What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 621 Rocket No. 7 (3000 monthly votes in July)

Bitong County
"Damn it, this stuff tastes like nothing at all, there's no oil or fat in it!"

A bewildered sailor picked up a bowl of wide rice noodles. Apart from a little soy sauce and a hint of wasabi, it had no aroma whatsoever, not even a decent texture. It was a far cry from the lavish meals he had been eating before.

"Alright, you have to eat it even if it doesn't taste good. If you hold on for a few days, the company will take action."

Wang Wu finished slurping the rice noodles expressionlessly. Since arriving here, he had been observing the local living standards and knew that the local food was excessively bland, lacking in oil and salt. This kind of rice noodle was actually considered normal local food and was not objectively considered abuse; it was just that they were not used to it.

He could probably guess the reason. Although Lec detained them, he didn't dare to go too far before testing Geigin's reaction.

The warehouse where they were confined was passable except for the terrible beds and the heat, but there was always a sense of unease in the air.

After all, Lecce represented the government to some extent, and although his soldiers were rude, they didn't dare to do anything openly. It was the ordinary people, however…

Wang Wu had noticed the rapid decline in the local business environment after a month in the area, with unemployment and economic downturn already visible to the naked eye. Considering the history of this land, he remained vigilant.

The more than 200 sailors in the warehouse had all received rigorous training. Under the reassurance of their instructors, they did not panic. They tried to gain the right to make phone calls, send telegrams, and meet with reporters, while maintaining a regular schedule to accumulate physical strength and wait for the right opportunity.

The next morning, a commotion arose outside the warehouse.

Wang Wu pushed open the warehouse door and immediately saw that the area outside the fence was crowded with locals.

There was a fence around the warehouse, and they were allowed to move around in this open space, but Wang Wu soon realized that something was wrong.

The locals outside the fence didn't shout loudly, but just stared intently at them and whispered among themselves. Even the sailors who knew a little of the local language couldn't hear them clearly until evening when they saw them gradually leave.

Are we being treated like rare animals?

"Bullshit, we've been to every place around here. There were a few people outside who I recognized a bit."

"Will they just come to watch the spectacle, like foreigners coming to China?"

"Maybe so..."

The sailors were surprised but didn't think much of it. That evening, Wang Wu used his hard-won right to make a phone call to Wu Long to ask what was going on outside.

"The boss is negotiating to release them, telling us to delay as long as possible, but to prioritize our own safety. You might be safer staying in the warehouse right now, at least there are people guarding it so nothing will go wrong."

Wang Wu immediately pressed for an answer:

"What's going on outside?"

"You know, it's the Volcano School from before... wait, that kid's causing trouble again, be careful and don't run around!"

The call was abruptly ended, and Wang Wu quickly recalled the keyword "volcano school":
They had only been in Nyawa for a week when they saw flames in the sky and fire trucks on the way while relaxing in the resort area of ​​Tomok. They initially thought it was a fire, but later learned that a shop had been burned down, right next to the volcano school.

Later they learned that Volcano School was a local Chinese primary school, and the shops next to it were very profitable, mainly facing the school. A small gang had been trying to take it over, so a conflict broke out and they tried to drive the original shop owner away. Somehow, someone started a fire.

He wasn't sure about the ending, but Wu Long had mentioned it casually, saying that a minor leader of that gang was stirring up resentment against the rich, and that their actions were even encouraged or promoted by other local shop owners.

After all, Chinese shops generally have good connections and can find ways to get a wide variety of cheap imported goods and also do currency exchange business. This often gives them a great advantage over local shop owners and steals away a lot of customers, so they are often met with subtle hostility and targeting.

Normally this would only cause minor troubles, but as the entire Southeast Asia falls into an economic crisis, security declines, and the environment deteriorates, minor troubles can turn into major crises.

Once this kind of thing starts happening on a large scale throughout the entire country, the situation will quickly turn into another kind of depravity.

