[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-arms-tycoon-starting-with-a-scammed-hundred-bill":3,"chapter-arms-tycoon-starting-with-a-scammed-hundred-bill-arms-tycoon-starting-with-a-hundred-billion-doll-chapter-113":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Arms Tycoon: Starting by Conning a $10 Billion Order",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2077492,3287,"Chapter 113: The U.S. Reaction! Syria's National Day!","arms-tycoon-starting-with-a-hundred-billion-doll-chapter-113",113,"\u003Cp>President Xiao Ao received this news at around 2 p.m. U.S. time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, he was no less shocked than his predecessor had been upon hearing of the World Trade Center attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>President Xiao Ao simply could not accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could the powerful U.S. Navy, which dominated the five oceans, suffer such a crushing defeat before Syria's meager military forces?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>It was as if an adult were playing around with a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, in the eyes of the Ugly Country people, dealing with Syria was mere play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had not primarily wished to contract their forces to prepare for competition in the Asia-Pacific region against the Dragon Country,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>how could the Ugly Country, with its military might, have suffered successive setbacks in the Middle East?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well now! A single child has just knocked an adult flat with one punch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could this not leave President Xiao Ao astonished, incredulous, and unable to accept it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing of this matter, President Xiao Ao immediately convened a meeting of high-ranking government and military officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a conference room in the Little White House was packed to capacity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>President Xiao Ao looked at these high-ranking military and government officials, as well as the advisory team members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression was solemn, and in a tone of severity he had never used before, he said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"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?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And exactly how much have we lost!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Three-six-seven.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of them had only just heard about this incident themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, they were not qualified to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, a four-star Navy general spoke helplessly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mr. President, Captain Howard has already reported to me that\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the carrier strike group suffered a surprise attack; at dusk, it was struck by numerous supersonic missiles flying at ultra-low altitudes and sank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for which faction in the Middle East is responsible for this, we are still investigating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing these losses, everyone present drew in a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was not just the aircraft carrier; other surface combatants had also suffered such heavy losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calculating it this way, if the aircraft carrier is included, then in this attack,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the Ugly Country lost a total of four surface vessels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This does not even include the losses of the carrier-based aircraft on board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about personnel losses?\" President Xiao Ao said expressionlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"According to current statistics, it is confirmed that 103 are dead, 65 are critically injured, and 281 are lightly injured...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the four-star Navy general stated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, President Xiao Ao suddenly asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"General, can you tell me, is the Ugly Country still a great nation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The general paused for a moment, then stated solemnly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, sir!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>President Xiao Ao immediately stood up and declared sternly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This incident is no less significant than the Little Japan sneak attack on Pearl Harbor back then. I hereby declare that\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>no matter which faction is involved in this matter, we will make them pay a heavy price...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, everyone present felt a chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they heard President Xiao Ao announce:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will use the authority of the 44th President of the Ugly Country to sign an executive order declaring a state of national emergency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, outside the Little White House,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>many Ugly Country media outlets had already broadcast the news of the \"aircraft carrier sinking\" as a headline event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Television stations such as CNN, Fox, and AMC even brought in experts for emergency broadcasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Affected by this, the U.S. stock market immediately plummeted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Industrial Index once triggered circuit breakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the contrary, he made a considerable profit from this incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, news of the aircraft carrier sinking quickly spread until nearly the entire population of the Ugly Country knew about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, most people thought it was an April Fool's joke and simply did not believe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since when could the Ugly Country's invincible aircraft carriers be sunk?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long ago, the Ugly Country had even launched a Ford-class aircraft carrier,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and television reports claimed that the Ugly Country's military power had further increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although a Ugly Country base in the Middle East had been attacked not long ago,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ordinary citizens did not think much of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They believed that as long as the Ugly Country concentrated even a tiny fraction of its power, those evil enemies would surely be annihilated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, when the dual-carrier strike group entered the Red Sea,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the dictatorial Syria immediately suffered the righteous iron fist of the Ugly Country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for whether depleted uranium shells were used or not, since the explosions would not happen to them, they did not care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of them only believed what the government and media propagated:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that Syria was under dictatorial rule and its people were suffering in dire straits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ugly Country was fighting Syria under the guise of a liberator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were the side of justice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there were also some rational factions and groups within the Ugly Country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would protest the government's use of depleted uranium shells against civilians in Syria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such voices were far too few.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, when the aircraft carrier was sunk in the Middle East, most of the Ugly Country's populace was furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, many people shouted online and in reality, demanding war against the Middle East.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding this, although the doves within the government disagreed, fearing that continuing the war in the Middle East would,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>easily lead them into quagmires like Afghanistan and Iraq, just as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ugly Country had only just withdrawn most of its military forces from the Middle East, easing fiscal pressure; to intervene again now,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>apart from maintaining high military budgets, what else could be gained?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the hawks within the government cared nothing for these concerns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They believed the Ugly Country had been provoked, and thus they should strike back with their strongest fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consequently, an argument erupted between the two sides in Congress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, overall, due to this aircraft carrier sinking incident, the hawks held an absolute advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even President Xiao Ao, who had always opposed war, showed an attitude leaning somewhat toward the hawks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, whether to go to war, and against whom,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>were decisions that could only be made after an investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Ugly Country immediately contacted its traditional European allies regarding this matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These investigation teams proceeded to the waters where the incident occurred to conduct a detailed inquiry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the implications of this matter were by no means trivial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Media outlets in various countries reported on it incessantly over these past few days, along with its subsequent impacts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Domestically, Mother Central Television had specially established an \"Aircraft Carrier Sinking\" studio,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>relentlessly reporting on the matter of the Ugly Country's aircraft carrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>interacting with the audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the bipolar world became unipolar, making the Ugly Country's strength unprecedentedly powerful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1371,"2026-06-16T04:12:22.327Z","2026-06-16T04:35:02.051Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","702d89cef3c7c9017168f0b9231277443fc3a13a25cc559fe87cad3377d697f7","arms-tycoon-starting-with-a-hundred-billion-doll-chapter-114","arms-tycoon-starting-with-a-hundred-billion-doll-chapter-112",328,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Farms-tycoon-starting-with-a-hundred-billion-doll-cover.jpg"]