Chapter 551: Give Them Another Psychological Massage

The scientist insisted on his view: "Sir, when you have eliminated all impossible factors, whatever remains, no matter how incredible, must be the truth. The performance displayed by 'Kunpeng' completely exceeds the scope of current human technology."

Colby was silent; he was unwilling to admit it, but deep down, he knew this crazy theory might be the only logical explanation.

"There is another possibility," said another senior intelligence analyst, "Long Country may have obtained some kind of technology from the future."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said, sir. Perhaps a time traveler, or a transmigrator, brought back technological knowledge from the future."

The conference room fell into a dead silence; this theory was too crazy, yet it could not be completely denied.

Meanwhile, at the Penglai Base in Long Country, Li Mingyuan was reporting the results of the "Kunpeng" public test to Minister Zhang and other high-level officials.

"The mission was a complete success!" Li Mingyuan said with a smile, "According to our monitoring, 'Kunpeng' reached a top speed of 353 knots, far exceeding the target. All systems are running stably, with no abnormalities."

Minister Zhang excitedly slapped the table: "Excellent! You should have seen the expressions on those foreigners! It was like they had seen a ghost!"

"Not only that," Li Mingyuan added, "we also collected a large amount of intelligence, including key data such as the communication frequencies and reconnaissance equipment parameters of Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo. This information has significant value for our future military operations and technological research."

The old general laughed heartily: "This time we really exposed their bottom line! I bet the Pentagon and the Kremlin are in complete chaos right now!"

"The most brilliant part is their speculation," the intelligence department representative interjected, "According to the communications we intercepted, the Star-Spangled Country intelligence agency has already started discussing crazy theories like 'alien technology' and 'time travel'!"

"Alright, comrades," Minister Zhang restrained his smile, "Although this operation was a huge success, we cannot be arrogant or complacent. Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo will inevitably step up their research and pursuit; we must continue to maintain our lead."

He turned to Li Mingyuan: "Lao Li, how is the progress on 'Pangu Net'?"

Li Mingyuan set down his teacup, a flash of determination in his eyes: "It is advancing as planned. Infrastructure construction has begun, and breakthroughs have been made in core technology research. If everything goes smoothly, by the end of next year, we will be able to achieve the first phase goal—connecting the country's major military bases and research institutions."

"Good! Very good!" Minister Zhang nodded with satisfaction, "'Kunpeng' has shocked the world, and 'Pangu Net' will completely change the rules of the game! Lao Li, sometimes I really suspect you dropped down from the sky!"

Li Mingyuan only smiled slightly, not responding to the joke that had inadvertently hit the truth.

After the meeting ended, Li Mingyuan returned to his office, stood by the window, and looked at the "Kunpeng" docked in the distance, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"If they knew what the internet would look like in twenty years..." Li Mingyuan muttered to himself, "then they would truly understand what it means to be 'beyond the era'."

The phone rang again; this time it was the internal line.

"Chief Engineer Li, the Technical Department has an urgent report. There are some abnormal data fluctuations in the 'Kunpeng' power core, and you need to take a look."

Li Mingyuan frowned and put down his pen, "Understood, I'll be there immediately."

Li Mingyuan hurried into the Technical Department laboratory, where Chief Engineer Wang Deming was waiting for him anxiously.

"What's going on? What's wrong with the 'Kunpeng' power core?" Li Mingyuan asked, his brows locked in a frown.

"Chief Engineer Li, look at this." Wang Deming pointed to the monitoring screen, which displayed a series of fluctuating data curves, "The power core experienced energy fluctuations during high-speed operation. Although the magnitude is small, the pattern is very strange, like some kind of... resonance."

Li Mingyuan stared at the undulating curves, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Is there an impact?"

"Not for now; all system indicators are within the safe range, but if it's not resolved, it could lead to a decrease in efficiency over the long term."

Li Mingyuan nodded thoughtfully: "Do a comprehensive check first; I need detailed data analysis. Also, prepare the 'Haiying-V', we will conduct a comprehensive test tomorrow."

"'Haiying-V'?" Wang Deming was stunned for a moment, "You mean... you want to conduct vertical takeoff and landing tests on 'Kunpeng'?"

"That's right." A hint of cunning flashed in Li Mingyuan's eyes, "Since we've already shown them the speed of 'Kunpeng', it's time to let them witness its full power."

"But sir, they have only just recovered from the shock of the last time..."

"Then give them another psychological massage." Li Mingyuan smiled and patted Engineer Wang on the shoulder, "Remember, on the international stage, deterrence is sometimes more important than actual combat power."

Although Wang Deming did not quite understand Chief Engineer Li's strategic thinking, he nodded seriously: "I will arrange it immediately."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean in Star-Spangled Country, inside the top-secret conference room of the Pentagon, an unprecedented emergency meeting was underway.

The lights in the conference room were dim, and the projector on the wall was playing blurry footage captured during the high-speed voyage of "Kunpeng". The room was filled with Star-Spangled Country's top scientists and military experts—senior advisors to the Department of Defense, the director of the Naval Research Laboratory, a famous physicist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, engineers from the aerospace agency, authorities in materials science... these top-tier minds, who were rarely gathered together, sat at the same conference table with grave expressions.

Secretary of Defense Wilson stood by the projection screen, his face terrifyingly gloomy: "Gentlemen, you have all seen the data sent back from the front lines. Now, I need answers. What exactly is that 'Kunpeng'? How did it achieve all this?"

There was silence in the conference room; these usually confident scientific giants were now like students who had made a mistake, with no one rushing to respond.

"No one speaking?" Wilson scanned the crowd coldly, "We assembled the brightest minds in this country just to listen to your collective silence?"

Finally, Doctor Bronson, the chief engineer of the aerospace agency, cleared his throat: "Mr. Secretary, the problem is... we are facing an existence that completely challenges existing scientific cognition. From the data collected, 'Kunpeng' violates the physical laws we take for granted in multiple aspects."

He walked to the projection screen and pulled up a chart: "First is the speed issue. We confirmed that 'Kunpeng' reached a speed of over 350 knots on the water, and the acceleration process took less than 30 seconds. This kind of speed and acceleration is absurd in a surface environment."