A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

"Haha... Don't you dare insult the dog."

Old Wang sat up again, squinting at the awkward black shadow on the distant sea, and said sarcastically, "I think this thing is worse than a dog, a complete ungrateful wretch!"

Don't blame these two for taking advantage of Junichiro and then badmouthing him...

The main problem is that the current early tide ship is indeed gliding slowly across the shimmering sea in an extremely awkward manner.

It was neither fully submerged, revealing its smooth back and bridge, nor completely submerged, disappearing beneath the blue waves. It was in a "semi-submerged" state, like a tall man struggling to squeeze into a shallow pool, awkwardly curled up.

Most of the hull was submerged, with only the conning tower and a small section of the back resembling the spine of a whale emerging from the water, abruptly cutting through the golden-red sea surface.

From a distance, it doesn't look like a hidden underwater assassin, but rather like an old cargo ship that is drafted too deep and is struggling to sail.

This comical yet dangerous posture is truly born of desperation.

The main reason is that our ancestors were truly amazing. No matter what, they managed to turn the Bohai Sea into our inland sea.

This body of water, close to the mainland, has an average depth of less than fifty meters. The seabed is covered with fishing nets and crisscrossed by shipping lanes. For a submarine like the "Early Tide," which is designed for deep ocean waters, it was like a giant whale entering a shallow swamp.

They had no choice but to adopt this compromise of using a snorkel, and carefully "crawl" into the deeper open sea.

However, describing it as an old cargo ship is quite apt.

Outside the conning tower of Zaochao, a crude, easily disposable wooden fishing boat hull was currently covering the structure. If a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft were to fly by at this moment, it would be extremely difficult to discover, in a hasty glance, that this "clumsy fishing boat" was actually a submarine.

Yes, seven hours later, according to the pre-arranged communication plan, the Hayate will conduct a planned communication contact with the mainland.

This is precisely the core reason why Jiangxia has been working tirelessly day and night to repair the equipment over the past few days—it must be brought back to life at this critical moment and be able to work normally.

Just this morning, the final adjustments were finally completed. Junichiro, the head of the family, and the original submarine crew were urged to board the submarine in a hurry, almost with a stopwatch in hand.

After watching the dark boat slowly leave the dock, Jiang Xia and Lao Wang finally had a chance to relax on the beach.

Old Wang got up, pulled out a sailor's knife from his waistband, and skillfully pried open a few small oysters covered in seaweed from the crevices of the rocks beside him.

He wiped one of them with his elbow and handed it to Jiang Xia: "Here, have some fresh food, it'll help you replenish the energy you've been burning through these past few days."

Jiang Xia didn't stand on ceremony. He took it and, with the salty sea breeze, slurped down the cool, tender oyster meat. A primal sweetness of the ocean melted in his mouth.

Hey, this is delicious!

"Tell me," Old Wang said, prying open a piece for himself while his gaze remained fixed on the shrinking black dot on the sea, "that 'Junichiro,' will he obediently follow our script? Will he go back on his word and deny everything?"

Jiang Xia gazed at the awkward, half-submerged form of the Morning Tide, savoring the lingering freshness in his throat, and slowly said, "Turning against him? He'd have to have the guts and the ability to do it."

"So sure?"

"Ha..." Jiang Xia swallowed another piece of oyster meat: "Have you forgotten the look in Junichiro's eyes when he saw Captain Sato?"

When Captain Sato was mentioned, Lao Wang chuckled.

This guy is quite a character. Ever since he was captured, he hasn't shown any resentment; on the contrary, he's been determined to stand on our side.

If it weren't for the strong inertia of family tradition!

During a break from boat repairs recently, when he learned that a soldier was to be sent to impersonate him and "act opposite" Junichiro, Sato not only didn't object, but also enthusiastically became the "teacher": from the little gesture of touching his chin when speaking, to the habit of tapping the edge of the table with his left hand when giving instructions, he even revealed his private quirks: "wearing a red loincloth on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, a white loincloth on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and daring to wear a plaid shirt on Sundays," for fear that the soldier playing the role would give himself away.

