Chapter 887: Negotiating a Big Deal

The morning after the cruise ship was found, high-ranking Navy officials and a Defense Department commissioner joined a conference call.

Surprisingly, the meeting wasn’t chaired by any active naval officer or defense official, but by an ordinary civilian—Lynch.

“…Throughout this incident, our Navy has exposed some critical weaknesses. For example, we were unable to quickly and effectively locate a potential intruder in federal waters.”

Lynch’s statement left everyone on the line silent—because it was true. The cruise ship had been missing for six days, and in all that time, the Navy had found nothing.

They had deployed nearly twenty ships of various sizes to search for it, yet came up empty.

If Lynch’s airplane hadn’t spotted it first, the search might have dragged on even longer.

A rear admiral finally spoke, trying to defend the Navy. “Mr. Lynch, I understand you’re angry as a victim, but that doesn’t mean the Navy did nothing. We simply didn’t perform as well as you expected.”

“This isn’t entirely our fault. It’s like calling the police when you’re in trouble—everyone knows to do that, but the police can’t appear instantly. These things take time.”

“Even without planes, we would have eventually found the ship. It wouldn’t have taken much longer.”

Several senior officers agreed. People who’ve never been to sea don’t understand what the ocean is really like.

Many assume the horizon stretches far, but in reality, visibility is limited. Sometimes, simply not seeing something can mislead you into thinking you’re off course, causing missed targets.

Lynch’s laughter came through the line, irritating many of the naval officers. Some were ready to propose ending the meeting, but then a voice cut in—the Navy Vice Admiral, currently serving a sentence at home.

“Let him finish. Lynch, I believe you didn’t call this meeting just to vent.”

With that, the idea of ending the call was dropped. Everyone knew that once the Vice Admiral’s sentence was up, he would likely become the Federation’s next admiral.

Given his combat record defeating the supposedly invincible Gephra fleet, he might even become the first truly empowered Grand Admiral in Federation history.

His words carried weight—more than Lynch’s, at least among the military and Defense Department officials.

“Gentlemen, you know better than I do how brutal war can be. War does not allow us to compromise on time.”

“If we detect the enemy earlier, we can prevent attacks on our coastal cities and ports.”

“If we lock onto the enemy earlier, we gain the initiative and can strike first.”

“The word first is critical in war. This hijacking proves it. If we had used airplane for wide-area reconnaissance from the beginning, I might have been back on federal soil days ago.”

The Vice Admiral agreed. He had followed the entire rescue operation and knew how vital the airplane had been. “We’ve already ordered two hundred planes. We’ll integrate them into our new combat framework as needed.”

“That’s not quite what I meant, Admiral—though it’s related.”

“I heard the planes made multiple trips during the search. If we had more takeoff points, they could’ve done even more.”

“Just say what you’re thinking, Mr. Lynch. We’re not good at word games. Be direct.”

The voice belonged to an older man—likely another rear admiral.

Lynch chuckled. “Alright. In simple terms, I propose we establish a comprehensive reconnaissance network across Amellia and Eastern Oceans—build more airfields and ports for rapid response.”

“Maybe we’ll hear about the Gephra fleet the moment it leaves port. And while they still know nothing, we’re already waiting for them.”

“This information asymmetry gives us a higher chance of victory. Gentlemen, if our airplane had already covered Amellia a week ago, you would have known what happened to the cruise ship—and where it was going.”

“Additional supply ports would ensure our fleet can receive resupply and even repairs anywhere, anytime.”

“If war breaks out, we’ll have an overwhelming strategic advantage.”

Lynch’s proposal made the officers pause. The biggest problem during the search was simply not being able to find the ship.

No one knew where it had gone. That uncertainty is exactly what allows modern pirates to thrive—they have no base. They move wherever it’s easy to operate. When things get tight, they disappear.

If they can’t be chased or cornered, they can’t be eliminated.

It also exposed how outdated the military’s response mechanisms were. What if the cruise ship had been an enemy warship or a combat group?

They had stayed offshore from the Federation’s west coast for days undetected. That meant, if they had wanted to, they could have shelled any coastal city at any time.

That would be total vulnerability.

Lynch’s proposal—to build an aerial reconnaissance network over Amellia and Eastern Oceans—was starting to appeal to naval leadership.

They had just seen the value of airplane: much faster than any cruiser—many times faster.

Speed is the key to victory in war.

Adding supply ports made the idea even stronger.

Lynch had mentioned the concept to the Vice Admiral before, but the Vice Admiral hadn’t yet understood the full potential of airplane, so he gave no response at the time.

Now, he understood at least one thing clearly: planes were fast. While naval ships made one round trip, the airplane had done ten or more. There was no comparison.

And airplane could reportedly drop bombs too—crucial for attacking enemy ships. The Vice Admiral was already tempted.

After a pause, he said, “There are still two issues.”

“First, we’re not yet convinced of the irreplaceability and necessity of airplane. They have value, sure, but not enough yet to justify the massive budget this would require.”

“You must demonstrate their irreplaceable and strategic importance. Convincing Congress won’t be easy.”

“Second, airplane are still very new. It’ll take time to fully understand their potential. We can’t throw our full weight behind development while we’re still in the early trial stages. It has to be a gradual process.”

“Technology advances every day. It might not be long before something new replaces it. I’ve heard… the company’s Sky Fortress project is nearly complete—we need a basis for comparison.”

The Sky Fortress was a highly classified project focused on creating an aerial battleship.

At least two twin-mounted main guns were the minimum specification, and even that was enough to interest the Federal military.

Once this thing was in the air over enemy territory, nothing could stop it.

The military had been backing this top-secret project all along. Many believed it represented the true future—at least until Lynch’s airplane appeared.

This was the first time Lynch had heard the project’s name, but he didn’t care. “There’ll be a small-scale armed conflict in a few days. airplane will operate in coordination with Blackstone Security’s ground forces.”

“Then you’ll see what planes can really do. They’re far more capable than you imagine.”

“I don’t know if the Sky Fortress is what I think it is. If it is, then I can only say—it represents the wrong future. airplane are the real future!”

After the call ended, everyone reflected on the chain of events triggered by the incident.

Lynch made a call to Lime—he needed to know whether his account was full.

To his surprise, Lime didn’t answer. He then called the exchange, which confirmed there were no issues with his account.

The manager, sounding a bit envious, informed Lynch he’d made another big profit. When asked about Lime, the manager said he hadn’t seen him at the exchange for two days.

That was highly unusual. In Eminence’s financial world, traders only stayed away from the exchange on days off. Normally, they spent all day there.

Some firms even rented entire floors or offices within the exchange building.

Lime being gone for two days—something had definitely happened to him.

“Do you have any media contacts here?” Lynch asked as he returned to the bedroom. The girl was still resting.

She’d hidden in a ventilation duct for two days and had to take care of her personal needs in there twice. The experience had left her completely drained.

Her mind still hadn’t recovered.

“You can call my agent. She’ll know what to do.”

Soon, every major media outlet on the West Coast received the news: Lynch was holding a personal press conference—with a major announcement.