Chapter 554: Can't Defend Against It?

The entire process took no more than five seconds, but these five seconds completely changed the worldview of everyone present.

"Oh... my god..." the Communication Officer's voice trembled, "Its acceleration... it's completely impossible..."

"Track it!" Major Paike came to his senses and shouted hysterically, "Radar! Track that aircraft!"

The Radar Operator's fingers danced across the console, but his expression grew increasingly desperate: "Sir... it... it disappeared! Our radar can't keep up with it! The last reading showed it climbing vertically at a speed exceeding the speed of sound, and then... then there was no signal!"

The pilot of the high-altitude reconnaissance plane reported in terror over the radio: "Headquarters! Headquarters! An unknown aircraft is approaching me at an incredible speed! No, not approaching, it's overtaking me! It... it just passed through the clouds from below me at a vertical angle, at least three times my speed! My god... it's climbing upward now, and it's still accelerating! This isn't an aircraft, this is a Missile! No, faster than a Missile!"

Major Paike's legs went weak, and he had to hold onto the command console to steady himself. His gaze returned to the "Kunpeng," only to see that massive "well opening" closing smoothly, restoring itself to a flat deck, as if everything that had just happened were merely a hallucination.

"Captain, how are we going to report this?" the First Officer asked with a trembling voice.

Major Paike shook his head blankly; he could not imagine how the Pentagon would react after receiving this report. A super-platform capable of sailing on the water at 350 knots was already enough to overturn the global military landscape; and now, this platform had also proven it could carry vertical take-off and landing Supersonic Fighters. This was no longer just a technological lead, but a gap in civilization levels!

"All our aircraft carriers, all our airports..." the Weapons Officer muttered to himself, "are meaningless in the face of this kind of weapon... It can take off and land anywhere, no runway needed, no catapult needed... and that speed..."

"Everyone, stay calm!" Major Paike forced himself to steady his nerves, "Prepare to send a highest-priority report to Headquarters, codenamed 'Angel Fall.' At the same time, continue to observe the 'Kunpeng' and record its every move!"

However, the "Kunpeng" seemed satisfied with the shock it had caused; after demonstrating the fighter's take-off, it slowly turned around, accelerated again, and soon disappeared over the horizon, leaving behind only a group of shell-shocked Star-Spangled Country officers and a shocking report capable of shaking the entire Pentagon.

At the Pentagon operations center, the alarm sounded sharp and piercing.

"'Angel Fall' emergency report! 'Angel Fall' emergency report!" the communicator shouted loudly, "'Freedom' has sent a highest-priority combat report!"

Secretary of Defense Wilson and several Advanced generals quickly gathered in front of the large screen, which was displaying the blurry footage just transmitted—the vertically taking-off fighter disappearing into the clouds in an instant.

"This... this is impossible..." Admiral Henderson, Chief of Naval Operations, said in a hoarse voice, "A vertical take-off and landing Supersonic Fighter? This technology is at least thirty years ahead of us!"

"Not only that," General Rogers, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, added, his voice trembling slightly from fear, "According to preliminary analysis, that fighter's speed and climb rate far exceed our most Advanced fighter jets. It went from a standstill to supersonic in just a few seconds! And that vertical take-off capability... it completely defies all our aviation design concepts!"

Wilson's face was as pale as paper: "So, Long Country not only possesses a super-platform that can hit 350 knots on the water, but also possesses a Supersonic Fighter capable of vertical take-off and landing? And these two technologies can be perfectly combined?"

"What's even more terrifying," the intelligence analyst interjected, "is that waving gesture... that was showing off to us! They deliberately displayed these technologies in front of us, as if to say 'look at what we can do'!"

The conference room fell into a dead silence, with everyone contemplating the implications of all this. This series of displays by Long Country had completely overturned existing military theory and the strategic balance.

"Our aircraft carrier fleets..." the Secretary of the Navy muttered to himself, "are meaningless in the face of this technology... They can deploy this platform anywhere and launch these fighters... The global naval hegemony we worked so hard to build has vanished into thin air overnight..."

"Our Anti-aircraft System is also as good as non-existent," the Air Force Chief of Staff said desperately, "That kind of acceleration and speed... our interception systems simply cannot keep up! It can easily break through any line of defense!"

Wilson took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm: "Gentlemen, what we are facing is not just a military threat, but a reconstruction of our entire national security concept. Long Country has shown us that the technology they possess is enough to completely change the rules of the game."

He turned to the communicator: "Arrange an emergency meeting with the President immediately. At the same time, upgrade the 'Puluomixiusi Project' to the highest national priority. Use all resources, at any cost, we must crack Long Country's technological secrets!"

Meanwhile, at Long Country's Penglai Base, Li Mingyuan was listening to the detailed report on the "Haiying-V" test flight.

"Mission perfectly accomplished, Chief Engineer Li!" pilot Huang Zhiqiang said excitedly, "The vertical take-off and landing system operated stably, the engine thrust was plentiful, and the acceleration performance exceeded expectations! I saw the sailors on that Star-Spangled Country destroyer all go dumbfounded!"

Li Mingyuan smiled and nodded: "Will done, Zhiqiang! That waving gesture of yours was very creative; I bet those Star-Spangled Country officers are definitely about to have heart attacks right now."

"I originally wanted to fly a circle around their ship," Huang Zhiqiang said with some regret, "but thinking of your instructions, I decided to pull up vertically instead to leave them with an even more shocking impression."

Li Mingyuan patted his shoulder: "You did the right thing. Sometimes, leaving room for the opponent's imagination is more effective than a direct display. Right now, the intelligence analysts of the Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo are frantically guessing the limit performance of the 'Haiying-V,' and their imagination is often more terrifying than reality."

Minister Zhang walked in, an irrepressible smile on his face: "Lao Li, just received news that the Star-Spangled Country's Pentagon has launched an emergency project codenamed 'Puluomixiusi,' mobilizing their top scientists from across the country. Beijixiong Guo is not to be outdone either; the Kremlin has ordered the formation of a specialized research team."

Li Mingyuan chuckled: "It seems our little performance achieved the expected effect."

"Achieved? It was an over-fulfillment!" Minister Zhang said excitedly, "According to reliable intelligence, the scientists of the Star-Spangled Country and Beijixiong Guo have fallen into a cognitive crisis; their physics theories cannot explain the performance of the 'Kunpeng' and the 'Haiying-V'! Some have even proposed crazy theories like 'alien technology' and 'time travel'!"