21st century Goguryeo

Chapter 550 Season 2 Book 22 Battle of Life or Death – 2-8 The 2nd Round

January 23rd, 2024, 09:40

212 kilometers off the eastern shore of Katsuura, Chiba, Japan

The Char Ri-seok (CG-1104)’s battle command room was full of shouts from various operators reporting ever since they were tasked with defending the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103), which was advancing toward the

Pacific Fleet with plasma hypercharge.

Any mistake could prove fatal for the mission and immediately jeopardize the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103). In the end, the Sohn Byung-hee’s fate depended on the Char Ri-seok (CG-1104).

Currently, the Pacific Fleet was barraging away with all they had to sink the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103), which had entered within 250 kilometers of their location. The 256-megajoule railguns were firing dozens of X-35

anti-armor bullets, drawing smooth parabolas in the skies, prowling for their prey. The fighter jets, F-35C and F-35B Lightning IIs, unleashed all of their AGM-158S SRASM air-to-ship missiles.

The Char Ri-seok (CG-1104) also mobilized all six of their 22-millimeter Last Shots and GTAS-300 ship-to-air missiles. All of them exploded in the sky above the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103) in a fiery display of light and

flames.

Within a minute, multiple explosions were seen in the space between the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103) and the Pacific Fleet.

“33 of the 68 enemy missiles have been intercepted. The second interception phase has been initiated.”

“22 metallic bullets blocked! 37! They are still targeting the Sohn Byung-hee. The Sohn Byung-hee has also activated its melee defense system. The number of targets is increasing. 28! 24!”

The operators who analyzed and reported on their operations had their voices imbued with anxiety. The fists of Commander An Won-seok were clenched as he speechlessly heeded all the reports.

“The Sohn Byung-hee is charging toward the enemy, trusting us. I expect everyone to flawlessly maintain their positions and continue to intercept the projectiles.”

With a stern voice, Commander An Won-seok raised the morale of his crew. The operator in charge of reporting on the offensive aspect of the mission brought in some good news.

“The Michael Murphy was hit by one of our missiles! It is sinking rapidly right now.”

Every crewmate in the battle command room exclaimed at once.

“We need more focus. Defend the Sohn Byung-hee at all cost for it to sweep them all away!”

Commander An Won-seok, raising the morale once again, turned his head to the tactical officer and asked, “Can you verify the SSS output of the Sohn Byung-hee?”

“Yes, after using the hyper thrust, it is currently sitting at 35 percent.”

“That should be sufficient for one more SSS.”

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous, Commander?” Kim Min-jin, one of the tactical officers, budged in.

“It must be so. That is why our role in this mission is important.”

“All of their air-to-sea missiles have been intercepted!”

“We have intercepted all of their 59 railgun rounds, but they have fired more. 34 currently! The number of bullets is expected to increase with time.”

Unlike the various missiles that could cost up to 10 million dollars per charge, the 256-megajoule railguns, backed by the ship’s engine, boasted unlimited ammunition. The X-35 metal bullets also cost less than $100

each. They were all very cost-efficient.

The Zumwalt-class vessels equipped with the 256-megajoule railguns continued to barrage the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103) with the X-35 metal bullets.

These high-speed bullets were hard to intercept. If a single one of them hit the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103), the vessel faced possible sinking, and if not, it was still going to sustain heavy damage.

The Char Ri-seok (CG-1104) continued to defend its friend with the 22-millimeter rifles until their barrels glowed.

KeK

January 23rd, 09:45 (Local Time: 10:45)

450 kilometers off the eastern shore of Katsuura, Chiba, Japan (Pacific Fleet)

While the Michael Murphy (DDG-112) was broken into several pieces and was sinking rapidly, the only survivor from the Third Fleet, the Zumwalt-class John S. McCain (DDG-1010), saw a great explosion in the two

o’clock direction.

Fortunately, its eight-megajoule railgun succeeded in intercepting the missile before it landed. The remaining distance was one mere kilometer.

Despite the successful interception, due to the proximity and the velocity surpassing Mach 8, countless shrapnel showered the John S. McCain, flying in the same direction the missile had.

Each piece of shrapnel buried itself into the hull of the John S. McCain (DDG-1010). Explosions of various sizes ensued. Even a small piece of shrapnel, with Mach-level speed, proved to be a fatal weapon.

Each piece of shrapnel tore apart the hull as if it were paper and decimated the interior of the ship. Many crewmates were sacrificed, and fires spread across the ship.

The John S. McCain (DDG-1010), sustaining heavy damage, saw great pillars of smoke and flame rising from itself. The inside of the ship was abject chaos. Fire alarms sounded and red lights shone in the corridors.

