Munitions Empire

"Radar hasn't detected any targets... wait..." On a radar-equipped destroyer of the Laines Empire, the radar operator was staring at his screen.

His radar started off normally, but soon interference occurred. The signals, like a pulsing heartbeat, became distorted, and peaks began to cluster together.

To him, it was as if hundreds of planes were flying directly in front of him, and he no longer knew how to report this.

An officer came over to examine the screen carefully, and was also bewildered. He had never seen such a situation, and then he spoke of the most likely cause: "Could the coil be faulty? Have the maintenance crew replace a part and try again?"

The radars produced by the Laines Empire were indeed not very stable; their best destroyers were equipped with radars from the Tang Empire, and these destroyers were not at the forefront of the fleet.

To manage the entire fleet and ensure the massive fleet advanced according to plan, many lead ships were needed, along with some ships to play a "management" role around them.

Similar to "herding," around the transport fleet, "sheepdogs" had to be deployed, responsible for vigilance and protection, as well as maintaining formation.

These "sheepdogs" were very important, so the Laines Empire had to place the advanced destroyers purchased from the Tang Empire at the rear of the fleet to serve as the lead ships of the convoy, or to rely on their faster speed for escort missions.

If it weren't for the fact that these advanced destroyers were indeed useful and diligently shuttling back and forth, the Laines Empire's fleet would have long fallen into disarray on its own.

Therefore, most of the advanced destroyers were at the back, and the destroyers paving the way at the very front were only the "secondary" destroyers produced by the Laines Empire.

These destroyers and cruisers were slow, their radar performance was outdated and unstable, and their only advantage was their formidable array of weapons.

"Report! Radio contact has been lost! Severe electromagnetic interference!" On the bridge, the communications officer removed his headset and reported anxiously.

Through the porthole, the lights on the side of the nearby cruiser, the Dream, were blinking, as they were inquiring about what had happened.

In an instant, the communication of the vanguard vigilance fleet was interrupted, and the radar systems also malfunctioned. Everyone was somewhat at a loss, but they could confirm one thing: it was impossible for all the ships' radars to have failed.

"Get in touch with the Laines carrier... we might have been detected!" On the bridge of the destroyer, the captain turned away from the cruiser Dream with a commanding tone: "Sound battle stations! Everyone to your posts! Prepare for anti-aircraft level one!"

"Anti-aircraft level one ready! All personnel to your posts!" Soon, red lights flashed in the dim, long corridor, and the sailors of the Laines Empire hurried through, climbing ladders to reach the deck.

One after another, the Bofors anti-aircraft guns pointed toward the sky, and everyone tensely watched the distant sea, awaiting the onset of a large battle.

The sea was not gentle; the location of Dragon Island wasn't in such a southern region. It was already late December, and it was no time for swimming.

Sparse sea spray splashed onto the life vests worn by the sailors of the Laines Empire, and the captain on the bridge once again looked at the communications officer, hoping for some good news.

"Report! There's no response from the Laines... or rather, we can't receive their response. I don't know if our message went out..." The communications officer felt that his report was somewhat infuriating, his voice growing quieter.

"Signal the Bowman Admiral... have them figure out a way to contact the flagship quickly!" The captain continued to order with a hint of exasperation.

If communication broke down, such a huge fleet wouldn't even need an enemy to attack it; it would fall into chaos on its own.

The fact that they could interfere with communication, how come no one investigated this before the battle? Learning about this only after the fight began, this is no joke!

As they prepared to restore communication, a guided missile struck the distant cruiser Dream directly.

The massive explosion made everyone instinctively shrink their necks, and all eyes turned to the exploding Dream, watching its exploding bridge and No. 2 turret.

"Damn! What's going on?" The captain of the destroyer Wave, standing upright, looked at the exploding Dream in the distance and said, shaken: "We've been attacked! Confirm the enemy's position! Find them! Send a telegram, inform the flagship Laines! We've been attacked!"

"Contact is lost, sir!" the communications officer quickly emphasized that they had already lost contact with the Laines.

"Keep trying to contact them! Don't stop until the Laines responds!" the captain shouted loudly, frustrated.

As he was shouting, a streak of light passed over their heads, directly hitting the Bowman Admiral following behind.

The small frame of the destroyer couldn't withstand the ravages of a guided missile; in just a second, the entire bridge and funnel were nowhere to be found.

Huge flames engulfed half of the destroyer's deck, the tall radar antenna frame fell amidst the flames, crashing hard onto the forward turret.

"Damn it! Enemy's anti-ship missiles! Radar operator... damn! Is the radar fixed or not?" Halfway through asking, the captain of the Waves realized his radar had also failed.

By now, he could almost certainly determine: his radar wasn't faulty, nor was his radio broken. This was all orchestrated by the Tang Empire and their interference!

But knowing is one thing; being able to counter or find a solution is another. He had no way out, watching helplessly as their Dream and Bowman Admiral turned into burning fireballs.

"The enemy's warships should be nearby!" Laines Navy Fleet's commander, also oblivious to the Tang Army's carrier-based aircraft upgrades and their ability to launch anti-ship missiles, arrived at what they believed to be the most reasonable inference.

After all, according to intelligence, only the Tang Army's warships could launch anti-ship missiles. Being attacked by anti-ship missiles meant the enemy fleet was already near.

"Quick! Notify Your Majesty as soon as possible that we've been attacked! Have carrier-based aircraft search for the enemy fleet! We must counterattack! Otherwise... it's all over!" The captain of the destroyer Waves shouted.

But everyone understands that logic; with communication cut off, the communications officer can't inform the main fleet behind them about their current situation...