387: Chapter 387 The coordinates need to be changed.

Zhang Cheng lightly touched the holographic model, and the cross-section of the canal magnified—the channel bottom width was one hundred and fifty meters, the depth was thirty meters, and the side slopes adopted a stepped revetment. Each step had reserved pipe gallery space for laying oil pipelines, fiber optics, and power cables. This was the "Kra Canal Optimization Project Plan" blueprint he had redeemed from the system mall—costing 320,000 points, containing complete geological scan data, engineering segment designs, environmental impact assessment simulations, and construction cycle optimization plans.

"The geological report is out." Li Lanzhi pushed a set of data to the edge of the holographic table. "The northern section of the isthmus is Cretaceous granite, while the middle and southern sections are Tertiary sedimentary sandstone. The blasting and excavation plans have been matched accordingly. The construction period estimate in the joint bid submitted by the China Communications Construction Group is four to six years, which is close to our own engineering institute's calculations. Additionally, Kyaukpyu Port and Sihanoukville Port, as transit stations for construction materials, have both completed preliminary berth reinforcement. The framework quota for the first batch of joint loans from the Dragon Kingdom Development Bank—"

"I know." Zhang Cheng interrupted her, his gaze not leaving the model.

His finger traced along the blue canal to the southeast side of the Kra Isthmus and lightly tapped a deep blue bay outside the canal terminal in Ranong Province. That was the reserved anchorage area, which formed an arc-shaped shipping route connecting with Thailand's Chumphon Port and Cambodia's Sihanoukville Port. "A 300,000-ton fully loaded oil tanker, from the Persian Gulf through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—guarded by Houssa's anti-ship missiles—enters the Andaman Sea, passes through the canal, and arrives at the ports along the southern coast of the Dragon Kingdom. It saves 1,200 nautical miles per trip, does not pass through Malacca, and does not need the escort of the US Military Seventh Fleet." He placed his pencil on the edge of the model. "The pricing coordinates for shipping insurance need to change."

On the screen, Zhao Gang's encrypted video cut in on time.

Zhao Gang's background was a simple office, with a world map hanging on the wall behind him, where several red pins were stuck in the location of the Western Pacific. His expression was a bit heavier than usual, with an uninhibited arc of restraint at the corners of his mouth.

"Zhang Cheng, the joint investment plan for the Kra Canal project has been officially approved by our side." He pushed an electronic file into the encrypted channel. "The executive meeting of the State Council voted to pass it this morning. The scale of the first phase of investment has been confirmed. The China Communications Construction Group, China Harbour Engineering, and COSCO Shipping Ports—these three state-owned enterprises have formed a consortium to be responsible for the main canal project and the supporting ports at both ends. The construction period is expected to be—"

"Four years." Zhang Cheng took the file.

"Yes. Four years." Zhao Gang paused. "Additionally, I have another matter to synchronize with you. The deployment in the South China Sea—last month, during the formation's long-range training east of a certain strait, carrier-based aircraft sorties exceeded several hundred. When another surface formation crossed the strait, the opposing side only dispatched one vessel to escort for a short time before withdrawing. Active suppression actions can no longer be seen in the freedom of navigation mission logs. The chief asked me to ask you—"

He looked directly into the Lens.

"Can you assist in stabilizing the deep-water berths and coastal storage areas of Cambodia's Sihanoukville Port—and provide security and logistical coordination for the People's Navy fleet that may resupply there in the future."

The conference room went quiet. The blue waterway of the holographic engineering model rotated slowly in the air, and the seawater of the two oceans connected by the two ends of the Kra Isthmus fluctuated slightly in the simulated light effects. Zhang Cheng lowered his eyes and looked at the pencil on the table—it had rolled toward the direction of Cambodia again and stopped there, as if held down by an invisible hand.

"I can." He picked up the pencil. "The berths, storage areas, and port security of Sihanoukville Port—I will handle all the docking on my end. The technical standards will be according to your requirements. Hand the supply contract to Li Lanzhi's team to negotiate, and you send someone over to verify. Also, the port management rights of the Cambodian side were just signed for handover by Somsak's cabinet yesterday, and the specific terms are already in our memorandum—Zhao Gang, your fleet's port calls and resupply in Cambodia no longer need to bypass Phnom Penh."

The corners of Zhao Gang's mouth finally curved up. "The Pu'er tea is already prepared."

The video hung up.

Zhang Cheng stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window, the night in Naypyidaw had already spread out. The federal flag on the Presidential Palace square was still billowing under the searchlights, and the shadow of the flagpole was drawn very long, stretching across the newly paved asphalt road, extending to the newly built National Convention Center in the distance—that was the scheduled venue for the expansion signing ceremony of the Mekong River Joint Development Committee next week. Representatives from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, and more than a dozen international organizations would sit around the same round table and sign the several technical standard documents marked only in Chinese and English one by one.

He stuffed the pencil into his pocket, turned around, and said to Old K: "Notify Zhao Yuxun that the 'Titan' division will advance another synthetic battalion from its original deployment site to the coastal area east of Sihanoukville Port, with the designated location provided by Erica. Task positioning: port security training and cooperation. Simultaneously launch the 'Dawn Cloud' data center civil engineering project in the direction of Ream." Old K clicked his heels and received the order silently. Zhang Cheng walked toward the holographic model, reached out to touch the blue waterway penetrating the Kra Isthmus, and his fingertips stopped on the Cretaceous ridge that separated the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. "Go."

Ranong Province, east bank of the Kra Isthmus.

At 6:00 AM, the seawater of the Gulf of Thailand was still lead-gray, but the anchorage outside Chumphon Port was already full of ships—not merchant ships, but observation vessels. The Federation of Myanmar Navy's "Yangon" Type 055 destroyer was anchored three nautical miles offshore, with its bow pointing southwest toward the Andaman Sea. The Royal Thai Navy's "Chakri Dynasty" helicopter carrier was anchored 500 meters to its right, with sailors standing all over the deck. Between the two ships, the "Hai Xun 31" patrol ship flying the Dragon Kingdom flag had just dropped anchor, and the camera lenses on the bridge reflected the rising morning sun.

On the shore, the newly leveled observation square in Ranong Province covered forty hectares, and the ground still emitted the faint heat of newly laid asphalt. In the center of the square, a ten-meter-high foundation platform was erected, and a granite foundation stone transported from Kachin State, Myanmar, was placed on it—the stone was five meters high, weighed forty-three tons, and the same line was engraved on four sides in Chinese, Burmese, Thai, and Khmer: "Kra Canal, Cooperation and Win-Win."

Below the platform, 12,000 seats were already full. In the front row were members of the Thai Royal Family, the Federation of Myanmar observation delegation, executives from the China Communications Construction Group, Cambodian Prime Minister Somsak, and his twelve cabinet ministers. In the back row were more than seven hundred reporters from around the world—their cameras were already set up, and their lenses were all aimed at the foundation platform.

6:30 AM.

The King of Thailand, "Rama," walked out of the bulletproof sedan. He was wearing a white military dress uniform, with no medals on his chest—this was not a National Day, not a military parade, this was a groundbreaking ceremony, and what he wanted was "simple and solemn." In fact, his biochemical parameters had been fine-tuned by the system three times in the past week: blood pressure maintained at 128 to 82, pulse 72, and facial capillaries slightly dilated to make his complexion appear ruddy. But this could not hide from the eyes of those who cared—his pace was half a beat slower than three months ago, and his left little finger had an imperceptible tremor when holding the shovel. The Palace Minister's statement to the outside world was "His Majesty is still in recovery, but insists on personally presiding over this historic ceremony."