The World's Richest Man: Start with the Daily Intelligence System

163: Chapter 163 Salvaging the Unmanned Nuclear SubmarineLieutenant General Jericho stood before his desk and hung up the phone. His face was pale, and a fine layer of sweat beaded on his forehead. He knew that this failure was not just a military setback but a massive political crisis for himself.

”General, we... we may have been outmaneuvered by the Chinese.” The adjutant spoke with difficulty, his voice trembling slightly.

Jericho spun around sharply, his eyes as sharp as knives, staring directly at the adjutant.

The adjutant took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner panic: ”Yes, General. According to the latest satellite reconnaissance, the missile and armored forces near the Chinese coast have been deployed to an astonishing degree. This clearly wasn’t accomplished overnight; they likely anticipated our operation long ago.”

Jericho’s expression grew increasingly grim. He walked to his desk, picked up a file, and slammed it onto the floor: ”experiment no. 1—this project that cost over a hundred billion dollars—what has it become now? It’s become a joke!”

The adjutant lowered his head, not daring to meet Jericho’s gaze: ”General, what should we do now?”

Jericho remained silent for a moment. Although unwilling, he knew this was the wisest choice for now. He said, ”Cancel all military operations immediately! We cannot let the situation deteriorate any further!”

After saying this, he turned to leave.

Meanwhile, on the surface of the East China Sea, the Liaoning and Shandong had already quietly taken their positions, and nuclear submarines lurked in the deep sea, waiting for that moment to arrive.

”Liaoning is in position.”

”Shandong is in position.”

”Fujian is in position.”

Zhang Wei felt incredibly awestruck. Seeing three aircraft carriers in the same frame—the deterrent power of this scene was maxed out.

Zhang Wei knew that these three aircraft carriers represented the strength and standard of the Chinese Navy. Among them, the Liaoning was China’s first commissioned aircraft carrier. Come to think of it, there was a convoluted story behind it; the Liaoning’s predecessor was the Soviet Navy’s Varyag. At the time, due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Varyag had been abandoned at the dock for a long time. In 1998, a Chinese enterprise purchased it for 20 million USD. The process of towing the Varyag back to China was filled with twists and difficulties. Due to obstruction from countries like Turkey, the Varyag didn’t arrive at Dalian Port until 2002. After years of hard work by Chinese technical experts, the Varyag was officially delivered to the Chinese Navy in 2012 and formally renamed the Liaoning.

At this moment, with all three aircraft carriers on standby, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. He whispered, ”Staff Officer Chen, is this going to be the Third World War?”

Chen Dong stood to the side, a confident smile curling at the corner of his mouth: ”Hmph, the Pretty Country is just bluffing. If they really attack, the Pretty Country will definitely lose. Our land-based missiles and armored vehicles are all fully prepared and waiting. Our Dongfeng-41 missiles have a maximum range of 14,000 kilometers, covering every corner of the globe. If the Pretty Country dares to come over, they are just asking to be slaughtered.”

Zhang Wei nodded, but the nervousness in his heart did not diminish in the slightest. He knew that this game of chess was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

”Staff Officer Chen, the Divers are in position and ready to begin operations.” A technician walked to his side and reported in a low voice.

Chen Dong nodded, turned to the adjutant, and said, ”Notify everyone to stay alert and ensure that every step is foolproof.”

The adjutant nodded and quickly conveyed the order.

Beneath the sea surface, the Divers wore heavy diving gear, relying on the air and lights provided by the diving bell, and slowly descended to the seabed 100 meters deep. The icy seawater sent chills through them, but the importance of the mission left them no time to dwell on it.

”Attention, begin cutting.” The diving team leader issued the command through the underwater intercom.

The Divers operated the abrasive water jet cutting system, aiming precisely at the hull of the unmanned nuclear submarine. The high-speed water jet and abrasive sand acted like sharp blades, gradually cutting holes into the hull.

”Report, the first hole has been cut.” A Diver reported via the intercom.

”Continue, maintain stability.” The diving team leader commanded calmly.

Time passed second by second. Relying on their superb skills and tacit coordination, the Divers finally cut 26 holes into the hull. The completion of each hole meant they were one step closer to success.

”Hole cutting complete, prepare to connect the steel cables.” The diving team leader issued the command again.

The steel cables from the four cranes firmly secured the heavy grab hooks and the 26 steel cables into the holes on the hull. The grab hooks could extend to lock into position.

The connection of every steel cable was crucial; any slight mistake would cause the entire salvage operation to fail.

”Steel cables connected, Divers evacuate.” After confirming everything was correct, the diving team leader ordered the Divers to evacuate the scene.

On the command ship, Zhang Wei stared intently at the screen, which displayed the connection status of every steel cable. Only after the last cable was secured did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.

On the surface, the two salvage ships had already been firmly connected to the nuclear submarine, just waiting for the moment to lift.

”Begin lifting.” The captain issued the final order.

The four massive cranes slowly started, the steel cables gradually tightened, and the grab hooks firmly locked onto the hull.

”Attention, lifting has begun.” The technician’s voice echoed on the command ship.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the data on the screen. The weight borne by the cranes gradually increased from the initial 2,400 tons to 7,000 tons, but the suction from the seabed was not as great as imagined.

”Continue, keep it steady.” The captain said in a low voice.

When the weight reached 9,600 tons, the nuclear submarine finally lifted slowly from the seabed. A low cheer erupted on the command ship, but no one dared to relax until the nuclear submarine was completely under the hull of the salvage ship.

”Success!” The captain reported excitedly over the intercom.

On the command ship, Zhang Wei and Chen Dong exchanged glances, both revealing expressions of relief. This salvage operation, which had taken several hours, was finally a complete success.

”Notify everyone, the mission is complete. Good work, everyone.” Chen Dong issued the order.

The atmosphere on the command ship instantly relaxed, and the exhausted Divers were brought back on board one by one. Everyone high-fived to celebrate, their faces beaming with the joy of victory.

”The successful salvage of this unmanned nuclear submarine marks an unprecedented technological victory for us in the field of marine salvage.” A technician walked to Zhang Wei’s side and said excitedly.

Chen Dong smiled slightly and patted his shoulder: ”Everyone’s hard work was not in vain. Next, we need to send this nuclear submarine to the military laboratory as soon as possible for comprehensive dismantling and analysis.”

Chen Dong patted Zhang Wei’s shoulder. ”young man, let’s go; let’s go take a look at the Pretty Country’s new technology.”

Zhang Wei felt happy. ”We managed to salvage such awesome stuff; we definitely have to go take a look.”