Chapter 66: A Ghost Fighter, it must be a Ghost Fighter!

Until the call was disconnected, Brant still could not snap out of his utter bewilderment.

Every single military base in the United States, including F-22 fighter jets currently on missions abroad, was secure and accounted for with no unauthorized deployments.

So, how on earth could an F-22 fighter jet appear in the airspace above the open seas between Huaxia and the God-Illuminated Nation?

Could it possibly be that Huaxia had independently developed its own F-22 fighter jets?

That was even more impossible!

The F-22 fighter jet was an aircraft developed by the United States through the assembly of countless top-tier scientific research scholars and the most elite experts. Some of its core technologies were still in use to this day, laying a solid foundation for the development of sixth-generation fighters.

No matter how formidable Huaxia might be, there was simply no way they could have developed an F-22.

With this thought in mind, he immediately dialed the number of Ogawa Iguchi.

Soon, the call went through again, and Ogawa Iguchi's sycophantic voice came over the line: "Mr. Brant, was this a military operation conducted by your esteemed country? Is there anything we in the God-Illuminated Nation need to do? Our Prime Minister has already stated that if assistance is required, we can cooperate immediately."

Brant's face darkened. "Mr. Ogawa Iguchi, I have just made inquiries and found that our country did not dispatch any F-22 fighter jets. Can you confirm for certain that it was indeed an F-22?"

This question left Ogawa Iguchi completely dumbfounded.

After a full half-minute of silence, Ogawa Iguchi cautiously replied, "Mr. Brant, I have just cross-referenced the image and video data once more, and I can say with one hundred percent certainty that it is an F-22 fighter jet. Our radar detection system is infallible."

"However, our nation's F-22s have no record of deployment. Clearly, that is not an American F-22," Brant said, shaking his head.

On the line, both men fell into silence, having nothing further to say to one another.

Both of them were stumped by the exact same problem.

Since the United States had not dispatched an F-22, what on earth was the deal with this F-22 flying over the open seas?

It certainly could not have appeared out of thin air.

For such an F-22 to suddenly materialize and charge straight in the direction of Huaxia was simply too absurd.

Just then, Ogawa Iguchi exclaimed in sudden astonishment, "Mr. Brant, is it possible—could it be a ghost fighter?"

"A ghost fighter? What do you mean?" Brant furrowed his brow, his expression turning puzzled.

Ogawa Iguchi hurried to explain, "Mr. Brant, you must know that there are many things in this world that science cannot explain, much like the magnetic field of the Bermuda Triangle or phenomena like ghost ships."

"Of course I know that. Some things are real, but others are merely urban legends passed down by people—like the Bermuda Triangle, which is absolute nonsense," Brant said, growing slightly impatient.

He was naturally aware of these matters and had heard rumors of them before.

Take ghost ships, for instance: several of the world's most famous ghost ships had been discovered decades later, with people even claiming to have boarded them for a look. There were no people on board, yet there were signs of habitation, and the items found inside dated back decades.

The strangest part was that these items showed no signs of rust or seawater corrosion.

Official authorities had investigated such incidents in the past, but the ultimate conclusions were vague and defied scientific explanation.

Yet, if one were to stubbornly link this to a ghost fighter, wasn't that stretching things a bit too far?

Ogawa Iguchi immediately offered an explanation: "Mr. Brant, there have been instances in the past where F-22 fighter jets appeared over the open seas, and there were even cases of F-22s being shot down. Let us assume that if it truly is a ghost fighter, that would explain everything."

"A ghost fighter, after the passage of several decades, reappears in the airspace above the open seas and is subsequently detected by our radar. However, because the orders this ghost fighter received before sustaining battle damage were to head toward Huaxia, upon reappearing, it would inevitably follow its original trajectory, fly a loop, and finally execute its orders."

Brant narrowed his eyes and rebuked loudly, "How could such a thing possibly happen!"

Ogawa Iguchi paused for a moment before continuing, "Mr. Brant, I once heard a story prior to this."

"What story?" Brant frowned deeply.

Ogawa Iguchi gathered his thoughts. "To be precise, it's a rumor. It is said that a commercial airliner suddenly and mysteriously vanished while passing through the Bermuda Triangle. No one knew what happened, and both the passengers and the plane completely disappeared. Yet, five years later, this exact plane reappeared and landed safely at an airport."

"Furthermore, everyone on board—regardless of age or appearance—was exactly the same as before they vanished. Even the coffee on their tables was still warm. Moreover, these people had no idea that five years had passed; in their perception, it was just a normal flight with a bit of turbulence along the way."

"Of course, I know this sounds rather absurd and completely unreasonable, but... but I simply cannot find any other rationale to explain this event," Ogawa Iguchi added hastily.

Upon hearing Ogawa Iguchi's words, Brant found himself falling into a state of bewilderment.

For a split second, he even found himself half-believing Ogawa Iguchi's theory, thinking that this might actually be the case.

After all, judging by the information currently available to them, this was very likely the ultimate explanation. Only through this explanation could one make sense of why that F-22 had appeared in the airspace of the open seas, been detected by the God-Illuminated Nation, and ultimately flown toward Huaxia.

