I Love the Soviet Union

Are there any mines?

According to Brother Yunlong's war theory, we don't do deals that lose money.

War is possible, the key question is what the benefits would be.

The king was very knowledgeable about neighboring countries, firstly because of historical ties, and secondly because the country was so small that even the slightest disturbance could be heard about.

"Titanium ore, zirconium ore, rutile mixed deposits, kaolin, these are it."

Thai mine!?

Okay, it's titanium ore, the titanium in Luna Titanium Alloy.

This is quite valuable too!

"But even combined, the total reserves are only around one to two million tons."

The king cruelly shattered his illusions. "Moreover, the mining is difficult and the smelting costs are high, so even after the reserves were discovered, no development has been initiated because no foreign company is willing to bid."

Damn.

That's all?

That's all.

"What about common minerals? Coal, iron, and the like."

Both of these are also very useful in other worlds.

The king shook his head and said, "No, Gambia is a country with poor mineral resources."

That's way too low-profit.

Kang De rolled his eyes. "What do they have?"

Chakat II replied, "The fishery resources and agricultural resources are also quite good."

"... Anything else?"

"Water resources, especially groundwater resources, are very abundant."

"... Please tell me if there's anything else worth mentioning."

"Furthermore, tourism is very developed, and it has West Africa's first nature reserve, which is quite impressive. Also, Gambia is a coastal country with a superior seaport location, especially for Europe. Moreover, because of its low tariffs, entrepot trade is thriving, making it a third-party trade intermediary country in the West Africa region..."

Kang De curled his lip when he heard about the tourism industry.

I was already impatient when I heard about the nature reserve.

I have an entire biosphere here that's completely different from Earth, my dear!

He waited politely for the king to finish speaking, but his eyes lit up when he heard the last part.

Wait a minute!

He, Kang De, the Golden Finger, the White Mist World.

This independent world is like a mirror image of Earth. Apart from the living things, everything is exactly the same. With this cheat, he lived a life of abundance on the Holy Seal Archipelago. He also obtained weapons for self-defense and becoming stronger from it. Even the several major battles he participated in were won by throwing stones from the White Mist World.

Mountains, land, cities, buildings, airplanes, cannons, tanks—there is nothing that cannot be replicated.

As long as you own land in that area on Earth, you can mirror it in the White Mist World. Recently, a new mechanism has been discovered, so Kang De can not only buy houses, but also seize territory.

In his grand plan to upgrade his golden touch, what he most desired was not a nuclear power plant, not a military base, not even the headquarters of the Federal Reserve... but an international, massive deep-water port.

A port with an annual throughput of tens of millions of containers—what does that mean? Container terminals piled high, cargo ships weighing hundreds of thousands of tons. Even if you disregarded the cargo inside and threw it all out like stones, it would probably be enough to cultivate all the major cities of the Dusk Moon Dynasty.

The port of Gambia... it must be terrible, but it's better than nothing.

His eyes lit up. "What does Gambia import?"

The king was startled by his sudden surge of enthusiasm. "... food, machinery, industrial products, minerals, fuel, lubricants, and the like?"

Kang De retorted, dissatisfied, "Why not import weapons and heavy-duty lathes?"

--How would I know!?

The king's mood was complicated when Kang De said, "If we conquer the Gambia, the port will be mine. What do you say?"

"... ah?"

Chakat II was taken aback.

Kang De was referring to Zhu'erban Port, which is in fact the only outlet to the sea for Gambia. It has a superior location, a wide and deep harbor, and most of Gambia's import and export trade, tourism, and entrepot trade rely on this port. If it were given to Kang De, Gambia would be five times worse off.

It's so rotten that there's no reason to occupy it.

As he was hesitating, he saw Kang De raise his finger. "We can sign an agreement. I can forgo the port rent, the import/export storage fees, and all related revenues, as long as I don't lose money. What I want is actual ownership, and..."

A thought struck him, and he added, "Give me a piece of the ocean area too."

This time, not only the king, but also the ambassador's expression became strange.

"You..."

The ambassador and the king exchanged a glance, he chose his words carefully, and said in a subtle tone, "You want oil?"

Kang De's expression shifted. "Oil? Gambia? Why didn't you say so earlier? Where is it?"

