manynovel Chapter 98 Provocations by Various Countries
Chapter 98 Provocations by Various Countries
Qianlong Base, Operations Conference Room.
A world map was displayed on a large screen on the wall, with several red dots flashing on the map—the locations of recent provocative incidents.
Lin Zhe stood in front of the screen, the three gold stars on his shoulders gleaming coldly under the lights. Behind him, seven men—Longya, Longzhao, Longying, Longci, Longqing, Longyan, and Longyan—stood upright, each bearing the rank of Major General or Senior Colonel.
"R country's warships have been frequently provoking us in the East China Sea, and the most recent time they came within 12 nautical miles of our territorial waters." Long Ying pulled up the surveillance footage. "At the same time, there have been multiple violent incidents targeting our citizens in R country, and the embassy has received 17 reports."
"Country J detained three of our cargo ships on the grounds of 'illegally carrying sensitive items'," Long Qing added. "But according to our intelligence, there were only ordinary goods on board."
"And in the waters off Somalia, the number of times our merchant ships have been attacked by pirates has tripled in the last two months." Longya clenched his fist. "Moreover, these pirates are well-equipped and use standard weapons, so they are clearly supported by someone."
Lin Zhe listened quietly, his face expressionless. He walked to the control panel and pulled up another set of data—the military forces that the Dragon Kingdom had secretly deployed over the past two years.
Several top-secret icons popped up on the screen:
The "Mighty Dragon-20" stealth fighter jet: 400 aircraft have been commissioned and deployed to seven major air force bases across the country.
The "Dragon-41 Modified" global missile system: 120 missiles have been deployed, capable of covering any target in the world.
The "Longxing" aircraft carrier battle group: The three aircraft carriers have achieved combat capability and are conducting routine patrols in various sea areas.
The "Sky Sword-1" space fighter has completed space combat tests and can reach any airspace in the world within two hours.
The "Dragon-3" attack satellite system: 36 satellites are equipped with laser attack capabilities and can destroy enemy satellites instantly.
These data are known only to a very small number of people in the Central Military Commission.
"They don't know how strong we've become," Lin Zhe said slowly. "They still think it's like ten years ago, when we could provoke and bully them at will."
Longya asked, "Captain Lin, how should we respond?"
"No response," Lin Zhe said.
All seven of them were stunned.
"No response?" Dragon Claw asked, puzzled. "They're all shitting on our heads!"
"Responding now is exactly what they want." Lin Zhe pointed to the map. "The US is hiding in the back, letting small fry like R and J jump out to test us, just to see our reaction, our bottom line, and whether we dare to make a move."
He paused, his voice turning cold: "Then we'll show them—the Dragon Kingdom isn't refusing to act because they're afraid, but because they disdain it. When we do act, it won't be a warning, not a counterattack, but...destruction."
There was silence in the conference room.
Lin Zhe turned to the seven men: "Qianlong now has forty members, divided into four squads. Starting today, all overseas missions are suspended, all personnel are recalled, and we are entering a state of first-level combat readiness. Longya, you are in charge of training; Longying, you are in charge of developing combat plans; Longqing, you are in charge of monitoring all enemy communications and movements."
"yes!"
"Once the Central Military Commission approves it..." A cold glint flashed in Lin Zhe's eyes, "let them know what the wrath of thunder is."
That same evening, the national television station of the Dragon Kingdom broadcast the "News Broadcast".
"...Recently, R country warships have frequently conducted close-in reconnaissance activities in the East China Sea, seriously threatening the security of my country's territorial waters. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged solemn representations on multiple occasions..."
"...Our citizens in Country R have recently encountered several violent incidents, and the embassy is actively handling the situation..."
"...Country J's unreasonable detention of our merchant ships is a serious violation of international law and the basic norms of international relations..."
The news broadcast included footage of R country warships patrolling the East China Sea, photos of Chinese citizens injured in R country lying in hospitals, and tearful interviews with the families of detained merchant ship crew members.
The short ten-minute news report ignited the anger of the entire nation.
A male dormitory at a university in Jinghua City.
"Damn it! Country R is causing trouble again!" a student slammed his fist on the table.
Four people were huddled around a computer in the dormitory, watching the news. On the screen, the gray hull of the R country's warship stood out starkly against the azure sea.
"How many times has this happened! We protest every time, we negotiate every time, but what's the use?"
"And what about Country J? What right did they have to seize our ship? There were over a hundred crew members on board! What will happen to their families?"
