182: Chapter 182 Our booth will be full soon!
The business jet was parked at Changle Airport; of its twenty-five seats, only one was occupied.
None of the relatives who had clamored to come yesterday showed up today.
The family group chat was filled with nothing but excuses.
Third Aunt said her back ached, Third Uncle claimed he had business at the factory, and Fu Wanqing didn't reply to any messages.
Clearly, having witnessed the one-billion-yuan mansion at the hilltop estate yesterday afternoon and seen the Shen family's young mistress personally deliver the property deed, everyone had come to terms with reality.
Accompanying them on a business jet to Zhuhai to freeload on food, drinks, and prestige might seem like a sweet deal, but in reality, it was tantamount to publicly admitting that they were now in completely different social strata.
The older generation was thin-skinned; clinging to their stubborn pride and desire to save face, none of them were willing to take the initiative to bow their heads.
Fu Haoran watched the excuses roll in one after another in the group chat, a faint smile flickering in his eyes.
He had long expected this. After saying a few words to his parents, he turned and boarded the plane.
Zhuhai.
Jinwan Airport.
Three days before the opening of the airshow.
Cheng Beixiao stood in the center of the DYB Warhammer Defense exhibition hall, so anxious he was about to bite through his lip.
An 800-square-meter outdoor aircraft display area, a 1,200-square-meter indoor core exhibition hall, and the International General Aviation and Defense Forum at the No. 3 sub-venue.
The organizing committee had allocated them the largest exhibition area of this airshow, bigger than Boeing and Airbus combined.
Yet now, with only seventy-two hours left until the airshow's opening, there was nothing on the display stage except a massive LED screen looping the DYB logo and corporate promotional video.
No planes, no models, no product brochures, not even a single product poster pasted up.
“Mr. Fu,” Cheng Beichi finally couldn't help but speak up, “the organizing committee has already pressed us three times, asking when we're going to set up our exhibits.”
“No rush, we still have three days,” Fu Haoran said indifferently.
Cheng Beixiao was incredibly anxious—this cost six million yuan, and they were just going to leave it empty?
One had to know that these few days were for media previews, the absolute best time for generating hype.
Once missed, it would be very difficult to get any exposure.
Cheng Beixiao opened his mouth, wanting to remind his boss again, but Fu Haoran merely said nonchalantly, “Calculating the time, our ship should be arriving.”
Outside the exhibition hall, several groups of media reporters doing early previews passed by carrying their cameras. Seeing that this most expensive prime booth of the airshow was actually completely empty, they all stopped in their tracks.
They aimed their lenses at the empty display stage and the large screen looping the logo, snapping photos furiously.
Someone pulled out their phone on the spot to look up this company.
DYB Warhammer Defense, registered in America, a newly emerged military enterprise. In just two short years, it had secured several top-tier, large-sum contracts from the US military, but they were all for ship repairs—this was practically equivalent to having no substantive business.
Even more bizarrely, not a single flagship product could be found online—no public specifications, no equipment leaks, and even their official website was ridiculously bare-bones.
They had neither strength nor orders, yet they were willing to spend millions to rent a booth, and they didn't even bring any products to display.
What on earth was this company trying to do?
A sense of bewilderment quietly spread through the media circles.
On the other side of the exhibition hall.
Li Jianguo was wandering around the exhibition alone.
He was dressed very casually in a jacket and casual trousers, blending into the crowd like any ordinary spectator.
The airshow had not yet officially opened, so the exhibition hall was mostly filled with staff from various exhibitors debugging their equipment.
Li Jianguo walked very slowly, examining every booth carefully, especially the avionics and engine exhibition areas.
“Oh, isn't this Old Li?”
A familiar voice came from behind him.
Li Jianguo turned around and saw President Zhang standing a few meters away, surrounded by several old colleagues from Shenfei. President Zhang was even fatter than before, the buttons on his jacket strained tight, and his hair was combed meticulously, looking exactly as he did years ago when he sat in his office at Shenfei, banging on the desk and lecturing him.
“President Zhang,” Li Jianguo smiled and nodded.
“It really is you.” President Zhang walked over, scanning him up and down. “I heard you went abroad? To America? Why did you run back?”
He paused, and before Li Jianguo could answer, he added, “Don't tell me you couldn't cut it over there and came back to look for a job.”
