I built an armada.

"Everything is going very smoothly so far, with Wanlong providing escort throughout."

Liu Huaming nodded in deep agreement, then turned to look at Xu Dongguo and asked directly, "Has the specific action plan from the front line been sent back?"

"Send it back."

Xu Dongguo quickly opened the relevant folder. "Sir, Captain Chen, together with Captain Dong and Cao Youren, have formulated a more detailed action plan..."

After listening to the report, Liu Huaming pondered it for a while and only felt relieved after confirming that there were no loopholes. The others also nodded in agreement.

"Even if Willis agrees, we must remain highly vigilant and be prepared to activate contingency plans at any time. We absolutely cannot afford to be complacent."

"The whole process takes more than three hours and there are still many variables. Not only can we not let our guard down, but we must also remind Captain Chen and his team not to be careless."

Liu Huaming still solemnly reminded him that even though the plan was very comprehensive and thorough, he would not be at ease until Su Dingping returned safely.

Xu Dongguo reassured him, "Commander, don't worry, Captain Chen and the others will still grasp the specific situation."

"Emergency plans have also been made to ensure the mission can proceed smoothly."

Liu Huaming nodded: "Alright then, we'll just sit at home and wait for good news."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and walked slowly towards the courtyard, but he still couldn't relax and his heart was still hanging in suspense.

As they watched Liu Huaming's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Xu Dongguo and the others knew very well that the burden on his shoulders was extremely heavy. As long as Su Dingping did not return safely, Liu Huaming would not be able to relax for a moment.

Actually, they are the same.

Su Dingping played a pivotal role in the development of the navy, and despite the tremendous achievements he has made, he still risked his life for the aircraft carrier project, constantly arguing with Liu Huaming. No matter how much Xue Shuai tried to persuade him, he insisted on going.

Thinking about it, they all felt helpless, yet they also deeply admired Su Dingping's madness and persistence.

This is all for the navy, for the national defense of the Longxia tribe!

Previously, when Su Dingping asked them for personnel, funding, venues, and even various equipment, they were able to do everything they could to meet his needs.

For example, Liu Huaming had previously humbled himself to ask the army for funding, or the air force for help, and finally even went to Marshal Xue, resorting to all sorts of tricks to secure an increase in the navy's funding.

It can be said that in terms of logistical support, they exert as much effort as they can, and even if they don't have enough, they will do everything they can to ensure that Su Dingping has no worries whatsoever!
But now, for the first time, they felt powerless to do anything about it. They had no way to control Su Dingping's safety on the USS Enterprise, after all, he was the enemy's old Cao.

Liu Huaming and the others soon realized that, apart from military funds, they seemed to have little more assistance to offer Su Dingping.

"I hope this journey goes smoothly," Liu Huaming silently prayed in his heart.

In fact, he would rather take the risk himself than let Su Dingping go, because the risks were too great and unpredictable.

Although the plan is very detailed and highly feasible, they may not be able to provide assistance in time if something really happens.

In the waters surrounding the Eastern Wilderness Tribe, the USS Enterprise, its surface bearing the marks of war, remains steadily anchored, its thick anchor chain at the bow lowered into the sea to prevent it from drifting with the ocean currents.

Even though it has settled in place, the aircraft carrier's main engines are still working and show no signs of stopping.

For any aircraft carrier, the main engine is only stopped when it returns to its home port for maintenance; otherwise, the main engine is basically in operation 24 hours a day.

Despite having encountered so many missile attacks, none of them hit any vital areas, and the ship naturally maintained its full power.

In the main control room, after accepting Captain Chen's conditions, Willis cut off bilateral communications and gathered with the vice-captain and others for a heated discussion.

"Tell me, is it really that simple that they just sent people to visit our aircraft carrier?"

Willis frowned uncertainly and said, "Although they don't have a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, they did manage to repair the Varyag, right?"

The first mate nodded and said, "Yes, Captain, they bought the Varyag from the Black Bear Tribe and towed it back, and then began extensive reconstruction work."

"They also deployed this aircraft carrier when they were carrying out the evacuation of Chinese citizens from the central region."

Willis nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, that's right, it's this aircraft carrier. I didn't realize it at the time, but now that I think about it, the shipbuilding industry of the Dragon Xia people is really strong."

"However, I find it strange that they didn't send their aircraft carriers out to fight this time when they clashed with us."

The vice-captain agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "That's really true. Could they have sent their aircraft carrier to the European waters? Captain, it's rumored that the Longxia Navy has deployed nearly two-thirds of its forces for this operation."

"If the number is less than this, an expedition to the waters of Europe would be tantamount to suicide!"

Willis wholeheartedly agrees with this, noting that the European maritime region is home to many naval powers, including their Western allies.

Bringing top talent back to the country amidst such formidable adversaries is no easy task.

Of course, they were unaware that the repaired Varyag had been renamed the Liao. Due to its carrier-based aircraft, it was not incorporated into the navy's combat fleet, but instead served to train aircraft carrier crew members and provide engineering and technical personnel with in-depth research on the aircraft carrier's structure.

These will lay a solid talent foundation for having more advanced aircraft carriers in the future.

With this foundation, when the time comes to build future aircraft carriers, they can be constructed at the fastest speed.

"The Varyag is a conventionally powered aircraft carrier with a ski-jump takeoff, and its combat capabilities are not as good as our Enterprise."

Willis suddenly seemed to have a flash of insight and slowly said, "It's normal for them to be obsessed with nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. In fact, I can understand their feelings. They want to see our Enterprise."

"In any case, they had previously sent engineering and technical personnel to visit our Enterprise, but that was only from a distance. So this time they want to board the ship in person."

