61 Chapter 61: Shadow
The Pentagon, situated near the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, was the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense. Viewed from above, the building was constructed in the shape of a regular pentagon, hence its name, "The Pentagon."
The building occupied an area of 29 acres, stood 22 meters tall, had 5 floors, and a total floor area of 608,000 square meters, with around 344,000 square meters of usable space, accommodating up to 30,000 people. Large parking lots were located on both the north and south sides of the building, with space for up to 10,000 cars.
The ground floor of the Pentagon featured amenities such as banks, post offices, bookstores, clinics, telegraph offices, and various shops.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff, often referred to as the "soul of the Department of Defense," had their headquarters on the second floor, which was known as the "Gold Room" due to its gold carpeting.
The office of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Army were located on the third floor.
The Department of the Navy occupied the fourth floor.
The fifth floor was designated for the Department of the Air Force.
In one corner of the fifth floor, there was a specialized division known as the "Space-to-Surface Surveillance and Safety Information Division," which had split from NASA. Its primary function was to gather various surveillance data, spy satellite information, intercept communications, and provide up-to-date intelligence on countries around the world, ensuring constant vigilance.
Suddenly, an alert from the Space-to-Surface Surveillance and Safety Information Division was issued, indicating a red alert.
Harold, who was in his office nearby, had been approving the upcoming satellite surveillance priorities. His muscular physique filled out his well-fitted suit. He had a square face with a buzz cut, and despite having transitioned from an Air Force combat pilot to a civilian role two years ago, he still carried a strong military presence.
Driven by his deep love for his country, a sense of duty, and a strong commitment to justice, Harold had risen to a significant position as Deputy Secretary of Defense at the age of 37.
Suddenly, he stood up from his comfortable chair. His stern face displayed a mixture of surprise and suspicion.
"Mr. Secretary, we have a red alert!" a secretary rushed over, her face tense.
The Space-to-Surface Surveillance and Safety Information Division classified its surveillance of countries on Earth into five levels, based on Mach numbers.
The lowest level consisted of objects flying at ten Mach, typically within the airspace of only a few countries with advanced fighter aircraft capable of such speeds.
The second level was for objects traveling at twenty Mach, and only a handful of major military powers received attention at this level.
As for the third level, which was thirty Mach, only Harold's home country possessed this capability. Each time he conducted a clandestine takeoff test, it made him proud.
The fourth level alert had never sounded before, and many information engineers at the Space-to-Surface Surveillance and Safety Information Division considered it an alarm reserved for the glory of their own country in the future.
Regarding the highest level, the fifth level alert, the previous head of the division had jokingly said, "This level would only be activated if aliens showed up."
At this moment, the thought that had briefly crossed Harold's mind was that of the old man who had retired without achieving much. He remembered the words that man had spoken before leaving.
In the next instant, that thought vanished from his mind. Harold's stern face showed determination as he swiftly left his office and entered the main hall of the Information Division, where multiple screens were arrayed along the walls.
"How is this possible?"
"What on Earth is that?"
"My God!"
"Have aliens arrived?"
"That's impossible."
"Earth has nothing capable of exceeding Mach 50!"
In the Information Division hall, voices of shock and bewilderment filled the air.
"What's happening!"
Harold's stern voice, filled with resolute determination, boomed and quelled the fears of the information engineers, who had inexplicably started to stir in unrest.
"Mr. Secretary, just fifteen seconds ago, at an altitude of 50 kilometers above Switzerland, within the stratosphere, a black shadow appeared. It instantly began patrolling the skies above Switzerland at speeds exceeding 300 Mach. As we speak, it has already entered French airspace and continues its patrol," reported one of the engineers hurriedly.
Harold's face grew even sterner as he focused his gaze on the screens lining the wall, displaying a fixed view of the French landscape. A black shadow streaked across the screen, continuously patrolling the skies over France.
Its rapid speed was evident, taking only a few seconds to complete its patrol over France.
Such speed was far beyond what 300 Mach could explain!
"My God! Based on the tracking data from the surveillance satellite, the high-resolution dynamic perimeter sensor, and the emission spectrometer, we calculate that the black shadow possesses a speed of 1000 Mach!" screamed a female information engineer. She gripped her golden hair with both hands, her eyes wide in disbelief, as if she thought she might be dreaming.
