Unknown to the Americans, Jon Chong’s captain had just received a message from Beijing: “Intercept the Americans. Make them blink first.” But Beijing was about to discover why poking the US Navy in open water is the diplomatic equivalent of juggling live grenades.

At 0926, the Princeton’s radar operators confirmed the threat. Inside the Combat Information Center, the tactical action officer watched the Chinese destroyer’s vector with the calm of a man who knows he’s holding 122 vertical launch cells—enough firepower to turn any Chinese ship into a cautionary tale.

The Chinese destroyer was closing fast. Her YJ-18 anti-ship missiles could reach the Princeton in under four minutes once launched. But the Princeton’s SM-6s could reach out even further and swat them out of the sky. It was a deadly dance—one misstep, and the South China Sea would turn red.