Legendary Captain

Chapter 388 This battle! Victory is assured! (Seeking monthly votes)

A slight ripple finally appeared on Wu Yinian's usually calm face. He had imagined countless possibilities and all sorts of answers Xu Xian would give, but he never expected Xu Xian's answer to be so resolute, so resolute that it made him feel as if Xu Xian was already certain of victory.

However, the analysis from the senior officers in the command room was based on Xu Xian's weapon configuration, and that a head-on confrontation with Chen Yanguo's missile destroyer would be a near-certain death.

Could it be that Xu Xian can really find a sliver of success amidst all the difficulties?

Xiao Nian's face darkened completely. He gave Wu Yinian a wink, and after receiving Wu Yinian's nod of approval, he took the microphone and said to Xu Xian, "Xu Xian, don't feel pressured, don't force yourself. The conclusion of our discussion is that, given your weapon configuration, fighting a missile destroyer is extremely dangerous. You should understand what I mean, right?"

Xiao Nian specifically mentioned the outcome of their senior officers' discussion to give Xu Xian a way out. He was terrified that Xu Xian wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure and would be forced to accept the rescue mission. Since Xiao Nian had said that the senior officers' discussion resulted in a very dangerous situation, Xu Xian could use this as an excuse to refuse the mission.

Xiao Nian's words undoubtedly shifted the blame onto himself again, which caused a slight change in the expressions of many high-ranking officers present. Xiao Nian had gone to great lengths to relieve Xu Xian of all psychological pressure.

Wu Yinian was right behind Xiao Nian. He knew, of course, that Xiao Nian's words were meant to give Xu Xian a way out, but he didn't stop him. Xu Xian should actually be the executor, not the decision-maker. He should be relieved of all pressure so that he could clearly think about the possibilities of fighting the missile destroyers.

"Captain Xiao, isn't the only guided missile destroyer in Chenyan Kingdom the Hatsuyuki-class?" Xu Xian didn't answer Xiao Nian directly, but asked another question instead.

The navy of Chenyan Kingdom is very limited in size, and the number of destroyers can be counted on one hand. Moreover, even the few missile destroyers that it has seem to be the old "First Snow" class.

However, Xu Xian had only seen the information about the composition of the Chenyan Kingdom's navy in the library of the aircraft carrier's entertainment room. The information there was from three years ago, and Xu Xian didn't know if there had been any changes recently.

Xiao Nian was taken aback; he never expected Xu Xian to ask him this question at this moment. However, he still answered, "That's right. Currently, Chenyan Kingdom has a total of four missile destroyers, all of them the Chuxue-class. Xu Xian, what exactly are your plans?"

"Frostfire-class?" Xu Xian slowly put on his oxygen mask, a sign that he was preparing for battle. He softly spoke into the radio, "Captain, give the order!"

Now, Xu Xian needs a formal combat order!

Xiao Nian's body trembled, his face turning extremely gloomy. He really couldn't understand why Xu Xian would still want to fly into the fire like a moth after he had already explained things to him so thoroughly.

Wu Yinian gave Xiao Nian a deep look. Even though he was the captain of the Gengdu aircraft carrier, Xu Xian's situation was far different. He had been personally sent to the South Ship by the Commander of the Western Air Force for training. If anything were to happen to him, how could he explain it to Commander Liao?

But the arrow was already on the bowstring, and it had to be released. The safety of the people was paramount, and it was worth the soldiers sacrificing everything to protect them. This was the fate of a soldier. Xu Xian had already made his choice, so why shouldn't I grant it to him?

Knowing that Xu Xian's mind was made up, Xiao Nian dejectedly put down the microphone, glanced at Wu Yinian, and said nothing more.

"Captain, we haven't yet determined whether that destroyer belongs to the rebels or the navy of Chenyan Kingdom. If it's the navy of Chenyan Kingdom, will our hasty attack cause a diplomatic incident?" the cover officer coordinator worriedly asked.

If they are rebels, then they do not belong to any country. Their unauthorized attack on our cargo ships naturally makes them a terrorist organization, and their annihilation is a matter of course.

But if it belongs to the navy of the State of Yan, and they attack without permission, who knows what consequences they might face if their superiors investigate later. That's secondary, though. The main reason is to cover for the coordinator's fear of triggering a diplomatic incident; diplomatic incidents between nations are quite troublesome.

