Darkstone Code

"Don't panic, follow the rhythm from our training!"

On the deck of the battleship at sea, some officers roared loudly, shouting, this was the moment to test the soldiers' psychological endurance.

A destroyer sank before them, on it were their familiar comrades, their revered superiors, and the Federation Navy's pursuit of strength. The Federation Navy's morale plunged at the first moment of the confrontation.

For the Federation Navy now, there is one good news and one bad news.

The bad news is that the enemy is stronger than they anticipated. This strength wasn't something that could be demonstrated in war simulations; it wasn't the strength of weaponry, nor the strength of tactical command, but the strength of execution.

From the first test shot to the first barrage that took out a target, the speed was too quick. The battle capabilities forged through hundreds and thousands of real wars by the Gafura Navy soldiers were hard for the Federation Navy soldiers to catch up with in a short time.

As for the good news, it seems that after a severe blow to morale, it won't undergo greater changes. The Federation Navy discarded the naive "I thought" mindset.

Early on, the Federation Navy faced the worst situation. The pressure on the Navy was immense, and if they couldn't bear it, they would be dealt with on the spot. Even though Bail Federal is a country that values freedom, they would not tolerate the deadly behavior of deserters.

But as long as they can bear it and gradually raise morale, the surviving Navy soldiers after this naval battle will form the core of the Navy's spirit!

Moreover, no matter how bad it gets, given the current situation, how much worse could it get?

"Seventeen seconds remaining...," the officer instructed the gunners to adjust coordinates. They had studied Gafura's shelling speed, which could conduct a bombardment in approximately twenty-eight seconds. Eleven seconds have passed since the last barrage.

They must retaliate before the enemy releases the second round of barrage; otherwise, it would further dampen the Federation Navy's morale.

People become "ignorant" in war; high-intensity warfare causes people to lose the ability for precise thinking. They are merely frustrated that Gafura can shell twice while they can only shell once.

Accuracy might not emphasize hit rate, but they must catch up in speed.

In the last four seconds, the signalman waved the flag while the ship's whistle sounded. The moving hull was touchingly nudged by something, causing a slight swaying feeling throughout.

The surrounding sounds of shelling temporarily deafened the soldiers. At the moment when the roaring gun barrel spat out shells, the Navy's morale instantly elevated.

Perhaps beginning to accept reality, the soldiers, after initial panic, devoted themselves wholly to the war.

This round of barrage, aside from seeking luck, was also for calibrating shelling coordinates and boosting morale.

Currently, long-range volleys are the main mode of naval combat, and it is the battle method best showcasing strength.

At the moment the rain-like shells breach the clouds and descend, they can destroy not only the enemy's battleships but also their confidence!

The observer continuously reported the shelling conditions, while the gunners began adjusting coordinates. The loaders opened the gun chamber, unloaded the massive shell casings, and started loading new shells...

Everyone had their own post; everyone was combating immense pressure.

The whistling shrieks overhead indicated the arrival of Gafura's second volley, and two less fortunate ships were hit, but the good news is that the hit did not compromise their combat and mobility capabilities.

The naval tactics at this point remained at the stage of battleship bombardments—whoever had thicker gun barrels and stronger armor claimed naval supremacy.

This war concept has always been the supreme thought since its inception, and the Gafura Royal Navy took it to the extreme.

The military command had once considered the tact of bombardment with the Gafura Royal Navy, seemingly believing that defeating Gafura in such an open and upright manner was the only true victory.

But the current situation does not allow for it. The Federation Navy's latest barrage was embarrassing—it raised nothing but water sprays and mist, failing to hit any enemy ships—not even close.

This missed shot could be called a test fire, but the discrepancy in accuracy was too wide. If stubbornly stuck without adapting and continued bombardment, the Federation Navy could potentially witness extensive damage.

The plan for bombardment is not viable, thus they must resort to the initial plan for engaging in maneuver warfare.

The fleet commander immediately issued orders for all battleships to maximize their power. Except for four battleships that continued avoiding and shelling under bombardment tactics, the destroyers initiated an assault.

