Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

At the strong request of the United States and with the full cooperation of Japan, military exercises targeting China are in full swing in the South China Sea.

The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz, two aircraft carrier strike groups, are deployed in a pincer formation.

The Japanese warship "Izumo" followed closely behind.

"Attention all units: Conduct anti-submarine drills according to the pre-arranged plan, with a focus on monitoring the waters surrounding Huaguo Island and Reef."

Commander Mark Welsh of the US carrier strike group issued instructions via an encrypted channel.

Inside the command center of the Japanese ship "Izumo," Captain Takayuki Yamada was speaking into a walkie-talkie, deploying combat missions to his fleet and allied forces from the United States.

At that very moment, at the Southern Theater Command Air Force base in China, a "Skyhawk" stealth reconnaissance aircraft quietly took off.

This new reconnaissance aircraft, developed under the leadership of Li Yu, can conduct precise reconnaissance at an altitude of 10,000 meters and is not easily detected by the enemy.

The "Skyhawk" reconnaissance aircraft headed straight for the South China Sea naval exercise area and approached the joint fleet of the United States and Japan along a predetermined route.

The pilot maneuvered the fighter jet, following instructions to descend slowly and skim over the fleet.

High-definition cameras capture real-time footage of the enemy's ship deployments, weaponry, and other equipment, with the data transmitted synchronously back to the Southern Theater Command Command Center via an encrypted link.

In the radar room of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, the operator reported:

"Commander, no aerial targets detected. The surrounding airspace is safe."

Welsh nodded, preparing to give the next instruction, when he suddenly heard a soldier's exclamation from the deck:

"Sir! A reconnaissance plane is flying overhead! Right above us!"

Welsh looked up sharply at the radar screen, which was completely blank; there was no signal from any aircraft at all.

He flew into a rage, pointing at the radar screen and roaring, "Nonsense! Where are the reconnaissance planes? Are our radars just for show?"

The soldier persisted, "Sir, I really saw it! It was a gray reconnaissance plane, just flew low over the deck!"

Just as Welsh was about to explode, he suddenly saw a gray reconnaissance plane fly low over the aircraft carrier deck, its wing almost brushing against the mast.

The command room fell into dead silence for a moment, followed by a burst of exclamations.

"My God! How did it do that? Our radar didn't detect it!"

The radar operator's fingers flew across the keyboard as he tried to capture the reconnaissance aircraft's signal, but to no avail.

Welsh picked up his sunglasses, which had just fallen off, his expression serious.

He had never encountered such a bizarre situation before; the stealth capabilities of this reconnaissance aircraft far exceeded his understanding.

At the same time, the stirring melody of "Slashing the Japanese Devils with a Broadsword" suddenly came through the communication channel of the Japanese quasi-aircraft carrier "Izumo".

"Swords slash down on the heads of the Japanese devils! Brothers of the armed forces across the country, the day of resistance has arrived..."

The loud singing echoed through the channel, instantly interrupting Yamada Takayuki's plans.

"Baka! What's going on? Who's interfering with our communication channels?" Takayuki Yamada roared into the walkie-talkie.

"Immediately identify the source of interference and cut off irrelevant signals!"

The communications soldier frantically operated the equipment, but he couldn't block out the singing at all.

Just then, the observer suddenly exclaimed, "Captain! Chinese fleet spotted ahead! Less than two kilometers away!"

Yamada Takayuki rushed to the observation window and looked in the direction the observer was pointing.

A formation of more than ten Chinese warships was seen approaching them in combat formation.

"Baka yarou! How did they get close? Why didn't our radar give us a warning?"

Takayuki Yamada loudly questioned the operator beside him.

The radar operator said while operating the system, "Captain, our radar hasn't detected any signal. They appeared as if they just suddenly appeared!"

Yamada Takayuki looked at the Chinese fleet not far away, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

At a distance of less than two kilometers, a modern navy is practically within arm's reach. The enemy's missiles could launch an attack at any moment, while their own fleet would be completely unprepared.

Just then, the singing on the communication channel abruptly stopped, and was replaced by the voice of a Chinese naval commander:

"This is a Chinese naval exercise area. Your fleet has illegally intruded. Immediately cease the exercise and withdraw, or you will bear all the consequences! Please leave immediately!"

At this point, Takayuki Yamada immediately contacted Welsh via an encrypted channel:

"Commander Welsh, the Chinese fleet has suddenly appeared in front of us, less than two kilometers away. They are demanding that we withdraw immediately! What should we do?"

Welsh also received a warning from the Chinese Navy at this time, and his expression was equally grim.

Welsh stated bluntly, "The exercise continues!"

"Notify all ships to maintain battle formation and continue the advance. Let them see our strength!"

Upon receiving the response, he immediately ordered the fleet to maintain its formation and continue advancing toward the designated island reef, attempting to force China to make concessions by force.

However, shortly after they began their movement, all communications between the US and Japanese fleets suddenly ceased.

The walkie-talkies were completely silent, the radar screens lost signal, and all communication between the ships was lost, plunging the entire fleet into chaos.

"What happened? Why is the communication down?" Welsh shouted anxiously.

"Commander, our communication system is under strong electromagnetic interference; all frequency bands have been blocked!" the communications soldier reported.

Just then, countless Falcon stealth drones flew in from all directions, circling the fleets of the United States and Japan.

These drones flew at low altitudes while continuously issuing warnings through loudspeakers:

"You have illegally entered China's military exercise area. Leave immediately! Otherwise, we will take coercive measures!"

Before Welsh and Takayuki Yamada could react, the drone began to move.

They sprayed chili powder and tear gas onto the decks and command rooms of ships from the US and Japan.

The pungent smell instantly filled the air, causing the soldiers on deck to cough, tear up, and squint. The officers in the command room were also severely affected and unable to give orders properly.

"Cough cough...Quickly, activate the protection system!" Welsh ordered while coughing.

However, at this point, the ship's communications and some control systems had been interfered with, and the protection system was unable to start normally.

On the Japanese warship "Izumo", soldiers rushed onto the deck to try to disperse drones, but were forced to retreat repeatedly by pepper spray and tear gas.

"Retreat! Order a retreat immediately!" Takayuki Yamada roared at his adjutant.

"Order all ships to evacuate immediately and return to base!" Welsh reluctantly issued the retreat order.

Under the "escort" of Chinese drones, the joint fleet of the United States and Japan quickly changed course and accelerated their withdrawal from the South China Sea.

Just as the fleets of the United States and Japan had withdrawn from the exercise area, a dazzling light suddenly shone in the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a loud bang was heard, and an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from inland China, accurately hitting a target in the exercise area.

Welsh and Takayuki Yamada stood on the bridge, looking at the mushroom cloud in the distance, their faces turning deathly pale.

They never expected that China already possessed such advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles and dared to conduct live-fire tests at this time.

"Luckily we ran fast," Yamada Takayuki muttered to himself.

The cold sweat on his back had soaked through his military uniform.

Welsh stared at the mushroom cloud, his heart filled with shock and fear.

Inside the Longxing Factory command center, the screens displayed real-time footage of the US and Japanese fleets fleeing in disarray, as well as live footage of intercontinental ballistic missile explosions.

Li Yu, who had been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the attack on the United States and Japan, was talking with Chen Feng about the incident.

"Chief Engineer Li, the fleets of the United States and Japan have all withdrawn from the South China Sea. The intercontinental ballistic missile test launch was a complete success, hitting the target accurately!" Chen Feng reported.

Li Yu nodded and said, "Very good. I hope that Japan and the United States can continue to cooperate after this incident."

"This allows us to test more weapons."