Invasion of America

Chapter 55 Aircraft Carrier Purchasing
When Kelly called, Xiao Jinlang was leaning on the old leather chair in the office, rubbing his temples with his hands, feeling a headache.

He was a small-time director, a position neither too high nor too low. His daily duties consisted of gathering intelligence and writing reports to his superiors. It wasn't his turn to make any real decisions.

This $400 million procurement project is not a serious business and it cannot pass the customs at all. What can a small director do?
I can only try to comfort him.

But Kelly didn't intend to waste time and dropped a bombshell directly: "There are ten heavy trucks on the way, but they are not just carrying cabinets."

Xiao Jinlang felt something was wrong and asked, "Apart from the cabinet, what else is there?"

Kelly's voice became unusually slow, "Transporting the cabinets wasn't Victor's idea. What he really cared about was the 'Apocalypse Creatures'.

However, he couldn't make relevant investments in the United States, so he chose to cooperate with your domestic universities. I believe you are already familiar with the X virus. Now he has a second gift.

The X virus, along with a bunch of secret laboratory equipment and research subjects, were all stuffed in the car."

"What?!" Xiao Jinlang suddenly stood up from behind his desk, and his fingers holding the phone unconsciously exerted force.

Virus X? That's a huge problem that could flip the table over!
He tried to calm himself down: "Madam, please explain the situation clearly."

Kelly continued, “The space in the ten heavy trucks is quite large, and the one hundred cabinets only take up four of them, leaving the remaining six to be filled with biochemical equipment.

For example, a high-parameter flow cytometer. Do you know what this thing is used for?

It is used in AI-driven biological design, "human performance enhancement", "brain-computer interface", and "biomaterial synthesis", any of which can lead to a large number of papers being published in related research.

There is also a high-precision biological mass spectrometer, which is a good helper in the development of biological and chemical weapons. It is specifically used to analyze massive amounts of chemical composition data.

But the most valuable thing is the supporting biochemical research software and database - these things require decades of continuous accumulation and are much more valuable than those piles of Nvidia cabinets.

By the way, that biochemical software and database alone is worth over a billion dollars, and Victor is actually planning to give it to you for free. I feel bad for him."

Kelly didn't pause and immediately sent a bunch of cargo lists and photos - all of which were real shots of the equipment before being packed. The high-precision instruments glowed with a cold light, and detailed parameters were marked next to them.

Click on a random photo: Next to a flow cytometer, there are several sealed containers with "X virus samples" written on the labels.

Xiao Jinlang finally realized the seriousness of the situation. His eyelids twitched, and his throat felt dry as if it were filled with sand. "Are these... all from the 'Apocalypse Creatures'?"

Kelly snorted, "Yes, Apocalypse Biology has a secret laboratory run by an Indian professor named Aamir Khan.

The professor originally intended these devices and materials to save for his own business, but instead, they all went to Victor. Now the goods are at sea. Are you interested?
If you are interested, please pick them up within a week. Otherwise they will be thrown into the sea."

“Throw it into the sea?” Xiao Jinlang’s forehead finally broke out in sweat, with only one thought in his mind: “This is not about money, it’s about life!
If other equipment were thrown into the sea, the loss would be a few hundred million at most, but if the X virus were to leak, the consequences would be unimaginable."

He hung up the phone, frantically retrieved the encrypted line, and reported to his superiors immediately.

As his fingers pressed the keys, all he could think of were the sealed containers—black warning signs staring at him like the eyes of death.

Xiao Jinlang gritted his teeth and cursed in his heart: "Troublemaker, troublemaker wherever he goes, it's not enough that he's causing trouble in the United States, now he's given a huge 'gift' to China!"

The night outside the window was as dark as ink, and it was late at night.

He looked up at the clock on the wall, and saw it was one in the morning. If he didn't deal with this matter, he might never be able to sleep peacefully again.
-
After Kelly finished her report, the threat of the "Resident Evil" was revealed, and no one dared to delay any longer.

Academicians from universities who knew about the situation were particularly anxious and called the leadership directly. During the internal discussion, two opinions quickly emerged.

One is to notify the US directly through diplomatic channels and ask them to intercept the X virus that is being transported to them to prevent things from developing in the worst direction.

The trouble is that neither Zhou Qingfeng nor Kelly revealed the exact location of the X virus. We can only infer that it is west of Hawaii and east of Guam.

But this is a very busy international shipping route with at least hundreds of merchant ships operating, and it is difficult to determine which ship the target is on, or several ships.

Although this method was the safest, the Americans would not be grateful if they did so. As for losing Zhou Qingfeng, the consequences were even more difficult to assess.