Based on Wu Long's half-sentence, Wang Wu immediately understood that this kind of decadent trend had probably already occurred on a large scale outside.

……

[Goose City Evening News: Gai Jin Refuses to Accept Technological Blackmail]

[...Hu Li, a person in charge of Gaijin Petroleum, denied all accusations against Gaijin Petroleum in an interview, stating that it was a technological blackmail attempt by a multinational corporation to obtain Gaijin Petroleum's patented and confidential technologies... She issued a statement saying that she would never abandon the employees whose movements were restricted and that she was making every effort to negotiate to ensure their safety and freedom...]

For a whole week, Gaijin's public statements were quite restrained, even appearing weak, and to some extent, he compromised, saying that as long as the personnel were brought back, that would be fine.

However, Wu Lao Er, who knew Tang Wen from the beginning, knew there was something fishy going on, and he remained confident despite the current disadvantage.

"Wu, your staff are not cooperating with our work."

"Wells, I thought we were friends."

Faced with Wu Long's questioning, Wells felt ashamed and dared not look him in the eye.

He had a very pleasant experience in Gaijin, where he worked with Chu Zhen to survey the hydrogeology of Liletan and participated in the construction of a new large model, but now he must serve the Queen.

As Shell's chief specialist in the Far East, his current job is to oversee these Gekin Oil employees to increase oil production and master their unique extraction techniques.

Wu Long allowed Shell and local technicians and experts to follow him to his facilities. As for core secrets? Tang Wen's reply to him was that these guys could ask and look all they wanted.

Gaijin Petroleum's surface-level oil extraction and storage facilities have absolutely nothing to hide; they are just ordinary, even somewhat outdated, facilities. All the equipment can be seen openly.

The technicians and staff sent over were just ordinary personnel responsible for maintaining pipelines and equipment; they were not involved in any classified information.

This made Wells extremely upset. He had thought he could obtain some secrets, but when he entered the control room with great joy, he found that the equipment he saw was outdated, at least 20 years old, and there wasn't even a single computer!
The logs and parameters read were no different from those of a normal oil well; there were no "special devices" to be seen, and the monitored employees did not show any abnormalities.

The local engineer sent by Lecce followed Wells closely for three days, but they couldn't find even the slightest clue!

Wu Long? He's just in charge of management; he doesn't even have basic knowledge of the oil industry, and he often goes down to the oil storage tanks to smoke!

Sean waited three days without any results and couldn't help but ask again. Wells could only reply helplessly:
“There are no abnormalities in any of the surface facilities and machines. I can only suspect that the key equipment or secrets are in the oil well. I suggest that we use a drilling robot to search the oil well.”

"Are there any other options? There's only one drilling robot in the Far East, and it would take at least ten days to transport it over."

Oil well drilling robots are essentially tunneling machines that integrate drill bits and various sensors. However, due to the harsh working environment, the required parts and chips need to be specially made. They are quite advanced for this era, and Shell doesn't have many of them.

Wells: "I'm afraid there's no other way. The team that has the secret mining technology in Geigin isn't here. Unless they're willing to compromise on their own, we'll have to go underground and find out for ourselves."

Sean had no choice but to agree to airlift the nearest drilling robot over, while simultaneously advising Lecce to continue applying pressure.

……

The Mionas oil smuggling scandal has become the most talked-about international topic in the Far East.

As the situation continued to escalate, the outside world basically understood that it was ZhuaWa deliberately causing trouble in an attempt to extort technology, but they only chose to stand by and watch.

After all, once they saw that even the British media were speaking out, they knew that the old troublemaker was stirring up trouble again, so they didn't dare to interfere.

Except IAA.

"Tang, I think you need our help."

Inspector Jones, once again posing as Schlumberger, sought out Tang Wen, bringing with him the IAA's "goodwill."

"Those damn tuxedos love to cause trouble. As soon as you release the technology, Shell will immediately unite with the local authorities to kick Geiger out. Don't believe them."

