Accompanied by Fei Long’s voiceover, Sun Donghao clicked on a photograph. Wang Zhuo couldn't help but laugh the moment he glanced at it.

He pointed at the three young men, saying with mock annoyance, "What kind of nonsense is this? Isn't that the Invincible from Britain? Do you take me for someone who doesn't recognize an aircraft carrier?"

"Haha!"

"Heh heh."

"Heh heh heh..."

After a round of strange laughter that nearly made Wang Zhuo throw a punch, Cheng Gang said, "Let us tell you, this carrier is indeed British, but she is the Invincible's sister ship, the Illustrious, Angdesidan?"

"Go to hell with your Ang." Wang Zhuo could only laugh helplessly. The Illustrious was built after the Invincible entered service, belonging to the same class of aircraft carriers. He wasn't a military enthusiast; making a mistake wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

"It's already pretty good that he could recognize it as a British Invincible-class aircraft carrier," Sun Donghao commented with a smile. "Wang Zhuo, do you know the ultimate fate of this carrier?"

Wang Zhuo shrugged. "How would I know that? It probably wasn't sunk, right?"

"Not quite sunk, but not far from it," Fei Long mumbled. "Her service life is up. The British plan to scuttle her this time and turn her into an underwater park, a place for the corals to rest and recuperate."

"Brother, that’s quite a story you’re spinning," Wang Zhuo patted his shoulder.

"It’s true!" Fei Long exclaimed. "Don't you read the news? Dive enthusiasts are already cheering—another paradise for exploration!"

"The British sure have money," Wang Zhuo said, speechless at their serious demeanor, scratching his head. "Hey, maybe once this underwater park opens, we can organize a trip to go check it out?"

Cheng Gang gave a wry smile. "That's a later concern. Coral doesn't grow in a day or two."

"Exactly! So, today’s topic is about something else!" Having built up enough suspense, Fei Long finally looked smug and exchanged a knowing glance with Sun Donghao.

Sun Donghao slapped the space bar on his keyboard, only to hear Wang Zhuo gasp in surprise, "Hey? Isn't that a Mouse Grouper? Where did you get this?!"

The three boys nearly hit a wall—the grand entrance of the aircraft carrier photo was completely overshadowed by a fish brought in by Siyuan. How humiliating!

Fei Long said, trying to hold back laughter, "Let's discuss the important matter first, and then we can look at your fish later!"

"Right, right," Wang Zhuo immediately nodded, telling Siyuan, "Hurry and put this in the fridge to chill! This one fish isn't enough for the five of us. Let's save it for tomorrow!"

Fei Long nodded. "Good, good, good. Let's get to the main point first."

To Wang Zhuo's surprise, Fei Long, the foodie, wasn't anxious even though the duck on his lips had flown away. The sun must have risen from the west.

Siyuan carried the basin out. Wang Zhuo had only been joking; the little girl understood that. Humming a tune, she walked into the kitchen, found a cooking tutorial video on the five-inch computer screen attached to the refrigerator door, and began to prepare the fish following the steps.

In the bedroom, Wang Zhuo was examining the new picture. It was another photograph of an aircraft carrier, looking similar to the Invincible, but clearly not the same ship.

"Never seen this one before," Wang Zhuo shook his head.

"That's HMS Ocean Royal," Fei Long jumped in to explain. "She’s the sister of the Invincible, Illustrious, and Ark Royal. The Ocean Royal had the shortest service time, but she served as a training vessel for a long period afterward. Now that the British have completely phased out the Invincible-class carriers, she’s also retired along with the Illustrious."

Seeing Wang Zhuo wear an expression that said, What does this have to do with me?, Fei Long dropped the suspense and stated directly, "Because two aircraft carriers retired almost simultaneously, the Brits can't run two dive parks at once. So, they plan to sell this one off—auction it!"

"Auction?" Wang Zhuo let out a chuckle. "Is Britain short on money again? Are they selling it on eBay?"

There were precedents for developed nations selling decommissioned aircraft carriers. Britain was particularly known for doing this frequently and thoroughly. The former Soviet Union’s Kiev was sold to China and became an amusement park in Tianjin; the Minsk became a theme park in Shenzhen; and the third-generation carrier hull Varyag was refitted into a training vessel.

More than a decade ago, the British had auctioned the Revenge as scrap metal on an auction site. Then, in 2011, they auctioned the Ark Royal. This showed how open the country’s politics and economy were, but it also proved that their defense budget was genuinely tight—very tight.

"This time it's not eBay; it's here." Sun Donghao opened a webpage and showed it to Wang Zhuo. "The guys from the Wealth Club are discussing this. They're analyzing the feasibility of buying back this British princess and converting her into a cruise ship or a gambling vessel."

"Forget the gambling ship," Wang Zhuo shook his head slightly. The waters in that area were too deep. "This thing must weigh a ton. If we convert it to a cruise ship, won't sailing it be incredibly fuel-intensive?"

Cheng Gang laughed. "Would someone who can afford an aircraft carrier worry about fuel costs?"