According to their training, the crewmates put out the fires one by one around their respective posts. But with dozens of fires raging at once across the ship, they were not going to be extinguished anytime soon.

The John S. McCain, with such damage, had its electronic equipment and Aegis radar impaired and was excluded from the active force of the Pacific Fleet.

With two vessels excluded from the Pacific Fleet’s forces, the eleven concentrated-plasma bullets from the C-2 rifle braced through the cloud of interception bullets from the eight-megajoule railguns and found their

target: the Calvins (CVN-80).

The deck of the Calvins (CVN-80), made of super-alloy that could withstand the heat from the fighter jet engines, once encountered with the concentrated plasma bullet, was torn like paper and a great hole was made.

When the bullet buried deep inside the hull exploded, an enormous pillar of flame soared like water from a fountain.

In a short amount of time, a scene like this was repeated eight times. Dancing flames and great heat covered the deck. The fighter jets that were just landing, like F-35C Lightning IIs and Seahawk helicopters, exploded

one after another.

It was hell itself. The dark red flames spread everywhere like the Grim Reaper and engulfed everything in extremely high heat. Many explosions were heard in the hull of the Calvins (CVN-80),.

Of the three shots fired, one fell into the sea, missing its target. The other two found their targets and buried themselves in the upper and middle parts of the island. The island, a structure as tall as a common building,

was completely decimated by a measly two concentrated plasma bullets.

The island was gone, and only bony frames and torn iron plates were vaguely seen in its place.

It was a death sentence for the Calvins (CVN-80). Due to the ensuing internal explosions, the Ford-class vessel, once called the ‘Fortress in the Waters’ for its vast size, lost its balance and tilted to the left. The various

pieces of equipment mounted on the deck slid into the sea one by one.

It was a catastrophe. In the history of the United States navy, few aircraft carriers have ever been sunk.

The crewmates on the ships that had been escorting the Calvins stared at the bubbles with empty eyes. A few shed tears. It was a scene drastically revealing the atrocious aspect of the war.

The Calvins (CVN-80) was sinking into the waters at 70 degrees. Surviving crewmates wearing lifesaving vests were floating and splashing around the fallen carrier. Countless helicopters took off from the surrounding

vessels to rescue them. Many rescue boats followed suit.

Admiral Rubin Scott, seeing all this on the screen, muttered to himself. “A single cruiser sank an aircraft carrier. And they did it when the entire Pacific Fleet was right here.”

KeK

January 23rd, 09:45

The Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103), 212 kilometers off the eastern shore of Katsuura, Chiba, Japan

The battle command room of the Sohn Byung-hee was full of cheers and exclamations. An operator had just reported that the Calvins (CVN-80) had just been hit and was sinking rapidly right at that moment.

The deputy commander, O Seok-yeong, spoke through the comms, “Commander! We have completed our mission. What do you say about retreating?”

Commander Seo Gil-su turned his head without answering to look at Min Yeong-hun, the tactical officer. Min Yeong-hun, discerning his intent, responded in a voice that sounded a bit excited. “Commander! It may be

testing our luck, but if we sink another of their carriers, we may be able to put an end to this war. Since we have an opportunity now, I’d like to give it a try.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Commander Seo Gil-su nodded. He ordered the deputy captain through the comms. “Keep advancing at the current speed.”

“We’re not retreating?”

“Not yet. We need another win.”

“Roger.”

Commander Seo Gil-su, finishing the order, spread his shoulders wide and raised his voice to address his crew, “What’s the current output?”

“At 32 percent.”

“Great. We’ll keep the current output and aim for the Ford this time. You are tasked with relaying the order to the crew.”

“Yes, sir.”

The tactical officer manipulated many parameters on his console and relayed the order ship-wide to the various officers and operators.

“Weapons! Fire the rifle in the general direction of the Ford for two minutes!”

“Launch a missile at each of the destroyers escorting the Ford. The rest will be fired at the Ford itself. Let’s show them the final taste of our weaponry.”

The roaring rifles fired plasma bullets, and the vertical launchers were loaded with missiles, which soared into the sky one by one, leaving trails of white smoke in their wake as they approached their enemies across

the waters.

A total of nine SSM-1000K missiles were launched. Seven were targeting the destroyers, and the rest were homing in on the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). With this launch, the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103) had depleted all of

its missile reserves. For a vessel of its size to deplete its ammunition was tantamount to the severity of this neverending war.

With the retreat postponed, the Sohn Byung-hee (CG-1103) and the Char Ri-seok (CG-1103) were once again embroidering the sky with their weaponry, all the while intercepting incoming enemy fire. It was a wrestle

between a spear and a shield. The battle continued, with the weaponry from each side raging and roaring across the skies between the various vessels. .

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