He also secretly gave orders to a few of his trusted confidants, instructing them to protect our soldiers who had ventured deep into the enemy's lair.

When "Junichiro" boarded the ship, after the initial panic, he realized that the two attendants who had witnessed the shame of his life had not followed. A glimmer of hope suddenly rose in his heart: "Could it be... that those two good-for-nothings have been disposed of?"

A flicker of ecstasy rose within him. "If they've all disappeared, can I erase this nightmarish journey completely when I get back? As if... nothing ever happened?"

This fantasy, like a soap bubble, was ruthlessly burst by reality in the next second.

Junichiro's gaze suddenly froze on the crowd seeing them off...

In his imagination, Captain Sato, who had been forced into hard labor by this silly white rabbit, was standing there quietly, gazing at him peacefully across the distance.

She even waved the little red flower in her hand at him in a good mood: "Farewell, farewell, a warm farewell!"

Baka Yale!

Your Mandarin is even more fluent than mine!

Protruding!

Junichiro almost cursed aloud, a chill running from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

Who said the people here are all innocent little rabbits?! They're trying to have me wrapped around their little finger, to crush me to death!

Sato is not dead, and he is clearly under the enemy's control. This means that Junichiro's biggest weakness has been firmly grasped by the enemy!

After returning to China, let alone competing for family resources, any slight movement will be like a sword hanging over their heads!

The Hayashio, carrying Junichiro's utterly frozen sense of relief, sailed into deeper waters, gradually approaching the vicinity of the Bohai Strait, where the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea meet. The waters were deep and the currents were swift, far from the main shipping lanes, making it an ideal location for "unexpected communication."

The soldier playing Captain Sato quickly got into character, not only perfectly imitating Sato's words and actions, but even "inheriting" the other's secret of wearing a loincloth with "red on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; white on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; and patterned on Sundays."

Junichiro remained in his cabin with a gloomy expression, repeatedly reciting the almost flawless "accident report" prepared for him by Jiang Xia and others.

"Maintain depth, keep course, and be aware of underwater acoustic contact." Captain Sato's voice rang out in the dimly lit command cabin, calm and steady as ever.

The submarine was sailing along its predetermined route with the snorkel in operation, the low hum of the diesel engine being the only background noise inside the cabin.

"Yes, maintain depth, keep course unchanged."

"Prepare to descend to periscope depth for routine communications checks. Horizontal rudder, descent angle 5 degrees. Main tank, begin filling."

"Understood, five-degree submersion angle, begin filling the main water tank."

A slight vibration and tilting sensation was felt from the hull, and the pressure gauge needle slowly rotated.

Like a giant black whale, the "Early Tide" began to glide into the darker depths of the sea. Various equipment started up one by one, and the electrical load slowly increased.

Deep within the complex main electrical panel of this submarine, pieced together using technologies from multiple countries, lies a meticulously calculated "hidden danger" awaiting its moment.

"The main motor is powered on, preparing to switch to submersible propulsion."

"Reach periscope depth."

"Maintain balance. Raise the search periscope and begin a circular scan. Raise the communications mast and prepare for a short frequency calibration with base."

"Yes, sir! Raise the search periscope and the communications mast!"

The crucial instructions were issued.

Captain Sato finally straightened his clothes, loosening his belt to let the edge of his colorful loincloth peek out unintentionally.

"Damn, this little book's language is almost the same as Wenzhou dialect, and it even says it didn't originate from here..."

After silently complaining, the soldier picked up the helmet he jokingly called his "trophy" and put it on his head.

Under the dim lights inside the submarine, the five-pointed star on the front of the helmet inexplicably flashed.

Unlike others, the five-pointed star on the front of Captain Sato's helmet was red!

Good show...

The show begins!