Section 183

Fishermen catching sonar equipment and receiving large rewards for turning it in?

Underwater probes running away as soon as they are caught?

"Sonar contains no copper, it's useless to take it"??

This...

The "shill" comments constantly drifting through the livestream... truly opened the eyes of the general netizen public!

So the life of fishermen on the high seas is this exciting!

It seems they don't just rely on fishing for a living... the biggest side hustle is actually salvaging probes and sonar equipment dropped by the United States to hand over to the state for money!

This plot is simply too surreal!

And so...

After reading these vivid descriptions, the general public gradually accepted the setting that fishermen have "excellent professional knowledge and can accurately identify warships"—

"So that's how it is... I didn't know such things happened! Now that you mention it, I remember... it seems the news actually reported on this before! It was because fishermen in one region kept chasing after U.S. warships. Every time the other side dropped a sonar probe, they'd fish it up. They'd drop one, the fishermen would fish one up; drop another, fish another up... Eventually, the U.S. was speechless! That's why they printed the slogan [Sonar contains no copper, it's useless to take it] in Chinese on the hull!"

"Hahahaha, I know about that too! Back then, those South China Sea fishermen salvaged those lumps of iron... they had no idea what they were for and even complained about them ruining their nets, thinking they'd caught a big fish! In the end... a group of mysterious businessmen suddenly arrived on shore wearing plain clothes and sunglasses, standing straight and saluting when they spoke. They said there was a lot of copper inside and it was worth a lot, and they'd buy them back for 5,000 yuan each... Hahaha, the fishermen went crazy salvaging them back then! They never imagined those so-called mysterious businessmen were the state in disguise!"

"Speaking of which... it seems quite normal for this [Fisherman Comrade] on the line to accurately name the model of the U.S. aircraft carrier? Like those comments said just now... our country's fishermen often follow behind U.S. warships to scavenge. Doesn't that mean being able to identify every warship model is a basic skill? Not to mention an aircraft carrier is such a conspicuous and uniquely shaped thing... there's definitely no mistaking it."

"Pfft... you naive netizens! You don't really think those comments that suddenly appeared were ordinary fishermen, do you? Those are clearly organized, disciplined official shills— [Director Chu Yun, stop pretending! Hurry up and log into your main account to talk to us!]... Hahahaha, the tactics of these comments are exactly the same as Director Chu Yun's! It's completely about making up serious-sounding excuses and reasons!"

"Now that you mention it, it really does feel similar to when Director Chu Yun was fooling General Mike! But then again... the things they're saying aren't fabricated. Haven't we heard enough legendary stories about Dragon Kingdom fishermen? Besides... ahem, there are foreign forces watching the livestream right now! Everyone needs to take it easy! We must help provide cover for this Navy comrade!"

...

In the online livestream room, countless netizens began to provide cover for this "Fisherman Comrade" and help clear his name.

This instantly gave the young soldier confidence and comfort!

And so...

His nervous voice came through the long-silent connection again:

"Right... that's right! It's perfectly normal for us fishermen to recognize these U.S. warship models! Never mind us adults... even the kids in the village can instantly name the model when they see a U.S. warship!"

"After all, ahem... after all, we spend every day drifting at sea fishing. Seeing these warships coming and going is just like you city folk seeing cars on the road... It's normal for many people to be able to name the brand and model of a car just by seeing its exterior, right?"

"So... us looking at ships is exactly the same as you looking at cars! You can recognize a Mercedes G-Wagon, a Maybach, a Ferrari, or a Prado at a glance... Naturally, we fishermen can also identify warship types like ford-class aircraft carriers, Zumwalt-class destroyers, and Perry-class frigates at a glance! Really... it's very normal! Very easy!"

...

Seeing this soldier brother trying his best to defend himself and play the role of a fisherman...

The netizens found it both hilarious and heart-wrenching!

It seems it's not easy to "beg" for a super black-tech weapon for the Navy!

Consequently, everyone stopped making jokes and memes, and instead began supporting the Navy soldier in the comments:

"So that's it! Then it really is quite normal to be able to name aircraft carrier models!"

"Ah, right, right, right, whatever you say goes."

"Fisherman Comrade, thank you for your hard work! Let's get back to talking about drying fish!"

"Exactly, exactly, this is just how our Dragon Kingdom fishermen are! This is very reasonable!"

...

Seeing that he had salvaged the mistake in time and avoided a major blunder...

The young Navy soldier breathed a sigh of relief... quickly adjusted his state, and hurried to change the subject—

"That... that's right! So, Boss Lin Xian... we ocean-going fishermen really do need a [very large fish-drying ship]! It has to... has to be very, very big!"

The Navy soldier/Fisherman Comrade paused, swallowed hard, thought about how to phrase it, and said seriously yet timidly:

"Mainly... well, the time we spend on each ocean fishing trip is just too long... so we must dry all the fish we catch into dried fish before we can bring them back to shore for storage."

"As you know, there are many fish in the sea. One net down, and you bring up hundreds or thousands of them! Therefore, if the deck of the [fish-drying ship] is too small... we definitely can't spread them all out to dry! If they aren't spread out, they'll rot and go to waste... our whole trip might be for nothing!"

