Wu Yuanjia stated, "Exactly. They have delivered their final warning. Our satellite reconnaissance detected that by this afternoon, the total number of naval warships surrounding us from the five nations had reached thirty-seven. Perhaps they feel their current strength is sufficient, which is why they issued the ultimatum!"

Liu Hui inquired, "Besides 'Star City,' have our operations in other countries been affected in any way?"

Jiang Lu replied, "Boss, the actions against Star Group are currently confined to the sea. Our business in other nations remains unaffected for now. However, purely as a safety precaution, we have temporarily halted construction on 'Star City' and suspended all maritime transport services."

Wu Yuanjia added, "The news that the Boss left 'Star City' and his whereabouts are unknown has likely reached Europe. Over the past two days, our satellites have observed unusual movements among the warships of Britain, France, and Germany; their vessels have also begun maneuvering toward our 'Star City.' The only issue is that they are simply too far away; by the time their warships arrive, it will likely be a week later."

Liu Hui said, "So, what was your decision regarding the ultimatum from those four nations?"

Hu Xian'er interjected, "Because we weren't sure how you managed your relationship with those countries, and out of fear of disrupting your long-term plans, we didn't make any concrete decisions. However, we did reach a consensus just now: if any warships actually launch an attack after midnight, we will retaliate decisively and annihilate every single one of them."

Liu Hui settled onto the sofa and nodded, saying, "En, very good! I understand the situation now. These few nations want to take advantage of my absence to make a move against Star Group. It is currently nine in the evening, leaving three hours until their ultimatum expires. Well then, before their deadline arrives, let Star Group give those greedy fellows outside a lesson they will never forget! If actions are taken without consequence, then this world has no hope."

Upon Liu Hui’s safe return, the senior management of Star Group instantly felt they had their anchor. Facing the immense pressure of the five fleets for days had kept their nerves frayed, but only now, with Liu Hui taking charge, did they finally exhale. Unconsciously, Liu Hui had become their omnipotent, supreme Boss in their minds—as if no problem in the world could stump him, and as long as the Boss was present, everything could be perfectly resolved. Even when the Boss decided to teach those nations a lesson, they didn't view it as a major issue.

Liu Hui asked, "Are our two super-submarines and four hover-fighters still out searching for my trace?"

Wu Yuanjia confirmed, "Yes, they are still tracking the Boss's movements."

"Then recall them immediately! Simultaneously, activate the energy weapon systems aboard 'Star City,'" Liu Hui commanded.

The operations center promptly began hailing the super-submarines and hover-fighters searching outside, instructing them to return to 'Star City' swiftly. Under the operation of the weapon specialists, over three hundred electromagnetic cannons and laser weaponry, concealed in various secret locations across 'Star City,' were fully powered up, ready to defend the station from the sky and beneath the waves.

Liu Hui ordered, "Bring up the satellite imagery around our 'Star City.'"

At the operators' command, Star Group's satellites in orbit adjusted their trajectories and began emitting powerful Spiritual Qi wave pulses toward the sea area near 'Star City.' By analyzing the reflected waves of the Spiritual Qi pulses, the satellites could ascertain the precise conditions of the surrounding waters and feed that detailed information back into the computer system of the command center aboard 'Star City.'

Thus, even though the outside world was plunged into complete darkness, the exact conditions within a two-hundred-kilometer radius of 'Star City' were clearly displayed on the command center’s computers. On the screens, the precise distribution of the five fleets outside was vividly rendered, making the current strategic situation immediately obvious to anyone observing.

An operator reported, "Boss, within two hundred kilometers of 'Star City,' we have located thirty-seven enemy naval warships and thirteen underwater submarines. Their vessel types and nations of origin have all been clearly labeled."

Liu Hui glanced at the location of the Philippine fleet and smiled, "You've done excellent work. Order our hover-fighters to deploy immediately and eliminate every single Philippine warship."

Liu Hui was deeply angered that even a minor nation like the Philippines dared to challenge him, so he chose the unfortunate Philippines as the first target to 'slaughter the chicken to frighten the monkeys' tonight.

With that, the ceiling of a hidden hangar aboard 'Star City' slid open, and two large, prepared hover-fighters immediately ascended vertically, rapidly flying toward the position of the Philippine naval vessels.

