Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 175



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Episode 175 – Phoenix Rising

Admiral Son Il continued his report, suppressing his excitement at the great results of Operation Daeshingijeon, which had resulted in 1,550 missiles being fired at China.

But even with such success, she couldn’t suppress her worries.

“China’s communications system is paralyzed, but they will try anything. Please prepare thoroughly.”

“Yes. We are checking and confirming three and four times. We cannot allow this historic victory to be tarnished.”

“Yes. Thank you. Then, please continue your hard work.”

I tried to contact this manager right away because I was curious about China’s reaction and response.

“Manager. What do you think?”

“Yes. It is moving as expected. It is confirmed that China’s response system is not working.”

“It seems like we’ve bought some time.”

“Yes. As you might expect, the Chinese command system is down. The Chinese command, with its communications paralyzed, is issuing counter-attack orders via civilian communications.”

“…”

“The Chinese military’s field command is in a state of chaos trying to confirm the authenticity and authority of orders transmitted through civilian communications. It appears that the same goes for intelligence agencies.”

“I guess so.”

“The Chinese military has been detected making hasty moves to build a new command confirmation system. Once it is complete, a response is expected.”

“What are other domestic trends in China?”

“China is controlling the press in various ways.”

“…”

“OSSIA agents have been distributing videos of the raids and CNN reports on Chinese social media platforms like WeChat, and now it’s unstoppable.”

“Oh! The duke has already come in.”

“Of course. Haha. It’s not something that can be done in a day or two. According to the information assets within the Communist Party, the atmosphere is that ‘you’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest for no reason.’”

“Still, we won’t be able to break Xi Jinping’s stubbornness.”

“It seems likely. It appears that one of Xi Jinping’s associates was killed by two missiles that landed in Zhongnanhai, Beijing.”

“They turned our capital city, Shinheung Camp, into a wasteland, so that’s nothing.”

“Yes. Thanks to the consideration of the leader, my house and garden that I had worked so hard to maintain at Shinheung Camp have also disappeared.”

“The farm that Director Kim Wan-jun cherished so much…”

“Anyway, this missile strike seems to have been a clear warning. And it has had unexpected results.”

“Oh! What is it like?”

“It seems that there will be a major reshuffle in the Chinese intelligence agency. There is a mood that we should hold our OSS accountable for failing to gather information and make judgments about the feasibility and level of this operation.”

“Did they really fail at intelligence analysis?”

“No. The People’s Liberation Army General Staff Department Intelligence Department and the Ministry of State Security issued warnings. However, the Communist Party leadership largely ignored them and did not take any action.”

“Then that’s right…”

“But when something actually happened, I think there needed to be someone to hold responsible.”

“Is there anything good for us if the Chinese intelligence service’s human resources are replaced?”

“Haha, several of our OSSIA intelligence assets have been promoted to high-ranking positions.”

“Oh~ I’m glad to hear that. What’s the highest position among them?”

“It seems that some of them will take the positions of deputy director and director of the Intelligence Department of the General Staff Department of the People’s Liberation Army. After this attack, all the deputy directors and deputy directors were suddenly dismissed, so the section chiefs and directors below them will take their place.”

“You have multiple assets, not just one?”

“Yes. It is an asset that I have been working on since my days at the National Intelligence Service. So, since I have been developing this asset since he was a junior officer, it can become a solid line.”

“Wow~ The number two person in China’s top intelligence agency is one of our people…”

“It was worth all the hard work of the past decades. Haha.”

“Well… in that case. I think it would be good to create information that our original plan was to use all missiles to reduce Beijing and Zhongnanhai to rubble, and then leak it through our intelligence assets.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. It’ll be a great gift for him.”

“haha.”

“And if the Communist Party leadership were to hear that, it would send shivers down their spines. Haha.”

…

China, hit by 1,550 missiles during the anti-ship strike, was thrown into chaos.

Confusion gave way to anger when it became known to the Communist Party Central Committee that the OSS’s initial target was Beijing and that they intended to reduce Zhongnanhai to rubble.

But China’s anger could only lead to helplessness, because it was difficult to deploy military and diplomatic countermeasures.

It’s not that China didn’t have missiles, but with all military communications networks cut off, the command system couldn’t function properly.

Moreover, China had no proper planned targets for OSS and could not create any new ones.

The OSS had most of its facilities on ships at sea, with the exception of the emerging camps, which meant that targets were difficult to pinpoint.

TMSH, which was close to the new camp, was not of great strategic significance as it was a backup supply base.

And Kiribati OSS-LAND was 12,000km away from China, and Marshall Camp was also over 6,000km away.

If an intercontinental ballistic missile with a conventional warhead rather than a nuclear warhead had been used to travel that distance, it would not only be cost-effective, but also would not be able to guarantee accuracy.

