The howling sea breeze caressed Tang Mo's face with indescribable comfort and pleasure. If one has to be candid, the ride aboard a Wolf-class cruiser cannot be described as comfortable.
Such warships were not designed for comfort. They are behemoths that dominate the seas, a tool for the Great Tang Group to ensure its maritime hegemony.
They are killing machines, formidable weapons for rapid assaults, but certainly not crafted for the comfort of their occupants.
Despite a series of modifications to Tang Mo's cabin, life aboard such a vessel was still not an easy affair.
However, for Tang Mo's safety, the higher-ups of the Great Tang Group had rejected plans for him to travel on a luxurious sailboat or the alternate option of a Freedom-class liner.
In the eyes of the leadership of the Great Tang Group, sailboats—outdated, slow and unsafe—were utterly unsuitable for someone like Tang Mo.
As for the Freedom-class liner, which came with a myriad of labels from the outset, it was even more out of the question for such an important individual as Tang Mo.
After all, its slow speed and the significant skimping in its design, where safety requirements had been sacrificed for budget, resulted in a barely functional piece of junk.
Thus, the final decision was for Tang Mo to travel to Dragon Island on a warship, and the main leadership of the Great Tang Group would relocate to Dragon Island along with him.
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Tang Mo finally departed from Brunas. The moment he boarded the ship, it seemed as though the city lost its luster.
All those in the know understood that Dragon City would become the new core city of the Great Tang Group, no longer the once dazzling Brunas.
"Principal! Dragon Island is within sight! Ahead lies a steel transport fleet from Dorne," a navy officer approached, stood at attention, saluted, and proudly reported.
"You've worked hard," Tang Mo gathered his thoughts and smiled at the officer. Typically, one could discern the relationship between Tang Mo and the speaker based on the form of address used.
Those close to him often called him "Master," others preferred "Teacher," while those who addressed him as "Principal" or "Mr." suggested a certain distance.
On the distant seas, indeed, there was a vast fleet of sailboats, which had also spotted the Wolf 2 cruiser maintaining its course.
What surprised these sailors, frequent voyagers on the Dragon Island route, was their first sight of a Wolf-class cruiser; since Wolf 1 had previously been committed to missions in Winterless City, the security of the passages was ensured by Brunas-class ironclad warships.
"Look! A new warship! It's not a Brunas-class!" Those sailors, used to hauling bricks to Dragon Island, were quite familiar with the designations of the older generation of Great Tang Group warships.
"That's a new warship, longer... and it looks prettier too," another sailor said enviously as they gazed at the distant vessel.
Indeed, they envied it—for they had drunk with the sailors from the Brunas-class warships in the bars on Dragon Island, having learned of the impressive amount those men earned.
"Two more Brunas-class warships?... What's the joke... such a large fleet. Has something happened on Dragon Island?" The first mate became anxious upon seeing an entire fleet of the Great Tang Group.
Now the Great Tang Group had three regiments of security troops in total, with one regiment stationed on Dragon Island, another regiment dispersed in Brunas, and the last one, just formed a few months ago, already deployed to Jade City.
"Seeing you all truly makes me happy," Tang Mo said as he walked forward, speaking to Roger and Tagg behind him.
These were the two men he trusted most; hence, he had stationed them on Dragon Island. Indeed, their character had proven to be solid, and they did not disappoint Tang Mo's expectations, transforming Dragon Island into a robust stronghold.
Dragon City was still not as large as Brunas—after all, as an island, its development could not match the rapid pace of land-based cities like Brunas.
But its advantage lay in being isolated and secure, and it was also suitable for Tang Mo to test a series of new weapons. Now that cars had been mass-produced, airplanes naturally appeared on Tang Mo's agenda.
And testing things like airplanes under others' watchful eyes was somewhat unsafe, so Tang Mo had decided from the start to build an airplane testing facility on Dragon Island.
Between Weigang and Dragon City, there was a large expanse of jungle that could be utilized, where the land was either superior oil fields, very good farms, or at worst, forests rich in timber resources.
Establishing an airplane testing facility amongst these jungles could almost be said to be a piece of cake.
"After all, I have not let you down; when these old bones of mine return to the earth and I meet your parents, I'll have something to show for it," Roger, who now looked much older, said. Managing an entire island was obviously taxing for him, given his level and ability.
"You've done very well," Tang Mo showed great respect for this elder, who had always been diligent by his side, "I am here now, you can take a break."
"That's great! My old bones—oh..." Roger's face wore a smile as he looked upon the city he had built from nothing, filled with a sense of pride.
"Your castle has been completed; it's been wired for electricity following your requests, with telephones and telegraph rooms, and all the servants have been personally selected by me," Roger said as he helped Tang Mo into the car.
"I am very assured," Tang Mo glanced at Tagg, and Tagg nodded slightly, then joined Roger in another car.
Three Rolls-Royces, with the rest being trucks responsible for security work. It was unlikely that large-scale enemies would appear on the island, so no military armored vehicles were arranged to escort them.
Still, five trucks, two in the front and three at the back, protected the vehicle carrying Tang Mo and his party, loaded with the fully-armed elite of a security troop platoon.
These elites had always been Tang Mo's personal guard, arriving together with the warship. This was also due to the considerations of security personnel from Brunas.
In any case, they trusted no one; if need be, they would suspect their own colleagues and devise security plans.
Along the bumpy ride, Tang Mo caught sight of Swan Castle... Now, it had a new name: "Dragon's Den."
In the future, as the most core stronghold of the Great Tang Group, this would be Tang Mo's home. It had the safest defense systems and was also equipped with the most modern and luxurious interior decorations, even featuring the world's most advanced technological equipment.
The entire castle was served by electricity, connected by telephones, equipped with independent backup generators, secret safe rooms, alternative escape tunnels, and an exclusive armory for Tang Mo...
In short, this place was perfect enough to make any sovereign drool with envy.