With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

Jiang Zhiyu, who was entertaining old friends in the courtyard, was unaware that the unusual situation in Sandu'ao had attracted the attention of other countries.

The patrol team conducted its routine inspection along the rocky outskirts of the harbor. Squad leader Lao Zhou led the way, his flashlight beam sweeping back and forth between the rocks and bushes. This area had been cleared out for almost three years, and apart from their own people, even a stray dog ​​was rarely seen. But Lao Zhou felt something was off tonight; he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but a chill ran down his spine.

He raised his hand to signal the line to stop.

"Don't make a sound."

The five soldiers immediately drew their guns and stood at attention, their ears perked up. The sea breeze, carrying a salty smell, whistled over the rocks, and amidst these sounds, Old Zhou heard something unusual: a faint, metallic clang, as if someone had knocked something over.

Old Zhou suddenly shone his flashlight in the direction of the sound, and a dark shadow flashed in the beam, moving close to the rocks towards the shore.

"Who goes there! Stop right there!"

The dark figure took off running, moving with incredible speed, far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary civilian. Old Zhou raised his gun and fired a shot into the air, the sound echoing through the silent harbor, instantly igniting the alarms throughout the entire garrison.

The searchlights were all turned towards the rocky area, and the barking of dogs, whistles, and footsteps mingled together. Using the rocks as cover, the dark figure desperately rushed towards the shore, clearly having scouted the area beforehand. Old Zhou and his men chased for over two hundred meters, finally blocking two people trying to swim out through a crevice in the rocks.

Follow-up forces arrived and conducted a dragnet search, finding a total of seven people, all wearing black diving suits and equipped with underwater propulsion devices, miniature oxygen tanks, waterproof maps, and encrypted communication equipment. In the ensuing firefight, four were killed on the spot, two were captured alive, and one escaped into the sea under cover of darkness.

Lu Zhenting was looking at blueprints in the barracks when he received the message, and he immediately smashed his teacup.

"Seven people! Seven people reached the outer perimeter of the harbor before being discovered! Are the three outer checkpoints just for show?!"

The company commander in charge of perimeter security was as white as a sheet, and dared not utter a single word.

Lu Zhenting suppressed his anger and interrogated the two men he had captured alive. They insisted they were commercial diving enthusiasts who had gotten lost and drifted here. However, the equipment they carried was not something any enthusiast could obtain. The underwater propulsion device was the model used by the M Army's special forces, and the frequency of their encrypted communication equipment was also incorrect.

The person who escaped spread the news that very night.

......

The M country found out almost immediately.

The area around Sandu'ao has been marked in their intelligence system for almost three years. First, various poisonous plants suddenly grew in the outer area, which is something that has only happened in recent years. Then, satellite remote sensing photos show that it is always shrouded in fog. This is obviously abnormal for a long time. They think that China must be conducting some kind of special research here.

Now, the seven-man mercenary team has successfully infiltrated the outer perimeter of the harbor. Although six of them were lost, the one who escaped brought back the most crucial information: there are signs of large warships anchored inside the harbor, and there are military facilities on the shore with an extremely high level of security, indicating that it is definitely not an ordinary naval base.

The intelligence agencies of Country M immediately launched an intensive reconnaissance operation.

For the next month, Sandu'ao was constantly in turmoil, employing all sorts of tactics.

Qi Zhenhai spends his days in the operations room staring at the nautical charts and the salvaged underwater vehicles, so angry he keeps pinching his thigh.

"Damn it, they're like flies; you swat one batch and another comes along."

......

Beijing, Central Conference Room.

After hearing the report, Old Gao slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup lid jump.

"These people really will stop at nothing these days!"

An officer at the next table immediately chimed in, "Their methods are now quite diverse. We've already intercepted three groups of tourists disguised as overseas tour groups. They use small fishing boats under the guise of sightseeing along the coast to approach the waters off Sandu'ao. When we caught them, we found miniature telephoto cameras, but the photos they took are still blurry, and we can't make out the details of the ships. But..."

He paused, then turned to a page of material.

"They also bribed local fishermen to let them get close, and many of them were poisoned by the miasma. Off the coast, we also discovered scientific research vessels disguised as ordinary ocean-going cargo ships; they were lingering in international waters, repeatedly releasing sonar equipment."

Old Gao leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. "I've already received numerous applications from prestigious universities for on-site visits under the guise of academic exchanges and foreign trade inspections. Quite a few people also want to visit the area near Sandu'ao. Who can't see that their real intentions are something else entirely?"

Silence fell over the meeting room.

Old Gao tapped the table. "I suspect they have many more tricks up their sleeves. I recall they've sent underwater agents before; you should keep an eye on the underwater front as well. Land defenses are easy to set up, but underwater vulnerabilities are the hardest to plug."

"Yes."

"But these methods are ultimately limited." Old Gao's tone turned serious. "You must strengthen your defenses recently and absolutely cannot let things fall apart at this crucial juncture. Director Jiang risked a tremendous amount of money to get that thing back for us. If something goes wrong with it in our hands, how will we explain it to her?"

He looked around at everyone present.

"The order is to accelerate reverse engineering in Sandu'ao, quickly master the technology of aircraft carriers and submarines, and speed up the iteration of domestic military industry. In addition, expedite the secret selection of scientists in various disciplines, gather talent together, and accumulate technological advantages. What we lack most right now is time."

After the meeting ended, everyone filed out with solemn expressions.

......

Old Gao did not leave immediately.

He sat alone in the empty conference room, picked up his teacup and took a sip; the tea had gone cold. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind racing.

San Du Ao must never be discovered.

Once the existence of those ships is confirmed, China will be unable to defend itself, no matter how many mouths it has. The aircraft carrier and nuclear submarine vanished from the hands of the US; if this were exposed, the whole world would point the finger at China.

Especially at this critical juncture. With reform and opening up just beginning, it's a window of opportunity to introduce Western technology and capital. Numerous delegations have been sent to the US and Europe to discuss cooperation, purchase equipment, and learn technology. If, at this time, it were revealed that China possesses US aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, all cooperation would be interrupted, technological blockades would intensify, the external environment for reform and opening up would deteriorate drastically, and even a major war might erupt…

The more Gao thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

He picked up the red phone on the table and dialed a number.

The phone was answered after two rings, and Jiang Zhiyu's voice came through the receiver, "Old Gao?"

"Director Jiang, please come to the central conference room tomorrow; we have important matters to discuss."

"Yes, Mr. Gao, I will definitely be there on time tomorrow."

Old Gao hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for a while. It was already completely dark outside the window; he still needed to think about his next move.