Chapter 58: Vol 2: National Development – Chapter 9: Section Two

 

Aboard the Yi Xian, a light cruiser heading for Singapore, General Liu is maintaining a close eye on the horizon for the Japanese destroyer that has been shadowing his ship for quite some time. It's one of the reasons why General Liu ordered the Captain of the ship to stick to territorial water, and other civilian vessels, as much as he can till they reach Singapore. Knowing the identities of the VIPs onboard, the General must maintain a certain cautiousness against the Japanese.

For a long time, the Imperial Japanese has been showing an increasingly aggressive stance against mainland China. Japan has always implemented the policy to expand its influence politically and militarily in order to secure access to raw material reserves, food, and labor. This culminated in the invasion of Manchuria, resulting in the formation of Manchukuo, a puppet state of Japan. It has since grown worse when the Shinto Gods take to the stage and are now directing Japan behind the scene. In the face of such aggression, China, which is now being divided into three factions, is woefully inept at raising a proper response. Even though Emperor Cao Long has been improving the war readiness on the entire mainland, it was a slow process when the Republican faction and Manchukuo backed by Japan keeps hindering the Emperor's effort. Now, if General Liu lets Japan gets a hand on the Emperor's family, it will be a devastating blow to China's independence for Japan can use them as hostages. Thankfully, Japan is wary of causing trouble out in territorial water, especially more so when there are witnesses. General Liu can rest easy that they won't dare to intrude in the populated sea. 

He thought that but then he notices strange shapes swimming quickly near the surface of the sea. Now he is but merely a decorated Army General but even he knows that those shapes aren't anything good. Now when they're approaching the Yi Xian and the convoy of civilian vessels near them en masse. Turning toward the conning tower, he shouts a warning to the Yi Xian's Captain.

"Shout the alarm! Enemy attack underwater!" General Liu removed the Mp 28 that was on his back, and much to the shocked gaze of the seamen near him, General Liu unloaded his entire 32-round magazine in the water. His action causes one of the shapes beneath the surface to raise up, revealing a jellyfish-like demon with a white body and a pink-glowing orb acting as its head. It raises two of its four tentacles up to block the General's bullets while the other two are used to fling its body in a different direction.

"Shit! It's a swarm of demonic jellyfish!" The Captain of the Yi Xian exclaimed at he is now next to General Liu with his pistol out. The General Quarter alarm has already been broadcasted during the short engagement. "I want all guns on deck, now!"

General Liu then turns to the Captain. "Have you spread the words to the civilian convoy?"

The Captain nods. "The radio man is working on it right now while we're now redirecting to Hue. I've told him to raise the Ustian patrol crafts if possible but don't hope for much."

"Blast them lazy ass. It seems like we're on our own then." 

By now, the Chinese seamen and army personnel are mostly on deck with different kinds of weaponry, some even have potatoes on hand, ready to throw at the demons scurrying below. They all wait with bated breath as the demons keep circling the convoy as if looking for prey. After five minutes of anxiousness, the demons make their move on a disengaging trawler. 

"Damn it! The best they could do was to stay in formation till we reach the harbor of Nam. Now they will be picked off before those things come for us." The Captain complained as he watched the trawler move further and further away. They're dead men sailing.

Meanwhile, General Liu asks a few of his trusted men to keep the VIPs safe and prepare for evac, just in case. It's unknown what sorcery will these demons pull so it's best to be prepared for the worst. 

"Captain, tell your men to start ranging for that trawler." General Liu said.

A bit incredulous, the Captain asks back. "I hope I misheard that, care to say it again?"

Shaking his head, General Liu said. "You haven't heard wrong. I want you to lay the cannons on the trawler, no doubt the demons will be swarming it like no tomorrow so they're dead meat anyway. Best we use this chance to avenge their deaths, taking out a few of those demons in the process."

"...Fine, you heard the man, tell the gunners to get ready." The Captain gave the heartless but necessary order.

"As for you two," The Captain then address two other crewmembers of the Yi Xian. "I've been sailing for way too long to not notice something is wrong with this situation. These demons won't just appear out of nowhere in such a huge number, something must be attracting them here. I want you to take those who are free with you and scour the ship for anything suspicious and bring it to me."

"Yes, Captain!" 

