Chapter 70: Case Solved: You Have a Superpower!

"Commander, Captain Kimura Susumu of the Yahagi reporting for duty!"

On the gangway beside the Yahagi, Kimura Susumu, clad in an old Combined Fleet naval uniform, pressed his shoe tips together, hands tight against his trouser seams, and bowed slightly to Tang Wen.

Just as Halsey performed the American-style military salute, system commanders, though all being clones of the same names, retained the etiquette of their respective factions.

Out of respect, Tang Wen raised his hand to return the salute.

"Commander, I know him."

Tang Yi said in a low voice:

"The real Kimura Susumu in history was the commander of the 10th Fleet, also participated in the final battle of the Yamato, and the Yahagi also sank in that battle."

Having read a vast amount of material on the Yamato's last battle, Tang Yi was very familiar with the Yahagi and Kimura Susumu, who also appeared in those records.

Of course, the real Yahagi is already scrap iron at the bottom of the sea, and the real Kimura Susumu is an old man who has been dead for many years.

The warship commanders that are summoned are actually just skin-suit impostors after knowledge infusion.

Tang Wen felt little attachment to multiple commanders; the Level 10 commander Halsey had an aircraft carrier but couldn't command it, spending his days eating and drinking at the Big Bay Hotel, so it didn't matter much to feed one more mouth.

But the Yahagi...

"Yahagi (shen)? Loss of chastity? That name is just unlucky."

As soon as Tang Wen's words left his mouth, the expressions of both Tang Yi and Kimura Susumu changed slightly.

The current Big Bay is different from before when no one cared; nearby road construction teams and villagers often pass by, and a large warship simply cannot be hidden.

The iron shed built for the Hornet cannot squeeze in another light cruiser; if one wants to hide it, the best method is undoubtedly to recycle the steel.

But no matter how you look at it, this is a seven-thousand-ton light cruiser; melting it down for steel is truly heartbreaking.

Although Kimura Susumu would absolutely obey orders, thinking of his flagship turning into scrap iron, he could only sullenly squat on the Hashirato, his eyes inevitably somewhat resentful.

The current Yahagi has turned off all lights, but Tang Wen, standing on the gangway, could still see the silhouette of the giant object in the night, and couldn't help but feel a headache.

A new steel shed absolutely cannot be built in one night; at least, the shipyard's capabilities cannot achieve it right now.

But destroying such a huge warship is a pity; it feels a bit like wasting a precious resource.

A 170-meter-long cruiser! The hull is brand new; even if the navy got their hands on it, they wouldn't bear to leave it aside.

"Commander, how about we sail out now?"

Tang Yi proposed an idea:

"The Yahagi's top speed is 35 knots; with the SM flag hoisted, the maximum speed can reach 37 knots. In 8 hours, it can run over 500 kilometers, so it can be completely hidden elsewhere."

"But where around here is there a place to hide a ship, and we are not familiar with the Haiwen conditions."

Tang Wen was somewhat tempted, but still a bit worried.

This question left Tang Yi speechless for a moment; there really isn't any good place around E City.

To the south is Xiangjiang, to the north is Shancheng, to the east is the strait; shipping is everywhere.

Go south?

Wouldn't that mean passing the Dongsha again!

Although the Yahagi is also equipped with 152mm cannons, if they meet this time, it won't be the same level.

The three fell silent for a while; finally, Tang Wen sighed, walked forward a few steps, and pressed his hand against the Yahagi's hull.

【Steel Detected: 7,550 tons, Recycle? (Recovery rate 99%)】

A cold metallic sensation came from his hand; Tang Wen gritted his teeth, forcing back his bleeding heart, and made a firm decision.

"Little Tang?"

Chen Yonggui pushed open the door and saw Tang Wen, his face full of confusion.

It's almost two o'clock now; what happened in the middle of the night?

Did someone cause trouble again?!

Chen Yonggui quickly put on his clothes and asked anxiously:

"What happened? Where?"

Tang Wen took a deep breath and tried his best to look calm:

"Uncle, I'm going to say something; please don't be scared, and don't get excited."

Chen Yonggui: "I've been the village head for twenty years; I've seen every kind of scene. I won't be scared, and I won't get excited."

"Do you remember the plan to recreate Zhenzhugang for the tourist village?"

Chen Yonggui nodded, but didn't understand what this had to do with being woken up in the middle of the night.

"I know. Didn't you even get planes? Old Yang has contacted people in the Northeast; they should be coming soon.

Did the planes have an accident? Which bastard broke them in the middle of the night!"

"No, no, no... It's like this: since we are recreating Zhenzhugang, just having planes definitely isn't enough, right?"

