The rain that had been brewing for a long time due to the low clouds billowing in the sky finally arrived as scheduled.
The raindrops hit the portholes of the battleship, making a clear and relaxing sound. The water droplets on the windows followed the force of gravity and snaked into criss-crossing water traces on the glass.
Outside the portholes, the battleship's triple-mounted main gun slowly returned to the center, and the black muzzle was spitting smoke that had not completely dissipated. This seemingly beautiful white smoke formed a vague arc trajectory along the movement of the muzzle. , but was quickly washed away by the rain.
The barrel, which was hot due to the rapid firing, quickly cooled down in the cold rain.
This may be a good thing, because no one knows when the next wave of enemy ships will arrive.
Wang Yu, who looked haggard, raised the telescope in front of his eyes where obvious bloodshot eyes could be seen, and pointed it towards the port side of the battleship.
About seven kilometers away from the battleship, a small black ship was slowly sinking in the burning flames. Even the thin rain at this time could hardly extinguish the fire of this scale.
The bow of the small ship was still pointing in this direction. It was obvious that it was trying to approach at full speed until it was completely destroyed.
These strange-looking black battleships have many names. Some people call them "Sea Mist", others call them "Deep Sea"...
A relatively recognized name is the Siren Fleet.
But no matter what they are called, these strange fleets that appear bizarrely and control all the oceans on the planet, forcing human civilization to be land-based and embark on a road to regain sea power, have always been on the mind of every ship commander. nightmare.
"What a troublesome guy..."
Wang Yu muttered something in a voice that only he could hear.
Then he walked back to the center of the bridge, picked up a tablet, and began to add more content to the already full combat records.
[At 3:20 pm, the last Siren destroyer was sunk. 】
[This encounter ended with the total annihilation of the Siren fleet. The battle lasted for one hour and twenty-seven minutes. Our fleet destroyed a Siren battlecruiser, two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and six destroyers. 】
[Our own fleet, the battleship Jean Bart, sank, leaving only one battleship in the fleet. 】
When the damage to the friendly fleet was recorded, Wang Yu put down the tablet in his hand and shook his head slightly.
Far behind the battleship, there was the shadow of a rapidly sinking ship.
The bow of the ship and the two four-mounted 380mm main guns in front have been submerged in the raging sea. The stern of the ship is raised high, and the propeller and steering gear are separated from the sea water. The blades are powerless in the air. It was making the final spin before sinking, as if the battleship was still struggling with all its strength not to sink into the dark blue water.
This is the wreckage of the battleship Jean Bart.
In the recent naval battle, the front leg of this battleship destroyed the battlecruiser of the Siren fleet. Due to careless positioning, the rear leg of the battleship took a total of thirteen torpedoes fired by the Siren destroyers and cruisers. Even for For a battleship, this was considered a fatal dose, so almost instantly, the battleship that should have shouldered more responsibilities lost its combat effectiveness.
There are lifeboats floating on the sea, containing many people who abandoned the ship.
Wang Yu could have the battleship turn back to rescue them, but it was not necessary.
To be precise, he is now the main target, and all the sirens in the entire sea are staring at his last battleship.
But before his main target is relieved of combat effectiveness, Siren will not stare at those lifeboats that have no power and no threat. If he rescues them now, he will harm them. It is better to stay away from this sea area and send the Siren fleet to Attract away, so that these survivors can at least float on the sea and wait for rescue that may come in the future.
In fact, this is the currently recognized combat method of the human navy.
When there is a siren threat in the sea, stopping the ship for rescue is not only irresponsible for the own warship, but also irresponsible for the survivors in the water. The survivors of the sunken warship will be rescued by professional counterparts who arrive later. The search and rescue fleet contains them, and what the combat fleet needs is to ensure that it attracts the Siren fleet and stays away from the sea area where the survivors are floating.
Cruel, but effective.
Survivors may need to float on the sea for several days before being rescued, or they may eventually drift to land somewhere along the ocean currents, or they may not be rescued.
But these results are much better than letting the battle fleet stop in place, be surrounded by sirens, and then everyone is finished together.
In the rain curtain, the lonely battleship maintained its original speed and course, getting further and further away from the lifeboat floating on the sea.
Wang Yu couldn't help but sigh when he thought that there was only one battleship under his command left on the sea.
Now I have really become our army's last coward... Ah, no, it is our army's last hope.
Siren's wave of attacks was repulsed, and the next wave of attacks had not yet arrived, giving him time to breathe.
He took two steps and came to a metal nameplate hanging on the armored control tower in the bridge.
The name and silhouette of the battleship he is on is engraved on the metal nameplate.
【Super Cruiser-Annapolis】
The Annapolis super cruiser is the only one among the "super battleship" series plans conceived by the United World Government's Navy Department to be built without drawings. Based on the Des Moines class heavy cruiser, it has carried out comprehensive firepower , armor, power and equipment upgrades, it is the best among the naval ships of the World Government.
But no matter how powerful the battleship is, how useful can it be if there is only one left?
Raising his hand, Wang Yu gently stroked the silhouette of the battleship on the nameplate, as if stroking the skin of his lover.
In a daze, he felt like he had returned to the time when he became the commander of this brand-new warship more than two years ago.
As a young man, he graduated from the United World Government Naval War College as a "chief". With excellent grades and a perfect record of actual combat internships, he undoubtedly became the captain of the Annapolis, which was also brand new. commander.
When he first took office, he seemed to be stroking the metal nameplate of the battleship in the same way.
At that time, he was full of enthusiasm and vowed to regain human sea power. However, after a long battle with the Sirens on the sea, he saw a large number of comrades sacrificed, and friendly ships sank in the cold water, and he had become a little numb. .
