How could he be so reckless?

Following the news release of China's firm commitment to protecting Jiang Xu, and with official clarification now established, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, deep regret remained regarding the withdrawal from ITER.

"This is utterly despicable! ITER was only a few years away from completion, and now the US pulls this stunt—it's like tearing down the bridge after crossing the river!"

"The person above is right. Damn it, they could have just kicked us out directly, yet they went out of their way to manufacture an excuse. I'm crying."

"You two idiots actually believe the official denials? I bet Jiang Xu really did steal it, and withdrawing is just a way to save face!"

"Right, right, you pro-foreign bootlickers don't need to roam around everywhere; crawl back into your trash cans."

"Damn it, why are bamboo-eaters everywhere? Get back to your America."

"Your American daddy is holding a funeral for his astronauts right now. Why aren't you going to pay your respects to your daddy's remains? Get lost!"

"..."

Netizens across the board were filled with indignation.

For no other reason than that anyone familiar with the ITER project understood its significance.

This was currently humanity's greatest hope for controllable nuclear fusion.

With China withdrawing now, its research progress would fall completely behind.

Energy is the foundation of industry; it is the ultimate bedrock.

A profound sense of crisis made them feel deeply uneasy.

Everyone shared the unsettling realization of being jointly pushed out of the fourth energy revolution by the rest of the world!

China had missed the first industrial revolution, and missed the second, resulting in a century of weakness and immense suffering.

Although it had only managed to catch the tail end of the third information revolution, it had finally managed to catch up.

Yet now, at the critical juncture of the fourth energy revolution, it was being collectively elbowed out.

How could anyone not be furious?

This was nothing less than an attempt to drag China back into an era where it could be bullied at will.

Such a development was entirely unacceptable to them!

Zhu Cheng returned to Beijing overnight. Disregarding the exhaustion of the journey, he immediately requested a meeting with the Number One Leader.

The Number One Leader was resting in his study, reading a book on multiverse theory. Seeing Elder Zhu enter, he raised his head slightly and spoke in a soft voice:

"Elder Zhu, is this about that incident in France?"

"Yes!"

Elder Zhu let out a low grunt, a cold expression on his face as he suppressed the surging anger in his chest.

"Those people are trying to discard the draft horse the moment it plows the field! After pouring so much money into it, they think they can just kick us out whenever they please? Do they think they are the rulers of the universe?"

"We absolutely cannot let them succeed so easily!"

The Number One Leader nodded slightly, gently setting down the book in his hand with a faint chuckle. He then pulled out a world map, pointed to the Indian Ocean, and said calmly:

"I heard that the components we manufactured for ITER were shipped to the Indian Ocean and are about to reach the Red Sea?"

"That's correct!"

Elder Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing that the waters near Yemen had been circled with a small red pen mark.

With a sudden widening of his eyes, Elder Zhu inwardly praised the move as brilliant.

Never did he expect that the Number One Leader had already made up his mind long ago.

Look at the countries on both shores of the Red Sea encircled by those two large rings—was the implication not already crystal clear?

Feeling a surge of joy, he immediately asked:

"We certainly cannot let the components we built go to waste."

"My thought is..."

By this point, Elder Zhu already knew where things stood; the Number One Leader would undoubtedly back him up.

"I approve. Just make sure it looks clean."

The Number One Leader did not hesitate.

What a joke. Pour so much money in, only to hand it to you on a silver platter?

You must be dreaming!

"Understood, I'll see to it immediately!"

The corners of Elder Zhu's mouth curled upward as he let out a cold hum.

American bastards.

If you can pull a fast one on day one, I can return the favor on day fifteen.

If you make things difficult for me, don't expect to have an easy time either!

...

Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

At a coastal port in a Middle Eastern country, a man named Jumabay looked in bewilderment at the multiple vessels sailing out of the harbor, puzzled.

"Dispatching so many armed ships at once? Are they going to war with the US?"

"And the Chinese warships have left the port too. What are they trying to do?"

These were his country's armed vessels. Ever since the warships of the Great Eastern Power began periodically stopping at their port for resupply, their own country rarely had to mobilize this many ships at once!

Moreover, they were accompanied by Chinese naval vessels this time.

In his memory, the last time so many ships were mobilized was to monitor a US carrier strike group.

Could it be the same this time?

...

At the entrance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a massive cargo ship was cruising slowly.

Out on the deck, Soren was enjoying the sea breeze; the cabin felt rather stuffy, making him quite uncomfortable.

Watching the seabirds soaring freely in the distance, he let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong, Soren, thinking of your hometown again?"

Norton walked out from the cabin with his hands behind his back, only revealing a bottle of wine with a triumphant grin once he drew close.

"I'm missing it a little. Where did you get that?!"

Soren turned around, his expression brightening at the sight of the wine.

"This is produced in my father's estate, and it tastes exceptional. I brought a few extra bottles when I came."

Gracefully pouring a glass for Soren, Norton teased, "By the end of the month at the latest, we'll reach France, and this damn mission will finally be over!"

"Indeed."

Taking the glass, Soren brought it toward his lips, but suddenly hesitated.

"We shouldn't drink. In case we encounter pirates, we need to stay sharp and ensure the safety of the ITER equipment!"

"Forget about that damn equipment! Look at this vast, boundless sea—there aren't even any other ships around, where would pirates come from?"

Norton complained somewhat discontentedly, gesturing broadly with his hands before shouting toward the ocean, "Hey, Mr. Pirate, we're right here!"

"Come and get us!!"

After the shout, the ocean remained vast and tranquil, showing not the slightest change.

Norton was quite satisfied with this. He puckered his lips, lightly raised his goblet, and shrugged: "Soren, we have the protection of the US military bases here. We are a United Nations vessel flying the joint flag of seventeen nations; which blind pirate would dare target us?"

"You're being too sensitive. Maybe you're just feeling anxious because you're heading home?"

"Being on the verge of a long-awaited reunion with family certainly gets one excited."

"Perhaps I am just too anxious indeed."

Hearing Norton's words, Soren also felt he might be overreacting. He smiled slightly:

"Very well, you've successfully convinced me. Let's—"

"What is that??!"

Just as he was about to toast with Norton, Norton froze in place.

Ahead on the distant sea surface, several tiny black dots had suddenly appeared!

"Quick, get the binoculars!"

Dropping what was in his hand, Norton immediately grabbed a pair of binoculars.

As he focused his gaze, his expression underwent a drastic shift.

"Soren, unidentified vessels are approaching! Black flags—they're pirates!"

"Quick, alert the security guards!"

After identifying the approaching vessels through the binoculars, Norton felt his legs go weak.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to actually run into pirates.

How dare these pirates do this? This was a cargo ship flying the joint flags of seventeen nations!

Were they really that unafraid of death???