Chapter 436: Counterattack, Not Letting You Launch

Two days later, Star-Spangled Country embassy in White Elephant Country, classified conference room.

Special Envoy Johnson listened to Kusa's report with a livid expression, occasionally wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

"So, you are saying that the most advanced electronic warfare equipment we provided, gear worth tens of millions of dollars, was completely destroyed by Long Country within an hour?" Johnson's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth.

Kusa looked ashamed: "Yes, Mr. Special Envoy. We have never seen this kind of countermeasure technology. Long Country seems to have mastered some kind of equipment capable of reflecting our signals back, and it can even amplify the signal strength."

Johnson slammed the table and stood up: "Absurd! Absolutely absurd! How could Long Country, that backward agricultural nation, possibly possess this technology? This kind of electronic warfare technology is still in the laboratory stage even for us!"

"But that is the reality," Kusa said bitterly, "Our entire electronic warfare center was burned down, dozens of technical personnel were injured, and all the equipment was scrapped."

Johnson paced back and forth, the veins on his forehead bulging: "It must be Beijixiong Guo! It must be them secretly supporting Long Country!"

"But our intelligence shows that the relationship between Beijixiong Guo and Long Country is not close," Kusa said, puzzled.

"Then they are just good at disguising it!" Johnson roared, then lowered his voice, "Contact Washington City immediately; I need more support and new instructions. At the same time, strengthen intelligence collection on Long Country, especially regarding everything about their electronic technology."

He narrowed his eyes, his voice turning cold: "Also, find out the background of that Li Mingyuan for me. This person appeared too suddenly, his abilities are too strong, it is too abnormal."

At the same time, Beijixiong Guo embassy in White Elephant Country.

Special Envoy Ivanov was also listening to a report on the failure of the electronic warfare at the border, but his reaction was completely different from Johnson's. He was not angry, but lost in deep thought.

"Very interesting, very interesting," Ivanov muttered to himself, "Long Country has actually mastered such advanced electronic countermeasure technology; this is completely beyond my expectations."

"How should we respond?" the White Elephant Country liaison officer asked cautiously.

Ivanov pondered for a moment, then suddenly revealed a smile: "Tell your Prime Minister that we need to change our strategy. Rather than confronting Long Country head-on, it is better to seek cooperation. Perhaps we can provide some water conservancy technology in exchange for their guarantee of a certain amount of water flowing into White Elephant Country."

The liaison officer looked surprised: "But isn't this bowing down to Long Country?"

"This is called a strategic adjustment," Ivanov said meaningfully, "At the same time, I need to report this situation to Moshi immediately. Long Country's speed of technological advancement is unsettling; we need to re-evaluate their strength."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked into the distance, lost in thought: "Li Mingyuan... this name has appeared too frequently lately. Satellite technology, hydropower engineering, and now electronic warfare... how can one person be proficient in so many fields?"

Long Country capital, Li Mingyuan's secret office.

"Success!" Minister Zhang waved a telegram excitedly, "The electronic warfare center at the White Elephant Country border is completely paralyzed, Star-Spangled Country is furious, and Beijixiong Guo has suddenly changed its attitude, proposing a willingness to negotiate water resource allocation with us."

Li Mingyuan leaned back in his chair, leisurely sipping tea: "This is just the beginning. The true purpose of 'Mirror Operation' is not to defeat those little tricks of White Elephant Country, but to create suspicion between Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo."

"How so?" Minister Zhang asked curiously.

"It's simple," Li Mingyuan put down his teacup, a cunning smile appearing on his face, "Now Star-Spangled Country surely thinks it is Beijixiong Guo secretly helping us, while Beijixiong Guo will suspect that Star-Spangled Country's technology was reverse-engineered by us. The two great powers will begin to suspect each other and shift their attention away from us."

Minister Zhang shook his head in admiration: "Chief Engineer Li, your 'borrowing a knife to kill' tactic was played beautifully!"

"This is the basic routine of information warfare," Li Mingyuan laughed, though he thought to himself: In the information-saturated 21st century, this kind of routine is practically a daily occurrence; various online public opinion wars are played much more skillfully than this.

He stood up and walked to the giant world map: "Next, it is time to start the first phase of the 'Changfeng' project. While Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo are suspicious of each other, we must accelerate our research and development progress."

Li Mingyuan's gaze swept over the Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo marked on the map, his eyes flashing with a confident light. As a transmigrator, his greatest advantage was knowing the future direction of technological development, knowing which technologies were worth investing in, and which were dead ends.

"Also," he turned to Minister Zhang, "Notify the intelligence department; I want detailed information on the recent satellite launch plans of Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo."

Minister Zhang was stunned: "Satellite launch plans? What are we going to do?"

Li Mingyuan smiled mysteriously: "Do something interesting. Since they dare to interfere with our hydropower station construction, then we will let them taste the bitterness of a failed satellite launch."

Minister Zhang gasped: "Chief Engineer Li, you wouldn't be..."

"That's right," Li Mingyuan interrupted him, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light, "Since they want to play electronic warfare, then I will let them see what real electronic warfare is!"

One week later, Star-Spangled Country Cape Canaveral rocket launch base.