Another way is to send a ship to pick it up, but an ordinary ship will not work. The person who picks it up cannot be an ordinary person.

The main support for this disposal comes from an academician who has obtained the information of Project X. From a scientific research perspective, he confirms the advanced nature of the US military's biochemical research.

"Imagine what would happen if the physical fitness of US pilots improved by 20 to 30 percent? They could design fighter jets with greater maneuverability.

Of course, modern fighters no longer emphasize maneuverability. No matter how strong an individual is, he cannot withstand bullets and artillery shells.

But what if intelligence is also improved? Scientific knowledge is already too abundant, and ordinary people have limited intelligence and cannot learn cutting-edge knowledge at all.

Every year in the college entrance examination, only a few percent of students can enter 985 universities, and less than students can enter Peking University and Tsinghua University.

If the opponents can help ordinary students reach the level of 985 universities, and help 985 students reach the level of Peking University and Tsinghua University, they will gain an overwhelming scientific research advantage.

I don't know if Project X can improve intelligence. I need to get the actual virus prototype to find out.

But I know that this virus is not only beneficial to humans, but also harmful.

It can stimulate the body's metabolism, which may be a good thing for young people, but a disaster for the elderly and the weak.

If we are not prepared, we will face an extremely tragic massacre. The death toll will not be in the millions or tens of millions, but in the hundreds of millions.”

Faced with the academicians' bitter arguments about the pros and cons, the top brass ultimately decided it was best to accept the offer. When the leadership issues its will, the lower-level bureaucracy must act.

The intelligence agency's first thought was to send a large, high-speed transport ship, connect with the other party, and then use a helicopter to lift the cargo.

Or simply take the ship back to ensure safety during the transfer process.

But this is not safe, so why not send out the navy to ensure that the receiving operation is foolproof? In case there are any scoundrels causing trouble, it can also deter them.

The best means of deterrence is undoubtedly the aircraft carrier battle group.

Only an aircraft carrier battle group could sail at 30 knots for extended periods, covering thousands of kilometers in a single day and night. The Scallion was on its way to conduct exercises east of the Philippines. By hitching a ride, it could reach Guam within four days, giving it ample time to rendezvous with the target vessel.
-
It was three o'clock in the morning. Xiao Jinlang had just closed his eyes for two hours, his eyelids still as heavy as if filled with lead, when he was brought back to reality by a rapid knock on the door.

He had been working for days and was extremely tired. He rubbed his sore temples but had to get up from the simple bed in the office.

A young officer stood outside the office door, handing over a coded order with a blank expression: "Director Xiao, there's a top-secret mission that requires your participation. The car is downstairs, leave immediately."

Xiao Jinlang was already accustomed to this kind of mission in the middle of the night. He heard the roar of the military vehicle engine, quickly packed his simple luggage, and followed the officer away.

Three hours later, the military plane he was on landed at an air force base in the south. The sky was just getting light, and the wind from the propellers blew a heat wave towards him.

Xiao Jinlang, wrapped in a thin coat and looking tired, was taken to the military port by helicopter and boarded the "Dacong" aircraft carrier.

The deck was empty, and the salty smell of sea water mixed with aviation kerosene penetrated his nose. After getting off the helicopter, he avoided the rotor airflow and looked at the behemoth under his feet.

In the morning glow, an aircraft carrier weighing tens of thousands of tons has set sail and is cutting through the waves on the sea. A flock of seabirds flies over the side of the ship, but are startled and flee by the sound of the whistle.

Behind the aircraft carrier was a neat formation: two Type 055 destroyers, like two sharp blades drawn from their sheaths, their -ton decks covered with vertical launch units;
A Type 052D destroyer followed closely behind, its radar antenna rotating silently; a Type 054A frigate cruised on the periphery, like a vigilant hound;
A Type 901 supply ship brought up the rear, its massive form casting a long shadow on the sea. The entire formation advanced at a speed of twenty knots.

In the cabin below deck, a vanguard team of the biochemical epidemic prevention force had arrived ahead of schedule, dragging heavy equipment boxes and moving quickly between the cabins.

At the same time, the old academician who had obtained the information on Project X, despite being over seventy years old, took a group of his disciples and squeezed onto the arriving transport plane.

On the plane, the old man held a tablet in his hand, his eyes burning with anger: "The Americans are so brave.

Genetic technology and AI technology use the super-strong reasoning ability of artificial intelligence to forcibly analyze the structure and function of proteins. The most advanced concepts are applied as quickly as possible to how to kill people efficiently.

