American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Furthermore, since goods in the Soviet bloc were supplied with coupons, if you didn't have special connections, you couldn't stock up even if you had money.

　Of course, it is inevitable at the moment that workers will collectively take leave or absent from work to go to the suburbs to dig or expand underground shelters.

　During the Cold War, across both the Eastern and Western blocs, there was a large group of "doomsday survivalists." They worried about their country and their people, fearing the imminent destruction of their familiar civilization. So they went to great lengths to build their own doomsday fortresses: some dug underground shelters in their backyards, while others scrambled to construct a collection of seemingly insignificant structures in the wilderness, stockpiling as many survival supplies as possible.

　Originally, because the nuclear weapons of this dimension were not shelved after World War II, but continued to be frequently used on the battlefield, causing tens of millions of human casualties, the number of stimulated doomsday survival fanatics increased exponentially on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

　Now, with the explosive news of aliens coming, even more people have suddenly realized and transformed themselves into doomsday survivalists.

　Western European countries were in even greater trouble. Besides bank runs, hoarding, and digging holes, people also engaged in various performance art displays. The "romantic" French were especially quick to protest, holding signs in the streets—they couldn't quite articulate what they were protesting, but they were there anyway.

　Along with the protesters on the Champs-Elysées, there were various religious figures holding statues of gods, crazy and superstitious prophets, and environmental protection organizations that were somehow related to aliens. For a time, the situation was in chaos and chaos. There were countless people who claimed that they had been abducted and studied by aliens many years ago, and each of them swore that their claims were true and had details to back them up.

　London, England, was under martial law because it had just been hit by a nuclear bomb and no marches were approved, so it seemed relatively calm.

　But in other British cities, the situation was also in chaos. Especially in the smaller cities in the southwest, near Salisbury Plain and Stonehenge, riots and zero-dollar shopping broke out, even requiring the deployment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Countless banks were hit by bank runs.

　In short, watching the TV screen, those French guys dressed strangely were fighting a bloody battle with the police on the streets. The police officers raised sticks and hit them six times a second with a gust of wind that left afterimages. They were beaten with blood all over their heads and rolled on the ground... Fili was speechless.

　He really never dreamed that a piece of fake news about an alien UFO could mess up France, which had nothing to do with the country!

　As for what is meant by “what should be messed up is not messed up”?

　Ferry sighed and looked down at an old newspaper from a few days ago. On it was a photo of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, who had been restored this year, visiting the UK and being warmly welcomed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle...

　In France, news of alien UFOs in the UK sent Parisians into a frenzy, leading to uncontrolled street riots and open-ended fistfights with police. In the eyes of Fieri, the ringleader, this was a case of "unnecessary chaos."

　Then, the Kingdom of Spain, which has remained as peaceful as a chicken until now and has not experienced any coup or civil war, is "not in chaos when it should be."

　Earlier this year, after Spanish dictator Francisco Franco was blown to pieces by the Basque separatist group ETA with a miniature atomic bomb, the country quickly became turbulent. Long-dormant leftists and ethnic separatists celebrated and plotted a rebellion. The ruling right-wing military officer group prepared to suppress the uprising. The remnants of the Bourbon royal family also harbored ambitions and plotted a restoration.

　(The most recent Spanish royal family is also the Bourbon family, which is equivalent to a branch of the French Bourbon family.)

　In addition, the American Civil War had just broken out at this time, and Washington and New York were devastated, making it impossible for the United States to intervene in overseas affairs in the short term.

　Therefore, almost all international observers believe that a Spanish civil war centered on a power struggle is probably inevitable.

　But the result was shocking - just one week after Marshal Franco was bathed in "brilliant radiation" and instantly vaporized and ascended to heaven, Juan Carlos, grandson of former King Alfonso XIII, was crowned and ascended the throne in Madrid, announcing the successful restoration of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain!

　It has to be said that in the 20th century, when only crowns were dropped one after another, this clearly felt like going against the trend of the times.

　It's such a period now, why is Spain still sticking to the monarchy and feudal dynasties?

　We have only ever seen kingdoms and empires transform into republics, but this is the first time in the 20th century that a republic has transformed back into a kingdom.

　(If we don't count Yuan Shikai's "Hongxian Empire" - there was originally the Kingdom of Cambodia, but it should no longer exist in this dimension.)

　Isn't it shameful to be a king in a republic?

　But most Spaniards generally say that based on historical experience, the experience of the Republic is too bad, and it is better to return to the Kingdom era: just like pinching your nose and choosing the less smelly one from two piles of shit.

　During the turbulent first half of the 20th century, like many other countries, Spain experienced a revolution against the monarchy in 1931. King Alfonso XIII of the Bourbon dynasty was forced to abdicate, and the Bourbon dynasty was extinguished. Spain abolished the monarchy and became the Spanish Republic.

