If Xi’an Base is the power behind Sea Eagle Country, then Sea Eagle Country’s lackeys would be even less likely to make a move.
"Our own compatriots wouldn’t attack Dawn Base, would they? After all, their human trafficking business hasn’t been exposed yet, right?" Long Zhan asked, confused.
"In that case, it seems there’s only one possibility!" Ji Yizhi said gravely.
"What possibility?" Long Zhan frowned.
But Wang Jun had already grasped Ji Yizhi’s meaning. "You’re saying it’s a force from Xi’an Base?"
"Mhm! Xi’an Base probably thinks Dawn Base captured their supply convoy!" Ji Yizhi nodded, offering his theory.
"So, does this mean we finally get to fight Xi’an Base?" Long Zhan suddenly grew excited.
In his eyes, Dawn Base was just a band of rogues, no match for a regular army. There was no sense of accomplishment in beating them!
But Xi’an Base? Now that was a different story!
As Sea Eagle Country’s backers, they were bound to have some of its elite units under their command.
"If that’s really the case, Old Long, you can’t let your guard down!" Wang Jun felt compelled to remind him. "Their strength is on par with ours!"
Long Zhan laughed. "I know. It’s been a while since we last crossed swords with them. My hands are itching for a fight. Let’s see if they’ve improved at all!"
Wang Jun knew his warning had fallen on deaf ears, but he trusted Long Zhan, and he trusted his men even more. ’We beat them back when we were outgunned and undersupplied; there’s no reason to fear them now!’
"According to the intelligence from Peach Blossom Base, they probably haven’t dispatched many vessels. We outnumber them several times over, so taking them down shouldn’t be a problem," Ji Yizhi continued. "However, based on the time it took from when Peach Blossom Base captured their supply ship to when they attacked Dawn Base, we can infer that Xi’an Base is located within a thousand kilometers of Dawn Base. This means that even after Old Long captures Dawn Base, he’ll likely face constant harassment from them in the future!"
Hearing Ji Yizhi’s analysis only made Long Zhan more excited. "Really? Excellent! Then I’ll just wait for them to send their ships over. For every one they send, I’ll capture one!"
"I’m worried they’ll just send an aircraft carrier. What will you do then?" Ji Yizhi asked, annoyed.
Long Zhan paused for a moment, then frowned. "They... wouldn’t do that, would they? The last geomagnetic storm should have affected nuclear power plants, right? Can their nuclear-powered carriers really still move?"
"I’m not certain. But the fact that Xi’an Base dispatched so many speedboats to search for Peach Blossom Base indicates they have a fairly abundant energy supply. It’s probably not oil—oil is a finite resource. It’s most likely nuclear power," Ji Yizhi continued his analysis.
A single refueling allows a nuclear-powered carrier to operate for decades. The speedboats could recharge from the carrier, which is why they could search for Peach Blossom Base so brazenly.
"If Xi’an Base really has a nuclear-powered carrier, why didn’t they just use it to take Dawn Base directly?" Long Zhan asked, frowning.
"Even nuclear power isn’t limitless; they have to conserve it when they can. Besides, Xi’an Base probably has its sights set on the World’s Roof, too. They’ve been staying on the periphery because our three fleets are here, and they don’t dare make a rash move," Ji Yizhi explained. "Furthermore, if they dared to use a carrier fleet to attack Dawn Base, they’d have to worry about our three carrier fleets retaliating in unison. Defeating Lvzhi Country’s Feixiang Aircraft Carrier already made our stance clear: An offense against Dragon Country will be punished, no matter the distance!"
Although the three carriers hadn’t moved in a long time, Xi’an Base couldn’t be certain how much fuel they had left. It was a gamble they weren’t willing to take.
"In that case, there’s nothing to worry about!" Long Zhan said with a laugh. "They were hesitant before, and they’ll still be hesitant after we take Dawn Base. Even if they do come charging in with a carrier, my fleet here is no pushover. Besides, I can always retreat! A carrier isn’t as fast as a standard warship. I can at least stall them until you guys get here, right?"
Wang Jun shook his head. "I wouldn’t be so sure. We’re too far from Dawn Base."
According to the pre-flood map of Dragon Country, the Aircraft Carrier Base is on the World’s Roof in the west, Xi’an Base is somewhere in the center, and Dawn Base is in the far east!
"That’s fine, too. We’ll just ask Peach Blossom Base for help!" Long Zhan said, completely unconcerned.
Ji Yizhi was exasperated. "Peach Blossom Base probably doesn’t have the means to deal with an aircraft carrier!"
Long Zhan blinked. "Why do you say that?"
"If they could handle an aircraft carrier, they wouldn’t have asked us to take out Dawn Base for them, nor would they need us to establish a second base in its place," Ji Yizhi replied, shaking his head.
Realization dawned on Long Zhan. "That’s true... Still, I believe that even if Peach Blossom Base can’t defeat a carrier fleet, they can at least protect themselves."
"That’s plausible. For them to be comfortable with us operating nearby, they must have the ability to defend themselves," Ji Yizhi agreed.
"Have you guys noticed that Peach Blossom Base has become much more relaxed in their dealings with us?" Wang Jun suddenly asked.
"Isn’t that normal? Our relationship is improving, we’re getting more familiar with each other, so of course things are more relaxed," Long Zhan said, as if it were obvious.
Ji Yizhi shook his head. "In an environment like this, good relations can’t be trusted. True relaxation only comes from an increase in one’s own strength."

Comments

Loading...