Open eyes.
Outside the window, the sky is a clear and expansive blue.
Jiang Cheng sat up from the bed, pushed open the transparent open-style floor-to-ceiling window, and stepped outside the villa.
From here, he could see a layered and boundless sea, transitioning from azure to emerald green, beautiful and dreamlike.
23 degrees 26 minutes north latitude, 126 degrees 48 minutes east longitude.
Jade Island.
Located in the western Pacific, situated between the three major bases: Hachimantai Island in Japan, Subic Bay in the Philippines, and American Taro Island, commanding the crucial maritime routes of the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, it is an essential international passage from East Asia to South and North America and Australia, with extremely important geographical value.
Pacing slowly, Jiang Cheng walked to the seaside.
Looking around, he saw natural coral reefs blocking the waves from the open sea, forming thousands of meters of white sand beaches, where colorful fish swam back and forth in the crystal-clear water. The island was dotted with coconut trees, sand, and seawater, creating a stunning picture.
"Sigh..."
Gazing at the magnificent scenery before him, Jiang Cheng let out a deep sigh, frowning.
He was not a tourist here for leisure.
In fact, this was his private island.
That's right!
This island, with both tropical charm and strategic significance, was Jiang Cheng's private territory!
Is that possible?
Of course!
Because, this is no longer Earth, but a parallel world—Blue Star.
Blue Star shares similar human cultures and customs with Earth, but there are slight deviations in its geographical features and historical progression.
Here, too, is a world of oceans, occupying 70% of the planet's surface area. However, its size is far greater than Earth, comparable to Jupiter, over 1,300 times larger than Earth, with innumerable archipelagos that Earth cannot compare to.
One could say, Blue Star is a world of oceans, but even more so, a world of islands!
Perhaps it is this vast geography that has caused the original historical progress to diverge.
And the starting point of this divergence is the Age of Exploration, from the 15th to the 17th centuries.
In the 15th century on Earth, some developed countries in Europe embarked on a series of ocean explorations in search of new trade routes, significantly expanding the known world's boundaries.
The opening up of new trade routes brought unprecedented prosperity to world trade, and Europe leveraged this rapid development to lay the groundwork for surpassing Asia's prosperity.
The impact of the Age of Exploration was contradictory, bringing prosperity to the world, but also bringing plunder to indigenous peoples!
Almost all regions of the world suffered from plundering, and the lands and indigenous peoples of various continents became objects of plunder.
These are the history already written on Earth, never to be altered.
However, the situation is slightly different on Blue Star.
On Blue Star, the Age of Exploration also began in the 15th century, initiated by the maritime power Portugal in Europe.
However, the vaster oceans of Blue Star greatly slowed the progress of the Age of Exploration, extending it to the present day.
This means that the Great Age of Navigation that ended in the 17th century on Earth, on Blue Star, has astonishingly persisted into the 21st century.
In such a context, this world is destined not to remain peaceful.
Islands that serve as maritime chokepoints with significant strategic value are destined to be the focus of national competition.
Jade Island is such an island.
Surrounded on the south, north, and east by the Philippines, He Country, and the United States, respectively, it is besieged by a pack of wolves, no wonder Jiang Cheng is sleepless every night.
In theory, as a young man in his prime, he should be accompanied by beauties, indulging in revelry every night, but reality played a huge joke on him!
Jiang Cheng is not a Blue Star native, but a newly rich second-generation demolisher on Earth, who, after getting rich overnight, hadn't had the chance to enjoy the good life when his soul was transported to Blue Star due to a maritime accident, becoming a rich young master and accidentally inheriting this island.
To say that his current identity is quite remarkable!
He is the sole grandson and only heir of Jiang Zhenyong, the richest Chinese-Filipino tycoon and famous industrialist in the Philippines.
As a successful businessman, Jiang Zhenyong possessed keen strategic insight and, decades ago, purchased Jade Island at an astronomical price when everyone else was unaware of its value.
As time passed, the value of Jade Island began to emerge, attracting covetous interests from He Country and the United States.
According to the latest assessment, the value of Jade Island has surpassed the current wealth owned by the Jiang Family.
Starting with an island!
This is a dream come true for countless transmigrators, but for Jiang Cheng, it's a hell-level difficulty!
Taking on various powers with the strength of one person—only a fool would try such a thing, right?
The original owner of this body certainly wouldn't be capable, but the current Jiang Cheng is tempted to try this hell-level start.
With this in mind, Jiang Cheng took out his phone and tapped on an application icon on the interface.
"Beep..."
"Island Tycoon System loading..."
As the sound played, a dense matrix of light dots appeared in Jiang Cheng's field of vision, quickly outlining a robust three-dimensional operating interface.
"Welcome, wise and mighty Island Master, to the Island Tycoon System!"
Skipping over the mechanical prompt sound, Jiang Cheng looked at the top of the interface, where the system's attribute panel was located.
[Island Master]: Jiang Cheng
[Level]: Lv1
[Money]: 10 billion USD (System gifted startup capital, restricted for island development use)
[Number of Islands]: 1 (Jade Island)
[Territory Area]: 3,620 square kilometers
[Territorial Sea Area]: 41,500 square kilometers
Currently, Jiang Cheng owns only one Jade Island, controlling a territory centered around Jade Island with a territorial sea of more than 40,000 square kilometers.
He tapped on an icon resembling an island in the upper right corner, and as his vision shifted, the holographic projection of Jade Island and its surrounding territorial seas appeared before him.
This is a lush, tropically styled exotic island, resembling an emerald set in the blue ocean.
Most of the island remains in an undeveloped state, retaining its most primitive natural landscape. Only on the island's western end, there is a solitary building.
This is the seaside villa that the system gifted Jiang Cheng upon his arrival, for reside use.
Above the holographic projection, some related information about Jade Island is displayed.
[Name]: Jade Island
[Location]: Western Pacific (N23°26′, E126°48′)
[Ownership]: Private territory
[Nature]: Habitable Island
[Area]: 3,620 square kilometers
[Population]: 1
[Politics]: 0
[Economy]: 0
[Military]: 0
[Comprehensive Development Index]: 0
[Valuation]: 18.7 billion USD
[Evaluation]: An undeveloped virgin land, an ocean pearl in the Western Pacific, guarding the crucial maritime routes of the Western Pacific, possessing immense strategic value and is a coveted battleground for maritime powers.
"Damn... How did it increase again!"
Glancing past Jade Island's basic information, when Jiang Cheng's gaze landed on the valuation column, his face instantly turned dark, and he couldn't help but curse.