54: Chapter 54 A Free Advertisement Delivered to Your Door

The Old Academician rubbed his throbbing temples, his expression looking bitter.

At seventy years old, he had never had such a headache in his entire life.

Yesterday, he had patted his chest and said adding more people was no problem, but as soon as everyone opened their mouths, they demanded ten thousand researchers.

He knew better than anyone that with only the weight of the scientific research department, let alone ten thousand, the Old Commander would block him even if he asked for another thousand.

The only way to break the deadlock was to drag the military into the water.

The military held the resources and was desperately short of top-tier equipment and technology. As long as the big shots of the three services saw the benefits of boarding the ship, they would naturally follow him to ask the Old Commander for manpower and quotas.

When that time came, let alone ten thousand, even if there were more, the Old Commander would have no way to refuse.

The Old Academician immediately picked up the red secure phone and dialed the Old Commander's number.

"Commander, I want to hold a morning meeting tomorrow to report the latest progress of the boarding inspection."

"This matter involves national defense security, so we must invite military representatives to be present and listen to their suggestions."

Silence reigned on the other end for two seconds before the Old Commander's voice came through: "Approved. I'll have everyone come over tomorrow."

Early the next morning, the temporary conference room at the military port was packed.

The Army, Navy, and Air Force Commanders, the Theater Equipment Director, and Zheng Xian, the Director of the Shenmao Bureau, were all present in uniform with solemn expressions.

The Old Academician didn't waste a single word. He turned on the projector and directly displayed the test data for the Leman Russ Tank, valkyrie gunship, and Laser Weapon Arrays on the large screen.

The originally indifferent crowd instantly perked up.

"Are all these things on that alien warship?" the Army Commander spoke first.

"Yes," the Old Academician nodded. "And the other party allows boarding for inspection and recording, as long as we provide canned food."

The conference room instantly exploded into a chatter.

"There's actually such a good deal?!"

The military big shots could no longer sit still. Each one was itching to board the ship immediately and see this top-tier equipment with their own eyes.

But before the excitement could pass, the Army Commander frowned and was the first to raise a doubt:

"The parameters on paper certainly look brilliant, but without actual combat data, we have no way to judge its true operational effectiveness, nor do we know if it can adapt to our existing combat systems."

"Exactly," the Navy Commander immediately added. "There's also the energy supply and maintenance system for the Laser Cannons. Can the power systems of our existing destroyers support its continuous operation? Can we replicate the subsequent energy replenishment?"

The Air Force Commander nodded in agreement: "We've been researching the vertical take-off and landing technology of the valkyrie gunship for so many years without a breakthrough. Even if we get the parameters, can it be adapted to our fighter production lines?"

The Theater Equipment Director also added a point: "And then there's the smelting technology for the armor alloys. Can our existing equipment mass-produce it? If we can only look at it but not use it, then no matter how much manpower and resources we invest, the loss will outweigh the gain."

The conference room fell silent instantly.

The big shots nodded one after another, the excitement fading from their faces.

The Old Commander spoke up to summarize: "Everyone's concerns are correct. Without combat testing and compatibility guarantees, no matter how advanced the equipment is, it's useless."

No one knew that on the conference room's ventilation vent, a Scarab Beetle was quietly perched, synchronizing every word of the conversation to the bridge of the cobra-class destroyer without missing a single one.

Inside the bridge, Lucifer twirled the main body of the Scarab Beetle between her fingertips. Her emerald eyes swept over Fu Haoran, her tone full of disdain:

"The nobles of the Dynasty would never use such underhanded methods to pry into the thoughts of mortals."

Fu Haoran leaned back in the command chair and spread his hands with a smile: "This is called accurately grasping customer needs."

"How can you prescribe the right medicine without understanding the customer's concerns?"

Fu Haoran had long expected the military to have doubts.

No matter how good the parameters on paper looked, they weren't as convincing as a solid, real-life demonstration.

Just then, a pillow was delivered exactly when he was feeling sleepy.