"Are you sure?"
Even Harold, whose heart was forged in the most dire of battlefields, couldn't help but tremble as he demanded confirmation.
The Earth's equatorial radius was approximately 6378.137 kilometers, and its polar radius was about 6356.752 kilometers, with an average radius of approximately 6371 kilometers. The equatorial circumference was roughly 40076 kilometers, making the Earth an irregular elliptical sphere that was slightly flattened at the poles and slightly bulging at the equator.
Circling the Earth once covered about 40,000 kilometers.
At a speed of 1000 Mach, which equated to approximately 340 kilometers per second, it would take only about 117.6 seconds to circle the Earth.
In less than two minutes, a shadow patrolling the skies could complete a lap around the Earth.
If this shadow was a living creature, it would roam the Earth unchecked.
If it was an extraterrestrial creation, Earth would face its most severe test of civilization.
"Confirmed! We've repeatedly used high-resolution imaging spectroradiometers, multi-angle imaging spectroradiometers, satellite-based thermal emitters and reflectors, atmospheric infrared detectors, and we've recalculated it several times. We're still running calculations, but we hope there's an error!" Another engineer, whose forehead was now dotted with sweat, answered quickly, their breath slightly erratic, their heart pounding.
"Display its route and trajectory!" Harold suppressed his own alarmed speculations and fixed his intense gaze on the screen.
When the screen displayed the black shadow's route and trajectory, it became evident that every time the shadow made a turn, it stayed within the bounds of human habitation.
It could have ventured out to sea, but it chose not to; it only made turns over the land.
From Switzerland to France, the UK, Spain... it connected all these locations with an unbroken path, and it could even trace the trail of this sonic boom cloud in the stratosphere.
Wherever there were people, there was a black shadow passing through the stratosphere in the sky.
The black shadow was on reconnaissance, measuring human territory.
Harold's heart skipped a beat.
"It has completed patrols over Switzerland, France, the UK, Spain, Poland, and Italy. It's deliberate, it's patrolling and inspecting the territories of each nation, human territories!"
"Is this retribution? Is it? It's doing what we've been doing!"
The entire Information Division hall trembled with shock and fear.
Some engineers were trembling so violently that they staggered back and collided, leaving them in a disheveled state amid the astonishment of their colleagues.
They could only watch helplessly as the black shadow patrolled, surveyed, monitored, and recorded the territories of various nations.
It wasn't until it began crossing into Canada that a programmer, his voice trembling, lips quivering, said, "It's crossing into... our country..."
The United States covered an area of 9.3 million square kilometers, with an east-west span of 4,500 kilometers. Flying over the skies of the United States at a speed of 1000 Mach, from east to west, crossing the American skies, would only take 13 seconds.
13 seconds.
Harold turned and left the Information Division hall. Thirteen seconds felt like a curse hanging over his head. He didn't know what the Earth could do to stop such a nimble shadow with a speed of over 1000 Mach. Perhaps by the time the various nations realized that they had been surveyed, the shadow would have already finished its mission.
Even his proud and honorable nation had no means to counter a shadow moving at over 1000 Mach.
The tie on his suit was choking Harold, making it difficult to breathe. He gasped for air and ripped off his tie. His usually unwavering pupils and determination were now trembling.
At first, he was merely briskly walking down the corridor, but those 13 seconds felt like the Sword of Damocles, urging him forward. He started to run, not caring that he had accidentally knocked over a well-dressed civilian lady in his path. With all the strength he could muster, he rushed down the stairs and burst into the office of the Secretary of Defense on the third floor without even knocking.
Fortunately, the Secretary of Defense wasn't engaged in any classified activities at the moment, but he still furrowed his brows deeply at Harold's rude intrusion. However, the anxious, sweaty expression on Harold's face made him suppress his discontent.
"Harold, is there something so urgent that you couldn't even bother to knock?" Secretary of Defense Singh stared at him quizzically.
Harold took a deep breath and looked directly at Secretary Singh, saying gravely, "Yes. A black shadow appeared over Switzerland and is systematically patrolling at a speed of 1000 Mach over the territories of various nations. It has passed over Switzerland, France, the UK, Spain, Poland, Italy... and even crossed into Canada. As I speak to you, it is just 50 kilometers above our nation, within the stratosphere."
"???"
°°°
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