Spark

the other side.

Leon sat limply in his exclusive seat, with a sluggish expression on his face, as if he had exhausted all his energy.

And that was indeed the case—in just a few days, he suffered another major blow.

The first time he was electronically suppressed, his first reaction was to fight back immediately.

After all, in addition to the EF-18 on Ishigaki Island, there are several EA-18G and EA-6B in the Kadena base.

Logically speaking, such a powerful electronic warfare force should have the power to fight against any force.

But the fact is completely opposite to what he expected.

Facing the opponent's electronic warfare aircraft that came from nowhere, our air unit completely lost the power to fight back, and even from the beginning to the end, it didn't even touch the opponent's real radar signal.

The only time, an EA-18G hit a big luck, approached within 30 nautical miles of the opponent during high-speed maneuvering, burned through the opponent's electromagnetic interference, and successfully locked the opponent's fighter plane that was performing interference operations.

At the first moment, the pilot subconsciously turned on the fire control radar for illumination, but then, behind the EA-18G, the opponent's escort wingman—a stealth fighter—appeared.

The moment the radar warning device sounded, the pilot immediately understood that he had been completely defeated.

So, he no longer struggled, but shook his wings in a friendly manner, turned around and returned home in a posture of letting others be slaughtered.

Fortunately, the J-20A did not seem to intend to push the already tense situation into flames. After several minutes of continuous tracking, it also turned around and returned.

After it left, the electronic interference against the Kadena base finally ended, and those fighter planes that almost lost their way in the air were able to return.

After this battle, Lyon no longer had the idea of ​​going further.

In the report, he deliberately downplayed the process of this electronic warfare, and did not exaggerate the description of the opponent's strength as usual in order to gain more support.

Now he doesn't want to make contributions, he just wants to spend the rest of his time as soon as possible, and then return to his hometown to be his chief officer.

It is precisely because of this mentality that the entire Kadena base has fallen into a strange calm.

Even if the radar captured an abnormal signal, the base no longer entered an emergency state like the first time. Instead, after verifying the signal slowly, two EA-18Gs took off symbolically to perform the so-called drive away action.

Everyone could see what Leon was thinking, and some even secretly slandered him for being weak, but Leon didn't care at all.

No matter how unpleasant it is, there is not much time left, so why bother with yourself?

You can do whatever you want.

I used to be a passionate patriot too, but now it's unnecessary.

Thinking of this, Leon straightened up a little.

He looked at the assistant on the opposite side, and asked:

As for the island country, have their helicopters picked it up?

Hearing his words, the assistant shook his head and replied:

The location where it fell was in the deep sea, and it will be impossible to pick it up in the short term.

Not to mention the helicopters, even the bodies of the dead soldiers have not been found. It is estimated that they will be forced to invest a lot of resources in this matter in the future.

Well, that's their business.

Leon replied nonchalantly.

Then he went on to ask:

When will the four EF-18s be recovered?

It is expected to be recovered within two weeks - the island nation will fly it back to Tokyo, where we will receive it.

The original development plan for Ishigaki Island has been cancelled. At present, such plans have completely lost their meaning.

Under the premise that electronic interference cannot be solved, no matter how many bases are built, it will be futile.

Occupying the electromagnetic advantage means occupying all the advantages.

It can only be handed over to China. Raytheon has already started to cooperate with Mercury Defense to analyze the interference signals we have collected during this period. It is expected to complete the analysis within one to two months and formulate a dedicated response strategy.

By then, the impact of this system will be greatly reduced—at least, it will no longer affect the daily operations of the entire base.

The requirements are really low enough.

Leon smiled disdainfully, but then he sighed and said:

We're improving, and they're improving.

As long as you slow down one step, the follow-up will continue to slow down.

Our advantage in the Pacific Ocean is getting smaller and smaller. At the beginning, it was island building, followed by fourth-generation aircraft, bombers, and radars. Now, even electronic jamming and electronic countermeasures, they are beginning to gain the upper hand.

If this continues, after their new generation of nuclear submarines is born, what else can we do?

I don't know what to do to stop the decline in relative combat effectiveness.

Maybe, it's impossible no matter how you do it.

We are destined to lose this sphere of influence, I only hope that it will not be lost in my hands.

Hearing this, the assistant couldn't help showing a secretive smile on his face.

He looked at Leon, and said slightly jokingly:

Even if you want to bury your advantage yourself, it's actually not that simple.

After all, it's been less than a month since you left.

