NOVEL NEXT Chapter 348: Chapter 348: The Fall
London, the Palace of Westminster.
When the air raid alarm sounded, everyone was startled, and then the security personnel announced the news that a Tomahawk missile was heading towards London. Everyone immediately headed to the bomb shelters.
At that time, the House of Commons was engaged in a debate on how to respond to sanctions from the United States.
The debate was at its climax. The Conservative Party argued that the Umbrella Corporation's unilateral contact with the Red Camp showed that it did not share real common interests with the British government, putting several Labour MPs who tried to defend the interests of the Umbrella Corporation at a disadvantage.
Just as they were about to claim victory, the so-called "air raid alarm" interrupted them. The Conservative Party spokesperson was quite skeptical about the authenticity of the event, "Launching a missile at London? Has the President of the United States gone mad, or have you? This must be a ridiculous excuse by the other side, intended to interrupt the meeting!"
Fortunately, there were still some clear-headed individuals. A Sky News reporter received timely information. He put down his mobile phone, "Latest news, the USS McCain has been sunk, and the USS Ramsey has fled. We also lost two destroyers. Moreover, the Tomahawk missile's trajectory is indeed towards London, and our radar has lost its signal. It could land anywhere in London City!"
"Good luck with your debate, gentlemen. I'm leaving..."
The MPs panicked and rushed towards the exit.
Some of the older ones were reminded of the terrifying memories of the London Blitz from their childhood, running even faster than the younger ones.
"Gentlemen, London has over 300,000 acres, Westminster only 5,000 acres, and the Parliament only 20 acres. The probability of the missile landing on us is less than one in ten thousand. Don't panic... let the front row MPs leave first..."
"Stop with your absurd numbers. Your head is as big as the tip of a needle, the probability of a Tomahawk missile landing on your head is virtually zero. The Americans wouldn't waste a missile to kill a fool like you. Stay here, idiot, move!"
The MPs, usually the epitome of gentlemen, now scurried out of the Palace of Westminster through the St Stephen's entrance like rats fleeing from an earthquake.
The Sky News reporter, Malice, squeezed into a bomb shelter with the MPs. Once he caught his breath, he turned and saw the Conservative Party spokesperson, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office, McDonald, beside him.
He couldn't resist pulling out his recorder, "Under-Secretary, what's your view on this sudden naval battle? Does this confirm some of the theories about the threat from the United States circulating in society?"
"A threat?" McDonald glanced at him, "We still don't know exactly what's happening outside, but I think it must be a misunderstanding. Our alliance with the United States has a history of decades. Neither we nor the United States will easily break this solid alliance. The United States won't threaten us because that's like threatening their own liver, eyes, and tongue."
"Moreover, we're not one of those second-rate countries. Our territory once spanned the globe, and we were the first to complete the Industrial Revolution. Without us, the United States would just be a barren prairie, with only Native Americans living their primitive lives."
"Let me tell you, sir, Britain is indispensable to the United States' strategy in Europe. No one wants to be our enemy, not even the United States."
"Hmph, I dare to walk out now. I dare say, that missile is nothing but a fictitious lie. A missile to London? Hmph, why not say directly bombarding the Parliament? In my opinion, nothing significant will happen, everything is still under control."
However, his words had barely finished.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion outside, dust fell from the ceiling, the lights flickered for a moment, and a series of screams echoed in the bomb shelter.
"An explosion! It's close!" Malice, who had been a war correspondent, was familiar with explosions.
After the tremors subsided, he couldn't help but be the first to run out, pushing past two security personnel trying to stop him. He ran out of the shelter.
In front of him, he saw intense smoke and flames, and it took him a moment to realize what the scene in front of him meant.
Instinctively as a reporter, he took out his camera and captured the scene.
The central west side of the Palace of Westminster was blown open with a huge gap, half of the palace collapsed. As he pressed the shutter, the Victoria Tower suddenly fell, and the British flag hanging on it also fell.
Simultaneously, the Big Ben bells suddenly rang.
Ten o'clock in the morning.
Britain's national icon, a symbol of democracy, the center of power, the Palace of Westminster—Parliament, collapsed in the last mourning of the Big Ben.
...
The Pentagon, United States.
An emergency meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was being held.
"The President has asked me four times in a row," the television showed the Secretary of Defense with a serious look on his gaunt face, "You can't keep brushing me off with 'still investigating.' Tell me something useful, what's the conclusion? What exactly happened in this damn incident?!"
"We've compiled all intelligence and clarified the timeline of the entire event," a senior intelligence officer said, "Please allow me to take a moment to report on the entire incident."
"At 9:10 AM, the USS McCain suddenly sent an emergency alert, saying the British had boarded, seemingly intending to hijack the ship. Over the next two minutes, we communicated with them. Their speech was incoherent, at one moment saying the radar might be interfered with, then suggesting the enemy might be paratroopers, and then saying there was only one enemy. Finally, they said the enemy might have supernatural powers..."
"At 9:17 AM, the USS McCain's communication was interrupted for two minutes. Afterward, they canceled the shipwide alert, telling us the special forces members who had boarded were eliminated."
"But soon, at 9:24 AM, they were attacked again, this time by a speedboat loaded with explosives, which appeared suddenly with no radar response. We're unclear why the USS McCain didn't intercept the speedboat at close range; there should have been at least a dozen soldiers on deck... Anyway, the speedboat collided with the ship, the explosives detonated, creating a hole in the middle of the warship, paralyzing the power system."
"At 9:30 AM, the USS Ramsey attempted to rescue the USS McCain but was interfered with electronically and collided with a cargo ship."
"At 9:41 AM, three British destroyers left Portsmouth and reached visual distance of the USS McCain."
"At 9:43 AM, the USS McCain reported being locked by fire control radar."
"At 9:44 AM, the USS McCain was attacked by torpedoes."
"At 9:45 AM, the British vessels were hit by torpedoes."
"At 9:46 AM, the USS Ramsey was also locked by fire control, requesting combat orders without response."
"At 9:47 AM, a torpedo attempted to attack the USS Ramsey but was intercepted by a depth charge."
"At 9:50 AM, combat orders
were issued, and the USS McCain and USS Ramsey launched anti-ship missiles simultaneously."
"At 9:51 AM, a missile hit a British warship."
"At 9:52 AM, the USS McCain was hit again and launched four Tomahawk missiles."
"At 9:52 AM, two Tomahawk missiles were intercepted, another aimed at a rural area in central France, and one at London."
"At 9:54 AM, the USS Ramsey left the battlefield."
"At 9:55 AM, the Tomahawk missile heading for London disappeared."
"At 10:00 sharp, the Palace of Westminster was destroyed."
"Mr. Secretary, from the start to the end of the incident, it only took fifty minutes, and within these fifty minutes, two very strange and crucial events occurred. If we can figure out what happened in these two instances, we might be able to understand the whole incident."
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