Giving him a look as if he were an idiot, Wang Zhuo retorted, "Do you think we’re driving an Audi? Is gasoline ten yuan a liter? This behemoth weighs twenty thousand tons, and it burns bunker fuel!"

Sun Donghao interjected, "Wang Zhuo is right, but this sort of thing is a symbol of status and prestige, much like a private jet. Buying a plane might not always be convenient, but many people still flock to it."

"Let me see who wants to buy it." Wang Zhuo sat down in the chair Sun Donghao offered and asked, "How much do the British want for it?"

Cheng Gang said, "It’s definitely over a hundred million, but the analysis from the Wealth Club suggests it won't exceed two hundred million."

"That’s practically scrap metal price," Wang Zhuo chuckled. "I wonder if they offer delivery service."

Fei Long grinned wickedly. "No express shipping, pick-up only."

Looking at the Wealth Club chat, it was just as Wang Zhuo expected: everyone was very interested in this massive toy, but they were scared off by the subsequent expenses. Buying something like this was like a regular person buying a car—they could afford the vehicle but couldn't afford the fuel or the various associated costs. Just cruising this giant around the sea would cost millions, perhaps tens of millions. It was too much to bear.

"Old Zheng, with your two billion in assets, you really should buy this!"

"Stop joking. I can't afford it! If you don't have twenty to thirty million a year, you can't maintain this thing. I'll stick to my sports cars."

"What about Ah Yang? Aren't you the biggest military buff? Why aren't you considering it?"

"I did consider it. If it was just the purchase price, I could bite the bullet and pay it. But this thing eats money, and the prospect of profit is slim. My whole family wouldn't agree."

"Actually, I see it now: many people can afford to buy this, but very few can afford to use it. Forget taking it out to sea for a joyride—even just having it dock in the harbor costs tens of thousands a day, and that’s a conservative estimate. It’s better to buy a private jet; you can use that anywhere."

Tens of thousands a day? Seeing this, Wang Zhuo shook his head and smiled. That amount wouldn't even cover the crew's salaries; this person was severely underestimating an aircraft carrier, even one converted for civilian use.

"Is Guang Jia around? If so, come out and tell us which member of our club has the financial capacity to maintain this British princess."

At this point, another person spoke up in the group. Guang Jia was the second-generation heir who founded this Wealth Club. However, at twenty-seven, he had already taken over his father’s company, sitting on assets worth over three billion.

He established this group, and his actual name was An Guangjia—meaning 'Light's Speed, Best Under Heaven.'

After more than ten seconds, An Guangjia, under the nickname Guang Jia, appeared. The message notification showed he was replying via mobile phone: "I'm here. Wait for me to run the numbers."

"Who is this Guang Jia?" Fei Long leaned over with his chubby, pale face.

"A Zhejiang businessman, a few years older than us," Wang Zhuo introduced casually. "He founded this Wealth Club. I think the entry threshold is assets exceeding a hundred million."

"Oh..." Fei Long nodded with an air of understanding. "The threshold isn't that high."

Cheng Gang and Sun Donghao scoffed at him. A hundred million truly wasn't very high—why didn't he pull out that much to show them?

Cheng Gang, who always loved contradicting Fei Long, immediately jumped in. "No wonder they dare to research buying an aircraft carrier; a hundred million is just the starting line."

Fei Long ignored him. The main task now was figuring out how to persuade Wang Zhuo to buy this behemoth!

"Wang Zhuo, where do you rank in there?" Sun Donghao asked.

"Probably first," Wang Zhuo said with a smile. "If there aren't any successors to red capitalists in there, then I'm first. I can't be sure how much assets those hidden tycoons really have."

Even with Wang Zhuo's net worth, he might not be number one? The other three were stunned. No wonder these people used a specially customized chat program; it was truly a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!

While they were chatting, An Guangjia must have finished his calculations. He stated very decisively, "Only one person. Except for Wang Xiaolong from Jiangzhou, I think everyone else would struggle."

"Huh?!"

"No way, Guang Jia. Although this British princess is a bit expensive, we have quite a few people here with assets in the tens of billions. How come it’s only one person?"

"Wang Xiaolong of Jiangzhou? Forgive my ignorance, but who is that?"

"You don't know Wang Xiaolong? He's the head of Shengshi Wangchao (Glorious Dynasty), Wang Zhuo! If you haven't heard of Shengshi Wangchao, you must have heard of Wangchao Wuliang (Dynasty Immeasurable), right? That’s his business."

"Oh, oh! I know now... Hehe!"

Seeing this, Fei Long chuckled wickedly, casting a teasing look at Wang Zhuo. That 'Hehe' from the female poster sounded very suggestive. It seemed Wang Zhuo didn't have the best reputation!

"Wang Zhuo is here too? Why have I never seen him talk?"

"He’s a perennial submarine," Guang Jia replied. "But I guess he wouldn't be interested in this sort of thing; I haven't heard of him playing with sports cars or planes."

"Right, right, that’s not his style. He prefers... you know!"

Seeing this, Wang Zhuo could finally not hold back. His three classmates behind him were either snickering, bursting into laughter, or spitting out water. If he didn't show himself now, these people might continue to mock him mercilessly.