On the surface of the west Pacific Ocean, somewhere two hundred kilometers from Coro Island, buoys bobbed up and down on a chain connected by ropes as the waves undulated, forming a circle on the sea.
Eight construction boats circled the five-square-kilometer sea region and stalled there, forming a platform to continually carry out construction. The workers on the ships worked on a seven-day rotating schedule.
A Guardian-class frigate was stationed nearby, its steady electromagnetic pulse cannon raised at 45 degrees on the alert for any potential intruders.
While Country F no longer had ships to disturb Xin’s sea territory, their caution was necessary. An aircraft carrier not far away was also closely monitoring the region. While Country F no longer dared to send out a reconnaissance drone, they could use an underwater reconnaissance device. The Guardian-class frigate was equipped with an anti-submarine radar and an NK 330mm anti-submarine torpedo which served as a deterrent to any underwater unit attempting to approach them.
Right now, a large cargo ship with hundreds of containers drifted closer before coming to a halt near one of the construction boats.
A man in a white shirt threw a towel on his shoulder, walked beside the mechanical device, and pulled down a lever with force. An iron bridge dropped across the construction boat and cargo, and a few soldiers in kinetic skeletons with rifles boarded the boat.
The captain immediately came to greet them and took the Celestial Trade soldiers on a tour around the boat. After confirming there were no issues, the supervisor began to order the workers to start working.
There were two batches of containers. One batch was to be transported on the boat and the other was to be thrown in the ocean by a mechanical arm.
After finishing his task, the white shirt man tossed a wrench beside him and wiped off the sweat on his face with the towel around his shoulder. Then he narrowed his eyes while watching the mechanical arm dropping the heavy containers into the ocean.
His name was Zhou Qiang, but people who knew him called him Qiang-zi. He came onto the boat two months ago, hired through an online application. His educational level was high compared to most workers, although he just finished high school.
Along the sea-facing region of Hua, a lot of people knew about Xin and knew that a big company called Celestial Trade existed. Not only that, but they knew the boss was Han, and the magical boss was the biggest shareholder of Future Group!
Because they were all Han, the boss took extra care of them. As long as they worked in the company for a year without any criminal record, people as illiterate as them could obtain a passport for immigration. Of course, because of their poor literacy, they would be required to attend community college on Ange Island for half a year of education.
While it could improve their literacy, the education was mostly English and mathematics training. Compared to other developing countries, Hua’s literacy rate was high. Even the poor could read or else they wouldn’t have understood the job posting in the first place.
Education was a benefit in Xin, not an industry. This was different compared to their hometown. The workers were happy to study since knowledge could change one’s fate.
“Aren’t they hot while working on these metal things while wearing such thick layers?” He Dong walked up and took out two cigarettes. He passed one to Qiang-zi and lit one up himself.
The kinetic skeletons were mostly made out of an aluminum and polyethylene material. Aside from the vital parts protected by C-grade steel, no other parts were composed of metal, but the dark metallic shine on the polyethylene bulletproof board could make people mistake the kinetic skeleton for a metallic suit.
Zhou Qiang humbly smiled and accepted the cigarette.
“I don’t know, maybe they don’t mind the heat.”
He Dong laughed and glanced at the two soldiers standing at the door of the captain’s room like two poles.
“Xin’s four seasons are all summer; they probably won’t have the opportunity to see snow in the future.”
“Aren’t you going to go back during New Year’s?” Zhou Qiang asked, puzzled.
He Dong glared at him and blew out a few smoke rings from his mouth.
“Why go home? Just make this home.”
“Make this home?”
“Or what? We’re a late bunch; my brother, who came with the earliest group, is working at the Phantom Helmet plant! He worked for half a year and the bonus alone was enough to buy himself a place.” He Dong glanced at Zhou Qiang, who didn’t know too much about the process.
Out of all the workers, he had the most connections. Mid 2016, his brother came to Xin during the first immigration wave and was assigned to work at the Phantom Helmet plant to produce the virtual reality parts. Following the expansion of the plant, his brother became a leader of ten people who polished helmet parts.
He was ready to resign. After making enough, he planned to use the connections he made in the plant to obtain contracts for helmet shell production. A lot of the small enterprises in Xin made money through contracts related to Phantom production. With some money in his pocket, he also wanted to give it a shot.
“A place for himself… is at least one million, right?” Zhou Qiang said, dumbfounded.
Although his basic salary was around 8,000 RMB, the company also provided food and accommodation, but saving one million for a place was still a distant dream.
He Dong seemed to have read his friend’s troubled mind. He laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
“Don’t think that buying a place is so difficult. There are no greedy real estate developers in Xin and Future Group doesn’t need the money from real estate. One million? If you want a mansion with your own backyard, just pretend I didn’t say anything. But if you want an apartment with Celestial Trade’s sticker, 200,000 is more than enough.”
“USD?”
“RMB! Probably around 30,000 USD? My math is pretty bad.”
Zhou Qiang’s expression immediately turned into a smile. Including the stipend for being out at sea, he could make 2,000 USD a month. It would take a year and a half to save up 30,000 USD.
“But Celestial Trade’s benefits for apartments is limited to one per person. It’s around 80-90 square meters in size. People should have some ambition – how happy would you be if you saved one million for a seaside mansion?” He Dong chuckled.
It was only recently that he got this ambition. When he was working in Wanghai before, he worked tirelessly for two years without daring to dream of buying a place in Wanghai. It was only through coincidence that he heard about working overseas and learned about the shortage of labor in Xin, so with the mentality of giving it a shot, he followed his brother’s path and came to Xin.
He no longer wanted to return home after he came.
For most of the Han, they worked for a place a stay and a family to care for.
“Stop worrying about this nonsense; do your work. An important person will drop by to conduct checks soon. I’ll deduct from your bonus if you’re lazy.”
The supervisor with a cigarette in his mouth operating the mechanical arm glanced over.
Seeing as the supervisor was unhappy, He Dong immediately extinguished his cigarette and dragged Qiang-zi back. The containers were transported, but there was other work to do. As for the important person, it wasn’t something they should be concerned about.
After all the containers were transported, the cargo and construction boat separated and sailed in the direction of Ange Island.
At the same time, a helicopter was flying in the direction of the boat.