Actively Appearing to Visit

No matter the parallel world, there is only one industrial power in this one.

In the night sky, ten thousand meters above the Pacific.

A 1.5-kilometer-long Gothic hull drifted silently toward the East Sea like a dormant steel beast.

The Tech-Acolyte stepped forward, his electronic voice steady: "Governor, we are about to arrive at the designated area."

Fu Haoran nodded. "Good. Shut down the Void Shield and maintain minimum speed."

The Tech-Acolyte paused, then quickly reminded him: "Governor, shutting down the Void Shield will allow their detectors to spot the hull, exposing our position prematurely."

"It doesn't matter." Fu Haoran's tone was calm. "We're here to negotiate, not to intimidate. Proceed as planned."

The order was given. The 1.5-kilometer-long behemoth slowly adjusted its posture, broke through the clouds, and began a gradual descent.

Over the East Sea, flight CA1892 was following its scheduled route.

The captain reported steadily into the communicator: "Air Traffic Control Center, this is CA1892. Altitude 9,000 meters, heading 120°, estimated 15 minutes to enter East Sea airspace. Cabin stable, no anomalies on route. Requesting entry into domestic controlled airspace."

The words had barely left his mouth when the co-pilot suddenly shouted: "Captain! Radar anomaly! Five kilometers dead ahead, a massive unknown target has appeared out of nowhere. Its RCS signal strength far exceeds any known aircraft—not a passenger jet, not a fighter!"

The captain's nerves snapped taut. He shoved the yoke left to adjust course while pulling back to climb: "Immediately change heading to 150°, climb 1,000 meters, activate emergency communications!"

He stared fixedly at the night sky ahead, sweat soaking the control stick.

Five kilometers for a civilian airliner at ten thousand meters was barely a dozen seconds of flight. One wrong move meant a midair collision.

"Calling East Sea Air Traffic Control Center! CA1892 emergency report! An unknown massive flying object has been detected directly ahead on our route. No flight plan filed, route overlap detected. Requesting emergency rerouting to avoid collision!"

The controller on duty at the center instantly turned serious.

He immediately pulled up the local radar for verification. In the center of the screen, a glaringly massive blip appeared. The system's automatic length estimation marked it at over one kilometer!

"CA1892, received. Maintain safe distance, continue monitoring the target. We will immediately reroute surrounding flights to avoid it!"

While replying to the airliner, the controller grabbed the military emergency hotline and spoke rapidly: "East Sea Theater Air Traffic Control Center! An unknown massive flying object has been detected in East Sea airspace. No flight plan filed. It is approaching our territorial waters from the Pacific direction. Estimated length exceeds one kilometer. Suspected unconventional aircraft. Requesting military intervention for reconnaissance!"

In the cockpit of the airliner, the co-pilot suddenly pointed out the window and shouted: "Captain! Look! What is that?!"

The captain followed his gaze, and his pupils contracted sharply.

In the darkness, a pitch-black "ship" with Gothic spires was slowly descending through the clouds.

A ship?

At ten thousand meters, how could there be a ship?

Was this a UFO?!

"Record the image immediately and report to ATC a second time!" The captain gritted his teeth, his palms slick with cold sweat.

In the East Sea Theater Combat Command Center, the moment the hotline call ended, the entire center burst into activity.

"A target over one kilometer long? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" The duty staff officer held the phone, listening to the ATC's second confirmation, stunned on the spot.

"Absolutely certain! The civilian aircrew confirmed it visually. Radar estimates the length at around 1.5 kilometers. It is approaching Canglan Naval Port at extremely low airspeed!"

"Understood. We'll dispatch personnel immediately."

The duty staff officer immediately reported to the theater commander on duty, and combat orders were issued: "Immediately scramble two J-16 fighters with reconnaissance pods. Proceed to the target area for reconnaissance and alert duties. Do not open fire under any circumstances!"

Less than three minutes after the order, on the runway of a coastal military airbase, two J-16 fighters roared into the night sky with trailing flames, racing in formation toward the target area.

In the cockpit, the lead pilot listened to the tower's intelligence and couldn't help complaining to his wingman:

"1.5 kilometers? Did you hear that right? An active-duty carrier is only three hundred meters. This thing is five carriers flying in the sky?"

