42: Ocean trade! Trade routes protected by force!

The murderous atmosphere inside the Deep Blue Fortress base had not completely dissipated, and the tense internal security review was still ongoing. But Lin Feng's gaze was already fixed on the wider ocean and the pressing need for survival.

The roar of war machines required fuel, the survival of a large population required food, and the research and development of cutting-edge technology required rare minerals… The Deep Blue Fleet could not simply rely on spoils and the limited output of the base to sit idly by.

The Ark's "Doomsday Judgment" hung like a Sword of Damocles, necessitating a strong economic foundation to support this prolonged confrontation.

"We need to open up trade routes!" Lin Feng set the tone at the high-level strategic meeting. "We'll use our star products—precision-machined weapon components, high-efficiency battery modules, and some non-core abyssal echoes derivative technologies (such as improved sonar filters)—to exchange for the rare earths, high-purity fuel, synthetic food raw materials, and… talent that we desperately need!"

The target port chosen was Coral City, a neutral trade port located deep in the South Pacific, jointly established by several island survivors. Order there was relatively stable, a mixed bag of people, but it adhered to the unwritten rule of "only talk business, don't ask about origins," making it a rare material distribution center in the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

A special fleet was quickly assembled:

Flagship/Command ship: Panshi frigate (urgently modified, with some Deep Sea Phantom anechoic tile test modules added to enhance stealth).

Main escort: Raging Waves frigate, Claw missile speedboat (high speed, fierce firepower).

Secret Weapon: sea shadow (the former abyssal echoes nuclear submarine, frantically repaired by the base's engineering team, restoring basic power and diving capability, with approximately 70% of its stealth performance repaired, carrying repaired Abyssal Piercer torpedoes. Commanded by Gao Qiang, the most experienced former Deep Blue Blade first officer and current submarine Commander). This former Sea Abyss Giant Beast would serve as a deadly fangs hidden underwater.

Main trading vessels: Two reinforced and modified 10,000-ton bulk carriers, Harvest and Hope, equipped with basic self-defense weapons and loaded with goods for trade.

Lin Feng personally saw off the fleet, codenamed "Coral Route." He stood on the dock, looking at Panshi's Commander Zhao Tiezhu (an old navy man known for his bravery and straightforwardness), and said in a deep voice, "Tiezhu, remember, your mission is not to fight! It's to deliver the goods safely and bring back what we need! sea shadow is your trump card and your last guarantee; do not expose it unless absolutely necessary!"

"Understood, Commander! Mission accomplished, guaranteed!" Zhao Tiezhu straightened his back, his eyes firm. "Anyone who dares to touch our ships, let them first ask if old Zhao's cannons agree!"

The fleet slowly departed from the heavily guarded home port in the morning light, heading into the vast and perilous ocean. On the surface, Panshi was in the center, with Raging Waves and Claw flanking the two bulky merchant ships, advancing in a diamond formation. sea shadow, meanwhile, was silently lurking at a depth of about 300 meters below the formation, like a silent giant shark, with passive sonar fully open, listening to the deep sea sounds from all directions.

The initial leg of the voyage was calm. The fleet followed a planned route, keeping as far as possible from known Ark-controlled areas and pirate-infested zones. Occasionally, scattered small pirate speedboats would peek from the radar's edge, but upon seeing the two menacing frigates and the fast, agile missile boat, they would immediately scatter like startled fish. The Deep Blue Fleet's fearsome reputation as the "Ghost Fleet" in the South Sea region was itself an invisible deterrent.

A few days later, the fleet arrived in the waters surrounding Coral City. The outline of this maritime city, built upon a giant atoll and sunken cruise ships, came into view, with busy radio communications and the lights of various vessels interwoven, revealing a distorted prosperity.

However, just before entering the port's safe identification zone, crisis struck!

"Captain, report! Radar detected high-speed targets! Bearing XXX, distance 100 nautical miles! Three in number! Heading directly towards us! Speed… over 30 knots! Identification features… match the Ark's newest hai nu-class missile destroyers!" The radar officer's startled cry broke the calm on the bridge.

Zhao Tiezhu's heart sank. hai nu-class! These were the Ark's new warships, fast-tracked into service after the Sea Abyss Giant Beast was captured, with powerful firepower and outstanding electronic warfare capabilities! Three of them! This was definitely not a chance encounter!

"The Ark's dog noses are really sharp! They figured we'd come here!" Zhao Tiezhu gritted his teeth. "Communications! Immediately contact Coral City port authority, request emergency port shelter! At the same time, warn the other party that we are a legitimate trade fleet entering a neutral port area, and demand they cease hostile approach!"

"Report! No response from the other party! And… and they've activated fire control radar! Targets locked on Panshi and Raging Waves!" The weapons officer's tone had changed.

The sharp alarm of being locked by fire control radar instantly blared on the bridges of Panshi and Raging Waves, like the sneer of death! A cold sense of oppression instantly enveloped everyone. Three menacing hai nu-class destroyers, like three drawn blades, revealed their ferocious silhouettes on the horizon, rapidly closing in!

