Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 350 On the Brink of Destruction
Alarm bells rang in Oleman's mind, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

He immediately sounded the alarm, and the entire submarine went into combat readiness. Frank immediately ordered the first mate to take over command.

Frank was not a professional submarine commander, so at this time he could only rely on the first mate for command.

The first mate immediately ordered the ship to stop and wait, hoping the enemy ship would ignore the submarine. The atmosphere in the command center was extremely heavy; the air was almost frozen, and one had to exert all their strength to breathe.

Time slowly passed in the agonizing wait. After more than ten minutes, the first mate asked in a barely audible voice, "Has the course changed?"

Oleman shook his head slightly, his expression solemn.

The mood of everyone became even heavier.

A short while later, the first mate inquired again, and the enemy ship's course remained unchanged.

Despite repeated questioning, the target's course remained unchanged, and the distance between the two sides grew ever closer.

The first mate's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and he kept swallowing nervously.

He is very professional, but he has trained a lot in the past. This is his first time in a real battle. How could he not be nervous?
Frank remained relatively calm, but he kept calculating in his mind whether launching anti-ship missiles or torpedoes to sink the target could create an opening and break through the blockade, what the success rate would be, and whether it was worth taking the gamble.
Oleman suddenly looked up, his expression anxious: "The continuous splashing sounds from the right front are the sounds of buoys!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two muffled thuds came from his earphones.

Oleman's expression changed drastically: "Active sonar, we've been exposed!"

The already tense atmosphere suddenly tightened, like a string about to snap.

Frank's expression changed drastically, his eyes fixed on the first mate, barely suppressing the urge to take over command.

First mate growled: "Launch the self-propelled decoys, quick!"

"Self-propelled decoy launched!"

In the torpedo compartment, the soldier on duty heard a soft sound coming from the launch tube. A self-propelled acoustic decoy shot out of the launch tube, carrying an acoustic signal that was exactly the same as that of the submarine and continued to move forward.

On the sea, an anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew directly over the submarine and dropped anti-submarine torpedoes into the water.

After entering the water, the torpedoes quickly locked onto the acoustic decoys and accelerated together to pursue them, leaving several invisible wakes in the water.

Moments later, a torpedo hit first and exploded suddenly.

Oleman's expression changed again: "Torpedo..."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard another thud; a torpedo had changed course mid-flight and was hurtling toward the submarine.

The first mate shouted urgently, "Launch decoy flares! Launch air curtain flares! Emergency dive!"

Three decoy missiles were launched in succession, successfully diverting the torpedo; air curtain missiles created a large number of bubbles in the water to cover the submarine.

But the decoy flare was hit by a torpedo as soon as it was launched and exploded near the submarine.

The immense pressure from the explosion slammed into the submarine, causing sparks to fly from the internal electrical circuits. Some pipelines ruptured due to the excessive pressure, and the gushing steam scalded an unfortunate sailor.

On the water, the anti-submarine patrol aircraft dropped all the remaining torpedoes, but they were still lured away by decoy flares.

At the same time, the submarine submerged, and its depth quickly decreased from 120 to just over 200.

After hearing two explosions, Oleman heard no further sounds.

"Did it fly away?" Frank asked softly.

"It should be," the first mate said, "but we don't have much time left."

The planes were fast, and although they failed to sink the submarine, they could quickly call in more anti-submarine patrol aircraft.

Frank's heart sank: "What should we do now?"

The first mate said without hesitation, "We must dive and sink; that's the only way!"

"Then let's dive!" Frank decided immediately.

"But there are risks!"

Frank pointed overhead: "More dangerous than an airplane?"

The first mate understood Frank's determination and ordered the descent to continue at a slow pace.

"Depth 240!"

"Depth 280!"

"three hundred……"

"370"

"Stop descending, maintain depth, right rudder seven!"

Upon receiving the order to stop descending, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The submarine's maximum diving depth is only 400 meters, and it is now approaching its limit, so they cannot afford to be complacent.

"Seventh helm, right!" the helmsman responded.

"Get back on track!"

"Back to normal!"

"Keep diving!"

My heart, which had just calmed down, started racing again.

Three hundred and eighty!

"Three hundred and ninety!"

"Four hundred, four hundred!"