To be honest, the cover-up coordinator's words made some sense. However, Wu Yinian didn't think so: "What difference does it make whether that missile destroyer belongs to the rebels or the navy of our country? The lives of our citizens are being threatened, and we must protect them with all our might. Who cares who it is? Even if it's the Emperor himself, he'll make them pay the price! Even if it's investigated later, I'll simply take off my uniform, as long as I have a clear conscience!"

At this moment, Wu Yinian stepped forward and shouted sternly, "Pass on my orders: all ships to Level 1 combat readiness! Instruct all outer-circle defense vessels to disperse and expand the defensive perimeter. The inner-circle defenses to contract, to be coordinated by the cover coordinator. All early warning aircraft to take off and extend beyond the outer edge of the defense zone, ready to defend against any incoming enemy. Furthermore, instruct Jin Dongcheng and Cheng Yuan to prepare for air defense and anti-submarine warfare! Secretary, record all of the above for filing!"

From now on, everything Wu Yinian says will be subject to legal responsibility. These are highly formal operational orders and must be recorded for future investigation.

Once he opens fire, he must be prepared for a counterattack. Even though it seems that the enemy is not capable of causing any damage to the Gengdu carrier strike group, Wu Yinian absolutely cannot allow any mistakes.

Therefore, Wu Yinian absolutely pushed the edge of the defense zone outwards, and ordered cruiser squadron leader Jin Dongcheng and destroyer squadron leader Cheng Yuan to prepare for air defense and anti-submarine warfare in order to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Upon seeing Wu Yinian's order for Level 1 combat readiness, Xiao Nian knew that Wu Yinian was serious, and no one could change his mind. Therefore, Xiao Nian had no further thoughts; he took two steps back, placing Wu Yinian at the very front of the crowd.

Wu Yinian paused slightly: "And .104! Following orders from the Gengdu aircraft carrier operations command center, destroy the enemy ship threatening our cargo ships. Afterwards, operate independently without needing further instructions!"

This was a very formal authorization to fight, so Wu Yinian called out Xu Xian's call sign instead of his name. The so-called "freedom of action," meaning no need for permission, granted Xu Xian almost complete operational freedom.

Wu Yinian knew that Xu Xian was about to do something extremely dangerous, one that would put his life on the line. He had to give Xu Xian the greatest freedom in frontline operations, rather than restricting him with rules and regulations.

As for the consequences of all this, Wu Yinian, the one who issued the order, will bear the responsibility.

A cold glint flashed in Xu Xian's eyes: "104, received!"

Then, the next order was issued: "From the date this order is issued, 103 shall accept all orders from 104 and cooperate in the operation!"

With this order issued, the subordinate relationship between Xu Xian and Qin Qing became clear. From then on, Qin Qing would be under Xu Xian's command and cooperate in combat.

"103! Received!" Qin Qing confirmed the order.

Just then, the door to the aircraft carrier's combat command center opened, and a messenger entered, saluted Wu Yinian, and then reported: "Captain, breaking news. The navy of Yan State has just taken inventory of the destroyer squadron, and all its destroyers are anchored in port."

"Damn it!" Xiao Nian gritted his teeth. "They really are rebels! These desperate bastards!"

Since the news from Chenyan Kingdom indicates that its own destroyers are all on duty, the missile destroyers from Chenyan Kingdom that have appeared on the high seas must be the missile destroyers that defected during the previous internal strife.

"Furthermore, Chen Yanguo only agreed to exclude drone reconnaissance and refused to send air force support," the messenger said. "Chen Yanguo's reason was that the air force is unmanned and cannot quickly find suitable pilots."

Previously, when the Gengdu aircraft carrier reported this situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also informed Chenyan Kingdom to dispatch fighter jets for support. This is because Chenyan Kingdom is very close to the incident area. Sending warships would definitely be too late. However, sending air force fighter jets might allow them to arrive in time.

"Unmanned combat readiness duty? What a joke! These useless people in Chenyan Kingdom, they dare to hide their own air force's worthless junk." The beyond-visual-range coordinator cursed.

The reason why Chen Yan Kingdom refused to send air force support was actually quite simple. Compared to its meager navy, Chen Yan Kingdom's air force was even more dilapidated, possessing fewer than five third-generation fighter jets, all of which were early models. Yet, these few old third-generation fighters were highly valued by the Chen Yan Kingdom's air force. These third-generation fighters had no stealth capabilities whatsoever; if they were sent to provide support and were shot down by rebel destroyers, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

The political situation in my country is extremely chaotic, with numerous factions, each focused on their own little corner of the world. To expect the Air Force to send its precious third-generation fighters to clean up the Navy's mess? That's simply impossible.

