Chapter 173: This is Not a Sport
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War is not a sport nowadays.
Most of the footage that imprinted the war on people’s minds was filmed by military journalists.
Sometimes, the military would leak or spread some videos to boost morale, but there was never a case of broadcasting the whole war.
But in Megacity, that was exactly what was happening.
On the giant billboards that were placed all over the city, the Earth Fleet’s appearance was displayed.
Even in the corner, the distance between the American fleet and the metropolis was shown.
People knew from the broadcast that they were at war with America, but they were shocked to see that the fleet was mobilized like that.
“Is that in front of the island?”
“Looks like it from the terrain. It’s completely densely packed.”
“One, two, three… 42 ships in total. But what is that ship in the front?”
“It’s huge…”
The citizens of Megacity were immune to most things, but they couldn’t help but be astonished by the ship that was several times bigger than any other warship.
It seemed even bigger than the Seoul-class ship, which was comparable to the Gerald Ford-class aircraft carrier.
That huge ship led more than 40 warships that were anchored proudly in the sea.
A question naturally arose in people’s minds.
—Why did they come down to the sea when they were all spaceships?
They all knew that both the Seoul-class and the existing Earth Fleet ships had increased their numbers by leaps and bounds.
Nowadays, the Earth Fleet had no gas turbines and was equipped with nuclear fusion reactors.
This meant that they could operate for a long time in any environment, whether underwater or in space.
But why was the Earth Fleet in the sea?
Was it to face the American fleet fair and square?
Some people grumbled that they were looking for romance in war, but Yu Ji-ha had a different intention.
He wanted the complete surrender of America.
To do that, he needed to crush them in a head-on confrontation at their best condition.
What if the United Human Federation used spaceships to attack America like an SF movie depicting an alien invasion?
What if they destroyed the White House and annihilated the American fleet without breaking a sweat?
Maybe the high-ranking officials would die and the American military would collapse, but it would be hard to change the minds of most Americans.
They would only think that they were defeated by aliens.
—How cowardly to attack us with beams from space!
—If they had come down to the sea, we would have fought them with our aircraft carriers and submarines. This would never have happened.
It was no joke that some people who did not recognize the United Human Federation still thought this way.
They thought that if America used all its power, it could easily beat the United Human Federation.
Therefore, he needed to change that perception and make America surrender by breaking all the power they had put forth.
That was what the Earth Fleet was for.
They showed their overwhelming strength from an equal position and erased the American military’s power.
Ultimately, he planned to eliminate most of the power that the American military could project and land proudly on the North American continent.
This broadcast was meant to announce to the world that the United Human Federation had defeated America and became the only superpower on Earth.
Using the format of sports that Americans liked.
It was not a real footage of the scene, but a CG video that was produced and sent out. But it was as realistic as being there.
The video was broadcasted not only in Megacity, but also in the Korean Peninsula and dozens of other countries.
Everyone was incredulous at the idea of broadcasting a war, but they could not ignore their interest.
—So who would win if America and the United Human Federation fought?
The fundamental answer to this question was about to come out.
Some had a cynical reaction that there was no future no matter who won, but they thought it would be quiet for a while once the winner was decided.
When the war ended, however, the world would be in a mess with huge aftermaths.
Anyway, this broadcast was also watched by the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.
The American naval generals were dumbfounded by the CG video on the monitor in the situation control room.
“They perfectly depicted our fleet’s position without sending a single reconnaissance plane.”
It was impossible even with high-resolution reconnaissance satellites.
This was evidence that the United Human Federation had other detection methods besides radar.
One staff officer checked the position of the submarines and looked desperate.
“They found exactly where the three Seawolf-class submarines are anchored on the coast. Commander, I suggest we abort the operation.”
It meant nothing that they had revealed the location of the submarine.
It also meant that most of the operations planned by the Joint Combat Command were useless.
But the commander was not listening to him.
“We got a call from the Pentagon. This war is inevitable and unavoidable.”
“There will be massive casualties.”
“We have no choice. That’s what the people want.”
Most Americans wanted to show their power in this war.
Even if they backed down here, it would only delay the detonation of the bomb.
They didn’t expect to start with all their cards on the table, but they had no choice.
After all, soldiers always had to take responsibility for the failures of politicians.
Admiral Harrig, who was in charge of this operation, gave orders to the entire fleet.
“I announce to all the officers of the fleet. Our goal is to annihilate the fleet of the United Human Federation. The chances are not high, but not low either. We can win.”
Gulp.
Someone swallowed his dry saliva and Harrig unconsciously took off his cap and brushed his half-gray hair.
The beads of sweat on his forehead were not due to his well-trained body being weak.
“We don’t need any trivial plans. The enemy is almost alien. Each ship should respond to the Earth Fleet’s movements and use Hafnium-2 warheads without hesitation.”
“Let’s show those aliens who use their technology the power of America. God bless America.”
After the prayer, they began to cross the Pacific by fleet.
The military experts at the Pentagon were convinced that it was a 100% losing scenario.
The US Navy was blind and deaf, and the United Human Federation’s fleet saw everything.
