Chapter 533: Exercise Concluded

The lift fans at the bottom of the "Kunpeng" adjusted their angles instantly, and the vector thrust nozzles at the tail spewed out even hotter blue flames. Propelled by some mysterious force, the massive airframe increased its speed from 280 knots to 320 knots in just a few seconds. At the same time, its external armor plates automatically fine-tuned their angles based on calculations by the Pangu System, reducing the radar cross-section to the limit; the special coating activated active absorption mode, swallowing over 99% of radar waves; the "Heavenly Eye" Electronic Interference System released precisely calculated interference signals, creating dozens of false echoes in the areas where the "Kunpeng" might have originally appeared.

The result of all this synergy was that on the Star-Spangled Country's radar screens, the mysterious target that had been flickering in and out of existence reached a despairingly high peak speed, then suddenly, as if erased by an eraser, disappeared completely and cleanly.

Inside the CIC of the aircraft carrier "Haowei", the Radar Operators stared dumbfounded at the screens that had suddenly gone blank.

"The target... disappeared?" the lead Radar Technician said in disbelief, voice trembling, "It completely vanished!"

"That's impossible!" Commander Martin snapped, "Rescan immediately! Adjust the parameters!"

"Sir, we've already adjusted three times!" the Radar Technician was practically crying, "We used every possible frequency and mode! It just... disappeared! As if it never existed at all!"

Captain Thompson's face turned abnormally pale: "What about sonar? Are there any signals underwater?"

"No abnormal sonar contact, sir!" the sonar room reported, "Only normal ocean background noise. No engine sound, no propeller sound, nothing at all!"

"What about the early warning aircraft?" Thompson grabbed at the last straw.

The Communication Officer shook his head: "Negative, sir. Three E-1B early warning aircraft have covered the area within a 200-nautical-mile radius, and no suspicious targets have been found."

The entire CIC fell into an unprecedented dead silence. Everyone stared at those blank screens, their faces filled with shock, confusion, and deep fear. They had just witnessed a phenomenon completely beyond their understanding—a massive, high-speed object had vanished into thin air under the surveillance of the world's most advanced detection systems.

"This doesn't conform to the laws of physics," Commander Martin muttered to himself, eyes hollow, "No known technology can do this."

Captain Thompson stared fixedly at the radar screen, as if trying to force the vanished target back with his gaze: "It must still be there; it must be using some kind of stealth technology we don't understand."

"But even with stealth technology, it should leave some traces," the Radar Supervisor explained, voice filled with frustration, "Surface disturbances, thermal signals, sound waves... there should be something. But we have nothing, sir, nothing at all!"

On the bridge of the "Haowei", Captain Thompson looked out at the empty sea, feeling an unprecedented sense of powerlessness. He had served in the navy for thirty years, had experienced the most intense battles of the Pacific theater in World War II, and had witnessed countless technological innovations, but he had never encountered such an unsettling situation.

"All units continue searching," he finally ordered, his voice tinged with exhaustion, "Expand the search radius to 300 nautical miles. All radar and sonar maintain highest alert. Report any anomalies at any time."

But he knew in his heart that this order was more to appease the panic within the fleet than any real expectation of rediscovering the mysterious target. Whatever it was, it had already proven that it could completely evade the world's most advanced detection systems and come and go as it pleased in the vast ocean.

Meanwhile, the "Kunpeng" had already sailed out of the Star-Spangled Country fleet's search range, galloping toward the Long Country at an astonishing speed of over 320 knots. Li Mingyuan sat in the control cabin, watching the Star-Spangled Country fleet still spinning in place on the tactical display screen with a smile.

"How pitiful," he chuckled, "The world's number one navy, being played for fools by us."

"According to intercepted communication analysis, the Star-Spangled Country fleet has abandoned effective tracking and shifted to a passive search state," the Pangu System reported, "They are sending emergency intelligence to fleet headquarters describing this encounter. Emotional analysis shows the panic index within the fleet has reached 8.9, almost on the verge of collapse."

Li Mingyuan nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, this is exactly the effect I wanted. Pangu, activate the reconnaissance mode of the 'Heavenly Eye' system; I want to see the expressions of those Star-Spangled Country sailors."

The holographic projection area in the control cabin lit up, displaying high-definition images transmitted from an orbital satellite. The optical imaging capability of the "Heavenly Eye" system far exceeded any reconnaissance equipment of this era; even from low orbit, it could clearly capture the details of the ships on the sea.

In the image, the Star-Spangled Country fleet was executing a strange search pattern—the aircraft carrier remained in the center, while destroyers and cruisers expanded outward in a spiral, forming an increasingly large search circle. Carrier-based aircraft circled at low altitude, and early warning aircraft patrolled at high altitude. The entire scene looked both busy and chaotic, fully reflecting their inner panic and confusion.

"Truly spectacular," Li Mingyuan commented, "The Star-Spangled Country's most elite carrier strike group, made so wretched by one of our experimental ships. This footage must be well preserved after we return; it can be used as teaching material for military academies."

He switched to the communication channel: "Penglai Base, this is 'Kunpeng'. Long-range testing and special subject exercises are complete, currently returning, expected to arrive in 17 hours."

Inside the Penglai Base command center, Li Mingyuan's voice came through the speakers, immediately triggering a burst of cheers and applause. Ever since the "Kunpeng" disappeared from the Star-Spangled Country fleet's radar screens, the atmosphere in the command center had instantly turned from tense worry to ecstasy. Everyone crowded in front of the big screen, witnessing the awkward state of the Star-Spangled Country fleet through the real-time footage transmitted by the "Heavenly Eye" system.

"Lao Li! Well done!" Minister Zhang was so excited he was incoherent, his voice even choked with emotion, "You... you are simply... our hero!"

Even more enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted in the command center, and some older officers were so moved they shed tears. For them, this was not just a successful test, but the first truly significant "exhaling of breath" in decades—Long Country's technology, Long Country's weapons, making the world's most powerful navy make a fool of itself in public; this sense of achievement and national pride could not be described in words.

"Don't get excited, Minister Zhang," Li Mingyuan's voice remained calm, yet tinged with unconcealable pride, "This was just a routine test. The 'Kunpeng's' performance met expectations, with no anomalies."

"Met expectations?" Minister Zhang was practically laughing, "Lao Li, do you know what we saw? The Star-Spangled Country's carrier strike group spinning around on the sea like headless flies! Their carrier-based aircraft, radar, sonar... they sent everything out, yet couldn't even find a shadow of the 'Kunpeng'! This is simply... simply a historic victory!"