This solution was simple and crude. Simple meant efficient, and it could be implemented quickly. What they lacked most now was time.
"Increasing the missile warhead weight and replacing the guidance system will shift the missile's CG, or center of gravity. Modifying the existing missiles will take time."
This would test Great East's industrial strength. However, as the world's largest industrial nation, with a complete industrial chain, it had never feared such matters.
"Besides increasing the yield, we can also use laser illumination. Since it can shift the spectrum, then theoretically, lasers can also be shifted. We can apply that in reverse and locate the concealed aircraft itself."
The old academician continued. They were already beginning to find scientific ways to counter the enemy's moves.
"As for the extraterrestrial civilization's weapons system, Academician Qu will explain it."
After saying that, the old academician stepped down from the stage. Another tall, thin elderly man walked up and projected cross-sections of the damage to the 140 aircraft, along with the damaged areas of the Hornets that had landed on the Charles de Gaulle.
"By extracting samples from the damaged areas of the 815A, the 140 aircraft, and the Hornets, and analyzing the cross-sections at the edges, we have inferred that the weapon used by the extraterrestrial aircraft was a high-energy laser.
Lasers are silent, leave no trail, and produce no electromagnetic radiation. Fortunately, the 815A was equipped with twin biological imaging sensors, which observed the extraterrestrial aircraft firing high-energy lasers, confirming this conclusion."
When high-energy laser weapons were mentioned, those below were no strangers to them. Great East was a global leader in high-energy lasers, and they had already been deployed aboard ships. "Combat Employment and Prospects of Shipborne Laser Weapons" described Great East's use of laser weapons in every conceivable way.
"The Flying Shark's fuselage skin has a melting point of around 1,500 degrees. The laser power density required to inflict this sort of damage would be between ten to the eighth and ten to the tenth power per square centimeter. At that energy level, shockwave effects would occur. Not only would the skin melt into metal vapor, but through the two mechanisms of inverse bremsstrahlung by free electrons and photoionization, the vapor would also be ionized into plasma."
The technical experts listened calmly to the old academician's explanation of the principles, while the military officers listened attentively as well. The officials from unrelated fields took notes, intending to look up the details later.
"The plasma will expand at supersonic speed, appearing in the form of laser-supported detonation and inflicting mechanical damage upon the target, such as delamination, shearing, and fracture."
"However, we found none of the radiation effects produced by sustained laser irradiation—ultraviolet rays and X-rays. The aircraft's avionics systems showed no exposure of photosensitive materials or ionization-induced changes in electrical properties caused by X-ray irradiation."
"Based on the above assessment, the extraterrestrial civilization's weapon system was most likely a pulsed laser. Only pulsed lasers could cause mechanical destruction without affecting precision electronic components."
The old academician had finished his assessment of the enemy's weapons system.
What about the enemy's defenses?
"Our weapons can damage them. Research and analysis of the wreckage's outer shell show that its strength is not especially high, but its wave transmission and light transmission rates are extremely high. The material itself is like a prism and can shift the spectrum."
At that point, a trace of concern flashed between the old academician's brows. High light transmission and wave transmission were normal enough, considering light's wave-particle duality. But something else worried him:
"We found no extraterrestrial individuals, organic residue, or any other signs of occupants inside the aircraft wreckage."
Hearing this, the experts present all frowned. This meant the triangular aircraft were very likely not the extraterrestrials' primary combat units. Like human drones, they were probably equivalent to reconnaissance-strike integrated UAVs.
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group's successful escape indirectly proved that the extraterrestrial aircraft would not leave a certain range of the Sky Pit. Like soldiers establishing a beachhead, they were not focused on combat but on guarding their position while awaiting the arrival of the main force. This possibility was extremely high, which meant Earth was very likely facing an invasion by an extraterrestrial civilization!
Was there any way to communicate?
The supreme art of war was to subdue the enemy without fighting. They currently lacked understanding of the extraterrestrial civilization. If communication were possible and they could learn the aliens' purpose, then provided there were no irreconcilable conflicts, this invasion could become an opportunity—an opportunity to communicate with an extraterrestrial civilization and deepen humanity's understanding of the outside world.
"The aliens have not responded to any messages we sent—radio, lasers, sound waves, and so on."
Everyone present fell silent again. No response was itself a response.
Immediately draft contingency plans for a possible full-scale invasion by the extraterrestrial civilization.
Great East had long ago drafted plans for responding to an extraterrestrial invasion. It even had absurd contingency plans for zombie virus outbreaks, the apocalypse, spiritual energy revival, and the like. Now that the aliens had truly arrived, they could take out those preexisting plans, make targeted adjustments to certain conditions, rapidly formulate a new plan, and then resolutely carry it out according to its preparation phase!
After the old academician stepped down, another professor from Fudan University took the stage. With the appearance of the Sky Pit, the relationship between Great East and America would change, and even the entire global situation would shift accordingly.
"Commanders, leaders, academicians, I will now discuss the possible changes to the future situation."
A world map centered on the Pacific Ocean appeared on the enormous screen behind him, radiating outward from the Sky Pit to encompass the entire Pacific Ocean region.
"The existence of the Sky Pit will have an enormous impact on the entire Pacific Rim. Although the extraterrestrial civilization has shown no signs of expansion for now, we must prepare for the possibility that the aliens will expand outward. Once they do, all transportation across the Pacific Ocean—including maritime shipping, air freight, and passenger transport—will be completely cut off!"
Looking at the vast world map, cutting off the Pacific Ocean's transportation routes would be equivalent to splitting the entire world in two. Great East and America would immediately become "the most distant places in the world." Whether by air or sea, routes would become several times longer, and transportation costs would surge.
"However, compared with America, we have one enormous advantage: the ASEAN Ten and Japan form a barrier in front of us. They will be on the front line facing the aliens directly, while America's mainland will face the alien threat head-on."
That was geopolitics. Geographically, America had no buffer zone before its west coast—no countries, only a few small islands. Even if military bases were established on those islands, their control range would be limited, nowhere near as useful as the smaller nations before Great East.
The smaller nations themselves possessed certain military, population, economic, and industrial capabilities. East Asia was the most densely populated and industrially developed region in the world!
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