Schlumberger has always cooperated with the utmost sincerity. As the Empire's communications expert, you can completely trust us.

"I would like to know if it is really necessary."

Tang Wen responded with a forced smile, saying he absolutely did not believe that the IAA was not behind this; Schlumberger and Shell were both wolves with green eyes.

Jones didn't dwell on the issue too much; reality is always more useful than words.

After he left, Tang Wen received a message from Nansha:

A seaplane spotted two unidentified patrol boats during a patrol. It was almost certain that they belonged to the fishing boats, and there were no fishing boats following them. It was clear that they were there to provoke and cause trouble.

According to routine procedures, a destroyer, accompanied by two fishing boats, had already gone to intercept them. They had not encountered such a daring provocation in a long time, and normally they would have rammed and sunk them.

But at this time they also knew that hundreds of people in the company were still being held in Chuawa, so they specifically asked for instructions from their superiors.

"No, mobile interception is enough. You can spray some water, but don't escalate the situation."

After giving the instructions, Tang Wen began to seriously consider Jones's purpose and the IAA's next move.

IAA involvement is certain, but its purpose may not be the same as that of Dai Ying. This pair of father and son are both generous enough to share top-secret technologies, yet they are also wary of each other stabbing each other in the back.

Shell is trying to blackmail Geiger by detaining its employees, while Prism Tower is more likely to use this to pressure Geiger. At most, the current situation will just be a war of words that eventually escalates into a lengthy international lawsuit, without causing any real harm to Geiger.

After all, the latter doesn't have much international business, and its domestic business is completely unaffected. Giving up the oil revenues from Miãos wouldn't result in a huge loss; at most, it would just put it in a passive position due to public opinion.

If I were the IAA... I would definitely make a big deal out of this.

Tang Wen suddenly realized that the IAA could really be of help this time.

……

The 150 MPa water cannon sprayed water jets comparable to cannonballs, shattering all the windows of the patrol boat, and causing the various antennas on the roof to droop crookedly and lose their function.

The two patrol boats crossed the line in the morning and returned in the afternoon, covered in debris and looking disheveled.

The ship was covered with scratches from metal friction and visible deformation. The deck still had a faint lavender scent of dish soap, and some unlucky souls who had been sprayed with it were gagging against the railing.

However, even after suffering such a nightmarish blow, the captain in charge of planning the operation reported to Lecce with great excitement:
"General, Gaijin doesn't dare to go all out! They clearly had a way to ram and sink us directly, but they deliberately changed course at the last moment. They're afraid, they're afraid!" As he spoke, tears almost welled up in his eyes. In the past, they had always relied on their proximity to act recklessly in this sea area, but since more than a year ago, they have been instantly suppressed to the point that they dare not cross the line. Many of their comrades would disappear without a trace as soon as they crossed the line, without even a distress signal.

This time, those uncivilized joint defense teams were noticeably more subdued, showing a lot less bravado than substance. They might just cross the line again next time.

However, Lec was extremely dissatisfied with the captain's "survival is a victory" logic. Just how terrifying were the coalition ships to scare people like that?

After cursing him for being spineless and hanging up the phone, he finally analyzed Gaijin's performance and came to a definitive conclusion:
Geijin wanted to bring the personnel back, but hesitated to take too strong a stance for fear of causing further harm.
The support from the UK was effective, keeping Geigin's response confined to words and paper;
We can apply further pressure and push them below Gaijin's bottom line!
Sean had informed him that the incursion into the Mionas oil base had yielded nothing, and warned him to find a solution as soon as possible, as Lec could not detain these employees indefinitely, otherwise things would become difficult once the country officially intervened.

That evening, while protesting the joint defense team's "harassment" of the patrol boat, Lek also approached Wu Long, asking him to convey new conditions:

"Gai Jin has two options:"
-
First, pay the $7000 million fine, release the technology for review, and if the review is successful and meets the requirements, the cooperation can continue according to the original plan;
-
Second, the Mionas oil base will be transferred to the local area in normal production status, with production technology and equipment transferred for a fee. The authorities are willing to purchase the relevant assets and technology for US$500 million.

