Chapter 545: That is... Long Country?!

"Good heavens!" Nakajima exclaimed, instinctively grabbing the camera hanging around his neck. As an amateur photography enthusiast, he carried this precious camera with him everywhere, and it was now proving to be of great use.

The massive object drew closer and closer, and Nakajima finally saw it clearly—it was a streamlined behemoth, visually estimated to be at least 80 meters long, yet it was at an extremely low altitude, flying almost flush against the surface of the sea. Most shocking of all, it had no propellers, no sails, and not even any visible propulsion devices, yet it was traveling at an unimaginable speed!

"Shoot it! Shoot it!" Tanaka screamed, his voice distorted by fear.

Nakajima raised his camera, fumbling to focus as he pressed the shutter repeatedly. Just then, the silver-gray giant suddenly turned, charging directly toward their group of small fishing boats!

"Get down!" Nakajima shouted, subconsciously throwing himself onto the deck.

The giant did not collide with them directly but instead brushed past the group of fishing boats, so close that Nakajima could clearly see every detail on its surface—the streamlined hull, the armor plating shimmering with a metallic luster, and most shocking of all—emblazoned on its belly was a vivid, lifelike dragon pattern, and next to it was a flag he recognized—it was the national flag of Long Country!

"Long... Long Country!" Nakajima whispered in terror, his fingers trembling as he pressed the shutter again.

As the giant streaked past at high speed, it kicked up a massive blast of air and water, causing the three small fishing boats to sway violently, nearly capsizing. The fishermen screamed, grabbing onto anything they could, while nets and fish baskets were blown flying into the air.

The fishing boat closest to the giant's path did not escape unscathed; a massive wave capsized it, and the fishermen on board fell into the icy seawater, crying out in despair for help.

Nakajima's fishing boat also nearly capsized but eventually managed to maintain its balance. When he looked up again at the silver-gray giant, it had already vanished into the night, leaving behind only a chaotic sea surface and shell-shocked fishermen.

"What... what was that monster?" Tanaka asked weakly, his face deathly pale.

Nakajima gripped his camera tightly, his hands still trembling, "It's not a monster... it's a Long Country weapon! I saw their national flag!"

Just as dawn was breaking, Nakajima Kenichi rushed into the local newspaper office with his camera. Despite not having slept all night, his eyes shone with excitement.

"I got it! I got a picture of that monster!" he shouted to the editor-in-chief.

The editor had originally intended to chase away this frantic old fisherman, but when Nakajima mentioned "monster" and "Long Country," his attitude changed instantly. The previous night's radar anomalies and coastal alerts had already spread throughout the news industry, and every reporter was hunting for firsthand information.

"Let me see what you've captured," the editor said gravely.

Nakajima opened the camera with trembling hands and took out the film, "It needs to be developed... I've been worried about these photos all night, terrified of losing them."

Without a word, the editor immediately summoned the head of the photography department, "Emergency development, highest priority!"

An hour later, several black-and-white photos were spread out on the editorial desk, surrounded by reporters and editors holding their breath. Although the photos were somewhat blurry due to being taken at night, the key details were clearly visible—a massive, streamlined object flying against the sea surface, with a dragon pattern and the Long Country flag emblazoned on its belly!

"My god..." the editor gasped, "It's real! That 'Ocean Ghost' belongs to Long Country!"

"We must print it immediately! Get it on today's front page!" the editor-in-chief ordered excitedly.

"But we need to verify—"

"There's no time!" the editor-in-chief interrupted, "If we don't report it first, someone else will! This is an exclusive! It's enough to shock the entire world!"

A few hours later, *This Morning News* was printed at record speed and sent to the streets. The front-page headline read in massive font: "Long Country Beast Appears in Kyoto Bay!" The accompanying image was the photo Nakajima had taken; though blurry, the Long Country flag was clearly identifiable.

Once the newspaper was released, it immediately caused a sensation throughout the city. People scrambled to buy it, and crowds were discussing it everywhere on the streets.

"Long Country? How could it be Long Country?"

"How could that backward country have this kind of superweapon?"

"This must be fake news!"

"But the photo is real! Look at that flag!"

By noon, international news agencies had spread the news across the globe. Major media outlets around the world reprinted the stunning photo, accompanied by various sensational headlines:

"Long Country Secret Weapon Shocks the World!"

"UFO Mystery Solved: It's Made by Long Country!"

"Superweapon or Alien Technology? Long Country Has Mastered Unknown Power!"

Star-Spangled Country, Intelligence Agency Headquarters.

Intelligence Director Colby angrily slammed a newly delivered newspaper onto his desk, knocking his coffee cup to the floor, where it shattered into pieces.

"This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!" he roared, his face turning bright red, "Long Country? That country that just crawled out of a civil war? They don't even have decent industry; how could they possibly build something like this!"

Deputy Director Curtis carefully picked up the newspaper, staring at the photo that was blurry yet clear in its key parts, "The photo has undergone triple verification, sir; there are no signs of forgery. Furthermore, data from the Yinghua Guo Radar Station has confirmed that a high-speed object appeared in Kyoto Bay."

"That must be a conspiracy by Beijixiong Guo!" Colby insisted, "They deliberately printed the Long Country insignia on it to provoke a conflict between us and Long Country!"

Curtis wore a complex expression, "We... have indeed considered that possibility. But the problem is, even Beijixiong Guo does not have the capability to manufacture an aircraft with this kind of performance. According to the Yinghua Guo Radar Station data, the object's speed exceeded 320 knots while flying above the sea; this is completely beyond the scope of existing technology."

Colby slumped into his chair, his expression shifting uncertainly, "If... if this really is a Long Country weapon, what does that mean?"

"It means we have severely underestimated Long Country's technological level and military capabilities," Curtis said gravely, "It means they may have already surpassed us in certain key areas. Even more terrifyingly, if they can build this weapon, who knows what other technologies they possess that we are unaware of?"

Colby felt a wave of dizziness. As Intelligence Director, his assessment of Long Country had always been "backward, poor, and chaotic," and he had never viewed them as a real threat. Now, that assessment might be completely wrong—and wrong by a wide margin.

"The President has already called for an emergency security meeting," Curtis said, "The Pentagon, the State Department, the Scientific Advisory Board... everyone has been summoned. This is no longer just a matter of intelligence failure, but a major crisis of national security."

Colby could only nod blankly, a terrifying thought echoing in his mind: If Long Country truly possessed this technology, what else were they hiding?

Meanwhile, at the Kremlin in Beijixiong Guo, an even more tense meeting was underway.