"Yes, that's right, you didn't ask, at sea."

As a Black man with decent Chinese skills, the King was at least able to conduct normal conversation. He answered Kang De's four questions methodically, explaining, "The offshore area of Gambia may contain reserves of 1.2 billion barrels of crude oil, discovered in the last two years by the Australia FAR Company. They have signed an agreement with the Gambia government, and according to the contract, they are entitled to 600 million barrels of it."

At this point, Chakat II angrily exclaimed, "Selling out national resources, rubbish!"

Kang De slapped his thigh. "That's right! The era when Western white companies could seize resources in Asia, Africa, and Latin America through deception, fraud, and financial trickery is over! Let's start the counterattack from Gambia!"

It was so obvious that all three people present looked at him.

You're not doing this for the freedom of our brothers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; you're clearly just after Gambia's oil.

"It's settled then!" Kang De waved his hand and said, "Gentlemen, let's ignite a war of usurpation!"

Everyone watched him quietly, without saying a word.

Only Kang Jinzhu rolled his eyes.

Although the ambassador had played Red Alert 2, that was when he was young. Now, he is busy with paperwork and other matters, and games are not as fun as real life, so he didn't understand the Kang De reference.

But given the magnitude of the matter, as a diplomat, his immediate reaction was that it was unreliable.

He chuckled dryly, "This..."

From China's perspective, the war between Gambia and Comora is not just a case of chickens pecking at each other; it's more like two underdeveloped foes clashing. Now, thanks to Kang De's intervention, Gambia has not been destroyed, while Comora is in a very precarious situation. Revenge is inevitable and justified.

Several contingency plans and strategies have been formulated regarding how Comora will retaliate, but Comora seems determined to swallow Gambia whole like a snake trying to devour an elephant...

It's important to know that Gambia's land area is five times larger than Comora's, and its population is three times larger.

Hmm, it doesn't seem like there are that many.

The ambassador hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Excuse my bluntness, but Kang De and Your Majesty, this matter needs careful consideration. You can demand billions in reparations, cede some land to them, confiscate Gambia's assets, or even replace their government—all of these are acceptable. But directly annexing Gambia would be very troublesome."

Kang De said calmly, "Gambia had the same idea before. Aren't they afraid of the trouble?"

"That's because King Gambia was a lunatic, and secondly..."

The ambassador said sincerely, "There are no outsiders here, so I might as well be blunt. Your Majesty, you are Africa, Kang De understand Africa history, and we are all China, we know even better that backwardness invites aggression. Gambia was able to annex Comora because of France support, and because they had nothing to lose. The international community is not about reason, it's about who has the bigger fist and the louder voice. Although it's very wrong, it's the truth."

"The fact is, Gambia annexed Comora, and with France support, no one in Africa dared to stand up for Comora. There was very little we could do. But if Comora were to retaliate and seize Gambia, things would become very complicated, and Western countries would have plenty of reasons to intervene."

"Yes, they turned a blind eye to Gambia's invasion of Comora, but they reacted quickly to Comora's 'invasion' of Gambia. We all know they're bastards, but in this world, bastards live so comfortably. Double standards, shamelessness, and recklessness."

He pointed to the map on the table. "Seligal surrounds both Gambia and Comora. Seligal a standing army of 16,000 men and has an excellent relationship with Gambia. If Comora wants to take over the entire territory of Gambia, it has to consider what to do if Seligal intervenes."

The ambassador glanced at Kang De and said, "Seligal's army is essentially no different from Gambia's army. They lack modern technological support and training. But war and politics are closely intertwined. Even if you repel the Seligal, won't you provoke an even bigger enemy?"

"Putting everything else aside, if Seligal closes its borders and imposes a complete embargo, Gambia will be in serious trouble. Even if we manage to occupy Gambia, we'll just be adding two or three million more hungry burdens. What will we do if famine and riots break out? How do we maintain stability and govern a conquered country?"

Lengthy discourses are the words of seasoned strategists, but diplomats see further ahead.

"Furthermore," the ambassador added, "Don't forget, Gambia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The Queen of the United Kingdom, when not in use, is just a figurehead; when in use, she represents the heads of state of over fifty countries, including Canada, Australia, Nigeria, and South Africa ... Have you considered these variables?"

