Back in 1978, I was admitted to Northwestern Polytechnical University.

Chapter 396 The Indian is trying to extort money!
Apsala is India's first nuclear reactor, and also the first in Asia, something India is proud of. However, because the reactor's power output is too low, it means that the nuclear fuel needs to be replaced frequently.

These past few days have been the time when the nuclear reactor is replacing its fuel rods.

When nuclear radiation is mentioned, countless people turn pale at the mere mention of it. Nuclear reactors, once put into operation, will emit radiation, and if they are dismantled to replace nuclear fuel rods, they can also produce radiation if not handled properly.

Commercial nuclear power plants, prioritizing profit, use low-enriched nuclear fuel, which needs to be replaced every year or two.

Therefore, the technical work of replacing fuel rods must be mature and reliable.

The nuclear reactor is housed in a cylindrical container with a domed lid. This design is appropriate because the internal structure is pressurized, and this shape is ideal for it. It serves as a safety enclosure made of concrete. If you look closely, you will see a flat-topped, square concrete structure next to this safety enclosure; this is the fuel plant.

When changing fuel, an automatic refueling machine lifts the fuel out of the reactor and then a transport trolley passes through the transfer channel to the spent fuel pool in the fuel plant, where it is processed and then sealed in lead containers.

The Indian side has a breeder reactor, which is used to produce plutonium-239, a raw material for mushroom bombs. Therefore, the fuel plant is very large, and there are other equipment that use chemical methods to separate plutonium from the fuel rods.

Meanwhile, for convenience, the Apsara nuclear reactor here and the adjacent Sirus nuclear reactor are very close together, and the fuel production facilities are almost next to each other.

At this moment, Larchun, the engineer in charge of this plant, saw that the situation was not good and no longer cared about the reactor!
Inside the spent fuel pool, the fuel rods were still cooling when a huge explosion rang out from the top of the plant.

boom!
The factory roof shattered, and countless pieces fell with a crash... Boom!

The entire fuel plant collapsed; it was a complete shoddy construction project!

Meanwhile, explosions continued to rang out atop the Apsara reactor.

Boom, boom, boom!
After three explosions, the top cover finally collapsed, burying the entire nuclear reactor instantly!
Fortunately, it was during refueling, so the nuclear reactor was not operating and would not cause a nuclear leak. The collapsed reactor containment vessel formed a small hill, which looked like a tomb from a distance.

The problem is much bigger with the Syrus reactor next to it, which is still in operation!
It's still working!
However, when they discovered the bombing, all the staff ran away. They weren't going to go down with the bombs. They just hastily carried out an emergency shutdown procedure. Whether it would actually stop the bombing was another matter.

boom!
Boom boom boom!
Explosions rang out, and fireballs burst forth outside the nuclear reactor containment vessel, causing the people who were still running to sway from side to side.

One person lost his balance and fell to the ground. He looked up and saw a look of terror in his eyes.

The sky there was no longer pitch black, but a riot of colors, like a rainbow... At that moment, there must have been a large number of particles being ejected into the air, ionizing it...

His eyes widened, his mouth gaped open—it was all over, absolutely over!

The wind direction is currently favorable; these materials will be blown out to sea and won't affect the nearby major city of Mumbai. However… none of the personnel working at the nuclear base will escape unscathed; they have already suffered excessive damage…

Larchun also stopped in his tracks, his face ashen.

Boom, boom boom!

At the construction site of the largest Drewal reactor, explosions continued to ring out. When the smoke cleared, the place was reduced to ruins!
boom!
The heavy water storage site was bombed, and the Indians have no heavy water left!
For breeder reactors, heavy water is needed as a moderator to convert fast neutrons into slow neutrons so that they can be captured by uranium-238 and converted into plutonium-239. Historically, sodium has also been used. For example, in 1986, Japan built the Monju fast neutron breeder reactor, but it has had various problems since its construction and has never worked properly.

Fortunately, it was never used for normal purposes; otherwise, the island nation would have also used this to develop a plutonium bomb.

boom!
Boom boom boom!
The plutonium-239 warehouse, which was specifically used to store finished products, was also engulfed in flames!
Amidst the explosion, India's nuclear base was completely reduced to ashes!

The firelight illuminated the sky, and a roar resounded. Suddenly, a fighter jet appeared in front of them, with twin engines, twin vertical tails, and variable-sweep wings. The straw hat symbol was clearly visible to those on the ground!
Larchun clenched his fist: "The U.S. Navy, it's U.S. Navy carrier-based aircraft!"

Mumbai.

The city had been as if asleep, but now, the sound of an explosion in the suburbs, accompanied by a tremor, woke countless people from their sleep. When they heard that the neighboring nuclear base had been bombed, the entire city instantly descended into chaos.

Motorcyclists, car drivers, pedestrians... the roads were incredibly congested, and several accidents even occurred...

The capital of India.

