Chapter 56: The scene was just like US warplanes falling from the sky like dumplings being dumped into a pot, dropping down in droves.

Inside the Nanhai, where Commander Wu Tong was stationed, the atmosphere was dead silent.

Everyone held their breath, their fists clenched tightly, consumed by intense nervousness.

A heavy tension hung in the air among them all.

Before the mission, Wu Tong had shown all the officers and soldiers Fred's video.

That video had proven to be exceptionally effective.

Right now, a surging anger burned in the hearts of every single officer and soldier.

It was an overwhelming fury, desperate to crush the United States into dust!

"The target drone has changed course; the enemy shows no immediate intent to attack."

The controller was closely monitoring the flight status of the drone.

At this distance, they were already close enough to drop anti-ship bombs, yet the enemy still had not made a move.

Could it be that they were just putting on a show again, simply trying to scare people?

The moment that thought crossed his mind, a sudden change on the radar screen slapped him hard in the face.

His pupils violently contracted. Without a word, he immediately triggered the combat alarm and reported:

"Captain, the target drone is confirmed destroyed! The enemy has opened fire!"

"All units, the enemy has opened fire! Execute Plan One as planned!"

Wu Tong had been preparing all along. Hearing the report, he didn't hesitate for a second. He quickly notified the entire ship, immediately linked up with the vessel's vertical launch system (VLS), and roared in a voice bordering on a scream:

"VLS prepare! Hypersonic unit 63, volley of two!"

The officers and soldiers responsible for managing the VLS cells simultaneously received the impact coordinates issued by the command center.

This was the pre-arranged Plan One, the designated target zone assigned to the Nanhai.

Hearing the captain's launch command along with the coordinates from the command center, the officers immediately pressed the switches on their control consoles. Their hands hovered over the red buttons, eyes fixed on the mission timer.

"14:20 hours. Time's up. Launch!"

With a furious roar, driven by the wrath burning in their hearts, the officers slammed down the buttons!

Hum-whoosh—

The "chocolate-box" vertical launch cells at the bow of the ship had their dual hatches blown open.

Following that, two waverider missiles emitted a strange, low-pitched hum and violently shot upward.

The instant they cleared the launch tubes, dazzling rocket plumes ignited.

The ferocious engines roared into action with reckless abandon.

Carrying the fury of everyone present and their resolute determination to defend their homeland, the supersonic missiles sped swiftly toward the skies above the U.S. forces.

Moreover, these two were not the only ones in the sky!

Even more—as many as a dozen similar missiles—were rapidly cutting through the air toward the enemy.

These would be the sharp blades plunged straight into the enemy's heart, bringing a final end to their arrogance!

"Report to the Captain: all eight ships have launched their kinetic energy projectiles. Estimated time to target: fifteen minutes."

The communications officer collated the data from all the vessels and immediately reported to Captain Wu Tong.

"Understood. Inform all ships to keep a close eye on the enemy aircraft and hold their positions for now; do not act rashly."

In fifteen minutes, the enemy planes wouldn't be able to fly very far.

At this moment, Wu Tong's heart was filled with extreme tension.

The truth was, the command headquarters' Plan One was simply too earth-shattering.

"Although theoretically these eighteen kinetic energy projectiles are capable of blanketing the three-nation fleet twice with electromagnetic pulses, what will the actual effect be?"

Wu Tong had never witnessed a live test of kinetic energy weapons in person, which left him feeling deeply anxious.

He let out a slight sigh.

He had already prepared himself for the worst in his heart.

If it failed, the motherland lay directly behind them, and they had nowhere left to retreat!

"The headquarters would never joke about something like this. I believe in them!"

Wu Tong's voice was firm. He clenched his fists tighter, staring at the condensation trails left behind by the missiles in the sky, his heart filled with anticipation.

...

The Tri-National Allied Navies.

Karl Thomas looked at the satellite-captured positional map of the Eastern superpower's fleet, feeling somewhat baffled.

"The Blade-class cruisers are stationed this far away from the main fleet. What kind of formation is this?"