　But the republic did not bring any civilization or progress to Spain. Instead, it plunged Spain into continuous turmoil and bloody civil war.

　During this period, many heroic stories happened, but also countless tragic events.

　Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and Picasso's "Guernica" are both based on the brutal years of the Spanish Civil War.

　Even when facing a formidable enemy, the Spanish Republicans continued to engage in absurd acts of faction-based divisions, infighting, and purging dissidents, which greatly disappointed the Spanish people. They regarded them as a bunch of scum and hopeless insects, and even tarnished the progressive nature of the republican system.

　Finally, after reducing half of Spain to ruins, with the strong support of Hitler and Mussolini,

　Marshal Franco destroyed the Republican government in the war and seized power in Spain, ushering in Spain into a period of fascist dictatorship that lasted until the Cold War.

　Although Franco had been in control of the Spanish government for many years, he was well aware that it would be difficult for him to become king and establish a new dynasty.

　The fact that Spain continued to practice fascism after World War II was enough to draw opposition from the international community. It even prevented Spain from joining the United Nations, and the UN demanded that all countries cut off diplomatic ties with Spain, making it even more isolated than North Korea decades later.

　If, under such circumstances, he continued to reverse course and become king, even the military officers on whom he relied to maintain his rule would rebel!

　More importantly, Marshal Francisco Franco had no sons and no successors, only a married daughter.

　In other words, even if he risked everything and crowned himself, he would have no son to inherit it - so why bother?

　Just make do with being a dictator.

　But the question is, if he never ascends the throne, what will happen after he dies or steps down?

　For the dictator of a fascist regime, no matter who is chosen as the successor, the subsequent prospects are bleak.

　Choosing a capable but disobedient successor could result in a posthumous backlash. Choosing an incompetent but obedient successor could lead to instability and political turmoil. If an ambitious individual or a democrat seizes power, the Marshal will inevitably face a backlash.

　As long as he cannot ascend the throne and become king, it will be difficult to ensure the safe landing of his family and descendants (daughter).

　If he were to forcibly ascend the throne, the consequence would most likely be immediate death.

　After much deliberation, Marshal Franco decided to roll back the version and restore the Bourbon dynasty in Spain: once the dynasty was restored, the entire republic and the republicans who overthrew the monarch would become traitors, and there would no longer be any legal support to liquidate their military dictatorship!

　(Just like Syngman Rhee of South Korea, if he had restored the Joseon Dynasty when the country was founded and become prime minister himself, the country would have been more stable.)

　Therefore, in 1945, Franco, who lacked motivation to be king, promised to restore the throne "at the appropriate time"

　Bourbon dynasty.

　A few years later, Franco contacted the exiled Bourbon royal family and, after lengthy negotiations, ultimately chose Juan Carlos, grandson of former Spanish King Alfonso XIII, as the new king. Despite this, the marshal clung to power and refused to restore the royal family during his lifetime, insisting on returning the Bourbon royal family to Spain after his death.

　Of course, in order to reassure the royal family, Franco publicly announced in 1969 that Juan Carlos would ascend the throne as the new king after his death.

　However, verbal promises are just verbal promises. No one can predict whether Juan Carlos can successfully become king after the Marshal's death, whether a group of people will jump out to establish a democratic republic, or whether the army will turn against him and "rebuild the republic."

　However, to the disappointment of those who wanted to see a river of blood, Juan Carlos ascended the throne of Spain with almost no trouble. After many ups and downs, the Bourbon dynasty was miraculously restored in Spain again.

　The Spanish left and right, which had fought each other to pieces in the past, were now as quiet as chickens, with no one stepping forward to "rebuild the republic."

　Because, in the eyes of both the left and the right in Spain, the restoration of the monarchy was the only way to avoid another civil war, and it was also what the Spanish people would most like to see. They all remembered the bloody civil war of the 1930s, which had torn Spain into two mutually murderous parts, with bloodshed, economic collapse, and foreign interference and manipulation - such a terrible situation, no Spaniard wanted to see it happen again.

　Just like the Russians who suffered enough after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they don't want to see the Russian Federation disintegrate again.

　Any force that wants to go against public opinion and ignite civil war again will become the enemy of the whole country and be spurned by the vast majority of people who are tired of war.

　While the left certainly struggled to spark a civil war, the right also struggled to maintain the fascist system. Fascist ideology had long been notorious after World War II. This was absolutely politically incorrect, regardless of which side it was in. The opposition within Spain grew increasingly resounding. Unable to maintain the fascist system, and unwilling to embrace democracy and freedom, ending the military dictatorship and the restoration of the monarchy became a concession the right had to make.

　More importantly, after the death of Marshal Franco, no one in the Spanish right-wing camp could gain the support of the people and suppress all other military leaders.

