Chapter 967: Chapter 967

The massive whirlpool on the sea eventually swallowed Japan's warship whole.

As the warship completely disappeared beneath the surface, Ding Fan controlled his sword and emerged from the depths.

Ding Fan coldly cast a glance at the enormous whirlpool.

The battle with the Japanese warship earlier had given Ding Fan a firsthand experience of the power of modern technology in combat.

The missiles launched earlier had nearly taken Ding Fan's life a few times. However, he quickly discovered their weaknesses.

The missiles seemed to have eyes, always locking onto his position. Ding Fan recalled hearing on television that the accuracy of missiles was primarily due to advanced radar systems.

The key to radar being able to detect targets lies in the reflection source of objects.

Understanding this, before the missiles were launched, Ding Fan had been flying with his Flying Sword. When the missiles came near, he left the Nine Profound Iron to fly on its own while he teleported himself to a location hundreds of meters away.

Once the missiles exploded, Ding Fan would teleport back again to control the Flying Sword.

The Nine Profound Iron is a rare, divine artifact between heaven and earth. Despite the missiles' immense power, they could not possibly shatter the Nine Profound Iron.

That's why, even though the radar on Japan's command deck showed that the target light was continuously hit, the light kept moving at a steady pace.

After dodging the missiles, Ding Fan first used a fireball to heavily damage the warship, then dived directly into the ocean, using the Nine Profound Iron to stir the seabed relentlessly, creating a massive whirlpool.

Eventually, Japan's warship was devoured completely.

After sinking the warship, Ding Fan resumed his Sword Flight and headed straight for Serpent Island.

Upon arriving at Serpent Island, Ding Fan investigated the spatial channel connecting to the Immortal Realm using his Divine Sense.

The area was pitch dark, and his Divine Sense could only scan a portion of it. Thinking back, if it weren't for capturing Gui Li, it would've been nearly impossible to discern the Ghost Sect's method of sealing the Immortal Sect's passage.

Even though he now understood the sealing method, breaking through it remained challenging. The Seal Stones within the passage were continuously expanding; likely, not even a droplet of water could flow into the Immortal Realm now.

After probing the Serpent Island passage to the Immortal Realm, Ding Fan returned to Yongfan Island.

Construction on Yongfan Island was already taking on the semblance of a modern city. Several skyscrapers had risen from the ground, and even a Western cuisine restaurant had opened at the island's center.

The rapid pace of Yongfan Island's development, of course, could not have been achieved without the contributions of experts Wang Zhian and Xie Lingling. It clearly demonstrated the importance of talent for the growth of a region.

After resting for the night on Yongfan Island, Ding Fan summoned key leaders to the municipal hall for a meeting early the next morning.

Though Ding Fan seldom returned to Yongfan Island, if he did, he would at least familiarize himself with the main developments taking place there.

Present at the meeting were Zhou Ruoran, in charge of law and education; Fang Ruohan, overseeing regional safety and police affairs; Huang Can, responsible for the military; Wang Zhian and Xie Lingling, managing urban planning and construction; and Sun Qi, the herb cultivation apprentice who had been learning from Ding Fan.

Everyone shared updates on Yongfan Island's recent progress.

The first topic was, of course, the island's current security situation.

Public security on Yongfan Island had greatly improved, and with a fully developed legal framework, crime rates had been reduced to very low levels.

On healthcare, thanks to Sun Qi's assistance, hospital staff had benefited from his guidance. Although they couldn't cure extremely severe illnesses, common ailments like colds and fevers were now easily treated.

Additionally, Huang Can gave a report on military developments.

Three warships seized from India had been taken over, and with the help of captured Indian soldiers, they were now proficiently operated by Yongfan Island forces.

To master control of the advanced instruments aboard the warships in such a short time was quite surprising to Ding Fan.

After all, the warships were equipped with numerous advanced devices, making quick proficiency an exceptional feat.

"However, General, now that we've seized three warships from India, they surely won't sit idly by," Huang Can said with some concern after giving his report.

India's military is ranked among the world's top ten. The reason they hadn't dispatched more warships to retaliate was due to escalating tensions with the Vietnamese Navy. They couldn't spare the resources to engage Yongfan Island.

Hu Jin added, "Recently, India has been sending envoys, primarily to urge us to return the captured soldiers and warships as soon as possible."

Ding Fan paused thoughtfully. Vietnam's conflict with India provided a temporary reprieve, so the situation wouldn't likely escalate immediately.

Thus, there was no need to take India's threats seriously for now, as they couldn't afford to turn their attention to Yongfan Island.

"We'll stall India for now. Their conflict with Vietnam is intensifying, so they won't have the time to deal with us," Ding Fan said lightly.

Hu Jin and Huang Can nodded in agreement.

"To gain diplomatic leverage, we must accelerate our military development," Huang Can remarked.