You have only three days to consider. If you fail to express your stance or refuse by the deadline, the authorities will directly confiscate Gaikin Oil's vessels and facilities, and consider investigating and placing those involved under long-term control.

Under Lec's coercion, Wu Long had no choice but to comply, but he couldn't help but say to Lec:

“If you just want some money, that’s fine, but Gaijin will never agree to such harsh conditions.”

Lec: "Don't you think about yourself and all these people at all? I have countless reasons to keep you here until you die. You better hope Tang Wen takes this seriously enough."

For example, starting today, the daily meal allowance for unauthorized personnel in Bitung County will be reduced to one meal a day. Guess what will happen if the media publishes photos of them looking listless? And I'll tell them it's all because Don is unwilling to admit his mistakes. His reputation is probably more important to Geigin than tens of millions of dollars, right?

Ordinary people might be detained for a while and then released, but as the highest-ranking person in charge here, you might be arrested and held fully responsible.

Wu Long ignored the threat and instead earnestly reminded him:

"You'd better make sure we're safe enough, or all your goals will fail."

"You don't need to worry about these things."

Lec replied coldly, but he knew he absolutely could not give anyone a handle against him, and he could not bear the consequences of someone dying.

He was well aware of the unrest in Sulawesi these days; there had been frequent security incidents targeting Chinese people, and the hundreds of people from the Gekin Company were quite conspicuous.

On Miãos Island, things were alright, there weren't many people around, but the more than 200 people in the warehouse in Biton County really needed to be kept in check. Even if they secretly ran away and something happened, it could cause unpredictable trouble.

He immediately ordered the guards around the warehouse to be strengthened again, preventing anyone from escaping and outsiders from entering.

……

Bitong County
"Who are you looking for?"

"Give me a cigarette, a Marlboro."

"There are only camels here."

"That works, but only if it's imported."

In a dark corner shop, two people, trying to conceal their identities, checked each other's identities through the door. The person inside peeked out and pulled the visitor inside, who immediately revealed his identity.
"I am Smith, Inspector of the Far East Affairs Bureau!"

"Hello, Inspector, this is Johnny at your service."

After a brief meeting, Johnny led Smith to the basement in the dark and turned on the lights.

After his eyes adjusted to the glaring lights, Smith could finally see Johnny's face clearly. He had a typical native face and was the small leader he could command in Wawa.

Smith's gaze swept over the light bulb connected to the battery before he complained:

"Why is there a curfew here at night? Damn it, what era are we living in that they don't even allow lights to be turned on at night?"

Johnny quickly explained:

“It’s been very unsettled outside lately. The IOUs for unpaid wages are completely useless. Gangs are causing trouble every day, and it’s dangerous for ordinary people to even go out.”

General Lecter immediately declared a state of emergency, prohibiting the use of lights and going out at night, especially since there were frequent power outages and the power plant was about to shut down.

Although Johnny works for the IAA, he is not a direct employee. People like him are called "hyenas" by Smith. They are usually local figures with some influence who can be used to do simple dirty work and gather intelligence. They are disposable and have no fear of future troubles. They are cost-effective low-level henchmen.

For example, Johnny's official identity is a sheriff in Bitton County, but he does a lot of shady business, the biggest of which is loan sharking.

His ultimate goal in serving the IAA was to obtain immigration status. Smith had no intention of getting too involved with the Hyenas and stated his purpose directly:

"Do you know the location of the warehouse where Gaijin Company's employees are being held captive in Bitong County, the number of guards, and their duty schedule?"

Johnny first shook his head and then nodded:
"I don't know, but these are no big deal, I can get them right away."

“Very well, I think you understand the current situation now, right? I mean, there are already signs of riots.”

Johnny continued nodding:

"This kind of thing has happened before. Many thugs are already looking for target shops and estates. As long as someone takes the lead, they will make their move soon."