"Damn it! They're going to force it!" Zhao Tiezhu's veins bulged on his forehead. "All fleet! Level one battle stations! Anti-air missiles unlocked! Anti-ship missiles ready! Claw move forward, prepare chaff! Merchant ships immediately turn, full speed towards Coral City port! Run as far as you can!"

"Panshi understood!"

"Raging Waves understood!"

"Claw understood! Chaff ready!"

"Harvest, Hope received! Turning now!"

The two merchant ships, like startled giant whales, clumsily began to turn and accelerate, desperately heading towards Coral City port. And the Claw missile speedboat, like a nimble swallow, engines roaring, charged towards the three behemoths! Its mission was not to fight head-on, but to use its speed and electronic jamming to buy as much time as possible for the merchant ships and disrupt the enemy's lock!

"sea shadow! sea shadow! This is flagship Panshi! We are locked by three hai nu-class! Their intentions are unclear, but extremely unfriendly! Merchant ships are evacuating! Your unit maintain silence, no exposure without my command!" Zhao Tiezhu suppressed the urge to immediately summon the underwater killer, growling into the encrypted communication channel. Lin Feng's orders still echoed in his ears: sea shadow was the trump card, a strategic deterrent, and must not be easily exposed to enemy anti-submarine forces.

"sea shadow understood! Maintaining silence, continuous monitoring!" Gao Qiang's steady voice came through, with the unique suppressed feeling of a submarine.

Three hai nu-class destroyers fanned out to encircle them, full of momentum. The communication channel of one of them forcibly cut into the public frequency, and an arrogant and cold voice sounded:

"Scum of the Deep Blue Fleet, listen! This is the Ark Navy's Third Hunter Squadron! Immediately shut down your engines, surrender all cargo, and disarm! Otherwise, you will be treated as pirates and sunk on sight! This is not a warning, it's an ultimatum! You have five minutes to consider!"

"Bullshit!" Zhao Tiezhu, enraged, laughed in return, and immediately cut off the public channel communication. "Want to steal my goods? Dream on!" He turned and sharply ordered: "Claw! Launch chaff! Disrupt their radar! Panshi, Raging Waves! Anti-ship missiles preheating! Anti-air systems full open! If they dare to fire the first shot, hit them with everything you've got! Aim for the lead ship!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

From Claw's stern, strings of infrared/chaff flares shot out like festive fireworks, forming a jamming cloud in front of the fleet.

On Panshi and Raging Waves, the vertical launch system hatches slowly opened, revealing the menacing anti-ship missile warheads inside. The close-in weapon systems rotated at high speed, radar firmly locked onto any potential aerial threats.

The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point! The sea breeze seemed to have solidified. The three hai nu-class had clearly not expected such a strong stance from the other side, and their speed slowed slightly, seemingly evaluating the situation. The five-minute countdown, like a death knell, rang in everyone's hearts.

"Captain! Coral City port authority replied!" The communication officer suddenly shouted, his voice carrying a hint of Hope, "They… they refused to provide shelter! Claiming this is a dispute between the Ark and Deep Blue, and they are remaining neutral! They demand we immediately leave their territorial waters, otherwise we will be considered a threat!"

"What?!" Zhao Tiezhu was thunderstruck, his last Hope shattered! Neutral? In this dog-eat-dog apocalyptic ocean, so-called neutrality was merely a fig leaf for cowardice!

Time ticked by, second by second. The fire control radars of the three hai nu-class destroyers remained firmly fixed on Panshi and Raging Waves, like a venomous snake's tongue. Their main gun muzzles were also slowly adjusting their angles.

"Captain! Five minutes are almost up! Their missile launchers are opening!" The weapons officer's voice trembled with despair.

Zhao Tiezhu's eyes were bloodshot, his finger hovering above the missile launch button, knuckles white from clenching. He would fight to the death! Even if he died, he would take some of their teeth with him! He was about to give the order…

"Wait!" The sonar officer suddenly let out an incredible gasp, "Passive sonar detected an anomaly! Bearing… bearing directly below those three Hai Nus! Depth about 200 meters! High-speed propeller noise! Features… features match… is it Sea Abyss Giant Beast class?! No… not exactly the same! But very close! It… it's rapidly ascending!"

Zhao Tiezhu was startled, then his eyes erupted with a frantic light of joy! It was Gao Qiang! It was sea shadow! It hadn't exposed itself, but like the most cunning hunter, it had silently stalked to directly below its prey! This position was an absolute blind spot for surface ship sonar!

Almost simultaneously with the sonar officer's report!

The public communication channel was forcibly cut into by a steady voice with a cold, metallic quality, it was Gao Qiang, Commander of sea shadow:

"Ark Hunter Squadron, this is Deep Blue Fleet's sea shadow. Your ship's hull below has been locked by my boat's Abyssal Piercer torpedoes. I recommend immediately shutting down fire control radar, disengaging missile lock, and turning to leave. Repeat, this is not a warning. You have ten seconds to choose. Ten…"

Gao Qiang's voice, like a judgment from the nethermost abyss, clearly reached the bridges of the three hai nu-class destroyers, and also reached Zhao Tiezhu and all members of the Deep Blue Fleet.

Time, it seemed, froze at this moment.