Ding Fan pondered for a moment and then said, "Let's allocate five billion for this." Dıscover more novels at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵

Everyone present was stunned. Even for a regular country, that sum wasn't insignificant, let alone for Yongfan Island.

Ding Fan truly made bold moves; a casual decision involved five billion. For context, the Stars and Stripes Country's annual defense budget was only about a few hundred billion. Yet Ding Fan instantly committed five billion.

Although this amount would be astronomical for others, it wasn't much for Ding Fan. With the successful development of the Revitalizing Pill, paying this sum was no burden for him.

With the five-billion military budget, Huang Can now had the resources to confidently strengthen their forces.

They could purchase more ships, missiles, and various weapons.

"Currently, Yongfan Island's greatest deficiency isn't funding or weaponry; what we lack most is talent," Hu Jin pointed out.

Those present unanimously nodded in agreement.

Wang Zhian and Xie Lingling's contributions in accelerating the island's development were proof enough. If other fields could attract top professionals, Yongfan Island's advancement would surely accelerate by leaps and bounds.

"I think we should move Huaxia Group's headquarters to Yongfan Island," Ding Fan contemplated aloud. "We can hold a pharmaceutical sales event on the island; I believe this will attract more talent."

Relocating Huaxia Group to Yongfan Island wasn't a fleeting idea for Ding Fan; he had been considering it for some time.

The Huaxia Group, grown into a global giant thanks to the Stabilizing Pill, was now renowned across the globe.

Hosting a pharmaceutical sales event on Yongfan Island would undoubtedly draw worldwide attention.

The ultimate version of the Stabilizing Pill and the Revitalizing Pill were treasures as valuable as gold. A previous trial sale of the Revitalizing Pill drew massive crowds to Dancheng.

Seeing pharmaceutical sales hosted on Yongfan Island, Ding Fan was sure that elite professionals and wealthy individuals worldwide would flock to the island.

Hu Jin understood Ding Fan's intentions immediately after hearing him out.

"However, to truly retain talent, we must offer more attractive incentives," Hu Jin suggested.

Ding Fan had no objections; spending more money was inconsequential as long as it secured talent.

Hu Jin continued, "The Revitalizing Pill and Stabilizing Pill are already incredibly rare treasures in the market. During sales, we can target global recruitment. Candidates hired for Yongfan Island jobs can be given Stabilizing Pills or Revitalizing Pills as incentives. I believe recruitment won't be an issue then."

"Let Hu Jin take charge of this task," Ding Fan assigned without hesitation, as he was unfamiliar with managing such operations. Naturally, Hu Jin was to handle the matter.

Hu Jin nodded and refrained from speaking further.

After updates from the other departments, the meeting concluded.

Following the meeting, Hu Jin returned to his office to work on strategies for smoothly conducting the sales and recruitment events.

Within three days, Hu Jin finalized his plans and presented them to Ding Fan.

Ding Fan reviewed Hu Jin's proposal.

The contents perfectly aligned with Ding Fan's prior vision.

The proposal centered on leveraging the Stabilizing Pill and Revitalizing Pill.

Hu Jin first emphasized benefits for all island residents: Yongfan Island citizens with heart disease or cancer would receive free treatment.

Hu Jin modeled this initiative after Europe's welfare systems, where the state takes responsibility for healthcare, education, and public benefits.

In addition to enticing islanders with welfare packages, the proposal required that foreign professionals immigrating to Yongfan Island commit to working there for fixed periods: three years for general employees, two years for specialized workers, and one year for high-level managers to qualify for immigration.

Notably, Hu Jin's plan avoided flooding the market with sales of Stabilizing Pills and Revitalizing Pills.

Ding Fan understood the reasoning immediately. If these medicines became widely available, the value attached to becoming an island resident wouldn't remain as high.

He couldn't help but be impressed by Hu Jin's meticulousness in executing his initial concept to perfection.

By enhancing resident welfare standards, Hu Jin aimed to incentivize professionals from various fields to work on Yongfan Island.

This strategic approach amazed even Ding Fan himself.

Finding no issues with the proposal, Ding Fan returned the document to Hu Jin.

"Wishing you success…," he remarked.

In the following days, Yongfan Island broadcast its messages to the world via international networks. Ding Fan also activated media channels through Lin Qingqing, ensuring news about the island's immigration policy spread globally.

Unsurprisingly, this announcement was like a bombshell, causing an uproar worldwide.

Heart disease and cancer, two of the deadliest adversaries of modern humanity, would be treated for free using Stabilizing Pills and Revitalizing Pills under Yongfan Island's welfare plan for its citizens…

To put it in perspective: one ultimate-version Stabilizing Pill costs at least ten thousand US dollars, while a single Revitalizing Pill is so extraordinary it sells for a million US dollars apiece.

Which country on Earth could rival Yongfan Island's audacity, offering a million-dollar benefit as standard welfare for its citizens?

Shortly after the announcements, talented individuals from across the globe began flocking to Yongfan Island…