Chapter 197: The Hunter's Gunsight

In the first exchange, each side took two hits.

In the second round, Fuxing took three hits, Vajra took one.

The third round...

"Bridge hit!" A anguished cry came from aboard Vajra.

A 381mm high-explosive shell struck the upper bridge of Vajra. Though it failed to penetrate the armoured conning tower, the blast's shockwave and fragments swept across the open bridge.

Kato Tomosaburo was thrown to the deck by the blast wave, his forehead smashing into the railing, blood streaming down. But he immediately scrambled to his feet and wiped the blood from his face: "Keep firing! Don't stop!"

On Fuxing's side, the situation was even worse.

Three consecutive 356mm armour-piercing shells struck the midsection of the hull. Though the Armour Belt held, the superstructure was riddled with holes. Number Two turret took a direct hit, its gun barrels twisted into corkscrews. The foremast collapsed, crashing onto the forecastle.

Most critically, a shell pierced the armour near the starboard waterline, tearing open a three-metre-wide gash. Seawater surged in.

"Starboard compartment B-3 is flooding heavily! We can't plug it!" The voice of damage control team leader Sun Dayong came through the intercom, laced with despair.

"Close the watertight doors! Abandon B-3!" Lin Haisheng ordered through gritted teeth.

"But there are still people inside..."

"I said, close the watertight doors!" Lin Hai's voice was hoarse. "That's an order!"

The other end of the intercom fell silent for a few seconds, then Sun Dayong's low voice came through: "... Yes."

In compartment B-3, five young damage control sailors were using their bodies to plug the leaking cracks. They heard the hydraulic sound of the watertight door closing above them and froze.

"Captain! The door's closing!" one sailor shouted in terror.

Sun Dayong looked at them—the youngest was only seventeen. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

Seawater had already risen to their chests. The light flickered a few times, then went out. In the darkness, only the roar of the sea and the faint sound of distant gunfire could be heard.

"Brothers," Sun Dayong said at last, "in our next life... let's still be Lanfang navy men."

Seawater swallowed them above their heads.

6:35 AM, seven minutes before the Bismarck formation's arrival.

Fuxing was listing heavily to starboard, her speed reduced to 22 knots. Only four of her eight Main Guns could still fire, and the superstructure was almost entirely destroyed. Casualties exceeded three hundred.

Vajra was no better off. Her bridge was severely damaged, two main turrets were out of action, and her speed had dropped to 25 knots. But two intact Kongō-class battleships—Wise Comparison and Hazelnut Name—were closing in from both flanks.

Lin Haisheng stood on the listing bridge, gripping the railing to keep his footing. His left arm had been slashed by shrapnel, blood soaking through his uniform, but he seemed to feel no pain.

"Captain, Wise Comparison has entered range!" Wang Zhen guo's voice came through—he was still at his post in the fire control room.

"Then fire," Lin Hai said. "Fire until the last shell."

Fuxing's remaining four Main Guns opened fire again. But this time, all the shells fell ahead of Wise Comparison—the gun elevation mechanisms were damaged, making precise aiming impossible.

Yet the broadsides from Wise Comparison and Hazelnut Name accurately blanketed Fuxing.

Four consecutive hits.

The bow caught fire, the engine room flooded, and the last operational boiler went out. Fuxing's speed dropped to 10 knots—and was still falling.

"It's over." Aboard Vajra, Kato Tomosaburo looked at the burning giant warship and let out a long breath. "Order all ships to close in and deliver the final blow. Send them to the depths with torpedoes..."

He did not finish his sentence.

A scream of utter terror suddenly came from the crow's nest:

"Southeast! Spotted... spotted four massive battleships! Distance... distance impossible to determine! They're enormous! Even bigger than Fuxing!"

Kato snatched up his binoculars and aimed them southeast.

On the horizon, four massive dark-grey silhouettes were cleaving through the waves, approaching at astonishing speed. Their hulls were longer and wider than the Kongō class, their main turret layout unprecedented, their gun barrels thick enough to make one's heart race.

And on those warships' masts, the yellow-and-blue Lanfang naval ensign snapped in the morning breeze.

"What is that..." Kato's voice trembled. "What in the world is that..."

His question was soon answered.

On the sea thirty kilometres away, on the bridge of the Yangtze, Rear Admiral Zhang Zhen lowered his binoculars.

"Target confirmed, four Kongō-class." His voice was as calm as a routine training exercise. "Main Guns load armour-piercing shells, fire control radar lock onto the flagship. Distance... twenty-eight thousand yards."

He paused and glanced at the clock: 6:38.

"All ships, full broadside," he said. "Send them to meet Amaterasu."

The thirty-two 380mm Main Guns of four Bismarck Class battleships raised their muzzles simultaneously.

6:38 AM, 125°05' East, 28°51' North.

On the bridge of the battleship Yangtze, Rear Admiral Zhang Zhen lowered his binoculars and nodded to the Chief of Staff beside him. His expression was as calm as inspecting a routine training exercise, but the sharp glint in his eyes betrayed the gravity of the moment.

"Target data confirmed?" Zhang Zhen's voice was not loud, yet it was exceptionally clear on the quiet bridge.

The operations officer immediately replied: "Confirmed, sir. Radar has locked onto four large surface targets, identification complete—Vajra, Wise Comparison, Hazelnut Name, Mist Island. Distance twenty-eight thousand yards, heading 310, speed ranging from 18 to 25 knots."

"What about Fuxing?"

"Fuxing... radar signal is very weak, hull is listing heavily to starboard, estimated speed no more than 10 knots. She is between Vajra and Wise Comparison, approximately ten thousand yards away."

Zhang Zhen fell silent for a few seconds. His fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the console, producing a rhythmic tap, tap. Everyone on the bridge held their breath, awaiting the order.

"Too close." Zhang Zhen finally spoke. "Fuxing and the enemy ships are too close. If we open fire now, there's a risk of friendly fire."

"But sir, Fuxing can't hold out much longer!" the Chief of Staff said urgently. "Radar shows their superstructure signal is rapidly fading—they may have already..."

"I know." Zhang Zhen cut him off and walked to the radar screen. On the screen, the blip representing Fuxing flickered weakly, nearly swallowed by the four brighter blips surrounding it. "That's why we need a precision strike. Fire control officer!"

"Here!" The fire control officer stood at attention.

"Your radar, at a Distance of twenty-eight thousand yards, against a target the size of Vajra—what Hit Rate can you achieve?"

The fire control officer hesitated: "Theoretical value... eight to twelve percent, sir. But this is the first combat test, and the targets are moving..."

"Enough." Zhang Zhen raised his hand. "Eight percent—thirty-two guns in one broadside will land at least two to three hits. Two to three 380mm armour-piercing shells are enough to knock any Kongō-class out of action."