Several old colleagues nearby also gathered around; some winked at Li Jianguo, some lowered their heads to pretend they hadn't seen him, and others gave awkward smiles.
President Zhang patted Li Jianguo on the shoulder and said earnestly, “Old Li, you were doing so well here with us back then, yet you just had to go abroad.”
“It's fine that you're back now. Domestic aviation has been developing very rapidly these past few years, it's just that at your age... it's not easy to find a job.”
“How about you come take a look at my side? Our booth this time is in Zone C. If nothing else, we still have things that those foreign enterprises can't teach you.”
Li Jianguo smiled and didn't argue.
He had originally wanted to say that he hadn't returned to China for good, but had come to participate in the exhibition with his company.
But the words died on his tongue. He knew the other party too well; even if he said it, they wouldn't believe him.
Not only would President Zhang not believe it, but these old colleagues wouldn't either.
Who would believe that an old engineer in his late forties, who couldn't even get promoted to associate senior engineer at Shenfei, was now the chief engineer of the world's only F-22 pulsating assembly line?
“I'm just here to learn and see what new technologies everyone has,” Li Jianguo nodded, cupping his hands in farewell.
After walking a few steps, President Zhang's lowered voice drifted from behind: “Wandering around at his age, he probably hasn't found his next employer yet.”
Someone nearby chimed in with a couple of chuckles.
Li Jianguo didn't stop, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Zhuhai Port, 3:00 PM.
Zhou Haisheng had worked at the Zhuhai Port Dispatch Center for nearly twenty years and had seen all kinds of ships.
Container ships, bulk carriers, LNG carriers, Ro-Ro ships, semi-submersible vessels, and occasionally visiting foreign warships—though the process for those was troublesome, starting with diplomatic procedures months in advance, layer upon layer of approvals, and the entire port being on high alert on the day of docking.
For today's port entry application, the information form read “Large Ro-Ro ship, carrying exhibition equipment and prototypes.” The ship's name was da fu, but its registry showed America, and it was applying to dock at Berth No. 9 of Zhuhai Port.
The organizing committee had already given them a heads-up, saying that Warhammer Industries had chartered it to transport exhibits, and all procedures were in order.
At exactly 3:00 PM, Zhou Haisheng stood on the observation platform on the top floor of the dispatch center with his binoculars.
The silhouette of the da fu slowly rose from the horizon.
First the mast, then the island, and then the deck.
Zhou Haisheng's hand holding the binoculars froze.
Several operators in the dispatch center staring at the AIS signals also stopped typing on their keyboards at the same time.
“What is that?” Zhou Haisheng picked up his walkie-talkie, his voice still steady. “Tugboat, get closer and confirm.”
The tugboat approached.
The pilot's reply blasted through the channel a few seconds later. His voice was laced with static, but every word was crystal clear: “Dispatch center! That's not a Ro-Ro ship! That's a warship! No, that's a fucking aircraft carrier! The deck is covered in fighter jets!”
The entire dispatch center seemed to have been placed on mute.
Everyone's scalp tingled, caught in a dilemma.
If they blocked it, the other party had all the proper paperwork and was entering legally.
If they didn't block it, an unidentified aircraft carrier fully loaded with top-tier stealth fighter jets was openly approaching a domestic port, and no one could bear the consequences.
The port director's face turned pale. He barked an order, “Report to the military immediately! We absolutely cannot handle this!”
The duty room of the South Sea Fleet Headquarters.
The telephone rang three times.
The duty staff officer picked it up, listened for five seconds, then covered the mouthpiece and turned to the duty chief behind him. The expression on his face was extremely complex—he looked like he wanted to laugh, but felt that laughing wouldn't be serious enough.
“Sir, the Zhuhai Port Dispatch Center reports that an American aircraft carrier is docking, disguised as an airshow exhibition vessel.”
The duty officer put down his cup.
“An American aircraft carrier coming to Zhuhai for an exhibition? An exhibition... aircraft carrier.”
A US aircraft carrier approaching Zhuhai Port? Fully loaded with F-22s? Is this a rerun of the Pearl Harbor sneak attack?
He repeated these words, his expression gradually turning grave. “Have the duty aircraft go take a look.”
Soon, in the airspace over Zhuhai.
