19: Anti-aircraft missile net! Weaving a web of death and fire!

The shrill "Battle Alert! Air Defense Battle Alert!" echoed like a physical whip, lashing every corner of the Deep Blue. The brief calm, which had just settled after successfully establishing initial contact with the remnants of a certain country's navy (Chapter 18), was utterly shattered. Inside the Combat Information Center (CIC), piercing red lights illuminated every face, suddenly taut with tension.

Lin Feng abruptly looked up from the tactical map, his eyes sharp as knives, instantly switching to the highest Commander mode. "Report situation!" His voice was steady and powerful, cutting through the alarm's noise, becoming an anchor in the chaos.

"Reporting, Captain!" The radar officer's voice carried a hint of imperceptible tension, but more so, focus. "Enemy aircraft! Bearing 075, distance 180 kilometers, altitude 8000 meters! Quantity... at least twelve! Speed Mach 1.2! Model identification... preliminarily identified as modified F-4 'Phantoms'! Old birds, but they're carrying anti-ship missiles! They're coming for us!" On the radar screen, a dozen light dots representing enemy aircraft were rapidly approaching, like a flock of vultures swooping down on prey.

"F-4s? Remnant air force? Or second-hand goods acquired by some faction?" Lin Feng's mind raced, but his actions showed no hesitation. "Battle stations, highest alert! Air defense combat system, full power activation! 'Chinese Aegis', lock onto them!"

Buzz—!

Outside the bridge, the massive 346A active phased array radar system, like a waking beast, instantly boosted its detection power to the limit. Invisible electromagnetic beams precisely pierced the air between sea and sky, firmly locking onto the distant target group. On the CIC's main screen, the enemy aircraft signals were instantly magnified and tagged, with precise data for distance, speed, altitude, and threat level pulsating next to each light dot.

"Target data link shared!" The operations staff officer's voice was rapid. "Fire control system solution complete! Targets assigned to all air defense units!"

"Good!" Lin Feng slammed his fist on the command console, battle intent burning in his eyes. "Let them taste the power of the 055! HHQ-9B, salvo fire! *Target: the first four aircraft in the leading formation! Take out their spearhead!"

"Yes! HHQ-9B, salvo fire! Target locked! Launch!" The weapon officer's voice trembled with a hint of excitement.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Midship, four square covers of the forward Vertical Launch System (VLS) instantly sprang open. Accompanied by the loud hiss of compressed gas, four sleek HHQ-9B long-range surface-to-air missiles, like dragons breaking free of their restraints, roared almost vertically into the sky, trailing brilliant white tail flames! Immediately following, another four! Eight missiles completed a spectacular salvo within seconds, carving eight elegant arcs of death and interception between the blue sea and sky, heading straight for the enemy aircraft 180 kilometers away!

A silence fell over the CIC, broken only by the radar screen's refresh and the cold electronic prompts of the fire control system. On the large main screen, eight light dots representing friendly missiles were clearly displayed, hurtling towards the enemy aircraft cluster at a terrifying speed, several times the speed of sound, with unwavering resolve.

"Missile flight normal! Active radar seeker activated! Target signal stably acquired!" The radar officer stared intently at the screen, his voice filled with suppressed excitement.

Time seemed to stretch in that moment. A distance of over a hundred kilometers was only a few dozen seconds for supersonic missiles. But for everyone on the Deep Blue, each second felt like a century. Lin Feng braced his hands on the control console, leaning slightly forward, his gaze like a torch, fixed on the convergence point on the screen.

Suddenly!

On the radar screen, the four light dots representing the leading enemy aircraft suddenly flickered violently, then—vanished!

"Hit! Confirmed hit! Four for four! Targets 1, 2, 3, 4 gone!" The radar officer practically roared, his face instantly flushing with wild joy!

"Well done!" The tense atmosphere in the command center was instantly ignited, erupting in suppressed cheers! The first round of long-range interception, a perfect kill of the enemy vanguard!

However, the battle was far from over!

