Heartbeat Moment

In anxious anticipation, the carrier Charles de Gaulle received a reply from East University: permission granted, but command would be ceded to East University for coordinated operations.

"Sir."

Looking at East University's response, the officers in the bridge all turned to the carrier air wing commander, awaiting his decision.

To be honest, the request wasn't unreasonable. If it were them, they would have made even more excessive demands.

"Reply to East University, we agree. Open the data ports."

The lives of thousands of people on board, the honor of France, and the potential wreckage of unidentified flying objects caused the French to lower their proud heads.

It was all Earthling technology, and the principles remained the same. Various countries had conducted joint exercises before. As long as the ports were opened to receive data, they could link with East University's combat system. Of course, this link was one-way, only capable of receiving combat data.

Soon, in 815A's radar, the Charles de Gaulle's IFF identification changed to friendly. Simultaneously, the Sea Rafales patrolling the skies nearby also turned friendly. Their sensor signal data was sent to the 815A system, processed, and then transmitted to the combat command center.

In the situational awareness display, new "friendly" forces appeared, dispelling a large area of the fog of war and enhancing the perception of the surrounding sea. The Charles de Gaulle adjusted its course to approach 815A. It sailed alongside at a distance of about two nautical miles, acting as a bodyguard. It was quite an honor for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to escort a reconnaissance ship.

The captain of the Charles de Gaulle stood on the bridge, observing 815A's hull through binoculars, mentally assessing the reconnaissance ship's damage.

From the scorched hull, it was evident that the ship had experienced a fire. The spherical dome was riddled with holes, and the extent of damage to the radar modules was unclear. Most striking was the wreckage of the unidentified flying object on the helicopter landing pad. Its glass-like outer shell shimmered with iridescent colors, making it impossible to ignore.

It seemed those three aircraft had been shot down by East University. No significant debris was found in the surrounding waters, suggesting they had already been recovered. How should the wreckage be exchanged? The captain of the Charles de Gaulle pondered, then gave up. These matters were best left for higher-ups to negotiate.

After securing the recovered wreckage, and with the newly joined Charles de Gaulle in tow, 815A set course at full speed towards the Liaoning carrier strike group.

Although many of the Charles de Gaulle's functions were unusable, the intelligence received, whether intentionally or accidentally, contained numerous images of the damaged Carl Vinson carrier strike group.

In the satellite images, the damaged Carl Vinson was engulfed in thick smoke, its carbon emissions far exceeding the limit. The flight deck was practically a sieve, and the bridge resembled Swiss cheese. The close-in weapon systems on the ship's sides were nowhere to be seen, and only one launcher remained for the Sea Sparrow missiles. Several French naval officers had already written it off as lost.

Even if it could successfully return to the West Coast, the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was on the East Coast, so its repair was questionable.

Even if it could be repaired, would the current US industrial capacity and budget be sufficient?

Even if the budget was enough, how many years would it take to repair? They struggled to build a destroyer, let alone repair an aircraft carrier this severely damaged.

Its escorts fared no better. The Ticonderoga-class had its superstructure planed off by one level, falling into a deathly silence, with leaked oil polluting a large swathe of the ocean.

The Arleigh Burke-class suffered a VLS cell cook-off, and its forward hull section broke apart. The surviving crew members paddled away from the sinking destroyer in life rafts.

The luckiest were likely the nuclear submarines; the submerged submarines successfully evaded the attacks from the unidentified flying objects.

The entire carrier formation endured the attack of the triangular aircraft. After moving a certain distance away from the "Sky Pit," the triangular aircraft gave up the pursuit and returned to the vicinity of the Sky Pit, flying around it like bees guarding a hive.

The Carl Vinson thus escaped being sunk.

Whether it was East University, France, or any other nation capable of observing this battle, no one could smile looking at the dire state of the US carrier strike group.

In the 815A control room, Song Xizhu adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, meticulously organizing the data from the engagement with the unidentified flying objects. Looking at the unidentified flying objects in the combat footage, she had a firm conclusion: they were not of human origin.

"Doctor, superiors have sent a notice. After meeting with the Liaoning, we are to proceed immediately to headquarters for a meeting."

"Understood."

Meanwhile, on the flight deck of the Liaoning, flight deck crew were working frantically. Arresting nets were being deployed, and fire trucks were positioned on the side of the flight deck. If a landing J-15S caught fire, they were to immediately spray it with firefighting foam to prevent the fire from spreading.

Inside the Liaoning's bridge, the carrier air wing commander peered through binoculars at the two approaching J-15S aircraft, aircraft [139] and [140].

Superiors attached great importance to both aircraft. Aircraft 139 had shot down three unidentified flying objects, while aircraft 140 had been attacked by unidentified flying objects, making its internal data invaluable.

As they approached the carrier, aircraft 139 broke formation. The severely damaged aircraft 140 struggled to adjust its landing attitude. While the elevators could be compensated for by the canards, only one yaw rudder remained, significantly reducing the aircraft's controllability. Whether it could accurately catch the arresting hook on the arresting gear cable would be a severe test of the pilot's skill.

"Notify aircraft 140, if you are not confident, you can eject," said carrier air wing commander Zhang Jun with some concern. Landing a damaged carrier-based aircraft in combat was the first time since the founding of the People's Navy, and they indeed lacked much experience compared to foreign navies.

"Report! We are confident!"

The damaged sections of aircraft [140] held significant research value, allowing for analysis of the enemy's weapon performance and types, and assessment of damage to frontline fighter jets.

After much hesitation, Zhang Jun chose to trust the skills of his fellow pilots.

"Agreed!"

Upon receiving landing clearance, aircraft 140 followed standard landing procedures, decelerating and extending its flaps. With one engine out, its thrust was halved. The veteran pilot carefully modulated the throttle, his forehead quickly beading with sweat from tension.

The aircraft wobbled as it descended towards the flight deck. The familiar aircraft felt somewhat strange without a full elevator and tailplane. The pilot adapted, making continuous, subtle adjustments to maintain the optimal landing attitude.

Finally, the moment the aircraft's landing gear touched the carrier's deck, the immense landing force compressed the landing gear's shock absorption system. The two pilots even heard the landing gear creak under the strain, but at least they had landed. The arresting hook successfully engaged the fourth arresting wire. The pilot immediately cut the throttle and activated the speed brakes and brakes.

After skidding for a short distance, the J-15S crashed into the arresting net, coming to a halt like a shark caught in a fishing net.

Once the landing was confirmed successful, both pilots slumped in their cockpits as if all their strength had been drained.

The instant the aircraft came to a stop, the ground crew sprinted a hundred meters towards the J-15S. After opening the cockpit canopy, they lifted the exhausted pilots out and transferred them to stretchers to be taken to the medical bay.

The damaged aircraft 140 was moved to the parking area. After the ground crew cleared the deck, aircraft [139], under the control of Zhang Peng, landed smoothly on the flight deck.