PDLP Chapter 876 Oh, isn't this an old acquaintance of Jiang Xia? What are you doing here?
Chapter 876 Oh, isn't this an old acquaintance of Jiang Xia? What are you doing here?
Just as our valiant soldiers were preparing to smoke the blackfish.
The interior of the Hayashio-class submarine was a scene of hell.
The violent tremors from the impact and the unsettling, continuous list of the vessel caused most of the crew to stagger. Under the flickering emergency lights, the piercing damage control alarms, panicked shouts, the hissing sounds of water entering from unknown locations, and the deadly crashing and roaring sounds overhead intertwined into a symphony of despair.
Hey, you know what, the enemy's desperate wails actually sound quite pleasant.
In fact, after that unfortunate soldier had his ankle broken by his comrade and was forced to leave the hatch, Lieutenant Commander Sato had roared the order: "Emergency dive!"
Okay, let's dive then. If it's just the damage from being grazed by that unidentified cargo ship, with the best of our ability and a bit of luck, we might actually be able to get them back from the seabed in a sorry state.
But things are different now. Can't you see what the situation is like now?
Seawater was pouring in through the cracks in the No. 3 ballast tank. The sailors knelt in the rapidly rising, icy water, desperately trying to plug the leaks with canvas and wooden wedges, but the cracks were too big, and the water pressure would force them open again as soon as they were plugged.
The damaged drainage pump whirred like an asthma, but could only pump out a small amount of seawater, like a dog struggling to breathe.
The indicator lights on the dashboard were flashing erratically, the depth gauge and tachometer were useless, and only the emergency lights emitted a faint red glow, reflecting despair on everyone's faces.
Has the captain gone mad?! Demanding an emergency dive in this situation? If they dive down, they'll never come back up!
So when this order was given, all the soldiers looked at him as if they had seen a ghost.
The helmsman, his voice trembling, reminded him: "The horizontal rudder is stuck at ±5 degrees! It can't return to center! Repeat, horizontal rudder malfunction!"
"Crack! The water injection valve of the forward ballast tank is suspected to be deformed due to the impact, and the water injection speed is abnormally slow! It cannot meet the requirements for emergency diving!" The section soldier's report followed immediately.
Faced with the questioning looks from his subordinates, a mixture of fear, confusion, and even a hint of anger, Major Sato felt frustrated and bitter.
He was no fool. The Hayashio-class submarine, as a cutting-edge submarine in the early 60s, had a teardrop-shaped hull and a streamlined conning tower. Its underwater maneuverability was among the best of its time. He himself had worked his way up from torpedo operator to captain and had extensive combat experience.
He had his reasons for asking such a seemingly "foolish" question.
As if unable to withstand the questioning gazes of the crowd, he slightly shifted his body, cleverly exposing the three figures in black suits behind him to the public eye.
Sato wore an innocent expression that said, "I'm powerless to help," but his eyes clearly said, "Everyone, do you see clearly? It's not that I don't want to help you survive, it's that these 'adults' have forced us into a dead end!"
"Kaka! We can't dive any further!" The damage control sailor crawled over, soaking wet, his voice trembling with tears.
"Besides the leak in the No. 3 ballast tank, there's something even worse... During the collision just now, the bow of the Chinese submarine got stuck in our side drainage outlet!"
The two boats are now entangled. If we move, they rock, the drainage outlets are blocked, and the ballast water can't be released for submersion... It's completely impossible!"
Sato's heart sank. As a rigorously trained commander who knew the glorious technological tradition of the Imperial Underwater Force, he understood better than anyone how desperate his current situation was.
But he didn't care; it was better to fall into the hands of the Chinese than the Russians. The Chinese could at least let them play badminton in the yard, while the Russians in the north would only send them to Siberia to dig potatoes.
But what terrified him most was the nature of this voyage itself!
This so-called "hydrological survey" mission was never officially approved by the General Staff Headquarters! It only had a secret order from some unnamed "superior"!
This means that once captured, they are unlikely to be treated as regular combatants, and their country may not hesitate to deny any connection to them!
This is the real catastrophe!
I can't be a prisoner normally anymore, huh?!
I can't enjoy playing badminton anymore, huh!
……
"Sato-kun... really, even 'reversal'... has it failed?" A cold voice came from the shadows behind the command center.
Sato suddenly turned to the side.
Under the lights, three men stood there, looking out of place in their surroundings, wearing wrinkled but still clearly well-made suits.
The leader, with his meticulously combed slicked-back hair, looked disheveled, but his usual commanding gloom and feigned composure were still clearly discernible.
