Chapter 469: Sky Net Debuts

Inside the auditorium of the Long Country Military Science Academy, hundreds of technical personnel and Military Representatives gathered together to watch the blurry footage broadcast from abroad. Despite the poor image quality, the spectacular sight of that "Falcon" Missile dragging a long trail of fire as it soared into the sky remained clearly visible.

"Look at that thrust," one rocket expert whispered, "at least 30% greater than our first-generation 'Changfeng'."

"The ballistic design is also quite clever," another expert echoed, "it clearly adopts multi-stage separation technology, and what's more..."

The commentator's excited voice came through the speakers: "... This is a perfect display of the Free World's technological prowess! The 'Falcon' Missile has already flown across the Atlantic Ocean and precisely hit the pre-set target area off the west coast of Africa, with a range reaching 4,800 kilometers, and a payload capacity more powerful than any known similar weapon! This historic moment once again proves the absolute leading position of the Star-Spangled Country in the field of missile technology!"

The atmosphere inside the auditorium became heavy, and many people wore expressions of worry on their faces. The rapid catch-up by the Star-Spangled Country had indeed exceeded most people's expectations.

Yet, just as everyone was lost in thought, Li Mingyuan suddenly started clapping, drawing sidelong glances from those around him.

"Good, truly excellent!" His voice actually carried a hint of excitement, "This is what you call real competition! Without a strong opponent, where would the motivation for progress come from?"

A Military Representative asked in confusion: "Chief Engineer Li, the Star-Spangled Country has caught up so quickly, and you are still this happy?"

Li Mingyuan smiled mysteriously: "Caught up? They are far from it! What they displayed is only basic capability, while our 'Changfeng-Yi' displays precision control capability; this is a qualitative difference. Furthermore..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the venue's speakers suddenly broadcast an emergency notice: "Attention everyone, the live broadcast of the Beijixiong Guo 'Blizzard' Missile test launch is about to begin, please continue to watch the screen."

The footage switched to a desolate launch site somewhere in Siberia, Beijixiong Guo. Unlike the Star-Spangled Country's test launch, it was covered in white snow here, a vast expanse of whiteness. The massive "Blizzard" Missile stood silently on the launch pad, its size much larger than the "Falcon".

"Look at the dimensions," one expert said in a low voice, "I estimate the yield is at least twice that of the 'Falcon'."

Following a deafening roar, the "Blizzard" soared into the sky dragging orange-red flames, but strangely, the flames were accompanied by a string of crystalline ice crystals, sparkling in the sunlight like a silver giant dragon charging into the clouds.

"Is that... ice crystals?" someone asked in surprise.

"Some kind of new cooling technology," another person speculated, "perhaps to reduce the heat signature and increase stealth."

The Beijixiong Guo commentator's voice was loud and full of pride: "... The great 'Blizzard' Missile, which embodies the most cutting-edge technological power of the socialist camp! It adopts revolutionary low-temperature propulsion technology, which not only increases thrust but also greatly reduces the heat signature, making it harder to be captured by enemy Radar! This test launch will span the entire Eurasian continent and finally fall into the depths of the Taipingyang. This feat once again proves to the whole world that Beijixiong Guo's technological strength is unshakable, and any challenger will be crushed into dust by the wheels of history!"

The atmosphere inside the auditorium became even heavier; the missile technology displayed by the two great powers in such a short time had indeed brought a huge psychological shock to everyone present.

However, the expression on Li Mingyuan's face remained calm and composed, even carrying a faint, elusive smile. He said softly to the Minister Zhang beside him: "Do you see? This is the charm of a technological race. A month ago, they were still panicking over the 'Changfeng-Yi', and now they have brought out their own masterpiece. Human creativity under pressure is always astonishing."

Minister Zhang frowned: "But this is bad news for us, they are catching up so fast..."

"Quite the opposite," a light of wisdom flickered in Li Mingyuan's eyes, "this is an excellent opportunity. Now, we have simultaneously grasped the basic parameters of the most advanced missiles of both the Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo; these data are crucial for the targeted design of the 'Sky Net' system. And what's more..."

His voice dropped even lower: "They are in a rush to show off their strength, and they will make mistakes. Pay attention to the changes in the 'Blizzard's' exhaust plume, especially the process of those ice crystals forming; there is a big problem inside."

Minister Zhang stared closely at the screen, but he really couldn't see anything unusual: "What problem? Why didn't I notice it?"

Li Mingyuan smiled mysteriously: "You will know after the initial data analysis of the 'Sky Net' system is completed. Sometimes, strength on the surface is exactly what masks a fatal weakness."

Just at this moment, the commentator's voice became excited again: "... This is a great Victory for socialist technology! The 'Blizzard' Missile has already flown over the Ural Mountains and is crossing our vast territory at an astonishing speed! Every citizen of Beijixiong Guo should feel immensely proud of this! We have proven to the whole world that in the race of missile technology, Beijixiong Guo will always remain invincible!"

The live broadcast footage of the two great powers' missile tests caused a sensation on a global scale. The people of Long Country, who were originally immersed in the joy of the "Changfeng-Yi" success, suddenly found the international public opinion trend taking a sharp turn. Within just a few days, the headlines of major global media outlets changed from "Rise of the Eastern Dragon" to "Western Technology Retakes the Throne."

The top leadership of Long Country urgently summoned heads of various departments to hold a meeting to analyze the situation. Inside the conference room, the leader listened with a grave expression to the report from the intelligence department.