The vice-captain largely agreed with this statement: "Captain, their insistence on this one condition seems understandable."

There are significant differences between conventional and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Nuclear-powered carriers have a longer range, are more technologically complex, and can be much larger. As a result, they can carry more carrier-based aircraft, and their combat power is naturally much greater.

Even though the French colonies within the Europa seas possess a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, its tonnage is less than half that of the USS Enterprise, and the difference between the two is still enormous.

"Captain, there are still some problems if we really let the people from Longxia board the ship for a tour."

The deputy captain, however, was somewhat worried. "If this gets out, we'll probably be court-martialed."

Willis, however, was not worried at all. Instead, he asked in return, "So tell me, do we have any other choice besides agreeing to their terms? You've already said whether this condition is excessive or not."

"Moreover, even if the higher-ups don't want to admit it, the fact is that we have no chance of turning the tide so far, and we have no other choice."

"Think about it again. If the Longxia tribe deliberately revealed our defeat, what do you think the world would be like? We would all be dismissed and investigated. So, compared to that, isn't our current choice a better one?"

So far, they have not seen any information from the outside world about the situation on the battlefield from the Longxia tribe; at least not a single word has been revealed.

In fact, the vice-captain was well aware that even if the Great Chief were in their situation, he would probably agree to the condition proposed by the Dragon Xia Navy.

"Captain, you're right. Between two evils, choose the lesser. Visiting the aircraft carrier seems to be the least harmful option right now," the vice-captain nodded in agreement.

"Actually, on the other hand, the truth is..."

Willis took a deep breath and continued, "As long as we operate properly and keep things secret, the outside world will have no way of knowing that we agreed to let the Dragonxia people visit our aircraft carrier."

"Even with the Great Chieftain, if you don't tell and I don't tell, who else would leak it?"

"At that time, you and I will work together to ensure that everything goes perfectly."

This matter can be kept entirely within a very small scope. As long as no one in the fleet reveals a single word, they can keep it completely secret.

"Yes, Captain."

After a moment's thought, the vice-captain gave a thumbs-up and said, "The captain's consideration is very thorough. In this way, we can proceed with the plan smoothly."

"But before we take action, I need to double-check with headquarters to see how the USS Condor is doing. Otherwise, we might be misled by Captain Chen."

So far, they have not received any news that the USS Condor has been hit.

"I'll do it."

Willis took the task immediately and turned to the communications officer, ordering, "Contact the garrison base; I need to speak with General Cruise."

"Yes, Captain."

After receiving the order, the communications soldier immediately established a two-way communication connection.

Meanwhile, inside the underground bunker of the garrison base, at the temporary command post.

After learning that the medium-range ballistic missile launched by the Longxia tribe had not hit the garrison base, both Cruz and the other staff members breathed a sigh of relief.

However, after gathering a large amount of intelligence data, the atmosphere in the command center became somber, and neither Cruise nor the other personnel looked too good.

"What's the situation now?" Cruise asked in a deep voice, feeling somewhat nervous.

"General."

Koro put down the documents in his hand, sighed, and reported, "After repeated confirmation, the second medium-range ballistic missile launched by the Longxia tribe has hit our aircraft carrier, the Condor, with precise accuracy on the deck."

"Although the main body of the aircraft carrier did not suffer much damage, it has lost its ability to take off and land fighter jets, similar to the fate of the USS Enterprise."

"But this is not a good omen. It shows us that the Longxia tribe has made a breakthrough in ballistic missile technology and is able to directly attack moving aircraft carriers."

General Cruise swallowed hard, his throat bobbing back and forth several times, his heart filled with bitterness.

The military base is a fixed target that can be destroyed at any time, and it can also rely on nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to carry out deterrence missions against the Longxia tribe.

But now, the Longxia tribe has directly crippled the aircraft carrier with ballistic missiles capable of anti-ship warfare, instantly reducing the carrier fleet's deterrent power to zero. From now on, they have no threatening means left when facing the Longxia tribe.

Using a conventional fleet might have been acceptable before, but now the Longxia Navy is equipped with modern warships with excellent stealth capabilities, whose performance even surpasses that of their own navy. Conversely, it's already good enough that they haven't been threatened by the Longxia Navy.

Before Cruise could speak, Koro added, "General, the Dragonxia tribe has hit our aircraft carrier twice in a row, with a success rate of almost 100%."

"Then no matter how many aircraft carrier fleets we send over, they will only become sitting ducks for the Longxia people."

"The current situation is extremely serious for us, and it will remain so for a long time to come. We can no longer stop the Longxia Navy from leaving the first island chain!"

Under these conditions, if the Longxia Tribe Navy were to be equipped with an aircraft carrier, the possibility of losing control of the second island chain would be almost 100%!

Previously, they thought that by building a second military base and sending an aircraft carrier there, they could increase their leverage in containing the rise of the Longxia tribe. Now it seems that this strategy has also failed.

"The situation is indeed becoming increasingly turbulent."

Cruise let out a bitter sigh. "Forget it, I don't want to worry about this anymore. Anyway, I'll apply for a transfer after this battle. As for what happens next, let the successor worry about it."

Koro nodded in deep agreement: "General, you are truly wise, with a long-term vision."

He had already made up his mind that he would follow Cruise away from this place no matter what, and he no longer needed to care about how turbulent the situation in this region was.

With the rise of the Longxia tribe and its growing military strength, the environment of the Eastern Continent's waters has become increasingly hostile to their hegemonic and aggressive actions. If they mishandle the situation and anger the Longxia tribe, they risk being wiped out entirely. (End of Chapter)