Chapter 194: Twenty-Minute Countdown

At 6:21 AM, nineteen minutes remained until the Bismarck formation's estimated arrival time.

The Revival battlecruiser carved a sharp-turning white wake across the sea, trailing long black smoke from its stern. To port, Wise Comparison and Hazelnut Name were readjusting formation; to starboard, Vajra and Mist Island pursued relentlessly. Four warships formed an irregular diamond encirclement, with Revival at its center.

"Captain, Wise Comparison at fourteen thousand, course 025, speed 26 knots!" Radar Officer Zhang Hao's voice came through the voice pipe, with obvious tension.

Lin Hai stood before the chart table, pencil swiftly marking the nautical chart. Sweat slid from his forehead, blooming into a small damp patch on the paper.

"They're adjusting angle for a broadside salvo," he said without looking up. "Executive Officer Chen, order the engine room: hard left rudder, course 110, maintain 31 knots. We're going through between Wise Comparison and Hazelnut Name."

"Go through the middle?" Chen Qiming's eyes widened. "Then we'll be exposed to fire from both sides!"

"Exactly." Lin Hai finally looked up, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "But they'll also be exposed to our gun muzzles. And they won't dare close too close—afraid of friendly fire."

He walked to the center of the bridge and spoke into the voice pipe: "Gunnery Officer, next salvo target—Hazelnut Name. Load high-explosive shells, target the superstructure and observation equipment."

"Understood! Turrets one and two loading high-explosive!" Wang Zhen guo's voice responded immediately.

"Navigation Officer, report immediately once the turn is complete."

"Yes, sir!"

Revival's massive hull began to heel again. Deep within the hull, the temperature in the engine room had already soared past fifty degrees. Twelve fuel-oil boilers were all running at full power, steam pressure nearing the redline.

Engine Officer Liu Ming de stood bare-chested, his bronze skin covered in sweat and grease. He stared at the pressure gauge and shouted at the young stoker beside him: "Xiao Chen, open the feed valve on boiler three a bit more! She's gasping!"

"But Engine Officer, the pressure is already…"

"Screw the pressure! The captain wants speed, we give him speed!" Liu Ming de roared. "If we're slow today, we're all fish food!"

Xiao Chen gritted his teeth and twisted the valve open. The steam pressure gauge's needle jumped up another notch, nearing the danger zone. The boiler let out a groan under the strain, but Revival's speed indeed increased by another half knot.

Meanwhile, on Vajra's bridge.

Kato Tomosaburo held his binoculars, staring fixedly at Revival nimbly turning on the sea. His brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

"They want to go through the middle," he murmured to himself. "Such audacity…"

"Sir, shall I order concentrated fire?" Chief of Staff Hei dao asked.

Kato fell silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "No. If four ships fire simultaneously, the shell trajectories will interfere with each other. And with Revival in the middle and Wise Comparison and Hazelnut Name on either side, friendly fire is too likely."

He lowered his binoculars and walked to the chart. "Order Wise Comparison and Hazelnut Name to keep their distance and cross-fire with Main Guns. Vajra and Mist Island pursue from behind and harass with secondary batteries. We'll wear them down bit by bit, like a wolf pack."

"But sir, this way the battle will drag on…"

"A drawn-out battle favors us," Kato interrupted him. "Revival is only one ship, with limited ammunition and Fuel. Our four ships can take turns until they fire their last Shell."

Hei dao understood. This was the safest, yet most ruthless tactic—using the advantage of numbers and attrition to grind the opponent to death.

The orders were relayed. Wise Comparison and Hazelnut Name began adjusting course, the two ships opening the Distance to form a channel roughly two kilometers wide. Revival was heading straight for this channel.

"Main Guns ready!" ordered Wise Comparison's captain, Yamamoto Tomosuke. "Target enemy bridge, Distance thirteen thousand five hundred, fire!"

Six 356mm Main Guns fired simultaneously. Almost at the same time, Hazelnut Name's six Main Guns also spewed flame.

Twelve Shells formed a web of death in the air, descending upon Revival.

Revival's bridge.

"Enemy ships to port opening fire!" the spotter's shout rang out.

Lin Hai didn't even look up. His eyes stayed on the chart, his slide rule gliding rapidly.

"Right rudder five degrees, slight correction," his voice was terrifyingly calm. "Maintain course. Gunnery Officer, Hazelnut Name, you may open fire."

"But Captain, we haven't completed the turn yet…"

"I said, open fire."

Wang Zhen guo gritted his teeth: "Full broadside, fire!"

Revival's eight Main Guns roared again. But this time, because the hull was still turning, accuracy suffered. The eight Shells scattered widely; only two landed near Hazelnut Name, the rest all went long.

Almost the instant Revival opened fire, Wise Comparison and Hazelnut Name's Shells arrived.

The first near-miss landed thirty meters off the port side, the water plume rising higher than the bridge. The second was closer, twenty meters. The third…

"Boom!!!"

A 356mm armor-piercing Shell struck Revival's foredeck directly. The explosion's flash illuminated the entire bow, shrapnel and steel fragments flying in all directions.

The bridge shook violently, dust sifting down from the ceiling. A young helmsman was knocked to the floor; Chen Qiming quickly pulled him up.

"Damage report!" Lin Hai's voice remained steady.

The damage control center's report came quickly: "Sector B forward hit! Secondary turret one destroyed, foredeck on fire! Fire teams already en route!"

"Casualties?"

"…Still being tallied. At least ten killed, twenty wounded."

Lin Hai closed his eyes, but only for one second. When he opened them again, his gaze was sharper than before.

"Continue fighting." He spoke only those words.

He walked to the starboard observation window and trained his binoculars on Hazelnut Name. Revival's last salvo hadn't scored a direct hit, but shrapnel from a near-miss had clearly struck Hazelnut Name's bridge—that ship's course showed obvious erratic movement.

"Good," Lin Hai lowered his binoculars. "At least we've knocked out their observation capability. Now…"

Before he could finish, a series of violent explosions erupted from the right side of the hull.

"Starboard! Mist Island firing secondary battery salvo!" the spotter screamed.

Lin Hai rushed to the starboard porthole. Mist Island had closed to about eight thousand meters, its 140mm secondary batteries spitting tongues of flame. Dozens of Shells rained down around and onto Revival's hull.

Though secondary battery Shells couldn't penetrate the Armour Belt, their destruction of the superstructure, anti-aircraft gun positions, and observation equipment was lethal.