As for the claim of no one on standby and the inability to find suitable combat personnel, that's blatant lying. Although the national defense of my country is as flimsy as paper, it is still a nation. Every nation must always be prepared for war, and at all times, there should always be a combat force on standby.

If, as Chenyan Guofang claims, there were no soldiers on duty for combat readiness, then during the previous internal strife in Chenyan, the government would have been overthrown by the rebels long ago! Where would they find the opportunity to spout lies here now?

Of course, the Chenyan Kingdom's air force wasn't entirely shameless; at least they still managed to send out a drone as a symbolic gesture. However, Chenyan Kingdom's drones were only reconnaissance drones; they didn't possess any drones capable of both reconnaissance and strike. What else could such drones do besides providing live broadcasts?

However, the Chenyan State Air Force, adhering to the principle that if they had thick skin, nothing could affect them, remained silent and ostrich-like.

Even though the beyond-visual-range coordinators were furious, they had no mutual defense treaty with Chen Yan Kingdom. Since Chen Yan Kingdom was shameless, they really couldn't do anything about it.

"Drones?" Wu Yinian's expression changed slightly. He pointed at the communications officer: "Contact Chen Yanguo and have them withdraw the drones!"

"What's wrong?" Xiao Nian was taken aback, but quickly realized Wu Yinian's intention.

The drones are not only useless, but they do transmit images of the battle area. If... if Xu Xian's operation fails, footage of the battle will be leaked, which is unacceptable to the domestic military and would damage the image of the national army.

Just in case, Wu Yinian ordered Chen Yanguo to withdraw the drones. This operation had to be carried out in secrecy to keep the consequences under control.

"Captain, no need to retreat!" Xu Xian's voice suddenly rang out from the loudspeaker at this moment.

Wu Yinian paused for a moment, then realized that he had forgotten to release the communication button. In other words, Xu Xian had heard everything he said.

Wu Yinian spoke into the microphone to Xu Xian, saying, "Xu Xian, this is a matter of great importance. I cannot allow any possible damage to the image of the national army."

"Captain!" Xu Xian's voice was unwavering and powerful: "In this battle, we must use the force of a deafening roar to deter the villains, and let the world see the consequences of offending our people!"

Wu Yinian hesitated slightly: "But, what if..."

"There are no 'what ifs'!" Xu Xian, like the King of Hell from the depths of hell, had already decided the enemy's fate. His words carried the chilling coldness of the polar ice cap: "This battle will be won!"

At this moment, in the command room of the missile destroyer's island superstructure, the short, dark-skinned captain of the rebel Chen Yan Kingdom, dressed in an officer's uniform, was smilingly admiring the cargo ship engulfed in flames not far away.

His staff officer cautiously asked in a foreign language, "Captain, how much longer do we have to wait? If we wait any longer, things might get complicated!"

"No rush!" the captain laughed. "We need to give them time to send a distress signal back home. It would be pointless to sink them too quickly."

"Captain, they should be able to find out that it was us who did it, and they won't try to pin the blame on the Chenyan government!" the staff officer asked curiously.

"Don't worry, if their people find out, do you think their government can still ignore public opinion? They will definitely take sanction measures against the Chenyan government." The captain had a confident expression on his face. "The people are always the easiest to incite, especially when it comes to ethnic antagonism. The bigger we make things now, the more the Chenyan government will ultimately pay the price. Even if our resistance against them fails, we can still annoy them."

Just then, an alarm sounded in the command room, interrupting the conversation between the captain and his staff.

"Captain, two missiles are approaching!" a console operator reported.

"Two?" The captain narrowed his eyes. "They came so fast! Close-in weapon systems, prepare!"

Their Hatsuyuki-class guided-missile destroyer is equipped with an air defense system, but not an anti-missile system. Anti-missile systems are expensive and technologically advanced, something their Chenyan Kingdom can't afford.

Fortunately, their destroyers are equipped with close-in weapon systems, which are very effective at intercepting missiles.

As he spoke, the captain pointed to the burning cargo ship not far ahead: "Since someone has come looking for us, they have no reason to continue living. Main guns ready."

Two flamingo-shaped anti-radiation missiles, trailing long plumes of flame, hurtled toward the destroyer in the night sky. However, when the two missiles were within five kilometers of the destroyer, the close-in weapon system scanned them and unleashed a torrent of fire from its powerful barrels, targeting the incoming missiles.