The moment the depth reached 400 meters, everyone's eyes were focused on the first mate.

The atmosphere was extremely tense, and everyone's heart was pounding in their throat.

This was the submarine's maximum diving depth, but the first mate did not give the order to stop the dive. Instead, he firmly urged, "Continue!"

Whether it was a misperception or not, many people heard the hull groaning as it couldn't withstand the pressure.

While keeping his eyes glued to the nautical chart, the first mate kept glancing at his dive watch, silently counting the time in his mind: "Slow down, continue descending, what depth are we at now?"

Four hundred and fourteen!

"Keep the depth!" The first mate was soaked in sweat, looking like he had just been pulled out of the water.

The submarine was very close to the seabed, and the nearby seabed was not a flat plain, but a mountainous valley with ravines and gullies.

Under the first mate's command, the submarine quietly entered the narrow valley between the two mountains, then slowed down and sank, its hull slowly touching the seabed.

The moment they successfully landed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and let out a silent, exhilarating cheer.

The first mate gasped for breath, almost completely exhausted, and had to hold onto the table to stay upright.

Frank breathed a long sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and patted the first mate on the shoulder: "You did it! You did it!"

The first mate ignored him and asked anxiously, "What's the depth now?"

"Four hundred and twenty-three meters!" The first mate finally relaxed a bit; it was only twenty-three meters over, so it wasn't a big problem.

If we switch to an attack submarine with a diving depth of 600 meters, we have even more options.

Frank then asked, "Are we safe now?"

"We're safe for now," the first mate said. "The mountains on both sides can block our sound waves, but we're not the only ones familiar with the seabed; the enemy is too. Once they realize we're gone, it won't be long before they figure out we've sunk to the bottom of the sea."

At this point, a bitter look appeared on his face: "There are only so many places suitable for submarines to hide, it's only a matter of time before they are discovered."

Frank's expression froze: "How much longer do we have?"

The first mate shook his head: "I don't know."

"Don't know?" Frank gritted his teeth.

The first mate sighed: "There are many ways to detect submarines, but few ways to counter them. If we don't get detected, we can still get away with it, but we've already engaged the enemy head-on, and this area will soon become their primary search zone. We can't possibly break through the blockade."

Frank was disappointed, but there was also a hint of relief hidden in his disappointment.

Perhaps it's the war movies about submarines that have created a misconception among the public. In the minds of ordinary people, submarines are ghosts in the sea, appearing and disappearing without a trace. They can even sneak into enemy naval ports with little effort, unleash a barrage of torpedoes, sink all the warships in port, and then slip away unscathed.

Similar scenarios have indeed occurred, but those are things of the past. The current situation is quite the opposite; there are many different anti-submarine methods available, leaving submarines to hide and evade capture like punching bags.

Unless it's a battle between submarines.

Frank suddenly felt something was wrong. He looked up and found that everyone was looking at him, whether intentionally or unintentionally, even the first mate.

"General, it's time to make a decision," the first mate reminded him.

Frank suddenly had a toothache and was extremely distressed.

His plan was to silently cross the blockade and deploy the spores to the appropriate location without alerting anyone.

However, with nearly two thousand kilometers to go before reaching its destination, the submarine was discovered by enemy ships and forced to sink to the bottom of the sea, unable to move.

Frank knew the enemy was giving him little time and he had to make a decision quickly: "Where are we now, and how far are we from our target?"

The first mate blurted out, "The closer ones are around 1,600 or 1,700, and the farther ones are less than 2,000!"

Frank nodded: "So, the navigation range is sufficient, right?"

"Yes!" the first mate nodded.

The submarine carries 16 Poseidon C-5 missiles with a range of 9000 kilometers, as well as 56 cruise missiles with a range of over 2,000 kilometers. It can cover not only Europe, but also the entire West Asia, and even parts of East Asia.

"You mean we should launch all the missiles before the enemy sinks us?" Frank asked.

The first mate was a little stunned: "Isn't this exactly our plan?"

Frank's gaze was deep: "Do you think we should do this?"

The first mate choked, and everyone else remained silent.

Frank: "You all know what orders the Octagon gave me, but it's one thing to quietly pass through the blockade and spread the information quietly, but even if everyone knows it was us, they can't find any evidence. Launching missiles in such a high-profile manner, isn't that a bit too arrogant?"