There was also a huge power gap that made it impossible to give them a high chance of victory.
But they had to fight anyway.
How could the superpower America kneel down and surrender to a new country that had not been around for a few years?
Many people argued that they should cooperate with the United Human Federation and had a good impression of them, but there were also many people who rejected them.
That was the reality.
This war would decide who was right.
***
When a naval battle broke out at sea, intelligence officers struggled to figure out the exact course of the enemy fleet.
If it had been the usual America, they would have found out first by using reconnaissance satellites and planes.
But now they were almost blind and deaf.
The fleet’s intelligence officers didn’t need to bother, because the United Human Federation was broadcasting their course through a billboard.
Someone had filmed it and leaked it out, and it took about a minute for the fleet’s staff to get it.
Thanks to that, the Pacific Fleet knew that the Earth Fleet was heading straight for the North American continent.
“We estimate that we will encounter the United Human Federation’s fleet near Midway Atoll in eight hours. The bearing is about 275 degrees, and the distance is 950 miles.”
A few years ago, they wouldn’t have called it an encounter at 950 miles.
It was almost 1,500 km, and the US attack wouldn’t reach that far.
But as the United Human Federation’s weapons system emerged and each country tried to catch up, the specs of the hypersonic anti-ship missiles had risen a lot.
The huge investment in defense spending was slowly becoming a reality.
As a result, the standard engagement range of the major powers had increased to 1,000 km, and the US was almost 1,500 km.
If you look at the operational radius of the carrier-based aircraft and the range of the anti-ship missiles, it makes sense that the battle would start at that point.
They wished they could extend it further if they had reconnaissance satellites, but they couldn’t.
Admiral Harrig glared at the United Human Federation’s fleet that was slowly approaching and asked his staff.
“Do you know how many drones they launch per minute?”
“They launch almost simultaneously.”
“That’s right. The hull transforms in an instant and ejects all the drones at once. When we use all kinds of means to launch those hornets into the sky.”
The Gerald Ford-class aircraft carrier could launch up to 250 sorties per day when it entered intensive combat missions.
That meant they could launch 250 aircraft.
They could launch four at a time, so it was efficient, but the problem was that it took a long time to wait.
The carrier-based aircraft had to refuel before they could be deployed.
They had to reduce their weight as much as possible and land.
As a result, the airspace around the aircraft carrier on intensive missions was full of fighters waiting.
It was no wonder that the aircraft carrier was called a hornet’s nest.
While the US Navy was doing all kinds of efforts, the Earth Fleet projected its power very simply.
One military expert put it this way:
“The United Human Federation is waging a button war. Press a button and drones are launched in 10 seconds. They can launch dozens in a minute.”
When carrier-based aircraft landed on an aircraft carrier, they could only do four at a time, but when they took off, they could only do one at a time.
On the other hand, the Earth Fleet’s drone ships could store drones all at once.
Everything was done unmanned, so they were far ahead in efficiency.
The sensors and detection devices for tracking and capturing targets on missiles were incomparable.
They hadn’t actually torn them apart, but that’s what they said when they tracked the trajectory and hit rate of the missiles fired by the Earth Fleet.
In summary, the United Human Federation’s weapons system was at least decades ahead of the US Navy.
The military experts were not joking when they compared them to the Spanish conquistadors and the American natives.
Admiral Harrig adjusted his hat and said,
“Do you know what the president of the United Human Federation says like a habit? Efficiency. In his eyes, our carrier fleet is nothing but a money-eating monster.”
The staff who were listening attentively objected.
“Indeed, the United Human Federation is efficient. They have artificial intelligence monopolize the means of production and humans only have to survive. But what’s the point of being human then? We are not slaves of artificial intelligence.”
“Sure…”
Harrig thought differently.
President Yu Ji-ha emphasized efficiency to survive the Plague.
If he could get out of that crisis, he once said that he would no longer rule with artificial intelligence.
Some argued that such a remark was a typical deception of a dictator.
―Every dictator dreams of eternal power. Yu Ji-ha is no exception.
―He may say that, but he will change once he defeats America and takes over the hegemony.
That was the logic based on the fact that most dictators had done so.
But Yu Ji-ha’s dictatorship had a few differences from them.
He did not try to inject his ideology into the masses.
Most dictators usually put effort into their idolization, but there was none of that in Megacity.
The atmosphere of Megacity was also very free.
For example, Megacity Pacific was a melting pot of races, with people from many nationalities gathered.
There was racial discrimination and sometimes violence among many people, but the atmosphere itself was rather loose.
They did not interfere with the citizens as long as they did not commit crimes.
And that crime was also a common-sense level, which made the scholars who studied Megacity tilt their heads.
―Maybe Yu Ji-ha is not a dictator but a manager. He had to use some coercive means to build defensive facilities and herd people there to survive the Plague.
Recent political studies also flowed in this direction.
That Yu Ji-ha was not an alien or a prophet, but someone who had already experienced this situation.
―If he came from the future, all these questions would be solved. Dreams are likely to tell what he experienced.
―Then did humanity perish by the Plague in the future? If he came from the future, what means did he use?
