No matter which parallel world it was, there was only one industrial powerhouse in this world.
High above the Pacific Ocean, ten thousand meters up beneath the night sky.
The 1.5-kilometer-long Gothic warship glided silently toward the East Sea like a dormant steel behemoth.
The Tech-Acolyte stepped forward and bowed. His electronic voice was steady. "Lord Governor, we are about to reach the designated area."
Fu Haoran nodded. "Good. Shut down the Void Shield and proceed at minimum speed."
The Tech-Acolyte paused, then hurriedly reminded him, "My lord, shutting down the Void Shield will allow their detection systems to find the ship, exposing our movements too soon."
"It's fine." Fu Haoran's tone was calm. "We're here to discuss cooperation, not to intimidate them. Proceed as planned."
At his command, the 1.5-kilometer-long vessel slowly adjusted its position, pierced the clouds, and began its gradual descent.
Above the East Sea, China Airlines Flight CA1892 was following its scheduled route.
The captain reported steadily into the radio. "Air Traffic Control Center, this is CA1892. Altitude 9,000 meters, heading 120 degrees. We expect to enter East Sea airspace in 15 minutes. Cabin conditions are stable, and there are no abnormalities along our route. Requesting entry into domestic airspace."
The moment he finished speaking, the first officer suddenly cried out, "Captain! Radar anomaly! A massive unidentified object has appeared out of nowhere, five kilometers straight ahead. Its RCS signal is far stronger than that of any aircraft currently in service. It's neither a passenger plane nor a fighter!"
The captain tensed instantly. He shoved the control column with his left hand to change course and pulled up with his right. "Change course to 150 degrees immediately! Climb 1,000 meters! Initiate emergency communications!"
He stared fixedly into the night sky ahead, sweat from his palms soaking the control column.
At an altitude of ten thousand meters, five kilometers was only a few seconds of flight for a commercial airliner. The slightest misstep could end in a catastrophic midair collision.
"Calling East Sea Air Traffic Control Center! CA1892 reporting an emergency! An unidentified massive flying object has appeared directly ahead on our flight path. No flight plan on file, and our routes overlap. Requesting immediate traffic control and evasive action!"
The controller on duty at the Air Traffic Control Center immediately grew serious.
He at once pulled up the regional radar for verification. A glaringly bright, massive blip appeared right in the middle of the screen, and the system's automatic estimate showed a length of more than one kilometer!
"CA1892, received. Maintain a safe distance and continue monitoring the target's movements. We'll immediately reroute nearby flights to avoid it!"
As the controller responded to the airliner, he grabbed the phone for the military emergency line and spoke rapidly. "East Sea Theater Air Traffic Control Center! An unidentified massive flying object has been detected in East Sea airspace. It has no flight plan on file and is approaching our territorial waters from the Pacific Ocean. Its estimated length exceeds one kilometer. It may be an unconventional aircraft. Requesting military reconnaissance!"
Inside the airliner's cockpit, the first officer suddenly pointed out the window and shouted, "Captain! Look! What is that?!"
The captain followed his gaze, his pupils contracting sharply.
In the darkness, a huge black "ship" with Gothic spires was descending slowly along the clouds.
A ship?
How could there be a ship at an altitude of ten thousand meters?
Was this a UFO?!
"Get footage of it immediately, then report back to air traffic control!" the captain said through gritted teeth, his palms slick with cold sweat.
The moment the dedicated line at the East Sea Theater Command Center went dead, the entire command center sprang into action.
"A target more than one kilometer long? Are you sure you didn't misread it?" The duty officer stared in disbelief as he listened to air traffic control's second confirmation over the phone.
"Absolutely certain! The commercial flight crew confirmed it visually. Radar estimates its length at around 1.5 kilometers. It's approaching Canglan Naval Port at an extremely low speed!"
"Understood. We'll send someone to investigate immediately."
The duty officer immediately reported to the theater commander on duty, and operational orders were issued at once. "Scramble two J-16s immediately, equipped with reconnaissance pods. Send them to the target area for reconnaissance and patrol. They are strictly forbidden from opening fire first!"
Less than three minutes after the order was given, two J-16s roared off the runway at a coastal military airfield, their afterburners blazing as they shot into the night and raced toward the target area in formation.
In the cockpit, the lead pilot listened to the tower's briefing and couldn't help grumbling to his wingman.
