RPAGF Chapter 873 For others, we might have to consider it, but the other side is Japan!
Chapter 873 For others, we might have to consider it, but the other side is Japan!
Zhou Jianjun looked at Zhao Gang, whose eyes were blazing with anger, opened his mouth, but in the end he could only sigh heavily.
He released Zhao Gang's hand, turned around, his back to Zhao Gang, his shoulders shrugging slightly. When he turned back, his face was filled with a resolute calm.
Zhou Jianjun climbed down the suspended ladder and shouted into the cabin, "Everyone! Hold on tight! Check all fixed objects! Repeat, prepare for impact! And..."
"Old Zhao!" Zhou Jianjun crawled back into the command tower, his voice unusually calm.
Zhao Gang was already preparing to ring the air raid siren when he heard this and frowned at him: "What is it now? Is something wrong with what you said?"
“What you said is wrong!” Zhou Jianjun stared at him, emphasizing each word.
Zhao Gang snapped, "Right? It's not your turn..."
“We’ll have new submarines!” Zhou Jianjun interrupted him, his tone resolute. “We don’t need to wait for them to retire! We’ll have them! So…”
Zhao Gang was stunned for a moment.
Zhou Jianjun took a deep breath and pointed ahead: "So, you son of a bitch, you better choose the right angle to crash into it! We need to leave it behind, but we also need to leave ourselves a way to drive back!"
Uh, so that's what you meant...
A rare twitch appeared on Zhao Gang's tense face as he smirked: "Hmph! I don't need your reminder! I'm still hoping to be able to command 6603 someday!"
Yeah! You're the perfect example of someone who says one thing but does another! Everyone remembers what you said about 6603 earlier...
……
"W-W-W-W-!"
The air raid siren of No. 418 roared like a mother beast protecting her cubs, and the pale gray-blue smoke trail was stretched longer by the sea breeze, like an unyielding gray silk wrapped around the back of the boat.
Zhao Gang stood atop the command tower, his military cap flapping askew in the wind. He gripped the railing tightly with both hands: "Three turns to starboard! Aim at the seam between that bastard's command tower and the hull! If I'm not mistaken, that's its keel's weak spot! Get that ramming!"
As soon as the command was given, helmsman Xiao Li's arm became as stiff as an iron bar, and the old rudder creaked in his hands.
Number 418, like a lone wolf eyeing its prey, had its bow slightly raised.
"The last sixty meters!"
"Two hands off the rudder! Prepare for impact! Execute 'three-point fixation'!"
Following the collision regulations, Xiao Li abruptly released the fixed steering wheel, grabbed the sturdy handrails on both sides of the submarine with lightning speed, braced his feet firmly against the footplates below, and pressed his back tightly against the cold submarine wall, becoming one with the submarine.
This is the standard procedure before a submarine impacts another vessel: both hands off the rudder, three points of contact are secured, and the body is used to withstand the impact.
"Electrical and mechanical department received! Diesel engine speed 650 rpm! Exceeding the rated value by 15%! Oil pressure normal!" The shout of Li Dahai, the chief of electrical and mechanical engineering, came through the loudspeaker. He stared at the jumping needles on the instrument panel, his left hand gripping the emergency lever tightly, and his right hand pressing on the oil pressure gauge. "Twenty more seconds! The diesel engine can handle it!"
Inside the cabin, two old diesel engines roared as if they were about to tear apart. The smell of scalding oil mixed with the salty smell of seawater filled the air. Every violent vibration made the bolts that secured the diesel engines groan. A few drops of dark, shiny oil had already seeped out from the overloaded joints and dripped onto the originally clean floor.
"Attention, crew members! Close all watertight doors! Check the sealing strips!" Deputy Captain Zhou, rubbing his forehead from the recent bump, staggered through the swaying passageway, tapping on the handles of each watertight door to check them.
"Click! Click!" The heavy, round iron doors were slammed shut one by one by the sailors, the rubber sealing strips hissing under the pressure.
Zhou Jianjun pointed to several cracks on the side of the ship that were starting to leak and shouted to the sailors beside him, "Watch out! If it keeps leaking, plug it with another layer of tarpaulin! Grit your teeth and hold on! We have to hold on until the rescue arrives!"
"Lookout reports distance! Fifty meters to go! Target not avoided! The seam is directly facing our bow!"
"Forty meters!" Xiao Li's Adam's apple bobbed, and he pressed his back even tighter.
"Thirty meters! The little notebook is reversing! But it's too late!"
