books44 Chapter 639 The Temptation of the New Ship.
Chapter 639 The Temptation of the New Ship.
Two hours ago.
The sea breeze at night carried a salty, fishy smell, brushing across the sea surface and also across the tense faces of every soldier on the narrow deck of the minesweeper "Sea Eagle".
"Boom..."
A small splash of water rose up, and Xiao Liu put down his 14.5mm twin machine gun and smiled at his comrades.
"Hey, you know what, this mine-cutting and clearing kit is pretty useful. One sonar scan, we drop this thing on the seabed, tow it with this boat, and the mine floats to the surface. Then we just give it a good blast with the machine gun..."
"We don't even need to go into the sea wearing those heavy diving suits anymore..."
The chief engineer beside him also stopped banging on the bamboo poles tied to the side of the boat and nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the group of large yellow croakers floating belly up in front of him.
"This trick I learned from the villager works really well. One tap of the clapper and this big, silly fish floats to the surface by itself..."
"Hey, that was a smart job! A quick tap with the bamboo pole, followed by the detonation of the bomb, and it's done. Hurry up and cast the net... if it sinks to the bottom, all our work will be for nothing!"
"Hey, Chief Engineer, we've encountered an emergency! This waterway is a vital route for fishermen, and who knew there was a mine underneath! If we don't clear it, it might cause some serious trouble!"
"Yes, the new guy Zhao has really sharp ears! We've come this way and back several times before, and we didn't even notice him." An older soldier cast out a fishing net and chimed in with a chuckle.
"Captain! Zhao deserves credit for this!"
As Captain Liu Huaqing stood on the deck, about to say something, the loudspeaker outside the communications room blared the naval leader's furious shout: "Stop blasting fish like that! You're turning this perfectly good landing ship into a private drying ground for salted fish!"
"Hurry up and get to the coordinates. Don't hesitate to turn on the radar. The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll be done. Take as much stuff off the plane as possible. That kid who helped us get the 'Sea Drop' wanted it. The South China Sea Fleet's new ships are counting on him to give us a hand. Hurry up and get to that plane!"
Upon hearing his superior mention "that kid," Captain Liu Huaqing's eyes lit up, but when he heard the word "new ship," his eyes widened like saucers...
A new ship! *slurp*
Liu Huaqing immediately gave a shout to the soldiers:
"Hurry, hurry! Quickly pull in the net! Let's go over there and see. Our comrades worked so hard to bring down this plane, we have to take something off it, otherwise those stubborn guys on the other side won't admit our victory..."
After giving the order, Liu Huaqing, unusually, did not stay on the deck to help his comrades pack up, but instead grabbed his binoculars and plunged into the command cabin.
"Hey? Chief Engineer, what's wrong with our captain today? Why is he listening to the boss so much?" Xiao Liu asked curiously as he struggled to pull the fishing net.
"What's wrong...you're having second thoughts..."
The chief engineer put a spindle-shaped object in his mouth, chewed it, and spat out a mouthful of red saliva: "You arrived late and don't know the situation."
Our submarine captain is a top student! He actually studied at that Voroshi Academy or something in Russia! Amazing! I heard the logistics department wanted to set up some research institute and invited him to be the director, but he refused!
"Hey! You got promoted, didn't you? Aren't you going?" Xiao Liu's eyes widened, and he paused in his trawling motion until he was slapped by the chief engineer before he grinned and started moving again.
"Everyone else is focused on commanding the big ships! As for that research institute, I heard it's just sitting in an office doing theoretical research, but others wouldn't bother going there..."
"But we're poor, where would we get so many big ships to command? You don't know..." The chief engineer leaned closer to Xiao Liu: "Our submarine captain's been designing ships himself lately!"
"I reckon they heard about 'that kid' and probably want to ask him to help turn their designs into reality..."
"Wow! No wonder he's a top student. He didn't have a large ship to command, so he built one himself. That's quite a spirit!" Xiao Liu clicked his tongue, his hands still busy, and together with his comrades, stuffed the large yellow croaker into a small compartment at the back of the minesweeper.
"Hey, who's 'that kid'? Is he really that capable?" After finishing his work, Xiao Liu straightened up and couldn't help but rub his back with his hands. This net of big yellow croakers was really heavy!
"Heh, you don't know? If you don't know, just keep it to yourself. Maybe you'll know his name when you become the mine-clearing chief!"
The chief engineer spat out another mouthful of saliva, wanting to tease the young man a bit more, but was called to the command room by the captain.
"Huh? Who is this person? You only know their name after becoming a minesweeper?" Xiao Liu was a little confused.
……
In the small command room of the minesweeper "Haiying," Captain Liu Huaqing was gesturing on the nautical chart with a compass. Upon seeing the chief engineer enter, he immediately got to the point:
"My superiors have ordered me to sail to the XXXX area to carry out a salvage mission. However, I suspect these coordinates are inaccurate. The ocean currents in the Yellow Sea have changed somewhat, and I reckon that if I continue according to the original coordinates, I'll likely end up empty-handed! I'd like to ask you comrades to discuss whether we should head towards this location..."
The chief engineer and the other veteran sailors gathered around the nautical chart and began to assess which direction to take based on their own nautical experience.
We finally managed to reach a result that everyone agreed on.
"Okay! That's it!"
"Hard to port."
"Two cars advance to the fourth position."
At Liu Huaqing's command, the Falcon boat's diesel engine suddenly roared with a deep, excited intensity, spewing thick black smoke from the smokestack. The bow jerked up, like a dagger drawn from its sheath, resolutely cleaving through the increasingly turbulent waves, and speeding toward the crash site.
Well, all of the above is just imagination. This 500-ton minesweeper did roar and puff out black smoke, but its pitiful speed of 11 knots was hardly enough to make a splash. If I had to describe it, "slow-moving oxcart" would probably be a more apt analogy…
This made Liu Huaqing, who was eager to complete the mission, realize for the first time that it might not be a good idea to have loaded too much stuff onto the minesweeper.
The sea breeze, carrying the unique smell of salt and diesel fuel, rushed violently into the open command cabin. Liu Huaqing closed his eyes slightly: "Ah, if only this were a large ship, not 2000 tons, even 1000 tons would be fine. But the speed must be fast! 34 knots would be excellent. The firepower doesn't need to be too intense, just enough to install 'sea snares' (anti-tank missiles). I don't need many, four in the front and four in the back of each boat."
Hey, that's great.
When facing enemy ships, regardless of whether they are visible to the naked eye or not, as long as they are detected by radar, that's enough. Fire four shots in quick succession; whether they hit or not, turn the ship around and fire four more...
This is exactly the style I'm looking for!
Thinking of this, Liu Huaqing chuckled to himself. However, he still really wanted a real warship. Yesterday at headquarters, he saw two large toys sent by comrades from the South China Sea Fleet. Leaving aside the submarine, that aircraft carrier looked really enviable...
If "that kid" could help make this thing, that would be truly amazing.
If I ever get the command of this aircraft carrier, I'll definitely go to the enemy's territory every day to block their door...
Thinking about it, Liu Huaqing's mouth watered again. He really wanted it, really wanted it. You silly boy, you better step up your game! If you build it, I'll give you the mine I dug myself to play with...