What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 190 The One Dollar Agreement
"Scenic area props?"

When official media outlets reprinted Gai Jin's statement, Dou Liqing also had some doubts.

He even wrote a letter when the Civilization (I) sank, so I don't doubt the authenticity of this story.

The shipwreck was already a serious incident. After all, according to reports at the time, there were still dozens of crew members on board the Wenming. It was impossible for it to just float away easily; it would be normal for the salvage operation to take several months.

However... Gaijin's bad record of ramming the fishing boat cannot be washed away, but his article was somewhat inappropriate.

"Editor-in-chief, should we retreat...?"

Under the expectant gaze of his assistant, Dou Liqing frowned:
"It's such a small matter that we have to retract the article. Not to mention that the printing schedule has been disrupted, our credibility will also be damaged."

Besides, isn't what I wrote factual? Is it illegal to post comments and express opinions?

"Young people shouldn't be so impulsive. The same goes for that Gaijin Company. They knew there was a storm coming and still went in. It must have been the boss's doing. And now they're pretending to be good people!"

After Dou Liqing finished speaking, he remembered something and found the research article written by his subordinates during a recent trip to the Dawan Scenic Area.

He hadn't paid much attention to this matter before, but now, upon closer inspection, he quickly discovered the problem. He suddenly let out a cold laugh and then summoned his assistant:

"Editor-in-Chief?"

Dou Liqing pointed to the manuscript:

"Look, the Gaijin Company actually took out the tourist boats in the scenic area to carry out rescue missions. Isn't that ridiculous!"

They must have just made a shell out of sheet metal; the quality is probably worse than a regular fishing boat. How could a boat like that not sink?

"Isn't this 'Ya-mushi' cruiser from Japan? Then the other ships must also be Japanese ships. They just copied the appearance but didn't copy the meticulous and serious construction spirit of Japan. Let alone going to sea, what if it breaks open and sinks and drowns tourists even if it's used as a tourist attraction?"

"To allow such a ship to set sail is tantamount to disregarding human life!"

Under the stunned gaze of his assistant, Dou Liqing had a burst of inspiration, picked up his pen quickly, and soon finished writing two articles:

"The safety of tourist boats venturing out to sea raises serious concerns."

"Island nation's warship design remains ahead of the curve after sixty years"

The assistant roughly understood what was going on with the first article, but the second one...

Dou Liqing actually thought of the Type 001 battleship, since its resemblance to the Yamato was already a well-known fact, and he incorporated it into the article.

The Gekkin Company copied Japanese cruisers, and the country even copied battleships. What does this show? It shows that Japanese designs were excellent and their craftsmanship was superb, something that China couldn't catch up with even fifty or sixty years later.

Besides praising the nuclear design firm, he also criticized domestic manufacturers for only copying the exterior but not the interior, and for their manufacturing processes being far inferior to the original.

Dou Liqing was most satisfied with the second article. Writing about foreign topics now attracts the most attention. Others have such great advantages, so we must humbly learn from them!

After admiring himself for a while, Dou Liqing revised a few wordings and then handed the document to his assistant:
"After the next two issues are scheduled, the second article should be on the front page, and then we'll submit another article to the magazine. That should be enough to reach a certain readership."

……

Murmansk.

The perpetual cold of the north seemed to freeze the space, and domestic affairs had little impact on Chen Chen.

According to the information she had, the Varyag was probably doomed.

Western media, based on satellite imagery, have deduced that the hull technology and catapults of the Type 011 aircraft carrier are almost identical to those of the HMAS Melbourne, suggesting it is a continuation of the Melbourne's development. The fact that the Melbourne was sold to China at scrap value back then indicates that China's resources were insufficient to fully utilize this small aircraft carrier, rendering it largely useless.

But who knew that once the rabbit activated its Sharingan, it not only saw the Melbourne clearly, but also made some upgrades.

Although the overall technology is still lagging behind, it is undeniable that the University of Tokyo has indeed built a catapult-launched aircraft carrier without relying on imports.

With this initial step, and with the application of current technological advancements, a 5-ton medium-sized aircraft carrier is just around the corner.

The guys who organized this event in Australia back then are all being purged; we can't sell it to the Tokyo Metropolitan Aircraft Carrier now.

The Varyag platform is huge. What if we take it back, file down the deck, and install catapults?
The good news is that the 1143 model is not included.

The Type 1143 aircraft-carrying cruiser is more difficult to modify than to rebuild, and it's not much bigger than the Type 011. If you want to buy it, go ahead.

But Chen Chen came for the Varyag and Kushner, so how could he explain the entire aircraft carrier cruiser?

After a long negotiation with General Petrovich, he finally understood that she was indeed there on behalf of the Giant Company. Disappointed but unwilling to give up the business, he offered a suggestion:

The Baku (Type 1143) was modified by removing the forward armament and replacing it with a ski-jump deck, altering the deck layout and bridge to accommodate fixed-wing aircraft, and installing arresting cables and landing aids.

As for the elevators, the original deck-mounted elevators will still be used, and the internal space of the ship will not be modified.

The renovation cost only $9000 million, and the hull itself was sold for $1.

For $90 million and 1 US dollars, you can get a small ski-jump aircraft carrier. Although the deck is a bit small, the island layout is somewhat cramped, there's only one takeoff route, and the elevators are internal, but—

It is indeed an aircraft carrier.

This modification plan is much simpler than the "Super Sun King" that was sold to India. It only involves minor changes, while the one sold to India was almost a complete overhaul. It not only added two external elevators, but also expanded the deck area and set up two takeoff routes, making it truly combat-ready.

The solution sold to the Giant Group only had theoretical flight capability, but to be honest, it didn't generate much profit.

General Petrovich hopes to keep the aircraft carrier team afloat with the Baku refit project, so that the Kuznetsov can be repaired again once the situation eases.

To be honest, Petrovich believes this is a completely beneficial order, with excellent value for money.

Although it has almost no combat capability and requires more extensive modifications to be usable, it is indeed already considered an aircraft carrier.

Shi Juzhu is currently facing some minor troubles and desperately needs some good news.

Under Shi Juzhu's constant urging, Chen Chen finally accepted the offer.

$9000 million does exceed the budget by a considerable margin, but it doesn't have to be paid in full at once, and the struggling Russian bear is also accepting some in-kind credit.

In the warm office at the northern base, Chen Chen signed and stamped the Giant Group's red seal.

Petrovich and Chen Chen stood up together and shook hands gently.

"Madam, congratulations! Giant Group is now the only company in the world that owns an aircraft carrier!"
Believe me, that 9000 million isn't necessarily worth it.

Even though the deal was done, Chen Chen felt uneasy, as if he had stepped into a deep pit.

But thinking about it carefully, it shouldn't be the case. What could possibly go wrong with a ready-made Baku vessel undergoing conversion?
It's a ready-made aircraft carrier that has been refitted, and it's even a bit bigger than the Type 011. Compared to the Varyag, it doesn't need further construction and can be used directly, so it shouldn't be much different.

"Alright, General, I hope that, as we agreed, we can bring her back to the country by this time next year."

(End of this chapter)