A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 640 We are the Falcons! We are the nails guarding this ancestral sea!

"Report!" Sonar and radar operator Xiao Zhao suddenly reported, interrupting Liu Huaqing's pleasant fantasy.

"Captain, radar room reports that a large number of floating objects have been spotted on the sea surface, slowly drifting northeast with the wind."

"Understood. Notify all stations to prepare for close-range search."

Liu Huaqing walked out of the command room, picked up his binoculars, and saw shattered wing fragments, torn skin, and even a few pieces of orange-yellow debris scattered on the undulating dark blue sea through the binoculars.

"Huh, is that all? This plane is lucky; it didn't fall apart!"

Suddenly, a deep and steady rumble came from the sky above, drowning out the sound of the minesweeper's own engine.

Liu Huaqing looked up and saw a massive, imposing aircraft with a huge, disc-shaped radar dome mounted on its back circling in the air. Its distinctive silhouette cast a reassuringly large shadow in the twilight sky.

"Hiss... Is this what they call an early warning aircraft? 'That kid' always manages to produce something that surprises people!"

Liu Huaqing held up his binoculars, ignoring the people waving "close neighbors" at them from the wreckage of the P2V plane ahead, and instead stared greedily at the large plane in the sky.

"Wow, it's huge! It's as big as our minesweeper captain. If something this long can fly in the sky, then making an even longer one to sail on the sea shouldn't be a difficult task for it!"

At this moment, the other comrades on the minesweeper also ran to the deck, ready to witness this rare sight.

Some soldiers even cheered with joy.

Unexpectedly, the large plane ignored them, took off, and disappeared without a trace...

"Tsk tsk, it's great that it can fly..." Liu Huaqing sighed twice, then shouted to the soldiers on the deck, "Alright, stop looking! Prepare for salvage operation!"

"Damn, this plane even has airbags to support it! That saves us trouble! We don't even need to arrange for divers!"

"Hahahaha... This time the enemy is quite self-aware, so we don't even need to ask our superiors for a reward!"

The soldiers laughed as they carried the cable onto the deck, preparing to tie up the plane floating on the sea and drag it home.

Just then, the communications radio in the bridge suddenly burst out with urgent calls: "Seahawk! Seahawk! Airborne Early Warning System 1 calling! Airborne Early Warning System 1 calling!"

Back in the command room, Liu Huaqing felt a chill run down his spine and grabbed the microphone: "Sea Eagle received! Go ahead!"

"Seahawk, our aircraft has detected an unidentified large surface vessel approaching your current mission area at high speed from the southeast! Heading 315, speed exceeding 30 knots! Approximately 120 nautical miles away! Repeat, intentions unknown! Please be on high alert!"

"It's a large warship! Over a hundred meters long..."

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of white noise filled the entire radio station...

"KJ-1, Sea Eagle received! Please continue to monitor the target's movements! Report back immediately!" Liu Huaqing frowned, but still insisted on finishing his sentence before putting down the receiver, his palms slightly damp and cold.

The bridge command room fell silent instantly, the air seemed to freeze, save for the hissing of the radar screens and the continuous low growl of the engines. All eyes were fixed on Liu Huaqing.

"Over 100 meters..."

"Crack..." The telescope made a sound as Liu Huaqing squeezed it.

"Captain, remap the target's location and predict the course!"

"Yes!" The navigator's finger moved quickly across the nautical chart, and the pencil drew a new line. The thick line representing the "unidentified large surface vessel" was like a venomous snake poised to strike, fiercely stabbing towards the location of the P2V wreckage that they were remarking.

"Sea Eagle, Sea Eagle! What's the situation over there? Airborne Early Warning and Control System No. 1 has detected an unidentified large vessel approaching you!" The urgent voice of the naval commander also broke into the ears of the minesweeper soldiers.

"Report! Our vessel has just arrived at the mission area! We have visually inspected the crashed aircraft. The aircraft is mostly intact, and many of its crew members are alive. Our ship is preparing for recovery operations!"

"Okay! Let's act quickly and rescue them first. We can discuss the plane later!"

The static on the radio grew louder and louder, but Liu Huaqing could still hear his comrades reporting to their superiors:

"Report! Emergency supplementary notification from KJ-1! This ship...this ship's course remains unchanged, and it is crossing...crossing the baseline of our claimed territorial sea! They...they have intruded!"

"Confirmed, it's the Bald Eagle destroyer! DD-744..."

"Thorn..."

"Thorn..."

For some reason, the radio station's previously clear communication was struggling to cope with the inexplicable increase in white noise.

However, the words "broke in" made Liu Huaqing's eyes widen.

"They've intruded!" These four words struck the hearts of the bridge crew like a hammer blow. Intruding into the territorial sea baseline—this was blatant aggression! It was a probe, but a provocation! The air in the bridge instantly ignited; angry whispers and the clicking of clenched knuckles were clearly audible.

