Teach That Chinaman a Lesson

Nautilus Mining?

On Earth, Qin Mengjin received a phone call from Kang De early in the morning.

She sat up in bed, scrambling off the bed on all fours. Her white slip dress revealed a glimpse of her skin. She tidied her disheveled hair, hopped onto a chair, and with a push of her toes on the carpet, the wheels spun, carrying her all the way to the table. She reached out and opened her laptop.

"Found them! The world's first mining company to formulate a deep-sea exploration plan, based in Canada. Their investment composition is complex, given the enormous potential profits of seabed mining..."

Miss Qin picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and tapped her slender fingers on the keyboard. She continued, "This company has also received significant attention from the government. After all, they're the first to try something new, and the whole world is eagerly anticipating their success. If they achieve great success, seabed mining could become the new hot trend..."

Kang De, eating an egg pancake, mumbled, "But they messed it up?"

He hadn't even settled into his new world when the Parrot chased him back to Earth. After all, the Council's underwater operations had made considerable progress, and Distant Harbor needed to speed things up as well.

"Yes, Nautilus Company is the only seabed mining company that skipped the exploration phase and entered the development phase. They were granted licenses by New Guinea... Their 'Solwara 1' copper-gold-silver mine development project was once considered the first seabed polymetallic mine."

Qin Mengjin's tone was somewhat subtle. "But then they were hit by a series of heavy blows, including public complaints, community protests, lawsuits, and demonstrations by environmental organizations. The project was shelved, operations stalled, and ultimately investor confidence was completely eroded, the company was delisted, and assets were auctioned off to repay debts..."

Kang De clicked his tongue and said, "Completely powerless to fight back?"

Qin Mengjin shrugged. Sunlight streamed in through the curtains, illuminating her rounded, delicate shoulders and reflecting a dazzling, porcelain-white glow. "The environmental banner, huh? They've never really stood on their own."

Seeing that Kang De seemed somewhat interested, she explained, "Nautilus Mining's mining plan involves using heavy machinery to crush the seabed mine along with small pieces of ore, then pumping the ore onto a surface-based mining vessel via a conveyor belt. This mining method obviously stirs up huge amounts of silt from the seabed, causing widespread suffocation and even species extinction in the area."

Kang De nodded. "No wonder, it certainly doesn't sound good."

Miss Qin smiled and said, "So, the banner of environmental protection is undeniable, but the problem is that human activities inevitably have a huge impact on the environment. Undersea mining can cause widespread extinction of nearby species, so wouldn't mining in the mountains also cause the same? The voices of these protesters aren't entirely pure."

After a moment, she sighed softly, "There's nothing we can do. The Earth's population is growing, and the resources needed are increasing. Regardless of whether it's environmentally friendly or not, regardless of the impact on the ecosystem, humanity will eventually take that step—because those extremely pure mineral deposits lie on the seabed."

Kang De chimed in, "Yes, there's nothing we can do about it."

--What does that have to do with me? The seabed of the Broken Isles has been licked clean by those sea monsters for thousands of years, leaving it completely scavenged. Even the shallow biota has been devoured by the sea monsters that washed ashore. There's not a single living creature to be seen in Phoenix Vision, so there's no need to worry about species extinction.

Hurry up and take this damn Nautilus Company heavy machinery to another world for an underwater race, scare those bastards in the Council death.

He said, "So, you should negotiate with the company and acquire Nautilus Mining's assets, especially the mining vessels and seabed mining vehicles, as quickly as possible."

"..."

Qin Mengjin rolled her eyes.

Did I just give a useless explanation?

She smiled wryly and said, "Didn't you understand? What I mean is, these things are already liabilities. Capital is profit-driven. Seeing how badly Nautilus Mining has been hit, how can they continue to invest? Even if they're not giving up, they won't copy Parrot's destructive mining model."

Miss Qin patiently explained to Kang De, "Therefore, taking over this asset isn't very meaningful... To conduct seabed mining operations now, you first need to obtain an exploration license from the ISA, which is the United Nations International Seabed Authority, and then a mining license. This is just the beginning..."

As they were talking, she had already submitted an application to her department, and the large logistics team sent her the relevant information as quickly as possible—the story behind Nautilus Mining's bankruptcy.

On the surface, it is scholars and environmental organizations concerned about marine ecology who stand up and speak out, and on the surface, it is enthusiastic citizens who are worried about their country's ecological environment who stand up and initiate lawsuits.

But the actual situation was far more fascinating than that.

The funders and backers of environmental organizations, through a series of twists and turns, eventually become entangled with some of the world's top mining giants. These highly effective Western environmentalists are all experienced and shrewd, and are undoubtedly among the world's greatest educators.

Because they only used some US dollars and euros, they were able to successfully awaken the local illiterate and impoverished people's boundless love for environmental protection and their deep concern for environmental destruction, prompting them to take spontaneous and voluntary action to stop the evil and greedy government's selfish behavior of destroying the green mountains and clear waters.

Media propaganda, public protests, and environmental demonstrations—a series of moves left the New Guinea government and Nautilus Company reeling and unable to control themselves. Even the Europe Parliament joined in, exerting political pressure, and finally nipped the deep-sea mining project in the bud.

