What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 617 Why Did You Provoke Him?

"Xiao Tang?"

"Uh... Lao Zhao, what are you doing here?"

Tang Wen, who was remotely communicating with Zhenhai about Plan B, looked up and was immediately surprised to see Zhao Hande and the people around him:
"There's no need to come all the way to greet us if we haven't seen each other for a while."

"What are you saying? Do you think I wouldn't help you if you needed it?"

Zhao Hande shook his hand behind his back a few times to signal the others to shut up.

MDA can be discussed anytime, which clearly indicates that the matter that annoys Tang Wen is a higher priority, and such opportunities are rare.

However, the latter shook his head:

"It's just a small problem. You mean MDA, right? We can discuss it here tomorrow."

Seeing Tang Wen's attitude, Zhao Hande did not press the matter. After watching him get into the car that went to the hotel, he simply said goodbye and stood there in thought.

He turned to look at Secretary Chen:
“I originally thought he was just going to sign a contract, but then I realized something’s not right. Even if he was in a hurry, he wouldn’t take a flight at night. There’s a more comfortable flight tomorrow… Go and find out what’s going on over there.”

"Yes, I'll do it right away!"

……

Everyone doubts you, but you yourself are not living up to expectations.

It was no secret that Zhuawa's sudden change in attitude toward Gaijin was not surprising. After making a slight inquiry through semi-public channels, Zhao Hande was speechless for a moment.

"You know that the people there are inherently greedy. They allowed Geigin to explore in Mioas before because of his unique oil technology. Now they're just tearing off their hypocritical mask. It was only a matter of time."

That guy, Lec, frequently accused Geigin of being a thief on various occasions and harbored malicious intentions.

After listening to Secretary Chen's words, Zhao Hande muttered to himself:
"This Lec doesn't even use his brain. They couldn't get the technology from Britain and the Empire, and they didn't even ask us for it. Do you think their threats will work? What good will it do them if they drive Geigin away? They'll just lose a single penny."

He felt something was off, and after thinking for a long time, he suddenly asked:
"Try to find out if Lec or his confidants have been in contact with any unusual people recently, especially those related to Dai Ying."

Secretary Chen's pupils contracted:
"You mean..."

"It's just a guess, but Lec can't be so confident without a reason. Once the Mionas oil field is developed, it will generate at least tens of millions of dollars in dividends every year. Can he afford to lose money by driving people away? Such blatant extortion is unreasonable in terms of both morality and logic."

I think it's not just the British; there are many other forces that don't want Gaikin's influence in Southeast Asia, and their instigation is quite significant.

Zhao Hande had already guessed a few of the masterminds behind the scenes, and the IAA was definitely involved as well.

However... Secretary Chen just said that Gaijin is actually eyeing Natuna. He couldn't help but gasp when he saw the name of the place. This is probably one of the reasons why Lek went crazy.

Only people in China know that Gaikin is a "Southeast Asian company," but outsiders see it differently and will definitely be more wary.

Considering that Britain also sent the HMS Hood squadron to Southeast Asia, it was probably not just for India.

This display of power and the associated pressure are considerable, but... thinking of Gaijin's boast that he could sell dozens of battleships in a matter of days, Zhao Hande couldn't help but shake his head inwardly:

Why did you provoke Tang Wen when we could have done business together peacefully?

……

Miãos

"Old Wang, Old Wang, it's lunchtime!"

"I'll just have something to eat today, I'll make myself some instant noodles."

Wang Wu, who was engrossed in inspecting the pipes, shouted to answer his colleague's invitation to dinner, but he was soon grabbed by the back of his collar.

"What a load of rubbish!"

Wu Long appeared behind him without him noticing, and cursed viciously:

"You want to eat instant noodles? Do you even think you can eat instant noodles?!"

Under normal circumstances, this scene might be seen as bullying employees, but the instructors who came with Wang Wu nearby just chuckled. After watching him being dejectedly pushed onto the CH47C, they also boarded the helicopter, which then took them to the nearest county town.

After Wang Wu sat down, he leaned weakly against the cabin wall, uttering the most infuriating words in a mournful tone:

"When will this hellish life of having to take a helicopter to eat, get a massage, and sing karaoke every day end? I really want to work!"

Wu Long, sitting in the cabin, couldn't quite keep his composure upon hearing this, but inwardly he felt an overwhelming sense of agreement:

When the new batch of "oil workers" arrived with their mission, although they were also puzzled by Tang Wen's request, they thought, "How could they not be happy to be fed and cared for?"