"Sea Eagle, Commander Hai commands you to return immediately..."

"Click..." Captain Liu Huaqing pressed the communication button, wanting to say something, but the increasingly loud white noise made him give up.

"Comrades, are we going to pick up those drowning dogs and then turn back?"

"Damn it! Captain! Don't let me underestimate you!" The chief engineer suddenly emerged from the engine room in the bilge.

A pair of large, dark hands casually rubbed against his thigh: "Report, Captain! Everything in the engine room is normal. If needed, I can guarantee that we won't break anchor while accelerating to 13 knots!"

"Captain! Our 37mm gun isn't something to be trifled with!" The gunner, with a half-smoked cigarette between his teeth, spat out a mouthful of smoke: "Damn it! So what if it's a hundred meters long? We've captured guys that big before!"

"Hahaha..." The soldiers naturally understood what the gunner was referring to. Yes, that "landing ship," now being used as a large-scale drying ground for salted fish, was the vehicle of a certain principal.

Liu Huaqing also had a smile on his face, but when he glanced past Xiao Zhao, who was both a sonar operator and a radar operator in front of him, he couldn't help but sigh. There were only a few people in the entire naval fleet who were good at both!

"Little Zhao, are you scared?"

"Don't worry, Captain! Don't even think about abandoning me. I'm a pro at using radar! Oh, and could you drop our BAT audio minesweeper later? I can hear the propellers on the other side beforehand!"

Hey, so what if you heard it...? The detection range of the acoustic mine detector is less than five kilometers. You don't even need to hear it; you can see it just by looking...

The difference in tonnage between naval vessels is simply too significant...

The radio continued to broadcast communications, and for some reason, the white noise suddenly decreased significantly.

"Nonsense... Navy lord... what are you doing...?"

Haha, it seems like our boss got reprimanded by his superiors!

Liu Huaqing suddenly felt like laughing. He really wanted to see what expression the big boss had now. Hmm, never mind, considering he attracted "that person" and significantly boosted the navy's combat power, he'd be nicer to him.

"Sir, please don't blame our leader. This was all done voluntarily! We're the closest to them!"

After he said that, the white noise returned.

Liu Huaqing reluctantly put down the communicator, suddenly realizing: he might never see his newly designed ship sailing the skies...

Shaking his head with a self-deprecating laugh, Liu Huaqing looked back at his comrade-in-arms:

"Since you all agree... Communicator, activate the ship's broadcast system! Issue my order! All ships, prepare for battle!"

The piercing battle alarm sounded, accompanied by Liu Huaqing's speech, reaching the ears of all the sailors on the ship:

"Comrades, the situation has suddenly changed! The bald eagle's destroyer has broken in, heading straight for the crash site. They're up to no good! What are we? We are the Falcons! We are the nails guarding this ancestral sea! Today, even if it's an aircraft carrier on the other side, as long as it dares to cross the line, we, this minesweeper, will show it what the backbone of the Chinese soldiers is!"

Liu Huaqing paused, emphasizing each word: "We are the guardians of this sea frontier! Behind us lie the lights of countless homes! The secrets hidden in the wreckage concern national dignity, and we will never allow foreign invaders to lay a finger on them! The deck of the minesweeper may be narrow, but our backbone is strong enough! In a narrow encounter, the brave will prevail! Now, I order—"

Liu Huaqing pointed sharply forward, his arm like a drawn sword, towards the intersection on the nautical chart marked with the P2V wreckage and the predicted route of the "Blue": "Target area, full speed ahead! Prepare for battle!"

"Yes! Target area, full speed ahead! Prepare for battle!" the first mate roared, repeating the order with a resolute, broken voice.

The command traveled like an electric current throughout the entire submarine. In the engine room, the engineer, shirtless with his bulging, bronze-colored back muscles, slammed the two massive throttle levers to their full height!

"Two cars in the fourth position! Push them up!"

He roared at the air, his voice drowned out by the sudden, deafening roar of the engines. The entire hull seemed to be violently shoved from behind by an invisible giant hand, the bow suddenly rising high, tearing through the dark blue sea and carving out a huge, angry, churning white trail.

On deck, the soldiers staggered towards their battle stations, braving the strong, salty sea wind. At the main gun position, the gunner's thick arms, veins bulging, turned the heavy 14.5mm twin-mounted machine gun mount, the muzzle stubbornly pointing towards the unknown sea to the southeast.

Gunners gritted their teeth and carried heavy ammunition boxes to their gun positions, the golden shells reflecting a cold light in the minesweeper's searchlight.

There were no superfluous words, only the clanging of metal, rapid breathing, and the almost frenzied roar of the engine, all converging into a silent yet surging torrent.