Rolling waves smashed against the ship, as they shattered millions of tiny droplets against the invincible steel.

The radar and missile launchers on the guided missile cruisers were active and ready, waiting for the command to fire…

“Sir.” The young soldier looked at the officer. He was unsettled, as it was difficult to distinguish whether it was firm or panic in his green pupils. “What should we do?”

What should we do?

No one could answer the young soldier who had just left the military academy; even the seasoned veteran couldn’t. Since they were standing there, they were soldiers—just negligible screws in the massive war machine. They couldn’t make the decision?

Instead of thinking about this question without an answer, it would be better to think about a more realistic question…

What will we do?

Everyone asked the question in their mind, including the new recruits on the warships, including, of course, the one standing on the bridge.

Hogg showed nothing but malice as his destruction-filled pupils already narrowed into a line, like the Celestial Trade fleet that lined up on the high sea.

The Pacific Fleet, more than 150 kilometers away, responded affirmatively to the joint fleet with the first round of shelling.

He made a decision immediately, including forming the attack formation, sending out fighters, and sending out the destroyers…

He couldn’t act weak, not even a bit. Even if he wasn’t willing, he could only move forward.

Representatives of the countries watched him. The Capital, his people, and the world were all watching him. The countless gazes on him were like countless swords pressed against his back.

“Celestial Trade fighters are approaching quickly; our radar can’t lock onto them…” the lieutenant admiral said nervously.

“All fighters take off!” Hogg ordered.

“Roger!” The lieutenant admiral gnashed his teeth.

He already expected this to happen. When Xin and Country F fought previously, they verified that the F-35 was no match for the Aurora-20. However, despite this, he had no fear.

Although the Aurora-20 was strong, it wasn’t invincible. Under the cover of destroyers and missile cruisers, even if a group could only take out a squadron, the final victory would only belong to the joint fleet.

Although the electromagnetic pulse cannon was powerful, the ship carrying the cannon was still made out of steel. Anti-ship missiles and anti-ship torpedoes would take care of them, even if they could sink a few warships or even the aircraft carrier in the center, but what else…

As for space-based weapons?

At a distance of 36,000 kilometers, it would still take some time before those landed.

Hogg felt a lot more at ease after he issued the orders consecutively.

It seemed that the war was bound to happen…

“Twenty kilometers left.”

Twenty kilometers.

At the current speed of the destroyers, they would close the distance in just a few minutes. By that time, the joint fleet would’ve crossed the red line, and the Celestial Trade Pacific Fleet would respond with their electromagnetic pulse cannons. With the war bound to happen, there seemed to be no other alternatives.

When Lei Zheng received the report, he looked at the red dots that were gradually approaching on the radar. At that moment, his expression remained unchanged.

The naval fleet of five nations, forty-seven modern warships, and more than a dozen fighter squadrons… In his eyes, they didn’t seem to exist.

“Ten kilometers!”

The first officer’s eyes bulged out, staring at the distant sea. The veins on his arms were exposed as his palms were sweating profusely.

The two destroyers, one after the other, were marching towards the border.

At that moment, Lei Zheng suddenly raised his hand and fixed his cap.

“Five kilometers!”

Almost as the first officer shouted out this sentence, Lei Zheng took off the radio on his shoulder.

“All combat units, freely aim at all targets of the joint fleet except the aircraft carrier. Prepare—”

“Look! They-they changed course!”

An exclamation interrupted his command.

Lei Zheng’s pupils shrank and fixed on the holographic screen, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

The two destroyers at the forefront almost entered Xin’s territory. However, just two kilometers outside the border, they suddenly changed course and made a nearly 90-degree turn.

Not just the two destroyers retreated, but the joint fleet behind them…

Hill was crushed.

Thoroughly crushed.

She was a wise, strong, courageous, and tactical politician; otherwise, she wouldn’t have defeated her competitors to become the president. She had the best think tank, the best cabinet, but she lacked one thing…

The spirit of a wolf.

In this peaceful era, it wasn’t a quality that could be selected.

Fighting for social justice might help her gain votes, but that would never win a war for her.

When the Social Justice Warriors voted with joy and put the nuclear button in her hands, they trusted that she would never press the button to hell, but they never considered the consequence of the button never being able to be pressed.

If nuclear deterrence didn’t have a deterrence effect, could deterrence be called deterrence?

At the moment when she looked into Jiang Chen’s pupils, she felt that she was pulled out of her office and put into a colosseum.

The opponent standing in front of her was neither a savvy politician nor a great leader but an out-right lunatic, a fierce beast.

“Stop!”

At that moment, all the tricks, games, and even language had lost their effect.

What ultimately broke down her psychological defense wasn’t Jiang Chen’s eyes nor was it his sentence “are you ready?” but the tens of millions of families on the other side of the world and the century-long prosperity of their country…

It was the stakes in her hands that overwhelmed her.

She must not let nuclear war break out!

“Stop!”

In the tenth second of the countdown before the nuclear war, she screamed and pushed away her suitcase, ran to the Minister of Defense, grabbed his collar, and shouted with full strength that the “military exercise is now over,” “change course”…

History changed because of a word.

The destroyers retreated.

The joint fleet changed course.

The nuclear button on the screen also disappeared.

Staring at the emptiness on the screen, Hill gasped and took two steps back.

The word seemed to sap out all the energy in her body. If it wasn’t for the military adviser and the chief of staff holding her, she wasn’t even sure if she could stand.

After all, the war didn’t break out.

The strategy of returning to the Asia-Pacific and curbing Xin had now backfired along with UA’s hegemony.

From now on, nothing could stop the expansion of the Global Power Grid, and nothing could disintegrate the United Earth Defense Alliance. The entire world witnessed UA’s retreat and the rise of Xin. Even the UA Navy that had conquered the seven seas and five oceans couldn’t cross the boundary of one place.

The gate of Xin.