General Liu and the Captain watched as the pair go away before turning their attention back to the trawler.

Finally, having run out of patience, the jellyfish demons strike. At first, they all surface around the trawler, numbering in the dozens, before slowly approaching the vessel. On board, the fishermen grab whatever they can to keep the demons at bay, visibly panicking as they wave their spears and stick at the water. Suddenly, a person appears out of the cabin, carrying what seems to be a Mannlicher M1886 rifle. The old man holding the rifle then points it at a demon that's hoisting itself up on the trawler and fires. Regretfully for him, the rifle bullet hit one of the demon's tentacles, cutting off but failing to leave behind any meaningful damage. Pissed off by the mortal that cut off its limb, the demon uses another tentacle to slap the old man into the ocean alongside his rifle. The force of the slap is so strong that the old man leaves behind his sneakers on the deck while his mangled body skips across the sea a few times.

The death of their Captain instilled absolute feat into the fishermen. A few opt to abandon ship, leaving behind their brothers that are fighting to the bitter end. Those aboard either get skewered by the demons' tentacles or get slapped by one onto the deck. Either way, their body will be reanimated into zombies soon enough. As for those that are swimming away, they're in for a much more torturous death.

Slowly, the fleeing fishermen are dragged underwater, one by one, before being stabbed and gutted like fish beneath the surface. They either die due to a lack of oxygen or their blood flowing out of their system. A large patch of the sea is dyed red as a result of the demon-hunting humans.

However, before the demons can dance on their kills, major explosions obliterate the bloodied trawler and the surrounding sea. The Yi Xian has laid all guns to bear and opened fire on the unsuspecting demons. Since the Yi Xian has four-caliber of artillery, the vessel creates a weird symphony of mismatching sounds and rhythm.

Unfortunately, after the initial shock that caused the death of six demons, the others sink beneath the waves, taking refuge from the incoming artillery.

"Damn it! I was hoping we can get more of them." The Captain of Yi Xian cursed as the 152mm and 140mm cannons failed to cause more destruction than he expected.

General Liu commented. "But that got their attention alright. Those things are ignoring the civilians and are heading straight for us."

The Captain nods grimly. "Alright, boys! It's time to earn your paycheck! Fix bayonets and prepare your grenades! Wait till you see the pink of their eyes!"

The crew and the army personnel aboard the Yi Xian raise a battle cry in response. It's at this moment that the pair of seamen the Captain sent away earlier, return.

"Captain! I think we found the problem!" The burlier of the two reported as he drop a large satchel down onto the floor. "They were stashed in our ammunition storage!"

General Liu and the Captain gawk as the contents of the satchel are revealed. They are the same pink orbs that the demons have as their cores!

"No fucking wonder they're attracted here!" The Captain cursed before ordering. "Throw those fucking things overboard!"

General Liu frowns as he watches the satchel being thrown into the sea. "How did those even  get aboard."

"I can hazard a guess that they were hidden in the charges for the cannons. Most never bother to check the containers for the charges and the enemy found that loophole to take advantage of." The Captain turns toward the pair. "Good job, now get yourself a weapon."

The pair nods before heading out. General Liu and the Captain return their gazes to the sea where a large swarm of demons is now circling their cruiser. After a few circles, one-fifth of the swarm detaches and heads for the Yi Xian.

"How many do you think are there in the water?" The Captain suddenly asked with the edges of his lips curving upward.

"Enough for all of us to get three rounds of barbecued squids." General Liu answered with a smirk.

"Hahaha! I will drink to that!" The Captain laughed before raising his hand. "Let them have it, boys!" Swinging his hand downward, the Captain ordered everybody with a grenade to throw them into the water.

Dozens of grenades are thrown overboard on all sides of the ships as the demons swim closer without being aware of the danger they possess. A few seconds later, the sea rumbles more times than the seamen could count as the demons are blasted in the face by the grenades. They watch as death carcasses and crippled demons float back to the surface after the commotion dies down. Surprisingly, the first wave of demons is defeated just like that. 

The crew of the Yi Xian and the civilians aboard other vessels cheer. It was a pleasant surprise to them all to stave off the demons without a casualty. Yet, before they can further celebrate, the demons pull half of their remaining number and speed toward the Yi Xian. Just counting the shadows near the surface alone, they are already numbering more than fifty.

