Chapter 317

Chapter 317: Capturing the Hampton

Coming to support Lin Mo were "Shock" Liu Jihua, "Catfish" Cao Yang, "Thief" Xu Zhanghang, and "Scissors" Lei Kuiqiao. The radar screen displayed a few more IFF identifiers recognized as friendly, not only four J-15 "Dark Sabre" from Training Group 15 but also two Z-9 helicopters.

With the Light Mirror Technique adjusted, Lin Mo saw four J-15 "Dark Sabre" aircraft carrying depth charges and anti-submarine torpedoes following closely, with the two helicopters trailing behind.

The twin-engine "Dark Sabre" not only excelled in maneuverability but also had impressive payload capacity, with lift coefficients and armament far superior to the half-brother Su-33.

“Group 1 anti-submarine helicopter, start detection!”

“Group 2 anti-submarine helicopter, begin detection!”

The two helicopters reached the buoy drop site and hovered above, with one dropping a long tube attached to a cable into the seawater.

This device was the real anti-submarine killer; its detection range far surpassed that of the buoy, effectively compensating for the limited detection distance of the sonar buoy.

As soon as it hit the seawater, the crew on the Hampton realized the trouble they were in. The booming sound of sonar strikes echoed as if someone were smashing the hull with a steel rod.

The expressions on everyone’s faces in the submarine became quite intense.

This was not the small buoy they had dealt with previously; this was a powerful piece of equipment. Given the Hampton’s pathetic 30 knots, even the helicopters couldn’t escape, making it impossible to break free from the sonar’s detection range.

“Damn it!” Chief Morlenk widened his eyes; they were in real trouble.

The rumbling and muffled sounds outside grew more intense, as if the Hampton was caught in a bustling crowd. This meant there was more than one aircraft above, and they were prepared to drop depth charges and other anti-submarine weapons.

“We are completely locked on! Damn it, should we counterattack?” Listening to the dense sonar strikes, the technical officer responsible for torpedoes turned pale and looked anxiously at Smith.

Most crew members had similar expressions; no one knew if the Chinese would drop depth charges or anti-submarine torpedoes in the next second. Even at 530 meters, their maximum depth, safety was not guaranteed.

Underwater, the shockwaves from explosions were far more powerful than in the air. Even if not a direct hit, just being within the lethal radius could spell disaster for the submarine. While submarines could strike their targets with lightning speed and then disappear, if they attracted the enemy’s attention, their chances of survival would plummet.

Human-made depth charges and torpedoes always had an attack range that exceeded the submarine’s dive depth.

Morlenk and Smith exchanged glances, helplessly lowering their heads; counterattacking in this situation meant death, and they had lost the privilege to launch torpedoes, sealing the fate of 130 officers and crew under their command.

Smith’s face twitched; as captain of the Hampton, he had to be responsible for all his crew members. The American military’s concern for their soldiers’ lives surpassed that of any other country in the world.

He felt as if he had aged a decade in an instant. Waving his hand, he said, “Activate active sonar, send out a signal, and we will surface!”

Surface!

This was the hardest decision of his life. Even if he wouldn’t face accountability for it back home, it would still bring shame to his military career.

For a submarine trapped in enemy encirclement, surfacing meant giving up their greatest advantage, raising a white flag in surrender.

One could imagine, aside from the sailors on the Hampton, the future of the captain who gave the surrender order was bleak.

“Commander Lin, we won! It’s an American submarine, the Hampton! We’ve caught a big fish! They’ve identified themselves and are preparing to surface, hahaha! Long live China! Long live the Navy!”

A voice from the aircraft carrier command center’s radio burst with excitement. Surrounding cheers were almost palpable.

Uh!

The Dragon Knights are from the Army Aviation Corps! So the rewards all go to others.

After receiving the message from the aircraft carrier command center, Lin Mo couldn’t help but be surprised; it turned out to be an American Los Angeles-class attack submarine, clearly monitoring the Shilang aircraft carrier training group and gathering relevant intelligence and data.

Such incidents were common; submarines often launched sudden attacks underwater, but they also frequently used seawater cover for intelligence collection and reconnaissance, even secretly transporting special operations units.

“Understood, Dragon Knight received.”

Lin Mo suddenly fumbled, tossing out another sonar buoy. I confirm, it was definitely a slip.

Beneath the surface of the sea, waves swirled as a massive, dark figure about a hundred meters long slowly surfaced after extending its casing. In the midst of the splashing waves, the "1800 yuan" that Lin Mo had accidentally dropped was, by sheer coincidence, washed onto the deck of the submarine. When the seawater splashed, it triggered a seawater battery, which surprisingly began to hum with activity.