Having already thoroughly investigated the dozen or so counties surrounding Miangas, Wu Long immediately led his men on an extravagant spree of eating, drinking, karaoke, music appreciation, and spa treatments, which lasted for about a week before he received orders to restart the oil extraction base.

After enjoying the week, everyone felt a little reluctant to leave. After all, Mionas was remote and desolate, and there were no large-scale towns around it, so the conditions were definitely much worse in comparison.

At this point, they thought that their previous enjoyment was just a prelude to hardship, and they spent the night before setting off enjoying themselves while preparing to face the harsh living conditions.

As soon as they arrived at the base by boat and took over, Wu Long announced the new work system:

Ordinary staff members are required to return to the vicinity of Sulawesi province to spend money during holidays, while nearly 50 senior staff members (i.e., teaching assistants, instructors, foremen, etc.) are required to eat according to the original regulations every day.

The new regulations immediately caused all the employees' brains to shut down. On the very first day, Wu Long took all the senior staff onto a CH47C and flew to Bitong County, more than 400 kilometers away, to continue spending money until late at night before flying back.

This bizarre period lasted for almost a month, and under 007's relentless schedule of indulgence, everyone was reaching their breaking point.
Who would have thought that eating, drinking, and having fun would one day become a burden?
Wang Wu feels nauseous at the thought of seafood, and steak is less appealing to him than cornbread. He's become so familiar with the so-called "romantic dances" that he can even do a few of them. He spends all his time massaging his joints, afraid of developing gout stones.

Such heinous acts have long been legendary in the local area, and it can be said that the tourism and entertainment industry of the entire province knows them better than their own families.

It's no wonder that Lec was furious; anyone would lose their temper seeing these guys' behavior, especially considering that this kind of behavior had been going on for quite some time last year.

They weren't immune to being taken advantage of before, but with Sergio protecting them, they never encountered any major problems. However, when the CH-47C landed again this time, instead of waiting staff with towels outside the hotel tarmac, they were met by rows of short, menacing soldiers.

The enjoyment of the experience did not corrupt Wang Wu. The people in the cabin immediately stood up and quickly formed a defensive formation, looking warily at Lec who was striding over.

"What extravagance! They're squandering our oil on this land like this. In Geylang, helicopters are being used like public buses."

Lec walked up to Wu Long, raised his head, and looked him up and down with disdain:
"However, your good days are over. Your planes were not licensed and committed 75 violations. The first 54 violations were overdue and incurred late fees totaling $5734 million. From now on, you can only operate in Mionas until you pay the fines."

The latter's expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly took his identification from the helicopter pilot.
“This helicopter belongs to Gekin Company and is classified as engineering equipment. We have applied for a sufficiently large airspace, and according to your regulations, low-altitude flights do not require reporting.”

Lec took the documents and looked them over. Only then did Wu Long notice that someone in the corner was holding a handheld camera. He immediately realized that the other party was there to cause trouble.

After examining the documents, Lec whispered something to his men in the local language before looking at Wu Long with a regretful expression:

"Your documents are valid, but the entire country is now in a state of emergency, and all flights require military permission. Obviously, you have violated the rules... 34 times, and you only need to pay more than 30 million US dollars."

However, flying in an emergency could be dangerous, so the helicopter and pilot will be impounded as evidence for review of the flight logs… Let’s get started!”

The surrounding soldiers immediately stepped forward to seize the helicopter, and Wang Wu and the others quickly stood up to stop them, but they were unarmed and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Many people are now filled with regret. They should have known that such ostentatious behavior would get them into trouble, and they shouldn't have... But now they regret it. Even if they had brought weapons, it wouldn't have changed anything.

They involuntarily looked at Wu Long, whose face kept changing between pale and flushed, and finally he could only grit his teeth and say with a dark expression:
"Make way, we're cooperating with the investigation."

Lec then lowered his hand from his waist and continued to make his demands:
"The ship to Mião is ready. We will sail to Mião immediately to work. I want to see daily production reach more than 10 barrels within half a month."

“That’s impossible. We just restored the oil production facilities, and besides, this requires technical support from the head office. President Tang didn’t give us any instructions.”

"Tang? Now you have to work for Mionas Oil. Do you think he can increase oil production with just a word?"

