Chapter 168: The Second of Hailong No. 2
Patachi, Fabian and others left first to negotiate the salvage contract.
Xiao Peng had seen the Spaniards' working style. The matter itself was not kept secret, yet they came in the middle of the night and acted so mysteriously.
Is this a serious image project?
Two million dollars is a small matter, but it is a good thing to have the right to salvage in Spanish territorial waters.
Spain likely profited from Odyssey's exploits, earning a fortune by simply claiming the vessel was theirs. It seems they're planning to exploit even more ocean exploration companies.
But Xiao Peng is not afraid of these things! This business can be done!
Fabian wanted to confirm the identities of the two people and further finalize the cooperation contract between the two parties, so the four of them, including Pascal, left first, leaving only Xiao Peng and Pan Peiyu in the bar.
Chen Zetao looked at Xiao Peng curiously and asked, "Brother Xiao, why do you seem to be so worried?"
Xiao Peng raised his glass and nodded, "Brother Chen, I'm really worried about something right now: the French are disgusted with me."
Then he told Chen Zetao about how he had been rejected when trying to purchase from ECA Group. "Don't you think these foreigners are interesting? They have money to earn! Even if they don't sell it to me, they can rent it to me, right? But they won't even rent it to me. I don't want an HOV or an AUV, I can't even get an ROV!"
Chen Zetao picked up his glass and asked, "What about HOV and AUV?"
Xiao Peng explained, "Underwater submersibles are roughly divided into three types: manned deep-sea submersibles, or HOVs; remotely operated underwater vehicles, or ROVs; and autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs. HOVs and AUVs are much more technologically advanced, making them both valuable national weapons. ROV technology, however, is more common, though deep-sea ROVs are a bit more difficult. All I need is an ROV, but they won't give me one! I have a lot of work waiting for me, and I really can't do without the tools. I know a Russian oligarch, and I'd like him to help me contact them to see if I can buy their ROVs."
Chen Zetao asked curiously, "You're going to Russia to buy it? Then why don't you buy it in China?"
Xiao Peng looked at Chen Zetao with his wine glass. "Brother Chen, have you been out for too long and your mind is no longer sharp? Back home, these things are considered 'national weapons'. How could they possibly sell them to me?"
"How could I not sell it to you?" Chen Zetao asked in response, "Even warships and tanks have 'export versions,' not to mention you only need an 'ROV.' But I think a manned submersible would be more exciting, right?"
Xiao Peng grinned and said, "Yes, we all understand the principle, but you want me to build a mother ship over 100 meters long? I really can't afford it!"
"Can't afford it?" Chen Zetao laughed and said, "Don't cry poor to me. You're a billionaire now, and you can't afford a boat? It's not like I don't have a yacht. It wouldn't cost that much. One million or eight hundred thousand euros a year would be enough!"
Xiao Peng took a deep breath. "I really wanted to give you the finger, but then I thought better of it. If you just keep your boat there and don't use it often, a million or eight hundred thousand is definitely enough. My sailboat is even cheaper, less than two hundred thousand a year! But workboats are different from yachts! Didn't I get an expedition vessel? Do you know how much it cost me to refit and maintain it? Things like the bridge access equipment modification, radio, VTS (vessel traffic management system), GPS compass, chart plotter, and high-powered cranes alone cost me over a million! Not to mention the cost of future maintenance. If I have to salvage it frequently, the boat will cost me at least a million and a half a year! As for the large mother ship you mentioned, I really can't handle it."
"Why can't I play it?" Chen Zetao asked puzzledly.
Xiao Peng thought for a moment and said, "Brother Chen, you don't understand marine vessels. Let me illustrate with the famous Jiaolong mother ship, the Xiangyanghong No. 9. A full tank of fuel costs about 1.5 million euros, and a day at the dock costs about 10,000 euros. If you have a ship like that, just sitting there for a year, doing nothing, it'll cost you over 3 million euros! And if you want to take it out? That's literally 'one gas pound, one car's worth of fuel!' And how many crew members would a ship like that need? That's a lot of money! Maintaining a ship like that? 15 million euros a year, at least! And that doesn't even include the equipment and the cost of the ship! Even with all my current wealth, I might not be able to afford a ship like that! Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to maintain it. You're overthinking it. Besides, I can't even get an ROV right now... I need to go to Russia to see what's going on. If I can't get one, I don't know how I'm going to work anymore."
Chen Zetao thought for a moment and asked, "Then how did you find the 'Ansaldo'?"
Xiao Peng grinned and said, "Brother Chen, you shouldn't ask such questions, right? When did I ever say I found the Ansaldo? I won't admit anything once I leave your house."
Chen Zetao looked at Xiao Peng for a while, then took out his phone, opened a photo, and handed it to Xiao Peng: "Take a look at this."
"What is that?" Xiao Peng took the phone and glanced at the photo album, then was stunned. "Is this an ROV? What model? Why haven't I seen it before?"
"The Chinese 'Hailong 2' is 3.17 meters long, 1.81 meters wide, and 2.24 meters high. It weighs 3.45 tons and can retrieve 250 kilograms of items." Chen Zetao replied.
Xiao Peng whistled. "Is this the 'Hailong II'? I know it! It's our country's only tethered submersible capable of operating at a depth of 3,500 meters. Brother Pan, please don't tell me you can get this thing. I really don't believe it. Do you know what 'only' means?"
Chen Zetao held up two fingers and said, "What if there are two?"
"Hmm?" Xiao Peng looked at Chen Zetao: "What do you mean?"
"After two or three launches, the second Hailong II went into production," Chen Zetao said. "In fact, it's an improvement on the Hailong II. It also has an unmanned satellite-specific submersible less than 40 centimeters long and weighing less than 40 kilograms. The new Qianlong II is a mother-and-child submersible, increasing efficiency—at least that's what the manual says."
Xiao Peng became interested: "Brother Chen, what do you mean? Can you buy this thing for me?"
Chen Zetao shook his head: "Of course you can't buy this."
Xiao Peng's face was filled with black lines. "Brother Chen, are you kidding me? If you can't buy it, why are you showing it to me?"
Chen Zetao grinned. "I can't buy it, but I can get it for you for free. Of course, you'll have to pay for maintenance and other expenses."
"What did you say? Free?" Xiao Peng became nervous after hearing this. "Brother Chen, don't tease me! Pie doesn't come free, and this thing is definitely not pie! Tell me what's going on?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