Thus, the environmental organizations emerged victorious, adding another backbone to their ranks; the mining companies maintained their competitiveness; the protesting citizens protected the green mountains and clear waters; and the evil New Guinea government lost a significant amount of tax revenue, profits, and jobs, while also incurring foreign debt equivalent to one-third of its national healthcare budget. It was a truly gratifying outcome, with everyone having a bright future, and justice triumphing over evil.

"Incredible!" Kang De exclaimed. "There are even these intricacies!"

Qin Mengjin said meaningfully, "Environmental protection is a business, a business that even the European Union wants to get into."

"Been taught a lesson."

The superhuman said, "Then, could you please keep an eye on the work of taking over Nautilus Mining?"

"..."

Did you not hear a thing I just said?

Qin Mengjin said, both amused and exasperated, "What do you need all this for? Where are you going to dig it? I already said we need at least ISA approval and permission..."

"So, this ISA, which is the United Nations International Seabed Authority," Kang De asked humbly, "What does this organization do, and what does it manage?"

"An organization that governs activities and resources in the international seabed area..."

"And this organization..." Kang De asked gently, "Has the United States joined it?"

"Ah..." Qin Mengjin said helplessly, "No."

"Did Comora join this organization?"

"... No, not at all."

"That settles it!" Kang De said. "What the United States can do, Greater Comora can do too! AWSL is an Africa company!"

"..." Miss Qin sighed, "Where are you digging? You seem quite interested."

Kang De smiled slightly, "The point isn't where we dig, but where we make the United Kingdom think we're going to dig."

Qin Mengjin jolted awake, suddenly realizing, "Ah! So that's how it is!"

Where to dig? To the Romanche Trench in the Atlantic Ocean, of course.

Kang De was going to stage a massive hoax in Atlantis here, to give the United Kingdom a good thrashing.

If you're lucky, you might even get to mess with his dad too.

Eager to gain national approval for Nautilus Mining's claims and pretexts, AWSL employees immediately sprang into action, a pack of howling wolves ready to tear a piece of meat off the United Kingdom.

It must be said that the government is much more meticulous in its work.

A group of seasoned and highly skilled employees perfectly portrayed the state of "I really want to acquire this company's deep-sea mining assets, but I have to act like I don't care."

The China man's unusual behavior soon came to the attention of the Grand Secretary Yue.

Why would Kang De need this company's equipment?

Grand Secretary Yue knew a little about Nautilus Mining Company, because their heavy mining machinery was manufactured by local United Kingdom companies.

That large machinery manufacturing company was also one of the targets that Kang De wanted to extort and seize. This little bastard from China looked down on Britain's world-class education and financial industry, and only wanted to target industry. He was very unsophisticated, very country bumpkin, and very ignorant of the world.

But...

"That doesn't make sense..."

Grand Secretary Yue knew perfectly well that Kang De's shell company had suddenly produced so many elite employees, all of whom spoke fluent English and were well-versed in all sorts of business traps and tactics. Some of them were even restricted from entering the country by A Chuan. It was obvious to anyone that they were all of the same ilk.

Logically speaking, with such elites under his command and the support of China's national intelligence and think tanks, Kang De should have known that Nautilus Company had lost all its reputation and had absolutely no investment or takeover value.

Why do you want it so much?

... Wait a moment.

He thought for a moment, then took another document from the folder on the table.

The reports in this folder went directly to 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's Office. The official in charge of this intelligence work reported directly to the Prime Minister. No matter how busy he was with official business, the Grand Secretary Yue would still read these reports. He knew that the leaders of the other four permanent members of the Security Council did the same.

The intelligence report in this folder is about Zhuerban.

Beneath that West Africa city lies one of the world's most terrifying secrets: an enormous, mysterious, and unknown insect hive.

The city, nominally and in fact, belonged to a certain China man. It was a formal fief granted to him by the United Kingdom of Comora-Gambia, and it was related to a deal he made with the five kingdoms.

Grand Secretary Yue was flipping through various intelligence reports about Zhuerban.

To be honest, most of the intelligence is extremely boring.

For example, today the China army forced three civilians to undergo armed training with grenade launchers and machine guns. In the morning, they did uneven bars, and in the afternoon, they did weighted running. This is extremely disregard for human rights.

For example, even though no transport planes have landed in China recently, their soldiers are carrying more and more rocket launchers during armed patrols, which seems very strange.

For example, the food served by the China side is absolutely delicious.

Amidst this murky, subtle, and chaotic intelligence, Grand Secretary Yue found a crucial piece of information—ships bearing China markings had arrived at the Zhu'erban Port.

It looks like an oceanographic research vessel.

After comparing the photos, it was confirmed that it was a research mothership, and the manned submersible on board was the Jiaolong. With this in mind, he pulled out another intelligence analysis report.

Intelligence shared by the Five Eyes Alliance indicates that the Jiaolong mother ship has just completed its operations in the South China Sea and spent more than ten days crossing half the globe from China territorial waters to reach West Africa.

Kang De is demanding the acquisition of deep-sea excavation equipment.

