Over the following days, Kaguya wandered around leisurely, playing and exploring. In the past, she had neither the money nor the energy to travel, but traveling the world had always been a dream of hers.
Now, her dream had finally come true. Her ability to manipulate space allowed her to move freely across the globe. Whether it was the Eiffel Tower in France, Big Ben in England, the pyramids of Egypt, or the Himalayas, she could reach them in an instant.
Because Qiao Xiaoqing had given her a bank card earlier, Kaguya didn't need to worry about starving. Especially when she checked the balance and saw a long string of zeros, she felt like she was being pampered.
But she didn't mind.
The sky was a clear blue, the clouds drifting lazily, and under the bright sunlight, the vast sea shimmered. From afar, it appeared boundless, where the water and sky met as one.
Onboard an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer:
"Report, sir, the radar shows an unidentified flying object rapidly approaching."
"Is it an enemy aircraft?"
"Unknown. The radar shows a very blurry signal, appearing and disappearing."
"It could be China's latest stealth fighter, the J-20. Only a stealth fighter could achieve such an effect."
"Sir?"
"Order the usual procedure: issue a full-spectrum warning to keep them away from our fleet."
"And if they continue to approach?"
"We can order it destroyed. We need to teach those yellow-skinned monkeys a lesson," the destroyer captain said coldly, his face stern.
He was only in his thirties, which already spoke volumes about his capabilities to have become a destroyer captain. However, he had a very irritable temper and was arrogant and conceited. He was a radical hawk towards China, believing that only by giving China a stern lesson would these yellow-skinned monkeys behave.
This time, he was leading the fleet as the vanguard in the South China Sea operation. He hadn't expected to encounter Chinese fighter jets just after arriving, which secretly delighted him, as it provided a perfect opportunity to show off.
At that moment, Kaguya was floating above the sea, enjoying the rare experience. However, she found the sea quite unremarkable and similar to the one in the Naruto world. She quickly lost interest after playing for a while.
As she prepared to leave, she suddenly noticed a few black dots on the horizon, rapidly approaching her.
"What are those?"
The black dots moved like black lightning and reached Kaguya in an instant. Her pupils contracted; these black dots were missiles. They roared towards her, trailing long flames.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion echoed, creating a beautiful display of fireworks in the sky. Flames soared, and thick smoke obscured the blue sky.
"Direct hit on the target."
"Well done," the captain said with a smile.
"But isn't this inappropriate if—" A crew member hesitated, finally speaking up.
"Shut up, soldier," the captain said angrily, "it entered our fleet's defensive airspace despite multiple warnings. Our actions were appropriate. Now, do you have anything else to say?"
"No, sir."
"Good." The captain nodded in satisfaction.
At that moment, the observer suddenly shouted, "Report, sir, an unidentified flying object is heading towards us, less than ten kilometers away."
"What? Where?"
"Right where we shot down the enemy aircraft."
"How is that possible? Did we not take down that plane?"
Everyone exchanged bewildered looks.
"Fire two Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles," the captain ordered firmly. "Make sure to bring down the enemy aircraft."
"Yes, sir."
Two Sea Sparrow missiles launched into the sky, leaving trails of flames as they sped towards the target.
In the operations room, everyone held their breath, nervously watching the radar screen.
The two green dots representing the missiles once again hit the red dot indicating the enemy aircraft, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. If one missile couldn't destroy it, surely two would.
But their relief was short-lived as their hearts leaped once more. The red dot reappeared on the radar, heading toward the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer at an unbelievable speed.
What on earth was going on? They wore expressions of disbelief.
"Soldier, what's happening?" The captain had been reporting to his superiors about the enemy aircraft being downed and was unaware of the recent developments.
"Maybe… maybe the radar is malfunctioning?" the observer replied uncertainly.
"What do you mean?" The captain frowned, displeased.
Suddenly, the destroyer shook violently. The captain, not holding onto the handrail, was thrown to the ground. Alarms blared, and red lights flashed throughout the ship.
"What's going on?" The captain struggled to his feet, shouting in anger.
"We're under attack!" the observer yelled, "possibly hit by a missile. The hull is taking on water."
"What?" The captain was both shocked and furious.
At that moment, a soldier exclaimed, "There's someone in the air!" His voice was filled with disbelief, and he stammered his words.
"Shit, have you been taking drugs? You idiot!" the captain fumed. "How could there be someone in the air? Bring up the observation feed. If I find out you're lying, I'll have you court-martialed."
The captain's words died in his throat as the scene on the screen left him dumbfounded. His mouth hung open, and he didn't even notice when his hat fell to the ground.
There really was a person in the sky!
Her silver hair flowed with the wind, her skin was pale and smooth, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes were like clear autumn waters. She had a tall and curvy figure, wearing a black Gothic-style dress, the pleats swaying in the wind, revealing her fair legs.
In ordinary circumstances, the lecherous captain would have whistled and approached to strike up a conversation, maybe even invited the girl for a pleasant evening.
But now, his heart was filled only with fear. His eyes widened, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
The silver-haired girl in the image raised her jade-like arm, aiming at the destroyer below. Several black spheres appeared in her palm, spinning rapidly, then shot out like lightning.
"Boom!"
The destroyer was instantly hit, resulting in a massive explosion. The violent tremors almost capsized the ship.
"Flooding in compartment three!"
"Flooding in compartment five!"
"Damn it, why are you all standing there? Attack!" The captain roared, his anger making him seem like a frenzied lion, his blood from a recent scrape adding to his ferocity.
The crew snapped out of their daze, hurriedly issuing attack commands, turning the operations room into chaos.
Numerous missiles launched from the ship's launchers. The Phalanx CIWS opened fire, unleashing a torrent of bullets, a steel flood slicing through the sky toward the silver-haired girl.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Explosions rang out one after another, resounding through the sky. It was like a series of fireworks blooming, smoke billowing, and flames reaching up to the heavens.
The crew on the destroyer watched anxiously, their eyes glued to the radar, too busy to wipe away the sweat pouring down their faces.
As the smoke cleared, the destroyer's crew were dismayed to find the silver-haired girl unharmed in the sky, her clothes not even singed.
"What kind of monster is this?" The captain murmured, his eyes vacant. He regretted his rash actions, wanting to teach China a lesson, only to provoke an unprecedented monster.
All of this exceeded his imagination, someone possessing such immense power—it was unbelievable. This scenario seemed like it belonged in a movie, yet it was happening to him.
Many of the crew contemplated escape, but where could they go? This was the South China Sea, an endless expanse of ocean. Even if they jumped ship and survived, how could they survive in this vast sea?
They would never know the identity of the person they should never have provoked. The last thing they saw in this world was a blinding flash of light.