The Federation's familiar knowledge of Gafura's battleship parameters was impeccable, but Gafura did not understand the Federation's parameters. The usual invincibility bred their arrogance and dismissive attitude towards challenges, but the suddenly accelerating ships startled the Gafura, although it was merely a surprise.

They quickly calmed down. Even if these ships rushed in front of them, they couldn't do much. They had destroyer frigates, and as long as the ammunition depot wasn't hit for a catastrophic explosion, the main battle battleships of Gafura never considered the possibility of being sunk.

The second round of mutual shelling erupted again. After adjusting the targets, this time the Federation's battleship hit an enemy ship, which was good news. When a plume of smoke rose on the opposite side, everyone could feel the obvious exhilaration.

Boosting morale is just that simple; all it takes is a hit!

The soldiers' movements became more fluid and natural, and the psychological pressure was somewhat relieved.

People said the Gafura Royal Navy was an invincible force, as they had even produced an impressive record of winning naval battles of the same scale without injury, but now directly in combat, the enemy was already smoking, at least indicating that even if the Federation Navy's strength was a bit behind Gafura's Navy, this gap was within acceptable range.

The battle at sea has been highly watched from the start, with many observation ships outside this combat zone.

Some people knew the backstory of this naval battle; they knew the Federation Navy was facing Gafura, so they wanted to see if the Gafura people were still as unbeatable as during wartime.

Some purely came to see the Federation's commotion; this was the Federation's first large-scale military action in international public areas.

At first, these people mocked the Federation Navy for being too timid. It was just to eliminate a group of pirates, yet they deployed an entire fleet, including some puzzling submarines.

They emphasized those pirates too much, which gave military observers a reason to mock them. They even thought about how to report their observations to their national defense agencies when they returned.

For example, "The Federation Navy is weak" or "Born cowards," but when they saw those "pirates," they realized it wasn't that the Federation overemphasized this expedition, but rather they had to exert full effort.

Because they weren't facing some weak pirates, they were facing Gafura's main fleet formation, one of Gafura's strongest fleet formations, except missing two battleships and some escort destroyers.

When the Federation's first destroyer, cutting through the waves, was sunk, everyone fell silent because they realized the Gafura Royal Navy was still strong as ever, making it hard to muster any interest in challenging.

But with the Federation Navy's formation unfolding, along with the destroyers changing speed, a momentum not inferior to that of a naval powerhouse came rushing forth.

They weren't flustered, engaging Gafura with rhythm, even hitting Gafura's warships several times during the exchange.

The pace of war was intense, with more than twenty minutes of maneuvers, evasions, and volleys. People realized for the first time the Federation Navy wasn't as weak as they imagined.

This change in perception was complex, much like a girl with a straightforward figure suddenly removing loose clothing to reveal an amazing figure, leaving people astonished!

The process of war changed in the forty-seventh minute of the conflict; when both sides had ships being hit, some developments occurred.

A destroyer facing the Federation's charging fleet suddenly sank, shocking the military observers, who were eager to find out what happened.

If it were shelling and explosive destruction, there should have been huge flames and smoke plumes. In current naval battles, a warship might lose power or combat capability, but for a ship to sink, there are generally only two possibilities.

The ammunition depot's explosive destruction, like the Federation's first focus-destroyed destroyer, directly breaking the warship in two.

Another situation is an attack beneath the waterline, making it impossible to quickly seal compartments, leading to excessive water intake, causing the ship to lose buoyancy and sink.

Apart from these, hitting the deck or the hull above the waterline rarely results in sinking.

No flames, what caused this destroyer to sink?

Was it a torpedo?

But there are many unresolved issues with torpedoes in actual battles. Although all countries are developing torpedoes, their main focus is still on increasing cannon calibers and armor.

Not just these military observers were puzzled; the fleet commander of Gafura's Royal Navy was also bewildered. How did it just sink?

Could it be that the Federation's torpedo technology has achieved the capability to accurately sink destroyer-level ships in real naval battles?

"Don't let their ships near our firing positions; drive them away. Also, be aware of underwater torpedoes; they may have had new breakthroughs in torpedo technology."

"Those spies lurking in the Federation should be hanged; they overlooked such crucial information!"

The commander was no longer as relaxed as before, his face frosty.