Chapter 1388: Seeds
“I told you? Weren’t you waiting for me to ask you? “Huo Shaoheng didn’t ignore how Gu Yanran had blurted out that, “I’ve been waiting for this day.”
Gu Yanran lowered her eyes and smiled. “I thought you’d come around and let me out.”
The corners of Huo Shaoheng’s mouth twitched. He knew she wasn’t telling the truth, so he calmly asked, “I’m giving you one last chance. where is Gu Xiangwen?”
“Gu Xiangwen? You’re asking me about Gu Xiangwen?” Gu Yanran looked disappointed. After a while, she shrugged. “Didn’t I already tell you? He died in the plane crash. I cremated his and his wife’s bodies and threw their ashes into the sea. Then, I found my biological father, who abandoned his wife and daughter. I put him in a vegetative state and pretended to be Gu Xiangwen.”
“Then how did you know about the island where the plane crashed?”Huo Shaoheng asked again. “I’ll let you say it again.”
“You may not believe it, but I received a message from Gu Xiangwen, asking me to go there to find him, so I went.” Gu Yanran smiled and tilted her head.
Huo Shaoheng’s face darkened. “How did you receive the message?”
Gu Yanran seemed as if she was unable to continue speaking. She suddenly smiled and looked at him.”… You’re forcing me to make up a story.”
Huo Shaoheng:”…”
“Just repeat what you said last time. Could it be that you were also making up a story last time?”
Huo Shaoheng was a little impatient. He swore that if he found out the real whereabouts of Gu Xiangwen this time, regardless of whether he was dead or alive, he would get someone to execute Gu Yanran.
She had already been sentenced to death for her crimes.
The only reason he still kept her alive was because she was the only person they knew who had seen the plane crash.
Gu Xiangwen was on the plane.
Gu Yanran leaned back in her seat and said indifferently, “Major General Huo, don’t pressure me. I’ve already told you everything I know. If you pressure me again, I’ll have to make up a story. Hahahaha…”
The corners of her eyes red and her cheeks abnormally red, she laughed maniacally.
No matter how one looked at her, it looked like she had lost her mind.
Huo Shaoheng narrowed his eyes and didn’t continue to pressure her. He stood up to adjust his military uniform and said calmly, “It’s fine if you don’t say it. I’m not in a hurry anyway. Let’s see how long you can keep your mouth shut.”
Huo Shaoheng turned to leave after he finished speaking.
Gu Yanran’s wild laughter came to an abrupt end.
She stared at Huo Shaoheng’s back in bewilderment. She bit her lip and suppressed the rage boiling in her chest.
She couldn’t say it, she couldn’t say it..
Actually, she didn’t want to die. She really didn’t want to die.
..
There was only half an hour before the military plane would take off from the place where Gu Yanran was being held.
“Let’s go to the airport.”
Huo Shaoheng steadied himself and his expression became even more determined.
So what if it was a trap?
He wasn’t going alone this time. He was leading the most elite naval wars.h.i.+ps and Marine Corps of the military.
Setting a trap for him was setting a trap for the Huaxia Empire.
However, in this world, someone who was capable enough to set a trap for the current Huaxia Empire’s military had yet to be born.
In the face of absolute power, all conspiracies and tricks were paper tigers.
If it really was a trap, the other party must have put in a lot of effort, and the bait must have been exceptionally tempting.
Of course, Huo Shaoheng was only considering the worst case scenario.
In fact, according to their intelligence a.n.a.lysis, the probability of this being a trap was very low.
..
That day, the sky was clear and the sun was s.h.i.+ning brightly.
A military plane carrying Huo Shaoheng and his chosen team to the southernmost military port city airport whizzed into the blue sky.
Looking at the white clouds flying past the window with emotional turmoil, Song Jinning sat with him.
She whispered to Huo Shaoheng,”… Did you guys detect any signs of life inside the submarine?”
Huo Shaoheng nodded, “We investigated, but no.”
Song Jinning’s heart skipped a beat, and she raised her eyebrows. “No?! Really?!”
“Yes, we only know that the submarine had been at the bottom of the sea for about five to six years, or maybe six to seven years. As for how long it has been, we’ll have to salvage it to be sure.”
If it had been at the bottom of the sea for that long, it would probably have been a disaster.
Song Jinning closed her eyes and said calmly, “Then I’ll have to pray.”
Huo Shaoheng:”…”
..
Five hours later, the military plane arrived at the military port city airport at the southernmost tip of the Huaxia Empire.
Everyone got off the plane and was led by military vehicles to the military port. They didn’t stop in the middle and didn’t have the time for anyone to make calls.
When they reached the port and were about to board the s.h.i.+p, Huo Shaoheng sent people to stand at the entrance of each military s.h.i.+p and collect their personal phones and personal electronic devices.