The outer hatch on top of the submarine slowly opened, and a stunned U.S. Navy officer poked his head out, staring at the Chinese-made sonar buoy not far from him.

What a troublesome thing; did they think it could be thrown inside the cabin?

Having already surrendered, he couldn’t believe they were still giving him a hard time, as if they didn’t want him to live.

The first to climb out was Captain Smith, feeling an immense sense of frustration in his chest, nearly spitting out blood.

What a slap in the face—an outright public humiliation!

Were they showing off their bomb deployment skills or what? Just one meter away, and this sonar would have fallen directly into the Hampton’s nuclear submarine, where it could start working inside the submarine.

Getting hit by an actual sonar inside the submarine was an unprecedented disgrace in the international naval community.

At that moment, Captain Smith almost felt like disregarding the serious consequences of sinking and giving a suicidal order to launch all torpedoes at once.

But even if they launched them, what would it matter?

The Chinese were already well prepared.

China was not some small, benign country; its military strength and industrial base ranked among the strong nations globally. After years of development in maritime military technology, even a barrage of torpedoes might not ensure a hit.

After all, there was something called torpedo decoys, which function similarly to infrared flares.

Moreover, the underwater interference factors were numerous; even if one stayed completely still, no one could guarantee a hit every time.

Five J-15 "Dark Sabre" aircraft flew in a tight formation at extremely low altitude, roaring past the Hampton nuclear submarine. The depth charges and torpedoes hanging beneath their wings sent chills down one’s spine; just one of them could send this Los Angeles-class attack submarine deep into the ocean forever.

“Damn those Chinese!” Captain Smith muttered as he crawled out of the submarine. Behind him, Chief Morlenk followed, and with no escape, they could only step onto the deck to breathe in some rare fresh air. Although the sea breeze was filled with a fishy smell, it was much better than the stale air filled with compressed air and electrolyzed oxygen inside the submarine.

“That’s quite a big one!” Lin Mo confirmed he accidentally scanned the periscope with the Light Mirror Technique, discovering that a submarine indeed lurked beneath the surface. The Americans had quite the nerve!

The only regret was that the training bonus was only one thousand yuan today; finding the Jing Ke and the Hampton meant only double the bonus. Sighing, before it even warmed in his hands, he would have to share it with others. What a tough situation! Should he suggest dropping a few depth charges into the sea to catch some seafood?

After all, the Pentagon would foot the bill, and it wouldn’t sting the South China Sea Fleet Commander’s pocket.

Only Lin Mo could come up with such an idea.

Every time during anti-submarine live-fire training, many sea fish of various sizes would float to the surface after dropping powerful weapons—some killed instantly, while many more were stunned. If a charge happened to explode in the middle of a school of fish, the surface could become covered in a blanket of white.

The sailors from the frigates and supply ships always eagerly set out in small rescue boats with empty barrels to catch fish.

For those making a living at sea, the ocean was like a backyard vegetable garden; catching fish here was much better than foraging without any food.

Though relying on the sea was commonplace, the sailors were not professional fishermen, and the cramped quarters of the boat didn’t allow for many fishing tools. The meals on the ship primarily relied on pre-stored dried rations, dehydrated vegetables, or canned food, along with some long-lasting fruit. One couldn’t hope for much variety; eating the same thing for too long became incredibly monotonous. In the end, it rivaled American soldiers munching on SPAM or MREs, and just smelling it could make one feel nauseous.

Being able to catch some seafood to spice up the meals was always a crucial part of the work for the Captains. Sailors, engaged in both demanding and dangerous work, needed to ensure they had food to rely on. If Chinese soldiers couldn’t even secure a meal, how could one expect them to maintain morale?

Thus, the navy’s food standards have always been among the highest, especially for submarines, even better than those of the air force.

Naturally, this luxurious idea of dropping bombs to catch fish was limited to Lin Mo; the American captain was unwilling to engage in such pointless activities. The shockwaves from depth charges would certainly lead the Pentagon to believe that the Hampton had sunk, which would only bring troubles upon himself.

The Hampton’s surfacing was not a true surrender, as China and America were not in a state of declared war, and the Hampton and the Shilang aircraft carrier group were not in combat.

It could only be viewed as the Hampton attack submarine surfacing to protect itself, indicating it posed no threat. It represented a unique way of showing compliance.

After all, once a submarine submerged, it meant an offensive status, and its threatening nature was obvious; the only way to disarm was to surface.

A submarine on the surface almost meant it was entirely unarmed.

“Captain Smith, the enemy has ordered us to stop all operations except for the basic functions of the nuclear reactor.”