"Remaining enemy aircraft not turning! They've scattered! They're lowering altitude! Six of them are accelerating into a dive! Altitude 5000... 3000... 1500 meters! They want to break through at ultra-low altitude! Evade radar!" The radar officer's voice grew urgent again. Ultra-low altitude penetration effectively compresses the detection range and reaction time of shipborne radar, a classic tactic for anti-ship combat!

"Trying to sneak in? Not that easy!" Lin Feng's eyes were cold. "HQ-10 short-range air defense missiles, prepare! 1130 CIWS, prepare! Lock onto the low-altitude targets! Electronic countermeasures system, full-spectrum jamming! Release chaff/infrared flares!"

"Yes!"

On both sides of the bridge and above the hangar, the 24-cell HQ-10 short-range air defense missile launchers rapidly turned towards the low-altitude threat, like vigilant wasps raising their stingers. The two menacing 1130 CIWS (commonly known as "thousand-round cannons") at the bow and stern began to rotate at high speed, their multi-barreled muzzles gleaming with cold metallic luster, emitting a low, deadly hum, like hungry beasts licking their fangs.

"Flares launched!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of muffled explosions came from both sides of the ship, as large clouds of silver chaff and scorching infrared flares burst around the Deep Blue like celestial maidens scattering flowers, instantly forming a dazzling, confusing electromagnetic and infrared barrier.

At this moment, the six F-4s attempting low-altitude penetration had closed to less than 50 kilometers! They were like black lightning flying close to the sea surface, their anti-ship missiles clearly visible under their wings!

"HQ-10, launch! Target: three on the port side!" The weapon officer's command was decisive.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Twelve HQ-10 missiles, like hornets leaving their nest, plunged violently towards the low altitude, trailing white smoke, at almost right angles, with astonishing agility and overload capability! While their range was not as great as the HHQ-9B, their reaction speed and maneuverability were terrifying at medium to short ranges, especially against low-altitude, high-speed targets!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several huge fireballs erupted again between the sea and sky! Three F-4s attempting to outflank from the left were blown out of the sky at a distance of about 30 kilometers. Their shattered airframes and burning fuel crashed into the sea like meteorites!

"Starboard side! Three have broken through HQ-10 interception! Distance 20 kilometers! Altitude 50 meters! Missiles! They've launched missiles!" The radar officer's voice suddenly rose, tinged with alarm! Anti-ship missiles launched at ultra-low altitude, supersonic speed, and such close range were any ship's nightmare!

On the CIC's main screen, six tiny, deadly light dots representing high-speed anti-ship missiles were tearing through the air at near-sea-skimming altitude, carrying an aura of destruction, hurtling towards the Deep Blue's heart! 20 kilometers, for subsonic or even supersonic anti-ship missiles, was just a death countdown of a dozen or even a few seconds!

The air seemed to solidify! Everyone's hearts were in their throats!

"1130! Free fire! Tear them to shreds!" Lin Feng's voice was like thunder, issuing the final, and most perilous, line of defense command!

"Fire!!!"

The weapon officer's roar echoed through the internal communications to all battle stations!

Hum—!!! Sizzle—!!!

The two 1130 CIWS at the bow and stern let out a deafening, terrifying roar, like chainsaws tearing through steel! The barrels spun wildly at a maximum rate of over ten thousand rounds per minute! The barrels were impossible to see with the naked eye; only two extremely intense, continuous firestorms erupted from the muzzles!

Da da da da da da—!!!

A barrage of explosions, too dense to distinguish individual sounds, instantly drowned out everything else! Two visible torrents of crimson "metal storm," composed of tens of thousands of 30mm armor-piercing rounds, like the fiery whip of death, lashed fiercely at the sea-sky boundary! Spent casings poured from the ejection ports like a downpour, instantly piling up into brass-colored "hills" on the deck!

On the radar screen, the six deadly light dots representing the anti-ship missiles crashed into this absolute death zone composed of steel and flames!

Boom boom boom boom boom!

