NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Before the Operation (1)
“The fleet commanders and vice commanders from the Indian Ocean have arrived. They’re all discussing the detailed operational plans with that old man, Chester. I couldn’t get a word in, so I just came back. When I returned, I hardly saw anyone. After thinking it over, I decided to come and talk to you. I feel really frustrated today…”
“The nuclear submarines from the entire Pacific Fleet and the Indian Ocean Fleet will participate in this extermination operation. It’s unexpected that those naval folks who desperately insisted on maintaining submarines actually have a day where they are useful… This time, it’s us who are useless. The longer we stay there, the more frustrated I feel. I have a feeling those old fogeys are laughing at me, how do you say it in your dialect? ‘Feng Shui turns in cycles’?”
“It’s ‘Feng Shui Lun Huan.'” (Tn: “Feng Shui Lun Huan” can be understood as the concept of rotating or changing the arrangement or placement of objects or elements according to the principles of Feng Shui. It suggests the idea of periodically adjusting the Feng Shui arrangements in a space to maintain a balanced and positive energy flow.)
“Yes, that’s it. It’s our turn this time. In the past, we laughed at those guys who had no place to showcase their skills and could only help us transport supplies and provide support. But this time, we have become their support.”
“It’s indeed a ‘Feng Shui Lun Huan’ situation—”
“It certainly is quite a ‘Feng Shui Lun Huan,’ but this time, it’s the naval folks who will have the chance to display their might in the end.”
“That’s for sure. It won’t be long before only one of the three ocean fleets remains. We have too many fleets now.”
Saying this, Alexei extinguished his cigarette and threw it into the trash can.
“We certainly have too many fleets. There are no enemies at sea now, let alone them; even we have too many.”
Luo Qinian, General Luo, also put out his cigarette and fell into contemplation as he looked outside the window, where robots were continuously loading cargo onto the ships.
“Sometimes, I even miss the days when we had separatists.”
“Wow, that’s something you shouldn’t say lightly, but I understand what you mean.”
In the past decade or so, the status of their army, navy, and even air force had declined.
From the turbulent era a hundred years ago when humanity had just ended the nuclear war and established a unified government, relying on large-scale military forces to maintain stability.
To several decades ago when there was a hidden undercurrent of terrorist attacks by separatists all over the world.
And more recently, in the past ten years, there hasn’t been a single terrorist or extremist attack in the world—a state of complete peace.
As time passed, the role of the military became increasingly awkward.
The army was still somewhat relevant since they had criminals, large-scale criminal organizations operating in the shadows, and terrorists to target.
But what about the air force and navy? They truly had no purpose anymore.
The last time battleships and nuclear submarines truly engaged in combat was over eighty years ago. Back then, they weren’t using advanced technology; it was simply a matter of dealing with pirates and outlaws.
The world has long been unified, and there are no more enemies on Earth.
And if there are enemies in space, it’s not the concern of the Navy.
So, the Navy has always been at the bottom of the military hierarchy, but little did they know that even at the lowest rung of this hierarchy, there would come a time for them to rise.
I imagine those Navy guys must have jumped for joy when they saw Godzilla retreat into the deep sea.
After all, that’s when they can prove their worth, right?
“By the way, has that thing called Godzilla been found?”
Let’s not talk about separatists; it’s not a good idea in case someone is eavesdropping. Let’s discuss something else, like the movements of the Titans.
“Not yet, and I don’t think we’ll find Godzilla in a short period of time. Even if the Navy doesn’t interfere, we still can’t locate it.”
The average depth of the ocean exceeds 3,000 meters, with an area of over 370 million square kilometers. It’s impossible for any human detection device to find Godzilla quickly. Even if Godzilla is enormous, it’s still unlikely because the ocean is just too vast.
Can’t we use sonar buoys?
Alexei asked with some confusion, but General Luo shook his head in response.
“Sonar buoys? Each buoy requires several kilotons of energy. We would need hundreds of trillions of kilotons to cover the entire world’s oceans. It’s impossible to do it this way.”
“So, we just sit here shaking our heads? Letting that thing that killed hundreds of thousands of us roam free? If it were up to me, I would spend as much money as needed to find Godzilla in the shortest possible time and cut off its head, placing it on the city square.”
Alexei raised an eyebrow, and his statement would make anyone with a basic understanding of economics burst into laughter if said outside. Spend as much money as needed? That would lead to a complete economic collapse! The losses would only increase!
Even though he held the rank of Major General, he still spoke like an immature kid.
However, General Luo, who listened to his words, couldn’t find it amusing. Although he understood that this plan was certainly unfeasible in reality, when he thought about the wailing people and charred bodies he saw today in Grafadamoni, he wanted to support Alexei’s childish idea.
Even if it was completely detached from reality.
“For now, let’s not dwell on these matters. Tomorrow, the Navy will conduct the first underwater search. Hopefully, they’ll find Godzilla soon. I hope the Navy personnel have a sense of conscience and won’t intentionally ignore it to maintain their position. All we can do now is wait.”
“Wait until the day we find Godzilla and kill it.”
As he said this, General Luo lit another cigarette. His office, or rather the entire military garrison, was lacking in people. This was also due to policy factors; the garrison had become outdated, and there weren’t as many separatist enemies in the world anymore.
When there were more people in this place, he used to discourage smoking. But now, with fewer people, he found himself smoking.
“If we find it, can we defeat it?”
Out of the blue, Alexei suddenly asked this question, and General Luo, upon hearing this familiar question, paused for a moment and then replied:
“We should be able to defeat it. At least that’s what the group of researchers working on this thing told me this morning. That monster doesn’t stand a chance against our current fleet. Just think about it, even the ancient civilizations weaker than us managed to wipe out these creatures. Why can’t we, who are more advanced, do the same?”
To General Luo’s answer, Mr. Alexei obviously didn’t agree much. After listening, he muttered, “I don’t necessarily think so, you know. The Navy personnel have never been in combat before, while we’ve at least fought against terrorism. But those Navy folks, they’re all inexperienced recruits.”
“And although our technology has advanced, the number of our fleet has decreased significantly. The Navy’s nuclear submarines, combined in all three oceans, amount to only thirty, which is less than what a single country had before a major war. Not to mention the other naval forces. So, I don’t think these fleets will necessarily win.”
Alexei expressed his doubts about whether the Navy could defeat Godzilla, and General Luo couldn’t find a counterargument at that moment.
In the end, they could only respond to Alexei with the classic old phrase, “I don’t know.”
Regardless, the outcome of the battle against Godzilla was not something that these two Army Major Generals could decide. All they could do was ensure that the Navy soldiers going into battle were in the best possible condition, the condition most likely to defeat it.
Apart from that, they couldn’t do anything else.
Tomorrow, the first underwater exploration will begin.