Chapter 146 The Giant Bear and the Mammoth (Completed)...
Thirteen million US dollars!
Fourteen million.
"Uh, fifteen million dollars...?"
As the auction bids increased from the starting price of ten million US dollars to fifteen million US dollars, fewer and fewer bidders raised their hands, and they became more and more cautious in their bidding, as if they were afraid of being left holding the bag in a game of musical chairs.
The United States was the first to stop bidding, and sat on the sidelines watching the show alongside Australia, which had also been egging them on.
Japan and South Korea are now in a difficult position.
If they don't bid, they're afraid Jong-kook will buy them; if they bid, they're afraid they'll become the sucker who ends up paying the price.
After all, since the collapse of the alliance, the massive aircraft carrier fleet has fallen apart overnight. Some have been dismantled, some sold, and liquidity has skyrocketed. Newspapers frequently report that a certain aircraft carrier has been transported to a shipbreaking yard or that another aircraft carrier has been put up for sale.
Not long ago, Russia sold two decommissioned Kiev-class aircraft carriers to South Korea as scrap metal, for a total of $13 million.
Although the Udnev-class aircraft carrier is a third-generation carrier, which is a generation more advanced than the second-generation Kiev-class carriers, it is still only 60% complete. It will take tens of billions of dollars to build it into a fully combat-ready carrier.
The bigger problem is that even with the willingness to invest heavily, without supporting enterprises for aircraft carrier production and a large team of professional technicians, no one can guarantee the quality of the final completed aircraft carrier. Add to that the exorbitant subsequent maintenance costs, and the boilers of an aircraft carrier won't be burning smokeless coal, but rather stacks of hundred-yuan bills.
Just like how India bought a cheap aircraft carrier from Russia, only to spend several times more on refitting it at the Russian shipyard. After the carrier was finally completed, all eight boilers either malfunctioned or exploded, and there were a series of other malfunctions and accidents. As a result, this "curry-flavored rye bread" aircraft carrier was either undergoing repairs at the shipyard or on its way to the shipyard for repairs, making it completely unable to form a combat capability.
Both South Korea and Japan covet aircraft carriers and wish they could acquire a Pacific fleet overnight without any pain, but they also know how difficult it is to achieve.
South Korea has already purchased two decommissioned aircraft carriers. Although they have been in service for more than 15 years and their designs are outdated and their hulls are old, they are still fully-fledged aircraft carriers and can be put into service in the short term. Therefore, the need for aircraft carriers is not so urgent at the moment.
Although Japan has launched so-called helicopter destroyers, which are essentially low-end aircraft carriers, it still longs to possess a true aircraft carrier. However, as a defeated nation, it must conceal its militaristic ambitions and cannot openly purchase offensive weapons like aircraft carriers.
The two countries participated in the auction for three reasons: first, to see if they could find a bargain; second, to gather intelligence; and third, to drive up the price. Even if Zhong Guo did manage to buy it, he would have to pay a hefty price.
However, the auction price of the Udnev had already reached 15 million US dollars. If they bid any higher, they might end up with a stuck property, turning a stock speculator into a shareholder and a real estate speculator into a landlord – a modern tragedy.
The auction fell into a lull for a moment when suddenly an impatient male voice rang out.
"Seventeen million US dollars."
Everyone looked over at the sound and saw the 1.9-meter-tall thug in a suit put down the sign, turn to the side and say something to the woman next to him. The woman smiled and bowed her head to respond, looking obedient and gentle. Even the Japanese representative had to admire her as a Yamato Nadeshiko.
Many others thought she was indeed a front woman, behaving extremely obediently in front of the boss. However, some were still puzzled as to why the people from E'guo were participating in the auction. Was it really just for dismantling and selling the scrap metal?
Everyone's thoughts raced, but if they had overheard the conversation between the two, they wouldn't have had this misunderstanding.
“You were too slow to raise your hand. It’s hard for me not to suspect that you are an inside man sent by Xu Shaobo to sabotage my ship-buying project.”
"Ha, a great undertaking? I don't see any value in that wrecked ship, unless you're planning to import the seagulls on its deck into Zhongguo."
"That sounds pretty good. At least Seagull knows not to boss the boss who's paying for it around..."
Before He Changyi could finish speaking, Alexei suddenly reached out and patted her neck lightly.
He Changyi: ?
Alexei withdrew his hand with a sanctimonious air, his eyes smiling: "Your seagulls seem to have left you some souvenirs."
He Changyi: !!!
She instinctively reached out to touch it, but then suddenly remembered, impossible! She had never worn this outfit on an aircraft carrier!
Alexei finally let out a pleasant chuckle.
"Eighteen million dollars!"
The sudden bid came from the Japanese representative, but before he could put down his sign, the next bid followed.
"Nineteen million US dollars!"
