Chapter 35: A Collision
1353 Words
Chapter 35: A Collision
One day, Jiang Yuecheng was reviewing some materials in his office when the newly appointed head of security, Cheng Manjiang, came to report. He said that their reconnaissance drone had detected a warship blocking one of their cargo ships, and it was very close to their floating island.
Jiang Yuecheng immediately ordered Cheng to send their newly purchased warship to investigate.
Cheng Manjiang personally led the crew aboard the warship, heading toward the incident site.
Upon reaching the vicinity of the trouble spot, they indeed saw a small warship positioned in front of their cargo vessel.
Cheng instructed the captain to approach the enemy warship and then took the microphone to call out:
“Please do not obstruct the passage of our cargo ship! Move away immediately!”
Cheng repeated the warning five times, but there was no response from the enemy ship.
He quickly called Jiang Yuecheng.
“General Jiang, the enemy warship is not heeding our warnings and continues to block our cargo ship!”
“Collide with it!” Jiang Yuecheng commanded decisively without hesitation.
Cheng ordered all crew members to prepare for combat, then gave the captain the command: “Ram the enemy ship!”
The captain immediately steered the ship to a distance of 500 meters from the enemy vessel, then began turning the ship around to charge at the enemy full speed.
However, when they were about 150 meters away, the enemy warship suddenly moved and dodged to one side.
Seeing the enemy ship retreat, Cheng Manjiang finally relaxed and ordered the cargo vessel to resume its course.
A week later, Cheng came to report again, saying that two enemy warships were intercepting another of their cargo ships. This time, the situation had escalated.
Jiang Yuecheng knew that this conflict could no longer be avoided.
He immediately contacted Liu Songlin, the head of the simulated fish submersible project.
“Are the simulated fish submersibles ready for use?” Jiang Yuecheng asked urgently.
"Two prototypes are ready; three others are assembled but not yet calibrated," Liu Songlin replied.
“Mount the two prototypes on our warship, deploy the drones, and prepare for battle!” Jiang Yuecheng ordered.
“What?” Liu Songlin was stunned for a moment. After hesitating, he said in panic, "General Jiang, the launch tubes on the warship aren't ready, they can't be installed."
“Can we suspend them from ropes at the stern?” Jiang Yuecheng asked.
“That might work… but they don’t have hooks. However, I can quickly add hooks and hang them over the side of the ship to launch,” Liu Songlin replied, starting to come up with a plan.
“Do it now! Quickly, the sooner, the better!” Jiang Yuecheng commanded.
Liu Songlin immediately gathered his team, loading the two ready submersibles onto a trailer, and rushed to the warship’s dock.
When they arrived, the team quickly lowered the submersibles into the water. Liu Songlin himself jumped into the sea, tied ropes around the submersibles, and fastened them to the ship's railing.
At that moment, Jiang Yuecheng boarded the warship.
“Has the drone been launched?” Jiang Yuecheng asked Liu Songlin.
“It’s in the air,” Liu Songlin replied, still wet from his dive.
“Captain, set sail! Full speed ahead!” Jiang Yuecheng ordered.
Soon, they arrived at the incident area.
Cheng Manjiang, seeing the warship approaching, sped over in a small boat.
“General Jiang, they have two warships. What should we do?”
“Call them out and tell them to leave!” Jiang Yuecheng ordered.
“I’ve shouted dozens of times, my voice is hoarse, but they don’t respond!” Cheng answered.
“Give them one last warning: tell them they have three minutes to leave!” Jiang Yuecheng instructed, while also signaling Liu Songlin to prepare the submersibles for launch.
Liu Songlin had already sent the coordinates of the enemy ship to the simulated fish submersibles hanging on the side of the warship. Everything was ready for launch.
Cheng Manjiang drove his boat closer to the enemy ships, shouting, “This is your final warning: leave immediately within three minutes.”
To ensure they heard, he raised three fingers and shouted, “Three minutes left!”
Still, the enemy ships did not respond, and the soldiers aboard the ships stood on the deck, showing complete disdain for Jiang Yuecheng and his team.
The seconds ticked by, and the three minutes quickly passed.
“Launch!” Jiang Yuecheng ordered Liu Songlin.
Liu Songlin commanded a crew member to cut the ropes holding the submersible to the side of the warship.
He then pressed the launch button on the remote control.
The simulated fish submersible, now free, began to move its tail fin and swam slowly forward. After traveling a short distance, it accelerated toward the enemy ship. The dorsal fin that protruded above the water created a wide, trumpet-shaped ripple.
“Torpedo!” a sailor aboard the enemy ship shouted as they saw the ripple trailing the submersible.
The enemy captain turned to the sonar panel, but there was no alarm. He was confused about what had been launched and shouted to the close-in defense gunners, “Prepare to fire at the torpedo!”
However, due to the proximity, the submersible quickly closed in on the enemy ship, entering the blind spot of the ship’s close-in defense weapons.
Then, with a thunderous explosion, the enemy ship's side hatch was blown open.
The sailors on the hatch were thrown off balance by the shockwave.
As water flooded the ship, it began to sink. The sailors, realizing the severity, jumped into the sea to escape.
Seeing the first ship sinking, the second enemy ship immediately turned and fled, ignoring the sailors in the water.
“Shall we pursue?” the captain asked Jiang Yuecheng.
“Don’t chase. Let’s rescue the sailors in the water.”
Jiang Yuecheng ordered the warship to assist the cargo ship in rescuing the fallen enemy sailors.
In total, twenty-five people, including the captain, were captured.
Through interrogation, Jiang Yuecheng learned more about the enemy.
The twenty-four floating islands in the area were all owned by one boss, with 2,500 personnel assigned to defend them. The defense forces were primarily stationed on three of the islands, and their heavy weaponry included six 1,500-ton old warships, thirty-five electromagnetic cannons, twelve drones, and ten missile launchers.
Jiang Yuecheng’s heart sank as he realized the enormous gap in strength between their forces. If the enemy decided to retaliate, they would be doomed.
He immediately ordered the research institute to work overtime on producing more simulated fish submersibles, as they were his only real means of defense.
To avoid provoking the enemy, he interrogated the captives thoroughly and then ordered Cheng to return them, hoping the situation would calm.
Upon receiving the prisoners, the enemy commander threatened, “You’ll regret this!”
“What are we waiting for?” Cheng Manjiang feigned ignorance. “We saved your men, and now you threaten us?”
“You sank our ship, and we will make you pay even more dearly,” the enemy commander warned.
“The ship exploded on its own! Don’t blame us for your incompetence. We won’t help you next time!” Cheng responded, feigning outrage.
Life's Struggles
In life, it’s normal to experience pain and dissatisfaction.
Pain and troubles are what drive life forward, or at least one of its driving forces.
Look at the lions on the African savanna—once they’re full, they don’t hunt. They only hunt when hunger drives them to.
Hunger is the lion’s driving force.
Look at the male lions. They don’t fight when there’s peace; only when competing for mates do they engage in battle.
Sexual hunger is the male lion's driving force.
Humans are the same—whether it’s for food, relationships, or career success, the driving force is the dissatisfaction born from pain.
Therefore, for humans, pain is motivation.
To be more precise, both pain and pleasure are motivations.
A person’s goal is to avoid pain and pursue pleasure.
- Writer
