Homo Sapiens

April 26, ’22.

Twelve hours after the Kela Sunrise Incident.

In the depths of the ocean west of the Guam Base.

The Western Pacific was quiet in the dead of night.

Three nuclear submarines belonging to the Seventh Fleet’s Seventh Submarine Squadron: the attack submarines USS Oklahoma City, USS Chicago, and USS Buffalo.

Ever since the Battle of Badu Strait erupted thirteen hours ago, they had rapidly departed the Guam Base and entered a state of first-level combat readiness.

The Guam Base is very close to the Luzon Islands, with a direct distance of only 2,000 kilometers between them.

However, these three attack submarines were all Los Angeles-class, and their main armaments were Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, Harpoon missiles, and MK-48 heavy torpedoes.

The Harpoon missile is used against ships and has a range of only 120 kilometers.

The MK-48 heavy torpedo is for use against ships and submarines, with a range of just 46 kilometers.

Their core weapon was the Tomahawk Cruise Missile, which could reach a range of 2,500 kilometers and also served as a delivery platform for nuclear warheads.

At this time, the attack submarine USS Oklahoma City was in the Luzon Sea, northwest of the Guam Base and approximately 1,530 kilometers from the Luzon Islands.

The attack submarine USS Chicago was in the Luzon Sea, due west of the Guam Base and 1,370 kilometers from the Luzon Islands.

The attack submarine USS Buffalo was in the waters west of the Palau Islands, southwest of the Guam Base and 1,550 kilometers from the Luzon Islands.

Since the Los Angeles-class’s most powerful strike capability came from its Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, they had to get as close as possible to the Luzon Islands to cover the entire archipelago.

Inside the USS Chicago’s control room.

Captain Richard Fox had already received news via the buoy communication system that the main force of the Seventh Fleet was trapped in the Malacca Strait.

He couldn’t understand why the Luzon people had suddenly become so powerful.

However, he was still unaware that a crisis was silently closing in.

The sea area where the Chicago was located had an average depth of around 3,227 meters, while the Chicago itself was cruising at a depth of about 350 meters.

Just then,

in the region approximately 2,000 meters below it, a modified Tuna-class submarine opened the mine-launching device on its top deck.

Five 1.2-ton, methane-propelled heavy sea mines rapidly ascended toward the Chicago.

The surfaces of these mines were coated with a special biomass material capable of absorbing passing sound waves.

The Chicago’s sonar operator was on edge, staring intently at the sonar monitoring system, but the submarine’s passive sonar system detected nothing of the danger approaching from below.

「Three minutes later.」

BEEP BEEP... The sonar operator, wearing his headphones, had a sudden change of expression. ”What’s going on? Why is there a strong sonar signal coming from below?”

By now, the five sea mines had attached themselves to the Chicago’s hull. The sound-absorbing biomass layer on their surfaces automatically activated a self-dissolving program, exposing the casing of an ordinary sea mine.

And inside the mines, an active noise system—made of common electronic components—began to emit a rhythmic noise.

The Chicago, which had been in a low-noise silent running state moments before, now sounded as if it were driving a tractor on the seabed. The noise was practically a deafening roar.

Cold sweat beaded on Captain Richard Fox’s forehead. ”Find out the cause, now!”

Suddenly, the communications officer’s face went pale. He said in disbelief, ”Oh my God... Captain, there are magnetic mines on our hull! Five of them!”

”What? Impossible! Why didn’t sonar detect them?” the first officer exclaimed in disbelief.

The communications officer stammered, ”The mines are transmitting an uncoded long-wave message to us. They demand we surface within ten minutes, or the mines’ pressure gauges will automatically detonate and sink us.”

”They’ve also informed us not to attempt launching any Tomahawk missiles. Otherwise, the mines’ acoustic monitoring system will automatically judge it as an attempt to resist and detonate immediately.”

”...” Richard’s face was a mask of conflict, but seeing the terrified sailors, he sighed. ”Surface immediately!”

With extremely heavy hearts, the crew of the Chicago scrambled to bring the submarine to the surface.

At the same time, the communications officer quickly used the long-wave communication system to send a distress signal to the Guam Base.

Driven by a desperate will to survive, the crew brought the Chicago from a depth of 350 meters to the surface in less than five minutes.

「At the same time.」

The attack submarines USS Oklahoma City and USS Buffalo suffered the same fate and were forced to perform emergency surfaces.

Three Tuna-class submarines also appeared not far from them.

The Tuna-class submarine that surfaced was quickly detected by the Chicago’s radar.

Seeing the Tuna-class sub less than five kilometers away, Richard Fox’s expression was as dark as it could get. This was practically point-blank range, yet the Chicago had not only failed to detect its presence but had been forced to the surface by it.

After launching a drone, the Tuna-class submarine quickly submerged back into the sea.

The drone broadcasted an uncoded message, demanding that the Chicago immediately return to Guam.

Hearing this demand, the first officer cursed out loud, ”Bastards! Do they really think the Luzon Sea is their territorial water?”

”Return to Guam.” Richard Fox, however, understood that this was no time for bravado. The enemy had already attached mines to the Chicago, and he was responsible for the entire crew.

The Chicago slowly began its return journey toward Guam.

The Tuna-class submarine, meanwhile, tailed it from about 50 kilometers behind, remaining submerged and using a rotation of drones to monitor the Chicago’s every move.

「Guam Base.」

When Major General Maybach, the head of the base, heard the news that the attack submarines USS Oklahoma City, USS Chicago, and USS Buffalo had been detected and were being escorted back to Guam, he sat stunned in his office.

The once-invincible Seventh Fleet, which had roamed the four seas, had now fallen to the point of being escorted back to base. It was a reality that Maybach found difficult to accept.

But no matter how painful it was, he had to face reality.

Maybach declared an emergency at the Guam Base, tried to placate the crews of the three nuclear submarines, and simultaneously reported to the Pentagon.

Dawn was just breaking over North America.

Inside the Pentagon, there was no sense of a beautiful spring morning, only a profound sense of malice.

Reid Van walked into the small conference room where a meeting was still in session.

”Admiral Mark, an urgent report from the Guam Base. The attack submarines Oklahoma City, Chicago, and Buffalo have encountered Luzon people’s submarine forces in the Luzon Sea.”

Mark William’s brow furrowed. ”They’ve engaged again?”

Looking embarrassed, Reid Van could only force himself to continue the report. ”Regrettably, our three nuclear submarines were forced to the surface by the Luzon people’s submarine force. They are now being escorted back to the Guam Base.”

”Fuck! What are they doing? Why are they returning to base?” Benjamin was so furious a vein throbbed on his forehead.

”Here is the detailed intelligence report.” Reid Van directly handed the printouts to everyone.

After Mark William, Edward, and Benjamin finished reading, their anger vanished, replaced only by alarm and the sense of being caught completely off guard.

As Chief of Staff, Edward spoke with a sense of complete helplessness. ”We’ve been surpassed in submarine technology.”

”What do we do now?” Benjamin’s earlier anger had dissipated.

The current situation was actually very clear.

America was at a complete disadvantage in Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific, and the East Ceylon Ocean. For the upcoming Xiangjiang talks, the only card they had left to play was the nuclear option of mutual destruction.

The generals, who had previously been thinking of winning back a round elsewhere, now felt completely helpless.

In this tense atmosphere, the Persia talks were hastily convened.