50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 270 Going Home
Swordfish suddenly understood when he heard that others dared not make a move.

"Yes, they won't make the first move if the hostile relationship is uncertain, because they'll be hesitant to act rashly."

"As long as we don't take any hostile actions first, we can leave at our leisure. By the time they catch up, we will have already entered the South China Sea."

At this point, the others cheered, as if entering the South China Sea meant they were already home.

Only Sun Zhiwei remained silent, his brow furrowed.

Seeing this, the others stopped smiling and looked at Sun Zhiwei, waiting for him to explain the reason.

Sun Zhiwei glanced at them before saying, "What I'm worried about is what will happen after we enter the South China Sea."

"Although that place is our territory, we don't actually have real control over it now. It remains the enemy's hidden garden; they can come and go as they please."

“We’re there, with no reinforcements.” Sun Zhiwei stopped there, and everyone understood and was somewhat prepared.

"The basic route is set for now, but 'Swordfish', you still need to refine the route based on a few special terrain features."

"What kind of terrain, please tell me."

Having had many problems identified in the route, Swordfish no longer dares to claim expertise and unconsciously uses honorifics when asking questions.

"There are two things to keep in mind. One is to pay attention to the water depth. If the water is too shallow, we will be easily exposed. We should try to stay in deeper water."

"Another thing to be careful to do is to avoid dangerous areas where you might fall too deep."

Upon hearing the unfamiliar term "deep dive," Swordfish and the others were somewhat bewildered.

Seeing their expressions, Sun Zhiwei knew they didn't understand the phenomenon of "deep dive," so he began to explain the principle of "deep dive" in detail.

Finally, the example given was: "In 1963, the H submarine USS Thresher sank suddenly not far from the coast of Massachusetts, and all 129 people on board perished."

"Six months later, the submarine wreckage was found at a depth of more than 3000 meters on the seabed. After careful analysis, the conclusion was that it had 'fallen in depth'."

"Another suspected case is the disappearance of the Israeli submarine Dakar in the Mediterranean in 1968. I suspect they also encountered a similar problem."

"If a submarine encounters a 'depth drop' (also known as a 'cliff'), it is extremely dangerous. Therefore, it is essential to avoid entering high-risk areas of 'depth drop' as much as possible."

Swordfish now understood Sun Zhiwei's idea.

So he began to carefully examine the map and removed all routes that were close to the mouths of major rivers, replacing them with routes that were far away from the mouths.

The others, however, remembered the meaning of the word 'deep drop' deep in their hearts.

Later, our submarine training courses included explanations of the 'depth drop' problem and emergency response plans.

More than 30 years later, our 372 submarine encountered a 'deep dive' crisis.

At that time, it was precisely because our crew members worked together with one heart and one mind and were highly skilled that they had internalized the operation of various emergency plans during routine training.

It was only within 180 seconds that it was able to complete hundreds of commands and close dozens of valves, making it the only submarine in history to successfully escape from a precipice in the sea.

Half an hour later, the flight path was corrected, and Sun Zhiwei checked it carefully again before finally approving it.

"Let's stick to this route for now, but we don't have to be set in stone. Plans can't keep up with changes, so if there are any problems, we can just change it later."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The plan should be made, but it shouldn't be rigidly adhered to and stuck in the plan. It should be flexible and adaptable.

The group has now tacitly agreed that Sun Zhiwei will serve as the temporary captain and will be in charge of command.

"Comrades, the telegram has been sent back for three days. I think we can go out and give it a try."

"And you? Do you have confidence?"

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.

"Alright, let's give it a try." "Attention all crew members, the submarine is about to set sail. All departments, begin self-inspection and reporting."

"Powertrain compartment normal"

"Circuit normal"

"Radar normal"

"Sonar is normal"

"The cabin pressure is normal."

"The wheel and rudder are functioning normally."

Soon, the self-inspection results came back, showing that all parts of the submarine were functioning properly.

"Command: Close the hatch and prepare to descend."

Then, Sun Zhiwei personally went and closed the hatch. Although this action was rather low-class, none of the others laughed.

Once we get into work mode, our staff's professionalism is beyond reproach.

The submarine was steered by pilot Dongzi, who skillfully turned the submarine around. With everyone's cooperation, the 'Memphis' sailed out of the dock along the underground waterway.

This time, Sun Zhiwei did not interfere with the operation of the submarine. With the cooperation of the other four, the submarine successfully passed through the narrow channel in the coral reef.

Once we reached the open waters, the tests began one by one. The movements—forward, backward, turning, accelerating, and braking—were fluid, unlike what one would expect from a submarine operated by only a few people.

Seeing everyone's high spirits, and deciding that there was no better time than now, Sun Zhiwei ordered the ship to set sail.

As the submarine slowly accelerated, Sun Zhiwei seemed to hear a voice echoing in his ears: 'I believe our people will definitely complete the mission.'

The 'Memphis' has officially embarked on its journey home.

For the next six days, the 'Memphis' maintained a depth of 200 meters underwater and sailed south at full speed of 30 knots.

They worked in pairs, taking turns every six hours, 24 hours a day, sailing 5000 kilometers in six days, and finally reached the southern waters of Africa.

This location is 1500 kilometers from the Cape of Good Hope, and there are no other islands nearby, making it relatively safe.

In order to maintain their fighting strength, Sun Zhiwei decided to rest here for a day.

These days, Sun Zhi has also joined the shift work, allowing the other four people to take turns resting once.

However, after a long underwater voyage in such a confined space as a submarine, everyone still needs a relatively long vacation to relax and relieve the tension.

"Comrades, after six days of sailing, we have reached the first turning point. Let's rest today and recharge our spirits."

"How about we make dumplings today?"

“Great, I’ll do it, I can wrap them.”

Is it filled with meat?

"Meat, plus some chopped cabbage. We didn't prepare any chives, so please make do with this."

"The cabbage and pork version is also delicious."

Upon hearing that they had a holiday and would be making dumplings, everyone's tense nerves immediately relaxed, and the five of them began to divide the work together.

When it comes to cooking, Sun Zhiwei isn't good at it, and none of the five people here are either. They can forget about stir-frying, but they can definitely make dumplings.

Sun Zhiwei took out a large piece of frozen meat from the cold storage a few hours ago. Now it has thawed, and with a bag of dehydrated vegetables soaked in it, it's perfect for making dumpling filling.

(End of this chapter)