The South Korean representative slowly lowered his paddle; this would be his last bid, as any higher would exceed the company's budget limit.
The Japanese representative didn't move either, dressed in a meticulously tailored suit, but his eyes darted back and forth between the South Korean representative, He Changyi, and Xu Shaobo.
"Twenty million US dollars!"
Xu Shaobo shouted loudly, while Zhou Chunjun beside him looked tense, clearly extremely nervous.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were on He Changyi and Alexei.
If they continue bidding, the auction price of this unfinished aircraft carrier will exceed 20 million US dollars; and if both parties are determined to acquire the carrier, the final auction price will be incredibly high.
Alexei was about to raise his sign when his sleeve was gently tugged down.
He Changyi lowered his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression; he appeared to be nothing more than a docile shadow.
So Alexei didn't move. The auctioneer glanced at him tentatively several times before saying hesitantly, "The first time—"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. The Japanese representative seemed restless, raising and lowering his sign repeatedly. The South Korean representative had a downturned mouth and looked displeased, lip-reading as if he were cursing.
"The second time—"
Alexei looked at He Changyi again. She looked up and met his gaze, but her expression was one of reassurance, and she said tenderly, "Don't be angry, darling, it's just a broken ship. There are broken ships like that everywhere. I'll find you a cheaper one..."
Alexei: ? ? ?
Wait, what is she saying? Also, her voice seems a bit too loud; people around her are looking over...
The auctioneer raised his gavel, looked around the room, and announced loudly, "The third time!"
Before he finished speaking, he slammed the gavel down decisively, making a crisp clang.
"Congratulations, Mr. Shaobo Xu, the Udnev aircraft carrier is now yours!"
Xu Shaobo jumped up on the spot!
He clenched his fist and laughed loudly, then hugged the relieved Zhou Chunjun. Both of them were so happy that they lost their composure.
"We got it! Mr. Zhou, we finally got it! I've accomplished my mission!"
Zhou Chunjun was so excited that he kept saying, "Good, good!"
The representatives from Japan and South Korea looked sour, scoffed disdainfully, and immediately picked up their briefcases to leave. The representatives from the United States and Australia, however, managed to maintain basic courtesy, even offering a congratulatory greeting, their eyes revealing undisguised arrogance.
After all, this is just a decommissioned aircraft carrier. The Americans look down on the poor work done by the Alliance, which relies entirely on brute force. In terms of design concepts and shipbuilding technology, it has long been lagging behind the US military.
Meanwhile, the Zhongguo (China) is not as good as the Alliance. It's like a poor villager in a village buying a cheap Nokia brick, while the rich neighbor has already got an Apple product.
Although the purchase of an aircraft carrier by the United States made them instinctively unhappy, in terms of threat, for the United States, whose homeland is far away on the other side of the Pacific Ocean and which also possesses the world's most advanced and largest aircraft carrier fleet, it was like a child aiming a water gun at a fully armed strongman.
Only Japan and South Korea, which are closer to China, would feel uneasy. After all, at such a close distance, even a small boat with a cannon mounted on it could pose a real threat, let alone an aircraft carrier capable of launching and recovering fighter jets.
However, regardless of their thoughts, the fact remains that the Udnev has been acquired by China.
Xu Shaobo was ecstatic, his face beaming. He flitted around the room like a butterfly, inviting everyone he met to the celebration banquet. He even pulled the auctioneer over to shake hands and take photos, and asked if he would sell the small wooden mallet, saying he wanted to buy it as a collectible.
When Xu Shaobo saw He Changyi and Alexei leaving the venue with the crowd, he rushed up to them with an agility that belied his large size, shouting, "Miss He, why are you leaving like this? And that old Russian over there, is that your boss? Come join us for dinner later. I'm in a good mood today, I'll treat everyone to the most expensive vodka!"
Alexei stared at him coldly, without saying a word, his gaze shifting back and forth between his throat and heart.
He Changyi was quite courteous and even had the heart to say "Congratulations" to Xu Shaobo.
Although Xu Shaobo was the victor, he showed no signs of winning: "Miss He, don't blame me for being blunt, but you still want control? Look at who actually bought the aircraft carrier in the end? If you ask me, you'd be better off getting married while you're still young and having children—that would be a contribution to the country. Oh, right, I almost forgot, even if you were to have children, they wouldn't be Chinese babies. I really don't understand why all you young women are so obsessed with foreign things..."
He Changyi wasn't angry. He said with a half-smile, "Mr. Xu, taking pictures of the aircraft carrier is one thing, but not being able to transport it back is another—are all the materials you submitted genuine?"
Xu Shaobo was taken aback, and when he spoke again, he sounded somewhat fierce but weak: "Miss He, the auction is over. It's pointless for you to keep making trouble like this! Don't bother coming to the banquet either, so you don't cause trouble for everyone..."