Letting out a deep breath, General Liu says. "Prepare yourself for mortal combat men." He checked his Mp 28, pulling out the magazine to check it, before putting it back into the gun. Others are doing the same, their faces showing grim acceptance that many, if not all, will not get out of this alive.

"Grenades at the ready!" The Captain called out as the demons are approaching the same range where the last group met their end.

"Remember to keep your weapons at the ready after you chuck those grenades!" General Liu reminded them as he trained his ironsight out to the sea.

"Now!" Following the command from the Captain, the last batch of grenades is thrown overboard. Just like last time, the grenades act as mini depth-charges and detonate beneath the waves.

After the explosions have ceased, leaving behind a foamy ring around the Yi Xian, the crew waits with a sense of oppression as they try to determine the situation.

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When one of the army personnel approaches a railing, peering down to check the damage, his head is grasped by a pair of white tentacles before being yanked off the ship and into the sea. Other demons start surfacing around the ship before swimming closer to get aboard.

"There they are, blast them!" It's unknown who gave that order but anyway, the Chinese started blasting anything that was white and has four tentacles for limbs.

General Liu and Yi Xian's Captain open fire on the nearest demon as it used its tentacle to try and grab a sailor. Their covering fire riddles the demon with numerous small scratches and a few shallow wounds, however, their action has bought enough time for the sailor to get away and use his longer Hanyan 88 rifle. The sailor aims and fires, opening a big hole in the demon's pink orb, shattering it and making the demon hang powerlessly from the railing.

"Those with a rifle get onto higher places while anything smaller gets down to the deck!" Noticing the disparity in both firepower and weapon handling, General Liu ordered a shift in formation.

The longer, more cumbersome rifles and machine guns, yet having more firepower than a pistol-caliber weapon will take the high ground. The shorter but more numerous submachine guns and pistols will secure the lower deck, staving off the enemy by volume of fire.

It's a good plan but it also means the formation change will leave behind a gap for those demons to climb aboard. That they did.

During the time it takes for the crew aboard the Yi Xian to shift their firepower, a few demons have isolated the late runners from the rest of their friends. Slowly, they are being encircled and whittled down by the white and pink demons. General Liu and the others have been trying to help but the efforts are made futile by the risk of friendly firings and their share of demons to take care of.

Noticing the hopelessness of their situation, the last few stranded army personnel and sailors share a look before pulling the pins of their grenades. Accepting death with open arms, they charge toward the encircling demons, ignoring being stabbed and crushed so that they can get even a step closer to the enemy. 

"Kehum..." A soldier with blood flowing out of his grinning mouth says. "Front toward enemy... dumbasses." He, alongside the rest of his comrades in arms, exploded, taking along seven demons with them. The whole fore-end of the Yi Xian is repainted in blood, gore, and ashes due to their heroic sacrifices.

"...Damn it!" General Liu and the Captain cursed before returning their attention to the rest of the demons aboard. 

The crew aboard the Yi Xian fights on bravely despite their losses, right before they lose the deck, the last of the demon aboard is taken out by a well-placed 8mm Mauser from a Hanyan rifle. As the demon's body falls lifelessly, the crew of the Yi Xian doesn't even have the strength to cheer.

Though the onslaught was brief, the casualty reached a staggering count of 30 out of the 190 crew of the Yi Xian. General Liu bites his lower lip in frustration at the report, knowing that there are still more of those things out there also doesn't help with morale. The only silver lining here would be that the Emperor's family is still safe, for now.

"Hehe... I think we're in a pickle." The Captain said with a wry smile, he has long since traded his pistol for a Hanyan 88. The thing scored enough kills for him to earn a decoration but it's unknown whether he will live to receive it.

Sporting the same smile as the Captain, General Liu says. "Whatever the case, the VIPs must get to safety. Our lives are damned."

"Though I understand the need for that, I don't think they will take it kindly... Here they come again." The Captain announced as the last of the demons decided to storm the battered cruiser with vengeance.

Racking the charging handle on his Mp 28, General Liu prepared himself for his eventual end, not at the hands of man, but at the mercy of the demons. He wouldn't count on those beasts leaving anyone alive, however.