When Lafontaine rubbed his sleepy eyes and entered the conference room, he saw other people dressed in disheveled clothes, some with their buttons undone...

What is this for?

"Gentlemen, I just received news that our Transylvania has been bombed." Indira Gandhi looked at everyone present, her gaze finally settling on La Fontaine: "La Fontaine, as the head of the air force, do you have anything to say?"

boom!
Lafontaine felt as if his mind had exploded.

What a joke!
How could Trumpbe have been bombed? And I didn't even hear about it!

"What... was used to blow this up?" As long as it wasn't an airplane, it had nothing to do with me!

“Tomcat fighters, VF-14 Hatter Squadron,” Indira Gandhi said. “Currently aboard the Enterprise.”

Lafontaine's face turned pale instantly.

"Currently, there are no more detailed reports from the scene. However, we can confirm that the entire base no longer exists, and a large number of our staff, including Sarabai, Raja Ramana, and Rajagopal Chidambaram, are missing. Lafontaine, is there anything you would like to say?"

It's over, it's over!

At that moment, only one thought remained in Lafontaine's mind!

"I...I'll go and gather the air force right now to launch a revenge attack on the US Navy carrier strike group!"

"What do you plan to use to attack the carrier strike group?"

Lafontaine remained silent.

Their air force doesn't even have an advanced model of air-launched anti-ship missile. They would be shot down before they could even get close to the US carrier strike group. In fact, they can't even detect the US Navy carrier strike group, so how can they fight it?
Besides, once the fighting starts, it'll be a fight to the death, and India is finished!

"I need to go to the Soviet Union again to purchase the most advanced supersonic anti-ship missiles!"

Even if you had missiles, would you dare to use them?

Launching an attack on a US carrier strike group—everyone knows what that means. While India boasts about being one of the world's leading powers, in reality…

"Lafontaine, you caused this whole incident, so you need to resign from all positions now!"

Lafontaine was initially furious, but then he seemed relieved.

He was relieved of his post, of course, to replace him with one of Indira Gandhi's confidants, but... he really didn't want to clean up this mess anymore, so being dismissed was a relief for him.

"Yes."

After saying that, Lafontaine strode towards the door, but... he was stopped by the people at the door.

"What's wrong?" "La Fontaine, you are suspected of accepting bribes from the French in the previous arms deals. Now, we need to investigate you!"

Lafontaine's legs went weak instantly; they were really going to torture him to death!

He's made such a huge mess; only death can appease Mrs. Gandhi's anger!

Seeing Lafontaine being taken away, the others felt a sense of shared sorrow and unease. What were they going to do about this mess?
India absolutely cannot swallow the loss of its nuclear base, but... they can't afford to offend the United States! Any conflict with the United States would be India's doom.

What infuriated them most was that although the Americans had brazenly deployed bombers, they still had a legitimate reason for it, because India had used nuclear bombs to deter Siam! Their previous claims about the peaceful use of nuclear energy were completely refuted!
Indians realized they had been wronged, while Siam... damn it, what did Siam do to deserve such support from the United States, which even sent fighter jets to help them bomb?
Unbeknownst to them, at that very moment, the Siamese air force squadron had completed aerial refueling, jettisoned its auxiliary fuel tanks, and sped all the way back to base before dawn!

The base remained quiet; the roar of airplanes still couldn't wake the sleeping people—something many had grown accustomed to.

Gandalat stood on the grass beside the runway, counting the returning planes. One, two... all eight landed, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were all back!
Simply bombing them isn't enough; they all have to come back!
The lead plane taxied into the hangar, and the ground crew set up a ladder. Maha scurried down, and then... without even running to the base's restroom, she went straight to the side of the hangar, unbuckled her belt, took off her pants, removed her diaper, and threw it aside.

This stuff can absorb urine, but it can't absorb moisture. It's really uncomfortable to keep it on all the time!
After being freed, he felt a sense of relief and joy. Just as he was about to pull up his pants, he saw a large group of people walking towards him.

Holy crap, this is so embarrassing... He quickly turned his head and hid in the dark shadows.

As the crowd entered the hangar, a loud voice rang out: "Where's the fledgling? Maha, Maha!"

Kandalak immediately became anxious. If something happened to Maha, the consequences would be extremely terrible! All victories would no longer be victories!

"General, don't worry, Maha's gone to walk his birds," the pilot nicknamed Hunter said with a smile.

Walking the bird?

Gandhart was puzzled, but... soon, a voice came from behind.

"General Gandhar, I'm back. I've accomplished my mission. We've dropped the bombs on the nuclear base. As for the effects... we'll have to wait until dawn to know..."

Gandarak finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Good job, well done. Let's go to the canteen to get something to eat, then take a break. Also, this mission absolutely cannot be leaked! Otherwise... it will bring a huge disaster to our Siam."

"Yes!"

In the pilots' mess, everyone raised their glasses and drank three glasses in quick succession. Many wanted to discuss the mission, but considering the secrecy regulations, they kept quiet and kept everything to themselves...

