13: Chapter 13 Encounter

The three Destroyers immediately entered a state of high alert.

Li Ming finally issued the correct command: increase reconnaissance.

Several B-25s and P-47s immediately took off from the airfield, and three other Destroyers performing missions nearby also rushed over to rendezvous with Li Ming's group.

After paying the price of three reconnaissance formations being wiped out by anti-aircraft fire, Li Ming and Fujian finally determined roughly what was happening.

The Sirens were surrounding and intercepting four Ship Girls.

He had to help.

To avoid the Sirens rushing into their home (the base's defenses couldn't withstand them yet), Li Ming first commanded the fleet to move away from the base's range, then ordered the aviation formations to fully load with Aerial Bombs and rockets, preparing to circle around to intercept the enemy and try to blast an opening to help them escape.

Fujian deployed her rigging on the water. She looked less like her previous lively and delicate self, and more solemn and silent.

"Commander, docking with aviation units will begin in three minutes. Please assign combat orders."

"...Understood." Li Ming leaned over the hologram, watching the projected movement directions of friend and foe, and began to estimate the best combat opportunity based on his limited knowledge.

"Calm down, Commander, you can do this," Fujian encouraged him again, while simultaneously adjusting the power supply of the Mental Cube to maximum.

Li Ming didn't say a word.

With himself at the center, four friendly units were moving southwest at thirty knots on the east side. The intercepting enemy units were mainly light units, while those chasing from behind were Capital Ships; it looked like they had just broken away.

Therefore, directly attacking the light ships in front of them might be a good choice. Li Ming wasn't sure if his conventional armaments could cause damage to the heavy units in the rear.

"The aircraft group will move due south to set up an ambush on their path in advance. Wait for them to enter attack range, then immediately launch an attack on the Siren fleet's intercepting units to clear a path for them."

"Yes, Commander." Fujian complied. She thought she should popularize professional maritime knowledge for the Commander next time, but not right now.

Following the Commander's instructions, Fujian had already taken control of all aerial combat units.

The aerial formations dove into the clouds in the night, emerging above them. Under Fujian's precise operation, they headed toward the designated target and waited for it to arrive.

Two hours later, the fires of battle were already visible on the edge of the horizon.

According to the combat protocols, the bomber and fighter formations began to descend, grouping into different altitudes to execute their combat orders.

The B-25s entered ultra-low altitude, preparing for Skip Bombing. The I-16s provided low-altitude escort, carrying RBS-82 rockets as supplementary firepower.

The P-51s and P-47s maintained an altitude of 1500 meters, preparing for dive bombing.

Holding her breath and concentrating, Fujian made her final preparations.

The disparity was great; there would only be one chance.

And Fujian succeeded.

Although she had never piloted propeller planes in battle before, Fujian's command could already be called skillful.

Even with a certain communication delay, Fujian still found the optimal attack angle.

The excellent engines of the mustangs and Thunderbolts operated at full power as the airframes flipped and dove. Although they weren't true naval aircraft, they were able to perfectly execute naval combat orders.

Under the gaze of the four little ones, they precisely sought out their respective targets to drop their bombs, with almost no waste.

Despite suffering heavy losses from the Sirens' precise anti-aircraft fire, they ultimately achieved their goal: carving out a gap to help them break out.

The B-25 group, accompanied by the I-16s, began the second round of attacks.

The slower I-16 fighters, as the earliest mass-producible main combat aircraft, had performance far inferior to the mustangs and Thunderbolts, and their range had reached its limit at this point.

To put it simply, this was a kamikaze attack.

This was war; there was no hesitation.

The small bombs and rockets carried by the I-16s cleared out the approaching Siren Suicide Boats, fulfilling their mission. They bought ten precious minutes for the four Ship Girls.

Meanwhile, the Skip Bombing lunged toward the Capital Ships in the rear.

Unfortunately, the results were negligible. Even when diving at sea level, the Siren Mass-produced Ships were not the Sakura Empire Navy; their anti-aircraft fire could not be suppressed, and ultimately the planes were wiped out under the advanced anti-air defenses.

"Commander, the mission is complete. The four Ship Girls have initially broken through the interception net and are preparing to move away from the Siren cluster."

Li Ming knew in his heart that the Sirens were not the only enemy, but he couldn't analyze what had happened or what the specific reason was right now.

Now the priority was to guide them to a safe area and then rendezvous.

The sky was gradually brightening. At this time, they should run a bit further to avoid being caught by the Sirens.

Unexpectedly, however, the reconnaissance planes reported that the Sirens were not pursuing.

Safe. Li Ming breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, only then realizing that his back was soaked with sweat from the tension.

He slumped under the table, and only after half a minute did he crawl back up, remembering what he should do next.

"Fujian, give them the directions and then come back. First Mate... set a safe course, we'll close in on them as well. Observation post, report the situation in real-time."

"Yes, Commander."

"Chuchu!"

Fujian quickly returned to the Bridge and began to tally the damage report.

"...Commander, are you alright?"

Fujian noticed his tension and immediately asked.

"I'm fine." Li Ming shook his head. "What's the status of our losses?"

"The I-16 and B-25 formations were completely wiped out, and losses for the mustangs and Thunderbolts both exceed 60%," Fujian replied.

The loss of nearly 200 pilots.

Li Ming knew in his heart that those Yellow Chickens might look dazed, but in reality, every single one of them had the capacity for independent thought.

He felt some difficulty breathing.

Every decision would result in someone paying the price with their life. This was what it meant to be a leader...

If he made a mistake...

"Chuchu! Chuchu Chuchu!"

Li Ming snapped back from his thoughts. "Are they here?"

The Yellow Chicken at the observation post chirped in affirmation.

"I see." Li Ming looked at Fujian. By now, she had put down the tallying documents and stood up, pulling Li Ming up to straighten his clothes.

"Our companions are coming. Tidying up would be in line with your thoughts, wouldn't it?"

Li Ming didn't say anything, only nodded.

Fujian quietly straightened his clothes for him and then stood by his side.

It was time to welcome old friends, even if, in a sense, this was his first meeting with them.

Stepping out of the cabin, Li Ming saw them.

Laffey, Lanshan, Javelin, Z23...

Their eyes met.

On one side was curiosity, tinged with awkwardness, hesitation, and a hint of strangeness.

On the other side was astonishment, mixed with some grievance and excitement.

The Destroyers closed in at full speed and climbed onto the ship under Li Ming's gaze.

"Commander!"

"Commander..."

"Commander?"

"Commander... nano desu..."

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