168: Chapter 168 Untitled 1

Captain Gao put down the Telescope.

"Hmph, I was wondering why they were being so well-behaved."

He looked up at the sky.

Gao Mingbo ignored them and turned back to the bridge.

"Old Su, what does the base say?"

"We've already coordinated; just proceed with normal navigation."

"The base's instruction is for us to follow our contingency plan. Don't worry about them; the satellites in the sky are watching!"

The navigator relayed the information just received from the base command to Captain Gao exactly as it was.

Gao Mingbo nodded, his expression calm and composed.

"Liaison officer, contact the deep-sea fishing vessels. Ask if they have any injured crew members and if they need medical assistance. If there are no issues, tell them we're departing in 10 minutes. Heading home!!!"

"Yes!"

...

"Lead, we've already made three low-altitude passes, and they still aren't taking us seriously?"

As Koizumi Ichiro's wingman, he didn't understand the point of doing this.

"02, you're still young."

Koizumi Ichiro had been in the military for over 10 years. He was an absolute ace pilot in the Air Self-Defense Force and could fly all kinds of fighter jets.

"China has an idiom called 'Tian Ji Horse Racing.' You can look it up when we get back to base; maybe you'll be able to glean something from it."

Koizumi Ichiro tilted his head to glance at his wingman. He had always been rather cold and aloof toward these rookie pilots. This was an old tradition in the island nation; regardless of whether in civilian life or the military, the phenomenon of seniority-based hierarchy was very severe.

As the two were talking, the fighter jet made another turn...

Gao Mingbo kept his eyes fixed on the sky. He turned and stepped into the bridge, picking up the shipborne telephone.

"Alright, we can set sail. The three fishing vessels are to stay in the center. Execute orders immediately."

"Yes!" the other two captains replied loudly over the phone.

Gao Mingbo walked to the side to take a look, pondered for a moment, and then returned to the bridge.

"Old Su, let's maneuver next to 1151, block them in the middle, and be ready to maneuver at any time depending on the situation!"

"Yes! Captain, you're still the experienced one. The way you've arranged this formation..."

The navigator said this as he walked over to the helmsman and directed him to begin maneuvering.

"Use the best steel for the blade's edge. Our ship is the best in terms of both tonnage and speed, so naturally, we have to meet them head-on, haha."

Gao Mingbo picked up the Telescope. He had to keep a constant eye on the situation outside. As they began to move, the other side was also waiting for an opportunity to act.

However, they had been following behind ship 46440 and hadn't made any overly aggressive moves.

Just as Captain Gao was about to put down the Telescope, he suddenly noticed the other side increase their speed. They quickly overtook 46440 and went to chase after 1151; they were cutting in ahead.

The other two vessels circled around to the rear of 1150. Because Captain Gao's formation had to maintain the same speed as the fishing boats, they didn't immediately catch up.

"Full speed ahead. Cut in on the inner side of that isolated ship."

Gao Mingbo issued the order decisively.

The two ships soon drew alongside each other. The distance grew shorter and shorter, to the point where they could even clearly see the faces of the sailors on the other side's deck.

At this moment, the massive size of ship 46440 was on full display.

Gao Mingbo used the Telescope to look at the other two ships on the left. They had already sped to the front, intending to circle around into the course of the fishing boats in the middle.

"Playing these games with me?"

"Helmsman, use the side of our stern to squeeze the mid-front section of the ship next to us."

"Yes!" both crew members replied simultaneously.