50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 268 If you can't avoid it, then fight.
Continuing onward, they saw the engine room hatch marked with the H radiation symbol—it was actually an H submarine! Their hearts raced.

Upon reaching the battery compartment, they immediately noticed several charred batteries on the ground, which had been removed and placed there. A fire had occurred there.

When they also noticed that one torpedo was missing from the torpedo compartment and two missiles were missing from the missile launcher, they dared not voice their various speculations.

The interior of the submarine was very messy. In some of the sailors' rest rooms, they saw many personal belongings scattered around the cabin.

What surprised them most was that all the text was in English, which was the most obvious evidence.

There are only five countries with H-type submarines, and only the UK and the US use English on their entire ships. The answer is obvious.

The thought that the submarine had been captured from the enemy filled them with both excitement and trepidation.

The only thing that relieved them was that no bullet holes or bloodstains were found on the ship, which meant that the submarine was not seized through fighting.

Half an hour later, everyone gathered in the command room. 'Swordfish' and the three young men had a lot of questions they wanted to ask but couldn't get them out.

Sun Zhiwei was resting on his cot. When they came over, he didn't say anything, just stared at him. Sun Zhiwei knew exactly what they were thinking.

"We already agreed before we came that you weren't allowed to ask any questions, just follow orders. Any questions?"

The four had no choice but to hold their tongues. Finally, 'Swordfish' asked on behalf of everyone, "What about its news?"

Sun Zhiwei stared at the group of people carefully, as if trying to imprint their faces in his mind.

"This is a sunken submarine; there's no need to ask any more questions."

Upon hearing this answer, the group perked up. It turned out to be a 'non-existent' submarine that had been salvaged from the water. No wonder the ground was covered in water.

"Let's get familiar with the operation now, and then we'll assign tasks. It's not an easy task for five people to drive this big machine back."

"Five people operating a submarine? How is that possible?" The group said this almost simultaneously.

Sun Zhiwei frowned and looked at everyone: "Why is it impossible?"

“I can drive it 4000 kilometers by myself. There are five of us now. What problem will we have driving it home?”

Upon hearing this, the group first looked horrified, and then completely bewildered.

The shock stemmed from Sun Zhiwei's earlier statement, "One person drove 4000 kilometers." That's practically playing with one's life.

Needless to say, they were bewildered because their education and operational procedures did not include any content on operating a submarine; they did not know how it was done.

Sun Zhiwei knew that they were all elites, each proficient in operating several positions, and all were all-rounders.

But they had clearly fallen into a fixed mindset; they hadn't even considered the question of one person operating a submarine.

Now, he needs to break their preconceived notions before he can teach them how to operate a submarine with fewer people.

The "foolproof single-person submarine operation procedure" he learned at the Qingdao base was a valuable tool developed by more than a dozen submarine captains working together.

Even the captains themselves probably didn't realize how valuable this so-called "operational procedure" was.

In a critical moment, this is a super skill that can save the entire submarine.

For example, when a submarine suffers severe damage and heavy personnel losses.

As long as the submarine is still operational, a few more operators who understand the "operation procedures" can take the damaged submarine away instead of leaving it in the war zone to die.

"Tell me, what are the key systems that a submarine contains?"

"Power system, navigation system, weapon system, control system."

"Living support system, heating and ventilation system, life support system." "Okay, you've stated it, a total of seven main systems. So, how many will be needed to get the submarine back?"

"Power and navigation are essential; otherwise, the submarine won't be able to move or find its way."

"Weapons are essential too. Are we just going to wait to die when we encounter the enemy?"

"Don't people need basic necessities? Don't we all need to eat, drink, and relieve ourselves?"

"Life support is indispensable; how can one survive without oxygen?"

After discussing it, the group decided that only the heating and ventilation system could be temporarily ignored.

"You're wrong. Only three of these systems are essential. The others are not essential for our mission, or rather, they are not irreplaceable."

"Power, navigation, and survival?" Swordfish replied thoughtfully.

“That’s right.” Sun Zhiwei confirmed the answer.
"What if we encounter an enemy?"

"We can choose secluded routes to avoid other submarines as much as possible."

"What if you can't dodge it?" Big Liu pressed.

"Can't dodge it?" Sun Zhiwei's expression changed from a smile to a serious one.

"When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail. If you can't avoid it, then fight."

He looked around at everyone and continued, "At that time, one person will be in charge of power, one will be in charge of navigation, one will be in charge of the rudder, and one will be in charge of weapons. There will be one person left over from the five of us."

Everyone was amused by his statement. According to him, it really would only take a few people to drive this big thing home.

Seeing that everyone had grasped the concept, he began to formally teach them the "foolproof single-person submarine operation procedure".

A few hours later, the four men's combat mindset had undergone a complete transformation.

Only then did they understand why this 'Listening' comrade could pilot an H submarine alone for thousands of miles; so that's how he did it.

Just focus on the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake; keep everything else stationary and move only on one plane. Isn't that like driving in the wilderness?

No wonder it's called 'idiot-proof operation'; the person who came up with this operation procedure is a genius.

"From now on, you will be in charge of operating the submarine, since I am not a formal submarine pilot."

"no problem."

"Leave it to us."

After learning how to operate it, the group's confidence increased significantly.

Now it's simply a matter of getting familiar with the operating procedures. It's something that comes with practice, you just need to practice. That's how they learned to drive before.

"Swordfish, you need to find the best route for us, avoiding all possible dangers. Don't be afraid of the distance; it'll just take a few more days."

“I understand, leave this to me.” As a professional navigator, this was his task.

"Then I'll leave this place to you. I'm going out to send a telegram home so they can prepare to meet us."

After greeting the others, Sun Zhiwei jumped back into the water and began swimming outwards.

(End of this chapter)