Five emerald-and-gold Taichu executive shuttle vans glided to a smooth halt along the marina turnaround of the Jiangcheng Golden-Anchor Yacht Club as gulls wheeled above the white teakwood boardwalks.
The passenger doors slid open, and fifty children in matching emerald fleece jackets stepped onto the wooden boardwalk, holding hands in tidy pairs. Little Guo’er walked at the front of the group, her face bright with joy as she pointed at the soaring white masts moored along the river berths.
Beside her walked Lin Mo, carrying six-year-old Xiao Duo on his arm. Grandma Chen, Su Wan, and Tie Niu followed close behind, carrying insulated picnic baskets filled with fresh apple tarts and warm wonton dumplings.
The fifty orphans gazed out at the wide, sparkling river with wide, breathless eyes. Most of them had never seen a body of water larger than a village irrigation pond.
“Look at the giant white ships!” twelve-year-old Xiao Hu whispered, clutching his sister’s spare woolen mittens. “They look like floating palaces!”
Before the children could take ten paces along the boardwalk, a loud, obnoxious voice shattered the morning peace.
“Hey! Security! Where did this swarm of country beggars come from?!”
At Berth Number One, a sleek, sixty-foot Italian sports cruiser was moored to the floating dock. Silver ice buckets, champagne bottles, and high-fashion speakers crowded the aft deck.
Standing on the gangway was twenty-six-year-old Zhao Ming. He wore designer sunglasses, white linen trousers, and an unbuttoned silk shirt. Behind him stood half a dozen loud socialites and internet influencers holding selfie sticks.
Lin Mo activated his [Pure-Heart Eye].
A murky crimson aura flickered above Zhao Ming’s head:
[Target: Zhao Ming, Age 26.]
[Moral Integrity Score: 10/100 (Arrogant Nepo-Baby & Chronic Defaulter).]
[Relationship: First Cousin of Zhao Kai; Managing Director of Ming-Crown Marina Ventures.]
[Status: Leased 60-Foot Cruiser on Overdue Bank Credit; Owed ¥4M in Dock Fees.]
Standing on the wooden slipway below the gangway was a sixty-year-old man in faded denim overalls and grease-stained work gloves.
His face was weathered and deeply lined by forty years of river wind and salt spray. A brass naval mechanic’s whistle hung around his neck.
The man was Old Captain Zheng.
Lin Mo’s [Pure-Heart Eye] scanned the veteran sailor:
[Target: Captain Zheng Changhai, Age 61.]
[Moral Integrity Score: 91/100 (Honest Retired Naval Chief Engineer).]
[Status: Bankrupting Himself to Pay Overdue Wages for 30 Disabled Dockworkers.]
“Young Master Zhao,” Captain Zheng pleaded, removing his sailor cap with calloused hands. “Your leased yacht has occupied VIP Berth One for three months without paying berth fees. The club owes four million yuan in electricity and channel dredging fees. My thirty dock mechanics haven’t received their base wages in sixty days.”
“Do I look like a charity foundation, old man?!” Zhao Ming barked, splashing dregs of champagne onto Captain Zheng’s work boots. “My cousin Zhao Kai and I rented this entire pier for our weekend livestream party! Tell your dirty mechanics to wait until next month!”
Zhao Ming turned his sunglasses toward the fifty children standing on the boardwalk. His lip curled with violent disgust.
“And get these fifty filthy orphan brats off my dock!” Zhao Ming roared, pointing a manicured finger at Xiao Hu and Little Guo’er. “Their cheap rubber sneakers are tracking dirt onto the teakwood! If one of these little paupers scratches my rented gelcoat, I will have the harbor police lock them in cages!”
Xiao Hu flinched, stepping protectively in front of his younger sister. Several of the younger children shrank behind Grandma Chen’s floral apron.
Tie Niu’s face darkened like a thundercloud. His heavy combat boots took half a pace forward, the wooden planks groaning beneath his weight.