"I need you to ignite this powder keg."

Smith quickly explained the plan:

“The employees of Gaijin Company live a life of debauchery and have countless amounts of money in their pockets. Whether they rob them directly or have their families send them money, they can easily get tens of thousands of dollars.”

And the money they squandered came from the oil in your fields, resources that rightfully belonged to you… Do you understand?

"This……"

Johnny understood, of course, but he also knew that the person who lit the powder keg would be the first to be burned to death, and might even be used as a scapegoat by the authorities at the right time.

"Your immigration application has been approved. You will receive it once you complete these steps, along with a $20 reward and $1 in funding for this operation."

Smith pulled out a card, and Johnny immediately nodded in agreement:
"I'll do my best, just wait for my good news!"

"Of course I trust you, and I look forward to meeting you again in the Empire."

After giving the card, Smith left in the dark. He then found other "hyenas" and gave them the same instructions before heading to Yadaga to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Once the locals get carried away, they won't care about foreigners. These days, Americans are synonymous with wealth, and quite a few have gone missing while traveling abroad.

……

Rioin State.

Qian Lin'an looked at the payload that Tang Wen brought with a strange expression—a closed metal cylinder with a propeller at the tail, which looked like a compressed torpedo.

"Only 80 kilograms? Is that weight and volume okay?"

Tang Wen patted the "torpedo," which was actually a miniature submarine that could carry a crew member on board while it was submerged.

As long as it meets the definition of a ship, this "submarine" can serve as a teleportation anchor point, thus proving whether it is possible to use a bug to directly extend the scope of World of Warships into space.

Although Tang Wen hadn't figured out what the use would be if it succeeded, it didn't stop him from giving it a try. Maybe there would be a pleasant surprise?
The internal structure of the payload "submarine" has been specially reinforced to be almost solid, so it can withstand the overload of shells without any problem.

Qian Lin'an didn't ask any more questions, but instead took Tang Wen to visit the final result of Project 640-4.

The moment Tang Wen gave us that 1000mm 60-caliber cannon barrel, it was a direct declaration that the most powerful artillery in human history had been born.

Whether the approach of launching rockets from artillery is viable or not will be proven by this super cannon.

"This is missile number 7, isn't it spectacular?"

Tang Wen looked up at the sound and saw a thick missile standing upright in front of him.

Qian Lin'an:
"The No. 7 rocket is 4.6 meters long and weighs 5.8 tons empty. When it is launched, 2.5 tons of propellant will be loaded at the bottom. Theoretically, the No. 7 rocket can carry a payload of 150 kilograms, but for safety reasons, we limited the first launch to less than 100 kilograms."

如果单纯的算载荷系数7号弹已经达到了2.5%不算低，并且远远没有发掘这门巨炮的极限，我想它的极限可以发射8米长、10吨重的火箭，载荷250公斤到300公斤。”

"..."

Tang Wen mentally processed these parameters, looking at the No. 7 rocket in front of him with awe.

This path, like the Arsenal Ship, was one that the original timeline failed to explore, and with his support, it has completely surpassed Dr. Bull's original Barbatos Project.

The Barbatos cannon ultimately only launched a 23-kilogram payload into low Earth orbit using a 1-ton cannon-launched rocket and failed to achieve practical application. Now, the No. 7 rocket has achieved full practical application capability, surpassing Boole's achievements.

"Has the No. 7 rocket never been test-fired?"

"Of course there are, but the previous ones can only be considered semi-finished prototypes. There is only one complete rocket, and two others are under manufacturing... Rockets that can withstand high overload are actually very difficult to make, but the processing problems have been basically overcome."

Don't worry, the launch failure was our mistake, but I don't think there will be any problems.

"It's okay, when can we launch?"

"At any time, artillery-launched rockets are solid-propellant missiles. No preparation is needed; just put them in and they're ready to fire... I think the day after tomorrow will be perfect."

(End of this chapter)