There were countless discussions, but the US government did not listen with interest.
They were busy with solving immediate issues such as jobs.
It was a fact that people’s views on Yoo Jiha had changed recently.
It had something to do with the power he possessed.
―We can’t ignore Yoo Jiha anymore. It’s better to accept his dominance and become his followers in reality.
―The US won’t acknowledge him, so a clash is inevitable. I hope that clash ends with minimal damage, if possible.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like there would be no damage.
No, it was almost certain that there would be massive casualties.
The United Human Federation had brought out a complete unmanned fleet, but the US had mobilized nearly 150,000 troops on hundreds of warships.
There were even reports that the naval administration had prepared coffins in the tens of thousands.
They were ready to face such losses and fight.
Admiral Harrig wished he could avoid such a move, but he had no choice.
He was a soldier after all, and he had to fight according to orders.
Even if it meant going to his death.
The fleet advanced straight ahead and arrived near the Midway Atoll.
The Earth Fleet of the United Human Federation was waiting at a distance of about 2,000km.
The crew on the bridge stuck out their tongues at the sight of the fleet anchored in a dense formation.
“They’re too crowded, aren’t they? One hafnium bomb and 20% of them will be gone.”
“They must be confident that they won’t get hit by one.”
“Damn, it’s like an adult fighting a kid. Send out the scouts. We need to confirm their position first.”
A huge amount of data poured in from the early warning aircraft that took off.
Admiral Harrig gave an order.
“Since we’ve met, we should say hello. Launch the carrier-based aircraft.”
The wide deck became busy with take-off preparations.
* * *
The battle began with the fighter jets launched from the seven aircraft carriers firing hypersonic anti-ship missiles.
Dozens of Super Hornets fired AGM 283 Super Arrows in unison, and they broke through Mach 15 in an instant and approached the Earth Fleet directly.
The fleet headquarters thought that this attack would not inflict much damage on the Earth Fleet, but at least it would make them break their dense formation and scatter.
It was extremely difficult to intercept the AGM, which had a complex flight trajectory.
But the Earth Fleet did not respond until the missiles reached close range, and then suddenly transformed into railgun cannons.
And they fired them without hesitation.
The fleet headquarters was disappointed when they saw that the Earth Fleet had fired railguns.
“They’re trying to intercept AGM with railguns?”
“Are they too arrogant, even for the Earth Fleet?”
They believed that railguns could never intercept AGM.
The response time was too short and the accuracy was too low.
Railguns were popular as anti-ship weapons because of their terrifying range and firing speed, not their accuracy.
Moreover, the complex flight trajectory of AGM made it hard to intercept.
Unless they tracked its position in real time, there would be some delay, and in that short time, AGM would fly several kilometers.
Therefore, it was almost impossible to capture AGM with traditional detection methods.
Even the US had not found a way to intercept their own missiles before the iron beam. That was the harsh reality.
But the Earth Fleet did it.
Dozens of railgun projectiles hit the warheads of dozens of AGM that were rushing towards the Earth Fleet.
The missiles that were pierced through by the projectiles and their warheads flew a little more, but eventually they lost track of their target and fell into the sea.
The fleet headquarters learned of this by coincidence through the megacity’s billboard.
A minute later, the scene of AGM being intercepted by railgun projectiles appeared.
It was a CG video, but the composition itself was no different from what they had seen on the radar.
Unlike the bridge that was engulfed in heavy silence, the people who gathered around the billboard cheered ecstatically.
The disgruntled staff muttered briefly.
“Some of them are Americans.”
“They’re not Americans anymore. They’re citizens of the United Human Federation.”
Admiral Harrig took off his hat in tension.
“The enemy fleet has neutralized AGM with railguns. Prepare to intercept anti-ship missiles.”
“Interception system activated.”
Soon after, missiles were launched from the Earth Fleet’s integrated firepower ship.
They were exactly the same number and similar speed as the missiles fired by the hornets.
The Pacific Fleet scattered in unison and fired anti-aircraft missiles.
But the US Navy’s fleet was not the Earth Fleet.
Most of the anti-aircraft missiles failed to track the complex flight path and missed, and only a few succeeded in intercepting.
Dozens of Aegis destroyers activated iron beams in two stages, but some missiles penetrated even that and came in.
As clear lasers were drawn in the blue sky, five missiles broke through the fleet’s air defense network and approached within 5km.
The remaining time was one second.
The pre-activated CIWS spewed fire, but the response time was too short.
A hafnium2 warhead detonated above Aegis destroyer DDG-152.
The destroyer evaporated in an instant, and the surrounding warships lost their balance and were pushed back.
A few high waves hit the fleet that stretched for tens of kilometers sequentially.
The modern warships had great resilience, but they were temporarily unable to fight.
Even Admiral Harrig and his staff lost their balance and fell down.
“Damn! If they attacked then, we would have been completely finished.”
But the Earth Fleet did not mercilessly poke their weakness.
After firing one round of missiles, they quietly watched.
That made the Americans even more angry.
“Are they fighting while looking down on us?”
“Kill them! Kill them all!”
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