Well, besides the United States and France, United Kingdom can also get involved.

Kang De frowned and said, "But we can get France, even United States..."

"Don't trust them too much," I advise as a diplomat.

The ambassador said slowly, "Their concessions are a last resort. If you want some compensation or to give Gambia a piece of your own flesh, that's fine. But to want to take a military attack on Gambia is just giving them room to maneuver."

"Moreover, if I were the United States or France, I would feign agreement to your conditions and, while you are fighting, send people to do some dirty work, smear you, and fabricate stories about you committing massacres. At that time, with their information dissemination capabilities and media influence, you will be powerless to fight back. Today you may be a global internet sensation, tomorrow you will be a heinous criminal hated by everyone."

Kang De raised an eyebrow. "They dare."

The ambassador, seeing his expression, was taken aback. However, these diplomats were all witty and composed; though inwardly panicking, they maintained a calm facade. He remained unmoved and said calmly, "A wise man avoids dangerous situations. Don't test someone's foolishness. Even if you have the ability to retaliate, by then, your reputation will be ruined, and you won't be able to clear your name. What good will it do to magnetize the Eiffel Tower a hundred times?"

Kang De frowned and remained silent.

The ambassador softened his tone, saying, "Of course, I'm only offering a suggestion; I really strongly advise against taking such an extreme approach... There are too many variables, it's too unstable, and politics shouldn't be risked."

After a moment of silence, the king gently patted Kang De on the shoulder.

Do you really want Zhu'erban Port?

Chakat II said, "Although we don't know the reason, we can work on their compensation agreement, but we'll have to make concessions, such as giving you ownership but leasing it to the new government of Gambia for a symbolic price, or transferring it directly to your company's name..."

Kang De smiled and shook his head slightly. He didn't want the port itself, but rather its development prospects, management, expansion, attraction, and acquisition... and then he could get the card he wanted for free.

If it were like Djibouti, leasing land to attract countries to build military bases.

That would be even more awesome!

Ford lady, come on in, come on in! Oh, it's Miss 055, please come in, please come in...

How wonderful!

My dream of boarding a ship has been temporarily shattered.

He composed himself. A complete takeover of Gambia was unrealistic, so he continued to consider how to extract more profit. Kang De stared at the map, pondering where the gains could be made, when suddenly the ambassador's phone rang.

Immediately afterwards, the king's cell phone also began to vibrate.

They exchanged a glance, stood up simultaneously, gestured to Kang De, and then went to answer their respective phone calls.

Only Kang De and his son remained. Seeing that the two had walked away, Kang Jinzhu ran over and tried to strangle Kang De.

"What kind of lousy name is that!" he gritted his teeth, "And you dare to scam me!"

Kang De rolled over to dodge. "Isn't it nice? AWSL, what a sophisticated English word!"

"High-class my foot!" Kang Jinzhu roared. "Do you dare to tell the King and the ambassador what the Chinese meaning of this abbreviation is?"

Kang De proudly declared, "I love the Shining!"

"Bullshit! You didn't even pull it out!"

"... Love Shaolin!"

"Nonsense, did you receive your superpowers from a blessing at the Shaolin Temple?"

"I love my Soviet Union!"

"The Soviet Union is long gone!"

"Not dead! How could the Jiangning-Suzhou Socialist Republican City Alliance possibly be dead!"

"Don't talk nonsense, you're not from Jiangsu!"

Kang Jinzhu was truly gritting his teeth. The thought of his business cards being printed with "AWSL," the company's offices being plastered with "AWSL," even the security guards' uniforms having "AWSL" on the back, and even the idea of forming an action team where the field squad, armed with tactical weapons, would burst through the door and shout "AWSL!" as their first command.

Just thinking about this scene...

I was practically trembling all over.

The father-son duel began enthusiastically, but before they had even exchanged a few blows, the ambassador, who had entered the inner room, pushed open the door and came out.

He looked at Kang De with a strange expression.

The Kang Family father and son sat upright, with Kang De looking completely nonchalant. "What's wrong?"

The ambassador sighed, "It's truly a stroke of luck... Something bad is going to happen in Gambia."

"What is it?"

"Big Bob."

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PS1: Update! Ah, I really can't stand staying at home anymore... Has everyone's school start date been postponed?