Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Yamada Takayuki stared intently at the radar screen, watching the fleet rush towards Scarborough Shoal at full speed, a ruthless smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"So what about China's drones? We were prepared this time!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the early warning system of the destroyer Suzutsuki suddenly issued an urgent alarm:

"Approaching drone swarm detected, within 500 meters!"

"Activate the net launcher!" the captain ordered without hesitation.

On both sides of the destroyer's deck, dozens of black launchers rose up instantly, aiming at the Falcon drones that were swooping down from low altitude.

Once the drone enters the designated area, the launcher fires with a roar, and high-strength nylon nets, along with their traction cables, whistle out and precisely cover the target.

With a series of muffled "thuds," the low-flying Falcon drones, unable to avoid the nets, had their propellers tangled in the fishing nets, lost power, and crashed into the sea.

Inside the Chinese Navy command center on Huangyan Island, a radar operator reported in alarm: "The drone signal continues to disappear; the other side must have intercepted our low-altitude formation with a net!"

The naval commander felt a chill run down his spine, suddenly recalling Li Yu's pre-battle warning: "The Japanese may have made preparations against low-altitude drone penetration; we must leave room for maneuver."

He slapped his forehead, realizing his carelessness, and immediately ordered: "All drones, immediately increase altitude and switch to high-altitude deterrence mode!"

"Simultaneously, fighter jet formations took off, and the warship group advanced at full speed to intercept head-on!"

In the sky, the remaining Falcon drones quickly ascended.

The missiles under the wings were aimed at the Japanese fleet, maintaining a high-pressure posture.

On the sea, Chinese naval destroyers and frigates formed a battle formation and rushed straight toward the Japanese fleet at full speed. The ship's guns were already loaded and the missile launchers were pointed directly at the target.

Inside the command tower of the USS Ronald Reagan, Welsh watched the movements of the Chinese fleet on the screen, a calculating smile playing on his lips.

He gave the order over the walkie-talkie: "Flying fighter jets, take off! Do not fire! Focus on filming the Japanese fleet's circumnavigation of the island!"

"Film the Chinese fleet launching an attack as well; we want the world to see the Chinese threat!"

Four fighter jets roared into the sky, their high-definition cameras mounted on their bellies operating continuously, aimed at Huangyan Island and the fleet on the sea.

Welsh firmly believes that as long as Japan completes its circumnavigation of the island and releases the edited video internationally, it will gain the upper hand in public opinion and stabilize domestic sentiment.

But to his utter surprise, at that very moment, inside the Longxing Factory command center, Li Yu was speaking into the phone:

"Notify European public television, China International Channel, and all European telecommunications companies to launch a simultaneous global live broadcast as scheduled."

"Understood!" The staff member on the other end of the phone immediately took action.

Within minutes, dozens of television stations and hundreds of online platforms around the world simultaneously launched live broadcasts, and the footage of the maritime standoff in the South China Sea instantly spread throughout the world.

In the live stream, tens of millions of viewers watched in real time, and viewers from various countries expressed their opinions:

"The Japanese fleet is almost at the island reef, and they call this freedom of navigation?"

"The Chinese navy has charged forward! Support the counterattack!"

As Takayuki Yamada, aboard the Izumo, watched Huangyan Island draw ever closer, a flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes.

He ordered the fleet: "Maintain speed, cross the 12-nautical-mile mark, and complete the circumnavigation of the island!"

Just as the Japanese fleet was about to reach the edge of the island, a dense array of Chinese warships suddenly appeared in front of them.

The lead destroyer fired first, a warning missile streaking across the sky above the Suzutsuki and exploding into a cloud of white smoke.

The Chinese naval commander roared through the public channel: "Japanese fleet, halt immediately! Any further advance will result in immediate death!"

As Yamada Takayuki watched the approaching Chinese warships and the drones hovering high in the sky on the screen, his earlier arrogance was instantly replaced by fear.

He originally thought that China would only passively defend, but he did not expect that the other side would launch a direct frontal attack.

"Switch off the searchlights! Turn around and retreat immediately!" he roared, his voice trembling.

The searchlights on the Izumo went out instantly, and the entire Japanese fleet frantically changed course, attempting to escape.

Welsh witnessed this scene on the aircraft carrier and, enraged, slammed his fist into the control panel.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" He knew that with the withdrawal of the Japanese fleet, the island-circling plan would be completely ruined, and the previous provocations would become a joke.

But with things having come to this, he could only order: "All ships, follow the Japanese fleet and evacuate!"

The fleets of the United States and Japan, like stray dogs, turned around in a panic and fled towards the high seas.

The Chinese naval fleet followed closely behind, maintaining a deterrent posture.

Viewers around the world who witnessed the entire process of Japan's expulsion via live broadcast were in uproar.

Meanwhile, the high explosives secretly installed on the bottoms of the ships of the Japanese and American fleets by underwater unmanned vehicles were already ready to be detonated.

Although these explosives are small in size, they are made of high-energy synthetic materials and are powerful enough to cause fatal damage to a ship's propellers and propulsion systems.

The order to detonate was issued simultaneously as the fleets of the United States and Japan entered Japanese territorial waters.

"Detonate!"

In an instant, a series of deafening explosions rang out on the sea.

At the same time, thick black smoke billowed from the hulls of the Japanese destroyers Suzutsuki and Murasame, as well as two US frigates.

The propeller of the Suzutsuki was completely destroyed, and the ship began to list rapidly.

The Murasame suffered a secondary explosion in its engine room, causing the hull to break apart and begin to sink.

"Captain! The hull has been blown up! The propulsion system has failed!" the crew of the Liangyue reported in a panic.

"Abandon ship! Abandon ship immediately!" The captain ordered desperately, watching the rapidly flooding cabins.

On the USS Ronald Reagan, Welsh watched the frigate engulfed in flames and the Japanese destroyer sinking in the distance.

He couldn't understand how China had managed to plant the explosives without their knowledge.

The live broadcast showed burning ships, a fleeing fleet, and the relentlessly pursuing Chinese navy, creating a highly impactful scene.

Washington, D.C., White House emergency meeting room.

The president watched the burning fleet and the plummeting stock market curve on the live broadcast, and he was so angry that he trembled.

"Damn China! They actually dared to make a direct attack!"

At this moment, the Minister of Defense said with a grave expression, "Mr. President, our fleet has suffered heavy damage and is currently incapable of retaliating."

"Moreover, we have no evidence to prove that it was Hua Guoqian who did it, so now our losses can only be borne by Japan."

In Tokyo, Japan, the Prime Minister's official residence was deathly silent.

The Prime Minister watched the sinking destroyer on the live broadcast with a bitter expression on his face.

With its semiconductor industry collapsing and its military now suffering a severe blow, Japan's situation is extremely precarious.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, what should we do now?" the Defense Minister asked in a trembling voice.

The Prime Minister put down his half-splashed glass of water and said, "Just wait to pay compensation to Country M!"

At this point, everyone present felt despair, because they knew that given the nature of the United States, they would not only not gain any benefits, but would also have to pay compensation.

Li Yu, who had turned off the live stream, attended a high-level meeting and reported to a group of senior executives in front of him.

"A preliminary suppression of public opinion has now been achieved."

"The next step is to sever the relationship between Japan and the United States, and at the same time show the world the consequences of being allies with the United States."

"My idea regarding Japan is suppression and the complete destruction of its industrial chain."

"Regarding the US first disrupting their economic pillars and seizing the energy and arms markets."

Following Li Yu's report, the higher-ups indicated that Li Yu would continue to serve as the overall commander of this operation, and the entire nation would cooperate with Li Yu's actions.