The Only One Who Refused to Kneel

The Shenyang FC-31 (6th-gen fighter) project, focusing primarily on carrier-based aircraft, has been accelerated. The Fujian Carrier and Type 076 are being fast-tracked for service. Subsequent batches of the Type 004, Type 005, Type 006, Type 055, Type 054B, and Type 076 are entering wartime construction speeds.

Strength is always the foundation for upholding justice. National defense is the true backing for diplomacy. Dignity exists on the edge of a sword, and truth lies only within the range of our cannons! This principle still holds true when facing an alien civilization!

This time, the enemy comes from the sea, but we are no longer the East University of 200 years ago!

All departments, begin your work immediately upon returning! Conduct on-site investigations and submit your reports!

Meeting adjourned! The following comrades will remain!

After the meeting concluded, officials, experts, and scholars from various industries hurried away, while military leaders and some specially summoned senior academicians stayed behind.

The senior academicians who remained wore expressions of seriousness and lingering concern. During the previous meeting, the analysis of the alien civilization's technology suggested that the gap between humanity and the aliens was not significant, but it deliberately avoided the most crucial element—the Sky Pit.

I'm keeping you all here because I want to ask a question: as a civilization capable of creating a "Sky Pit," what is the real gap between us and them?!

The earlier analysis of their aircraft, using the example of shooting them down, was intended to boost confidence. Morale, though intangible, can be one of the decisive factors in war. If the officers fall into despair, this war cannot be fought.

Some intelligence is better kept secret for now. Once the alien civilization's intelligence and objectives are fully understood, it can be widely disseminated. However, as decision-makers, we must know the truth!

The leader's words cast a silence over the senior academicians present. As the saying goes, ignorance breeds fearlessness, but they, as experts who have been researching technology on the front lines for years, understood better than ordinary people what technological overwhelm and dimensionality reduction strikes truly meant.

"Vast! Extremely vast!"

One academician spoke with a solemn and heavy tone:

"The Sky Pit is ring-shaped. This model structure is a classic constraint device, using an external ring to confine an internal passage and maintain its stability. This alone is something we cannot achieve! We can't even operate a fusion device stably for extended periods, yet they can stably confine wormholes, or something else we don't understand, to project forces tens, hundreds, or even thousands of light-years away!"

After the academician finished speaking, it was clear that several senior leaders' expressions had become incredibly grim, so much so that they seemed capable of freezing. An older man reached for his chest, his brow deeply furrowed.

In the vastness of the universe, another civilization capable of traveling from such immense distances to the Milky Way, then finding the Solar System in the "outskirts," and precisely opening a wormhole on the third planet—what does this signify? It means—you! are! finished!

"Medical..."

No need, it's an old ailment. I'll be fine in a moment.

"There are still some contradictory aspects. Theoretically, a civilization capable of opening wormholes should be at least Type II, with a foundational science that should completely overwhelm us. However, the aircraft they manufactured did not exhibit the expected performance and could even be shot down by 30mm cannons. The technology displayed by the Sky Pit is inconsistent with what we encountered in actual combat. The specific reasons are unknown."

Listening to the senior academician's words, the furrowed brows of the senior leaders eased somewhat. They had considered everything, except surrender.

Spend the US debt as quickly as possible and convert it into corresponding resources.

With the aliens here and the Pacific Ocean cut off, the utility of US debt would be greatly diminished. Although a massive sell-off of US debt would impact the US economy and be detrimental to the overall situation, we must prepare for the worst. If the aliens are truly that powerful, preserving the spark of civilization and continuing the Huaxia Civilization is the primary consideration.

"Understood!"

Accelerate technological research and development targeting the alien civilization. The weapons and equipment we currently have are designed to overwhelm the previous generation, but the aliens' technology is different from ours (humanity's), and the combat effectiveness of these weapons and equipment will be severely reduced.

"Understood!"

Having said this, the senior leader turned to the naval officers. The aliens' "gate" was in the skies above the Pacific Ocean, making the Navy the first line of defense against this threat. And the first to engage the aliens in the Navy, aside from missiles, would be the Naval Aviation.

I know our Naval Aviation has a weak foundation, but we cannot abandon the immense benefits of the sea!

Naval Aviation, as a crucial component of the Navy, plays a vital role in safeguarding national maritime rights and interests and maintaining maritime security. Think of the natural gas and oil beneath the ocean—these are energy sources, the lifeblood that keeps industry running!

Every day, the senior leaders' first task is to face the basic needs of 1.4 billion people. Ensuring that 1.4 billion people are fed is no easy feat. Maritime routes transport vast amounts of resources, agricultural products, and oil from all over the world to East University every day, supplying its operations. Until it becomes impossible, we must continue maritime transport.

Before the alien civilization expands and completely cuts off maritime routes, we must plan ahead and consider the risks. Maritime transport will be concentrated in batches, and the Navy will provide escort.

If we're talking about distant sea escorts, our number of long-range vessels is insufficient.

At this moment, the naval officers felt like they didn't have enough dumplings in the pot. If only they had more long-range ships, it would be even better. As netizens would say: not enough for everyone!

Unfortunately, East University is not like the United States, which projects power globally. We have no intention of competing for dominance; we only wish to protect a small corner of this world.

Then arrange for rotations. Maritime transport cannot be interrupted, at least not now! In the meantime, we will accelerate the construction of land-based transportation. Before the Pacific sea lanes are severed, we must import a large amount of oil and natural gas from the United States, as well as strategic resources like Australian iron ore.

This is also one of East University's geopolitical advantages. If sea transport is cut off, we can still import through land routes, relying on the Eurasian continent, unlike sea-power-dependent nations like the United States, which lose everything if they lose sea power.

When the Liaoning returns to port, immediately begin preparations. Leverage the advantages of our conventionally powered aircraft carriers, ensuring that at least one carrier is always ready for combat missions to counter potential threats.

The naval commander felt the heavy pressure on his shoulders—pressure the People's Navy had never experienced before. The joy of the Type 076's launch had vanished, replaced only by the burden of responsibility.

This is a war we have never fought before! It is also a war with a vast disparity in strength! The enemy has changed! But our resolve to protect the people has never wavered!

Go back and prepare yourselves. All leaves are canceled. History is testing us now. Do you have the confidence to deliver a report card that satisfies the people?

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Meeting adjourned!