Chapter 264: Warning Ignored, Cannon Fire Opens, Eastern Squad Sinks to the Sea Floor

The bridge of the light cruiser Divine Communication.

The cold warning signal still echoed in the air, and Major Ijuin Matsuji's face turned dreadfully grim. Deep inside, fear spread like a cold poisonous snake, but he was, after all, a proud officer of the Great Eastern Empire Navy; the Empire's authority and its long‑standing maritime hegemony forced him to suppress the raging turmoil in his heart.

Retreat? Being driven away by an unknown battleship in such a near‑humiliating manner? Absolutely unacceptable!

He inhaled deeply and barked at the radio operator, "Reply to them! State our identity! Find out exactly who they are! What Shen City‑controlled waters? When will this high seas be up to a Chinese warlord to decide?"

Soon, the forceful reply signal was sent out via radio and signal lamps:

"This is the Great Eastern Empire Navy search detachment! We are conducting a rescue mission! Which navy are you? State your identity immediately! Cease your provocative actions at once! Repeat, cease provocative actions immediately!"

The Eastern side's reply was full of its usual arrogance and questioning, completely ignoring the opponent's warning and deadline. Ijuin Matsuji stared intently at the mysterious warship drawing nearer, cold sweat beading on his palms, yet he forced himself to sit up straight, awaiting their response, still harboring a faint hope that they might be intimidated by the Empire Navy's reputation.

Yet what he received was not further negotiation nor retreat, but… destruction!

That sleek, power‑filled heavy cruiser, upon receiving the Eastern side's forceful reply—or rather, without waiting for the half‑hour warning deadline to expire—responded with a near‑cold, mechanical efficiency, delivering the most direct answer.

No superfluous warning, no angry shouting, only cold, steel resolve!

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening blast erupted like thunder cracking the ground!

The mysterious heavy cruiser's forward main turret suddenly spewed orange‑red, searing flames and thick smoke! The massive recoil made the turret shudder slightly! Immediately afterward, the aft main turret roared with the same fury!

Several large‑caliber shells, screaming as they tore through the air like arrows from a bow, streaked across the sky at visible speed, howling toward the unsuspecting Eastern search detachment!

Ijuin Matsuji and all the Eastern officers and crew on the bridge had their pupils snap shut! They didn't even have time to issue any effective evasive orders!

The naval battle erupted again without warning!

But this time it was not a clash of massive fleets; a mysterious, unknown‑strength heavy cruiser struck directly at a much smaller search detachment composed of light cruisers and destroyers! The conflict came so suddenly, so outright, suffused with a choking sense of oppression!

All the Easterners' arrogance and luck turned to nothing in an instant before the opponent's unhesitant shells; the shadow of death again draped over this eerie sea.

The German heavy cruiser's first salvo displayed hopeless precision and devastating power!

Unlike the Eastern Navy's traditional artillery, which relied on experience and observation and required multiple test shots to gradually correct trajectories, this mysterious heavy cruiser's fire‑control system was evidently advanced by more than one era. The shells' impact points were unusually concentrated, almost covering the narrow area centered on the light cruiser Divine Communication.

"Boom! Boom—!"

Two heavy shells struck Divine Communication directly! One pierced its relatively thin deck armor, causing a violent explosion and towering flames at the bow; the other hit near the hull's side waterline, not fully breaching the main armor belt but still causing severe rupture and flooding! Divine Communication's hull shuddered, speed dropped sharply, and the ship began to list noticeably.

"Evasive! Emergency evasive!" Major Ijuin Matsuji clutched the handrail amid the violent shaking, shouting hoarsely.

The other four Kagerou‑class destroyers reacted instantly, scrambling at high speed to dodge the incoming shells that came like the Grim Reaper's scythe. Their proud 35‑knot speed at that moment seemed their only lifeline.

Yet the German heavy cruiser's fire did not cease. Its main guns reloaded noticeably faster than the Eastern ships of the same or similar caliber, leaving the Eastern fleet virtually no breathing room. The second and third rounds followed in quick succession, each shot bearing terrifying accuracy.

"Ripping—Boom!"

The destroyer Black Tide's stern was severely damaged by a massive water column and shockwave from a near‑miss, its steering gear failed, and it began to spin uncontrollably on the surface. Immediately afterward, a shell struck its midsection, causing a fierce self‑destruction; the destroyer split in two, turning into a burning heap of steel debris that sank rapidly.

The Eastern fleet did try to retaliate. Divine Communication and several destroyers' 127 mm or 140 mm main guns fired fiercely at the massive heavy cruiser, but their shells either fell short into the sea or were so inaccurate as to pose no threat. The heavy cruiser didn't even bother to maneuver; it simply relied on its thick armor to shrug off the sporadic, tickling hits from the destroyers' guns, continuing its efficient, cold‑hearted targeting.

The crushing advantage of modern ships over older vessels was laid bare at that moment! The advanced fire‑control system delivered near‑"first‑shot‑hit" precision; its longer range let it fire comfortably beyond the enemy's effective range; its faster rate of fire allowed it to unleash devastating firepower in a short span.

Just as the Eastern sailors were reeling from the heavy cruiser's barrage, dizzy and slipping back into panic, several straight, high‑speed white streaks suddenly appeared on the sea surface!

"Torpedo! Torpedo on starboard!" the lookout shouted in desperation!

At an unknown time, a submarine had been lurking beneath this seemingly empty sea, and several torpedoes, like coiled poisonous snakes, surged from an unexpected angle toward the Eastern destroyers scrambling to dodge the shellfire!

"Boom!" "Boom—!"

The destroyers Sun Flare and Shiranui evaded the shells but could not escape the deadly underwater ambush! Amid the violent explosions, these two of the Empire's newest, sharp destroyers fell into Black Tide's wake, their hulls ripped open by torpedoes, and they sank swiftly!

At the same time, smaller‑caliber shells crackled from other directions—perhaps destroyers from Lin Yu's fleet, also concealed nearby, had joined the hunt, using their rapid‑fire guns to clean up the remnants.

Within just a few dozen minutes, the Eastern search detachment had collapsed completely! The flagship Divine Communication burned fiercely, severely listing and utterly losing combat capability; three destroyers were sunk;

Only the last destroyer, Snow Wind, remained, surviving on extraordinary luck and the captain's superb evasive skill, still barely staying afloat but scarred and terrified.

The German heavy cruiser ceased its main‑gun fire, like an elegant, cold‑hearted hunter, silently observing its tally. Around it, other equally lethal hunters might still be hidden.

Lin Yu's absolute control over this sea, proven once more in this brief, brutal encirclement, showed that the Eastern probes sent to test him were cut off mercilessly.