Chapter Twelve: Midget Submarine

At this moment, inside the small crew cabin, all was silent except for the steady rhythm of long breaths, faintly audible amid the subtle hum of the submarine. It sounded no different from most dormitories where occupants had fallen into deep sleep.

Yet, if anyone could peer inside the cabin, they would leap back in astonishment.

None of the six crew members lay on their bunks; instead, they sat cross-legged with palms facing upward, resembling six serene Buddha statues engaged in meditation and cultivation. The invisible spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed gently through the submarine’s thick hull, permeating the small cabin from all directions, being absorbed into each of their bodies.

That spiritual energy could be drawn even in the deep sea—a revelation to Lei Xian.

Back when he first joined the Furious Dragon Squad and took his maiden voyage on a Rocky-class conventional submarine for training, Lei Xian noticed that even when submerged beneath the surface, a faint trace of spiritual energy was still perceptible.

But it was too weak, no different from what he sensed on land. The training was conducted over the continental shelf in shallow waters and lasted only a short time, so he had assumed it was merely spiritual energy leaking from the land and sea surface.

However, when the "Hanjing" descended beyond a depth of 100 meters, Lei Xian immediately realized his mistake.

As the submarine plunged deeper and farther from the shore, Lei Xian was stunned to discover that the spiritual energy in the surrounding seawater grew increasingly dense and pure! It was as though this vast, boundless ocean was an entirely different realm that naturally generated abundant spiritual energy.

By the time the submarine reached depths exceeding 300 meters, the concentration of spiritual energy approached levels comparable to those absorbed after passing through the Five-Party Spirit Gathering Formation of the Water Yao Immortal!

“Why? Why is there such rich spiritual energy at the ocean floor? Why is there such a vast difference between sea and land? What exactly happened during that period?” The thought of the old mystic master’s tales about the great upheaval of heaven and earth over two centuries ago, when spiritual energy gradually thinned until a critical threshold was reached—making cultivation increasingly difficult and ushering the central realm into the so-called “End of Dharma Era”—gnawed ever more insistently at Lei Xian’s mind.

…

“Knock, knock, knock.” Three measured taps sounded at the door. The crew members sprang up, exchanging glances full of barely concealed excitement.

Finally, the moment had arrived!

In the pitch-black depths of the ocean, where day and night held no meaning, the crew relied solely on their watches and rigid routines to mark their time. Besides nightly meditation and cultivation, their days were spent planning combat strategies, preparing contingencies for various scenarios, and then punishing the gym equipment.

Now, all preparations were complete. They only awaited the order to land and deliver a crushing blow to that vile nation!

When Chen Jianhong approached from the command room, Lei Xian had already heard his footsteps. By the time Chen reached the cabin door, the crew had donned their black diving suits.

The cabin door opened, revealing Chen Jianhong’s stern face, holding a small silver-gray coded box.

Lei Xian took the box deftly, opened it, and withdrew a specially sealed leather pouch. From it, he retrieved a white military letterhead, which was passed carefully from hand to hand among the crew. Once read, the letterhead was torn to shreds, resealed in the pouch, and returned to Chen Jianhong.

Chen watched their actions without a flicker of emotion, and only after reclaiming the box did he gesture, “Follow me!”

The crew trailed behind Chen Jianhong through the long corridor. Wuyun waved cheerfully at the scattered sailors they passed. The sailors, their curiosity barely masked, smiled and nodded back. Encouraged, Wuyun waved with even more enthusiasm.

“Such a show-off!” Lei Xian shook his head, sighing. When would this guy ever outgrow his antics? But soon, Lei Xian sensed something amiss. The torpedo launch tubes were located in the upper midsection of the submarine, yet they were descending down the ladder.

“Where exactly are we going…”

Chen Jianhong turned back with a mysterious smile. “Follow me and you’ll see soon enough…”

Frustrated but powerless, Wuyun silently mouthed “shut up” to Song Jingang, who rolled his eyes in response, ignoring him.

Minutes later, their shock turned to confusion and frustration.

In the lower central part of the submarine, above the main ballast tanks, rows upon rows of vertical missile launch tubes were neatly arranged. Yet in the outermost tubes, instead of torpedoes or intercontinental missiles, stood two sleek, streamlined miniature submarines!

Clearly, these two tubes had been converted into docking bays for miniature submarines!

