Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 31: The barbarian ships flee at the mere sound of the wind!
In the Chonggu Strait, a deep-sea fishing vessel is sailing westward, a red flag fluttering on its bow.

"Luckily, we haven't gone too far this time, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to get back."

Captain Sun Long stood by the porthole on the bridge, gazing at the vast sea, and sighed with emotion.

Before even reaching the fishing grounds, the large ocean-going fishing vessel, named Yu Hai No. 3, received news that ASEAN had begun a general mobilization and was instructed to return to port as soon as possible.

An astronomical disaster will occur within a month.

Sun Long was very fortunate that the ship had not yet ventured deep into the ocean when he received the news. Long-distance voyages often take several months to complete, and one of his acquaintances, a captain, was in the same situation, struggling to reach any port within a month.

However, there are reports that ASEAN will send seaplanes to pick them up and take them home; as for boats, they will have to find another way.

As long as people are fine, that's fine.

Lost in thought, Sun Long turned his head and glanced at his own deck.

Since the fishing boat was empty but full of fuel and had not been at sea for a long time, all parts of the boat were running well and many crew members were quite relaxed. However, even so, everyone's spirits were not very high.

There's nothing we can do about it. If there's no profit from a voyage, the fuel costs per ton are pure losses, and the crew's wages are now uncertain, so low morale is inevitable.

The first mate passed by and saw that his captain looked melancholy. He came up and patted him on the shoulder: "You've already decided to go home, so you should be happier. Everyone is actually supporting you."

Sun Long nodded. When he made the decision to return to port immediately, no one objected. People couldn't understand the natural disaster, but at least everyone knew that ASEAN had entered a state of general mobilization. As sailors who travel the ocean, their opponents were not only the wind and waves. Everyone actually understood what that meant.

A state of emergency has been declared in the country.

National Level 1 War Preparedness.

A nationwide mobilization.

When these three terms appear together, it only means one thing—national crisis is imminent.

Under such circumstances, everyone is willing to return to their hometown, even if it's just to contribute their share.

The first mate stood with the captain by the porthole and whispered to Sun Long, "Let's go back and see. If the situation is still relatively stable, we old buddies have already discussed it and decided to chip in some money to give to a few young men. A few of them are getting married soon."

Sun Long raised an eyebrow: "Sure, count me in."

"Forget it, you've almost lost a fortune on this trip, you're already being kind by not asking us for help."

The two laughed together, but neither said what to do about the unstable situation.

If the country is in crisis and you are young and strong, isn't it obvious what to do?
Just then, the first mate caught a glimpse of a white dot out of the corner of his eye.

"what is that?"

"what?"

"A ship is coming to starboard!"

Upon hearing his words, Sun Long quickly raised his binoculars.

Amidst the rising and falling waves, two coast guard vessels flying Izumo flags were sailing towards us.

"Damn it, what are those brats from Izumo doing here? Go ask them."

The first mate walked up to the radio equipment, grabbed the receiver, and asked a couple of questions in rather awkward Izumo dialect before starting to curse at the other party.

It seemed that the communication had been cut off on the other end. The first mate slammed the receiver in his hand onto the equipment, his face flushed with anger and he was panting heavily.

"What's wrong? What did they say?"

The first mate glanced at Sun Long and gritted his teeth, saying, "Those bastards said our flight path was suspicious, suspected we were spies, and demanded to board the ship and search us."

"What the hell?" Sun Long could hardly believe his ears. "No way, when did this happen? How dare they do this?"

Our fishing boats are operating legally and in compliance with regulations, and we have already reported to the regulatory agencies of various countries along the way as required.

At this critical juncture when the situation is so tense, their purpose is self-evident.

"Contact the coastal authorities immediately and ask them to coordinate!"

"We can't get in touch with them; our communications are being jammed!"

"Damn it!" Sun Long paced back and forth on the bridge in anger. He knew very well what would happen if these people were allowed to board the ship.