The wind from the sea at dawn blew in, cold and chilly, making Chen Yonggui, who had just climbed out of bed, shrink his body, his brain a bit stiff.

Recalling some details of the tourist village's development at that time, he continued to nod:

"Right, you said you also wanted to get some sheet metal and wood to build some fake warship attractions, fool the laymen, and ask villagers to go up and act as actors."

"Ah, that's right."

Tang Wen wore an expression of "a young person worth teaching":

"I just happen to know a friend who used to work on water village tourist village projects. Hearing about my plan, he helped me get a...

A one-to-one replica simulation model made of cement, covered with sheet metal on the outside to look real, but actually completely useless, just a beautiful cement block."

"..."

Chen Yonggui scratched his head; his brain was almost burned out by this long, difficult sentence.

"So you mean, you poured a ship that looks like a warship out of cement, then wrapped sheet metal around the outside, and then used it as a model for tourists to play with, right?"

"Yes, yes."

"So you came over to..."

"You must know, this is just a concrete park. The villagers will understand if you explain it clearly; please do not misunderstand."

Chen Yonggui fell silent for a few seconds, then turned back, picked up his coat, and put it on.

"Let's go, I'll go take a look at that concrete boat of yours."

Chen Yonggui shone a flashlight, looking at the high bridge with a bewildered expression.

The flashlight pointed toward the bow; the light could not even fully illuminate the length of the front section.

How big is a seven-thousand-ton hull? Anyway, he had seen warships before, but none had such an imposing presence.

Chen Yonggui climbed the gangway, but Tang Wen reached out and stopped him:

"It was just renovated up there; there's formaldehyde. It's unhealthy."

"It's fine, I'll just go up and take a look. I won't go inside, so I'm not afraid."

Holding onto the metal railing, Chen Yonggui jogged up onto the deck; ten meters ahead of him stood two 152-millimeter twin-gun turrets larger than trucks.

"Is this also rolled sheet metal?"

Tang Wen: "It's a simulation; it's all fake and can't move."

Chen Yonggui turned back; he saw the stairs leading to the bridge, saw various miscellaneous equipment, and saw the antenna faintly reflecting light on top of the bridge.

"There are even machine guns up there."

"Fake. It's concrete paste and can't move."

"Are those lifeboats hanging on both sides?"

"Fake. It's concrete paste and can't move."

"That gun breech is even exposed."

"Fake. It's concrete paste and can't move."

He took a deep breath, looking at Tang Wen with burning eyes.

An old man and a young man gazed at each other with brotherly affection, but in the pitch black, nothing could be seen.

In the darkness, Chen Yonggui's voice echoed softly:

"Is your special ability to turn beans into soldiers?"

"Fake. Concrete..."

Tang Wen stopped his words halfway, looking at the village chief with surprise and doubt.

"Little Tang, ever since your father died, I've felt that Dawan Village has changed; it's become strange."

Chen Yonggui raised his finger and pointed at Tang Yi behind Tang Wen:

"Unexplained people have come to the village. I inquired but found nothing. Moreover, these people have strange accents, and they are like wooden men; they only work and never come out to wander aimlessly. As for that 'Antong,' I inquired, and there is no such place in Northeast China."

Sweat beaded on Tang Wen's forehead; he didn't know the village chief had already been investigating in secret.

"And those old vehicles from decades ago; how can one get such things now? There are so many of them. They even managed to get World War II aircraft, landing ashore silently and without a sound."

"The shipyard appeared overnight; the port seemed to pop out in the blink of an eye; even the people appeared that way."

"I thought about it a lot in the end and found only one possibility. The truth is—"

Chen Yonggui's expression was serious, and a sharp light burst forth from his eyes:

"You really do have special abilities!"

Tang Wen: "Huh?"

Chen Yonggui seemed to have confirmed something and said affirmatively:

"I told you so! Even Elder Qian, that venerable elder, said such things exist; how could they possibly be fake!"

"In '88, at the Jingcheng Folk Exchange on Special Abilities, your father and I even went. We saw water turn into oil and the dead brought back to life."

"And you, you can actually conjure up so many things!"

"Now that Elder Qian is old and no longer handles affairs, some people say qigong is fake and special abilities are fake; they are all deceptive things."

"I don't believe it! Did Elder Qian order research and speak on television about researching special abilities being fake? Was the gathering of special ability practitioners in the city back then also fake?"

"It turns out all those debunkers were frauds; the true special ability practitioners are all deeply hidden and reveal nothing."

"Little Tang, although your father and I practiced special abilities for a few years and failed, I never expected you to have achieved it!"

"Considering that uncle also practiced qigong for ten years, could you show uncle a trick?"