The close-in weapon system's barrage of fire directly covered the trajectory of the anti-radiation missiles. In just about ten seconds, two brilliant sparks exploded in the sky, marking the moment when the two missiles were hit and detonated by the close-in weapon system.

The captain, atop the island superstructure, smiled and said, "Child's play, that's enough."

Although we dodged this missile attack, the next wave of attacks might be even stronger, delivering a fatal blow to the cargo ship not far away before sailing away. There's no need to fight to the death here.

Just then, the crew on deck suddenly heard a rumbling sound, but they couldn't tell where it was coming from. The deafening roar of the close-in weapon system had almost robbed them of its power, and they still had some ringing in their ears, making it impossible for them to pinpoint the source of the sound. Moreover, it wasn't fully light yet, and their visibility was limited, making even visual observation impossible.

However, the rumbling sound grew louder and louder, until even the deck crew members with tinnitus could finally pinpoint the source of the sound.

All the crew members on deck turned their gaze to the port side of the ship. In the darkness, they could vaguely see ghostly shadows skimming the sea surface and hurtling toward them.

"Enemy attack!"

The crew members, regaining their senses, roared frantically, wondering why the search radar hadn't detected any enemy aircraft approaching them.

Two high-powered searchlights shone towards the port side, illuminating the silhouette of a fighter jet in the darkness.

Meanwhile, Xu Xian, who was skimming close to the sea surface, noticed searchlights converging on him; he knew the enemy had spotted him. However, he didn't care. After the enemy destroyed the two Flamingo anti-radiation missiles he had launched with close-in weapon systems, their fate was already sealed.

Now that the enemy destroyer is isolated overseas, it will definitely keep its search radar constantly on. As long as the enemy's search radar is turned on, it will become prey for anti-radiation missiles.

However, compared to radar stations that are powerless to retaliate, missile destroyers possess countermeasures. Xu Xian's earlier inquiry about the type of Chen Yanguo's missile destroyer was not a casual remark.

The Hatsuyuki-class guided-missile destroyer, being an outdated type, only possesses a mediocre air defense system and lacks an anti-missile system. Their only option to intercept incoming missiles is close-in weapon systems (CIWS), and these two anti-radiation missiles were precisely the decoys thrown out by Xu Xian.

Compared to the Hatsuyuki-class guided-missile destroyer's appalling air defense search radar, Xu Xian felt that the closest threat to him was actually the close-in weapon system. Relying on extremely low-altitude sea-skimming flight, Xu Xian maintained a distance of only three meters from the sea surface, almost flying close to the water.

Due to the curvature of the Earth, the enemy ship's air defense search radar was completely unable to detect Xu Xian's presence from a distance. It was precisely because of this that Xu Xian was able to force his way close to the enemy ship.

Even if the anti-radiation missile's pitiful warhead hits the missile destroyer, it cannot cause effective damage, but it can buy Xu Xian a chance to get close.

The close-in weapon system (CIWS) on the Hatsuyuki-class guided-missile destroyers has a fatal flaw: its reloading system is not fully automated. Its ammunition capacity is only sufficient to fire continuously at the CIWS for twelve seconds, after which it requires approximately ten seconds to reload.

The two anti-radiation missiles launched earlier have already lured the enemy ship to deplete its first wave of close-in weapon system (CIWS) ammunition. Now, the CIWS, which pose the greatest threat to Xu Xian, will have a ten-second window of vulnerability. And these ten seconds will be the enemy ship's countdown to death.

Upon noticing the searchlights coming from the other side, Xu Xian slammed on the accelerator to maximum power, and his speed began to soar wildly, creating air currents that sent sprays of water flying across the sea.

Just as Xu Xian was rapidly approaching the enemy ship, when the distance was close enough that the curvature of the Earth could no longer obstruct him, Xu Xian's radar signal finally appeared on the enemy ship's search radar.

"Enemy aircraft are attacking!" the radar operator reported.

"Shoot it down!" The captain was slightly flustered. On the radar, he saw that the enemy aircraft signal was already quite close to them. And they hadn't noticed it at all.

The radar operator exclaimed urgently, "No, we're too close!"

Now, Xu Xian's plane is too close to the enemy ship, so close that it is less than the minimum distance for the air defense system to launch missiles.