"You are all suspected of shirking work, deliberately slowing down the mining progress, and embezzling public funds... Only by fulfilling the contract and increasing production can you be let off the hook; otherwise, I'll arrest you all right now!"

"you!"

Given Wu Long's usual temper, he would have been unable to hold back long ago, but remembering Tang Wen's repeated instructions, he managed to suppress his anger and answered according to the script:

"Half a month is absolutely impossible; it will take at least another month."

"Yes, but from now on, every engineer from Tokyo University must mentor one of our apprentices, who will also serve as a supervisor."

“Sir, according to the contract, Gaijin Company has the right to keep its technology confidential. If this continues, I will apply to leave directly and refuse to fulfill the contract. This is an unreasonable request... I agree.”

Wu Long's outburst was interrupted by the hard metal object pressed against his chest, and he changed his words at the last moment.

The others were furious at the sight, but Wu Long secretly gestured to stop them, and they could only watch helplessly as it all happened.

I thought the matter was over, but when Lec waved his hand, more than a dozen people came out.

"It's you!"

Wu Long might not be very familiar with them, but Wang Wu recognized them as the Hong Kong students who had been "pardoned" by Tang Wen!

“These friends understand Chinese, and having them around will make communication between us easier. We already know each other well, so there’s probably no need to get to know each other again.”

Wang Wu's gaze swept over them like a blade, clearly indicating that these people had forgotten the promises they made when they regained their freedom.

……

Greater Bay Area

"Qiangzi, Xiao Liu, want to go for a couple of drinks tonight?"

Lei Zhan jumped out of the SBD's cockpit and called to the group of people sitting on the deck oil tanks admiring the sunset.

"No, I need to call my wife tonight."

Nie Qiang was the first to refuse, and then Liu Kan also waved his hand:
"Let's wait a few days. You have no idea how much my relatives have been getting me drunk when I go back to Northeast China for the New Year... I need to quit for two months to recover. Besides, aren't you tired of working so hard every day?"

"How could I not be tired? Without those brats, I could have some peace and quiet. I'm so tired that I can only drink some water to calm down."

Just then, a small group of students walked across the deck of the Super Yorktown, greeted them, and then happily disembarked.

Lei, Nie, and Liu held extremely high positions within the entire training school, as they were Tang Wen's only three veteran carrier-based aircraft pilots.

Lei Zhan was already highly skilled, Nie Qiang was a flight instructor and was also recruited last year, and Liu Kan was young and talented. All three of them performed remarkably well from the beginning of their SBD training to their transition to A4.

Under their grueling, intensive training, the Super Yorktown now boasts 19 pilots, including 3 elite pilots, 4 outstanding instructor-level talents, 6 experienced assistant instructors, 6 newly qualified rookies, and a dozen or so struggling newbies.

These descriptions are not undeserved. For a period of time in the second half of last year, they conducted joint training with the Navy's carrier-based aircraft force. The first seven people basically met the qualification standards set by the Navy, especially the four prodigies selected from the trainees who have the potential to become aces.

If Tang Wen hadn't decisively withdrawn them, the navy would definitely have dug them all over there.

Such achievements are inseparable from the extremely ample flight time and the guidance of the system's captains, plus the reward of 30 yuan for each carrier-based pilot trained, which enabled them to work hard to train 16 students in one year.

Through Tang Wen's insane 007-style flight training method, any mistake or failure to meet the standards would require extra training, resulting in even novice pilots having an exaggerated 900 hours of flight time. Even if the calculation was inflated, they still gained solid flight experience and would never make basic mistakes.

However, what the three instructors couldn't understand was that even though they trained the pilots so hard, their main job outside of training was serving tourists... Well, this business was indeed profitable.

In fact, after Super Yorktown started operations in the Great Bay, the biggest contributors to revenue were not domestic tycoons, but foreigners who traveled thousands of miles to visit.

Countless retired pilots and enthusiasts from abroad are incredibly excited to hear that there are real carrier-based aircraft to play with at the University of Tokyo, as well as a "cement aircraft carrier" for real-life experiences. In addition, the exchange rate difference makes it affordable for them, and they often book the entire venue.

Even so, they felt that they didn't need that many trainees. Even if the Dongjiang Maritime Joint Defense Team did need to patrol the Nansha Islands, they would only need a few seaplane pilots at most, as any experienced person could operate them.

(End of this chapter)