　Because except for Alfonso XIII's grandson

　Apart from Juan Carlos, Marshal Franco had no intention of training a successor in the military.

　So the question is, if the military wants to continue to maintain the fascist regime, who should be the next dictator?

　Before the question of "who will be the leader" is answered, the right-wing officers can only hold each other back and hinder each other, and cannot form a joint force at all.

　Next, generally speaking, big capitalists and conglomerates dislike military governments: only under bourgeois democratic and liberal governments can financial power be easily transformed into political power. Under a military government, the conglomerates would simply be the warlords' cash machines! What big capitalist would want to be a cash machine?

　Therefore, the left and right political forces in Spain actually reached a consensus on the issue of the former Bourbon Crown Prince's succession to the throne.

　Spain's right-wing rulers arranged the transfer of power and the coronation ceremony, and Spain's left-wing forces also expressed rare support.

　At the same time, European countries generally expressed warm support for the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in Spain, and more importantly, the end of the last fascist regime in Europe, and welcomed Spain's return to the European family - from royal countries to international organizations.

　The feudal dynasty is indeed backward, but the fascist regime is even more politically incorrect!

　As a result, with a lack of supporters at home and abroad, the Spanish fascist regime collapsed and the Bourbon royal family made a comeback.

　Although the newly born Kingdom of Spain was still fragile, with right-wing military and bureaucratic groups clinging to power and left-wing democrats continuing to ally with separatists and unleash political unrest, the subsequent democratization process would not necessarily be smooth sailing, likely with mutinies, assassinations, and other political turmoil. However, at least the relationship between monarch and minister had been established, the state system had been reshaped, and King Juan Carlos had clearly expressed his willingness to relinquish power and become a constitutional monarch. The risk of a large-scale civil war had been largely eliminated.

　But for outsiders who are waiting to see the show, the peaceful transition of power in Spain means there will be no fun to watch.

　Especially Firi, whether as a follower of the Prince of Lies or as a US government official, he actually hoped that Spain would go to war. In this way, during the period of US strategic contraction, he could use another Spanish Civil War to divert the attention of Western European allies and the Soviet Union.

　Just like when the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in the 21st century, the European allies, who had been making small moves, were forced to pledge their loyalty to the United States once again.

　But now it seems that both the left and the right in Spain are extremely tired of war. No one wants to fight anymore, nor is anyone willing to push the other side into a desperate situation.

　The CIA had just experienced an internal purge and was in a state of great weakness. It was really unable to forcibly provoke a new Spanish Civil War.

　——Even if King Juan Carlos was assassinated, it would be useless. He is a symbol. Even if he is killed, there are other members of the royal family who can succeed him. As long as the political forces in Spain are determined not to fight a civil war, it will be difficult to fight a war.

　Can get up.

　Well, since there’s no fighting in Spain and no rivers of blood, we can only shoulder more of the burden and add more drama to the show in Britain!

　Ferry thought so as he put away the newspaper, then took Marita out of the cafe, came to the Thames, and walked all the way to the West India Dock.

　From a distance, in addition to civilian ships and cruise ships, there was also a British Royal Navy frigate Leander, which was temporarily docked here. The masts and railings of the ship were decorated with lights, as if it was preparing to participate in a naval review in the near future.

　Great, the decision is yours!

　Fili nodded with satisfaction, then turned around, bit Marita's ear, and whispered, "Honey, pay attention to the warships on the dock over there. I'll perform a magic trick for you! It's absolutely fun! Absolutely wonderful!"

　"Woo, are you going to do something bad again?"

　Marita smiled softly and whispered in his ear, "Are you going to summon a demon or detonate a nuclear bomb here?"

　"How could I be so evil? Darling, I'm not as bad as you think! I just want to recreate the legendary "Philadelphia Experiment" on the Thames in London and give the brave Royal Navy sailors a thrilling adventure in a different world beyond time and space!

　Aren't the British Empire's navigators known for their adventurous spirit? So, maybe it's time to train yourself in another world!

　However, before I cast the spell, please help me to provide some cover so that I can quietly transform into a cat..."

　A moment later, a black cat jumped out from under the skirt of a beautiful young woman, ran lightly across the street, and ran towards the dock where the warship was docked.

　A moment later, accompanied by the terrified screams of London citizens and dock sailors, the 2500-ton displacement ship

　The frigate Leander disappeared without a trace from the West India Dock in broad daylight, accompanied by a flash of green light.

　Is this... a miracle? Or a supernatural event?

　How could such a large frigate disappear in such a short time?!

　Some of the Leander's sailors who happened to be on shore and had not boarded the ship stared at the empty berth in amazement, their minds going blank for a moment.

