stonecrandall Chapter 155 Night Raid on the Battleship "Shoko"
Chapter 155 Night Raid on the Battleship "Shoko"
Yan Shuo strolled leisurely along the streets by the Huangpu River.
I glanced up at the river and, by the faint moonlight, caught a glimpse of a Japanese naval fleet anchored not far away.
One of the battleships, with its massive size and imposing hull, stood out conspicuously.
Yan Shuo quickly hid behind some debris near the dock and took out his binoculars to examine the area carefully.
Above the Japanese military flag flying at the bow, the three large Japanese characters "Shoko" are clearly visible.
A thought struck him.
He had heard of this Japanese medium battleship before. Its fleet frequently traveled between Shanghai and Nanjing, not only transporting elite Japanese troops and military supplies, but also indiscriminately shelling civilian villages and arresting anti-Japanese patriots along the way, staining its surface with the blood of Chinese people.
The "Zhaoguang" and its fleet were involved in several massacres around the Shanghai International Settlement and looting of supplies in the suburbs of Nanjing.
Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Yan Shuo's eyes.
He still had plenty of free time and was doing nothing. Thinking of the heinous crimes committed by this warship, a bold idea sprouted in his mind: to infiltrate the "Shoko" and detonate its main gun ammunition magazine, completely destroying this evil warship and avenging his fallen compatriots.
As night deepened, the river breeze grew stronger.
Although the Japanese naval formation remained vigilant, the alert level was noticeably lower than during the day. Most of the sentries huddled in their posts for warmth, with only a few patrolling the ship's deck.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual around him, Yan Shuo quickly circled around to a secluded spot on the dock.
She removed her outer civilian clothes, revealing the black bodysuit she had prepared underneath, summoned a dummy doll, and used it to pull him underwater at high speed.
He grabbed the doll, gripped the underwater dagger, and plunged into the icy Huangpu River, his body sinking to the bottom.
Under the cover of night and the river, Yan Shuo manipulated the stand-in doll and, relying on his stealth experience, quickly approached the "Zhaoguang" along the shallows at the bottom of the river.
The substitute doll moved silently, and with the noise of the flowing river as cover, it successfully avoided the underwater warning nets and sonar detection on the bottom of the Japanese warships.
Aside from occasionally going up to get some air, Yan Shuo made virtually no other noise.
In just over ten minutes, he stealthily reached the area beneath the hull of the "Shoko".
Looking up, a thick anchor chain hangs from the ship's deck to the riverbed, its prongs deeply embedded in the silt of the shallows.
Yan Shuo gripped the cold anchor chain with both hands and, relying on the strength of his arms, silently climbed upwards.
The rust on the anchor chain cut his palm, and the icy river water slid down his cheeks, but he was completely unaware.
His eyes were fixed on the deck, and he vigilantly observed the movements of the patrolling sentries. Every time he climbed a section, he would stop, hold his breath, and listen carefully, avoiding the sight of the patrolling sentries.
After a difficult five-minute climb, Yan Shuo finally reached the deck.
He quickly rolled over and hid near the ventilation duct entrance in the corner of the deck, wiped the water off his body, calmed his breathing, and began to carefully observe the hull structure of the "Shoko".
Using his telescope and years of experience with Japanese warships, he quickly determined that the main gun turret was located in the middle of the ship, while the main gun ammunition magazine was in the B-level compartment directly below the turret.
This is consistent with the layout of most Japanese battleships, where sentry posts would be set up around the ammunition depots, but the number of people on night duty would be greatly reduced.
Using the shadows on the deck as cover, he crouched low and moved quickly, avoiding the patrol routes of the sentries.
They carefully observed the Japanese sailors passing by, silently noting their clothing styles, shoulder insignia, and mannerisms in preparation for their camouflage later.
Upon reaching the entrance to the A-level cabin, Yan Shuo saw two Japanese sailors chatting idly while holding rifles.
Judging from the shoulder insignia, he is a private first class, belonging to the main artillery platoon, and responsible for auxiliary guard duty around the ammunition depot.
Taking advantage of the moment when the two turned around to chat, he quickly circled behind one of them, covered his mouth, and precisely stabbed his underwater dagger into his throat.
The man collapsed before he could even struggle.
The other person noticed something was wrong and was about to turn around and shout when Yan Shuo leaped up and chopped him in the neck with a chop, knocking him unconscious.
They then quickly removed the two bodies.
The shift changes at night are relatively long, so no one will notice anything unusual in a short time.
Yan Shuo changed into the disguise of a Japanese sentry, then took off the uniform of one of the sailors and put it on, along with a military cap and identification tag, and tidied his hair.
He deliberately imitated the demeanor and gait of Japanese sailors, trying his best to make himself look no different from other sailors.
He also made a point of noting down the names and squads of the two sailors, in case he was questioned and found out.
After disguising himself, he took the sailor's Type 38 rifle and pretended to patrol, walking along the corridor of the A-level cabins towards the B-level ammunition depot.
As Yan Shuo rounded the corner of the corridor on level A, a patrolling sentry approached him. Seeing his attire, the sentry casually questioned him in Japanese, "Hey, Sato, it's so late, why aren't you on duty at the guard post? What are you doing down there?"
Yan Shuo's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly realized that the "Sato" mentioned by the sentry must be the owner of the military uniform he had put on.
He responded in fluent Japanese, following the tone he had anticipated: "Everything is normal at the guard post. The squad leader asked me to check around the ammunition depot to see if the fire-fighting equipment is intact, in order to prevent any accidents."
As he spoke, he deliberately patted the fire-fighting equipment supply bag at his waist.
He had taken it from the unconscious sailor; it contained a small amount of standard Japanese fire-fighting equipment.
The sentry didn't suspect anything, nodded, casually reminded him to "be careful," and continued his patrol.
After successfully passing the interrogation, Yan Shuo continued on his way.
Along the way, they encountered a Japanese sailor who knew "Sato," and the sailor took the initiative to greet him.
With his calm demeanor and fluent Japanese, Yan Shuo responded simply to the other party's words, quickened his pace, and avoided exposing any flaws by talking too much.
The other person didn't notice anything amiss and waved goodbye with a smile.
As Yan Shuo walked, he used the cabin markings along the way and his own judgment to constantly confirm the location of the ammunition depot, while also vigilantly observing his surroundings.
Silently memorize the patrolling sentries' routes, patrol every 15 minutes, and pause for 30 seconds each time they pass near the ammunition depot entrance.
This bought him ample time for his subsequent actions.
Soon, Yan Shuo arrived at the entrance to the B-level cabin.
This is the only way to the ammunition depot. There is a sentry on duty at the entrance, holding a Type 38 rifle. His posture is slightly relaxed, and he rubs his hands together from time to time to warm them. He has a key chain for the ammunition depot entrance hanging on his waist. There are no other guards around.
After confirming that no one else was around, Yan Shuo pretended to be lost and wandered around near the entrance, pretending to check the cabin markings, but actually secretly observing the sentry's condition and looking for an opportunity to strike.
He noticed that the sentry would look down at the key on his waist every five minutes, indicating a lack of vigilance. Even if attacked, he would not be able to call for backup in time.