Division Chief Qian stood in front of the projection screen, displaying the front-page reports of mainstream international media one by one: "The 'Star-Spangled Times' front page wrote in a huge headline: 'Falcon Spreads Its Wings, Star-Spangled Technology Regains Control of the Firmament!' The sub-headline was even more direct: 'The Brief Glory of the Eastern Adventurers Has Become the Past'."

He switched to the next slide: "Beijixiong Guo's 'Truth Daily' published an editorial on the front page: 'Blizzard Sweeps Through, Proving Who Is the True Superpower!' The text repeatedly emphasized 'unshakable technological hegemony' and the 'superiority of the socialist system'."

The atmosphere inside the conference room became increasingly heavy. Division Chief Qian continued to display reports from other international media, almost all of which, without exception, touted how "mature" and "reliable" the two great powers' missile technology was, and how it was "a generation ahead of Long Country."

"The worst are these," Division Chief Qian's tone became angry, "the 'World Herald' openly called our 'Changfeng-Yi' fireworks display a 'grandstanding little trick', while the 'Taipingyang Weekly' called it 'lacking in actual strategic value', merely a 'showy performance by a backward country'."

Several Military Representatives turned pale with rage, and an old general couldn't help but slam the table and stand up: "Absurd! Their missiles don't even reach the level of our first-generation 'Changfeng', yet they dare to spout such nonsense!"

Minister Zhang smiled bitterly: "The problem is, international public opinion has already been led astray by them. Through global live broadcasts, they successfully clawed back a victory in public psychology, and even surpassed us. Now the international community generally believes that Long Country's brief technological advantage has been completely surpassed and suppressed, and the two great powers have re-established absolute dominance."

"The most worrying thing is," Division Chief Qian added gravely, "this public opinion has already begun to affect our neighboring countries. Over in White Elephant Country, the politicians who were originally silent because of the 'Changfeng-Yi' have started to become active again, bringing up the Yajiang Hydropower Station issue; the Taiji Tiger country has even publicly declared that it 'will further strengthen military cooperation with the Star-Spangled Country'; even the traditionally neutral Southeast Asian countries have started to lean back toward the Star-Spangled Country."

The conference room was filled with gloom. The failure in the war of public opinion had already begun to translate into actual geopolitical losses.

Just then, Li Mingyuan, who had been keeping silent, suddenly spoke up: "Everyone seems to care too much about what these newspapers say."

Everyone's gaze turned to him.

Li Mingyuan sipped his tea slowly, wearing that inscrutable smile on his face: "The two great powers have indeed made some progress in technology, and this point is worth acknowledging. But compared to our 'Changfeng-Yi', their missiles still have a generational gap, especially in precision control capability."

"But the problem is, international public opinion has already completely turned against us!" an official from the Wajiaobu said with deep worry.

"Public opinion?" Li Mingyuan chuckled, "Public opinion is like the waves on the sea; high on this side today, high on that side tomorrow. The key is our own strength."

He stood up and walked to the center of the conference room: "The missile tests of the two great powers are less of a technological display and more of a carefully planned political show. Their goal is very clear: to catch up to us technologically, suppress us in public opinion, and ultimately isolate us strategically."

Li Mingyuan looked around, his eyes gradually becoming sharp: "But they forgot one thing: in a technological race, the leader has the initiative to choose the battlefield. Since they like live broadcasts, we can also put on a more shocking performance."

The leader raised an eyebrow slightly: "What high opinion does Chief Engineer Li have?"

The corners of Li Mingyuan's mouth lifted, revealing a meaningful smile: "The first phase of our 'Sky Net' system has already completed its initial deployment; it is time to let it make its debut."

"You mean... a live-fire interception test?" Deputy Commander Liu asked in surprise, "But the system has only just been established, how high can the success rate be?"

"The theoretical success rate of the first-phase system is about 60%," Li Mingyuan replied calmly, "enough to conduct a demonstrative test."

"This is too risky!" Chen Gong said with concern, "If the test fails, not only will we be unable to reverse the unfavorable public opinion, but it will also make us even more passive internationally."

Li Mingyuan nodded: "The risk does exist. But now is the perfect time to break the psychological advantage of the two great powers. They are currently smug because of the success of their missile tests, thinking they have re-established technological hegemony. If we demonstrate the ability to intercept intercontinental missiles at this moment..."

He did not finish, but everyone in the conference room understood the deep meaning behind these words—this would be a strategic-level heavy blow, striking directly at the most fragile psychological defense line of the two great powers.

"Interception technology..." the leader repeated the term thoughtfully, "This will indeed create a brand-new strategic dimension."

"Not only that," Li Mingyuan added, "once we demonstrate interception capability, the two great powers will inevitably immediately step up their own defense system research. But in this field, we are already at least three to five years ahead of them. By the time they catch up, our 'Sky Net' will have already been upgraded to the third generation."

The atmosphere inside the conference room began to liven up, and many people wore expressions of excitement on their faces.

The leader pondered for a moment, looked around, and finally his gaze landed on Li Mingyuan: "Chief Engineer Li, are you certain that the first-phase 'Sky Net' system already possesses basic interception capability?"

"Yes," Li Mingyuan replied firmly, "although the coverage area is limited, it is technologically mature. In fact, we have already conducted six simulation tests using small target missiles and successfully intercepted four times."

The leader nodded: "Then, let's proceed according to your suggestion. But be fully prepared to ensure nothing goes wrong."