In the end, the only way for China to strike the OSS was to pursue the fleet, but with their communications and information networks paralyzed, they had no way of doing so.

We needed a strong warning that China would use high-intensity asymmetric power, that is, the nuclear card. We requested the United States to make a statement based on the NDCA.

In response, the United States once again declared that if any NDCA member country is attacked by a nuclear attack, it will immediately launch a nuclear counterattack several times the size of the attack.

Moreover, it has been confirmed once again that this would be a blow that would cause any country on Earth to lose its national functions in an instant.

If China were to use nuclear weapons, the United States, the Far East Republic, and North Korea would all launch nuclear counterattacks, and all of China’s cities would be reduced to rubble.

…

I was checking the movements and situation of the Chinese military in the situation room on the ARK.

The screen on the TV that was always on on one side of the situation room changed and the CNN logo and the text ‘BREAKING NEWS’ began to flash.

Something had happened again.

*** CNN BREAKING NEWS ***

[ … In the Middle East, where tensions are high, the US military has launched large-scale airstrikes against Iran. Let’s connect with Alex Thompson, who is on the scene reporting from the scene.

“Hello. I am currently aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. You will be able to see Tomahawk missiles being launched in succession from the US fleet behind me.”

The broadcast camera panned and zoomed over the reporter’s shoulder to show Tomahawk missiles being fired one after another from various warships and submarines in the U.S. fleet.

“According to the US Navy, the primary target is Iran’s strategic military facilities.”

The camera followed the F-35C fighter jet taking off from the aircraft carrier with a loud noise behind the reporter.

“Already in the skies, F-35 fighters are securing air supremacy and conducting initial air strikes.

Additionally, F-22s from Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia are reportedly taking part in the operation.

“The strike force is on a mission to neutralize Iranian air defenses and radar systems.”

The screen then switched to show an F-35 fighter jet taking off vertically from an amphibious assault ship.

“The name of this operation, Operation Phoenix Rising, signifies retaliation for the recent large-scale drone strikes by Iran and direct US intervention in the Middle East war. That was Alex Thompson aboard the Gerald R. Ford.”

“Thank you, Alex. Middle East reporter Adrian Khoury will bring you the latest news.”

“The US State Department announced that it had declared the cause of the Middle East war to be Iran, the new ‘axis of evil’ behind Hamas and Hezbollah, and that it had started the war to punish them. Operation Phoenix Rising is seen as a direct response to Iran’s preemptive attack on a US aircraft carrier, as well as a strategic choice to support Israel’s territorial recovery.

In addition, the goal is to secure maritime control of the Strait of Hormuz and stabilize the supply of crude oil from the Middle East. It is known that the 1st Marine Division of the US has been deployed for a landing on the Iranian mainland.

The 1st Marine Division is the most elite U.S. amphibious unit with a history of landing on Guadalcanal during the Pacific War in World War II, and represents the U.S. military’s will to ensure the success of the operation.”

“Thank you, Adrian. We have a CNN reporter with the 1st Marine Division right now. Let me connect you with our war correspondent, Eugene Kim.”

CNN footage showed an AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter taking off from an amphibious assault ship, followed by Marines boarding amphibious assault vehicles and landing craft.

The camera focused on the reporter’s face, and behind her, numerous attack helicopters were flying overhead. The sound of explosions exploding one after another and the smoke rising in the distance were relayed directly on the TV screen.

“Hello. This is Eugene Kim from CNN. I am currently aboard a landing craft heading to the beachhead secured by the 1st Marine Division.”

“Eugene Kim! Isn’t it dangerous to be inside a landing craft?”

“The 1st Marine Division launched an attack simultaneously with the US Navy’s airstrikes and secured a beachhead by occupying Minab, south of the port of Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The camera focused on the faces of the Marines inside the landing craft, and the Marines whose eyes met the lens seemed to give a thumbs-up or give a solemn look in their eyes.

“If the US Marines use Minab as a bridgehead and capture the port of Bandar Abbas, a full-scale landing is likely to follow.”

“Eugene Kim. I know that Iran’s military power is formidable. How were you able to successfully land in such a short period of time?”

“Yes. According to a senior US Marine Corps commander, Iranian forces are spread across Iran, Iraq, and Israel, and the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is still stationed in Israel.”

“Did the US military wait until there was a strategic gap?”

“It was a large-scale war, and Iran was hit by an unexpected blow. I think they chose strategic patience until they were confident of victory.”

– Tuk-tuk!

“The landing craft has now arrived on shore. The landing craft’s doors will likely open soon.

The reporter will continue to report the news along with the Marines.

* * * * * *

…