As soon as he finished speaking, the serious voice of a Technician Monk came through the communicator: "My Lord Governor, two unidentified flying objects have been detected approaching. Distance: 500 kilometers. Optical cloaking is active."

Fu Haoran's eyes instantly lit up. He turned to look at Lucifer, a playful smile curling at the corners of his mouth:

"See? Isn't this the customer's need arriving? A living advertisement delivered to the door—it would be a waste not to use it."

"Wade, send out a valkyrie gunship to meet the guests," Fu Haoran ordered into the communicator.

Wade was stunned and hastily asked, "My Lord, there are two on the other side. Should we send two?"

"One is enough," Fu Haoran's tone carried certainty. "Let them see what a generational gap looks like. Remember, don't embarrass me!"

The valkyrie gunship received the order.

The hangar doors slowly opened, and a pale blue energy glow lit up from the engine nozzles.

It rose vertically and instantly broke through the clouds.

The scientific researchers boarding the ship looked up one after another, crying out in surprise: "What's the situation? Why did it suddenly take off?"

The news quickly reached the conference room.

"What's the reason?" the Old Commander asked with a frown.

"They say they detected unidentified aircraft approaching and went to intercept and drive them away."

Everyone looked at each other.

The military port's radar had no reaction at all. How could there be unidentified aircraft approaching?

The quickest to react was Zheng Xian. He frowned and spoke: "The radar didn't capture any signal. Globally, only S.H.I.E.L.D. has this kind of technology. It's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s quinjet."

"Is that the infiltration fighter that can use optical cloaking and is completely undetectable by conventional radar?" the Air Force Commander followed up with a frown.

"Exactly," Zheng Xian nodded and added. "Only S.H.I.E.L.D. has them in service worldwide. They can cruise at subsonic speeds, take off and land vertically, and once optical cloaking is on, they are very difficult to capture with the naked eye or air defense radar."

Slam!

As soon as he finished speaking, the Air Force representative slammed the table in anger: "Too arrogant! No entry report whatsoever. This is a complete disregard for our country's airspace sovereignty!"

"Should we go stop them?" someone asked.

The Old Commander shook his head, his tone calm yet carrying an overbearing aura: "No need."

Everyone was stunned, their faces full of confusion.

The Old Commander gave a cold laugh and said slowly, "S.H.I.E.L.D. is nominally under the UN's coordination, but in reality, it only listens to Washington's commands. They take global funding but only do their own private work."

"We didn't pay them, and we can't control them, but for them to dare blatantly barge onto our doorstep is simply not showing us any respect."

"We'll just pretend we don't know and take this chance to see just how capable this partner of ours really is."

The Commander paused and added, "Whether it's a mule or a horse, we'll know once we pull it out for a stroll."

"We didn't discover them, and they didn't report. If something happens, it's their illegal intrusion, and it has nothing to do with us."

Someone was still worried: "What if it ends up being hard to clean up?"

The Old Commander's eyes turned cold, his tone domineering: "S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't contacted us, so how would we know they were here?"

Everyone understood instantly and nodded one after another.

The Old Commander was planning to use Fu Haoran's hand to teach S.H.I.E.L.D. a lesson.

Meanwhile, amidst the clouds, inside the two quinjets with optical cloaking active, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were reporting into their communicators:

"Director, the air defense system in this airspace is just a decoration to us. With our optical cloaking active, it's impossible for them to find us."

"Even if we are discovered, they wouldn't dare use force against us. Rest assured."

"Don't be careless. Stay hidden and just identify the signal source," Hill emphasized.

The agent sneered and reached out to control the fighter, preparing for a close-range reconnaissance: "Don't worry, our technology is world-leading. What capabilities could they possibly have..."

Before he could finish, the cockpit alarms blared frantically, and a piercing warning popped up on the screen:

"Warning! Locked by enemy fire control radar! Repeat! Locked by enemy fire control radar!"

The agent's face instantly turned ugly. This slap in the face came way too fast.

"Damn it, we clearly have optical cloaking on. How could they possibly lock onto us?!"

"Wait, there's a craft rapidly approaching. Is it coming for us?"