Two J-11B fighter jets scrambled from a coastal airport.
“What? A suspected aircraft carrier has appeared in our coastal waters?”
“Only one?!”
The lead pilot, Wang Haitao, briefly thought the command center was joking with him.
However, he didn't dare to be negligent and piloted his fighter jet to the designated airspace.
And then... the command center heard some truly bizarre news.
“My god, what is that?”
“Is it really an aircraft carrier?!”
“Command center, target confirmed. It's an aircraft carrier with a through-deck flat flight deck, a starboard island, and four catapult tracks.”
“...”
“It doesn't match any known class of aircraft carrier.”
“Yes, it's not any known model.”
“I am absolutely sure, extremely positive.”
“It's massive, even larger than the Ford-class!”
“The deck is packed with fighter jets, and the model is... F-22 Raptor stealth fighters!”
“Are they crazy? How can this kind of fighter jet be carrier-based?”
“The quantity is about forty to sixty. Repeat, they are all F-22s.”
The command center's reply came after a full five-second delay: “Are you sure?”
“Command center, I've been in the Air Force for twelve years. I've looked at photos of the F-22 ten thousand times.”
“Silver-gray matte stealth coating, diamond-shaped nose, twin canted vertical tails, and 2D thrust-vectoring nozzles.”
“The deck is covered in these things, no other aircraft. Repeat, no other aircraft.”
The command center fell silent again.
Five seconds later, another voice broke into the channel.
“The F-22 is not a carrier-based aircraft. It has no tailhook and cannot land on an aircraft carrier deck. Moreover, it's too heavy; a steam catapult wouldn't be able to launch it at all.”
“Lower your altitude and confirm again!”
Wang Haitao had to lower his altitude and continue circling to observe.
He watched for a full half-minute before reporting back.
“Command center, there are arresting wires on the deck!”
Everyone grew more and more confused the more they heard.
Isn't this a standard aircraft carrier? But why would it carry heavy fighter jets like the F-22?”
The command center's silence lasted even longer.
The F-22 is not a carrier-based aircraft and cannot perform arrested landings.
Once they fly off, they must land on a land-based runway.
The runway for the Zhuhai Airshow is nearby.
This meant that the landing site for these F-22s could only be the Zhuhai Airshow.
“Continue tracking.” The channel fell back into silence.
Meanwhile, the American Embassy in China received a phone call.
The ambassador opened his mouth, his mind going completely blank.
Zhuhai Port, the airshow, the da fu...
He frantically searched his memory for these keywords, but had absolutely no recollection.
Had it been anyone else, he would have thought the other side was pulling his leg.
Pressing a hand to the throbbing vein on his forehead, the ambassador replied solemnly, “Our side will investigate immediately. Until the verification is complete, please exercise restraint.”
After hanging up, the door was pushed open. The military attaché rushed in carrying a tablet, which displayed real-time satellite imagery of the da fu.
A through-deck flat flight deck, four electromagnetic catapult tracks, and a dense array of diamond-shaped noses on the deck.
The ambassador stared at the screen, his pupils contracting sharply.
He picked up the phone, bypassing standard diplomatic channels, and connected directly to the secure core command room of The Pentagon.
“This is the Ambassador to China. I need to speak with the Secretary of Defense immediately.”
The Pentagon, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
The command center was brightly lit in the early hours of the morning. On the giant screen was the real-time satellite image of the da fu, and intelligence analysts were zooming in frame-by-frame on the outlines of the fighter jets on the deck.
The confirmation results were already out—those diamond-shaped noses and twin canted vertical tails were not models.
Five minutes later, the Ambassador to China's call came through, demanding point-blank: “Can you tell me why there is an aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific with a deck full of F-22s, yet its registry shows America?”
“I haven't received any notification here. I need to confirm: is this aircraft carrier ours?”
“Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could one of our aircraft carriers be operating alone?” the contact said confidently.
“Then find out whose aircraft carrier it actually is!” The ambassador refused to let it go.
“Okay, okay, I'll look it up for you right now.” The operator pulled up spy satellite imagery of the same sea area.
A dense array of silver-gray fighter jets on the deck, with diamond-shaped noses and twin canted vertical tails.
A single look confirmed they were genuine F-22 fighter jets.
He took another look; there was no mistake.
“Wait! Why are there F-22 fighter jets on it?!”