On the naval chart, the eight Chinese Type 055 destroyers were positioned at an absurdly vast distance from the main fleet.

If Karl didn't already know that these eight vessels formed their main force, he would have thought they were merely cannon fodder meant for probing.

What on earth is the enemy trying to pull?!

This maneuver completely bewildered Karl. He simply couldn't make sense of it...

"No matter what tricks they are trying to play!"

Karl narrowed his eyes, a victorious smile blooming across his face as he watched more fighter jets launching into the sky.

"Regardless, the moment we made our move, they failed to forcefully strike back to drive away our aircraft carriers. Just by taking that single action, they have already lost!"

"Our invincible air force is already airborne!"

The tri-national fleet, consisting of more than a hundred warships, had pincered the opposing fleet.

Five aircraft carriers and over a hundred fighter jets had already been launched.

Tell me, how could I possibly lose?!

Karl couldn't help but laugh wildly in his heart, eventually letting out an audible chuckle.

The superpower on the opposite side had yet to make a move—were they planning to cower like frightened turtles?

"Captain, the enemy's eight detached cruisers have fired eighteen missiles toward our airspace. They are hypersonic missiles!"

At that moment, the observer spoke up, though his voice held a hint of confusion as he continued:

"Furthermore, the target coordinates for these eighteen missiles are not our aircraft carriers, but rather..."

"Open water?!"

This maneuver completely stumped the operator.

What was going on?

We attacked your drones to declare war, and not only did you do nothing then, but now that you finally strike, you completely miss the target?

What kind of ghost operation is this?

Upon hearing the communication officer's report, Karl was equally dumbfounded.

If you were launching hypersonic anti-ship missiles directly and properly at us...

with missiles traveling at that kind of speed, dealing with them would genuinely be a bit troublesome.

Yet you bloody well fired straight into thin air???

This baffling move genuinely left Karl entirely at a loss.

Had the enemy lost their minds?

Wasting such high-performance missiles on empty air!

"Hmph, a bunch of cowards. They must have been thoroughly cowed by the might of the American Navy and didn't dare to fight back!"

Karl Thomas naturally assumed that the Eastern superpower had grown terrified.

They simply didn't dare to trade blows with them.

The fleet of the United States had always roamed across the four oceans; who had ever failed to bow their head in submission and behave obediently upon seeing them?

Therefore, regarding these bizarre actions by the Eastern superpower, he naturally and comfortably concluded that the enemy was trembling before their overwhelming military might!

"Hahahaha!"

A disdainful laugh escaped his lips.

Karl Thomas could practically envision countless military contracts and his own luxurious lifestyle in the future!

He saw victory right before his eyes!

Across the way, the missiles of a certain Eastern superpower were still hurtling through the air at extreme speed.

Yet Karl no longer cared about them at all.

His gaze had already shifted toward the opposing fleet.

If—if he could completely annihilate them!

Karl couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of accolades and treatment would come his way!

As he was lost in these daydreams...

Boom-zing—

A strange, muffled explosion echoed across the sky.

In the distance, the kinetic energy projectiles launched by China streaked at top speed to the airspace above their destination and detonated directly at an altitude of ten kilometers.

There were no towering fireballs, ear-splitting roars, or billowing mushroom clouds.

Standing on the bridge, Karl only saw a flash of brilliant blue-and-white light filling his vision, as if the entire world had been swallowed by lightning.

"What is this thing? These aren't conventional bombs!"

Feeling a surge of panic, he instinctively shielded his eyes. When his vision finally cleared,

Karl's grandiose ambitions were delivered a devastating blow by reality.

Right before his eyes,

in the distance, the carrier-based fighter formation responsible for escorting the fleet

suddenly began dropping out of the sky and plunging into the ocean like dumplings boiled in a pot!

At the sight of this spectacle, his pupils violently dilated, freezing him in stunned disbelief, his scalp tingling as he stammered in a voice trembling with confusion:

"Th-this... What on earth is happening?!!"