Chapter 315

Chapter 315: Assassins! Jing Ke!

Submarines and assassins share many similarities. Searching for them requires skills that surpass those of an assassin or advanced scanning techniques.

In actual combat, explosive devices might be deployed to create sound waves and feedback for sonar, just like the U.S. Navy used the MK48 torpedoes to create explosion waves that revealed the location of Gold Coins.

Based on experience, after Lin Mo placed sonar buoys in the most threatening sea area to the carrier fleet with no results, he deployed a few more for area testing. However, the outcome was the same. The sonar buoys filtered through underwater noise without detecting any anomalies.

Each buoy covered a radius of 800 meters, and theoretically, such coverage should have a high chance of locating the Jing Ke. Yet, so far, only a few people had managed to hit their target accurately.

Counter-surveillance was crucial for a submarine’s survival; if it were easy to find, the submarine captain would face losing his position alongside the sub.

The Light Mirror Technique nearly filled the cockpit’s instrument panel, but the images received were murky, yielding little success. It could not scan for Lin Mo’s desired targets as easily as on land.

Lin Mo sighed. With only six minutes remaining, was he destined to end up like the others with nothing to show for his efforts?

If only Gold Coin were here; he was like a live metal detection device. Even hiding in the Mariana Trench, he could still sense the submarines.

At the 3 o’clock position of the Shilang, the waves on the surface looked almost identical, showing no unusual signs. Everyone knew that the Jing Ke was in a deep, silent state. Apart from life support systems and essential electronics, all equipment was at rest, with no movement or sounds in the cabin.

Lin Mo felt a pounding headache. He found it incredibly challenging to deal with underwater opponents as a pilot trained primarily for land combat.

As a fighter pilot, emotional fluctuations should not affect him, even in the face of a missile chase. He needed to maintain a steady mental state at all times.

Although his head ached, Lin Mo remained calm while scanning the sea surface, using the Light Mirror Technique along with visual observations and logical reasoning. He imagined himself as the Jing Ke to infer whether any objects lay beneath the surface, a task that proved quite difficult.

High difficulty levels foster superior anti-submarine capabilities, and this was the standard they followed in training. The current group of carrier-based aircraft pilots represented the future seed of China’s aircraft carrier force, carrying forward the generation’s combat capabilities.

With Gold Coin by his side, Lin Mo could unleash his imagination freely. But without him, Lin Mo relied solely on his skills and experience, knowing he could still be shot down or exterminated.

This world was terrifying not only for the gold giant dragon but for Dragon Knights as well. If he could not quickly adapt to this world and grasp aerial knight tactics, his return to the heights he once knew would be uncertain. The Dragon Knight would not be much better than ordinary pilots if he couldn’t keep up; this was why Lin Mo never relaxed his efforts.

The pride of a Dragon Knight rests on the foundation of strength; without adequate power, what appeared as pride was merely a thin veil, easily torn apart.

The Dark Sabre flew low, nearly five meters above the ocean’s surface, continuing its search. With each meter it descended, the effective detection depth of the Light Mirror Technique increased by one meter. This was the basic principle of trading altitude for depth.

“Lin instructor, you can do it!”

“You can find it!”

“Finding the Jing Ke will mean victory!”

“It’s all on you, Lin instructor! You have to try hard!”

The radio channel buzzed with encouragement from the students of Training Group 15, while others cheered on Lin Mo, calling his name and even addressing him as "Dragon Knight."

“Don’t worry! I will find it!” Lin Mo replied, maintaining a calm tone, much like a boxer on stage receiving cheers from the audience.

Then…

Lin Mo squinted. Near the shadow of the supply ship Sea Needle, something seemed off. Was it a case of playing hide-and-seek?

No, no, it couldn’t be that simple.

The Chinese submarine force is perhaps the most capable of maintaining combat readiness since the founding of the country. Whether in peace or war, strategic missile or attack submarines, once launched into the depths, meant entering a state of combat. The ocean would not only provide feedback on others’ activities but also relay his information.

Just like the Type 98 nuclear submarines, some of which remain so classified that their production has never surfaced, all assembly and tuning take place underwater.

Surveillance and counter-surveillance below the ocean’s surface are often fraught with dangers unknown to the outside world.

Infantry might retreat from the battlefield, the Air Force can eject and parachute down, and sailors on ships can jump into the water wearing life jackets for a chance at survival.