Major Sato was cursing under his breath: You bunch of bastards! You tricked me and my boat into this damned, shady mission with a vague "order" that wasn't even officially approved by the General Staff! Now look what's happened, we're completely stuck here!
Major Sato thought this in his heart, but his face showed a respectful yet helpless expression.
“Hai! Master!” Sato instinctively brought his feet together, though the tilting of the boat made him unsteady. “I’m so sorry! The situation… is as you’ve heard. We… we’re completely trapped, and we’ve lost all mobility.”
Homeowner?
Hey! Take a closer look, isn't this Lord Junichiro, the one who got tricked by Jiang Xia?
But how did this guy end up inside the submarine?
Junichiro slowly walked forward, his cold gaze sweeping over the messy cabin and the ashen-faced officers and soldiers, finally settling on Sato's pale face.
“Sato-kun,” his voice was not loud, but it slithered into everyone’s ears like a venomous snake, “you should know what this ship, our mission, and especially… what my presence here means.”
Sato knew all too well what this meant. This voyage didn't even have an official designation. If they were captured, what would they be? Armed spies? Their fate would be far worse than that of prisoners of war!
He paused slightly, letting that invisible pressure spread, and then said, word by word:
"We absolutely cannot be captured by the Chinese. Once our identities and mission are exposed, the consequences will far exceed the sinking of this iron ship. It will be an indelible disgrace for the Empire and an immeasurable strategic disaster!"
Sato broke out in a cold sweat; he fully understood the implication—they might be "sacrificed" for "greater interests."
Listening to Junichiro still putting on airs at this moment, spouting such nonsense that disregards the lives of his subordinates and only considers the so-called "imperial face" and "strategic disaster," Sato, who was sweating profusely, couldn't help but feel a surge of hatred!
A sense of pride and rebellious spirit belonging to the Japanese Navy, which has always distanced itself from those arrogant Army bastards, suddenly rose up at this moment!
Sato glanced at the suppressed anger in the eyes of the soldiers around him and thought, "Do you think our Imperial Navy is like those brainless dung heaps of the Army? Do you think we'll let you powerful figures hiding behind the scenes manipulate us and make us do pointless 'honorable deaths'?"
The instinct for survival and a soldier's rationality instantly overwhelmed blind obedience. Sato's mind raced; he immediately adopted a troubled yet hopeful expression, bowing to Junichiro and saying:
"Please calm down, Your Excellency! Although the situation is critical, it is not entirely hopeless! In order to deal with extreme situations, this 'Hayashio' class was designed with a very secret emergency escape exit hidden on the left side of the stern, which is connected to a small inflatable rubber boat!"
He deliberately lowered his voice: "According to your original plan, Master, wasn't our journey precisely to 'get closer' to the coastline of China? If we leave from here and rely on ocean currents and rowing, we might be able to land near Dalian, China if we're lucky... Although it's risky, it's better than sitting and waiting to die, or committing suicide!"
His half-truthful, half-serious deception emphasized the possibility of a "secret exit" and "reaching Dalian." Junichiro clearly didn't fully understand the submarine's design and current status; he automatically filtered out other difficulties, only focusing on the keywords "secret exit" and "ability to reach shore." A slight relaxation finally appeared on his previously tense face.
"Oh? Such a design exists?" Junichiro pondered for a moment, seemingly having no better option at the moment. "Then... lead the way immediately!"
"Hai! Please follow me!" Sato was secretly delighted and quickly bowed to lead the way, taking Junichiro and his two attendants with difficulty towards the so-called "secret exit" at the stern of the boat under the complicated gazes of the soldiers.
The group struggled to open a hidden hatch, crawled through a narrow passage, and sure enough, in an inconspicuous corner, they found a device resembling a circular hatch.
"This is it!" Sato gestured to his men to open the pressure valve.
A sailor laboriously turned the winch, and with a "hiss," the hatch opened a crack. Junichiro eagerly stepped forward, wanting to observe the outside situation—
Hehe, the instinct for survival is on full display at this moment.
If one can live, who would willingly choose to perish?
pity……
The little notebook, its eyes gazing out with hope, met not the sea and sky, nor the hope of rescue.
Instead, it was a cold, sharp axe blade that gleamed with an eerie light!
"when……"
Fortunately, the sailor who opened the door reacted quickly and closed the watertight door in time, thus preventing the patriarch Junichiro from being hacked to pieces.
"Damn it! I missed..."
Outside, a murmur of discontent could be heard...