Zhao Gang stared at the approaching unidentified submarine from the command tower. The seam of its keel was like an ugly bullseye, particularly conspicuous in the sunlight.
He took a deep breath and shouted his final command: "Attention all crew! Impact countdown—five! four!"
The air inside the submarine seemed to freeze completely. All the sailors followed training, either pressing their bodies against the bulkheads or large equipment, or crouching beside fixed supports, gripping tightly with their hands.
No one spoke; only the roar of the diesel engine nearing its limit, the piercing wailing of the alarm, and the splashing of seawater outside the boat.
The gray hull of the enemy submarine had filled Zhao Gang's entire field of vision.
At that very last moment, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the small boat that had struggled to row away from the most dangerous impact zone, and the dragon and tiger on board.
"Hey..." He felt a sudden sense of relief. "There are still seeds left!"
"one!"
"Crash!"
As Zhao Gang's shout fell, the bow of No. 418 slammed into the seam of the Early Tide-class submarine like a heavy anvil.
There was no thunderous roar, only a muffled "thump" that made one's chest tighten. The heavy metallic clanging sound traveled through the seawater into the cabin, muffled and deep, like someone striking a bronze bell in one's ear.
At the moment of impact, the entire hull of boat 418 shook violently, as if gripped and shaken by an invisible giant hand. Zhao Gang and the communications officer, who were standing on the control tower, would have been thrown out if they hadn't been tied to the railing.
Inside the boat, all the unsecured items—tools, water cups, manuals—seemed to come alive, jumping and splashing wildly.
The lights flashed wildly, then most of them went out, leaving only the emergency red lights spinning futilely amidst the billowing dust and panicked gasps.
Helmsman Li felt a tremendous force coming from the bow, pushing him against the bulkhead and up to his back. If he hadn't pressed himself firmly against the bulkhead and braced his feet on the footplates, he would have been thrown against the opposite hatch by the force. He gritted his teeth and waited for the dizziness to subside.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the rivets on the bulkhead vibrating, and a few loose screws clattered to the floor.
"Creak—Boom..."
A continuous, heart-stopping sound of structural deformation emanated from the point of impact. The bow hull of the 418 was visibly dented, twisted, and torn, while the internal keel groaned under the strain.
A large amount of seawater rushed into the bow compartment from the breach in an instant.
The Japanese submarine, which was struck, was also badly hurt. Although its nearly 800-ton size provided enormous weight, the 418 submarine's desperate strike precisely targeted the relatively vulnerable keel area where the conning tower connects to the main hull.
The enormous impact caused its massive hull to shift sideways violently, shaking violently, like a strong man who had been shoved hard and, though not falling, instantly lost his balance.
The outer shell of the impacted part also dented inward, rivets flew off, welds cracked, and icy seawater immediately found a way in.
More importantly, the collision clearly disrupted its buoyancy control system, abruptly interrupting its attempt to dive, and the hull began to list uncontrollably.
After the impact, there was a brief, deathly silence, which was then replaced by various alarms, shouts from people, and the terrifying hissing sound of seawater rushing in.
200 tons versus 800 tons.
A Pyrrhic victory!
……
Zhao Gang shook his head, still dazed from the impact. A warm liquid trickled down his forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe it away. The enemy vessel was close at hand, like a severely wounded and stranded whale, emitting painful roars. But no one knew whether it would launch a dying counterattack or suddenly sink, disappearing with all its secrets.
So his first words were a hoarse inquiry: "Damage control team! Inspect the hull damage immediately! Report the situation from all compartments! Old Zhou, how are you? Are there any casualties?"
"I'm fine!" Zhou Jianjun's voice came from not far away: "The bow is severely damaged, but the watertight doors seem to have held up! Engine room, report the situation!"
"Diesel engine has stopped abnormally! Troubleshooting underway! Auxiliary equipment is normal!"
"Report! The casualty situation is being assessed! Currently, there is one seriously injured and four slightly injured!"
Despite the severe damage, the 418 boat stubbornly floated on the sea, like an old wolf that was injured but refused to fall, clinging tightly to its prey.
"Old Zhou! Keep your eyes on the inside of the boat and stay calm!" Zhao Gang shouted hoarsely to the deputy captain, then turned around and glanced at the enemy boat.
"You can still move! Come with me! Grab your tools, hammer, crowbar, fire axe, anything will do!"
Let's go weld that son of a bitch's hatch shut!
"Get the 'big fish' out of there!"