“Damn!” Wuyun couldn’t help but curse, then burst into laughter. “Finally, we don’t have to be shot out of a torpedo tube!”

Laughter erupted among the crew. Even Chen Jianhong chuckled, struggling to keep a straight face as he quipped, “Welcome aboard the new sightseeing submarine 098, embarking on an underwater fantasy tour!”

“Gear up! Board the ship!” Lei Xian’s eyes gleamed as he issued the command loudly.

There was little to organize—each crew member’s weapons were stored in Lei Xian’s spatial ring. Their travel cases were packed in their dive bags; to prepare for any emergencies during landing, each carried only a single Miniature Federation P9 pistol.

Once seated in the miniature submarine, Chen Jianhong and a lieutenant entered the 098’s cockpit. Activating the communication console, Chen gave orders: “Bow tilt 10 degrees, port half power, main ballast tank draining, ascend to 100 meters!”

With the sound of water draining, the submarine’s bow lifted, slowly ascending. After several minutes, it reached 100 meters depth. Chen pressed a switch and a faint electric hum sounded as the 098 smoothly rose, partially breaching the water.

Minutes later, the miniature submarine completely detached from the massive “Hanjing.” As the main vessel’s hatch slowly closed, the 098’s unique six-leaf propeller at the stern began to turn gently.

“Who designed this?” Lei Xian’s curiosity got the better of him inside the far smaller but infinitely more comfortable cabin than the torpedo tube.

The Republic’s special operations miniature submarines were not news, but this was their first time actually riding one, and the veterans of the Furious Dragon Squad felt the same. The Republic’s coastal defense strategy meant little need for deep-sea special operations.

From their intelligence on foreign military equipment, most special ops miniature submarines were housed in dry docks—fully enclosed inside nuclear subs. But clearly, the 098 was different, employing a semi-dry dock design: about three-quarters of the miniature sub was inside the dock, while the bow protruded above the water, like a pen cap slid onto a pen.

Though slightly inconvenient for boarding, this design seemed to facilitate deployment.

“Who else but the great military industry!” Wuyun chimed in, earning nods all around.

Under Chen Jianhong’s precise control, the rudder and diving planes adjusted continuously as the roughly twenty-meter-long, five-meter-high 098 oriented itself, ascending to about fifty meters depth and heading westward at a slow pace.

Looking out from inside the submarine, Lei Xian finally grasped what Chen’s earlier “underwater fantasy tour” meant.

The 098 special ops miniature submarine had portholes!

Despite being fifty meters below sea level at night, with no running lights and relying solely on silent navigation charts, the team’s exceptional eyesight allowed them to see various marine creatures swimming in the vast ocean beyond the windows.

“Huh? Wait!” Lei Xian suddenly sensed something, sending out his spiritual awareness and was immediately stunned.

The other crew members also noticed and their expressions turned strange.

“What is that?”

Above the surface, about ten meters to the left front, a colossal creature was moving slowly forward. Their submarine clung tightly to this massive being, advancing step by step alongside it!

The cabin door gently opened as Chen Jianhong, having handed over control to the lieutenant, entered.

“In about half an hour, the submarine will be scuttled at Kyoto Port. Please prepare accordingly,” Chen said with ease. “I’ve prepared seven oxygen tanks and four ‘tractors’—they should suffice.”

“Kyoto Port? Scuttled?” Wuyun was startled by those words; Lei Xian was equally taken aback. Pointing to the upper left, he asked in surprise, “Is that…”

Chen hesitated briefly, clearly surprised that they seemed to know what lay outside the submarine. Regaining his calm, he smiled faintly, “Oh, that’s the Japanese ocean-going freighter Jieshi Maru. With this 250,000-ton giant as cover, we can bring the submarine directly right up to the dock!”

Wuyun gave a thumbs-up. “Impressive!”

It was no wonder he admired it. To follow an enemy nation’s ship and penetrate an imperial naval harbor required immense courage and exceptional skill!

Chen waved off the praise modestly, “Not nearly good enough. We still need rigorous training so next time, we can get you all directly into the Yokoga Naval Base…”

“Wow!” The group stared in disbelief at Chen’s polite yet boastful words.

Suddenly, the submarine lurched violently. Chen’s face turned grave as he activated the comms: “What’s going on?”