“Don’t worry, everyone. These equipment will be returned to you when the operation is over. The electronic equipment for your work has been installed and debugged on the s.h.i.+p. You can use them with ease.”
When he said that the equipment had been installed and debugged, he meant that the equipment were closely monitored.
Even though these people had pa.s.sed the rigorous political examination, that could only prove that these people didn’t have any misdeeds in the past. Who knew if there would be any in the future?
This trip from the military port to the open sea near the Cape of Good Hope would take more than ten days at sea. Adding the time spent on salvaging, it would take a month to go back and forth.
So they had to be on guard.
These people were also from the military. They understood that this was an established procedure and so they didn’t complain.
After everyone called their families to inform them that they were safe, then handed over their personal phones and electronic devices.
Huo Shaoheng sent Gu Nianzhi a text message before boarding the s.h.i.+p.
[ Mr.A ] : We’re here, don’t miss me.
Song Jinning looked up at the “research s.h.i.+p”in front of her. It was much bigger than the one they had taken to the Sea of j.a.pan the last time.
It had a blue hull and a white body. The hull of the s.h.i.+p near the port was painted with the word “Seed”, which was the name of the “research s.h.i.+p”.
It had a total of six floors. There were three floors on the upper deck and three floors below the deck.
It appeared no different from an ordinary research s.h.i.+p, but the equipment inside was completely different.
Huo Shaoheng put away his phone and walked to Song Jinning’s side. He said nonchalantly, “This s.h.i.+p is 190.7 meters long, 42.24 meters wide, designed to draft 10.8 meters, and has a full displacement of about 8,000 tons. It is equipped with the most advanced active phased array radar system. It is even bigger than the world’s largest scientific research s.h.i.+p.”
Song Jinning couldn’t help but smile. “Bigger than the world’s largest scientific research s.h.i.+p? Don’t you think there’s something wrong with the logic of that sentence?”
“I don’t think so.” Huo Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and said seriously.
“Isn’t this a scientific research s.h.i.+p? If it’s a scientific research s.h.i.+p, how can it be bigger than the world’s largest scientific research s.h.i.+p?”
“… because when the western world evaluates the world’s largest scientific research s.h.i.+ps, they usually don’t consider the Huaxia Empire’s.” Huo Shaoheng said nonchalantly, “But it doesn’t matter. We don’t want to compete with them. We just want to be stronger than them.”
Huo Shaoheng walked onto the deck and looked at the beautiful view of the sea and sky. He was slightly moved.
It was their opportunity and honor to be able to guard such a beautiful ocean.
..
Cutting through the waves on the vast sea, the research s.h.i.+p fleet moved forward.
Followed by cruisers, destroyers, and anti-submarine patrol s.h.i.+ps, the submarine at the bottom of the sea silently swam.
In a five-p.r.o.nged approach, the sea, land, and air formed a full range, deep, multi-level, all-weather, and three-dimensional target identification, positioning, and attack system.
Under such almost all-encompa.s.sing conditions, the s.h.i.+ps and planes that tried to follow them were quickly discovered by them.
During the ten days of sailing at sea, almost every day, the captain of the fleet had to shout to the tracking s.h.i.+ps, telling them not to interfere with their “freedom of navigation”.
Hence, those s.h.i.+ps dared not act rashly. They could only watch from afar and didn’t dare to follow too closely.
..
The Huaxia Empire’s research s.h.i.+p “Seed” had brought a large fleet out. Ten days after leaving the military port, when they were about to reach the area where the mini submarine sank.., it was finally detected by the j.a.panese Secret Service from the satellite image.
“Mr. Hideda Yamaguchi, the satellite image shows that the Huaxia Empire has a series of fleets approaching our key observation area.”
An intelligence agent of the Secret Service placed the satellite image in front of their chief officer, Hideda Yamaguchi.
Hideda Yamaguchi was the highest commander of the Secret Service in j.a.pan. He was a military chief officer and was in his sixties. He looked very smart and capable.
He suddenly stood up and said nervously, “Did you observe it clearly? Did you really go to the Cape of Good Hope?!”
“Yes!”
“What fleet is it?! Is it a wars.h.i.+p?”
“According to the satellite imaging a.n.a.lysis, it was probably the Huaxia Empire’s research s.h.i.+p with a series of wars.h.i.+ps escorting it.”
“Research s.h.i.+p?! The Huaxia Empire’s research s.h.i.+p? — Don’t tell me it’s a research s.h.i.+p that’s bigger than a wars.h.i.+p and has its own phased-array radar?!”
“… Your wise guess is correct, Captain! It’s exactly such a research s.h.i.+p!”