Everyone was silent.

It's not just arrogant, it's downright suicidal!
Are ballistic missiles launched arbitrarily?
What is a strategic missile nuclear submarine?
This thing is the last resort when the homeland is subjected to a devastating nuclear attack and completely loses the ability to resist.

Launching them at a target within their own territory or on the high seas would be one thing, but launching sixteen in a row, especially towards the homelands of other allies, could trigger the Dead Hand system and provoke a strategic counterattack from the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council...

The kind of scenario depicted in science fiction movies, where missiles fly everywhere and instantly flatten the world, may very well become a reality.

The first mate was quite surprised: "General, isn't this what the Octagon means?"

"It means the Octagon, but I've always been very hesitant."

"Hesitation?" The first mate's eyes were filled with incomprehension. "General, I don't think there's anything to hesitate about. Our nation is suffering the worst disaster in its history. If we don't do something, it won't be long before the great nation of our nation ceases to exist. Isn't this a disaster for all mankind? Should we be the only ones to bear the consequences? That's not fair!"

Frank was stunned. Suddenly, he realized something was wrong. Why was this guy so agitated?
"First Mate, watch your tone!" Frank reprimanded sternly. "Don't you understand what I mean? We have to do something, but not in a way that harms America's interests. Launching a missile is easy, but from the moment it lifts off, America will become a global enemy!"

He looked intently into the first mate's eyes: "Can Mi Lijian withstand such severe consequences now?"

Frank wasn’t a fanatical follower who was so obsessed with spreading the spores around the world that he didn’t care about anything else. He started as a soldier and worked his way up to the general he is today!

Ordinary soldiers and junior officers can follow orders without question or compromise, but not in his position.

War is a continuation of the rule of law and a manifestation of the national will.

He didn't know what George was thinking, but to be in that position, George couldn't be a fool, otherwise why would he impersonate an apostle?
However, the plan has clearly deviated significantly from the original idea, which could lead to irreversible consequences. At present, Mi Lijian has not reached the point of mutual destruction, and Frank cannot make this decision.

After hearing Frank's words, everyone fell silent.

Some of them originally disagreed with launching missiles, but as soldiers, they had to follow orders; others, reminded by Frank, also realized the consequences of launching missiles.

Even if you use the name of the apostles, it won't work. Are strategic missiles carrying nuclear warheads so easy to launch?

It is no exaggeration to say that at best it could trigger World War III, and at worst it could destroy the entire world!

Only the first mate firmly refused: "No, we must carry out the orders of the Octagon!"

Frank's heart skipped a beat: "First Mate, I order you..."

Halfway through his sentence, the first mate magically produced a metal can, twisted it open, and threw it on the ground.

Frank's pupils constricted as he recognized the metal can containing hallucinogens: "Stop him!"

After saying that, he lunged forward, but was knocked down by the first mate's punch.

Before losing consciousness, countless thoughts flashed through Frank's mind.

It turns out that from the very beginning, he was just a decoy; the real core of the dissemination plan was this first mate!
Chaos erupted instantly in the command center. Some were at a loss, some tried to stop the first mate, and others supported Frank.

Two gunshots rang out, and the two crew members who had rushed towards the first mate fell to the ground, wounded. The first mate muttered a mantra repeatedly: "Launch missiles at Europe, launch missiles at Europe, launch missiles at Europe..."

Oleman suddenly raised his hand, trembling slightly: "Active sonar, we've been detected!"

The first mate was in a panic: "Surface! Surface immediately and prepare to launch the missile!"

The enemy could launch an attack at any moment; if we don't fire now, it will be too late!

The crowd looked at each other, and no one moved.

The first mate immediately pointed his gun at the helmsman: "I said surface, immediately!"

Faced with a deadly threat, the helmsman yielded, and the submarine began to surface.

"400 meters deep!"

"Hover at 350!" the first mate said.

Frank finally came to his senses and yelled desperately, "Stop him!"

The first mate kicked Frank unconscious: "Useless thing, keep going!"

"Depth 350!"

The first mate smiled slightly: "Open all launch tubes, prepare for launch!"

(End of this chapter)