203: Chapter 203 Strolling

"Lü, is this what you meant by 'no big deal'? Hmph, if something actually happened, would Huaxia have me executed?"

After Li Guangrong finished speaking, he glared fiercely at Translator Lü.

"This... it shouldn't have come to this."

"Shouldn't have? Then what is this?"

Li Guangrong folded the penalty notice and began slapping the translator's face with it. Although Translator Lü didn't resist, his face had already turned beet red; it wasn't that it hurt, but it was extremely insulting.

"A public apology? Hmph, in your dreams!"

"Just wait for my lawyers; they'll handle it. In Country H, Sanxing is king. I want to see if those Country H officials are as incompetent as you."

Li Guangrong glared at Translator Lü one last time before turning and walking back. At this moment, he still didn't take the matter seriously; people accustomed to being arrogant and overbearing in their own country are always this confident.

Especially in a developed nation like Country H, many people there still believe that Huaxia is stuck in the era where bicycles are everywhere.

Thus, many of them hold a bizarre sense of superiority toward Huaxia. In this age of advanced information, for a populace to be this closed-minded is truly 'developed'.

But it's not entirely their fault; it's mainly because their media and propaganda outlets have done such an excellent job.

...

After Chu Ge finished his cold shower, he felt much more refreshed. Once dressed, he headed downstairs.

The base didn't have a venue capable of hosting a state banquet like those in Yanjing. So, after the aerospace carrier's debut, some foreign dignitaries and esteemed Huaxia elders were taken to Yanjing, where a high-profile dinner awaited them.

Those remaining at the base were mostly celebrities and performing artists who had come to show their support. It took Chu Ge quite a while to find Dilireba Nazha.

"I was just looking for you, Comrade Chu Ge. You're always so elusive."

"Something came up. Come on, take a walk with me."

Chu Ge checked the time; it was still early. He planned to take Dilireba Nazha for a stroll around the kunpeng.

The two walked openly toward the aerospace carrier. There were no civilians in the base; aside from the guards and base staff, there were only people like Dilireba Nazha. Consequently, they were able to wander around quite freely.

The kunpeng was no longer open to the public and was surrounded by guards on alert. Chu Ge looked over to see soldiers standing tall with live ammunition, their ranks extending into the distance.

Chu Ge looked past the line of guards toward the bow of the ship. What caught his eye were over twenty massive tower-like structures, which served as auxiliary support equipment for the aerospace carrier.

On one side of the carrier's hull, there was a large integrated support building every 100 meters. They looked like tower cranes, but these were slightly different from the ones commonly seen on construction sites; they were multi-functional tower structures specifically designed by the Research Institute for the aerospace carrier.

First was the base, which was very thick and a semi-permanent component. Although City D rarely experienced typhoons, the base and the tower body were still designed to the highest standards for typhoon and earthquake resistance.

The center of the tower was hollow, housing an engineering elevator mainly used to transport crew and general supplies. The visitors from that morning had entered the aerospace carrier through these elevators.

Further up was the hoisting equipment, which looked more like a quay crane—the kind used at docks for loading or unloading ships. They were much more powerful than those on construction sites, capable of lifting containers, more flexible, and able to be fitted with grabs as needed.

These tower cranes were the unsung heroes behind the aerospace carrier's timely completion and remained an indispensable part of the ship's logistical support.

"Colonel Chu, walking beside the kunpeng, don't you feel like you're at the foot of a massive city wall? Oh, and the color makes it look like one of those ancient walls with centuries of history. It feels so sacred."

Dilireba Nazha, walking ahead, suddenly turned back to speak while looking at the behemoth beside them.

"Yeah, a bit. But their functions are exact opposites. A city wall is a defensive structure, while the kunpeng is offensive equipment."

"Offensive? For war? Against whom? Against Old Mi?"

"They're not even worthy. Its targets aren't on Earth."

After Chu Ge spoke, he looked up at the sky, where a faint crescent moon had appeared on the horizon.

"Aliens? Xenomorphs? Oh, that sounds so exciting! Tell me about it, come on, tell me."

Chu Ge looked back at Dilireba Nazha with some surprise. He hadn't expected this girl to have such intense tastes—Xenomorphs? Seeing the expectant look in her eyes, he didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Uh, I really don't know about things like Xenomorphs. That falls under the category of genetic mutation, right? Wait, no, according to standard logic, looking like that would be more of an adaptation to their environment. They would have high intelligence and their own social systems. Their food..."

Chu Ge thought of some unpleasant images. He was about to have a big feast soon, and this was really ruining his appetite.

"Let's not talk about that. I'll tell you about aliens. In sci-fi movies, aliens come in all shapes and sizes—some are humanoid, others are, well, hulking brutes. I'll tell you about mine, or more accurately, a dream I had. The people there..."

Chu Ge and Dilireba Nazha found a place to sit facing the kunpeng. He merged his two strange dreams, embellished them a bit, and told them to her as a story.

Dilireba Nazha listened intently. It seemed she really enjoyed these ethereal, imaginative things...

The sky gradually darkened. Dilireba Nazha leaned against Chu Ge. He cleared his throat; what should have been a ten-minute story had been stretched into over an hour, which was quite mentally taxing.

"Why does it feel more exhausting to coax a girl than it is to draw blueprints?" Chu Ge lamented inwardly.

"Let's go. It's getting late; the victory banquet should be starting soon."

Chu Ge stood up and reached out to pull Dilireba Nazha up. When he turned around, Captain Gong was approaching.

"General Chu, the banquet is about to begin. Elder Chen and the others are waiting for you."

"Alright, let's go."

"General Chu? Did Captain Gong get it wrong?" Dilireba Nazha whispered into Chu Ge's ear.

"Do you think he's as dazed as you are? Look, aren't the shoulder tabs right here?"

Chu Ge said as he shrugged his shoulders. Dilireba Nazha stared at them for a long time, her eyebrows furrowing repeatedly.

"Chu Ge, did you get in trouble? I remember you used to have four stars on here. Why are there two fewer now? Or were they squeezed off because there were too many people today?"

Captain Gong had sharp ears. Hearing this, he let out a muffled snort, clearly struggling to hold back his laughter. Chu Ge turned his head, but Captain Gong was looking at the sky as if nothing had happened.

"Uh, how do I explain this to you... Within a certain rank, more stars usually mean a higher grade. The previous one also had two bars, right? See, those are gone now too."

"You're right, they are gone. How strange."

"These are the shoulder tabs of a Lieutenant General."

Chu Ge gave up and decided to just be direct. Girls really weren't well-versed in these things; the more he explained, the more confused she became. It was like men with lipstick shades—even after seeing them ten thousand times, they still couldn't tell which was which.

"Lieutenant General? A general? You're a general now? What's a Lieutenant General like? Is it like the Great Marshals who led armies into battle in ancient times? Is it dangerous? Probably not. Modern times aren't like the past. In the old days, generals were the first to charge into battle. That was so dangerous..."

"..."