　More Londoners who witnessed this spectacle, after a brief moment of astonishment, rushed over to find out what was going on.

　For a moment, the entire West India Dock was crowded with people, and the port staff were squeezed so hard that they could not stand, and the scene was in chaos.

　Taking advantage of the chaos at West India Dock, Black Cat Philly nimbly made his way through the crowd once more. After some adroit maneuvering, he successfully returned to Marita's side. Then, with the help of his wife, he transformed back into human form and boasted triumphantly, "How's it going, dear? This magic trick recreating the Philadelphia Experiment is definitely sensational and eye-catching, isn't it?"

　"It's really exciting, but isn't it a bit too much to use banishment to make a whole ship of people disappear forever?" said Marita.

　"Ah, no, the 'exile' I used this time has a time limit, they will return automatically soon..."

　Sure enough, just three minutes later, the HMS Leander reappeared on the Thames River next to the West India Docks, accompanied by a flash of green light. However, it was completely wrecked: not only was the upper bridge riddled with bullet holes, but the sides and decks were also charred black. There seemed to be a hole below the waterline, which was rapidly taking in water and causing the hull to tilt...

　Next, Prime Minister Heath at his official residence at 10 Downing Street received an urgent report about "supernatural events in the Thames."

　However, the content was so outrageous that it felt even more absurd than encountering a flying saucer. It was like reading a third-rate science fiction novel.

　"What? The HMS Leander at West India Dock encountered a supernatural event similar to the Philadelphia Experiment?"

　All the officers and soldiers on the ship were teleported to the world a hundred years later, stayed there for three days and then came back again?

　What about the fact that the Soviet Union and the United States both lost the Cold War 20 years later, Japan colonized the West Coast of America? And the whole world is using the Euro?

　It can be solved with courage!

　During the time-space transfer, the Leander's radio communication equipment remained intact. However, the ship's radio stations and receivers only received many strange and indecipherable signals in this different time and space. Some signals, while barely receivable, were completely incomprehensible.

　Out of caution, the captain prohibited the communications personnel from actively sending signals to the outside world.

　The next morning, a 20-person expedition team from the Leander arrived in a rubber dinghy and discovered an abandoned coastal town. The expedition team didn't find a single person alive in the half-buried town, but they did find a wealth of sci-fi-inspired items—LCD TVs, Mewtwo headbands, laptops, household robots, wind turbines, and more—albeit all damaged and abandoned.

　In addition, there were a lot of brand names that the British on the Leander had never heard of, such as Little Coca-Cola, Stupid Monkey, Holographic Snacks, Moon Fast Food, Whole Foods, etc., which appeared on empty beverage bottles, packaging bags, boxes in the garbage dump and billboards in abandoned stores.

　Finally, the expedition team found some discarded English magazines, newspapers, books, maps, posters and advertising leaflets in the town. The paper had long since turned yellow and brittle, but the year it was printed was far away in the 21st century. Combined with the latitude obtained by sextant measurement, the sailors finally determined that they had arrived at the future west coast of the United States, probably in central California, in Estero Bay between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

　As for why this land became deserted?

　The obvious pollution of the nearby soil and streams, as well as the bizarre cacti and Joshua trees, reminded the crew of the USS Leander of apocalyptic science fiction movies they'd seen. They wondered if they had arrived in a post-nuclear wasteland, the United States, where civilization had collapsed.

　However, based on the high-intensity and active radio signals in the sky, they felt that this place did not seem to be a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

　In short, after sending some of the found evidence back to the ship, the expedition team set up a temporary camp in the town.

　As a result, that afternoon, several armed vagrants who drove a dilapidated car, carried rifles, and had strange parts on their bodies and called themselves "wanderers" came from afar to the camp in the abandoned town. They were attracted by the smoke from the camp and met the sailors of the Leander who stayed in the camp.

　The two sides faced each other with guns for a while, but eventually had a "cordial and friendly conversation."

　Although both sides felt that the English spoken by the other party was strange, it was still English after all, and they could still communicate with each other.

　From these "wanderers," the sailors of the USS Leander learned more about this place—they were now near the border of Northern California, surrounded by a desolate "bad land." Apart from the wanderers, there were almost no people living there.

　Why did this happen? First, another American Civil War broke out a few years ago, destroying countless villages and towns. Second, a large company called "Biotech" maliciously released biological weapons in the countryside, contaminating the remaining water sources and causing the complete destruction of corn, wheat, and fruit and vegetable harvests.

　Furthermore, the coastal waters in this area were so polluted that not a single fish could be found, so the nearby villages and fishing ports were naturally deserted.

　Then, not far to their south, there is a metropolis with a population of several million called "Night City". It is the most prosperous city on the entire west coast of the United States. There are many well-known large companies in the city, and a very majestic Japanese aircraft carrier is docked at the port.