If this thing succeeds, it could be the future of mankind, or it could be the end of the world. I have to see it with my own eyes!"
-
At this time, the sun was slanting down in Miami and it was evening.

Zhou Qingfeng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of iced coffee in his hand, gazing at the golden coastline outside the window.

When Kelly told him over the phone that China had decided to send a ship to pick him up, he finally felt relieved and asked casually, "What ship is coming?"

"I don't know. Director Xiao didn't elaborate." Kelly didn't care about the details. "But from what he said, it must be a large ship with a flat deck and helicopter landing capacity. It will arrive in Guam in five or six days."

She changed the subject, "But you, Victor, have you figured out how to share this piece of the biochemical research pie with the country?
If Project X really develops a valuable drug, will the partner you choose in China be happy to share the profits with you?

Zhou Qingfeng was stunned for a moment, the cup in his hand stopped in mid-air. He really hadn't thought about this carefully.

For him, Project X was no longer a dream to be strengthened, but an increasingly heavy burden.

The threshold for biochemistry is ridiculously high. He can't remember how he was "once" strengthened - it's like getting a vaccine, you know the needle goes in, but you can't see what it is with the naked eye.

He sent the information and virus samples back to China, but it was only because of the last bit of obsession in his heart that was at work: if something really happened one day, these things might be able to save people, and his rebirth would not be in vain.

"Sharing the profits?" He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "If there were real profits, this market would be worth at least a trillion dollars a year globally. I'm not greedy; a tenth is enough for me."

As for whether China will give me this, to be honest, I’m not sure. But I will definitely receive some political treatment.”

Kelly was silent for two seconds, as if she was considering this "one tenth." It sounded pitifully small at first, but considering the base number, she couldn't find fault with it.

After all, Zhou Qingfeng didn't pay a penny for the research and development costs, and even the risks were borne by others.

She snorted and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, “Your country has a large population, so the demand for medical care will be great.

If you can really earn one-tenth of a trillion dollars every year, you can also become a world-class billionaire.

But whether this cake can be baked depends on whether those people in your country have the ability to chew the hard bone of the X virus."

Zhou Qingfeng didn't respond, his gaze passing through the glass, resting on the distant sunset. The sea breeze blew in from the south, bringing an unbearable heat. He felt a tightness in his chest.

Be it one tenth or not a penny at all, he just wants this batch of goods to be landed quickly without any more trouble.

As for the future, let's take it one step at a time.
-
Not long after, Xiao Jinlang's satellite phone rang. His voice was mixed with the sound of wind and a hint of urgency, as if he had just run into the cabin from the deck.

He got straight to the point: "President Zhou, where is the cargo ship now? What type of ship is it? How can I contact the people on board?"

The faint roar of a helicopter could be heard on the other end of the line, making his tone seem even more urgent.

Zhou Qingfeng leaned on the sofa in his Miami apartment, but he was cautious and did not reveal the whole situation.

He put forward two conditions to Xiao Jinlang.

First, we must ensure his safety at home and not actively harm him. Even a verbal statement will do;
Second, if the research yields results, he will get one-tenth of the profits, and a verbal promise will also be enough.

But this promise definitely cannot be made by Xiao Jinlang. It must be made at the leadership level and announced to the public in an official capacity.

Xiao Jinlang was silent for two seconds, then said, "I can relay your information to my superiors. But first, please give me a rough estimate of your location. Time is very tight."

Zhou Qingfeng said slowly, "The cargo ship just left Hawaii and will meet up with you near Guam in about five or six days."

The three words "Hawaii" are not mentioned casually - it is nearly 7,000 kilometers from there to Guam, and it takes about a week to get there. What kind of ship has this capability?
After Xiao Jinlang relayed the information to his superiors, the focus was also on "Hawaii".

Seven thousand kilometers, and it only takes five or six days to reach the destination. Isn't this what an aircraft carrier does? Only nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can run so fast without getting out of breath. Conventional aircraft carriers also have a hard time burning fuel.

If you just check online in China, you will know that the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier formation has just left Hawaii and is heading towards Guam.

And in Tokyo, there happened to be a group of military police from the Navy waiting for this aircraft carrier formation - the fact that someone used the warship to transport "banned drugs" was already semi-public.

People in China are neither deaf nor blind, and are very clear about this.

In response to Kelly's inadvertent remark that "the cargo will be abandoned at sea if it is not accepted," the identity of the cargo vessel is clearly revealed.
"Fuck, this troublemaker..." Xiao Jinlang couldn't help but curse. "How dare he use a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier battle group to engage in overseas purchasing?"

(End of this chapter)