Chapter 244: Offshore Muster Patrol Fleet

The next morning at dawn, the sky barely lit, off the coast of Shen Jiang Kou, a designated water area shrouded in morning mist.

The sleek, lightning‑fast torpedo fast‑boat sliced through the calm sea, racing toward the depths of the mist.

Lin Yu stood on the fast‑boat's fore deck, the sea wind ruffling his hair and snapping his coat. He gazed at the seemingly empty sea ahead, his eyes full of anticipation and excitement.

Qi Ming Yuan and several core Intelligence Bureau officials remained on the support vessel behind, not accompanying them.

As the fast‑boat pressed deeper, the surrounding fog grew denser, visibility dropping to almost nil. At that moment, the boat's engine slowed according to the prearranged signal, then came to a gradual halt.

Lin Yu held his breath, waiting silently.

As if obeying a silent command, the thick fog ahead began to churn and swirl as if stirred by an invisible giant hand, then… slowly dispersed!

In an instant, a sight that could suffocate and awe any human of this era unfolded before Lin Yu without warning!

The first thing that caught his eye was a massive hull rising from the sea like a range of mountains!

At the center stood the Iron Blood (Bismarck) Battleship, its majestic hull casting a huge shadow in the pale dawn. Its bridge towered higher than the main building of Lin Gong Guan, its massive slanted main armor belt, and the eight slowly rotating turrets with 380 mm guns glinting lethal cold light—all exuded a sense of power and oppression far beyond this era's comprehension!

Beside it, the Celestial (Zeppelin) Aircraft Carrier was equally colossal. Its flat, wide flight deck seemed astonishingly novel and powerful to Lin Yu. The deck's orderly rows of Bf109T Fighters and Ju87C dive bombers (Stuka), though motionless, seemed to hold a terrifying power ready to lift into the sky and blanket the heavens!

Encircling the two flagship vessels, the graceful lines of Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers, the sleek forms of Z-class Destroyers, and the occasional cold glint of U‑boat periscopes beneath the distant sea together formed a steel tableau brimming with power and beauty!

The fleet's level of modernization, scale, and the Germanic rigor and killing intent it exuded far exceeded Lin Yu's prior imagination! Seeing it with his own eyes delivered a visual impact and spiritual shock a hundred times stronger than merely 'watching' through a system interface!

"Good… that's great…" Lin Yu thought, looking at the invincible fleet that was entirely his. His excitement was indescribable, and his reverence for the system's power deepened. Possessing such force, he felt as if he could rewrite the world's maritime power balance!

The torpedo fast‑boat eased toward the Iron Blood Battleship. The massive hull's shadow completely enveloped the fast‑boat. Lin Yu had to look up to barely make out the battleship's towering side and the densely arrayed secondary gun ports.

The gangway had been lowered. After the fast‑boat steadied, Lin Yu inhaled deeply, tidied his uniform, and stepped onto the super‑battleship's deck.

The wide deck was spotless, the steel floor reflecting a cold sheen. Rows upon rows of sailors in crisp German‑style navy uniforms, their faces of Eastern origin, stood at attention with spirited vigor, saluting him with a focused gaze.

At the gangway entrance awaited a middle‑aged officer bearing the rank of Navy Rear Admiral, his face resolute and eyes sharp. He was the captain of the Iron Blood and the temporary commander of the Sea Eagle Task Force—Shen Chonghai.

"Supreme Commander!" Shen Chonghai strode forward, offering a standard, forceful German‑style military salute to Lin Yu, his voice steady and resonant, bearing the distinctive clang of a soldier, "All personnel of the Sea Eagle Task Force, welcome, Supreme Commander, for inspection!"

His demeanor was rigorous and professional, every gesture exuding the elite bearing of the German navy, yet his black eyes shone with absolute loyalty and reverence toward Lin Yu, the supreme commander.

"General Shen, thank you for your effort." Lin Yu returned a salute, his gaze sweeping over the composed navy officer and the rows of spirited troops behind him, nodding with satisfaction, "Show me our fleet."

"Yes! Supreme Commander!" Shen Chonghai stepped aside to lead the way, beginning a detailed briefing to Lin Yu on the various aspects of the Sea Eagle Task Force.