A series of earth-shattering explosions erupted violently at an extremely close range, just 1.5 kilometers to 800 meters from the Deep Blue's hull! Six huge fireballs almost merged into a single crimson wall of fire! That was the spectacular death of anti-ship missiles being obliterated in mid-air by dense barrages! Hot air currents, mixed with shrapnel and unburned fuel, swept across the sea like a hurricane, slapping against the Deep Blue's hull with crackling sounds!

"Targets vanished! All intercepted! Repeat, all intercepted! All incoming missiles destroyed!" The radar officer's voice was hoarse from excitement and the immense noise, yet filled with the wild joy of survival and incredible shock!

"Long live the thousand-round cannons!" Someone shouted first, instantly igniting the entire CIC! The extreme tension instantly transformed into thunderous cheers and applause! Everyone was red-faced with excitement, forcefully slapping the control consoles, high-fiving, and embracing each other!

Lin Feng's tense body finally relaxed slightly, and he let out a long breath, his military uniform on his back soaked with cold sweat. He looked at the dissipating explosion smoke cloud on the screen and the debris of enemy aircraft floating on the sea, his eyes, in addition to the afterglow of victory, held a few more traces of solemnity. The short dozen seconds of CIWS interception had been a true dance on the knife's edge, a hair's breadth from death!

"Report damage!"

"Reporting, Captain! No direct hits to the hull! Minor shrapnel scrapes on some superstructure, no impact! CIWS barrels overheating, cooling down! Electronic countermeasures system power consumption huge! Deep Blue Hegemony system alert: This high-intensity air defense operation consumed a large amount of energy reserves, current energy reserves have dropped to 42%!"

The system's alert tone was like cold water, slightly cooling the heated atmosphere. Energy, again energy! This powerful warship, every time it operated at full capacity, was burning precious points (energy).

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the two remaining light dots representing enemy aircraft on the screen—the last two enemy planes circling at high altitude, clearly hesitant and fearful after witnessing the tragic fate of their companions.

"Hmph, still want to watch the show?" Lin Feng's lips curved into a cold arc. "HHQ-9B! Lock onto the last two! Send them down to join their companions!"

"Yes! HHQ-9B, lock on! Launch!"

Another two long-range missiles soared into the sky. This time, the two enemy aircraft made almost no effective evasive maneuvers, and soon became two fleeting sparks in the distant sky.

Between sea and sky, silence returned. Only the wind whimpered, carrying the smell of gunpowder and the lingering scent of death.

"Combat over." Lin Feng's voice returned to calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "All ship, stand down from Level 1 combat readiness, maintain Level 2 alert. Damage control teams check hull damage. Radar department, expand search range, be vigilant for subsequent attacks or reconnaissance. Weapons department, check ammunition consumption, replenish CIWS ammunition belts, cool barrels."

He walked to the porthole, looking out at the shimmering but deadly sea, and the black smoke that had not completely dispersed on the distant horizon. The 055 Destroyer's powerful air defense firepower net, like an invisible death zone, would tear any aircraft daring to intrude into pieces with this "death fire net" woven of steel and will! This battle was enough to chill any potential enemy, and the reputation of the "Ghost Fleet" would become even louder!

However, the system's cold energy alert hung like a Sword of Damocles over his head. Resources, especially energy, remained the biggest bottleneck restricting their development! Lin Feng's eyes were deep, and a thought became increasingly clear: he must quickly find a stable, large-scale way to acquire energy! Whether it was to complete missions, or... to take the initiative!

Just then, the communications officer suddenly reported: "Commander! A faint, encrypted long-range communication signal has been intercepted, source... seems to be high altitude! Preliminary assessment... possibly from an early warning aircraft! It was hovering on the edge of the battlefield throughout the latter part of the battle!"

Early warning aircraft?! Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly. This meant that behind this attack, there might be opponents with stronger organization and technical capabilities! They were like poisonous snakes hiding in the dark, observing, assessing!

"Record signal characteristics! Attempt to track the source! Inform the intelligence analysis team, prioritize decryption!" Lin Feng ordered in a deep voice. The crisis was temporarily averted, but deeper waters, a more powerful shadow, seemed to be quietly descending. The Deep Blue's journey was destined not to be peaceful.