273: Chapter 273 Mothership Sets Sail, Dramatic Changes in Malacca

On a cruise ship in the high seas near Malacca.

Inside a luxurious office, Charles looked at the screen that had gone completely black in front of him and laughed with contempt.

He drained the red wine in his goblet in one gulp.

"Idiot, daring to hang up on me. You've got quite the temper."

A deputy in a black suit stepped forward.

"President, did the negotiations break down?"

Charles sneered.

"This is just the impotent rage of the incompetent. His dilapidated construction site will be completely ruined in three more days. He has no choice; he's just putting on a show."

"Then what should we do now? Detonate the explosives at the bottom of the ships directly?"

"Detonate what?"

Charles glared at the deputy.

"Two million tons of high-purity silica sand—that's hard currency. Think of how much we'd lose if we blew it up. He will definitely be on his knees delivering the genetic formula within three days. Connect us to the destroyer frequency."

The deputy immediately grabbed the satellite phone and handed it to Charles.

"Captain, it's calm and tranquil today."

The laughter of Captain James from the remnants of the US 7th Fleet came from the other end of the phone.

"Rest assured, President Charles. We have surrounded all five cargo ships. The safeties on over two hundred anti-ship missiles are all disengaged. Forget about ships from China; even if a seagull flies over, I can shoot it down."

"Very good. Maintain your vigilance. If they dare to send any warships, fire warning shots immediately. I will take responsibility for all consequences."

"Understood."

James hung up the phone.

Charles tossed the phone onto the sofa and turned to look at the cargo ships outside the porthole.

"Go open a bottle of champagne. Prepare to celebrate our takeover of Jiangcheng's genetic technology."

...

Shifting the scene back to the underground foundation pit in Jiangcheng.

Alarm sirens echoed throughout the entire underground space.

The thick camouflage mountain was rapidly sliding open to both sides, and blinding sunlight streamed down from above, illuminating the three-million-ton black inverted triangular chassis.

Old Zhou stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of the main control room, his legs still trembling.

"Boss, are we really going to fly over and seize them directly?"

Old Zhou swallowed hard.

"If we don't seize them, are you just going to wait for death?"

Lu Chen picked up a brand-new black jacket and put it on.

Wu Dong sat before the main control console, his hands typing rapidly on the keyboard.

"Boss, the route is set. No stealth measures have been taken along the way; we are going to force our way through the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone."

"That's exactly what I want—for them to see clearly."

Lu Chen strode outwards.

Wei Jianguo followed behind Lu Chen.

"Boss, the anti-gravity engine thrust parameters are maxed out. The chassis was just repaired, and at this extreme speed, the outer shell might overheat."

Lu Chen didn't even turn his head.

"We can't worry about that. Full speed ahead."

The boarding ramp opened slowly.

Lu Chen walked into the mothership's cockpit and sat in the large command chair.

Inside the lower troop bay, five hundred "Firmament" heavy armors were already lined up neatly.

Da Biao was wearing heavy armor, his helmet tucked under his arm, pacing back and forth.

"Listen up! Once we go down there, just focus on taking the goods. Anyone on the ships who dares to hold a gun, snap their necks on the spot."

The Death Squad Soldiers roared in unison.

"Understood."

Zhang Qiang stood to the side, checking the charge of his shock blade.

"Da Biao, there are explosives at the bottom of the ships."

"I don't know how to swim. Before the bombs go off, just chop up the person pressing the switch."

Da Biao cracked his knuckles, making a popping sound.

The mothership's engines erupted with a low roar.

Thousands of thrusters spewed blinding blue light.

The massive black chassis instantly lifted off the ground, shooting vertically toward the clouds.

The sonic boom from breaking the sound barrier exploded over Jiangcheng, blowing away dozens of tattered camouflage nets.

...

East China Sea defense line, a certain country's frontline air defense radar station.

A shrill red alarm suddenly screamed inside the command post.

The radar operator stared intently at the screen, eyes bloodshot.

"Sir, we have a situation. A super-large target has lifted off from the Chinese mainland and is approaching us at high speed."

The commander walked over quickly.

"What is its size and speed?"

"The radar cross-section exceeds that of three large stadiums."

The operator's voice trembled.

"Speed has broken Mach 5 and is still accelerating."

"Bullshit! What kind of aircraft can have this volume and still fly at Mach 5?"

The commander shoved the operator aside and leaned over the screen to look for himself.

The light spot moved extremely fast, crossing the first air defense identification line directly.

"It has crossed the line, sir. Should we activate fire-control radar to lock on?"

The commander broke into a cold sweat, staring at those terrifying parameters.

"Lock on my ass! With kinetic energy of this level, if it crashes down, our anti-missiles won't even be able to catch its exhaust. Report to The Pentagon immediately."

The operator picked up the communicator.

"I can't report it. Our communication frequencies have all been cut off by high-frequency electromagnetic waves. The opponent has initiated full-spectrum jamming."