"So, Boss Lin Xian! Didn't you say you would consider the actual needs of us farmers and fishermen... and then develop targeted products? Actually, for us ocean fishermen... what we need most is a [fish-drying ship larger than an aircraft carrier, the bigger the better]!"

...

At this moment.

At the United Nations meeting site...

Although the U.S. and Dragon Kingdom representatives had already left at light speed, the remaining representatives from more than 200 other countries had still not adjourned. They sat in their seats chatting and watching Lin Xian's livestream on the big screen.

After all...

Unlike the Dragon Kingdom and the U.S., they weren't in such a hurry to get back.

As for the President of the United States...

He was in a huge hurry to get back and deploy work!

For the [2023 International Military Competition] in half a month... since the Dragon Kingdom had promised not to use weapons produced by Lin Xian, the championship this time... was a must-win! There must not be any accidents!

So he didn't stay at the United Nations for even a second longer and flew back home immediately!

And Director Chu Yun of the Dragon Kingdom...

He was even more anxious!

Before the meeting was even over, he had already packed his thermos! He even had his hundred-meter sprint posture ready! He was just waiting for the meeting to end to slip away instantly!

He was much more anxious than the U.S. President!

Returning home this time...

He had practically 800 things to do!

First and foremost was to quickly coordinate with Lin Xian to discuss the establishment of the [Fuqiang Military Factory].

Secondly, like the U.S., the Dragon Kingdom also had to prepare for the 2023 International Military Competition.

He didn't have the spare time to stay here and shoot the breeze!

Return home at light speed!

So...

Although the U.S. President and Director Chu Yun weren't watching Lin Xian's livestream, these 200-plus national representatives present witnessed the entire connection process with this "Fisherman Comrade"!

Especially when they heard this fisherman say he wanted a "fish-drying ship larger than an aircraft carrier"... they burst out laughing!

They already had some doubts about the true identity of this "Fisherman Comrade"... now that the request was so specific, he was completely exposed!

The entire assembly of representatives erupted into laughter:

"Hahahaha... the request from this Dragon Kingdom fisherman is too hilarious! I thought... he would bring up some needs regarding fishing, but I never expected—he actually wants a [fish-drying ship]! And he specifically said a fish-drying ship larger than a ford-class aircraft carrier! This... damn! Can something that exaggeratedly large even be called a fish-drying ship? What kind of fish are Dragon Kingdom fishermen catching anyway! To need such a large fish-drying ship, are they drying Godzilla or Great White Sharks?"

"Ahem, to use an old Dragon Kingdom saying... this really is 'the drunkard's heart is not in the wine'! Claiming to want some fish-drying ship... this Fisherman Comrade basically wants Lin Xian to build them a giant aircraft carrier. If Lin Xian really builds them a carrier larger than a Ford-class... the Dragon Kingdom Navy's strength will increase tremendously, and they'll truly have the ability to go toe-to-toe with the U.S. at sea!"

"I'm truly impressed... although the Dragon Kingdom soldiers are very simple and honest... is it really okay for their acting to be this bad? I think after today, every military region in the Dragon Kingdom might need to add a [Disguise and Performance Class]. Not for any other purpose... but to improve the acting skills of these soldiers! If Lin Xian continues to manufacture agricultural equipment in the future... this might really be a necessary class!"

"It's a good thing... I can only say it's a good thing Director Chu Yun and the U.S. President left early. Otherwise... today's meeting would have gone on forever! If the U.S. President had actually seen this Fisherman Comrade's speech during the connection... he definitely wouldn't have been able to resist questioning what the Dragon Kingdom wants with such a large aircraft carrier! Whether it's to strike the whole world or something!"

"Yeah, yeah, and then Director Chu Yun would have to rack his brains to explain again. But... just like General Mike said before. [Is the racial talent of Dragon Kingdom people 'fiddlesticks'?] I feel like every Dragon Kingdom person is very accomplished in this regard! Take this Fisherman Comrade who wants a large aircraft carrier... if it's really built, he'll just insist it's a fish-drying ship for drying fish! What can the U.S. do against this kind of serious-faced nonsense?"

...

The whole world knew what this "Fisherman Comrade" was up to.

But Lin Xian was different.

He had always been a very responsible, patient, and noble idealist who truly wanted to help farmers live better lives.

So after hearing the difficulties this fisherman encountered.

He empathized and tried to imagine it...

He realized that "drying fish" on the high seas was indeed not an easy task!

This matter was more complicated than he had imagined...

"Hmm... for ocean voyages, the wind and waves are quite large, so this [fish-drying ship] must be designed to be very stable, resistant to wind and waves, and won't be tilted by the wind... otherwise, the dried fish produced with so much effort will be swept away by the wind and waves."

"At the same time, it's not just that the deck needs to be large; the internal space also needs to be large enough to store as many dried fish as possible. That way... one ocean fishing trip can bring back more dried fish and earn more for living expenses..."

"More consideration must also be given to wind protection... the sea breeze is very strong. If the dried fish are blown away, that's also a problem..."

...

Seeing Lin Xian holding his chin and thinking seriously! Talking to himself seriously! Seriously conceiving the design...

Netizens across the country were stunned!

Holy crap!

Damn!

The whole country thought this "Fisherman Comrade" was just making a joke...

But they didn't expect!

Only Lin Xian was seriously considering building a [carrier-grade fish-drying ship]!

Looking at his serious expression and furrowed brows...