Chapter 311

Chapter 311: The Frantic Pentagon

As the person in charge, he shouldn’t lose composure in front of his subordinates, but the Americans faced setbacks in Asia that affected national military deterrence and could even lead to a frightening avalanche effect.

“The recent activities of the Chinese have been very strange, with no clear purpose. Rafael, tell us about the latest situation regarding the George Washington; we hope Colonel David can bring us good news.”

“Yes, sir!”

A young woman with obvious Anglo-Saxon lineage, blonde hair and blue eyes, and a slender figure stood up from a corner of the conference table, holding a document in her hand. “News from the Navy Department reports that the George Washington aircraft carrier task force has arrived at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore for rest. Although their operations in the South China Sea consumed a lot of ammunition, there were no personnel casualties. Aside from one anti-submarine helicopter losing its sonar system, there weren’t significant losses. However, many soldiers require psychological treatment.”

“I understand. Damn, 200 knots? How is that possible? Murphy, do you have something to say as the lead investigator of the ‘Shuttle’ team?”

A brown-haired middle-aged white man quickly stood up to respond. “In fact, we can’t even achieve this speed with our own technology. Japan doesn’t have the capacity for it. Their secretly developed magnetic fluid propulsion system has a maximum theoretical speed of only 170 knots, and the experimental equipment they produced can only reach up to 70 knots. This involves materials engineering as well; Japan can’t significantly invest in that area for focused research. The Chinese also have similar experimental propulsion systems that can only achieve about 60 knots. Since we lost track of the target in the South China Sea, we haven’t been able to find it again. Even with the synthetic aperture radar from satellites scanning the entire Pacific, South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Sulawesi Sea, and Java Sea, there haven’t been any traces. However, at the scene, the target’s anti-sonar and anti-radar performance was extremely poor, which is puzzling.”

“Can we confirm this is human technology?”

“Sorry, sir, this mysterious submersible is at least 100 years ahead of us. Each knot increase in the underwater propulsion system represents a technological upgrade. This is not something a small organization or country can support. Our country has significant technological barriers for future technologies as well. I even suspect this submersible can operate on the surface and possibly fly.”

“That’s really bad news. Notify naval oceanic bases to collect information about this submersible. Damn, it sounds like Captain Nemo’s incredible submarine from Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,’ not actually the Nautilus, right?”

A young white man boldly said, “Chief, that’s impossible. That’s just a novel; it would be more believable to say it’s the Atlantis civilization.”

The middle-aged white general, seemingly unfazed by the use of the term “chief,” casually glanced at the young man and maintained his earlier tone. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the last message the other side sent is quite perplexing—a mix of Japanese and English, which is unprecedented in clear signals. Although the content is meaningless and might have anti-Japanese sentiments, combined with the initial area of the opponent’s appearance, if it were human-made, it should belong to some Asia-Pacific country or organization. After all, that area was invaded by Japan, so it could hardly be dismissed. However, it’s still unlikely; the technological barriers are too significant. The most probable scenario is that someone directly stumbled upon a well-preserved alien submersible and gained control over it. We must determine this at all costs. Even if it means war, we won’t hesitate as long as we can acquire the technology from this submersible; the United States will surely silence all international opposition. The world only needs one voice.”

Everyone understood that after the United States forcefully accessed Japan’s highly classified technology research files, the Japanese would get labeled as unlucky victims—truly having nothing to do with it all. However, that mysterious submersible with a speed of 200 knots conveniently gifted the Americans with an excuse. This unforeseen disaster was entirely undeserved.

The outcome of unlocking state technology secrets was clear; the Japanese waited to be taken advantage of by the greedy Americans, who would likely extort them. Whether by theft or seizure, they were bound to suffer this undeserved loss.

“No matter what it is, the whole world knows that we Americans fought an alien in the South China Sea. What exactly happened? We can’t even figure it out ourselves. Congress is demanding an explanation from us, and how can we explain this? Just based on a video and a few pages of ammunition expenditure, will that satisfy Congress? The world’s news media has gone crazy. They have gathered in the South China Sea, turning the entire seabed into a sonar noise zone, filled with various active sonar waves. Even the most primitive submarine could easily hide among them.”