Another student opened their phone, and social media was already exploding:
"#R Country Get Out of the East China Sea#" is the number one trending topic.
The hashtag "#ReleaseOurCivilianFishmen" was the second most searched topic.
"#ChinaShouldStandUpNow" is the third trending topic.
In the comments section, angry remarks flooded in like a tidal wave:
"You bullied us ten years ago, and you think you can bully us again ten years later? Dream on!"
"It's always just protests. If protests are effective, what's the point of having an army?"
"I'm a veteran, and I can put my uniform back on anytime if needed!"
A typical working-class family in Shanghai.
It was dinnertime, and the news was playing on TV. Old Wang, in his fifties, stared at the screen, his grip on his chopsticks tightening.
"Dad, what's wrong?" the son asked.
Old Wang didn't speak, just stared intently at the television. On the screen, a Chinese restaurant owner from R country, his face bandaged, said in a tearful voice, "They rushed in and started smashing things, beating everyone they saw. My son is only eighteen years old, and he had two ribs broken..."
"Bang!" Old Wang slammed his fist on the table. "This is outrageous!"
"Old Wang, don't get agitated..." his wife quickly advised.
"How could I not be agitated?!" Old Wang's eyes reddened. "My father was beaten to death by Japanese people! That was during the War of Resistance! What era are we living in now? They still dare to bully us Chinese like this!"
He stood up, walked to the cabinet in the living room, opened the drawer, and took out a red cloth bag. Inside was a rusty commemorative medal from the War of Resistance Against Japan.
"This was left to me by my father," Old Wang said, his voice trembling. "Before he died, he said that when the country became strong, no one would dare to bully us. But now..."
The son walked over and took his father's hand: "Dad, things are different now. If they dare to make a move, we dare to fight back!"
"Fight! We must fight!" Old Wang wiped away his tears. "If the country needs us, even this old man like me will step up!"
In a middle school classroom in a small county town in Southwest China.
The homeroom teacher was organizing the students to watch the news. When they saw the news about their compatriots who were injured in R country, the classroom fell silent.
"Students," the homeroom teacher said in a somber voice, "do you know that a hundred years ago, our country was poor and weak, and was bullied by others... Our ancestors used their blood and lives to buy us the peace we enjoy today."
"But now, some people have forgotten history and want to ride roughshod over us again."
A student stood up: "Teacher, we are not afraid! We have a powerful army!"
Looking at these young faces, the homeroom teacher felt a surge of emotion. This generation of children, born in a powerful dragon nation, had never experienced humiliation, but the fighting spirit in their bones had not diminished in the slightest.
"Students," she said, "we must remember how we feel today—angry, but not desperate; firm, but not reckless. Because we know that our country is strong enough to protect every citizen and defend every inch of our territory."
The classroom erupted in enthusiastic applause.
It's late at night, but the anger on the internet is still burning.
Someone has compiled a list of all the provocative incidents against China in recent years:
R country warships provoked China 37 times in the East China Sea;
J country seized 12 Chinese ships;
There were 89 violent incidents in Country R;
Somali pirates attacked Chinese merchant ships 24 times...
Every stroke of the pen is like a knife piercing the hearts of the Chinese people.
On Weibo, a veteran posted a long article:
"I'm a retired border guard who served on the border for ten years. I know how tough it is for our soldiers. They have to stand guard in temperatures as low as minus thirty degrees Celsius and patrol the high-altitude plateau where there's no oxygen. Why do they work so hard? It's to prevent foreigners from setting foot on our land!"
"Now, some people are provoking us at sea, and some are bullying our compatriots overseas. I want to ask those provocateurs—do you really think that China is still the China it was a hundred years ago?"
This Weibo post was forwarded millions of times and received over ten million likes.
The emotions of the people across the country have reached their peak.
Behind all this, Lin Zhe stood in the top-floor laboratory of the General Assembly Department, looking out at the night view of Beijing.
Behind him, two members of the Qianlong Special Operations Team stood ramrod straight. This was a guard arrangement mandated by the Central Military Commission—although Lin Zhe himself was a top-notch special operations expert, the country could not take any risks.
"Sir, the public is in high spirits," a guard said softly.
"I know." Lin Zhe didn't turn around. "They've been suppressing themselves for too long. A century of humiliation, decades of forbearance—now they can finally stand tall."
"Then we..."
"Wait," Lin Zhe said, uttering only one word.
He was waiting, waiting for the other party to take another step forward.
Wait for the right moment to launch a legitimate counterattack.
Waiting for the opportunity to solve the problem once and for all.