Invasion of the United States

Above, the air is filled with the buzzing of thick ventilation ducts, sounding like the breathing of the ship.

Xiao Jinlang and his team first went to the middle vehicle deck to check on the ten heavy trucks parked there. The rear compartments were open, revealing wooden crates sealed with foam and plastic wrap.

There were heavy-duty forklifts onboard that could move the crates out for inspection.

"What's in these?" Bell was unaware of the contents in the ten trucks; he was just transporting the goods.

"Just some cabinets," Xiao Jinlang replied, leaving out the biochemical equipment and such.

Oh... Bell nodded, somewhat understanding, and continued, "How much are they worth?"

"Over twenty million," Old Xiao didn't dare say three hundred million... US Dollars. He feared that if he did, this 'smuggler' might feel uneasy.

Bell let out an exclamation, "No wonder you're using a carrier to pick up this cargo. That's a lot of money."

Both sides began to discuss how to transfer the cargo. They would not initially transfer the expensive cabinets and dangerous biochemical items.

Watson was essentially a roll-on/roll-off ship, so the most convenient transfer method was naturally via the roll-on ramp at the stern and the side ramps.

There were also two 110-ton twin-column cranes near the helicopter deck. But for now, these couldn't be used, leaving only helicopters to perform the transfers bit by bit.

Additionally, since it was the first collaboration between the two teams and there was no coordination yet, they decided to first transfer Bell's cigars and liquors, which posed less risk.

Bell was very grateful, and... he summoned two CH-53K 'Super Stallion' heavy helicopters. Reader support at M*VLEM*PYR made this translation possible.

As they appeared, the seven massive rotors spun like a hurricane, and the low roar of the engines made waves on the sea.

The 'Super Stallion' has a maximum takeoff weight of thirty-eight tons and a maximum external load of sixteen tons. Compared to it, the Z-18 is like a toy.

The crew on the Watson was efficient, packing several containers of cigars and liquors into standard pallets, wrapping them in steel nets and hanging them on the 'Super Stallion's' hooks.

If it weren't for concerns about the Polaris's helipad being too small, it could take all the cigars and liquors in one go.

Even so, its loading efficiency was three to five times higher than that of a Z-18 — no comparison there, as the Z-18 has a maximum takeoff weight of under fourteen tons and a maximum external load capacity of only five tons.

The first few lifts went smoothly, but because they went too smoothly, the cargo couldn't move quickly off the landing pad on the Polaris, becoming a bottleneck limiting the transfer rate.

Bell proactively suggested that the 'Super Stallion' should fire drops to other ships in the Dongda fleet — Xiao Jinlang hesitated, unable to decide.

But the accompanying naval intelligence personnel nodded and said in a low voice, "We have real-time contact with the fleet. The superiors want to experience the 'Super Stallion' in action."

You won't see this elsewhere.

To be cautious, a Z-20 first skimmed low from a distance, delivering two aviation control officers to guide the 'Super Stallion' in takeoff and landing.

This time, it was to transport the cabinets.

Ten cabinets at a time, packed in standard pallets, wrapped in steel nets, and lifted by hooks. The 'Super Stallion' lifted them and flew straight to the 901 comprehensive supply ship fifty nautical miles away.

The crews of the two CH-53K 'Super Stallion' helicopters realized something was wrong when they confirmed the outline of the Polaris; their hearts dropped like Bell's.

What the hell scientific research ship? Isn't this the notorious 'drifter' of the Western Pacific?

Whenever the US military conducts an exercise in the Asia-Pacific, this thing sticks around like a fly to engage in electronic reconnaissance — who would have thought you bastards would engage in corruption too?

When the two Dongda control officers boarded the 'Super Stallion' cockpit, the atmosphere became even stranger.

The officers greeted with fluent English, holding radios in their hands, clearly intent on face-to-face communication and coordination.

The crew members glanced at the unexpected guests and wondered, "When did the 'drifter' start having officers like those of an aircraft carrier?"

Even the US pilots were speechless. Given the situation, nothing would surprise them anymore. Amid the roar of the 'Super Stallion' engines, the cabinets lifted steadily into the air, heading toward the 901 ship.

But the helicopter deck of the 901 ship remained pitifully small. When a fully loaded cabinet pallet landed, the ship's crew still needed at least half an hour to move it away.

This low efficiency drove them crazy. Hearing the report, the superior on the aircraft carrier gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, "I have a large enough deck. Let's see how much the 'Stallion' can carry!"

Thus, the two 'Super Stallion' helicopters received new instructions and roared towards the 'Scallion'.

In the night sky, the rotor's wind roared, and the crew peered through the portholes at the jump-jet deck in the distance, dumbfounded.

One pilot swallowed hard and muttered, "Oh, God, what are we doing?"

The copilot stared at the cleared deck below, the vast flat area flashing with runway lights, and couldn't help but curse, "Damn, this is the Dongda carrier!"

The initial plan was to drop and leave, but after talking with the carrier's bridge, a pilot actually maneuvered the helicopter to slowly descend.

Before the rotors stopped turning, he jumped out, yelling as he hit the deck, "Am I the first US pilot to land on a Dongda carrier?"

Well, since you're down here, you might as well look around — not seizing this opportunity would be a waste.

Seven or eight heads instantly popped up on the deck, cheerfully greeting him like old friends.

The three US crew members were invited to the carrier's dining room to eat, drink, and chat to enhance military relations — as for the 'Super Stallion,' they left it there, not a hair would be lost.

-----------------

The secret maritime transfer operation continued from dusk to dawn, non-stop throughout the night.

Helicopters from two carrier strike groups flitted like night owls, their rotor roars tearing through the dark, their engine heatwaves churning up waves.

The two carriers conducted night flight training, their decks brightly lit, alternating landings of Z-18s and CH-53Ks, burning a ton of fuel, with notable results.

The cargo transfer was smooth, the training was effective, and both sides gained substantial experience.

At dawn, with the morning fog still lingering, the two fleets quietly pulled apart, completely disengaging.

The Reagan turned north, heading straight for Tokyo Port, while the Scallion circled around Guam before leisurely heading back to the South Sea.

But on the day after the incident, a new wave arose.

The Reagan issued a public statement: During a night flight training, a CH-53K 'Super Stallion' experienced a sudden mechanical failure, lost engine control, and crashed into the pitch-black sea.

Fortunately, all three crew members survived. After crashing into the sea, they escaped successfully and held on with life vests and flares until the rescue helicopters arrived.

At least no one was lost.

But losing a helicopter made the US Military uneasy, leading the Pacific Fleet to form an investigation team to determine the exact cause of the 'Super Stallion's' crash.

Mechanical failure? Human error? Or excessive stress from night flight? There had to be an explanation.

The Minister of the Navy also ordered that the wreckage, even a mere frame, must be salvaged, not left to feed the fish.

This was no joke — a CH-53K 'Super Stallion' was outrageously expensive, costing 1 million US dollars just to build one.

Counting R&D fees, inflation, and full procurement costs, each unit approaches 1.4 million US dollars, nearly 10 billion RMB!

This amount could buy an F-35 stealth fighter. Even the spendthrift US Military would feel the loss painfully... it's impossible not to.

Equipment is meant to be used, and usage leads to losses, which then requires more funds from Congress — now the 'military budget crisis' makes the US Military wish the Dongda were a bit stronger.

In the days of the Cold War, with the Soviet threat, the US Military's funding requests were never denied.

Today's US Military really misses the Soviet era.

As for the Scallion, indeed, there was an extra seven-rotor heavy helicopter under the deck — but they figured no one would come looking for it.