The atmosphere inside the base command center was tense to the extreme. Dozens of top scientists and military personnel stared fixedly at the giant monitoring screen, which displayed an "Explorer" rocket about to be launched. This was Star-Spangled Country's fourth attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit; the previous three had ended in failure.

"Countdown begins! 10, 9, 8..."

Base Commander Colonel Wilson had sweat seeping from his forehead. This launch was of great importance; the leader had personally ordered it must succeed, otherwise his military career would be over.

"7, 6, 5..."

Technical Supervisor Doctor Kevin was nervously monitoring the various data: "All systems normal, propellant pressure stable, guidance system responding well."

"4, 3, 2..."

Wilson breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed this time it would finally launch smoothly.

"1, ignition!"

With a loud boom, the "Explorer" rocket spewed orange-red flames and slowly left the launch pad. A burst of cheers erupted inside the command center.

"Liftoff normal! First-stage propulsion system working well!" Doctor Kevin reported excitedly.

The rocket continued to ascend, quickly breaking the sound barrier and entering high altitude.

"Prepare to separate the first-stage rocket... 3, 2, 1, separation!"

Just at this critical moment, the data on the monitoring screen suddenly began to jump wildly, and several red warning boxes popped up simultaneously.

"What's going on?" Wilson asked sternly.

Doctor Kevin's face turned pale: "Guidance system abnormality! We have lost control of the rocket!"

"What? How is that possible?" Wilson rushed to the main console, "Perform an emergency self-check!"

"Self-check shows all systems normal!" a technician reported in a panic, "But the rocket is not responding to any commands!"

On the monitoring screen, the rocket began to shake irregularly, then suddenly deviated from its predetermined trajectory and tilted toward the Atlantic Ocean.

"My god! It's going to crash!" Doctor Kevin exclaimed.

A few seconds later, a blinding light flashed on the sea level; the "Explorer" rocket exploded in mid-air, and debris fell into the Atlantic like raindrops.

The command center fell into a deathly silence; everyone stared at the monitoring screen, dumbfounded.

"Four times... this is the fourth failure..." Wilson muttered to himself, his voice filled with despair.

Doctor Kevin slapped the console: "This is impossible! All systems underwent triple checks! We used the most advanced shielding technology; no interference signal could possibly break through!"

"But it failed nonetheless!" Wilson roared, "Damn it! Who is it? Who is interfering with us?"

The atmosphere inside the command center instantly became hostile. The scientists looked at each other, while the military personnel glared at the technical staff, as if looking for a scapegoat.

"Must report to Washington City immediately," Wilson said through gritted teeth, "This is not a technical failure; this is sabotage!"

On the same day, Beijixiong Guo Baikonur launch site.

"Comrades, today is a historic day!" Chief Designer Korolyov spoke passionately to the scientists and officers gathered in the command center, "Our 'Pioneer' rocket will send Beijixiong Guo's first artificial satellite into space, letting the whole world witness our technological prowess!"

Thunderous applause erupted. This was Beijixiong Guo's third attempt to launch a satellite; the previous two had ended in failure, but this time they were full of confidence.

"All systems are ready," a technician reported, "launch countdown starting!"

"10, 9, 8..."

Korolyov stared nervously at the monitoring screen, his palms sweating. This launch concerned his future, and even more so, the status of Beijixiong Guo in the space race.

"7, 6, 5..."

"Propellant pressure is normal, Guidance System response is good," the Chief Engineer reported.

"4, 3, 2, 1, ignition!"

With a deafening roar, the "Pioneer" rocket dragged a long tail of fire as it rushed toward the sky. Enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted inside the command center.

"Liftoff normal! First-stage propulsion system working well!"

Korolyov breathed a sigh of relief, but he knew the real test was still ahead. The previous two failures had both occurred after the rocket reached high altitude and suddenly lost control.

"Preparing to separate the first-stage rocket..."

Just then, the monitoring system suddenly emitted a harsh alarm. Several red warning boxes flashed on the screen simultaneously.

"What's going on?" Korolyov asked sharply.

"The Guidance System is showing an anomaly!" the Chief Engineer reported in terror, "We are receiving strange interference signals!"

"What signals? Where are they coming from?"

"Cannot determine the source! But the interference intensity is high, and it is overriding our control signals!"

Korolyov slammed his fist onto the console: "Damn it! Activate the backup control system!"

"The backup system is also being interfered with!"

On the monitoring screen, the rocket began to shake irregularly, then suddenly changed direction and began to fall.

"Self-destruct system! Activate the self-destruct system immediately!" Korolyov roared.

A technician pressed the emergency button, and a few seconds later, a dazzling light flashed in the night sky; the "Pioneer" rocket exploded at high altitude, turning into fragments.

The command center fell into dead silence, everyone immersed in shock and despair.

"Three times... this is the third failure..." Korolyov muttered to himself, his voice filled with disbelief, "We used the most rigorous shielding technology, yet we were still interfered with."

"Comrade," the Military Representative stepped forward, his face gloomy, "this failure must be thoroughly investigated. The leadership is already very dissatisfied."