What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 517: Meeting of the Century
The loss of a nuclear submarine is no small matter, especially when there are nearly a hundred crew members on board.

After the incident, Prism Building's first announcement was a rescue report. A day later, they stated that after confirmation by the submersible, there were no signs of human activity inside the submarine, and the deaths were likely due to asphyxiation caused by mechanical failure.

Not only the Empire, but media outlets around the world followed up with reports, and Johnson subsequently stated that he would spare no expense to find out the reason.

When the families of the missing crew members (who were actually replacements for those missing from the Seawolf and Bremerton) came to him in tears, Johnson was heartbroken and promised them that he would not give up and would investigate thoroughly to bring back the remains as much as possible.

Seven days later, a Newport News shipyard official revealed that the accident was most likely caused by a human error in setting parameters incorrectly during maintenance, and that there were backup test plans on shore to corroborate this.

Following this, several more military experts emerged to analyze the situation of the HMS Birmingham:
They believe that the Birmingham triggered emergency mechanisms and locked the reactor when it sank, and although the submarine broke apart after sinking, it did not leak any radiation sources and therefore did not affect the safety of the waters.

However, if they were to attempt to salvage the vessel rashly, it could potentially damage the hull structure and lead to a nuclear leak. Therefore, the navy was advised to abandon the salvage attempt.

The Prism Building flatly rejected the proposal. A day later, Johnson held a press conference, holding a crumpled and ruined military cap, and said that because the hatch was deformed and stuck, it could not be opened. For the time being, only some personal belongings and clothing could be retrieved, and the salvage of the remains and the hull was facing difficulties.

When the Great White Fleet docked in Los Santos, Tang Wen finally saw the Prism Building's latest stance.

"After investigation, it was determined that salvaging or cutting the vessel again would cause the hull to become unbalanced and the reactor section to rupture, with the nuclear leak potentially affecting the surrounding sea area for hundreds of kilometers."

After reaching an agreement with the family, we have decided to allow Lieutenant Colonel Saxony to rest in peace alongside the HMS Birmingham!

After the Prism Tower spokesperson finished speaking, the television screen switched to underwater footage:
The deep-sea submersible used mechanical means to attach a Stars and Stripes flag to the sunken submarine, thus completely burying the HMAS Birmingham at sea along with its crew.

The Union President was extremely concerned about the incident, classifying it as a "major incident," which forced a general to retire early. He also ordered Newport News Shipbuilding and the Navy to drastically revise the maintenance plan and have it reviewed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

……

"A perfect...spot."

Johnson and a group of high-ranking Imperial Navy officers stood on the bridge of the USS New York, feeling a distinct sense of separation:

The two battleships, after being modified, looked exactly like the real thing from the outside. The arrangement of the main and secondary guns and the turrets were so realistic that even naval experts could not find any fault with them.

However, the interior is a completely different story. Not only has the power configuration been upgraded, but the decoration is also completely on par with luxury cruise ships. Although it is not rigorous, it can satisfy the owner's dual enjoyment at the same time.

"Chanatang, perhaps you should build another Nimitz-class ship. Newpostnews shipyard might be able to help you."

Tang Wen smiled but did not answer Johnson's teasing. Who could have known that a king-on-king situation would suddenly occur today?

Originally, after docking at Los Angeles, the Great White Fleet was supposed to end its journey by filming some commercials and behind-the-scenes footage, and then tidy up for eager American military enthusiasts to visit.

As it turned out, Johnson happened to be in a nearby state and, for some reason, became interested and insisted on seeing the Imperial battleships made in the East.

Johnson saw Tang Wen as a playboy tycoon with unique quirks and a lucky streak, never imagining that the young man standing beside him, who even seemed a bit reserved, would be his nightmare for the past year.

After the visit, the two shook hands. Years later, when Johnson wrote his memoirs in Nanmei, he vividly described this meeting, elaborating on Tang Wen's sharp, eagle-like eyes and cold demeanor. However, he had almost immediately forgotten about this minor incident, treating it merely as an amusing anecdote. Tang Wen, aside from feeling slightly puzzled, didn't have many other thoughts, but he did discover that he could use Johnson's identity to create another shield.

He approached Johnson and shared his plan, to which Johnson immediately raised his eyebrows and even gave him a thumbs up.

……

Upon disembarking, Tang Wen was immediately met with a swarm of media.

Last time he made a wild claim that he would spend $100 billion in the United States and actually spent more than $40 billion. A few months have passed, will T.T. still spend so much money?

"Ladies and gentlemen, I may have to disappoint you. After all, I am not the richest man in the world. Only Bill Gates can probably pull out billions of dollars at any time."

These words, though expected by the reporters, inevitably brought up disappointment. Just as they were preparing to shift the topic to the Great White Fleet, Tang Wen brought it up himself:

"According to the agreements reached between Nansha Culture Media (a newly registered tourism company) and several regions of your country, the Great White Fleet will stay for two months and be open to visitors and exhibits in multiple locations."

I now declare that, in honor of Navy's outstanding contribution to the Allied forces against the Hans:
All users who reserve tickets for the tour by posting on the official DaWang BBS within 15 days can participate in sharing a $5 million Allied Victory Fund. The first prize is $500, the second prize is $10, the third prize is $1, and all remaining cash will be distributed equally among the other users and directly deposited into their bank accounts.

This event is to ensure the world remembers the contributions of the Imperial Navy, and Secretary Jay Johnson and I have agreed that for every reservation made within 15 days, Geigin will donate ten times that amount to the Navy to quell the wars instigated by the Lost Empire.”

Johnson happened to walk over at that moment, perfectly taking over the microphone from the media, and then went on to talk at length about how the Imperial Navy saved the world, how countless young men fought in the Pacific, and so on. He then praised Tang Wen, calling him "a good friend of the Imperial people" and a freedom fighter against the lost empire, and so on.

Tang Wen praised the Imperial Navy for standing in front of the world in the previous battle against the Lost Empire, protecting the hard-won peace. Both sides engaged in a vigorous exchange of patronage.

Anyway, it's at most ten million US dollars, and that money comes from the regulatory account used for the last stock trading.

A single U-boat in Panama forced the Imperial Navy to spend over a billion dollars on a major operation; consider this money as a kickback to Johnson.

A prize pool of five million dollars is a lot in this era, with purchasing power much stronger than it will be thirty years from now. Even if an average user gets five dollars, it would still be a considerable sum.

As soon as Tang Wen made his bold statement, the media immediately spread the news, and countless American netizens rushed to the Great King BBS to sign up. They looked up words in the dictionary or asked their Chinese classmates to help them register an account and fill in key personal information such as address and bank card details.

……

"I lost it!"

On the other side of the ocean, Song Nan was startled awake in the middle of the night and rushed to the company, simultaneously waking up a group of maintenance personnel to get to work:

"What happened? The server was working perfectly fine in the middle of the night, how could it crash?"

(End of this chapter)