Xu Shaobo spoke and retreated, and only after uttering the last word did he turn around and walk away, slipping into the crowd in a few steps.
Zhou Chunjun looked over thoughtfully, and He Changyi said something to Alexei and walked over to him.
“Mr. Zhou, we didn’t have a chance to chat privately before the auction started; now that the auction is over, it seems you have other things to do and can’t talk anymore. However, I think we should have a lot in common.”
He Changyi handed his personal business card to Zhou Chunjun and said confidently, "My contact information is on it. You'll need it later."
Zhou Chunjun was wary yet curious: "How can you be so sure I'll need it? Do you have some kind of precognitive ability?"
"Hey, if I could predict the future, I would go into the stock market and make a lot of money easily. Why would I need to do the hard work of buying and selling stocks?"
He Changyi said lightly, "It's very simple. You are different from Xu Shaobo. He came here to make money, but you came here to serve your country."
Zhou Chunjun said nothing, his doubts deepening.
Why does this girl seem completely different from what Xu Shaobo described? If she really is a traitor, why did she stop bidding and hand over the aircraft carrier?
Zhou Chunjun glanced at Alexei waiting not far away, then at He Changyi in front of him, and said carefully, "When it's convenient for you in the future, you can come to my office for tea."
He instructed his secretary, "Leave your contact information to Ms. He." Then he turned to He Changyi and said, "I'm sorry, this is foreign affairs discipline. It's the same if you contact my secretary."
He Changyi nodded in understanding, and the secretary handed over her business card as instructed. These days, everyone carries a stack of business cards with them, or a phone book, or, for the more luxurious, a state-of-the-art handheld computer. Otherwise, they have no way to exchange contact information with newly made acquaintances.
Seeing this from a distance, Xu Shaobo panicked and rushed back, grabbing Zhou Chunjun's arm and saying, "President Zhou, let me introduce you to some shipyard leaders, and then we'll go and handle the auction procedures!"
Upon hearing that it was important business, Zhou Chunjun followed Xu Shaobo and, before leaving, politely nodded goodbye to He Changyi.
"You seem to be too kind to some of your fellow countrymen."
When they reached the outside of the venue and were alone, Alexei suddenly spoke up: "It's surprising that you allowed him to stand here intact instead of feeding the seagulls."
He Changyi retorted casually, "That's why you can only do dirty work in the army and not do delicate work like the KGB."
"Meticulous work? Eavesdropping, seduction, assassination, and torture?"
Alexei scoffed, "Or is it that as an intelligence agency that should be secretive, it has a world-renowned reputation? In comparison, no one even knows the name of Zhongguo's intelligence agency."
"Alright, alright, your KGB's work is indeed rough, but at least our Cheka wouldn't ask such a question."
He Changyi said, "Xu Shaobo is an annoying guy, but he is not my enemy."
Alexei bluntly stated, "He stole the aircraft carrier."
He Changyi said nonchalantly, "I do really want this big ship, but I don't have a penchant for giving money away to shipyards for nothing."
Let her compete with Xu Shaobo, and in the end both of them will suffer losses, while the Usak shipyard will happily receive more than 20 million US dollars in revenue.
He Changyi would rather hold his nose and let Xu Shaobo win the bid for the Udnev.
Are you really going to give up like this?
Alexei stopped and turned to look at He Changyi: "This doesn't look like the mammoth I know."
"Mammoth?"
He Changyi keenly caught the key words, and Alexei realized he had misspoke and immediately tried to change the subject: "You don't mean to give the aircraft carrier to that Chinese man, do you? He looks like a boastful badger."
"Of course not!"
He Changyi raised his eyebrows and said, "The Udnev will definitely be mine in the end!"
She changed the subject: "But first, explain what a mammoth is?"
Alexei calmly changed the subject: "But the auction is over, don't tell me you're trying to hijack the ship."
He Changyi: "I told you, try to think like the KGB—and, what exactly is a mammoth?"
The two walked further and further apart, their words drifting away with the wind.
"Is this the KGB's way of thinking? Then we'll have to first seduce the auction manager, then assassinate Xu Shaobo, and finally bribe the mayor, threatening him that if he doesn't change the aircraft carrier auction results, he'll definitely lose the next election."
"...That's how the KGB did it?"
"Of course, believe me, I grew up in the Alliance, and nobody knows those Internal Affairs guys better than me."
"Okay, I'll take your word for it, but you need to explain why I'm a mammoth?"
"Um... I heard there's a really good restaurant at the port. Shall I treat you to dinner?"
"Wow, that's really something. Alyosha has even learned how to invite ladies to dinner. Grandma Vitaly would be so happy if she knew. But I bet she's also very curious about mammoths."
"The weather is really nice today, the clouds are so beautiful..."
The giant bear and mammoth gradually walked away, and a golden edge was inlaid on the dark clouds on the horizon.
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Author's note: That's all for today, time for bed!
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