“And what aircraft carrier is this? Why have I never seen it before?!”
“Damn it, did someone steal an aircraft carrier we were secretly building?!”
“Quick! Find out exactly where this ship came from!”
Five minutes later, all of the ship's registration information, ownership transfer records, and route declaration documents were retrieved.
The call connected, and Jansen's voice was hoarse and urgent: “Fu! That aircraft carrier out at sea loaded with F-22s, is it yours?!”
Fu Haoran's tone was flat: “No.”
Jansen had just breathed a sigh of relief.
In the next second, Fu Haoran added, “That is a large amphibious assault ship. By regulations, it doesn't count as an aircraft carrier.”
Jansen's blood pressure spiked: “Fine! Is the ship yours?!”
“Yes.”
Jansen gritted his teeth: “Tell me, what on earth did you build?!”
Fu Haoran said casually, “A passable amphibious ship, and I built some fighter jets to go with it.”
Jansen's brain completely short-circuited, and his volume suddenly spiked: “You're telling me you built a warship, and you also built dozens of fighter jets?!”
Fu Haoran silently corrected him in his mind: *Not dozens, but over a hundred.*
He didn't speak to explain, just listening quietly.
Jansen completely broke down, his mental state utterly collapsing.
“That is a carrier-class behemoth! It's an aircraft carrier!”
“You just built it just like that! And it's the world's largest tonnage with the strongest configuration!”
“How many years has it been since we in America produced a brand-new, mature aircraft carrier?”
“The Ford-class? Constantly malfunctioning and returning to the shipyard, what an embarrassment!”
“The USS John F. Kennedy? Delayed for years and still unable to enter service!”
“Look at your efficiency! Then look at our military industry! It's simply disgraceful!”
He could no longer be bothered to hold Fu Haoran accountable for unauthorized R&D and illegal production.
Only one terrifying thought remained in his mind.
This ship must absolutely not dock at a Chinese port!
To us, this is literally like walking straight into the lion's den; all our core technologies will be completely exposed!
Jansen was so anxious his mind was exploding, and he roared sharply, “Turn back immediately! You are not allowed to dock! Get back here right now!”
Fu Haoran drawled slowly, “Huh? What did you say? The signal is bad, I can't hear you clearly.”
With that, he hung up the phone.
Fu Haoran instructed into the communicator in a deep voice, “da fu, proceed at a low, stable speed and apply to dock according to the standard procedures.”
Although the call had ended, Jansen's mind could not calm down for a long time.
The only word echoing repeatedly in his head was “aircraft carrier.”
That was an aircraft carrier.
Not a warship model, not a concept drawing, and not some PPT slide that those contractors pulled out at congressional hearings to swindle budget money.
—
It was a tangible aircraft carrier sitting right there on the South China Sea, its deck packed with fifth-generation fighter jets!
How many years had it been since America had a new aircraft carrier?
How many years had the USS Gerald R. Ford been dragged out from construction to commissioning?
Its electromagnetic catapult system was still being repaired even now.
How long had the “John F. Kennedy” been sitting on the building berth?
Its budget had overrun by billions, and its delivery date had been delayed time and again.
Those people in Congress argued at hearings every single day, contractors pinched their budget sheets and shifted blame to one another, and battle groups waited in the Pacific for an aircraft carrier that could seemingly never be fixed.
Yet the young man on the other end of the phone had quietly built one.
An aircraft carrier larger than the Ford-class, and seemingly equipped with electromagnetic catapults?!
And then sailed it to Zhuhai to participate in an exhibition?!
If someone said he was defecting to the enemy, Jansen would believe it.
Jansen took a deep breath, picked up another phone, and dialed the secure channel of the Pacific Fleet Command.
“Notify the Seventh Fleet to dispatch two destroyers. Shadow that ship. Do not approach, do not intercept, and do not open fire. I will take full responsibility.”
He hung up the phone, picked up another, and connected to the air base command centers in Japan and South Korea.
“Have all personnel at Kadena and Osan Air Base scramble for close-in surveillance! Be ready to approach and verify at any moment!”
“If any unusual movement is detected from the ship, shadow it closely immediately. Keep a tight lock on this aircraft carrier at all costs—we absolutely cannot let it fall into the hands of the Eastern Giant!”