"Supreme Commander, this task force centers on the Iron Blood battleship and the Celestial aircraft carrier." Shen Chonghai narrated in precise, fluent Mandarin as they walked, his voice carried clearly by the sea breeze, "The Iron Blood's standard displacement exceeds 40,000 tons, its top speed reaches 30 knots, and its main armor belt is thick enough to withstand the main‑gun fire of any current world‑service battleship."

They first boarded the towering main bridge of the Iron Blood. Lin Yu stood on the spacious, bright bridge, looking at the various precise navigation instruments, communication devices, and the massive chart table before him; although he was still unfamiliar with many of the instruments' specific functions, the highly integrated and professional atmosphere was far beyond any old‑style warship he had ever seen.

"The ship is equipped with eight Krupp SKC/34 380 mm main guns, mounted in four twin turrets," Shen Chonghai said, pointing to the turret outside the window that resembled a beast's fangs. "It uses the era's most advanced optical range‑finding and mechanical fire‑control system, with a maximum range exceeding 36 km; the armor‑piercing shells can penetrate over 350 mm of vertical armor at 20 km. In addition, it carries twelve 150 mm secondary guns and numerous anti‑aircraft guns, forming a layered firepower system covering long, medium, and short ranges."

Lin Yu felt his heart quake. A speed of 30 knots! Enough armor to resist any main‑gun fire! And those massive, long‑range 380 mm main guns! It was essentially a moving sea fortress!

Afterward, Shen Chonghai led Lin Yu to tour the massive main gun turret interior. Watching the intricate, mechanically elegant breech blocks, shell‑elevating mechanisms, and the neatly stacked shells that resembled tiny houses, Lin Yu truly grasped the terrifying destructive power contained within this super‑battleship.

Next, they transferred via a transport boat to the adjacent Celestial aircraft carrier. Standing on the expansive flight deck, Lin Yu watched the hangar below packed with Bf109T fighters and Ju87C dive bombers (Stuka), as well as the pilots and ground crew busily performing maintenance and checks, his heart swelling with excitement.

"The Celestial can carry over 40 aircraft of various types," reported the carrier's captain Gao Zhihang to Lin Yu. "The carrier‑based fighters secure air superiority and fleet air defense, while the dive bombers can carry heavy bombs for precise strikes against enemy ships. Our pilots are rigorously trained and ready to launch at a moment's notice!"

Lin Yu nodded; aircraft carriers were still a novelty in this era, their true power not yet fully understood. Yet he knew these planes capable of striking from the air would become another deadly sword against enemy fleets, especially against older warships with relatively weak anti‑air defenses.

Beyond the two core capital ships, Shen Chonghai also detailed to Lin Yu the Hipper-class Heavy Cruiser's blue‑water strike capability, the Z-class Destroyer's versatility, and the terrifying ambush and blockade power of the eight U‑boats forming the "Shui Xia Lang Quan."

"Supreme Commander," Shen Chonghai concluded on the way back to the Iron Blood's bridge, "All vessels of the Sea Eagle Task Force are at peak combat readiness, with ample ammunition and fuel reserves. The entire crew is well‑trained and morale is high; we have completed basic coordinated drills and can execute any mission, meeting any challenge!"

After hearing Shen Chonghai's detailed report and witnessing the fleet's grandeur and excellence firsthand, Lin Yu's confidence swelled to its limit!

All his previous worries and concerns vanished in an instant. With such a timeless ace fleet and the twisted "Coastal Defense Giant Shield" system, even if the Foreigners sent only a single detachment—or even laid out all their resources—Lin Yu was absolutely confident they would be smashed to pieces in the waters off Shen City!

"Excellent!" Lin Yu patted Shen Chonghai's shoulder firmly, excitement and anticipation flashing in his eyes. "Relay my orders: keep the fleet concealed and on standby, ready for any combat. When the Foreigners' fleet enters our ambush zone, I'll give them a gift they'll never forget!"

Liu Chu seemed to already picture the Foreigners' fleet turning into a sea of fire under the Iron Blood's massive guns and the Stuka's bombs, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

In his view, the imminent naval clash was no longer a challenge but a one‑sided hunt!