Krieger let Mapes finish her translation; then he looked at Meng and smiled. “China is not afflicted with doubt, Admiral. Your military has the full support of your leaders, whether it’s your new Type 055 Renhai destroyer, your Type 002 carrier, or your own fully automated civilian smart ship. When it comes to naval technology, China leads the world. More important, China understands the art of war. As Sun Tzu once said, ‘The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.’ Americans don’t understand that.”

Krieger gestured to the stern. The Chinese officers turned and exclaimed, clearly surprised to see an American warship coming into view. The ship’s profile indicated she was a Ticonderoga-class cruiser. The number 67 painted on her hull signaled her identity, the USS Shiloh, a $1.5 billion warship, carrying 370 sailors.

“Shiloh is armed with Aegis,” Krieger said. “It’s the most advanced defense system in the US Navy, able to track ballistic missiles in flight, coordinate the ship’s vertical launch system, and shoot down threats without human intervention.” Krieger shook his head dismissively. “Aegis is fifty years old, gentlemen.”

The Chinese were not listening. They were focused on the incoming warship. Shiloh was not supposed to be anywhere near Mischief Reef. She was part of a joint exercise taking place several hours north.

Krieger had their full attention now.

“Modern warfare will not be fought on the battlefield. It will not be fought in the sky, or on the high seas. It will be fought online, by keystroke and algorithm. America was built on ambush and surprise, but we have forgotten that. We fear another zero in our denominator.”

Krieger stepped forward and tapped one of the computer screens. “As you know, the Seventh Fleet, including the Shiloh, and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are currently engaged in joint exercises. Here you see what every geospatial indicator on earth sees: Shiloh, seventy nautical miles north of our position, holding the picket during a refueling and missile-transfer exercise, which is what commanders across the Seventh Fleet see.” Krieger’s monitors, mirroring those on warships throughout Shiloh’s carrier group, showed red, green, and black triangles representing the area’s crowded commercial sea traffic, with yellow ships indicating the joint naval exercise underway. One by one Mapes tapped the triangles and the naval vessels’ identities popped up. Every capital ship was in its place, including the operation’s designated perimeter guardian, the Shiloh, located beyond visual range of the exercise.

“And here is what the world sees at our present location,” Krieger said.

Mapes zoomed in on Raptor’s location. Nearby islands fell away until eventually only light blue filled the screens, signifying open water. The warship bearing down on them did not exist. Like Raptor, it was a ghost. “Every monitoring system in the world indicates the same profile. We have been cloaked, too.”