No one in Great Xia or the rest of the world knew that Meng Hao had "died."
Tommy, that old fox, was currently trying to exploit the time difference.
While the world was unaware of Meng Hao's demise, he planned to continue the military exercises, scare off the Great Xia fleet, and simultaneously, using the new energy vehicles developed by Meng Hao, completely cripple Great Xia's economic circle.
This would maximize Meng Hao's profits.
It was truly a shame.
Meng Hao's relentless efforts over the past six months alone were enough to crush Great Xia's economic circle, seize the opportunity for joint military exercises and the blockade of Great Xia, and even help Test make billions of dollars annually.
If not for his own prodigal son, who, through a moment of negligence, caused Meng Hao's accidental death.
If Meng Hao had continued to live, how much profit could he have brought to the United States?
Even someone as prudent as Tommy sighed, lit a cigarette, and gazed into the distance, filled with endless melancholy.
...
In the United States, a piece of news was quickly released online.
The attention of netizens worldwide was instantly drawn.
"Joint exercises officially commence. The joint exercise fleet, comprising over a thousand vessels, will conduct comprehensive drills at the announced coordinates."
This announcement caused an uproar.
Damn it.
Was the United States playing this aggressively?
After all, from the coordinates released by the United States, they were precisely in the territorial waters of Great Xia.
Based on everyone's predictions and inferences, they had expected the United States to have some brief contact with Great Xia, followed by a cautious "friction."
Good heavens.
No one knew what the highest commander of the United States was thinking to directly steer the fleet towards the Great Xia fleet.
Of course, this couldn't be blamed on Lieutenant General Tommy's urgency.
After all, Meng Hao's disappearance due to being washed away by seawater, likely crushed into pulp, had happened in full view of everyone.
If they couldn't quickly use this opportunity to scare off the Great Xia fleet, and the news were to leak out, Great Xia might go mad and directly push its fleet to Australia's doorstep.
The global netizens were astonished by the United States' aggressive stance.
However, netizens in the United States appeared extremely excited.
"Look, what is military confidence? This is military confidence!"
"Great Xia is ultimately no match for us… The United States is forever the world's strongest military god."
"Trying to oppose us in the United States is basically impossible."
"Great Xia, it's time to admit defeat!"
"Hahahaha."
Amidst countless taunts and sneers, from the high-altitude aerial live broadcast, the massive joint fleet of the United States could be clearly seen continuously approaching the waters where the Great Xia's twin carrier fleet was located.
For Bruce, who should have been enjoying his glorious moment, he had no mood to observe what should have been the most shining moment of his life.
After two to three hours of emergency repairs, the leak in the seabed had been completely sealed, and the encroaching seawater had been drained.
"What… what is going on?"
When Bruce looked at the hundred-meter-long tunnel and the extremely spacious underground dry dock before his eyes, he swayed precariously, almost falling.
The facts proved that Meng Hao was not "dead" at all.
He had, damn it, escaped.
Right under his nose, he had escaped.
He immediately called Lieutenant General Tommy.
"What did you say?"
"The reason for the seawater flooding was that Meng Hao dug a giant hole beneath the base, and from the on-site investigation, this is likely a dry dock for developing and manufacturing submarines."
"To be precise, Meng Hao hadn't been idle for the past three to four months; he had been continuously developing and building an escape submarine."
"Bruce, Bruce, are you an idiot? Were you raised on shit? With such a massive undertaking by Meng Hao, you noticed nothing?"
Lieutenant General Tommy panicked.
If Meng Hao had died due to seawater flooding, it would have been a huge loss for him. In fact, after using the military exercises, disrupting Great Xia's economic circle, and unleashing the new energy vehicles developed by Meng Hao – these three moves – and after Meng Hao had already reaped immense profits for them, his death would have rendered him valueless.
However, if Meng Hao had escaped, the problem would be enormous.
After all, Meng Hao had never, from beginning to end, announced his intention to join the United States.
All the commotion he had caused earlier was deliberately fabricated by Lieutenant General Tommy.
He had gambled the national credibility of the United States to fabricate Meng Hao's application to join the United States, his renunciation of Great Xia's international commitments, and related audio recordings.
These documents would be immediately exposed the moment Meng Hao reappeared before the world.
Once that happened, Lieutenant General Tommy would not just face career setbacks.
He might very well end up on trial with Bruce.
Facing his own father's scolding, Bruce wept inconsolably like a mama's boy.
"Uncle, my dear uncle, it was William who was watching Meng Hao before. What does this have to do with me?"
"You know, I had no say in anything before."
"Now that Meng Hao has escaped, what should we do?"
Lieutenant General Tommy, enraged, threw his phone.
He had been brilliant his entire life, how could he have such an idiot for a son?
However, Bruce's words were not entirely wrong.
The main responsibility for Meng Hao's escape did not lie with him.
These were all William's doing.
No.
This news must be reported to Capitol Hill.
Otherwise, if Meng Hao truly escaped the waters around Australia and successfully returned to Great Xia, the situation would become dire.
...
Lieutenant General Tommy was quite efficient.
Barely ten minutes later, the highest-ranking officials of the US White House, unable to convene an in-person meeting, immediately started an online conference.
"This is the situation."
"Ladies and gentlemen, what are your thoughts?"
Facing the grave crisis of Meng Hao's escape, the various departments erupted in chaos.
"What is this situation?"
"If Meng Hao escapes, the first impact will be on the United States' national credibility and reputation; second, our military exercises and economic disruption plan against Great Xia will also fail; third, such a terrifying scientific genius like Meng Hao, who not only developed new energy vehicles that could generate hundreds of billions of dollars annually in over four months, but also secretly built a submarine… Such a person will surely harbor endless malice towards us in the future!"
Just as everyone was chattering about who should be held accountable, a muffled voice suddenly rang out.