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they went to sleep. Gandara looked at the sky in the east, which was beginning to lighten, and murmured, "Now, we should know the results of the bombing, right?"

As dawn broke, an American reconnaissance satellite flew over Mumbai, and then... CIA personnel who were preparing to leave work became tense. A few minutes later, William Casey rushed to the White House with satellite photos.

Everyone in the oval conference room was stunned.

"Trumpey Base is already in ruins?" Kasper Weinberg found it unbelievable.

“That’s right.” William Casey nodded. “According to our intelligence, they were bombed by dozens of aerial bombs, and all the main buildings were reduced to ruins. The bombing effect was even better than when David destroyed the Eto reactor!”

"Who did it?"

“I don’t know.” William Casey shook his head. “India’s airspace is like a thin sheet of paper, and there are large gaps along the coast. It’s just that Pakistan doesn’t have advanced equipment. If they had our equipment…”

"You mean, it's possible that Pakistan did it?"

"After all, they are sworn enemies, and they're located to the west of India. If they were to the east, they might be Siam..."

"Report!" Just then, someone walked in: "After daybreak, the Indians summoned our diplomats and solemnly protested our bombing of their nuclear base..."

"What? We did it? That's impossible!"

"Yes, we did have that idea, but... we don't want to force India to completely side with the Soviet Union, so how could we possibly bomb India!"

India, the capital.

“Mrs. Gandhi, you must be mistaken. We didn’t do it.” Diplomat Parker shook his head repeatedly.

"Hmph, I knew you'd deny it, just like you denied any connection to the Dr. Homi Bhabha plane crash!" Mrs. Indira Gandhi gritted her teeth and pulled out several photos: "Take a look!"

Parker took it; it was... an unexploded bomb?

“Mrs. Gandhi, if we really did it, why would we use such a bomb? We certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to write ‘Made in USA’ on it!”

“If it had exploded, there would be no evidence. Luckily, it’s an unexploded one!” Narishi Chandra’s face was full of anger. “You can deny the bomb itself, but what about the guidance system? We’ve already disassembled this bomb. The laser guidance system used on it is something only the United States has!”

Ordinary aerial bombs are one thing, but now these bombs are falling with very high accuracy, which means that precision guidance technology is being used!
In the 1960s and 70s, the Americans used laser-guided bombs on the battlefield. Now, this guidance system is entirely a product used by the United States!
Parker's face turned grim: "No, no, it's not ours, I swear on my honor!"

"Hmph, you're still trying to deny it! We had people on site who saw a Tomcat fighter jet flying, and the paint scheme was that of your VF-14 squadron. Are you going to keep denying it?"

The witnesses and physical evidence are all there! Are the Americans still trying to deny it?

Mrs. Gandhi was very angry.

So far, this matter cannot be made public. The entire Transylvania area is under martial law, and Mumbai has become a ghost town. In this day and age, there are no drones, so ordinary media simply cannot investigate what is happening there.

They need to contact the United States first!
Parker frowned: "Are you so sure it was us? Or is it someone else using our name?"

"Others? Pakistan doesn't have Tomcat fighters, and radar data from our border region shows that no Pakistani fighters took off last night. Siam? How could the Siamese Air Force possibly fly thousands of kilometers round trip? That's as difficult as the British bombing the Falklands from Assun Island. Langtuo? We have no grudge against Langtuo... It was clearly you who did it, yet you still want to deny it?"

Indira Gandhi's face was stern: "This bombing has caused us Indians tremendous losses! Direct losses exceed five billion, more than two hundred people have died, and the treatment of the remaining victims will cost a great deal. It has also created large contaminated areas... You..."

Parker's expression turned serious: "So you were trying to extort money from the United States? Let me tell you, that's impossible!"

He has already contacted the carrier strike group and confirmed that there was absolutely no action taken last night. These Indians, I don't know how they managed to blow up their own nuclear base. It might have been caused by their own reckless actions, and they're even trying to extort us.
Indira Gandhi's face turned pale: "Extorting you? You bombed us, and now you won't admit it. If you continue with this attitude, then we will expose this to the international community and reveal your crimes, America's crimes. For years, you have been abusing force and bullying the weak..."

By publicizing this incident, they can gain international sympathy as victims, and their leadership position in the Non-Aligned Movement can be further consolidated. But... what about the losses? They absolutely need to make up for them!
They discussed it until dawn, and the conclusion they came to was that they had to swallow their pride and ask the Americans for money!

Now, the Americans don't even want to give money, that's going too far!

"Hmph, who was it that was threatening others with mushroom bombs not long ago?"

"Alright, I knew it, you admit it now, don't you?"

“What did I admit to?” Parker gave him a disdainful look. “Your own skills are inadequate, you blew yourselves up, and now you want to frame others? We Americans won’t tolerate this! If you dare to act recklessly, we have three more carrier strike groups coming over!”

(End of this chapter)