He had calculated everything! Xu Xian had planned everything perfectly; nothing could escape his control!

Now, the close-in weapon system needs reloading, and by the time the search radar detects it, the distance is too close to launch missiles. The enemy has no means to counter it.

However, he was now moving too fast, almost breaking the sound barrier. At such high speeds, he had no way of calculating the timing of his bomb throw. He only had one chance; if he missed, the enemy would have countless ways to shoot him down.

Therefore, Xu Xian did not choose to drop his bombs at that moment. Instead, he continued to accelerate, and as he broke the sound barrier, shockwaves began to appear around his fighter jet. He surged directly toward the front of the enemy ship's island superstructure.

At that moment, in the enemy ship's command center, the captain panicked completely, yelling at the radar operator, "Lock onto him immediately! Shoot him down! Shoot him down!"

At that moment, the close-in weapon system (CIWS) operator reported, "Captain, the CIWS is ready immediately!"

The captain was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Fire! Take him down!"

Before he could finish speaking, he seemed to sense something and looked up outside. He saw a fighter jet enveloped in shockwave clouds hurtling towards him, flying almost right in front of the glass of the ship's command center.

Before the captain could react, the glass of the command room on the island superstructure shattered instantly as the shockwave swept past. Then came a sharp, ear-piercing shriek that caused everyone in the command room to bleed from their mouths and noses, covering their ears and howling in pain.

After Xu Xian's fighter jet swept past the island superstructure with tremendous speed, it suddenly slammed on the stick and soared straight into the sky. At that moment, the G-force on Xu Xian's fighter jet soared upwards, instantly exceeding seven Gs, and continued to increase.

The anti-G suit on Xu Xian's body began to expand wildly, especially his lower body. The anti-G suit constantly squeezed his lower limbs in an attempt to force the blood rushing down his limbs back to his upper body, especially his brain.

If the brain experiences a significant loss of blood flow in a short period of time, Xu Xian will face the risk of blackouts.

"Hold on!" Xu Xian gritted his teeth so hard they almost cracked. His right hand, gripping the control stick, began to feel cold and started to tremble involuntarily—symptoms caused by blood flowing down his hand. But Xu Xian didn't let go of the stick; he kept pulling, pulling it to almost a vertical position.

His time was very short; he had to complete the dive bombing of the enemy ships in the shortest possible time.

That's right, Xu Xian is going to implement dive bombing mode. Only under dive bombing will his relative speed with the enemy ship be at its minimum, at which point there is almost no need to consider lead time, thus ensuring the hit rate.

Xu Xian's shockwave from breaking the sound barrier injured the personnel in the command center, rendering them temporarily unable to operate the close-in weapon system and air defense systems. However, the shockwave can only temporarily incapacitate those in the command center. Once they recover, Xu Xian, now in a rising position, can shoot them down with either close-in weapon systems or air defense missiles.

Therefore, Xu Xian's time was very limited! He could not ascend slowly and leisurely, and could only complete the ascent in the most brutal way.

The cerebral ischemia caused his heart to race rapidly; Xu Xian could even hear his own heart pounding like a drum. At the same time, Xu Xian switched the aircraft to ground attack mode, and a bomb sight was generated on the head-up display.

After feeling that the altitude was about right, Xu Xian continued to pull the stick, and the plane did a backflip, turning 180 degrees from a straight upward flight to a vertical downward flight, with the bomb sights pointing directly at the enemy ship.

At that moment, Qin Qing, waiting in the distance, witnessed a scene she would never forget. The slowly approaching sun finally revealed its shy arc on the horizon. This moment marked the transition from night to day; the gentle sunlight illuminated the inky darkness, as if the world were just beginning to open. Xu Xian's vertically downward-pointing fighter jet, bathed in the glow of the rising sun, resembled a demon god descending from the heavens, carrying out his divine miracle.

The image of that fighter jet was reflected in Qin Qing's pupils—that invincible, unstoppable fighter jet. She would remember it for the rest of her life.

When the hopeful sunlight swept across the destroyer's island superstructure, Xu Xian could even see the dark-skinned officer standing by the window, who seemed to be looking at Xu Xian as well.

"Goodbye!" Xu Xian gently pressed the weapon release button, and in an instant, all the MK41 aerial bombs were dropped on the enemy ship!

Standing on the island superstructure, the captain, who had recovered, squinted at the somewhat blinding sunlight and watched as several bombs fell. He knew his end had come!

(End of this chapter)