47: On the Eve of the Storm! Deep Blue Whetstone!

The Deep Blue Fortress, like a thoroughly enraged steel beast, entered an unprecedented state of frenzy. The black flags of mourning had not yet been taken down, but sorrow had been replaced by the scorching flames of the forge and the deafening roar of machinery. Sorrow transformed into fuel; pain forged into blades!

In the dock, the massive hull of the Iron Rock was surrounded by dense scaffolding, and welding torches sprayed dazzling blue light, like countless fireflies dancing on the steel's wounds. New, matte dark grey Deep Sea Phantom anechoic tiles were meticulously laid onto the hull, covering old scars and imbuing this veteran with an unprecedented aura of stealth. Engineers, like surgeons on an operating table, raced against time to replace damaged engines and repair twisted keels.

Next to the Basalt dry dock, in an even larger, heavily shielded new dock, a different scene unfolded. The massive keel had been laid, and sections of the pressure hull were being hoisted into place. Here, the Deep Blue Fleet's future underwater sharp blades were being nurtured—the first two "Sea Wolf-I Type" attack nuclear submarines! Their design core was the complete digestion and absorption of Deep Sea Phantom technology, supplemented by structural optimizations from some abyssal echoes. Although the power system was temporarily still a traditional fission reactor (the bio-geothermal core was still being developed), their stealth performance was expected to approach or even surpass the former Sea Abyss Giant Beast-class! Above the dock, an electronic sign for "Sea Wolf Commissioning Countdown" flashed crimson numbers.

The lights in the energy research area burned day and night. Dr. Su Qing's team practically lived in the laboratory. Inside the massive bioreactors, samples of dark green blood from a Leviathan glowed faintly in a special culture medium, with complex instruments real-time monitoring the contained violent bio-energy. On the other side, combining partial energy circuit blueprints deciphered from Pioneer ruins, an even larger, more complex "Bio-Geothermal Hybrid Energy Core" prototype was being assembled under intense pressure. Although practical application was still far off, its surging energy potential was enough to make all participants' hearts race.

In the base's Command Center, on the giant electronic sandbox, clusters of red dots representing the Ark's massive fleet were slowly and steadily surging from multiple directions, like a deadly red tide, towards the blue dot representing the Deep Blue Fortress. Blurred images from the latest high-altitude reconnaissance drones (infiltrating at great risk) showed that this fleet was unprecedented in scale, with at least four massive, never-before-seen, ferociously shaped Abyss Fortress-class battlecruisers at its core, escorted by over twenty destroyers and frigates of various types, while the underwater forces were immeasurable. In the sky, there were also several signal sources representing large carrier-based aircraft or drone swarms.

"Intelligence confirmed, the Ark has named it 'Purification Tide' operation," Intelligence Director Zhou Rui's voice was icy. "The objective is clear: completely destroy the Deep Blue Fortress and erase our entire existence. They… have deployed their ultimate power."

"Purification Tide?" Lin Feng stood before the sandbox, arms crossed, a cold arc forming on his lips. "The name sounds intimidating. Unfortunately, they forgot, storms, too, have been torn apart by us!"

He turned, his sharp gaze sweeping over all senior military officers and technical directors in the command room:

"Chen Hai!"

"Here!"

"Coastal defense system enter highest alert! All shore-based anti-ship missile positions, long-range rocket artillery, electromagnetic cannons (though not as powerful as 'Thunder,' but numerous) all online! Air defense network full power! I want the Ark's fleet to shed a layer of skin before they even get close to us!"

"Yes!"

"Zhao Tiezhu!"

"Here!" Zhao Tiezhu, who had just recovered from his injuries and returned to duty, responsible for the repair and sea trials of the Iron Rock, straightened his back, his eyes burning with the fire of revenge.

"What's the progress on the Iron Rock's repairs? Has the Deep Sea Phantom system been integrated?"

"Reporting, Commander! Main body repairs complete, new anechoic tile laying and integration 98%! Currently undergoing final sea trial subjects! Ready for combat at any time!" Zhao Tiezhu's voice was resolute.

"Good!" Lin Feng nodded heavily. "Your Iron Rock is our first whetstone! I give you a mission: lead the Iron Rock and the Claw, with two high-speed patrol boats assigned, to form the 'Arrowhead' squad. Mission: advance to XXX sea area, actively search for and hunt down the Ark's vanguard reconnaissance formation! Use actual combat to test our new 'skin' and chop off the Ark's extended Claws for me! Do you dare?"

"I dare!" Zhao Tiezhu's eyes gleamed fiercely. "I guarantee completion of the mission! We will sharpen the Iron Rock with the Ark's blood!"

"Gao Qiang!"

"Here!" Submarine Commander Gao Qiang's holographic image appeared on the conference table.

"Status of the sea shadow?"

"Ready at any time, Commander!"

"Can Sea Wolf-I's No. 1 boat, the hidden dragon, complete outfitting and possess basic combat capabilities by the day after tomorrow?" Lin Feng's gaze turned to the engineer responsible for submarine construction.

The engineer gritted his teeth and said, "If we push ourselves to the limit, we can complete the initial integration of the weapon and power systems! The stealth system can be guaranteed! But some non-critical subsystems might not be fully in place…"

"That's enough!" Lin Feng interrupted him. "Gao Qiang, you will temporarily serve as the hidden dragon's captain! The sea shadow will be commanded by your deputy. Your mission: coordinate the two boats, lurk on the Ark's likely main fleet route! Await my orders! Your mission is not a decisive battle; it is to be underwater vipers! Fixate on their capital ships for me, especially those Abyss Fortresses! Look for opportunities to sever their legs! Remember, strike and retreat, never prolong the engagement!"