As the entire cruiser tenses up for the inevitable charge, the firsts of the demons are already surfacing. A few seconds later, the fastest demons are seen jumping onto the ship... Or almost about to.

A sudden burst of tracers from the sky cut down any demons that dare to get close to the ship. General Liu and the others can only watch incredulously as the tracers then create a circular pattern around the cruiser, killing the rest of the demons around them.

It's at this moment that Liu and the rest wisen up to take a look into the air.

--------------------------------------------------

"Alisa! Are we there yet?" Sergeant Franka asked her best friend with a bored tone on their heavily modified Ju-52.

Her friend, Sergeant Alisa the angel, responds with a twitching eyebrow. "For the last time, we're almost there! Stop complaining and keep your eyes peeled for the cruiser! For all we know, they can be attacked by anything right now."

Ignoring the protesting whine coming from Franka, her other half, and a fallen angel, Alisa steps up and approaches the viewing port to the port side of the aircraft. Thanks to her enhanced eyesight, Alisa can spot the smoke coming out of a shipping convoy miles away. From the intel, the only convoy that is near the city of Hue at this time is their target. Best make haste for it.

"Pilots! Divert North, North East!" Alisa shouted to the pilots of the Ju-52. 

"Roger that, Sergeant!" Came the reply and she can feel the aircraft changing heading.

Soon, Alisa is now having a good view of the convoy, a clear sign of battle has taken place down below. And it seems like they aren't late for the party.

Franka whistles as she watches the carnage down there, unknowingly, she has appeared right next to Alisa without her knowing. "They've been in some shit, eh? Demons coming up their asses."

Alisa, however, reminds Franka. "Language!"

Franka rolls her eyes before putting on a smile and addressing the crew of the Ju-52.

"Ok, people, listen up! Down there is a convoy of innocent and hopeless civilians, among them, are also our VIPs! Chinese, Vietnamese, Ustians... I don't care! They're our brothers and sisters now! So let's get them home safe since we've arrived a bit late, yeah, Section Two?!"

"Damn right we are!" Came the shout of affirmative as the crew works to load the 20mm autocannons and train their MG-34s onto the demons below.

"All ready!" The crew chief reported.

Franka nods, and with a bloodthirsty grin on her face, she says. "Light 'em up!"

On cue, the two 20mm Flaks and four MG-34s mounted on the Ju-52 spew incessant amounts of white and green tracers down to the sea. Viewing from above, Franka and Alisa can see the jellyfish-like demons being cut apart with ruthless efficiency. After a strafe on the port side of the Yi Xian, the Ju-52 circles around to clear the aft, starboard, and fore-end of the cruiser. 

With the situation contains, Franka and Alisa then prep themselves for a trip alongside two others. They need to get down to the Yi Xian and coordinate with the people below.

So, when the Ju-52 has made a full circle, the group of four, a fireteam, jumps out of the aircraft. Diving headfirst and only unfolding their wings at fifty meters, they come to a slow landing on the charred fore-end of the Yi Xian. To maintain their identity, all members of the fireteam wear a blank, grey-colored mask with their eye holes covered by white-tinted glasses.

Stepping forward to address the confused Chinese while Franka and the rest form a protective circle, Alisa speaks in Chinese.

"I've come in peace." Her voice is modified by the mask to sound mechanical and genderless. "Take me to your leader."

Franka nearly sputters and laughs at the cliche way that Alisa has unknowingly introduced herself.

Whatever the case, two persons from the Chinese side have stepped up to address them.

"I am Army General Liu Zhang and this is Captain Lishu Sui, we are the ones in command of the vessel." General Liu and the Captain then cup their hands and bow. "We offer you our gratitude for helping us get through grave danger. Please, if you don't mind, we can head inside and discuss further matters through tea."

Nodding at their offer, Alisa says. "Then please lead the way, we have much to discuss."

As both sides pay proper courtesy to each other, they step inside the internal of Yi Xian, leaving behind other sailors and soldiers to clean up the mess. A few stays on the lookout for further trouble and the now undetected Japanese destroyer. Unknowingly, the destroyer has already made a hasty retreat the moment the demons attacked, even before the Ju-52 even arrive in the AO.

As for the reason, I think we all know why they did that, no?

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