Tech Giants: Starting from Bankrupt Companies

151: Chapter 151 The Patriot’s Night of ”Betrayal”Riyadh Air Defense Command Center, December 23, 23:00 (Riyadh time).

The air in the command center was thick with the distinct ozone smell of electronic equipment, mixed with the scent of coffee and sweat. On the massive curved screen, which should have been flickering with green dots—representing all aircraft within Saudi airspace, including military, civilian, friendly, and unknown—there was now only darkness.

In the center of the screen, a line of crimson English text flashed incessantly: SYSTEM LOCKED - CONTACT OEM FOR AUTHORIZATION KEY.

When Major General Al-Kahtani rushed into the command center, the buttons of his military jacket were not yet fastened. The 48-year-old air defense commander had eyes like a hawk and iron-gray short hair. He had graduated at the top of his class from the U.S. Air Defense School in Texas and was proficient in every module of the Patriot system.

But now, he watched helplessly as the system he regarded as his faith turned into scrap metal.

”Report!” a captain’s voice trembled. ”At 23:00 sharp, all Patriot system operation terminals went black simultaneously. Reboots were ineffective, and backup systems could not be started. The technical department confirmed it is a hardware-level lockdown—the Americans remotely activated a backdoor program.”

Major General Al-Kahtani walked to the main console and typed rapidly on the keyboard. He tried every emergency command he could think of, even entering the ”super administrator password” his instructor had privately given him during his training in the United States—a code that was supposedly capable of bypassing all restrictions.

The screen flickered once, and then a new prompt appeared: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS ATTEMPT LOGGED - SYSTEM PERMANENTLY LOCKED.

”Permanently locked...” Major General Al-Kahtani muttered, his face deathly pale.

This meant that unless the Americans sent a physical key and dispatched technicians to unlock it on-site, this multi-billion dollar air defense system would truly become a pile of expensive metal and silicon.

”What about the F-15 fleet?” he turned and asked the Air Force liaison officer.

The liaison officer’s voice was even lower: ”Just received a report... The fleet’s maintenance system has also collapsed. The ’Health Monitoring Module’ of all aircraft has stopped working, and the engine control software of some fighters indicates a need for ’OEM updates’.”

He pulled up a list: ”According to the current situation, if it cannot be restored, 70% of our F-15 fighters will be forced to be grounded by the system within the next three months due to a lack of compliant maintenance records and software authorization.”

The command center was deathly silent. There was only the buzzing of equipment cooling fans and the red text flashing on the screen.

Saudi Arabia, the country with the most powerful air force and air defense network in the Middle East, had been deprived of its sky overnight.

Major General Al-Kahtani closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the shock was gone, leaving only cold determination.

”Notify Prince Fahd,” he said. ”Notify the King. Also, initiate the ’Desert Shield’ contingency plan—all equipment provided by Spark-Arab Defense Company must immediately enter the highest state of combat readiness. We have lost our sky, but at least, we still have the ground.”

He paused and added, ”Also, get me connected to... China.”

Su Chen was woken from his sleep by the vibration of his satellite phone. Only seven people knew the number for this phone, and every vibration meant an event of the highest level.

He walked to the study and picked up the phone.

”Su.” Fahd’s voice came through, without pleasantries, only heaviness. ”Our sky... has been shut off by the Americans.”

Over the next five minutes, Fahd quickly described the situation: the Patriot system was locked, the F-15 fleet faced grounding, and the Saudi Air Force and air defense units would lose 80% of their combat capability in the foreseeable future.

”More troublesome is,” Fahd said, ”the media in the Jewish state has already started hyping the news of ’Saudi air defense paralysis’. Persia’s drones have been frequently active at the border recently, and we cannot rule out that they might take the opportunity to...”

Su Chen listened quietly. After Fahd finished speaking, he only asked one question: ”What does Saudi Arabia need?”

”We need air defense systems that can be put into use immediately. We need fighter jets that can fly. We need... strategic deterrence capability.” Fahd’s speaking speed became faster and faster. ”Su, this is not a commercial procurement; this is a matter of national survival. The Americans want to force us to submit in this way, but we have no way out.”

”Understood,” Su Chen said. ”Give me four hours. Four hours later, I will give you a plan.”

Hanging up the phone, Su Chen sat in the darkness and thought for three minutes.

Then, he dialed another number.

Beijing, Ministry of National Defense Foreign Affairs Office, December 24, 04:00 (Beijing time).

The electronic clock in the conference room displayed red digits: 04:00:17.

Eight people sat in the room, and three video windows were connected on the screen. The tripartite emergency meeting of the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Joint Operations Center of the Central Military Commission had been going on for thirty minutes.

”That is the situation.” The representative from the Equipment Development Department pulled up the Saudi air defense situation map. ”Saudi Arabia’s current air defense gaps are mainly concentrated on the northern and eastern borders. If Persia or the Jewish state launches a surprise attack, they have almost no warning time.”

