68: Chapter 68 The Commander of the Fourth Aircraft Carrier?

"That'll have to wait until I retire, young man," Long Xiaotian said softly.

As soon as he said this, a ripple of light laughter echoed across the deck.

Long Xiaotian was only in his forties, with over twenty years left until retirement.

Even for a rotation, it would take several years.

How could the next person easily take over?

This wasn't a lazy Susan in a restaurant where everyone takes turns.

"Uh!" Jiang Chen explained.

"Commander, you've misunderstood. My friend isn't eyeing your position!"

"What I mean is, isn't there a rumor that our country has a fourth aircraft carrier about to be launched?"

"I was thinking, this fourth aircraft carrier probably doesn't have a commander yet, right!"

"My friend is purely curious: how does one become a qualified aircraft carrier commander?"

"After all!"

"A soldier who doesn't want to be an aircraft carrier commander is not a good soldier."

Oh.

So he wasn't eyeing my position.

He was eyeing the position of the next aircraft carrier commander?

Well… that's even harder!

However, Long Xiaotian didn't discourage him; instead, he laughed heartily!

"Good! What a great line: 'A soldier who doesn't want to be an aircraft carrier commander is not a good soldier.'"

"Young man, it's good to have ambition!"

"But!"

"The screening for our country's aircraft carrier commanders is extremely strict!"

"Not only do you need to complete a large number of patrol and escort missions, but you also need military theory, knowledge, and even military merits, seniority, and personal strength…"

"I took office as the commander of the Dragon Cry at forty-three. You should work hard; in a dozen years or so, maybe you can try to compete for it."

Long Xiaotian looked at Jiang Chen with a smile.

He didn't think Jiang Chen was being overly ambitious.

After all, when he graduated from military academy, he had also aspired to become an aircraft carrier commander by the age of thirty.

But!

It wasn't until his forties that he finally broke through from the fierce competition of thousands.

He knew the hardships involved all too well!

"I see!" Jiang Chen nodded in realization.

Long Xiaotian smiled slightly and didn't say more.

Although Jiang Chen was a senior researcher from the Longke Academy with remarkable achievements, he was just an intellectual.

He had no advantage in physical strength and had never trained in the Dragon Group.

Even someone like him, who came from a military academy, had to endure many years in the Dragon Group before making his mark.

Therefore, it was basically impossible for Jiang Chen to become the commander of the fourth aircraft carrier.

"Alright, the ship entry ceremony is almost over."

"The Dragon Cry will be resting at the Pearl River Military Port this week, so you can look around."

"If you have any questions, you can ask Staff Officer Li."

Long Xiaotian called over a staff officer, and then had the aircraft carrier steered back to port for rest.

"Comrade Jiang Chen, I am Staff Officer Li."

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Let me take you around."

A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and holding a briefcase, greeted Jiang Chen.

"Hello, hello."

Jiang Chen shook hands with him.

Then!

He began touring the Dragon Cry aircraft carrier with Staff Officer Li.

It had to be said that touring this vast aircraft carrier felt different.

Especially the sense of awe when passing by those hundreds of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets—it was impossible to describe in words.

It was as if he had walked under the feet of a group of steel monsters.

And he was just a little ant passing by.

"Staff Officer Li, can I take a selfie to commemorate this?"

Jiang Chen stood under the landing gear of a Xiao Long Fighter Jet.

Not knowing if it was because of the sun, he could even feel the heat radiating from the Xiao Long Fighter Jet.

His blood suddenly surged, and he couldn't help but want to leave a memory.

Staff Officer Li nodded: "Sure, but it has to be reviewed by me."

Jiang Chen was overjoyed. He walked into the middle of several JF-17 Thunder fighter jets and asked Staff Officer Li to help him take a few photos.

After Staff Officer Li took them, he started to censor them.

By the end, only Jiang Chen's body, a small part of the deck, and a few long, slender legs of the Xiao Long Fighter Jets remained.

Everything else was gone.

"Uh, the way you photoshopped this, it's almost gone."

Jiang Chen looked at the image Staff Officer Li had edited.

It was almost completely photoshopped away.

"No choice. Normally, taking photos is not allowed. Moreover, these photos cannot be shared; you can only enjoy them yourself."

"Here, this is the non-disclosure agreement."

Staff Officer Li pulled a document out of his briefcase.

"That's not bad, just one document."

Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

Staff Officer Li shook his head: "No, I don't have the full agreement with me. This document is a list of the non-disclosure agreements. The actual agreement is dozens of pages long. I'll print it out for you later; remember to come and sign it."

"…"

Jiang Chen silently accepted it.

"By the way, Staff Officer Li, my small fishing boat doesn't plan to go out to sea in a week. Does it have to follow the aircraft carrier?"

Jiang Chen asked suddenly.

Although he now had the aircraft carrier's designation, he was still primarily at the Longke Academy.

Staff Officer Li said: "Don't worry about that. Our cruisers and destroyers don't always follow the aircraft carrier either. You just need to fill out an application to leave the formation, that's all."

"As for the reason, it's usually for rest, carrying out other missions, or fishing."

Jiang Chen took another document from Staff Officer Li and was stunned: "Fishing? There's such a reason?"

"Of course. That Weilong Destroyer over there often leaves the formation to go fishing to improve everyone's meals."

Staff Officer Li chuckled.

Last time, the Weilong Destroyer even caught some strange big fish, all of which were handed over to the Dragon Group's genome research.

"I see."

Jiang Chen felt relieved.

He continued to follow Staff Officer Li to tour the Dragon Cry aircraft carrier.

…

When the nameless small fishing boat entered the Dragon Cry aircraft carrier, the Black Palace suddenly released the most explosive news in human history on Facebook in the United States.

[Our country has successfully captured a UFO and will hold a global hearing on UFOs in three days.]

When the news reached the country, Weibo exploded instantly.

It directly suppressed the news of the Dragon Cry aircraft carrier entering the port.

If an aircraft carrier is the most massive steel beast known to humanity, then a UFO is the most mysterious steel monster unknown to humanity.

They come without a shadow and go without a trace.

Their speed is extremely fast, and they cannot be captured at all.

Only a few people have captured some traces of them.

Some even rumored!

The United States' Area 51 has mysterious aliens and crashed flying saucers.

But!

The United States has never made it public.

But today, the United States is actually planning to start making it public.

It seems!

Something big is happening.

On Weibo, countless people are discussing the upcoming global UFO hearing in the United States.

[666, as expected of the Beacon Country leading humanity on Earth, they even captured a UFO!]

[Terrifying! To be able to capture even a UFO, has their technological level reached this realm?]

[The Beacon Country is already catching UFOs, while some countries are still researching engines! Hilarious. With a UFO, why worry about engine problems? Maybe Controlled Nuclear Fusion and curvature spaceships are already out! Sigh, these two countries are just not on the same level!]

[Indeed! From this news, you can see the difference between your country and the Beacon of humanity. Better to honestly cultivate your internal strength; is the Beacon of humanity so easily caught up to?]