"Understood!" Gao Qiang's eyes were as calm as the deep sea, gleaming with the cold light of a hunter.

"Su Qing!"

"Here!"

"The energy core prototype, I don't expect it to be installed on a ship. But I need it to provide a one-time, unimaginable energy burst in base defense! Whether it's to overload the electromagnetic cannon array or activate some defensive weapon we haven't even thought of yet! Can you do it?"

Su Qing pushed up her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses filled with the glint of a mad scientist: "Commander, give me the highest authority and enough points to exchange for rare catalysts! I can make it 'burn' once at the critical moment… The power will definitely surprise the Ark!"

"Authority granted! Points granted! I only want results!"

Orders, like a torrent of steel, poured out from the Command Center. The entire Deep Blue Fortress, this massive war machine, every gear was operating at high speed and with precision. The tragic atmosphere was replaced by a near-fanatical, do-or-die fighting spirit. Everyone knew this would be a war for survival; they had no retreat.

Three days later.

In the designated sea area approximately three hundred nautical miles from the Deep Blue Fortress. The wind was high and the waves rough, and the lead-grey sky hung low.

The Arrowhead squad sailed like ghosts on the sea. The Iron Rock, equipped with Deep Sea Phantom anechoic tiles, had its radar reflection signal reduced to an extremely low level, and its active sonar was in silent mode, relying only on passive sonar and drones for vigilance.

"Reporting, Captain! Passive sonar detected high-speed propeller noise! Bearing XXX, distance 50 nautical miles! Signature matches… Ark's 'Sea Scorpion-class' fast reconnaissance boats! Three in number!" The sonar officer's voice was tinged with excitement.

"Hmph, indeed just cannon fodder scouting ahead!" Zhao Tiezhu sneered. "Claw, flank left! Patrol boats, harass right! Iron Rock, main gun lock onto the lead boat! Let them taste what a true 'ghost' is!"

When the three "Sea Scorpion-class" reconnaissance boats, emblazoned with the Ark's insignia and boldly conducting a fan-shaped search, suddenly saw a signal source so faint it was almost negligible on their radar screens, it was already too late!

"Iron Rock! Fire!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The roar of the 130mm main gun shattered the silence of the sea! The precise artillery fire, as if it had eyes, instantly enveloped the lead reconnaissance boat! The fragile hull was torn to pieces in the violent explosion!

"Enemy attack! It's Deep Blue… Urgh!" Only a half-gasp came from the communication channels of the other two reconnaissance boats.

The Claw, like a true sea wolf, surged out from the flank at high speed, its anti-ship missiles trailing exhaust plumes as they accurately struck the second boat! The two high-speed patrol boats, like annoying hornets, stubbornly entangled the last boat with dense small-caliber gunfire, interfering with its evasion and communication.

The Iron Rock's main gun roared again! The last "Sea Scorpion" turned into a fireball in despair.

The battle was clean and swift, lasting less than five minutes. The Ark's vanguard reconnaissance Claws were easily crushed by the newly sharpened "whetstone" that was the Iron Rock! The stealth effect of the new anechoic tiles was perfectly verified in actual combat!

The news reached the Deep Blue Fortress, triggering a suppressed cheer. Morale was boosted!

However, this brief exhilaration was soon overshadowed by an even larger shadow.

In the Command Center, the highest level of piercing alarm sounded!

"Report! Long-range alert radar detected a large-scale target cluster! Bearing XXX, distance 400 nautical miles! Quantity… unable to precisely count! Confirmed as the Ark's main fleet! Heading directly towards us! Speed 25 knots! Estimated… contact in 16 hours!"

"Report! High-intensity electronic interference detected! The Ark is beginning to suppress our long-range detection and communication!"

"Report! Satellite image fragment analysis shows that the core of their fleet, four Abyss Fortress-class battlecruisers, have begun preheating and charging their main guns! Energy readings… extremely high!"

On the giant electronic sandbox, the red tide representing destruction was now clearly visible, like an all-encompassing steel dark cloud, surging towards the Deep Blue Fortress with the might to crush everything!

Lin Feng slowly stood up and walked to the giant floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the base was busy and solemn, coastal defense weapons were undergoing final checks, and silhouettes of patrolling fighter jets were in the sky. The distant horizon remained calm, but beneath that calm lay the colossal waves that were about to arrive.

He picked up the communicator, his calm and resolute voice echoing through every corner of the Deep Blue Fortress, reaching every waiting warship:

"Deep Blue Fleet, all officers and soldiers, all base personnel."

"The Purification Tide has arrived."

"In sixteen hours, the Ark's steel and fury will pour down upon our homeland."

"Behind us is the homeland we built with our own hands, the lives of countless compatriots, the future we fight for! We have no retreat!"

"Remember the heroic souls of the Raging Waves! Remember the sacrifice of the 'Hope'! Remember the roar of the Leviathan! And remember, the new sharp blades in our hands, and the indomitable fighting spirit in our chests!"

"The Deep Blue Fortress will be the Ark's burial ground!"

"I order—"

"All forces! Enter final combat readiness!"

"Deep Blue Hegemony, never surrender!"

"Fight!!!"

The last vestiges of calm were completely shattered. The Deep Blue Fortress, this steel fortress standing amidst Raging Waves, slowly raised all its gun barrels, slowly opened all its missile launchers, and all its engines emitted a low roar. Like a long-honed beast, it bared its sharpest fangs at the surging red tide! The prelude to a great naval battle, the roar of death from afar, officially began!