Chapter 31: Global uproar!

Qin Hao was lounging on the sofa, boredly watching an old movie, when Cheng Haitang's arrival broke the tranquility.

"Xiao Qin, what are you watching?"

Cheng Haitang poured himself a cup of water and sat down.

"Just looking around." Qin Hao hit pause. "Old Cheng, you're in a good mood today—did you find money?"

"No money found."

Cheng Haitang's lips rarely curled into a faint arc: "But the 'dragon' we released did catch a few clueless mice."

While speaking, he handed a tablet to Qin Hao.

Qin Hao took it and saw that the tablet was playing the video returned from the God Dragon Squad's cockpit recorder.

From silently approaching like a ghost, to surrounding them from all sides, then the enemy's radar warning blaring over the public channel, and finally the footage of four Y-35s fleeing in disarray—the whole process was clear and smooth.

"Just scared them off like that?"

After watching, Qin Hao said with a hint of regret, "I thought they could hold out a bit longer, at least hear our second warning."

Cheng Haitang was amused by his relaxed attitude; he had prepared a speech about the operation's great significance, but with Qin Hao it seemed like just a trivial matter.

"Your mindset… is fine."

Cheng Haitang smiled wryly.

"To you it's a small thing, but for us, for the whole country, this is a landmark day. The higher-ups have decided to make this public."

Qin Hao nodded. He understood it couldn't be hidden; rather than let the other side fabricate stories, it was better to take the initiative and speak with facts.

He returned the tablet to Cheng Haitang: "Not bad—it's time to let everyone cheer up."

The next morning, virtually all of Yanhuang Guo's official media platforms simultaneously released a news item.

The title was extremely plain,

"Notice on Our Military Aircraft Conducting Routine Patrol in the Eastern Sea Air Defense Identification Zone."

But the content upon opening stirred up a huge wave.

The notice stated the facts in the simplest language.

Four of our "Ascending Dragon" fighters, while on patrol, encountered four Yingjiang Guo fighters conducting prolonged, high-intensity close reconnaissance. Our pilots handled it professionally and decisively, successfully driving them off.

Below the text were three high-definition photos and a thirty-second video.

The first photo, taken from the rear side of an Ascending Dragon fighter, clearly shows two Ascending Dragons on left and right, sandwiching a Y-35 in the middle,

the Y-35's sci-fi‑looking fuselage appears somewhat clumsy next to the more imposing design of the Ascending Dragon.

The second photo is a screenshot of the Ascending Dragon fighter's radar lock screen, with four red lock‑on boxes tightly gripping the four Y-35s.

The third photo shows a distant view: four Ascending Dragons maintaining an elegant, composed formation, watching four black dots fleeing in panic on the far horizon.

And that thirty‑second video is nothing short of the essence.

The video begins from the Ascending Dragon cockpit viewpoint, with a Y-35 clearly visible up close.

Then, the emotionless warning voice of a Yanhuang pilot sounded:

"This is Yanhuang Air Force; your aircraft has illegally invaded our airspace—first, I demand you turn away immediately…"

Before the words finished, the video transmitted the panicked shouts of the Y-35 pilots; though the exact words were indistinct, the fear and chaos came through the radio static.

Immediately after, the Y-35 in the frame jerked sideways and fled at full throttle.

The whole process was clean and decisive, the superiority obvious at a glance.

This news was like a nuclear bomb dropped into a calm lake, instantly detonating the entire internet.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! I fucking jumped to my feet!"

"This is the most exhilarating news I've seen this year—no contest!"

"Mom asked why I was kneeling to look at my phone; I said I was saluting our air force!"

"Did you see that? A total beatdown! Is Yingjiang's radar blind? They didn't even know they were getting touched in the face!"

"Upstairs, it's not just touching the face—it's practically riding them! Look at that Y-35 pilot's eyes, like they've seen a ghost!"

"Before it was us protesting, us warning; today we finally get to use strength to make them scramble—so uplifting!"

"That line 'This is Yanhuang Air Force' is simply the most domineering, most pleasing sound I've ever heard!"

The comment section broke a million entries in just a few minutes.

Countless 'mighty' and 'imposing' filled the screen.

Years of pent‑up frustration in the people's hearts found its most cathartic release at this moment.

Interestingly, those who are usually most active, constantly talking about 'reflection',

constantly mouthing 'gap', 'public intellectual', and 'worship‑foreign dogs', have now collectively gone silent.

Under their social‑media accounts, tourist groups have piled in.

The latest comments are uniform: 'Why aren't you speaking?'

"Come on, do some reflection?"

"Wasn't it said our engines no good? Wasn't it said we can't make good planes?"

This voiceless silence is itself a resounding slap.

Domestically the nation celebrated; abroad it was dead silence and an uproar.

Yingjiang Guo.

General Kus of Yingjiang Guo stared, ashen‑faced, at the video released by Yanhuang Guo; every clear image and calm warning mocked his former confidence.

"Too much bullying! They're humiliating us!" a staff officer growled angrily.

"They have the right to humiliate us." another intelligence officer's voice was dry.

"The question is, how did they manage it? Our fighters, before them, are like naked—no secrets at all."

The reaction on Erhua Street was the most direct.

News spread in less than half an hour, the stocks of several major military-industrial complexes plummeted immediately upon opening, wiping out hundreds of billions of dollars of market value out of thin air.

Countless investors wailed in despair, unable to comprehend how the much‑touted 'invincible fighter jet' had become merely a backdrop in someone else's promotional video.

Other countries' intelligence departments and military think tanks were frantically analyzing every detail in that video and those photos.

"The Shenglong aerodynamic layout… is terrifying, combining stealth with extreme maneuverability."

"Their radar technology has absolutely seen a disruptive breakthrough; this is no longer a contest on the same level."

"The skies of Yanhuang Guo have truly changed. As of today, the balance of global military power needs to be reassessed."

In the luxurious palace of a certain Middle Eastern oil state.

The prince who boasts "a cloth on his head, I'm the richest in the world" is intently watching the news submitted by his subordinates.

He repeatedly watched that thirty‑second video over a dozen times, his expression shifting from shock to solemnity, and finally to a flicker of fervent excitement.

"They won't sell us the Y-22, and the Y-35 comes with a bunch of restrictive clauses."

The prince set down the tablet, a glint flashing in his eyes, "Now it seems there is a better option."

He picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.

"Prepare the aircraft; I must go to Yanhuang Guo right away." the prince ordered into the phone, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Furthermore, in the name of the state, issue a formal friendly visit to the Yanhuang Guo embassy."