Chapter 138

On September 10, 2008, the Ugly Nation Has Already signed a $5.16 billion contract with Northrop Grumman to fully commence construction of the Ford.

On November 13, 2009, the Ford began laying its keel.

It was not until May 24, 2012 that the Ford's construction reached a major milestone,

as the final keel section, a 60-foot-high bulbous bow weighing over 680 tons, was placed into the dry dock, meaning 80% of the aircraft carrier's total construction was complete.

However, recently, this Ford-class carrier has only been 95% built, and it will still take some time before completion.

And by now, this aircraft carrier has already cost $13 billion.

It can be said that the prize from this system draw is nothing short of precious,

worth at least $10 billion.

But the problem is, who in this world would spend so much money to buy this aircraft carrier?

Do not forget, an aircraft carrier does not simply represent a single ship,

in fact, it represents an aircraft carrier battle group.

The costs for maintenance, training, and repairs alone are astronomical,

and ordinary small nations, even if they could afford to buy one, could not afford to use it.

It is even more unnecessary.

Only nations that are economic and military superpowers would be willing to purchase one.

Lin Yi counted and counted, and the only nations in this world that might purchase it

were the Ugly Nation, Long Guo, Mao Xiong, and the Third Brother,

while Little Japan probably wanted one but was restricted by its Peace Constitution, making it impossible to possess a real aircraft carrier.

As for John Bull, one of the Five Rogues, he had even sold his own aircraft carriers before, and his newest carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, had only just been launched.

To buy another $10 billion aircraft carrier.

Unless the former Empire on which the sun never sets returned, it was absolutely impossible for John Bull's current treasury to afford it.

Lin Yi thought for a moment; first, donating it to the state was out of the question.

If he really did that, he would be an idiot.

Patriotism is not shown this way; after all, this is $10 billion,

and even if cut in half, that is still $5 billion,

an amount of money sufficient for him to update all the goods on his weapon catalog to the year 2010.

After thinking it over, Lin Yi decided to make a big move.

That was the auction of the Ford-class aircraft carrier,

which would also further enhance the fame of the Long Guo flagship store in various countries.

Thus, very quickly, a notice appeared on the official website of the Long Guo flagship store.

"Warm congratulations: The Long Guo flagship store has launched a new function: Judicial Auction!"

"Description: This function will sell some advanced weapons and equipment via auction on the platform!"

"Note: Judicial auctioned goods enjoy the platform's global free shipping service."

0 · Begging for flowers · · · · · ·

"The goods for this judicial auction are one Ford-class aircraft carrier provided by the platform."

The USS Ford aircraft carrier has a full-load displacement of approximately 112,000 tons. 1

The carrier is 337 meters long and 77 meters wide.

It adopts a full-electric drive system, including two A1B nuclear reactors and four MT-30 gas turbine generators, paired with two Azipod thrusters,

enabling a maximum speed of 32 knots.

"Overall valuation: $10 billion"

"For this judicial auction, bidders must pay 0.1% of the valuation as a deposit..."

"The specific time for the auction is: 00:00 on December 1, Capital City time."

"Note: The platform retains the final right of interpretation for this event."

As this notice was released on the non-official Long Guo flagship store,

the uproar it caused instantly overshadowed the near-total annihilation of Ugly Nation bases within the Middle East Resistance Arc.

The Ugly Nation Has Already even issued a statement choosing retaliation.

Two aircraft carriers were already on their way to the Middle East.

But just at this moment, the DWS platform, which the Ugly Nation viewed as a thorn in its flesh,

actually started holding an auction.

The most absurd thing was that what the other party intended to auction was a true technological leviathan in human history, the Ford-class aircraft carrier, which not even the Ugly Nation itself had finished building.

At first, including the Ugly Nation, John Bull, and Mao Xiong, no one believed it.

After all, in their view, DWS was merely a weapon platform controlled behind the scenes by Long Guo with sinister intentions.

Although the Ugly Nation also admitted that Long Guo's technological level had now developed by leaps and bounds.

It was no longer the era when the older generation had to stick their heads out to look at their advanced equipment, yearning for it but unable to obtain it.

But even so, the Ugly Nation did not believe Long Guo could build a Ford-class aircraft carrier.

DWS was merely a platform providing cheap weapons.

However, next,

the DWS platform released a video.

It featured a muscular commentator wearing camouflage and sunglasses.

At that moment, he was on an aircraft carrier, explaining various details of this Ford-class aircraft carrier to customers.

Many places were even more detailed than the aircraft carrier's builders.

Gazing at that leviathan, the United States fell silent.

Mao Xiong was shocked; John Bull was terrified.

Even Long Guo watched this video in horror at that moment.

That day, inside the White House.

President Xiao Ao looked at the CIA Director in charge of foreign intelligence.

The latter, under his gaze, broke out in a cold sweat.

(PS: New book—please send flowers, tips, and evaluation votes! Your support is the author's motivation!) Done.