37: The shadow of the submarine! A deep-sea hunting showdown!

In the South China Sea, the waves in a certain sea area were rougher than usual.

Lin Feng stood on the bridge of the Type 055 destroyer, the Deep Blue, his brows tightly furrowed as he stared at the radar screen.

On the screen, the green light representing his fleet was advancing at cruising speed—besides the flagship Deep Blue, there were also two newly commissioned Type 052D improved destroyers and three frigates responsible for anti-submarine warfare.

This was the strongest naval formation the Deep Blue forces could dispatch.

“Commander, sonar operator reports a suspected underwater target at 30 degrees to port!” the navigation officer’s urgent voice came through the communicator.

Lin Feng’s gaze immediately swept toward the sea surface in that direction; there were only churning waves, no abnormalities visible.

But he knew in his heart that the most dangerous enemies often hid in unseen places.

Three days ago, a transport convoy carrying rare minerals disappeared in this sea area.

Only a few floating wreckage pieces and a record of a special propeller noise were left at the scene—it wasn't any known type of merchant ship or pirate ship, but more like the characteristic of some advanced submarine.

“Order all ships to enter anti-submarine combat deployment!” Lin Feng decided on the spot, “frigates, move forward and deploy sonar arrays! The Deep Blue, activate its towed array sonar, full power scan!”

“Yes!”

The fleet quickly changed formation, with the three frigates fanning out in a triangle.

Their bow sonar domes submerged, emitting detection sound waves.

The Deep Blue’s towed sonar was also slowly released from its stern, like a sensitive “auditory nerve,” capturing every subtle vibration in the deep sea.

Time passed minute by minute; only the sound of wind and waves hitting the hull could be heard on the surface, but the atmosphere on the bridge grew increasingly tense.

“Report! Starboard 15 degrees, distance 12 nautical miles, an irregular underwater echo detected! Suspected… metallic object!” the sonar operator’s voice carried a hint of nervousness.

Lin Feng clenched his fist sharply: “Lock onto the target! Calculate its trajectory!”

“Target depth approximately 300 meters, speed 15 knots, moving northwest, seems to be evading detection!”

“It’s a submarine! Absolutely a submarine!” Zhao Gang quickly walked to Lin Feng’s side, his eyes sharp as an eagle’s, “This depth and speed are definitely not achievable by ordinary civilian submarines.

And listening to its noise signature… it’s like an improved ‘Shark-class’ nuclear submarine!”

“Shark-class?” Lin Feng’s pupils contracted.

That was the main nuclear submarine of a certain navy, known for its strong stealth and fierce firepower; why would it appear here?

Could it be the work of the Ark organization?

“Buzz—”

Just then, the Deep Blue suddenly vibrated slightly, and a piercing alarm instantly blared throughout the ship: “Warning! Active sonar illumination detected! We have been locked on!”

“Not good! It’s going to attack!” Zhao Gang’s face changed drastically, “This is the final positioning before an attack!”

“Evasive maneuver! Hard to port!” Lin Feng roared the command while simultaneously pressing the emergency authorization button for the weapon system, “Anti-submarine missiles prepare! Rocket depth charge launchers preheat!”

The Deep Blue’s massive hull, like a nimble giant whale, sharply turned to port, its body tracing a huge arc.

Almost at the same time, a white splash of water suddenly erupted from underwater—a heavy torpedo, trailing a bubble wake, whistled past the Deep Blue’s stern, exploding into a massive water column hundreds of meters away!

“Miss!” the lookout shouted excitedly.

But Lin Feng did not relax in the slightest; instead, he sternly ordered: “Counterattack! Target coordinates locked, anti-submarine missiles salvo fire!”

The vertical launch cell covers on the Deep Blue’s deck instantly opened, and four “Yu-8” anti-submarine missiles, trailing orange-red flames, soared into the sky, tracing a precise parabolic arc as they plunged towards the target sea area.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Four loud explosions successively erupted on the sea surface; after entering the water, the missiles quickly submerged and detonated at the predetermined depth.

The massive shockwaves churned up towering waves, and a dull vibration came from underwater, as if a giant beast had been wounded in the deep sea.

“Report! Target noise significantly increased! Appears to be damaged!” the sonar operator’s voice carried surprise.

“Press the advantage!” Lin Feng’s eyes sharpened, “frigate group, deploy sonar buoys, form an encirclement! The Deep Blue, accelerate and close in, prepare for the second round of attack!”

The fleet, like a tightening fishing net, converged on the damaged submarine.

Sonar buoys continuously transmitted more precise positioning, and the submarine’s escape route was firmly locked.

Suddenly, an unusual low-frequency vibration came from underwater, and the target signal on the sonar screen abruptly became blurred.

“What’s going on?” Lin Feng pressed.

“Target… target has released a large amount of interference decoys! And it’s descending at high speed, depth already exceeding 600 meters!” the sonar operator said anxiously, “It wants to hide in the deep-sea cliff!”

Deep-sea cliffs are areas where seawater density changes sharply, severely interfering with sonar detection, making them excellent places for submarines to evade pursuit.

“Trying to run? Not that easy!” Lin Feng’s lips curved into a cold arc, “Activate the new type of anti-submarine depth charge exchanged from the ‘System’—‘Deep Sea Dragon’s Breath’!”

As his words fell, the Deep Blue’s bow rocket depth charge launcher suddenly adjusted its angle, and twelve depth charges with special tail fins whistled out, forming a dense barrage in the air, precisely covering the sea area where the target might escape.

This “Deep Sea Dragon’s Breath” was a blueprint Lin Feng exchanged with the points obtained from the last mission, and it was urgently manufactured by the base engineers.

Its warhead is equipped with special pressure sensors that detonate only after sinking to a predetermined depth, and the shockwaves generated by the explosion form directional sound waves specifically designed to damage the submarine’s pressure hull.

“Thump—thump—thump—”

A series of dull thuds came from the seabed, even more muffled than the previous explosions, yet carrying a soul-penetrating tremor.

Moments later, a violent noise suddenly appeared on the sonar screen, and then, the stubborn underwater target signal completely disappeared.

In its place were large patches of continuously rising oil slicks and bubbles.

“Report! Target signal disappeared! Large amounts of fuel leakage and metal fragments detected!”

“The final sonar record shows the target experienced a violent implosion!”

The bridge was silent for a few seconds, then erupted into thunderous cheers!

Lin Feng let out a long breath, leaning on the railing and looking at the still-bubbling sea surface.

The sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the fragments of submarine wreckage floating on the water.

“Notify the salvage team,” he said into the communicator, his tone returning to calm, “Recover the wreckage as soon as possible; I want to know the exact origin of this submarine.

Also, heighten vigilance.

Since a nuclear submarine appeared here, it indicates that the Ark organization’s reach is longer than we imagined.”

“Yes, Commander!”

The waves still rolled, but on the Deep Blue’s deck, the soldiers had already begun to clear the traces of the battle.

Lin Feng gazed at the distant sea horizon, knowing in his heart that this was just the first direct confrontation with the Ark organization; the real tough battles were still to come.

But he was not afraid.

From a lonely ship in a raging sea to a nascent fleet, he had experienced dangers more than once or twice.

And each victory would only make the Deep Blue’s flag planted more firmly and higher in this chaotic sea area.

“Next target,” Lin Feng picked up the nautical chart, his fingertip pressing heavily on a location marked with a red triangle, “According to the system’s prompt, the Ark has a secret submarine base in the nearby waters.

Since they delivered themselves to us, we might as well… wipe it out!”