As long as you can leave smoothly, do you care if it will be lost? That is no longer something you need to consider.

Yeah, it's really not something I should consider.

Leon nodded in agreement, but soon, his brows wrinkled again.

...But the thing is, I have to think about it.

You have to know that this sea is not as calm as you think from the beginning to the end. Every wave of it affects our global layout.

Without the electromagnetic hegemony in the Pacific Ocean, we can no longer defend the areas we care about, and we can no longer use a few warships to block their submarines under the narrow water surface as before.

Isn't their new destroyer, 055, or the Blade Sea class, already approaching us?

The reason why they are so unscrupulous is definitely not without reason.

Behind this large destroyer, maybe they have already made a complete combat deployment, just waiting for us to take the bait.

You're sober.

The assistant said approvingly.

Losing electromagnetic rights means losing the Asia-Pacific region. We really can't restrict them anymore.

I can even guess the other party's plan.

First came electromagnetic suppression, followed by 055 and the aircraft carrier officially entering service and starting patrolling, and then accelerating reclamation and island building, attacking cities and conquering land, dismantling the order we have finally established.

Not only in this sea, in fact, I even heard that the situation in Africa is not optimistic.

Their defense ships have arrived in the Gulf of Aden, and the Fifth Fleet does not seem to intend to continue the blockade—they don't know the equipment configuration of the 052C, and they don't want to risk creating friction.

It's really scary. In just a few years, our advantages are gone, and their technology is increasing day by day.

I really don't know where they got the technology, maybe it's aliens.

If only there were aliens.

Leon said with a wry smile.

If it is technology provided by aliens, it is at least irreproducible.

And now, the opponent's situation is obviously different.

They're not just copying, they're moving forward, creating newer technologies.

To be honest, until now, I can't understand why they are so powerful, even for thousands of years.

This country—or this nation is really terrible.

On the face of it, they're competing with us.

But in reality, they've never only compared themselves to themselves.

And we may just be a slightly bigger stepping stone on their way forward.

Meanwhile, the Gulf of Aden.

A cargo ship from Shanghai is heading towards the Red Sea. Their goal is to pass through the Mandeb Strait within two days, then cross the Red Sea, and then go to Europe through the Suez Canal.

The captain of this ship was named Wang Xianzong. Although his name sounded majestic, in fact, he was a slightly thin and old middle-aged man.

Of course, it is impossible for his body to be young after wandering at sea for a long time.

His only wish is to earn enough money in the shortest possible time, and then bring his family back to his hometown to live.

After nearly two decades of hard work, his goal is about to be achieved.

If all goes well, it is likely that this voyage will be the last of his career.

——

Of course, he never told anyone about this matter, and even in his own heart, he didn't specifically set any goals.

He has seen a lot of movies, so he also knows that, generally speaking, all actions that are advertised as the last time often have bad results.

Fortunately, so far, everything has been going well.

This cargo ship has traveled tens of thousands of kilometers and passed the most dangerous stage. Even in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates are most prevalent in the legend, they have not encountered any danger.

The rest of the journey should be smooth, but Wang Xianzong was always a little uneasy.

He held the rudder tightly with his hand, and asked the first mate beside him:

Djibouti, have you got in touch? Can our warship provide escort?

The first officer shook his head and replied:

The contact was made, but they haven't responded yet.

Lao Mei is too tight, they can't leave the base at will.

It seems that all the Chinese ships have not been escorted recently.

But it's not a big problem. I contacted the previous ships, and they said that the probability of hitting Lao Mei's ship is not high.

Even if they do bump into each other, usually there won't be too many problems. At most, they will be stopped and interrogated for a few words, and they will be released soon.

The only exception is Lao Xutou's boat. He was smart enough to hire a security company to escort him across the Gulf of Aden, but Lao Mei found out that the security company was in contact with Sudan, and the boat was delayed for several hours.

Hearing what the chief mate said, Wang Xianzong frowned involuntarily.

He took a deep breath and cursed:

Damn it, these fucking Yankees are really looking for trouble!

This is the fucking high seas, what right do they have to check our ship? Do you really think you are the world's police?

That's so awesome, why didn't they just take those pirates away? Why are you always embarrassing us!

Return the Somali pirates, I think they are the biggest pirates!

The first mate sighed helplessly, and replied:

That doesn't work. People are under the eaves and have to bow their heads.

Haven't you heard? Recently, more than a dozen ships from the US are crowded in the Gulf of Aden, even aircraft carriers.

