062 Uproar
Many readers have said I only posted one chapter yesterday, but I swear that's not true! I really posted two chapters—just look at the timestamps: one in the early morning, one in the afternoon! And this is already the second update today, another one at midnight! Sob! I'm crying my eyes out in the bathroom.
Bang!
Rat-tat-tat!
Gunshots and the sound of rocket explosions filled the air.
Inside the command room of the Jiangzhou warship.
Lu Qian and his old partner, Luo Yaocheng, stared at the screen before them, their faces etched with disbelief.
“Old Luo, this—this is inside Libya, right?”
“It’s the Americans! Look here!”
Lu Qian quickly spotted the figures of U.S. Marines being besieged by Libyan fighters on the screen.
On the screen.
Over a dozen U.S. Marines were trapped behind vehicles on the highway, with bullets and RPGs from Libyans pouring down on them as if there were no cost.
What was even more astonishing—
The footage suddenly shifted to a clearing not far away.
“Lu, look quickly!”
“That’s—”
“A Black Hawk helicopter!”
Luo Yaocheng’s tone was tinged with shock.
It was incredible. If the footage was real, the Americans had suffered a huge setback here. There were clearly more than two helicopter wrecks visible, and if there were more—he dared not even imagine.
Given the Americans’ arrogance, believing themselves above all others, they would never let such a disaster go unavenged.
“Immediately investigate the source of this signal and verify the authenticity of the information!”
“Yes, sir!”
Lu Qian decisively issued a new order.
The information transmitted by this signal was truly startling. If it was accurate, then this Libyan civil war, manipulated by Western powers, could escalate dramatically in a short time.
There was no way the Americans would accept such a loss without retaliation.
Undoubtedly, since the Jiangzhou received this signal, other nations must have intercepted it as well.
In the U.S. North Africa Forward Operations Command Center.
The display was switched off.
Sloan Allen’s face was grim as iron.
Bang!
“Fuck!”
“Damn it!”
“This is provocation! An insult to American soldiers! An act of terrorism!”
“When will the attack aircraft arrive?”
“Sir, the attack planes have already launched from the USS Johnson, ten minutes until arrival.”
He nodded, saying no more. There was no other choice now; the only option was to raze the battlefield.
“Colonel!”
A female officer, bearing a lieutenant’s insignia, approached with a grave expression.
“Speak!”
“Colonel, our analysis indicates this signal was broadcast randomly. That means there was no encryption; anyone who accessed the frequency could see the message.”
“What? Fuck! Damned Libyans!”
At this, Sloan Allen was truly enraged. Now, even the last shred of cover had been torn away by the Libyans.
“Colonel, a call from the Pentagon!”
As expected.
Before he could vent his anger, the communications officer stood up awkwardly.
“Put it through!”
Sloan Allen did not avoid the others in the command center, but connected the call directly to the satellite display.
As the signal connected, a familiar scene appeared on the screen.
It was the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs conference room.
“General!”
The face on screen was one nearly every soldier recognized.
“Colonel, you need to explain why the damned Libyans shot down our Black Hawk helicopters. I want you to evacuate our men from Libya immediately. The Secretary of Defense and the President are in conference now. Do you have a new operational plan?”
The Army general gave him no chance to speak.
“Sir, the Libyans have our people surrounded. It’s very difficult to extract them right now.”
“Damned Libyans! What about our cavalry units? Get them in for rescue operations at once.”
“General, the Black Hawks that were shot down were our rescue team. We still don’t know how many Libyans we’re facing. If we rush in, we risk starting a new war.”
“—”
While the U.S. military leadership held crisis talks, the outside world was already in uproar.
Though the Libyan signal’s broadcast range was limited, it was enough to spread the news rapidly.
Egypt!
******!
Algeria!
Even fleets far off in the Mediterranean intercepted the signal and sent it back to their home countries.
Soon,
Almost the entire world learned the U.S. military had conducted a covert operation in Libya. But what stunned people was that the Americans had suffered an unprecedented defeat.
It was almost unimaginable.
“Oh my God! How could this happen!”
“Heavens, I hope God protects them!”
“Damned Libyans, America will not let this go!”
“This is a real-life Black Hawk Down!”
“Is the scene from Somalia twenty years ago about to repeat itself in Libya? Unbelievable!”
As the world marveled that the U.S. military could be stymied—perhaps even defeated—in Libya, a place still fighting with rifles and RPGs, the situation on the battlefield deteriorated once more.
After more than an hour of fierce combat, the Libyans’ patience was exhausted. A barrage of RPGs flew in from all directions, targeting the downed Black Hawk.
Boom!
Boom!
After several thunderous explosions, when the smoke cleared, not a single survivor could be seen.
On the other side.
The Marines still fighting desperately on the highway saw what had happened, and their faces turned ashen. The Libyans had eliminated that stronghold, and they would be next.
Sure enough.
After clearing the helicopter crash site, the remaining Libyans immediately converged on their position. The gunfire was relentless and powerful, forcing the Marines to keep their heads down.
“Fuck!”
“Speer! Speer!”
The major, frustrated, shoved aside a young soldier who had succumbed to psychological collapse, unable to grasp his weapon, covering his ears and head, trembling in a corner. With a curse, he stripped all the magazines from the soldier’s belt.
He loaded a fresh magazine.
Bang bang!
Bang bang bang!
With a rhythmic burst of fire, several Libyan fighters who had rushed forward were instantly killed.
Li Changjiang, watching intently from not far away, silently praised their skill.
In fact, from Li Changjiang’s current angle, shooting at the U.S. troops would not be difficult, but he sensed something off about the situation.
The soldiers attacking the Americans so recklessly didn’t seem like government troops; they behaved more like rebels.
“Elisa, look in that direction! Confirm who that is.”
He detached the sniper scope from his rifle and handed it to Elisa, then pointed toward an armored SUV near the eastern flank.