âHave you heard? There is going to be a war...â
âWar? Didnât the war start a long time ago?â
âItâs not Colombia... I heard Celestial Trade attacked the Ford aircraft carrier battle group in the Caribbean...â
âWhat the fu*k?! Why are they...â
âHow long have you been off-the-grid? Anyway, Iâm going to go back to Hua for a while and wait until the dust settles before coming back. If you plan to leave, youâd better make a decision as soon as possible. I booked the ticket yesterdayââ
âFU*K... Damn, all the tickets for next week have been sold out!â The man held his mobile phone and vented out with regret.
In the past two days, similar conversations were common in Penglai.
It seemed that no one was optimistic that Xin could win this war.
The dictator finally caught himself in a mess after playing with fire. The Rainbow Houseâs 72 hour ultimatum was obviously not a joke. The five aircraft carrier battle groups had already assembled in the Pacific and were mobilizing towards the Western Pacific. Perhaps the Rainbow House had secretly passed the document for launching a nuclear strike on the industrial facilities of Xin so that both Ange Island and Coro City would not escape the disaster.
Celestial City, Earth Observation Center of the Space Department.
In Xinâs time, it was now eight oâclock in the evening.
All vacations were canceled, and Celestial Trade was in the most critical moment. The staff sat nervously in front of the computer; their eyes kept staring at the satellite observing radar. Some people hadnât slept for 24 consecutive hours, and they were completely fueled on caffeine until now.
At this moment, an exclamation broke the busy silence in the Earth Observation Center.
âITâS LAUNCHED!â An observer, who was in charge of satellite numbered W14, stood up suddenly from his seat. He pointed his finger at the red dot on the radar screen. âThe coordinates are N29°04, W154°20, and the missile type is UGM-133A âTridentâ submarine-launched ballistic missile! A total of twelve have been launched!â
âTwo hours ahead of the original 72 hours...â
The observer sitting nearby also observed the twelve missiles on the radar, and couldnât help but curse out.
âI knew those bastards wouldnât keep their promises!â
âLaunched from a nuclear submarine?â Qi Yingze, the director of the observation center, walked quickly to the side of the W14 satellite observation terminal. He looked at the radar with a frown, put down the coffee cup in his hand, then said. âCan you determine the type of nuclear submarine?â
âIt should be the UA Ohio-class nuclear submarine!â The observer replied.
âReport the coordinates of the submarine to the Celestial Navy immediately!â Qi Yingze directly ordered, âNotify the Space Department headquarters and let them prepare for nuclear strikes!â
âROGER!â
...
Ten minutes after the Trident missiles were observed, the air defense alarm sounded over Coro City. Police drones patrolling the streets repeated the same words through the intercoms.
â...enemy airstrike will arrive in Coro City in ten minutes. Please stay at home and do not leave your home. Celestial Trade promise to ensure the safety of all citizensâ property from illegal forces, please... â
As early as three days ago, all cities in Xin, including Penglai, had implemented a curfew. The sudden air defense alarm did not cause a lot of panic because there were no tourists in Coro City, and all the citizens living there at this time were staying at home because of the curfew.
It was rational for the citizens to panic, but when they saw their President still standing in front of the Presidential Palace and being interviewed by their media, the fear in their hearts was slightly dispelled. The thought that someone would bear all the consequences regardless of destruction or victory brought a sense of comfort.
At nine oâclock in the evening, twelve rays of light appeared in the sky.
Some people screamed, some hid under the bed with hands around their head, some prayed with sobs, and some quietly took out a bottle of cold beer from the fridge and sat in the courtyard, as if they were waiting for celebratory fireworks, waiting quietly for the arrival of the final moment.
Everyone was aware of what arrived.
After all, what should have come did come.
Two Trident missiles arrived above Coro City, which even made the UA, who pressed the launch button, surprised by how smooth the journey was. Soon, the nuclear warheads mounted on the Trident missiles exploded, the light of the nuclear explosion dispersed the entire night, and engulfed the entire sky in the boundless mushroom cloud.
The distant and faint roar shook the eardrums of everyone who was crawling under the mushroom cloud.
Just when everyone thought their life was over, something that surprised everyone happened.
The nuclear explosion did happen, and the mushroom cloud did rise, but the destructive shock wave did not arrive. Everyone was still alive as they watched the mushroom cloud disperse, and was slowly carried away by the passing sea breeze...
It was like a miracle from God!
âGod... Am I dreaming? Am I still alive?â A middle-aged man, about 40 years old, got out of the bed and looked out the window in a daze. Tears gradually filled his eyes as he murmured, âIâm still alive... ...â
âHoney! WE ARE STILL ALIVE!â A young man and woman hugged each other and passionately kissed each other. Finally, they rolled onto the bed and kicked away their shoes and clothes.
âUnbelievable, itâs like a miracle! No, this is a miracle!â The old priest sitting in the church repeatedly rubbed his fingers against the cross on his chest as he muttered frantically.
âLong live Xin! Long live Celestial Trade! Fu*k nuclear weapons! Fu*k the Yankees! We are invincible!â The drunk man stood on his balcony and shouted loudly. If it was any other day, his troublesome neighbor would definitely report him for disturbance, but today, that didnât happen.
Because he yelled out the thought that was shared in everyoneâs hearts.
If even nuclear weapons couldnât conquer them, what else could defeat them?
This war, from this moment on, was already decided.
Just five minutes after the nuclear strike hit Coro City, the Rainbow House held a press conference. In front of the media reporters across the UA and the world, the spokesperson of the Rainbow House used an apologetic tone to announce this âregretfulâ fact to the media.
âJust over an hour ago, we had launched twelve Trident missiles. Perhaps there was some malfunctioning to their radar system, our missiles were not intercepted. And just five minutes ago, the Rainbow House had asked the top military command about whether the nuclear missiles successfully hit the target, and the answer we received was âYesâ.â
âWe express our concern and regret for the disaster the people of Xin are enduring.â
âBut we believe that a new homeland that has more freedom and equality, a new world free from the oppression of illegal enterprises, oligarchs, and puppet governments, will enable the Xin people to live in a better future...â
âAnd we will shoulder the responsibility of a great country and help the people who have suffered to rebuild their homes.â
The damage assessment of nuclear weapons could not be confirmed for the time being.
It was because all the military observation satellites in the UA were destroyed by the Celestial Trade missiles three days ago.
The âTridentâ missiles that were launched to Xin used pre-calculated launch parameters. Although there would be a certain amount of error, what would be the difference between an error of one or two kilometers for something like nuclear weapons?
The UAâs top military command was only aware that the nuclear missiles were âlaunchedâ, âhitâ, or âexplodedâ, but it was enough...
But was it really enough?