The commander collapsed into his chair.

"This is that monster that crippled the fleets of fourteen nations. It has come out. Who is the target?"

"Heading southwest, straight for Malacca."

...

Malacca sea area, the sun was still blinding.

The water surface rippled calmly with scales of light.

Five giant ocean-going cargo ships were anchored quietly on the sea.

Six Arleigh Burke-class destroyers patrolled the perimeter, the Stars and Stripes fluttering in the wind.

On the forward deck of a destroyer.

Two sailors leaned against the railing, cigarettes in hand.

"Hey, do you think China will send any ships?"

"Send what ships? Even if they had ten times the guts, they wouldn't dare open fire on us in international shipping lanes. This is our turf."

The other sailor blew out a smoke ring.

"The Stella Consortium is really rich. Just to have us escort them for a day costs millions of US dollars. This money is really easy to earn."

"It's just to scare people. If it really came to a fight, with a single volley of our two hundred-plus missiles, there wouldn't be a scrap of the other side left."

Inside the bridge command room.

Captain James held his coffee, looking at the nautical chart.

The first mate walked in.

"Captain, the radar shows no suspicious vessels approaching, and there's absolutely no movement from Jiangcheng."

James sneered.

"What kind of movement could they have? They've been choked; they can only lower their heads obediently. President Charles is right—they've run out of time."

Just as he finished speaking.

The sunlight outside the bridge suddenly dimmed.

The wind on the sea stopped.

An indescribable sense of oppression descended from the sky.

"What's going on? Is it going to rain?"

James put down his coffee cup and looked up out the window.

The thick clouds overhead were churning violently. Immediately after, the clouds were forcibly pushed aside by a terrifying repulsive force, forming a giant circular hole over ten kilometers in diameter.

The originally calm sea began to surge madly, and huge waves slammed fiercely against the hull of the destroyer.

The warship began to rock violently.

"Captain."

The radar operator turned around and screamed hysterically.

"Above, it's above!"

James rushed to the window.

A black fortress with an area exceeding three soccer fields appeared out of thin air within the hole in the clouds.

It completely blocked the sun, blotting out the sky.

The ink-black inverted triangular metal chassis hovered at an altitude of five hundred meters, thousands of blue engine thrusters emitting a despair-inducing glow.

The sailors on the deck were so frightened they threw away their cigarettes and scrambled on all fours toward the hatch.

"What the hell is that thing?"

James's face turned deathly pale, his voice cracking.

"Fire-control radar, adjust elevation to lock on! Anti-aircraft missiles, prepare to launch! Quickly!"

The radar operator typed frantically on the keyboard, then grabbed his head.

"Can't lock on! It's impossible to lock on! When the radar waves touch the outer Magnetofluid Shield, they are completely absorbed. The system shows there are no targets above."

"Use optical targeting! Fire everything! Shoot it down!"

James drew his pistol and aimed it at the ceiling.

The first mate grabbed him tightly.

"Captain, don't fire! The distance is too close. If we hit it, the explosion's shrapnel will tear our own ship to pieces."

On the cruise ship in the high seas.

The champagne bottle in Charles's hand dropped onto the expensive carpet, spilling wine everywhere.

He stared intently at the huge black shadow outside the window, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

"This... what is this? What kind of thing did Lu Chen bring here?"

The deputy was so scared he huddled behind the sofa.

"President, let's run! This isn't a ship at all!"

"Run where?"

Charles gritted his teeth and grabbed the detonator on the table.

"If he dares to seize it, I'll blow it all up. We'll all die together!"

Mothership cockpit.

Lu Chen stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the fleet below, which had descended into chaos.

The destroyers and cargo ships on the sea looked pitifully small under the massive shadow of the mothership.

"Boss, locked onto the positions of the five cargo ships."

Wu Dong reported.

"Radar shows six US destroyers in the vicinity, and one civilian cruise ship on the periphery."

Lu Chen glanced at the holographic screen.

"Charles should be on that cruise ship."

"Should we just use the energy cannon to vaporize them?"

Wu Dong asked.

"Too much of a waste of energy."

Lu Chen's eyes turned cold.

"Da Biao, it's your turn. I want the goods, and I want their lives too."

"Understood."

In the lower bay.

All five hundred "Firmament" heavy armors activated.

The micro anti-gravity modules on their chests emitted a low hum.

The heavy armored hatch at the bottom of the mothership slid open slowly to both sides.

The high-altitude gale immediately poured into the lower bay.

Da Biao walked to the hatch, looking at the cargo ship deck five hundred meters below.

He raised his hand to activate the communication module, forcibly connecting to the public communication channels of all the destroyers and the cruise ship below.

Da Biao's cold voice boomed through every speaker in the Malacca sea area.

"Listen closely, everyone down there! No paperwork, we are taking over directly. If anyone dares to move, I'll smash you into the ocean trench to feed the turtles."