What's in the Atlantic Ocean? What is he trying to dig out?

Grand Secretary Yue's eyes flickered as he fell into deep thought.

A moment later, he grabbed the phone and ordered, "Create some obstacles, don't let the China take over Nautilus Mining's heavy mining equipment smoothly... How the hell should I know! Show me your skills in fooling Congress! This is an order! Buy me enough time!"

After hanging up the phone, the Prime Minister frowned. He instinctively felt something was wrong; he wondered if Kang De, that cunning China man, was plotting something... But what could it be?

He pondered for a moment, then a thought struck him, and he picked up the phone again.

Britain needs some intelligence and technical support.

"Boris!" A Chuan's voice was loud and clear, "I heard that Chai Nizi has offered to take over some deep-sea mining equipment? What do you think about this?"

--I'm going to blow you fucking damn United States out of the water! You openly eavesdrop, you're everywhere, you make no attempt to hide it, and you think it's perfectly normal!

A look of fury flashed Grand Secretary Yue's face, but he quickly concealed it.

That's why he took the initiative to contact A Chuan.

A Chuan must have known about the Jiaolong mother ship docking at Zhu'erban Port long ago, and Kang De's instruction to the company's employees to speed up the delivery of Parrot's heavy machinery must have been clearly seen through the United States PRISM, because whether he said it or not, A Chuan would definitely know.

He took a few deep breaths and said, "I feel there's definitely something wrong here. Kang De has something on his mind."

"I think so too. Kang De brought his country's research ships to the Atlantic Ocean and then took over the deep-sea mining equipment from you. I don't think he was just after some metal ore!"

A Chuan said, "If he wants to mine, the best option is to go to Australia and investigate some criminal activity, just like we did with you guys in London, and then extort iron ore from the Australians. It's much faster and more efficient than this—and we can do it much better!"

Grand Secretary Yue, embarrassed, said, "Mr. President, I must remind you that Kang De's actions were outright extortion and thuggery. Your wording is very imprecise. Even if Australia fell victim to his schemes, it would certainly be a case of fabricated charges, not that they were inherently guilty..."

A Chuan laughed, "Since no one's eavesdropping here, let's be frank. You and I both know that those idiots in Australia are like animals..."

Boris, staunchly defending the Commonwealth of Nations, said, "I do not agree with your point of view..."

"Come on, Boris."

A Chuan burst into laughter. "Don't forget how Australia came to be. Their ancestors were hardened criminals exiled there by you United Kingdom —good heavens, even you United Kingdom couldn't stand them and insisted on exiling them halfway around the world, as far away as possible. What a bunch of damn bastards they must have been..."

Grand Secretary Yue angrily retorted, "Don't forget how United States came to be!"

I don't fxcking care!

A Chuan's voice was incredibly cheerful, even mixed with the slurping sounds of slurping cola. He shouted happily, "My grandfather was Germany, and he didn't arrive in Amerikkka until 1898! You wouldn't believe it!"

"..."

Grand Secretary Yue wisely chose to give up, as he could gain virtually no advantage when speaking to A Chuan.

"In short, Donald."

He said, "Let's forget about the Australia and the Germany. The focus now is on the China, tearing down the plaster. You're right, Kang De's grand display isn't for deep-sea mining. If it were just about mining the seabed, he would have better options, such as the waters surrounding China — the Atlantic Ocean is our territory. The China won't rashly appear here unless there's something they're very interested in."

A Chuan slurped his cola loudly. "What do you think it will be?"

After a moment of contemplation, Grand Secretary Yue said, "It must be something that Kang De would be interested in..."

Trump exclaimed in surprise, "A tall, voluptuous beauty!"

Boris burst into laughter, A Chuan, as if he had just thought of something, also slapped the table and laughed.

"Definitely not."

"Definitely not."

The two leaders of the world's major powers established their psychological superiority over a China citizen through ridicule. Then, Grand Secretary Yue said, "First, it must be something that Kang De would be interested in; second, it must be something we don't have, or rather, something non-worldly—as you said, if it were just minerals or something like that, he would have just plundered it."

A Chuan pondered for a moment and said, "Then..."

Grand Secretary Yue nodded slowly. "Yes, most likely."

They fell silent for a moment, their minds racing with thoughts. The Battle of London had given them a profound shock and even fear— Kang De not only possessed terrifying combat power beyond his usual level, but also commanded a powerful force of superhumans. Where did he come from? Where did his power originate? Did he belong to some mysterious superhuman organization? These had been the ultimate questions nagging at the leaders' minds these past few days, causing them extreme unease.

"So, what should we do now?"

"At least we need to know what Kang De was looking for—where he was looking, and how he was looking for it."

A Chuan's voice was resolute. "Then, let's teach this China guy a lesson... Sea control, underwater exploration, submarine technology, technological development—when we competed with and won against the Soviet Union in these areas, those China were still starving!"

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Damn...

PS2: By the way, it's not that I'm addicted to 2077 as you might think. In fact, I stopped writing around 9 PM. The reason I'm still writing now is because I'm having writer's block and I'm also angry... I'll talk about it tomorrow.