"1.5 kilometers? Did you hear that right? Even an active aircraft carrier is only 300 meters long. That thing's like five carriers flying through the sky!"
"Quit guessing. We'll see it for ourselves soon enough. The tower says the commercial flight crew has already filmed it. It can't be fake."
Ten minutes later, the two pilots' doubts vanished.
In the night, a massive black warship appeared before them.
Its Gothic bridge thrust into the sky, and the secondary gun batteries on either side of the hull were clearly visible. The vessel stretched as far as the eye could see, like a moving steel mountain range spanning the sea, casting an enormous shadow over the water.
Even from more than ten kilometers away, the colossal warship looked like a black mountain range against the night. Beside it, the J-16s seemed like sparrows circling an eagle.
"Th-this is a warship?"
The lead pilot sucked in a sharp breath, immediately pushed the throttle to the limit, and circled at a safe distance while reporting to the command center.
"Dongyi, Dongyi, visual confirmation! It's not an aircraft. It's a massive warship!"
"The target is descending. Requesting instructions!"
The command center erupted into chaos.
"Send eight more J-16s and one early-warning aircraft immediately. Establish a patrol perimeter, keep a safe distance, and continue monitoring!"
"Activate all coastal air-defense radars. Warm up the fire-control systems and lock onto the target area!"
"Notify Canglan Naval Port to immediately enter Level One combat readiness!"
Inside the Destroyer's bridge, the Tech-Acolyte reported again. "My lord, they've dispatched several more aircraft, and they're approaching us. Their detection systems have also locked onto us."
"Activate the Void Shield," Fu Haoran ordered.
A pale blue energy barrier sprang up around the entire warship, and a faint, visible glow shimmered around its hull.
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Pointless. The Void Shield might make the ship disappear from their detection systems, but their pilots can still see it with the naked eye. Doing this will only provoke them into firing after a misjudgment."
Fu Haoran gave a light laugh, his tone confident. "Making ourselves visible is a courtesy. It lets them know we mean no harm."
"Activating the Void Shield, meanwhile, is a show of strength. It will help with the cooperation to come."
Lucifer looked away, her tone indifferent. "Humans really are troublesome. Crushing them would be much simpler than all this convoluted maneuvering."
Fu Haoran shook his head. "I don't want war. I want a win-win outcome."
Whether it was choosing a side or completing Hive City's industrial upgrade, this place was a crucial link in the chain!
Just then, the command center's communications channel suddenly crackled with a pilot's urgent voice. "Dongyi, Dongyi! Abnormal situation! Our fire-control radar has lost the target signal!"
"The target is still within visual range, but all our radars and scanning systems have failed!"
The command center fell silent.
Everyone stared at the radar screen. The glaringly bright, massive blip had vanished without a trace.
Yet in the pilots' live feed, the colossal warship remained clearly visible.
"It can jam all our fire-control radars and phased-array scans?" A hawkish staff officer stared at the screen. "What kind of technology is this?! I recommend activating the air-defense missile system and striking first!"
"We cannot open fire recklessly!" a cautious staff officer immediately countered. "They clearly could have remained hidden the entire way, but instead they revealed themselves on the edge of our territorial waters and are still moving at minimum speed. That's a gesture of goodwill in itself!"
"If they really wanted to start a war, they would have attacked the naval port already. They wouldn't have given us time to prepare!"
Amid the argument, the theater commander stared intently at the plotted flight path. The target's destination was clearly marked: Canglan Naval Port.
He remained silent for a full half-minute, then abruptly raised a hand, silencing the debate. His voice was grave as he said,
"First, keep the aircraft in the patrol perimeter at a distance. Continue monitoring and do not cross the line."
"Second, Canglan Naval Port is to enter Level One combat readiness immediately. All vessels are to leave port and take up defensive positions around the harbor, forming an air-defense and anti-ship perimeter."
"Third, send an army armored brigade and an air-defense brigade to the port immediately. Prepare for ground defense and emergency response."
The commander paused, his gaze unwavering. "Our bottom line is that we won't fire the first shot, but we absolutely will not show weakness. Prepare for the worst and be ready for war!"
Suddenly, the top-secret phone on the desk rang. It was a call from the S.P.E.A.R. Bureau, a special agency.
At the same time, lights flickered on the bridge of the massive Cobra warship in the waters outside Canglan Naval Port. It continued slowly toward the port without pausing.
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