“Mogli, inform CIA’s Mr. David Hutchison to stop dealing with Lockheed people. Damn it, we are the shield of America, not the enforcers of the Lockheed family. Don’t think that just because they have some money, they can send our precious American soldiers to their deaths. If they think there’s too much money, they should hire mercenaries themselves. Our latest equipment isn’t meant to be wasted on them. Remember to add a zero to our loss list before sending it back to old Lockheed. What a bunch of greedy bastards.”

“But, Secretary Janson, Lockheed Martin just agreed to offer a 1% discount for the Air Force and Navy’s equipment…”

With Lockheed being one of the crucial suppliers for the U.S. Department of Defense, even 1% of an equipment order represents a substantial sum.

“That’s not our concern. Let someone else deal with the headache. I’m tired of you idiots. Hmph. Unless they’re the Rothschilds, DuPont, or the Morgans, we don’t need to care about them. Not with that $20 million sponsorship. Hmph, don’t think I don’t know you’re as soft as CIA when dealing with them.”

The general’s words hit a nerve, causing several individuals at the conference table to break out in cold sweat.

A colonel in a black uniform accidentally dropped his pen, suddenly standing up and saying, “No, no, no! I swear, Secretary Janson; there’s nothing going on. I have ‘evidence’ to prove my innocence.”

“Yes, yes, I have ‘evidence’ too!”

“Alright, alright! Before dinner, bring your ‘evidence’ to my office, one by one.” The general’s stern face seemed to soften a bit as he waved his hands.

This greedy old man; several of the younger, less experienced individuals exchanged glances at the table. This ‘evidence’ was merely the benefits spit out by those bastards. If only they had more power, they would make a considerable profit as well.

As a supplier of America’s two main battle aircraft, the annual profits were astounding, with plenty of opportunities to get rich alongside it.

“Notify all departments to fully track down that submersible’s information. Don’t focus on irrelevant people and matters; we’ve already suffered enough losses, and it’s unnecessary.”

The general snapped a ballpoint pen in anger and threw it hard into the trash can in the corner of the conference room.

The entire Hornet Squadron of pilots faced severe punishment. They had to endure the Americans’ burdens, all while being pressured by the president and Congress. The responsible individuals in the Pentagon felt like they were under constant torment every minute and second, with endless reports and inquiries raising their blood pressure sky-high.

Compared to the approach of the Pentagon, which had received benefits but refused to exert effort, the CIA’s attitude was even more frustrating.

In Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, in a luxurious office covering nearly half a floor owned by Lockheed, a grim face behind a redwood executive desk cried out, “Damn it, bastards, dog shit, son of a bitch…” Numerous vile words erupted from this stylish individual who had found success in the upper echelons of society.

The Pentagon’s bills, combined with severely worded communications, were tough to bear. Although the CIA provided a slightly milder explanatory document, they still attached an invoice. Not only did the failure of the operation in Afghanistan lead to massive losses for two powerful agencies, even the initially eager CIA couldn’t afford the intelligence loss.

To deploy covert operations and use directed energy weapons within China presented significant exposure risks. Furthermore, such high-risk retaliatory actions resulted in the Chinese swiftly dismantling an intelligence network that precisely represented an entire province’s worth of intelligence within China.

For the sake of one pilot, the costs far outweighed the benefits, bringing forth both overt and covert retaliation from the Chinese government.

Facing such losses, the CIA had to abandon many planned operations. Although they had always deliberately maintained good relations with Lockheed, they couldn’t prevent pressure from all directions. After all, key American institutions were not just serving one person; other consortiums were also impacted.

Some appeared to underestimate the complexity of the situation.

If Lin Mo and the Gold Coin knew of this matter, they would likely burst into laughter and exchange a congratulatory gesture.