The fuselages of these hover-fighters were intricately inscribed with energy absorption arrays, and they maintained contact with the command center via Spiritual Qi communicators, rendering them completely invisible to conventional electromagnetic radar.

The two hover-fighters launched from 'Star City,' following the coordinates displayed on the computer, and soon arrived over the sea area occupied by the Philippine fleet. The Philippine Navy consisted of two aging destroyers and one frigate, positioned directly to the west of the U.S. Navy fleet at that moment.

A few days prior, the Philippine government had suddenly received a slew of empty promises from the United States. These promises sounded grand, requiring only that the Philippines send their dilapidated domestic warships to the Western Pacific and follow U.S. command. Eagerly accepting the American assurances, the Philippines dispatched their weak navy to cluster near the American forces, ready to execute probing attacks on 'Star City' under U.S. direction. In the minds of the Filipinos, this operation was guaranteed to succeed because they stood alongside the world's most powerful military; there was no logical reason for failure.

What the Philippines failed to anticipate was that the United States was merely using them to test the attitude of 'Star City.' If Liu Hui were truly missing and Star Group was thrown into leaderless chaos, they wouldn't mind completely seizing 'Star City' and gaining possession of the greatest miracle city of the new century. If Liu Hui was indeed still within 'Star City' and the news of his absence was false, they would immediately withdraw. After all, Star Group possessed laser weaponry; their powerful carrier battle groups had been unable to overcome Star Group's desalination vessels in the Middle East, let alone the dozen or so destroyers and frigates they had amassed here, even coupled with the four nuclear submarines lurking beneath the waves—they couldn't crack 'Star City.'

Having learned the hard way about Star Group's capabilities, the U.S. military dared not advance alone this time. Therefore, the Americans not only pulled the Philippines in to probe 'Star City's' stance but also enlisted their firm ally, Japan, and their long-time rival, Russia, hoping that the combined might of several nations would cause Star Group to hesitate. If they succeeded in capturing 'Star City' by some stroke of luck, while the spoils would have to be shared with Japan and Russia, the outcome would certainly be better than gaining nothing at all. Moreover, since the U.S. possessed the biggest fist among them, they were confident they would secure a larger portion during the division.

As expected, the Philippines, incited by the Americans, charged forward like men possessed. Although they halted their warships at the last second, they still dispatched reconnaissance aircraft, which were promptly shot down by 'Star City' eighty kilometers out.

The U.S. military immediately issued a strongly worded diplomatic note in an effort to ascertain whether Liu Hui was actually on 'Star City,' but 'Star City' offered no specific reply. Combined with intelligence from the Antarctic and Australia suggesting Liu Hui might indeed be absent, they proceeded to issue the final ultimatum to 'Star City,' supported by Russia, Japan, and the Philippines, after receiving no response for a long time. Even so, the U.S. warships maintained a distance of at least one hundred kilometers from 'Star City,' avoiding any direct confrontation.

The Philippine warships, however, showed a complete lack of awareness. Protected by the American forces, they felt utterly secure, never worrying about their own safety. In their view, even though they had lost two seaplanes, they would ultimately complete this mission successfully, returning home to receive medals from their President in comfort.

The two hover-fighters from 'Star City' located the Philippine fleet, and Liu Hui saw them in the command center. He issued the order: "Sink the Philippine warships immediately."

And so, silently, the two hover-fighters hovered in the night sky. A thick barrel extended from the front of each fuselage, and power began flowing into the barrels. The two hover-fighters targeted one Philippine destroyer each. Following a flash of eerie blue electrical arc, ten high-energy electromagnetic cannon shells were fired, instantly striking the Filipino warships below.

In the pitch darkness, a dazzling, intense light suddenly erupted, followed by two massive fireballs exploding outward, then a violent blast wave surging in all directions. The two old Philippine destroyers at the center of the explosion were instantly ripped in half, rapidly taking on water and sinking.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ Thanks to the book friend: Ambassador for the 588 coin reward and 3 tickets for 6000-word updates! Thanks for the support from book friends: nun12, enjy20, and yungng4017! Thank you all; it is your support that will make this book even more brilliant! RO