peacetime, why is it not your country and military that are handling this, but a private company?"

The person in charge of smoothing things over said mysteriously, "This certainly can't be a government action. This is an extremely, extremely, extremely valuable ship. If it were dismantled into scrap metal, it could bring in several times or even dozens of times the profit. Nobody wants it to pass through the hands of the military. Those desperate arms dealers will definitely seize this ship!"

That's certainly possible, after all, Russia is now a close capitalist ally, so how could they leave the money-making business to the state? But there's still a problem—

"Why don't you just dismantle this ship at the shipyard in Uzbekistan?"

"Of course it's because of that damned Jong Kook!"

The Ego people, filled with righteous indignation, cursed loudly: "They're like leeches, clinging to this ship like glue! This backward agricultural country trying to build an aircraft carrier is just a pipe dream! If we don't tow the carrier away quickly and get entangled with them, we won't be able to bring it back home until the next century! Damn it, it was built by the Alliance, it should belong to us!"

The Turkmen people, feeling a shared sense of indignation and bolstered by the money, didn't hesitate to stamp the documents with their official seals.

"Let's go quickly and take the ship back to E'guo. I don't want Zhongguo to get an aircraft carrier!"

He paused, then muttered, "If they're Chinese coming, we'll definitely 'treat' them well. They'll never be able to cross the strait without paying a price..."

On a calm and fine day, the aircraft carrier Udnev passed through the Tusman Strait without incident and entered the Mediterranean Sea, towed by three powerful tugboats.

As the Udnev passed through the Turkish Straits, sunlight reflected off the sea onto the ancient ruins on both banks, revealing azure waters, brown reefs, and white seabirds circling in the sky.

He Changyi and Alexei sat on the ground on the highest island, enjoying a rare moment of leisure with the sea breeze blowing.

Alexei suddenly asked, "Why the rush?"

He Changyi said slowly, "I don't trust the shipyard, nor do I trust the Ukrainian government. Only when the aircraft carrier is towed to my territory can I feel at ease."

Alexei thought about it and surprisingly nodded, completely agreeing with He Changyi's opinion.

"You're right, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

He Changyi then asked him, "Why did you come with me? You know this isn't just a simple business transaction..."

Alexei lay on his back, closed his eyes, and the sunlight shone on his face, making him look more peaceful than ever before.

"I know you want to tow the aircraft carrier to China."

He suddenly chuckled: "T-80 tank, Udnev... a patriotic girl."

He Changyi unceremoniously lay down on his chest and pressed down hard with both hands, forcing Alexei to open his eyes.

“I’m giving you a chance to rephrase your words—why? As a veteran, why didn’t you stop me? Why didn’t you report it to the Federal Security Service?”

"A retired soldier?"

Alexei said in a strange tone, “I’m a retired soldier of the Union, not that stupid capitalist country now. And you know, they stopped paying my retirement benefits a long time ago, that’s not my country.”

"Besides, since a country has to take over the Alliance's aircraft carrier, why can't that country be China? At least you are still socialist, and it seems like you can hold on for a long time. I'm an Alliance person who grew up during the Cold War. Isn't it normal for me to want to see the United States suffer?"

He Changyi was taken aback. Alexei closed his eyes again and said lazily, "It's not just me. Didn't you notice that the KGB kid was also working very hard?"

“…Mikhail?”

Mikhail was not on the aircraft carrier at this time; after the Turkmenistan issue was resolved, he went to the Suez Canal to act as an outpost. Mr. Raven worked diligently all the way, even more so than his boss, He Changyi, and could be considered a major contributor to the aircraft carrier's return journey.

Do you really think he can't find a job?

Alexei said with a mixed tone, "That guy is just another boring idealist."

He Changyi suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Alyosha, you know a lot."

Alexei's intuition, honed through years of life-or-death situations, suddenly went off like a horn. He abruptly opened his eyes, scrutinized He Changyi's expression, and cautiously said, "I don't know any more than you do."

He Changyi revealed an exceptionally gentle smile.

"Don't be nervous. I just want to know how much you know that I don't. As far as I know, you've never shown any knowledge about our Mr. Cheka."

Alexei slowly sat up, then tried to stand up discreetly while organizing his thoughts to explain.

"It's not that difficult. After all, we were all born and raised during the Alliance era, we all received military training, we all lost our jobs, and, uh, we all..."

He Changyi nodded: "Yes, you're all men."

She stood up first, looking down at Alexei.

"You have a long time on the ship, so you can slowly tell me the things you've been hiding from me."

He Changyi added, "All of them."

Alexei took a deep breath.

"I……"

Before he could finish speaking, a head wearing headphones suddenly popped out from the edge of the island superstructure.

"Hey, so you guys are here!"

Nikolai easily flipped up with one hand, while using the other to protect his Walkman—it was hot, and everyone on the ship was wearing vests and shorts, so he had nowhere to put his external organ and had to tuck it into his waistband.

"Boss, I have some news to tell you!"

Nikolai, oblivious to the strange atmosphere between the two, excitedly told He Changyi, "The Luzon crew from that tugboat just now asked me to go with them to the next port to have some fun—what kind of fun? Of course, it's about having fun in bed. But that's not important—the Luzon crew told me that the company that originally hired them to tow the aircraft carrier was China. They've already conspired to cause trouble on the way, preferably sinking this big ship, and absolutely not allowing China to have an aircraft carrier."

He Changyi narrowed her eyes dangerously; for some reason, she felt a little itchy to touch them.

Nikolai, seemingly oblivious, continued shouting, "Those short, dark-skinned men are as sleazy and treacherous as goblins. Do they think that by telling me this, I'll consider them my closest friends?"

He looked at He Changyi expectantly: "Boss, let me get rid of them for you. Let them sink into the sea before the ship sinks!"

He Changyi: ...

He Changyi looked at Alexei expressionlessly: "What do you know this time?"

Alexei, equally expressionless, replied, "No."

Nikolai looked left, then right, took off his headphones, and complained loudly, "Hey, your reaction is so lukewarm! Can't you be a little more enthusiastic?"

He Changyi had already turned around and was the first to step off the island superstructure.

"Are we having instant noodles again today?"

Alexei followed closely behind and also disembarked from the island superstructure.

"Maybe it's fried rice. I heard they replenished their rice and eggs in Tusman."

Nikolai stood there, hopping mad, yelling, "Hey, wait, I haven't finished yet—"

-----------------------

Author's note: All done, goodnight~