Chapter 57: From now on, I call the shots in this East Asian neck of the woods!

Carl Thomas could not comprehend the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Their great America's stealth fighters were flying about haphazardly like flies in the sky.

And they were descending in scale, plunging madly downward.

"Boom!"

Until one of the aircraft plummeted from high altitude, smashing into the sea and bursting into a ball of fire.

Only then did Carl snap out of his daze.

He turned his head in terror and fury, questioning his second-in-command with a voice that was practically a roar:

"What on earth is going on?!"

"What has happened to our planes?!"

The second-in-command had only just recovered his senses as well. Gathering the reports, he ran up to Carl in utter disbelief, his back drenched in cold sweat.

With a terrified expression and a trembling voice, full of dread, he replied:

"Lord Captain, it's not just the planes. Our ships, our ships..."

At this point, his voice choked up as if recalling something, and he shuddered violently.

"What about the ships? Speak!"

Carl Thomas grabbed the second-in-command by the collar and roared his demand.

"Captain, our ships—aside from the propulsion systems and catapult systems remaining intact, every other system has been completely destroyed!"

Fear flashed in the second-in-command's eyes. He turned to look out the porthole at the fighters raining from the sky, and suddenly let out a shrug and a bitter laugh:

"Ha, we've been ambushed!"

"Captain, we've walked right into a trap. This is an ambush by the Chinese."

"The intelligence officers deduce that we've been struck by China's electromagnetic pulse weapon."

"Through semaphore flags, we've received word that the other warships are in much the same condition as ours."

"On the ships, the planes, the submarines—every single piece of equipment containing electronic components has been thoroughly destroyed!"

"Our command system... no, practically everything, is completely gone!"

With that, the second-in-command went limp, as if speaking those words had drained the last of his strength.

Carl Thomas, still clutching his collar, dropped his hands in wide-eyed astonishment.

He turned blankly back toward the bridge windows, murmuring only to himself:

"It's over. It's all over now."

Meanwhile, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, inside the island superstructure, numerous sailors were gripped by panic and dread.

"What's going on? The computers have completely crashed to a black screen!"

"The command system is disconnected, and the internal circuits of the radios have been burned through!"

"Radar, the radar screen has gone dark too!"

"My electric toothbrush!!!"

"My MP3 player, have all electronic devices been destroyed?"

"It's an electromagnetic pulse weapon! We've definitely been hit by an electromagnetic pulse weapon!"

"..."

News spread rapidly among the crew.

After all, across the entire aircraft carrier, only the propulsion machinery and catapult mechanisms were still functioning.

Anything else carrying even the slightest electronic component had been thoroughly fried in a single stroke.

The flight control and radar of the fighter jets had been destroyed.

The anti-air systems and firepower systems of the cruisers and destroyers—even the guidance systems for the vertical launch missile cells—were gone!

The aircraft carrier had instantly been reduced to a moving target.

The cruisers and destroyers were now mere jokes.

As for the submarines, the moment their oxygen generators were knocked out, they immediately chose to surface; those relying solely on electronic pumps had become nothing more than iron coffins!

In practically a heartbeat, the entire US-led coalition fleet was knocked back to the communication standards of World War I.

No!

Not even World War I.

At least World War I had the telegraph; their telegraphs had been knocked out completely as well!

The Eastern superpower had directly poked out their eyes!

Modern warfare is a systematic confrontation, a confrontation of informatization.

An electromagnetic pulse weapon truly is an ultimate trump card!

The moment it appeared, this conflict was effectively declared over.

America had suffered a complete and utter defeat!

...

Inside the command room of the Nanyang, Captain Wu Tong closely monitored the enemy's shifting status.

"Report, Captain! The kinetic energy warhead has been triggered, electromagnetic pulse detected, assessing strike efficacy!"

The intelligence officer's voice rang high and clear, tinged with excitement.

His eyes were glued to the information console before him.

The electromagnetic pulse flickered, sweeping straight past their vessel.

However!

Having undergone anti-electromagnetic pulse retrofitting, they had no fear whatsoever; instead, they pushed forward directly into the pulse!

"Launch the drones—"

"Visual feed acquired. Hahahaha!!"

Seeing the imagery display on his console, the intelligence officer could not help but burst into hearty laughter.

"Report, Captain! The US military's fighters are dropping out of the sky like dumplings, plumping straight down!"

Without flight control systems, modern fighter jets were mere pieces of junk, completely incapable of flight!

Now blasted squarely in the face with an electromagnetic pulse bomb, the US forces must have completely lost their minds!

"Hahaha, excellent!"

Wu Tong was overjoyed.

Strike while the iron is hot!

Seizing the moment, he gave a decisive order: "Order the entire fleet to advance in combat formation!"

"Additionally, launch drones to suppress remaining enemy firepower at low altitudes!"

Clenching his fists and gazing into the distance, Wu Tong's eyes burned with excitement.

The coalition fleet had been crippled.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters had not deceived him!

This electromagnetic pulse weapon was truly absurd.

American fighter jets were crashing into the sea like trash being tossed out by the cartload, making it look as though their aircraft possessed submarine capabilities.

No, those details were secondary.

The most crucial point was this!

Wu Tong acutely realized that their opportunity had arrived!

If not now, when?

All forces, charge!

"Beep, beep, beep!"

The urgent battle alarm echoed across the entire fleet.

The main force trailing behind the eight Type 055 destroyers immediately surged forward at full speed!

That previous formation had been designed to clear the path for the kinetic energy warhead.

Electromagnetic pulse strikes made no distinction between friend and foe.

The eight Type 055s had been hurriedly retrofitted for electromagnetic pulse resistance, taking on the responsibility of riding out the blast within a three-hundred-li radius.

The rest of the un-retrofitted ships had only to wait for the opportune moment to enter the fray.

And now, that moment had arrived!

As the real-time status updates of the US fleet were transmitted to every commanding officer, seeing the once-haughty US-led coalition fleet reduced to this pathetic state, the captains of the Eastern superpower's entire fleet found their eyes turning green with covetousness.

Good grief, this was walking merit just waiting to be claimed!

Furthermore, the casualties were minimal—it was practically a freebie achievement, pure profit with every strike!

And so, the warships roared forward in a frenzy.

Even the Type 056 corvettes pushed their speeds up to twenty-six knots.

One had to remember, their maximum speed was only twenty-five knots.

The urgency of the moment had practically forced the ships to break their own limits!

"Charge, charge, charge!"

The entire Chinese navy was ablaze with excitement!

Hot blood boiled in their veins.

Years of accumulated grievances—old grudges and new hatreds alike—surged and burned within them.

The mighty armada surged directly toward the coalition fleet.

This time, they were bound to let America witness the truth.

Still daring to provoke us here?

The past was the past, the present is the present.

Watch me land a resounding slap and shatter you to pieces, end of story!

You still calling this a coalition fleet?

Once we finish beating you up, we'll immediately deal with your two pathetic lapdogs and let them know once and for all:

In this corner of East Asia,

I am the one who calls the shots!