NCCnovel Chapter 76 Ship Tickets? What ship tickets?
Chapter 76 Ship Tickets? What ship tickets?
The morning sun began to dispel the chill, casting warm dappled light on the carpet.
U.S. President George held a cup of freshly ground Blue Mountain coffee, his mood as good as the sunny day outside.
He flipped through a poll report on the table, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his face.
Approval ratings are recovering.
All it takes is a well-timed muscle-flexing performance to turn this resurgence into a rally in approval ratings.
"As planned, the USS Reagan should be arriving at its designated area soon," George said casually to his White House chief of staff.
"I believe our friends in the East have already received our warm greetings."
The chief of staff smiled and nodded: "Yes, Mr. President. The headlines for the next few days have already been reserved for you."
The world's policeman is once again patrolling the globe.
Nothing could soothe the anxieties of the public caused by the economic downturn.
Just then.
"Bang!"
The heavy oak door to the office was violently flung open, and Defense Secretary Holman stormed in.
He ignored everyone; his gray hair was somewhat disheveled.
His eyes, usually as sharp as a hawk's, were now bloodshot, and his face was so gloomy it looked like it could be wrung out of water.
The relaxed atmosphere in the office instantly froze.
George frowned.
He put down his coffee cup, his tone tinged with annoyance at being disturbed: "Holman, I think my secretary must have told you that I need some peace and quiet this morning."
"Quiet?" Holman's voice was hoarse, like a stone being smashed.
"We may never have peaceful days again!"
George's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up inside him.
He waved for his chief of staff to leave first, and the office door was gently closed.
"What happened?" George asked in a deep voice. "Did something go wrong during the exercise?"
Holman stared intently at George, uttering a few words through gritted teeth.
"The fleet... has returned to port."
"What?" George was stunned; he even doubted that he had heard correctly.
"You finished the task ahead of schedule? That's efficient."
"No!" Holman's voice suddenly rose.
"They were forced to retreat!"
"Under the orders of our own fleet commander, Commodore Williams, we turned back like a pack of stray dogs!"
George jumped up from his chair, the color draining from his face instantly.
"Forced to retreat? Who? The Chinese? They dare to attack the USS Ronald Reagan?!"
He couldn't believe his ears.
"What did they use? The entire air force and navy of the Eastern Theater Command? Why didn't Williams retaliate?!"
Holman's face broke into a bitter smile, a mixture of fear and absurdity.
He walked up to George's desk and slammed a newly encrypted war briefing onto it.
"Retaliate? Mr. President, tell me, who should we retaliate against?!"
George grabbed the report and quickly scanned it.
"...The USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group has arrived in international waters at 125 degrees east longitude and 28 degrees north latitude..."
"...At 20:13 PM Beijing time, the bridge command center received the highest-level combat alert..."
"...Several unidentified high-speed flying targets were visually detected. They were painted dark gray and had the red insignia of the Chinese Air Force on their wings..."
Upon seeing this, George's breathing became rapid.
He continued looking down, his pupils suddenly contracting.
"...The Aegis system radar, carrier-based early warning aircraft radar, and satellite detection network...all are reporting no signals! Repeat, radar shows the airspace is 'clean'!"
"...At 20:15 PM, the fire control radars of seven of our main warships—the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the cruisers USS Princeton and USS Normandy, and the destroyer USS Chung Ion—were simultaneously locked on!"
"...At 20:16 PM, in order to avoid 'unpredictable and devastating attacks,' Brigadier General Williams ordered the battle group to abandon the exercise, immediately turn around, and return to base at full speed..."
George slammed the report to the ground, his chest heaving violently, feeling the blood rush to his head!
It can be seen with the naked eye, but cannot be detected by radar!
They can lock onto you, but you can't even find a trace of the enemy!
What does this mean?
This means that the invincible fleet, which cost hundreds of billions of dollars and was hailed as an "unsinkable sea fortress," is now gone.
In the eyes of the other side, they are just a row of live targets floating on the water, completely helpless!
An unprecedented sense of humiliation and fear instantly surged into George's heart.
He abruptly raised his head, staring at Holman with bloodshot eyes, his voice trembling with anger.
"Is this what you promised me—that military force is the ultimate bargaining chip?!"
"So this is what you mean by 'the ticket to the new era is still firmly in our hands'?!"
George's voice grew louder and louder as he grabbed the crystal globe from the table and smashed it hard on the ground!
"Crack!"
The crystal globe shattered into pieces, scattered all over the ground.
"Tickets? Holman! They didn't even want the ship! They just flew their ghost plane over our heads and shit on us!"
George pointed at Holman's nose and roared hysterically.
"And you! You arrogant fool! You've sent our most elite fleet to their slaughterhouse!"
Holman's face turned pale and then red as he was scolded.
His prized military judgment, the belief in power he had built throughout his life, was shattered in that moment.
"I don't know... how would I know they have such a thing..."
He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with confusion and resentment.
"This doesn't make sense! This is impossible! There must be some mistake! Perhaps it's Tsarist Russia..."
"Enough!" George interrupted him rudely.
"Can't you see the Chinese military insignia on the report?! What can you do besides sending the fleet out to show off your power, you Minister of National Defense?!"
"Then what do you want?!" Holman, driven to the brink, finally snapped, slamming his fist on the table and yelling back.
"Declare war on them?! With our 'blind' radar system?! Or send our pilots to fight the ghosts?!"
These words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing George's anger.
Yes.
declare war?
and then?
Are you just going to watch helplessly as your fleet and base are wiped off the map one by one by attacks from unknown directions?
A deathly silence fell over the office.
The sun was still shining brightly outside, but these two most powerful men in the world felt as if they were in the cold night.
For the first time, they discovered the "truth" they were so proud of.
Those aircraft carriers, nuclear weapons, and military bases are so pale and powerless in the face of a new and incomprehensible force.
After a long while, George slumped back into his chair, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
He waved his hand, his voice tired and hoarse.
"Remove Williams, find a reason, and don't let things escalate."
"It was announced that... the exercise was abruptly ended due to severe weather."
This was an incredibly frustrating decision, but it was also the only one that could save the last bit of face.
Holman opened his mouth, but ultimately did not object, acquiescing to this humiliating proposal.
"besides!"
George raised his head, his former sharpness and confidence completely gone, replaced by a deep sense of apprehension and lingering fear.
"I need to know...where did they get these things that don't belong to this era from!"
George's voice was low, yet carried an undeniable command.
"in addition……"
"I need other targets to divert attention, while simultaneously maintaining my approval rating!"
Holman readily agreed.
"I understand, Your Excellency!"
"It's time to clean up the mess in South America!"