They seem to be preparing to fight in Sudan - but I think the war is fake, and the disgusting us is real.

Over there in Djibouti, our warships are blocked and unable to get out, can't we just stay like this for a while?

They can't do anything, what else can we do?

Be patient, we are not strong enough now, when we have an aircraft carrier someday, let them look at our face and do things.

Wang Xianzong nodded silently and did not speak.

In fact, in just a few short sentences, he even thought about how he would drive this huge cargo ship to fight the opponent if he was really stopped by Lao Mei's warship.

The bow of a cargo ship is much harder than that of a warship. If the angle is well grasped, it can even directly smash through the warship.

If you are lucky enough to sink a warship, then you can be regarded as an anti-American hero who has made great achievements, right?

Thinking of this, he smiled self-deprecatingly.

In fact, this can only be thought about.

I want to be a hero, but the crew on this ship still have to eat.

Everyone has a family and a house, and we must not ruin others because of impulse.

Therefore, Wang Xianzong suppressed the anger in his heart silently, and then said:

Go down and check again later, get all the procedures ready, and if there are any contraband, clear them out as soon as possible.

If you are unlucky and really run into them, you must make it clear that we will not call in the Red Sea, and will go directly to Europe through the Suez Canal.

In short, we just can't let them think that we might pass through Port Sudan.

To put it bluntly, they just don't want our country to evacuate overseas Chinese so easily, and engage in these twists and turns!

Understood, I will prepare.

The first officer agreed and left the captain's room, while Wang Xianzong continued to sail forward.

He kept praying in his heart, hoping that he would have some good luck.

But it is a pity that what they are afraid of will come, and after a while, the signals of other ships appear on the radar screen.

Immediately afterwards, an English call came from his radio.

The content is very simple, let him slow down and wait for the inspection.

His grandma's!

Wang Xianzong couldn't help swearing, he really wanted to ignore it and rush over, but unfortunately, not long after, he saw a warship with the Stars and Stripes appearing on the sea in the distance.

People have been waiting for a long time.

As long as it comes, let it be safe.

If it is a little trouble, it will be a little trouble, and when the time comes, say a few more good words, and it will be auspicious words for them to go to the grave.

The cargo ship continued to move forward, and the outline of the warship in the distance became more and more clear.

Wang Xianzong soon saw that besides the warships, there were several galloping boats on the sea, heading towards him.

This is the US inspection ship.

He continued to slow down the boat, unwilling in every possible way.

In fact, judging from the feedback from other ships, these old Americans did not do anything too extreme. Although they stopped the road for inspection, they basically followed the rules.

But even so, Wang Xianzong still felt angry, and his angry point was just one sentence:

Why?

What law enforcement power do you have, why can you check me?

Seeing the boat getting closer and closer, Wang Xianzong became more and more irritable.

He felt his dignity had been trampled upon.

——

No, not only one's own dignity, in this case, the dignity of the whole country is trampled on.

If only we had more warships.

Even if there are more than two or three ships here, Lao Mei doesn't dare to be so arrogant, right?

His hand let go of the rudder, and silently clenched his fist.

At this time, the two small boats were only a few hundred meters away from the cargo ship, and Wang Xianzong was planning to wait on the deck, but in the next second, an unexpected change happened.

The small boat that was heading towards them turned around.

The originally noisy radio suddenly fell silent.

He looked at the scene in front of him strangely, and subconsciously asked the first officer:

What's the situation? Why did you leave again? Don't check?

The first officer also shook his head inexplicably. After observing for a long time, he replied:

It seems that I don't check. Look, the two warships have turned around, and it feels like they are giving way?

Make way for us? How is it possible!

Wang Xianzong snorted and continued:

Are they still afraid of us? Impossible, there should be something else.

wrong!

The first officer suddenly came to his senses.

They are not giving way to us. It should be said that they are giving way to the boat behind us!

After all, the first officer quickly ran towards the stern of the ship.

Wang Xianzong followed closely behind, and followed him to look at the sea in the distance.

And soon, he understood the reason why the US ship give way.

At the junction of the sea and the sky, a silver-gray warship slowly rose to the surface of the sea.

And above the mast of that warship, there was a touch of bright red flying.

It was the Zhengzhou ship that had just arrived in the Gulf of Aden.

At the same time, a call in Chinese came from the radio.

This is the ZZ ship.

Please pay attention to the cargo ship numbered sanjiangkou19801465227153 ahead, we have received your ship escort application.

We follow behind you, don't stop the ship, keep going.