”What can we provide?” asked the Director of the Middle East Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

”Red Flag-9BE export-model air defense system,” the representative from the Equipment Development Department pulled up the parameters. ”Maximum range 200 kilometers, engagement altitude 30 kilometers, capable of intercepting 6 targets simultaneously. The performance is slightly inferior to Patriot 3, but it is completely autonomous and controllable, without any backdoors.”

”Deployment time?”

”If urgently allocated, the first batch of 6 launch units can be airlifted to Saudi Arabia within 48 hours. But the problem is...” the representative from the Equipment Development Department paused, ”the Saudi military is trained in the American system. To switch to the Chinese operating system, it will take at least three months of systematic training.”

In the video window of the Joint Operations Center of the Central Military Commission, a middle-aged officer with rank insignia on his shoulders spoke: ”Three months is too long. We can send retired non-commissioned officers and technical backbones from active-duty units to form an ’advisory group’ to go with the system. Nominally, it is for training, but in reality, they can operate it directly—and hand it over after the Saudi personnel learn.”

”Scale?”

”A battalion-level unit, about 200 people. All sign confidentiality agreements and retirement agreements, and leave the country as ’civilian technical personnel’.”

The Director of the Middle East Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nodded: ”This plan is feasible. But Red Flag-9 can only solve the air defense problem. Saudi Arabia’s air force...”

”J-10CE,” the representative from the Equipment Development Department pulled up a new screen. ”The latest export model, equipped with an active phased array radar and PL-15 air-to-air missiles, with performance comparable to the F-16 Block 70. If Saudi Arabia purchases urgently, we can supply them on a priority basis, with the first batch of 24 aircraft delivered within three months.”

”Price?”

”45 million USD per aircraft, including training and maintenance. 40% cheaper than the F-16.”

The room was quiet for a few seconds. Everyone knew that if Saudi Arabia accepted this batch of equipment, it would mean a complete shift to the Eastern system.

”But that is still not enough,” the Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shook his head. ”The Americans dared to remotely lock the Patriot because they knew Saudi Arabia had no means of counterattack. We need to give Saudi Arabia... strategic deterrence capability.”

This sentence caused the temperature in the room to drop.

Strategic deterrence capability—in the context of Saudi Arabia, it meant the ability to threaten U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, cover the entire territory of Persia, and make the Jewish state think twice.

”Dongfeng-21D,” the representative from the Equipment Development Department said softly. ”Anti-ship ballistic missile, range 1500 kilometers, can cover the entire Persian Gulf. It has never been exported, but...”

”Impossible,” the Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly denied. ”This is a strategic weapon. Exporting it is equivalent to changing the regional balance of power. Moreover, the United States will use this as an excuse to launch comprehensive sanctions or even military intervention.”

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had been silent, spoke up: ”What about the Dongfeng-16?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

”Range 800-1000 kilometers, can cover most of the Persian Gulf and the entire territory of Persia.” The Deputy Minister pulled up a map. ”We can provide a simplified version—the warhead payload is reduced from 500 kg to 200 kg, and the guidance accuracy is reduced from 10 meters to 30 meters, doing a technical downgrade. In this way, it can be classified as a ’conventional tactical missile’ under international law, rather than a strategic weapon.”

The representative from the Equipment Development Department quickly calculated: ”If it is simplified to this extent, it can indeed be exported. But even so, this is the first time China has exported such an advanced ballistic missile...”

”Saudi Arabia is not an ordinary country.” An old but steady voice came from the loudspeaker—everyone sat up straight; this was an instruction from a higher level. ”Saudi Arabia is the pillar of rmb settlement for oil and a key node of the ’Belt and Road’ in the Middle East. Helping them build autonomous defense capabilities is in line with our national strategy.”

The voice paused for a moment: ”But there are three red lines: First, Chinese personnel must participate in the operation of the missile sites; second, they must not be deployed on the Yemen border to avoid intensifying regional conflicts; third, it must be settled in rmb, and the price must not be lower than 1 billion USD.”

”1 billion USD...” someone gasped.

”It’s worth it,” the voice said. ”This is not just an arms sale; it is a security commitment. Once Saudi Arabia gets this batch of missiles, they have bargaining chips to negotiate with the Americans. And we get the military endorsement for the internationalization of the rmb.”

The conference room was quiet for a full minute.

”Then that’s settled.” Finally, the Deputy Minister of National Defense who presided over the meeting made the final decision. ”Red Flag-9BE is to be deployed urgently, negotiations for the J-10CE are to be started, and the simplified version of the Dongfeng-16 is to be a strategic option. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will immediately connect with Saudi Arabia and complete all legal and diplomatic procedures within 48 hours.”

”Then the personnel of the advisory group...”

”Select people from the Rocket Force and the Air Force,” the Deputy Minister said. ”They must be politically reliable, technically proficient, and have strong foreign language skills. Tell them this is not a business trip; this is a battle.”

The meeting ended at 04:47.

Outside the window in Beijing, it was not yet dawn, but the east was already turning white.