Lin Mo raised his hand, halting Tie Niu with a quiet gesture.
He set Little Xiao Duo gently onto her feet, patting her woolen cap. Then he walked forward toward the edge of the slipway, his footsteps steady and rhythmic against the timber.
“Teakwood can be washed with clean water,” Lin Mo said, his voice flat, calm, and clear. “Arrogance, unfortunately, tends to soak into the wood and rot the hull.”
Zhao Ming lowered his designer sunglasses, squinting at Lin Mo.
“Who the hell are you?” Zhao Ming sneered. “Are you the supervisor of this orphanage? Take your little charity troop and clear out! This whole marina belongs to people who have real capital!”
Lin Mo did not look at Zhao Ming. He stepped past the gangway, walking straight over to Old Captain Zheng.
He reached down and gently helped the veteran sailor straighten his faded collar.
“Captain Zheng,” Lin Mo said warmly. “You served twenty-eight years as Chief Propulsion Engineer on naval missile destroyers, didn’t you?”
Captain Zheng blinked in astonishment. “How... how do you know that, young gentleman?”
“A naval engineer’s hands have distinct calluses from turning heavy turbine valves,” Lin Mo replied with a faint smile. “And a man with a moral score of ninety-one never bows his head to a boy who leases boats on credit.”
Captain Zheng sighed, his weathered eyes clouding with weary sadness.
“The marina developer went bankrupt during the winter freeze,” Captain Zheng explained softly. “The club’s flagship vessel—a one-hundred-and-fifty-foot luxury expedition superyacht built for coastal research—is sitting at the deep-water berth. The creditors ordered me to liquidate it. If I cannot sell it today, thirty honest dock mechanics will go home to their sick wives without a single fen.”
Lin Mo turned his gaze toward the end of the long pier.
Moored at the deep-water outer slip was a breathtaking vessel.
The superyacht stretched one hundred and fifty feet from stem to stern. Its streamlined hull was crafted from high-strength marine-grade aluminum alloy, painted pristine white with dark navy trim. Triple observation decks, a helicopter landing pad, and dual heavy-duty marine diesel engines gave it an aura of unstoppable oceanic majesty.
Moored alongside it were ten sleek, thirty-foot covered sightseeing catamarans.
Lin Mo nodded slowly with quiet satisfaction.
“Fifty children need space to run, fish, and breathe clean river air,” Lin Mo remarked casually. “A sixty-foot toy boat is far too cramped. A one-hundred-and-fifty-foot flagship is much more appropriate for a Saturday picnic.”
Zhao Ming burst into a shrill, mocking howl of laughter.
“A one-hundred-and-fifty-foot superyacht?!” Zhao Ming laughed, turning to his influencer guests. “Did you hear this clown?! That flagship was custom-commissioned for forty million yuan! Even my uncle in the Zhao Consortium wouldn’t drop forty million in cash on a river yacht! You think you can buy it with pocket change?!”
Lin Mo drew his matte black-gold [Personal 100x Vault Card].
He turned to Captain Zheng. “Captain Zheng, does the marina sales office have a direct satellite clearing terminal?”
“Yes, sir,” Captain Zheng replied, pulling a heavy, shockproof maritime transaction tablet from his canvas satchel. “All commercial maritime vessel sales are handled through the Harbor Bureau’s sovereign registry.”
“Good,” Lin Mo said smoothly.
He rested the black-gold card against the tablet’s sensor.
“Su Wan,” Lin Mo commanded. “Execute the purchase. The one-hundred-and-fifty-foot flagship superyacht and all ten auxiliary sightseeing catamarans. Total price: forty million yuan. Paid in full. Immediate cleared cash.”
Su Wan stepped forward, her fingers gliding across her screen. “Vessel acquisition code: Taichu Sovereign Maritime Trust. Designated usage: Taichu Orphan Field-Trip and Employee Weekend Fishing Fleet.”
