Chapter 106: Small But Mighty
Chapter 106 – Small But Mighty
[Cruisers! Those are cruisers!]
[This is going to be the last episode. Cherish it well.]
[Awesome, awesome, awesome!]
[It’s our country’s warships. Look at the flags.]
[Why do I suddenly feel like gloating?]
[They’re coming! They’re coming! They’re finally coming!]
[They’re coming at the UP. ( ͡°͜ʖ͡°)]
[Illegal constructions must be demolished.]
[Where’s the moderator? Are there any moderators in the livestream room? Put on a cool song for us.]
[This is the first meeting. Why not let off some gunfire as a celebration?]
[Fight! Fight!]
[Reported. Either you’re stupid or foolish for wishing for that.]
[UP, can you share with us how large the shadow in your heart is right now?]
[There’s no shadow in the UP’s heart. On the contrary, he even wants to laugh.]
While standing aboard the violently shaking deck, Chen Yu supported himself against the handrail. He silently gazed at the approaching cruisers, his brain rapidly churning for ideas.
After a moment, Chen Yu raised the crystal ball he held and looked at the fuzzy figure in it, saying, “Halt the construction.”
“Yes, Captain.”
As soon as the synthetic voice appeared, the island-building ship promptly halted all work and quietly floated amidst the rough sea.
“As everyone can see, we have some slightly special circ.u.mstances at hand here, so we’ll temporarily stop the island’s construction,” Chen Yu said to the camera. He then focused the camera toward the three distant warships and continued, “I’ll resume construction once I’ve confirmed that our guests won’t intervene in my work.”
Naturally, these words weren’t meant for the 500,000 viewers watching his livestream.
One minute.
Three minutes.
Five minutes…
Just as Chen Yu was about to order the ship’s AI to enter Tension Sailing Mode and evacuate, the three distant cruisers turned their bows, lined up in a row, and stopped moving.
Afterward, each of the three warships raised a large flag, the three flags drifting along with the wind and reflecting the scorching afternoon sun’s fiery light.
“…”
Seeing this, Chen Yu revealed a knowing smile under his mask. Waving his hand, he said, “Dimwit, resume construction.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Boom… Boom…
The hull shook once more as thousands of tons of rubble were ejected and pressed into the cofferdam’s edges.
Sending a glance at the three warships, Chen Yu redirected the camera toward himself and said, “There are several small stages in constructing the revetment. Currently, gravel reinforcement is only the first stage. After we have formed a rough slope with the gravel, we will be using even finer stone to fill in the gaps. Once that’s done, we will cover and compress the slope using slabstones, with the slabstones weighing between 10 to 100 kilograms.
“After these several minor stages are complete, we will top them with boulders weighing between 300 to 500 kilograms and complete the revetment. And with the revetment’s presence, we can prevent the ocean waves from eroding the island.
“This, is the full process of creating an artificial island. Every step is complicated and rigorous. If it weren’t for this engineering ship that came from a century later, I cannot even begin to fathom how much manpower and resources it would take to construct an island of such size using current technology.
“Let’s give our thanks to technology for allowing mankind to defeat nature once more.”
[Does anyone know how long it usually takes to construct an island?]
[The construction of a small artificial island will take at least six or seven months. If it’s in a foreign country, haha.]
[I heard Vietnam tried to build an island using excavators, but the island got washed away before it could be finished! How funny!]
[They’re too slow. They need to finish the job before the waves take notice.]
[I’m prepared to build an island once it gets dark.]
[Eyes: I know how to build an island now! Hands: I can build an island! Brain: Dumba.s.s.]
[Can’t you build an island with just a bucket of magma and a bucket of water?]
[Host, you’re going to be rich. With this ship, you’ll become the richest man in the world.]
[How much will such an island cost? Will it be more expensive than the houses in Beijing?]
[I want this island. UP, state your price.]
[See those three cruisers over there?]
Time pa.s.sed by quickly amidst the island-building ship’s roaring.
As layer after layer of gravel piled up along the cofferdam’s edges, the revetment’s construction continuously progressed toward perfection.
Throughout this entire process, the three cruisers in the distance remained motionless on the ocean’s surface.
Whether it was Chen Yu or the government, both deemed this as their first “frontal” contact, so they were extremely cautious and sensitive toward each other.
Boom!
With a loud boom, the ship’s crane lowered the last rectangular boulder. The ship then finally came to a halt.
“Captain, the island’s construction is complete. The construction took a total of four hours and twenty-two minutes,” the ship’s AI reported.
“It’s done?”
After pa.s.sing the crystal ball to Little Peach, Chen Yu manipulated the camera to fly up into the sky and gain a bird’s eye view.
When the complete form of the island entered the camera’s view and was broadcasted into the three livestream rooms, the rooms’ bullet comment section exploded into commotion once more!
[This shape…]
[How unique.]
[Unmatched!]
[Beautiful! Too beautiful!]
[(*・ω・)✄╰ひ╯]
[You’re done? Are you not taking responsibility for decoration?]
[Why don’t you ask him to build you a basketball court as well?]
[Nature’s supernatural craftsmanship…]
[Earth’s wiener.]
[…]
Swiping across his watch’s screen, Chen Yu had the camera return to his side. He then pointed at the island and said in a slightly high tone, “As the first large-scale artificial island made in human history, not only does it possess a majestic shape, but it should possess a mighty name as well. Hence, I’ve racked my brain to give it a name.
“Let’s call it…Where the Sword Points, All Obstacles Shall Fall Island!
“Truly wonderful. Everyone, if you think this name is good, type ‘1’; if you think otherwise, type ‘2.’”
[222.]
[222222!]
[22….]
[2222!]
[2.]
[What a name…]
[You’re a true talent.]
[2222.]
[*Island.]
[No comment.]
[Government: ???]
Looking at the enthusiastic responses he received from the bullet comment section, Chen Yu nodded in satisfaction as he said, “It seems everyone likes this name. In that case, we’ll name this island ‘Where the Sword Points, All Obstacles Shall Fall Island!’ Sword Island for short! It’ll represent our brave spirits in pioneering and using swords! Hmm… The overall shape of the island looks like a sword as well! Perfect!
“Well, then. With this, the product evaluation phase is over. Today’s livestream will also come to an end.”
Facing the camera, Chen Yu crossed his fingers and made his iconic gesture before summarizing, “Billions of years ago, mankind’s ancestors came to land from the ocean. They didn’t do so for exploration, but for survival.
“Billions of years later, we are turning to the ocean! Not for survival, but for exploration!
“To both Earth and the vast universe, living creatures and even life itself are small and insignificant beings. However, only humans are not insignificant! The spirit of pioneering engraved in our genes guides us forward step by step. In the past, we had the Silk Road and geographical discoveries. In present times, we have sent people into s.p.a.ce and created extraterrestrial s.p.a.ce stations. Our steps might be small and fragile, but we will not stop.
“Even though we have made many mistakes, many problems, many contradictions, many conflicts, and many malice…in the face of our enterprising spirit, all of our shortcomings seem so insignificant.
“Humans, are small but mighty. Even a single spark can start a forest fire!
“Civilization, will never die.”
After saying so, Chen Yu disembarked the ship via a staircase found alongside the hull. After stepping on the island’s solid ground, he took out a small red flag from the inner pocket of his haori and thrust it into the soil.
“This is the end of today’s livestream!
“Let us meet again next month.”