"Don't guess. We'll see it with our own eyes soon enough. The tower said the civilian airliner already recorded footage. It's no lie."

Ten minutes later, the two pilots' doubts came to an abrupt halt.

In the night sky, a colossal pitch-black warship appeared in their field of vision.

Its Gothic bridge pierced the night. The secondary gun arrays along both sides of the hull were clearly visible. The ship stretched on endlessly, like a mobile steel mountain range spanning the sea, casting a massive shadow over the water.

Even from a safe distance of over ten kilometers, the giant ship loomed like a black mountain range in the darkness. The J-16 beside it looked like a sparrow circling an eagle.

"This... this is a warship?"

The lead pilot sucked in a sharp breath, immediately pushed the throttle to full, maintained a safe distance while circling, and reported to the command center:

"Zero-One, Zero-One. Visual confirmation of the target! It's not an aircraft—it's a giant warship!"

"The target is descending. Requesting instructions!"

The command center erupted.

"Immediately dispatch eight more J-16s and one AWACS. Form a warning perimeter, maintain safe distance, and continue monitoring!"

"Activate all coastal air defense radars. Warm up fire control systems. Lock onto the target area!"

"Notify Canglan Naval Port. Immediately enter first-level combat readiness!"

Inside the destroyer's bridge, the Tech-Acolyte reported again: "My lord, the enemy has dispatched additional fighters, closing in on us, and their sensors have locked onto our position."

"Activate the Void Shield." Fu Haoran ordered.

A pale blue energy barrier instantly expanded, enveloping the entire warship, a faint shimmer visible around the hull.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow: "Unnecessary. The Void Shield might make the ship disappear from their sensors, but the enemy pilots can see it with their own eyes. Doing this will only provoke them into misjudging and opening fire."

Fu Haoran chuckled, his tone confident: "Showing ourselves is a courtesy, letting them know we mean no harm."

"Activating the Void Shield demonstrates our strength, which benefits the cooperation to come."

Lucifer withdrew her gaze, her voice indifferent: "Humans really are troublesome. In my view, crushing them outright is far simpler than all this circling around."

Fu Haoran shook his head: "I don't want war. I want a win-win."

Whether it was choosing a side or completing the Hive City's industrial upgrade, this place was a key link!

Just then, the command center's communication channel suddenly crackled with the pilot's urgent voice: "Zero-One, Zero-One! Anomaly! Fire control radar has lost target signal!"

"The target is still within visual range, but all radar and scanning systems are down!"

The command center fell silent instantly.

Everyone stared at the radar screen. The originally glaring giant light spot had vanished without a trace.

Yet on the pilot's live feed, the colossal warship remained clearly visible.

"Able to jam all our fire control radar and phased array scans?" The hawkish staff officer stared at the screen. "What kind of technology is this?! I recommend immediately activating the anti-air missile system and striking first!"

"We can't fire rashly!" The dovish staff officer immediately countered. "The other side clearly had the capability to remain stealthy the entire way, yet they chose to reveal themselves at the edge of our territorial waters, maintaining minimum speed. That itself is a gesture of goodwill!"

"If they really wanted war, they would have already raided the naval port. They wouldn't have given us time to prepare!"

Amid the arguments, the theater commander stared intently at the route projection map, which clearly marked the target's course ending directly at Canglan Naval Port.

He was silent for a full half-minute, then abruptly raised his hand to silence all debate, and said in a deep voice:

"First, the alert fighters maintain distance, continue surveillance, and are strictly forbidden from crossing the line."

"Second, Canglan Naval Port immediately enters first-level combat readiness. All vessels sortie and deploy on the port's perimeter to form an anti-air and anti-ship warning perimeter."

"Third, the Army Armored Brigade and Air Defense Brigade urgently reinforce the naval port, prepare for ground defense and emergency response."

The commander paused, his gaze resolute: "Our bottom line is: we will not fire the first shot, but we will not show weakness. Prepare for the worst-case scenario of war!"

Suddenly, the top-secret direct line on the table rang—a call from the special department, the S.P.E.A.R. Bureau.

At the same time, on the sea surface outside Canglan Naval Port, the lights on the Cobra giant ship's bridge flickered as it slowly approached the port, without any pause.