Captain Zheng’s hands shook violently as he entered the vessel hull identification numbers.
He pressed the green authorization key.
BEEP!
[HARBOR MARITIME REGISTRY CONFIRMED!]
[TRANSACTION TYPE: BULK SOVEREIGN VESSEL ACQUISITION.]
[AMOUNT DEDUCTED: ¥40,000,000.00 RMB.]
[PURCHASER: TAICHU BENEVOLENCE TRUST / CHAIRMAN LIN MO.]
[VESSELS TRANSFERRED: 150-FOOT FLAGSHIP 'TAICHU SANCTUARY' & 10 SIGHTSEEING CRUISERS!]
[OUTSTANDING MECHANIC WAGE ESCROW CLEARED IN FULL: ¥4,000,000.00 RMB!]
The high-power marine horn mounted atop the harbor master’s tower sounded with a deep, resonant, five-second blast that shook the river surface like thunder!
HOOOOOOOOONK!
Across the marina’s digital mooring boards, bright golden letters flared to life:
[FLAGSHIP SUPER-VESSEL #01: SOLD TO TAICHU BENEVOLENCE GROUP!]
[HARBOR BERTH ZERO: TRANSFERRED TO TAICHU MARITIME FLEET!]
The entire boardwalk fell into stunned, breathless silence.
Zhao Ming’s sunglasses slipped down his nose, clattering onto the teak deck. His mouth opened so wide a wasp could have flown inside without touching his teeth.
“Forty... forty million?!” Zhao Ming stammered, his knees wobbling. “In cash?! Right now?!”
The influencers behind him froze, their selfie sticks trembling as they stared at Lin Mo in utter, speechless terror.
Captain Zheng stared at his tablet screen. Tears spilled from his weathered eyes, washing clean paths through the engine grease on his cheeks.
“The mechanics... their wages are cleared...” Captain Zheng choked out, dropping to one knee before Lin Mo. “Four million yuan in overdue pay... thirty families are saved today!”
Lin Mo stepped forward and lifted the veteran sailor by both elbows.
“Captain Zheng,” Lin Mo said with a warm smile. “You kept your post and protected your men when the owners fled. Taichu Group is expanding our river logistics and rescue operations. I am appointing you Commodore of the Taichu Maritime and River Fleet.”
Lin Mo looked out at the gleaming superyacht.
“Starting base salary: three million yuan per year,” Lin Mo announced. “And all thirty disabled naval mechanics are hired onto our permanent maintenance payroll at triple their previous wages.”
Captain Zheng stood tall, his shoulders snapping back with the pride of an active naval commander. He gave Lin Mo a crisp, flawless military salute.
“Commodore Zheng reports for duty, Chairman Lin!” Captain Zheng barked, his voice ringing with renewed vigor. “I swear to keep every ship in this fleet in combat-ready perfection!”
In Lin Mo’s consciousness, the celestial system panel detonated with blinding golden light.
[DING! Monumental Pure-Heart Benevolence Expenditure Confirmed!]
[Recipient 1: Captain Zheng & 30 Veteran Mariners (Avg Goodness: 90.8/100) — Received: ¥4,000,000.00 Back-Pay & Permanent Fleet Endowment.]
[Recipient 2: 50 Hometown Orphans & Taichu Staff — Received: 150-Foot Flagship & 10 Cruise Catamarans.]
[Calculation: Total Spent: ¥40,000,000.00 RMB | Multiplier: 100x Pure-Heart Return.]
[Refund Amount: +¥4,000,000,000.00 RMB Transferred to Personal Vault!]
[Benevolence Merit Points: +4,000,000 BMP Awarded!]
[Personal Liquid Vault Current Balance: ¥16,628,180,000.50 RMB!]
[Good People Network Expanded: 4,800 Verified Righteous Allies!]