What they find out in the end is up to them.

"We can't let them board!" Sun Long turned around abruptly, staring at the two coast guard vessels that were gradually getting bigger in his line of sight.

The first mate did not refute the captain's decision. He stated the objective facts: "Although the other side is small in tonnage, it is equipped with weapons. We are just a fishing boat and have no way to fight against them."

Sun Long gritted his teeth and pondered, watching the coast guard ship getting closer and closer, when suddenly he made up his mind.

"Gather the sailors, raise the D flag!"

There weren't many crew members on this modern ship, and soon almost everyone came to the bridge and stood in front of Sun Long. Without wasting any words, he said to everyone, "Those bastards from Izumo want to board the ship to search us, and they'll probably detain us afterwards. The D flag has already been raised, and I'm going to ram them and fight them to the death. Everyone grab something handy, and we'll board them and fight them hand-to-hand!"

“Everyone knows the bigger picture. If you act now, you'll be included in the family genealogy and the county annals, and your name will be infamous in history. If you back down now, people will criticize you and you'll be infamous for eternity. Aren't you scared?”

"No cowardice!" the chief engineer shouted first, grabbing a large wrench from who-knows-where. Far from being afraid, he was eager to try.

"Don't be afraid!"

"Just do it!"

The sailors, who were seasoned sailors, showed no signs of fear at this moment; they were all incredibly excited.

Sun Long grinned, looking at his united brothers, a surge of pride welled up in his chest, and he felt as if he had returned to his youth, almost wanting to recite a poem.

"Today the sky is clear and the water is blue—"

"Something's wrong, Captain! Something's wrong!"

"What?" Sun Long turned to look at the person who had interrupted his interest, only to find that it was the chief engineer who had spoken first.

"You chickened out again?"

"No, it looks like they're trying to run away!"

"?"

Sun Long picked up his binoculars and saw that the two ships opposite him were already tilting slightly, clearly indicating that they were turning hard to port.

In the current situation, it would be more accurate to say that they are running for their lives than avoiding a situation.

What's going on? Is the D flag that powerful?

"Captain! Look!" someone shouted again, "Warship! Destroyer! Our destroyer!"

Sun Long quickly ran to the other side, and at the very edge of his field of vision, a white shadow appeared on the vast sea. He picked up his binoculars and saw that the elegant, white, and majestic warship was cutting through the waves and heading in this direction.

"Ohh ...

A cheer erupted on the ship, and Sun Long slapped his thigh: "The radio, the radio!"

Sure enough, as soon as the radio was connected, a voice came through.

"The Yu Hai No. 3 naval vessel is calling."

A simple call, calm and even mundane, suddenly made Sun Long feel as if he had stepped off a ship onto land, and settled down.

He suppressed his excitement, took a moment to compose himself, and finally replied in as calm a tone as possible, "Yu Hai No. 3 received. Warship, please speak."

-

Inside the bridge.

"Reporting to the captain, the two Izumo-based coast guard vessels have been driven away. The Amami-3's controls are functioning normally and no assistance is needed."

"They normally fly the D flag, are they trying to ram the coast guard vessel?"

The captain shook his head and chuckled. Ever since someone used this method many years ago, it seems that many captains at sea have been waiting for an opportunity to be surrounded by coast guard vessels.

Stopping thinking about this little farce, he pulled over the microphone.

"14 calling 11, the sea ahead is clear and passage is possible."

Sun Long, who had already moved away as instructed, could not see that a massive fleet, capable of annihilating most countries on Earth, was passing through the area and heading towards the ocean.

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I'd also like to thank everyone for their monthly tickets and recommendation votes, especially Tang Yi who voted so many! It was a pleasant surprise, but due to space limitations, I won't thank everyone individually. My plan going forward is to minimize the rambling at the end of chapters to avoid affecting everyone's reading experience.

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(End of this chapter)