But for the sailors lurking inside submarines hundreds of meters below the surface, they truly dance with death, unreachable by sky above or ground below. Their only reliance lies with sonar and the submarine itself.

Thus, when malfunctions or damage occur, military personnel on submarines typically face the highest mortality rates, with deaths far outnumbering injuries.

This is no joking matter; it is a conclusion Lin Mo reached after understanding many battle weapons in this world.

Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy means winning every battle. To remain in sync with this world’s combat rules, Lin Mo continuously seeks to improve himself whenever he has free time.

Ha! Found it!

Lin Mo finally spotted a clue on the ocean’s surface. The Light Mirror Technique gathered information to form a faint outline of a submarine. The Jing Ke even considered light reflection and inadvertently unlocked the essence of the Light Mirror Technique.

However, even with this, maintaining synchronization with the shadow during movement was difficult without limited range, making it challenging to locate.

“I’ve found you!” Lin Mo pulled the control stick sharply, flying in a circle around the supply ship Sea Needle and directly deploying a sonar buoy at the semi-oceanic position of its eleven o’clock direction.

Just two seconds after the sonar buoy hit the water, before it could even officially begin working, Lin Mo heard the frantic voice of the Jing Ke’s captain on the radio: “Dragon Knight, how did you find me? Did I provoke you?! Ah! My bonus!”

The captain’s mournful complaint triggered laughter from many listeners.

Underwater sounds travel swiftly; as soon as the buoy was deployed, it fell within the detection range of the submarine’s passive listening devices.

This anti-submarine training also offered significant rewards; any pilot who located the Jing Ke would receive 1,000 yuan in real money.

Correspondingly, for each time the Jing Ke was discovered, 500 yuan would be deducted from the bonus. The captain, saving up for baby formula for his wife, ground his teeth in frustration as another 500 bucks slipped away. If he were found twenty times, he would lose everything.

Although deploying a buoy relies on probability, high probabilities indicate insufficient hiding abilities for submarine command. This was a drill with their own people; if it had been another nation’s vessel or opposing forces, exposure would mean sinking with no mercy.

Low-frequency communication devices onboard conveyed sounds mixed with the thud of active sonar collisions, indicating the sonar was very close to the submarine.

The deployed sonar buoy immediately sent out an alarm signal, promptly transmitting precise coordinates: the Jing Ke positioned 390 meters below the buoy in the dark, murky seawater. In the interplay of light and shadow, without Lin Mo’s Light Mirror Technique, locating it would have proven quite difficult.

Cheers erupted among all aviation crew members in the carrier fleet as Lin Mo maneuvered above the sea surface, celebrating his success with stylish aerial moves around the position of the Jing Ke.

The radio buzzed with various congratulatory messages. Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, letting out a “huh” as the Light Mirror Technique seemed to detect something during its scan.

Search techniques are one aspect of anti-submarine training, but luck is also essential. Seawater is not transparent, and natural dissolved substances create perfect camouflage. Even if two submarines appeared in the same area, maintaining silence would make it difficult to detect one another.

“Are the Chinese conducting anti-submarine training?”

“Yes, Colonel Smith!”

“It’s like children playing a game!”

“They must be playing hide-and-seek with their Yuan-class submarine.”

“I think you’re right, Commander.”

One nuclear submarine hid 18 nautical miles below the surface, extending its periscope to observe the Shilang aircraft carrier training group.

Captain Smith took the binoculars, gazing through them while speaking to his first officer beside him.

Then he handed the binoculars back to the first officer, saying, “Continue observing! Notify me immediately if you get any news.”

At this distance, they were extremely close. This Los Angeles-class Hampton attack submarine relied on its advanced equipment and daring approach to conduct close observation.

“Congratulations, Dragon Knight! Haha, the bonus of 1,000 yuan just came in, and that’s not easy to earn.”

“Yeah, thank you, Colonel Wu. I thought I’d embarrass myself today.”

“I have great confidence in you. If you can take down an F-35, how could you not manage a submarine!”

“Hey, you guys, could you leave me some face? It won’t be long before the sun sets, and my crew and I are eager for dinner.”

“Alright, alright, next up is Purple Dragon. It’s your turn.”

“Yes, Captain Wu!”

“Wait, I think I saw something!”

“What did you see, Dragon Knight?”