Most importantly, Huaxia had yet to make any reaction. Logically speaking, if that were a genuine F-22, it would have been intercepted the moment it approached the airspace above Huaxia's territorial waters.

F***! Could it really be a ghost fighter?

Such a doubt inevitably surfaced in Brant's mind.

"Mr. Brant, do you think this explanation holds water?" Ogawa Iguchi asked cautiously.

With a dark expression, Brant scolded, "It's not necessarily a ghost fighter! And if it really were a ghost fighter, why would your God-Illuminated Nation's systems detect it? Everything must be based on science."

"Yes, yes, yes, you are entirely right. It was my fault. Please calm your anger, Mr. Brant," Ogawa Iguchi said flatteringly.

Shortly after, Brant angrily disconnected the call.

He sat back in his chair, interlocking his fingers on the desk. He stared intently at the marble tiles on the floor, his expression shifting uncertainly.

After a period of deep contemplation, he picked up the desk phone and decisively dialed a number.

The call was connected almost immediately.

Without waiting for the other party to speak, Brant instantly put on a smiling face and said warmly, "Hello, Professor Malry? This is Brant from the Office of External Liaison. I'm calling to consult you about some questions regarding scientific magnetic fields."

The person on the other end was an elderly man. Hearing that it was Brant, he let out a hearty laugh. "So it's Mr. Brant. I happen to have some free time and can answer your questions."

Brant was, after all, a rather prominent figure within the U.S. government. Although Professor Malry was a top-tier scientist in the realm of science, his political standing still fell short of Brant's.

"Professor Malry, how do you view the phenomenon of so-called ghost fighters? I mean... fighter jets that science cannot explain, appearing and disappearing out of thin air. You can think of them as the equivalent of ghost ships—yes, phenomena similar to ghost ships." Brant was nearly rambling.

After all, this was his first time encountering such an event.

Professor Malry's tone shifted, and he said with a hint of peculiarity, "Mr. Brant, from a scientific standpoint, such events have never been verified. Personally, I believe that such phenomena cannot exist; they are merely urban legends or fabrications conjured up by bored netizens seeking traffic and attention."

Brant nodded thoughtfully.

As expected, from a scientific perspective, such things were highly improbable and fundamentally non-existent, aligning with his prior assumptions.

However...

"Mr. Brant, why would you suddenly ask about this? I assume you've encountered some sort of tricky problem?" Professor Malry prompted proactively, providing him with an opening.

Brant welcomed the gesture and said solemnly, "That's right, Professor Malry. Just today, an event occurred that defies scientific explanation..."

Over the next two minutes, Brant summarized the entire sequence of events using the most concise language possible, mentioning also that the U.S. military had no records of any missing F-22 fighter jets.

This matter was not strictly classified, and since he needed to consult this top scientist for his opinion, he had to lay out the complete picture.

Upon hearing what Brant had to say, Professor Malry was taken aback. After more than ten seconds of silence, he spoke up: "If that is the case... I suppose I can temporarily retract what I said earlier."

Indeed, theoretically speaking, events like ghost fighters and ghost ships were impossible. Furthermore, the fact that it could be detected by radar equipment made calling it a "ghost fighter" sound far too absurd.

Yet the reality was that this F-22 had appeared in the airspace above the open seas, been detected by the God-Illuminated Nation, and flown toward Huaxia. Under the current circumstances, it certainly functioned like a ghost fighter!

It bore no resemblance to a real F-22. If it were a genuine F-22, Huaxia would have already thrown a massive fit.

Besides, a real F-22 was even more preposterous than a ghost fighter!

"Mr. Brant, if things are truly as you describe... I think—I think this ghost fighter might genuinely exist, except that our current level of scientific understanding cannot explain it," Professor Malry declared decisively after a brief hesitation.

Brant paused, his brows instantly knitting together.

Since even Professor Malry said so, it meant that the F-22 might indeed be a ghost fighter!

After all, there were still plenty of things science could not explain, just as Professor Malry could not explain this incident.

If it truly was a ghost fighter, then everything could be explained; it was simply a matter requiring further verification.

Yet, it was precisely this further verification that he lacked the authority to greenlight. He would need to seek the opinion of the President himself.

Just as he was about to hang up the phone, he heard Professor Malry say in an excited tone, "Mr. Brant, could you share the detailed process of the incident with me, including some of the finer details?"

"I think if this really is a ghost fighter, it might be worth my while to write a paper on it. Furthermore, I would publish this paper in a specialized journal—globally!"

Brant couldn't care less about such matters and brushed him off casually: "No problem, Professor Malry. I'll have my assistant compile all the information and forward it to you later."

After hanging up, Brant quickly dialed another number.

Before long, the line was connected once more, and he said with great urgency, "I am Brant from the Office of External Liaison. I have a matter of utmost importance that I need to report to Mr. President: we may have discovered a ghost fighter in the airspace over the open seas between the territorial waters of the God-Illuminated Nation and Huaxia!"