Chapter 113: The U.S. Reaction! Syria's National Day!

President Xiao Ao received this news at around 2 p.m. U.S. time.

At that moment, he was no less shocked than his predecessor had been upon hearing of the World Trade Center attacks.

President Xiao Ao simply could not accept it.

How could the powerful U.S. Navy, which dominated the five oceans, suffer such a crushing defeat before Syria's meager military forces?

It was as if an adult were playing around with a child.

Indeed, in the eyes of the Ugly Country people, dealing with Syria was mere play.

If they had not primarily wished to contract their forces to prepare for competition in the Asia-Pacific region against the Dragon Country,

how could the Ugly Country, with its military might, have suffered successive setbacks in the Middle East?

Well now! A single child has just knocked an adult flat with one punch.

How could this not leave President Xiao Ao astonished, incredulous, and unable to accept it?

Upon hearing of this matter, President Xiao Ao immediately convened a meeting of high-ranking government and military officials.

Soon, a conference room in the Little White House was packed to capacity.

President Xiao Ao looked at these high-ranking military and government officials, as well as the advisory team members.

His expression was solemn, and in a tone of severity he had never used before, he said:

"Gentlemen, can you now tell me what is happening? Why was our invincible aircraft carrier sunk? What exactly is going on in the Middle East?

And exactly how much have we lost!?"

"Three-six-seven."

At these words, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

Most of them had only just heard about this incident themselves.

Therefore, they were not qualified to speak.

At this moment, a four-star Navy general spoke helplessly:

"Mr. President, Captain Howard has already reported to me that

the carrier strike group suffered a surprise attack; at dusk, it was struck by numerous supersonic missiles flying at ultra-low altitudes and sank.

As for which faction in the Middle East is responsible for this, we are still investigating.

As for losses, besides one Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, one Ticonderoga-class cruiser has sunk, two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are heavily damaged and likely beyond salvage, and the remaining casualty is one Perry-class frigate with light damage!"

Upon hearing these losses, everyone present drew in a sharp breath.

So it was not just the aircraft carrier; other surface combatants had also suffered such heavy losses.

Calculating it this way, if the aircraft carrier is included, then in this attack,

the Ugly Country lost a total of four surface vessels.

This does not even include the losses of the carrier-based aircraft on board.

"What about personnel losses?" President Xiao Ao said expressionlessly.

"According to current statistics, it is confirmed that 103 are dead, 65 are critically injured, and 281 are lightly injured..."

the four-star Navy general stated.

Hearing this, President Xiao Ao suddenly asked:

"General, can you tell me, is the Ugly Country still a great nation?"

The general paused for a moment, then stated solemnly:

"Of course, sir!"

President Xiao Ao immediately stood up and declared sternly:

"This incident is no less significant than the Little Japan sneak attack on Pearl Harbor back then. I hereby declare that

no matter which faction is involved in this matter, we will make them pay a heavy price..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present felt a chill.

Then they heard President Xiao Ao announce:

"I will use the authority of the 44th President of the Ugly Country to sign an executive order declaring a state of national emergency.

Additionally, regarding the sinking of the aircraft carrier, we will form a joint investigation team with our allied nations to uncover the truth behind this surprise attack..."

However, outside the Little White House,

many Ugly Country media outlets had already broadcast the news of the "aircraft carrier sinking" as a headline event.

Television stations such as CNN, Fox, and AMC even brought in experts for emergency broadcasts.

Affected by this, the U.S. stock market immediately plummeted.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Industrial Index once triggered circuit breakers.

Fortunately, Lin Yi had anticipated this; he had already instructed the system to convert most of his overseas funds into bulk commodities futures such as gold and oil beforehand.

On the contrary, he made a considerable profit from this incident.

Meanwhile, news of the aircraft carrier sinking quickly spread until nearly the entire population of the Ugly Country knew about it.

At first, most people thought it was an April Fool's joke and simply did not believe it.

Since when could the Ugly Country's invincible aircraft carriers be sunk?

Not long ago, the Ugly Country had even launched a Ford-class aircraft carrier,

and television reports claimed that the Ugly Country's military power had further increased.

Although a Ugly Country base in the Middle East had been attacked not long ago,

ordinary citizens did not think much of it.

They believed that as long as the Ugly Country concentrated even a tiny fraction of its power, those evil enemies would surely be annihilated.

Indeed, when the dual-carrier strike group entered the Red Sea,

the dictatorial Syria immediately suffered the righteous iron fist of the Ugly Country.

As for whether depleted uranium shells were used or not, since the explosions would not happen to them, they did not care.

Most of them only believed what the government and media propagated:

that Syria was under dictatorial rule and its people were suffering in dire straits.

The Ugly Country was fighting Syria under the guise of a liberator.

They were the side of justice.

Of course, there were also some rational factions and groups within the Ugly Country.

They would protest the government's use of depleted uranium shells against civilians in Syria.

But such voices were far too few.

Therefore, when the aircraft carrier was sunk in the Middle East, most of the Ugly Country's populace was furious.

For a time, many people shouted online and in reality, demanding war against the Middle East.

Regarding this, although the doves within the government disagreed, fearing that continuing the war in the Middle East would,

easily lead them into quagmires like Afghanistan and Iraq, just as before.

The Ugly Country had only just withdrawn most of its military forces from the Middle East, easing fiscal pressure; to intervene again now,

apart from maintaining high military budgets, what else could be gained?

However, the hawks within the government cared nothing for these concerns.

They believed the Ugly Country had been provoked, and thus they should strike back with their strongest fist.

Consequently, an argument erupted between the two sides in Congress.

Yet, overall, due to this aircraft carrier sinking incident, the hawks held an absolute advantage.

Even President Xiao Ao, who had always opposed war, showed an attitude leaning somewhat toward the hawks.

Of course, whether to go to war, and against whom,

were decisions that could only be made after an investigation.

Thus, the Ugly Country immediately contacted its traditional European allies regarding this matter.

They formed a joint investigation team led by the Ugly Country, including John Bull, Gallic Rooster, Hans, and Asian allies Little Japan and Stick Country.

These investigation teams proceeded to the waters where the incident occurred to conduct a detailed inquiry.

However, the implications of this matter were by no means trivial.

Media outlets in various countries reported on it incessantly over these past few days, along with its subsequent impacts.

Domestically, Mother Central Television had specially established an "Aircraft Carrier Sinking" studio,

relentlessly reporting on the matter of the Ugly Country's aircraft carrier.

Zhang Juzuo, a famous military expert from the Strategic Deception Bureau, served as a special guest and had been in the studio these past few days,

interacting with the audience.

"In my view, this sinking of the Ugly Country's aircraft carrier is a severe setback for them in the Middle East, and marks the beginning of the decline of their global hegemony.

It is also a manifestation of reaching the peak before declining; since World War II, the Ugly Country has roamed the world with overwhelming military power,

and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the bipolar world became unipolar, making the Ugly Country's strength unprecedentedly powerful."