The sharp edge of the nameplate stung Wang Yu's fingers. He retracted his hand like an electric shock, and the memories faded away like a tide.
Wang Yu shook his head violently. His spirit seemed to be in a daze because he had not rested for a long time. It was obviously not a good sign to think about things that had passed at this time.
Because he has more important things to do.
He returned to the center of the bridge and picked up the tablet again, but this time he used the voice recording function.
His voice was already very hoarse from not drinking water for a long time.
"This is the tenth voice record of Annapolis Commander Wang Yu:
"Another battle has ended. This is the eighth wave of sirens that the fleet has encountered within thirty-six hours. Unfortunately, their desire to attack increases with the number of waves. Although we have solved this batch of sirens, Ren fleet, but its own fleet also suffered heavy losses - to be precise, there is no fleet now. The only battleships under my command that are still floating on the sea are left, and other friendly forces have become wrecks that have sunk to the bottom of the sea... …
"Theoretically, it is impossible for so many Siren warships to appear in one sea area. Ha, 'theoretically', many things that theoretically should not happen have already happened in this sea area...
"The full-band blocking interference caused by the appearance of the Siren fleet has not subsided. I cannot transmit my own information through the radio. This phenomenon should not occur. After the Siren warships are resolved, the various abnormalities associated with them have not subsided. The image should fade away, but this time since the fleet encountered the first wave of Siren fleet, communications have been disrupted. Even radio communications between battleships cannot be carried out. We have to use the old light language. communicate.
"But there is good news. All friendly warships have been sunk now, so I no longer need to consider communicating with friendly forces."
Wang Yu smiled when he said this, but the smile looked like a bitter smile.
Perhaps it was because he had become a lone ship in the ocean, or perhaps because he had guessed the foreseeable future.
Then he continued to speak to the recording device:
"Based on the experience summarized in several previous battles, the next wave of siren fleet will appear in three hours. The number of battleships is expected to further increase. The strength and number of sirens in this sea area far exceed that of humans currently. Based on the observation records, if what we encountered is not a special phenomenon, then I think there should be changes in the Siren group that are worthy of vigilance.
"If the Annapolis, which records detailed combat data, can return to port, researchers studying the Sirens may be able to extract useful information from it, but..."
Wang Yu paused for a moment before continuing:
"But the battleship was hit by a torpedo in the battle just now, and the power system was damaged. It also suffered two large-caliber artillery shells below the waterline, and the hull was also damaged. The current maximum speed can only reach twenty-three knots. For a battleship For a cruiser that relies on maneuvering to survive, this speed has already made me a target for the sirens, so after the next wave of sirens arrives, it is probably the end of the warship and me.
"From all perspectives, the situation now meets the textbook 'abandonment criteria', and I should abandon the ship and try to survive in a lifeboat that will not be the main target of the Sirens for the time being.
"But I can't do this, just like no captain can abandon his ship. I will choose to sink with this warship. This is my responsibility as a commander.
"I will fulfill all the duties of a battleship commander and fight the Siren to the last moment. I will also put the battle record and this recording in the lifeboat before the battleship sinks, and hope that the Siren will not destroy it. , so that if someone can find this information I left in the future, they may be able to be alert to some new phenomena caused by the Siren fleet.
"That's it, the recording is over."
Wang Yu put down the tablet and let out a sigh of relief.
He ended the voice recording, put the tablet that recorded the fleet's battle process and several of his own voices into a small portable safe, and then put the safe into the enclosed lifeboat on the side of the battleship.
Now, he had to go and rest.
So far, he has not slept for more than thirty hours.
He had tried his best to be logical in what he said just now, but now that he had said that, he was feeling groggy, and the alarm bell was ringing in his mind, telling him to rest immediately.
Wang Yu also decided to do this.
Although judging from the current pace, he would die no matter what, but Wang Yu did not want to die suddenly before the battleship sank.
Therefore, Wang Yu decided to hand over the speed and course of the battleship to the automatic system on the battleship, and then go to sleep.
At least he could still maintain his energy level when the next wave of sirens came.
Then, he glanced at the combat bridge of the battleship that he was extremely familiar with for the last time - at least what he thought was the last time - and once again stretched out his hand to touch the metal nameplate of the battleship, recalling that he had entered the military academy since he was young. After receiving training and then fighting the sirens day and night, he said to the battleship in a joking tone:
"If there is a next life, become a girl and stay with me."
Afterwards, he left the bridge and went through the stairs inside the ship to the commander's room located on the lower level of the main deck.
After closing the solid cabin door and lying on the not-so-soft bed with his clothes on, Wang Yu quickly fell asleep.
Shortly after he fell asleep, the rain suddenly increased rapidly, and a heavy rain poured down on the sea for a while.
The dense rain splashed on the sea with a crackling sound, and at the same time formed "water curtains" sloping downward on the bulges on the surface of the battleship.
But what is more interesting is that the wind and waves did not come with the heavy rain. In the entire sea area, you can only see the dense and intertwined ripples caused by the raindrops, but there are no ups and downs of waves - perhaps, if there were not these The ripples caused by the raindrops and the white trails left by the sailing battleships will make the entire sea area as flat as a mirror.
This is undoubtedly a very strange scene.
To give a vivid example, the warship at this time is like sailing on a windless inland lake, rather than the deep ocean where the depth is more than four thousand meters. In such heavy rain weather, it should at least be rough with wind and waves.
The heavy rain like splashing blocked the view. In the already dark sky under the clouds, only a vast expanse of white could be seen in the entire sea area, with visibility less than a thousand meters. It was as if the sea area where the battleship was located had been divided from the world.
The shadow of the battleship was hidden in the rain curtain, as if it had disappeared from this world.
