151 Chapter 105 Maritime Conflict_2
Behind them, a large Japanese patrol boat followed suit, and above it flew a helicopter.
The Helong was attacked by water cannons, with a significant amount of sea water flooding into the ship cabin. The ship's body had already started tilting, greatly reducing its speed of escape. Although it had already left the waters near the Diaoyu Islands, the two Japanese patrol boats that attacked it did not let up, continuing their assault with the water cannons. If they kept on attacking, the only outcome for the Helong would be to sink after taking on too much water and listing heavily.
In the cockpit of the Helong, Captain Gu Amo watched the Japanese patrol boats on either side with deep concern and asked, "What did the Mainland say?"
The chief officer of the Helong replied, "The Mainland has asked us to hold on for another twenty minutes; their fighter jets are on the way."
Gu Amo asked, "Don't they have a coast guard vessel nearby?"
The chief officer said, "Their coast guard ship just patrolled the Diaoyu Islands waters and has returned to port for rest. It will take two to three days before they can set out again. There is indeed a Mainland coast guard vessel in the nearby waters, but it's more than eighty nautical miles away. It will take at least three hours to get here, and by then it will be too late."
Gu Amo asked, "What's the use of deploying fighter jets? Do they really want to go war with the Japanese?"
The chief officer said, "I have to admit, the Mainland has been too impressive these past few years. Their military planes even dare to drive away The United States of America's aircraft, let alone Japan's patrol boats. Once they arrive, I believe those Japanese patrol boats will be driven away and we can be rescued."
Remembering how he had sought help from Taiwan only to be ignored and reprimanded, and how the Mainland responded immediately to his call for help, Gu Amo felt a wave of emotion and said, "In recent years, the Mainland has far surpassed us on Taiwan in every aspect, be it politics, military, culture, or economy, or even in their protective measures for us Taiwanese. Compared to them, our internal authorities are just ineffectual, lacking any sense of responsibility. Voting for that green leader was indeed the biggest mistake of my life."
The chief officer said, "I regret voting for her too. If I could do it again, I would definitely vote her out."
As they were speaking, the ship suddenly shuddered, nearly knocking them off their feet. They looked up to see that their own Helong had been rammed by the Japanese patrol boat on the left. While the Japanese patrol boat was unscathed, the Helong's portside had been punctured, allowing sea water to pour into the hole, causing the ship to tilt even faster.
Gu Amo was shocked; he hadn't expected the Japanese to be so ruthless, intent on obliterating them. Seeing his son beside him, busy live streaming on Live or Die, for a moment fury overtook him, and he exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing live streaming at a time ? Stop and find a way to plug that hole."
Little Gu's face turned pale, but instead of stopping the live stream, he began filming the dangerous situation on the ship, thrilling the followers watching his stream.
The Helong tilted more and more, and as Gu Amo stepped out of the ship cabin, he saw his boat being even more tightly squeezed by the two Japanese patrol boats. The large patrol boat trailing behind still followed but did not move in to cut them off, while the helicopter overhead continued to hover, just observing how things unfolded.
Just then, a rumble came from the eastern skies, and suddenly two airplanes appeared in the distant sky, heading toward the scene.
Overjoyed, the chief officer on the ship waved at the planes, shouting, "Look, the Mainland's planes have come to save us." He was abruptly stopped by Gu Amo, who said, "Don't wave; those are Japanese planes."
The chief officer then realized that the fighter jets had come from the east and bore the Sun-Flag insignia, clearly identifying them as Japanese fighter jets. Apparently, the Japanese radar had detected the Mainland's military aircraft early on, and in response, they also dispatched their own aircraft to intercept. Their air force base was close by, so the later-departing fighter jets ended up arriving at the Diaoyu Islands waters first.
On the large patrol boat marked with the white characters "Shirataki," a middle-aged man in the cockpit used his binoculars to look at the Helong in front of him. His aide approached and said, "Sir, our fighter jets have arrived."
The middle-aged man lowered his binoculars and replied, "Good, it seems those Self-Defense Forces pilots are finally showing some results from their training. With them hindering China's air force, we'll be able to sink that Taiwanese fishing boat."
His aide, though worried, said, "But if we sink their fishing boat, won't they retaliate? You know they're not what they used to be, and we're no longer a match for them."
The middle-aged commander, with a disdainful tone, responded, "You don't understand your own nation's strength at all. Although we may appear disadvantaged, our potential is enormous. Push us to the brink, and with our current level of technology and economy, our nation can instantly become a world military power. Then, we won't even consider China's meager forces. Moreover, in recent years, the number of Chinese fishing boats approaching our Senkaku Islands has increased. If we don't teach them a lesson, more Chinese fishing boats will come here in the future, and that will be a bigger nuisance."
The aide said, "But we have not received authorization from our superiors. If a major conflict is triggered, how will we be held accountable afterwards?"