23: Full fire, bombardment!

Damage control report! The fire on the aft deck has been contained, but D-cell VLS is completely destroyed! Missile reserves are down 40%! The radar auxiliary system at the rear of the bridge is paralyzed and will require at least 48 hours to repair!

The communications officer's voice echoed through the smoke-filled command center.

Lin Feng stood before the shattered porthole, his gaze grim as he swept over the still-smoking, charred craters on the deck.

Six hypersonic stealth fighters, with just one surprise attack, almost tore through Deep Blue's defenses.

If it weren't for the main gun and CIWS's extreme interception at the last moment, the entire warship might have already sunk to the bottom of the sea.

"Observer..." Lin Feng clenched his fists, his knuckles white.

This was no ordinary attack, but a precise probe—the enemy was testing Deep Blue's air defense limits.

And now, they had the data.

The next attack would only be more lethal.

"Captain! Radar system has partially recovered! New targets detected!" the radar officer suddenly shouted.

Lin Feng sharply turned, looking at the main screen.

On the blurry radar interface, a dozen flickering light points were approaching from different directions.

"Bearing 090, range 180 kilometers, altitude 8000 meters! Speed Mach 1.2! Model identification—F-4 'Phantom' improved! Carrying anti-ship missiles!"

"F-4?" Chen Hai was stunned.

"Old junk? They're sending this garbage to die?"

Lin Feng's eyes turned cold: "No, this is a war of attrition."

The Observer was using low-end fighters to deplete their air defense missiles!

Deep Blue's HHQ-9B long-range air defense missiles were almost depleted, while the enemy aircraft swarm was coming like locusts.

If they wasted all their missiles on these old fighters, when the real hypersonic stealth fighters appeared again, Deep Blue would be completely defenseless!

"Captain! Enemy aircraft group entering HHQ-9B range! Intercept?" the weapons officer urgently asked.

Lin Feng's gaze was like a knife, and he quickly made a decision:

"No! Save the long-range missiles! Let them in!"

"Let them in?!" Chen Hai was shocked.

"Yes, let them in!" Lin Feng sneered, "Let them think we're low on ammo and dare not fire.

Then—"

He slammed the control panel, barking an order:

"HQ-10 short-range air defense missiles prepare! 1130 CIWS preheat! Once they're at close to medium range, shoot them all down!"

---

The battle erupted instantly!

The F-4 squadron approached unsuspectingly, believing Deep Blue had lost its ability to retaliate.

However, the moment they entered HQ-10 range—

"Fire!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! —

The 24-cell HQ-10 missile launcher instantly unleashed a dense barrage of interceptor missiles!

Boom boom boom boom!

The leading four F-4s were instantly blown apart in mid-air!

The remaining enemy aircraft scattered in a panic, attempting to evade, but Deep Blue's air defense system had already locked onto their trajectories!

"1130! Free fire!"

Whir—zzzz—!!!

The two 1130 CIWS roared simultaneously, a metal storm of tens of thousands of rounds per minute sweeping across the sky!

The remaining F-4s, like moths to a flame, were torn to shreds one after another!

Between the sea and sky, explosions of fire bloomed one after another, and debris rained down.

"All targets shot down! Repeat, all targets shot down!"

A brief cheer erupted in the CIC, but Lin Feng's expression remained grim.

"This is just the beginning," he said coldly.

"The Observer won't give up just like that.

They'll soon send out their true trump card."

"Then what do we do?" Chen Hai gritted his teeth.

Lin Feng looked at the system interface, energy reserves: 28%.

The submersible project was shelved, air defense missiles were almost depleted, the hull was damaged…

"We counterattack."

"Counterattack?"

"Yes, not passive defense, but active offense!" Lin Feng's eyes glinted coldly.

"Since they dared to come, we'll find their lair and strike first!"

"But we don't even know where they are!"

Lin Feng's lips curled into a cold smile:

"No, we do."

He raised his hand and brought up the trajectory map of the early warning aircraft signal previously intercepted, a clear flight path pointing northwest—deep into the interior of Borneo.

"The Observer's base is there."