Chapter 319

Chapter 319: Some Are Joyful While Others Worry

The aviation crew encountered a big benefactor. The soldiers from the four groups rushed into the cafeteria at mealtime, ignoring the cafeteria’s arrangements. They rushed to the newly designated area with several large round tables set up in a private room.

People from other departments of the aircraft carrier cast envious glances, knowing that the treatment of the aviators was always top-notch. Having just accepted a secret 3 million yuan bonus from the Shenyang Aircraft Manufacturing Plant for the "Dark Sabre" new operational drive system, Lin Mo thought it was a good opportunity to give back to his comrades. Now that he had come into money, he wanted to share the good fortune.

As glasses clinked…

Don’t get the wrong idea; the glasses were filled with non-alcoholic beverages. Any pilot wanting to indulge in smoking or drinking would only be asking for trouble.

Moreover, aside from a small stock of wine and cooking wine, the only alcoholic product on the entire aircraft carrier came from the medical team’s disinfectant alcohol. Drinking was prohibited in the military; this hard rule was maintained by nearly all nations except for a few in Russia and Northern Europe.

Captain Smith of the Los Angeles-class "Hampton" attack submarine, SSN-767, and Lieutenant Morlenk, the navigation officer, were also enjoying Lin Mo’s generosity—indeed, they were benefiting from their own luck by getting a chance to dine aboard China’s first aircraft carrier, Shilang.

However, the two American naval officers faced a table filled with a rare and sumptuous feast from the South China Sea, yet they struggled to eat and drink, feeling completely overwhelmed.

Their table was the only one with alcoholic beverages, and Lin Mo had paid for the celebration dinner, racking up a bill of over 50,000 yuan on his card. The restaurant even supported satellite connections for card payments, offering a special convenience.

Not only were they celebrating the victory, but they also found themselves having to pay for it while feeling trapped—this was even more humiliating than getting slapped in the face.

Captain Smith and Lieutenant Morlenk forced themselves to smile in response to the toasts from the Chinese military, completely losing their appetites amidst the lavish feast.

Surrounded by a pack of tigers, how could these poor Americans truly feel happy? They exchanged a few words here and there, while the duty captains welcomed their honored guests with cheerful spirits, seemingly in a great mood.

Of course, they were thrilled; this was a genuine victory. The emotions of the Chinese and American military officers at the dining table were worlds apart.

The American sailors on the Hampton submarine were also treated to a nice Chinese dinner, of course paid for by the navy; later, the Pentagon would have to cover this under the pretext of supplying the Hampton.

The delicious cuisine from the Eastern country was far more appetizing than the long-shelf life food aboard the submarine. Over a hundred American sailors had moods just like the two officers invited to the Shilang—some stood while others lingered in the cramped quarters of the submarine, feeling bored and restless.

In the command pod of the Hampton, while some submarine officers maintained basic operations, they dared not act recklessly. Within the surface fire power range of the Chinese, the submarine would find itself in a precarious position.

Some American submarine officers envied Lieutenant Golra, who had been ordered onto the "George Washington" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and was headed back to Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa, Japan.

That fool was quite lucky; he wouldn’t have to endure the shame of being branded as having surrendered to the Chinese.

It was easy to imagine that this incident would become another piece in the chess game between the two great powers, with the Americans giving and the Chinese receiving, only to have the favor returned soon after.

"The Americans are really foolish!"

Perhaps in the future, many similar remarks would arise.

The Los Angeles-class Hampton attack submarine, floating peacefully in the South China Sea, only needed to run passive sonar while basking in the "protection" of the Chinese aircraft carrier task force.

However, on the Hampton, the American sailors remained on edge. While they needn’t worry that the Pentagon would abandon them and turn against them, knowing they might be treated as sacrificial pawns, the submarine’s defense systems continually reminded them that at least two Chinese frigates had their main guns aimed directly at them, alongside over six anti-submarine missile systems locked onto them 24/7.

Not only that, but the frigates’ high-caliber machine guns and rapid-fire cannons could easily tear through the single-layer hull of a Los Angeles-class submarine. Plus, the Shilang aircraft carrier was lurking behind them; at a single command, helicopters armed with anti-submarine torpedoes could take to the skies, as well as carrier-based aircraft carrying aerial bombs.

For a surfaced submarine with its propulsion and attack systems shut down, even a 50-kilogram bomb could send it deep into the South China Sea.

The only relief for the Hampton’s crew was that the Chinese had no intentions of driving off their crew; this was likely thanks to the American government maintaining close contact with the Chinese side. Perhaps they would have to pay some price to ensure a safe departure.

China, Beijing VS the United States, Washington.

Under the radar of the news media, high-level official dialogues between the two countries intensified, and even the secret phones on the tables of their leaders rang twice.