A tremendous, roaring tidal wave of golden benevolence qi surged into Lin Mo’s dantian.
The energy was vast, pure, and deep like an oceanic abyss. It washed through his marrow, completely saturating his Rank 1 Absolute Peak Martial foundation. The physical power slumbering within his muscles now exceeded ten thousand pounds of pure hydraulic force.
Nearly seventeen billion yuan in liquid vault balance, Lin Mo observed with quiet satisfaction. And our kids have a flagship superyacht for their weekend outings.
Lin Mo turned his eyes toward Zhao Ming, who was trembling like a wet poodle on his gangway.
“Commodore Zheng,” Lin Mo said casually.
“Sir!” Zheng responded.
“Under harbor regulations,” Lin Mo asked, “what is the procedure for an unauthorized, defaulted vessel occupying a private commercial berth?”
Commodore Zheng’s lips curved into a ferocious, salty grin.
“Under municipal maritime law, Chairman, an unauthorized vessel with four million yuan in defaulted berth fees is subject to immediate maritime lien and removal.”
Zheng pulled his brass whistle and blew two sharp blasts.
Down the channel, a seventy-ton commercial diesel harbor tugboat rumbled to life, thick steel cables secured to its heavy towing winch.
“Tugboat Seven! Hook onto that plastic toy at Berth One!” Commodore Zheng shouted through a megaphone. “Tow it five nautical miles out to the municipal mud-flats and impound it for scrap auction!”
“Wait! You cannot tow my boat!” Zhao Ming screamed, grabbing the railings as the heavy tugboat backed in. “My champagne! My guests! My party!”
CLANK!
The heavy steel tow cable locked around the yacht’s forward cleats. The diesel tugboat throttled forward, churning the river into white foam.
With a violent jolt, Zhao Ming’s leased sixty-foot boat was yanked backward out of the slipway! Champagne towers collapsed in a cascade of shattered glass, influencers tumbled across the deck screaming in terror, and Zhao Ming fell flat on his face as the yacht was dragged away toward the muddy shoals!
The fifty children on the boardwalk burst into uncontainable cheers and laughter, clapping their hands with pure delight.
“Look at the boat sliding in the mud!” Little Guo’er giggled, jumping up and down.
“All aboard the flagship!” Grandma Chen called out, leading the smiling children up the wide, carpeted gangway of the one-hundred-and-fifty-foot Taichu Sanctuary.
The fifty orphans ran onto the polished teak deck, marveling at the panoramic glass lounge, the sunlit observation cabins, and the endless expanse of blue river ahead.
Lin Mo stood on the bridge wing beside Su Wan, watching the children laughing under the morning sun.
Suddenly, Su Wan’s emergency encrypted phone chimed with an urgent, red satellite alert.
She brought the receiver to her ear. As she listened, her sharp, composed expression tightened into severe corporate alarm.
“Chairman Lin,” Su Wan said, lowering the phone with cold gravity. “Emergency call from the riverfront construction site.”
Lin Mo turned his head. “What happened?”
“Black-Sand Cartel Boss Lei Bao just sent fifty dump trucks to our Taichu Sky-Tower site,” Su Wan reported, her voice icy. “They dumped three hundred tons of brittle, recycled slag-steel across our foundation trench.”
“Lei Bao’s thugs smashed the hard hat of Site Supervisor Old Chen and gave us an ultimatum: buy their defective steel at triple price, or not a single bag of cement will enter our site!”
Lin Mo’s eyes narrowed, a cold, dangerous glint flashing within his pupils.
“Slag-steel for an eighty-eight-story tower,” Lin Mo murmured softly. “Lei Bao truly wants to build a mass grave in the center of Jiangcheng.”
He looked back at Tie Niu, who had already strapped on his reinforced tactical vest.
“Tie Niu,” Lin Mo said, his voice cutting through the river breeze like steel. “Prepare the vans. Let us go test the quality of Lei Bao’s steel.”