French Tradition

In the Western Pacific, the Charles de Gaulle, with a full displacement of over 40,000 tons, was drawing near the 815A alone. As Europe's last symbol of prestige, France was far superior to Great Britain.

Great Britain's pathetic Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier was all show and no planes, relying on a few helicopters to maintain appearances. Those unaware might mistake it for an amphibious assault ship, and even then, its displacement couldn't compare to the 076 recently launched by East University.

The 076 boasted an electromagnetic catapult, while the Queen Elizabeth-class carrier lacked even a steam catapult. The F35s ordered from the US had yet to arrive, forcing them to let American carrier-based aircraft land on their own carrier to save face.

Allowing foreign aircraft to come and go on one's own carrier – what kind of decorum is that!

"Has the request been sent?" the Captain of the Charles de Gaulle asked, turning to an officer.

"Sir! It has been sent," the officer in charge of communications reported loudly.

Next, they would have to wait for East University's reply.

The Captain of the Charles de Gaulle sighed. To show sincerity, the Gallic Rooster had already begun to back down.

The colossal vessel beneath him was France's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the world's only non-American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and currently the French Navy's sole active aircraft carrier, serving as its flagship.

No matter what, even if he, the Captain, were to be dismissed for inappropriate remarks, he could not allow the Charles de Gaulle to be sunk here!

Fortunately, the carrier's reactor was based on a nuclear submarine's, limiting its operational speed. It hadn't plunged headfirst into a hornet's nest and been surrounded by unknown enemies. Sometimes, being slow wasn't a bad thing; they had personally witnessed how their "big brother" had been beaten up.

America couldn't even protect itself, so how could it protect them? The only one who could protect them now was East University.

On the carrier's flight deck, four Sea Rafales armed with missiles were undergoing takeoff preparations, replacing the carrier-based aircraft in the air whose fuel was running low. White steam from the steam catapults filled the flight deck. If viewed through a France 24 filter, it might have resembled a French version of "Top Gun."

The Charles de Gaulle could accommodate over 40 aircraft at most. Its standard complement included 24 French Rafale M fighter jets, which could be increased to over 30 when necessary, enough for rotation.

The three early warning aircraft in the hangar had not yet taken off. After all, with data sharing from the American E-2 early warning aircraft previously, the Charles de Gaulle had no need to launch its own.

However, the Charles de Gaulle could launch a maximum of 75 sorties per day. This scale of force was roughly the minimum threshold for a carrier's offensive and defensive capabilities, and this time, they were pushing it to the limit.

"Captain, the electromagnetic interference intensity is decreasing."

Listening to his subordinate's report, the Captain of the Charles de Gaulle felt a sense of relief. The ARABEL phased array radar had been subjected to electromagnetic suppression and interference, rendering the SAAM/F air defense system composed of vertical-launched Aster-15 short-range air defense missiles and two six-tube Sadral short-range air defense missile launchers blind.

The only thing they could rely on were the eight Giat 20F2 20mm autocannons. However, seeing the American Phalanx system being overwhelmed by unknown aircraft made him doubt the effectiveness of autocannons with a maximum range of about 8km and a maximum rate of fire of 720 rounds per minute.

Regardless, those strange aircraft were currently being held off by the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, and they would run as far as they could now.

"Are you sure the signals from those three aircraft have disappeared?" the Captain asked, still somewhat uncertain.

"Yes, they disappeared near the 815A."

The so-called signals were sources of electromagnetic interference. These unknown aircraft continuously emitted electromagnetic interference in all directions, and as long as this interference disappeared, it meant the enemy had been shot down or had left.

"They must have been shot down," the Captain mused, stating his deduction.

It was unclear if the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group had shot them down, but they certainly had on this side. Since they had shot down unknown aircraft, the wreckage must have been recovered.

Trying to obtain the wreckage by force would be suicidal. If East University got serious, the Charles de Gaulle would be hit by Dongfeng missiles. Their presence here was merely to show they existed and to put some pressure on the Americans. After all, East University and France were far apart, and there were no irreconcilable geopolitical conflicts between them.

As an old saying from East University goes, "a timely help is a great help." Although they "didn't have time" to lend a hand when the 815A was attacked, that didn't mean they couldn't now.

Maintaining a polite yet dignified distance from the 815A, the Charles de Gaulle reduced its speed. Sea Rafales launched via steam catapults, replacing carrier-based aircraft with insufficient fuel, and actively established an early warning perimeter for the 815A in the direction of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group.

Some things are better left unsaid. Who says foreigners only do things by the book and don't understand human relationships?

The deployment of the Charles de Gaulle did not escape the eyes of the WZ7 and satellites. Its every move was transmitted to the combat command center via laser communication.

The commander in charge of the operation looked at the actions of the Charles de Gaulle and felt a bit overwhelmed. First, they ignored the "NATO Mutual Defense Treaty" and turned to flee. According to the treaty, France had significant autonomy within NATO and could choose not to advance or retreat with NATO.

Selling out America and turning to flee was also a continuation of their World War II tradition.

East University naturally noticed the goodwill extended by the Charles de Gaulle. However, some matters were not within their decision-making power; their mission was to command operations, not to act as East University's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The intelligence was reported up the chain of command, and after high-level discussions, feedback was given to the command center: in principle, it was agreed, but the Charles de Gaulle would have to follow the command of the Liaoning.

The Charles de Gaulle had no choice. In the entire Western Pacific, East University was the closest to it, and East University was the only one that could protect it. As for Japan, South Korea, and others, the French didn't even give them a second glance.

Protecting the Charles de Gaulle was also due to several considerations.

First, as a phenomenon never before discovered or recorded by humanity – the Sky Pit – it contained too many unknowns, and unknowns represented danger.

Second, the American Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group had been disabled. While nuclear-powered aircraft carriers had strong high-speed endurance, maintenance was also an issue. Nuclear reactors were not easy to handle, and their maintenance was far more complex than that of conventionally powered aircraft carriers.

Most American carriers were built in the last century. Considering the various problems caused by aging carrier equipment, less than 20% of American carrier strike groups could be deployed. After the Carl Vinson was disabled, at most only 2-3 carrier strike groups could be deployed.

The future development of the Sky Pit was still unclear, but it was inevitable that the entire Pacific Rim would face immense military threats. One more carrier meant one more fighting force for humanity, and the Navy was a technical branch.

Finally, it was a gesture of goodwill to France, laying the groundwork for future cooperation.