Once again, regardless of the time zones of both countries, relevant personnel from the Chinese and American parties abandoned their rest and gathered together, forming an emergency response team to take action regarding the unexpected incident.

As for the details of their discussions, after receiving the detailed report sent by the Shilang as soon as possible, the Chinese personnel almost burst into laughter. The American attack submarine had foolishly approached to observe China’s carrier-based aircraft conducting anti-submarine training, gathering strategic intelligence without being detected—an impossible task when it was essentially a mission to find them!

Everyone marveled at the remarkable vision of the pilot who discovered the Hampton. From such a distance, he accidentally spotted the periscope bobbing on the ocean surface, which was nearly the size of a thermos.

However, what the Chinese didn’t know was that a message was circulating secretly among the Americans, stating that China had the most outstanding pilot in history aboard the Shilang aircraft carrier patrolling the South China Sea.

This was no exaggeration.

Somewhere in an undisclosed military base in the United States, two wings of an RC135 reconnaissance aircraft, bearing bullet holes marked with the words "FUCK" and "YOU," secretly demonstrated to anyone who saw them that China possessed a terrifying pilot capable of using the cannon as a sniper rifle.

If this news were released to the public, everyone could imagine the catastrophic impact it would have on the morale of American air force pilots.

The modern, large-caliber cannons mounted on fighter jets now represented the emergence of a close-combat master even more fearsome than an ace pilot. Without needing missiles, anyone within range would find themselves facing the barrel of a gun, with certain death ahead.

These two pieces of evidence, which would make any international pilot’s legs weaken at the sight, were sealed away, and all related personnel were ordered to remain silent.

The apprehension of the Americans allowed the Chinese to gain a substantial advantage regarding the Hampton attack submarine. Gritting their teeth, they agreed to some secret agreements that could not be disclosed to the outside world in exchange for the protection of the entire submarine and its crew.

The Americans were left feeling like they had to swallow their pride; the term "bitter" barely captured their emotions at this moment.

After enduring 36 hours of anxiety, Captain Smith of the Hampton finally received the transfer orders from the Shilang and the orders from the Pentagon via satellite on the third day at 9 a.m.

One document came from China, and the other from America, but both contained nearly identical content.

The main point was to make a copy of all collected military intelligence, regardless of whether it contained information about other countries, and hand it over to the people on the Shilang. All storage devices were to be reset and erased thoroughly, with 100 rounds of overwriting to ensure complete destruction of the files.

The last directive was to reset the main computer system of the Hampton, and then activate the passive sonar. Under the watch of the Chinese navy, they were to leave the South China Sea and head to the military base in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

The firmness of these conditions exceeded previous rules for captured vessels, yet the Americans had repeatedly faced setbacks in the South China Sea and had no choice but to comply.

From a cost perspective, the purchase and modification costs of the Shilang had not yet surpassed those of the Los Angeles-class submarine, and with nothing to lose, the Chinese would not suffer a loss.

As for how much data they would provide or whether they would reset the system according to orders, that was a matter open to interpretation. Whether the captain of the Hampton would strictly follow the orders was another question.

The Chinese wouldn’t care what manipulations the Americans employed or if they put on a show as long as they surfaced and departed. The conditions presented were merely a display of a tough stance; the next time, they might very well mean to take the submarine directly home, just like the American EP-3B reconnaissance aircraft forced to land at Hainan Lingshui Airport.

And when that time comes, the Americans would surely be in tears.

“Thank God!”

Captain Smith let out a sigh of relief as he heard the sound of a helicopter approaching. The Chinese naval officials tasked with monitoring the execution of the expulsion order had arrived, and the unarmed helicopter steadily landed on the deck of the Hampton.

The Chinese arrived rather quickly!

It was likely they were eager to see the expression on the American submarine captain’s face at that moment.

However, that was much better than dealing with the two nearby frigates watching them with intent. The combat positions on the Chinese ships changed almost every 24 hours, and Captain Smith felt a knot in his throat, fearing that these inexperienced Chinese sailors might inadvertently fire a volley, leaving him no chance to escape.

“Hello, I am Yu Song, here to supervise the execution of the agreement. Is everything ready?” The Chinese navy commander, looking to be in his forties, showed Captain Smith some respect, framing this very firm demand as an agreement, but his tone carried impatience.

The humans are merely knives and boards, and I am the fish. At this moment, Captain Smith could only express his gratitude in his heart.

Only one military officer was sent to board the submarine from the Chinese side, which also counted as a courtesy towards the Americans. The American soldiers carefully scanned Commander Yu Song with detection equipment, finding no electronics on him.

Standing on the submarine’s deck, Captain Smith reluctantly handed over a five-proof mobile hard drive to the Chinese officer. As he watched the officer turn and board the still-operational helicopter to leave, only a bitter smile remained on his face.