Chapter 2 Chapter 2 South China Sea
The sunset in the South China Sea is very magnificent and colorful. It may be better to say that it is not so much the South China Sea as the sea sunset in the tropics.The sea level seemed to be dyed red by something, but the color of the clouds turned purple.Then night came.Not long before and after this, a bluish-white bright moon floated gently in the eastern corner of the sky.
The Yopei was sailing towards Japan in the South China Sea at normal speed.Regardless of the occurrence of a low pressure center, the ship sailed smoothly.
But the air in the cabin was filled with a suffocating atmosphere. Three days ago, when passing through the Strait of Malacca, I received shocking news from the headquarters.First, there was news that a time bomb had been installed on the bottom of the ship, and then they came to inform that it had been resolved.Is it really solved?The 33 crew members including the captain were full of doubts.
Putting the radio wave transmitter adjusted to the frequency of 150MH2 into the sea, is it really certain that the detonating device of the time bomb will stop working?Or is it all just nonsense?
Captain Yoshizawa called the first-class navigator to the captain's cabin.He asked, "What do you think of this?" Nakanishi has worked with Yoshizawa at sea for almost 10 years, and he is the person Yoshizawa can never trust.
"Are you talking about what the headquarters said?" Nakanishi asked with a puzzled face.
"I feel that the situation is not good! The headquarters just said: 'In short, just sail to Xiren.' I asked what happened to the time bomb. Although they said that the matter was all resolved, they replied His tone of voice..."
"You're probably worried that it hasn't been resolved, aren't you?"
"You are right. I feel that the headquarters is not very clear. In short, it is said that the headquarters received a threatening phone call saying that a time bomb was installed under the ship. It is for sure. Because of this, when in the Strait of Malacca, the He ordered us to do that. But afterwards, the headquarters seemed to be discussing and doubting whether there was a real time bomb or not. From this point of view, we can only hope that those calls are all nonsense."
"If it's really nonsense."
"Do you think there are any bombs under the boat?"
"I don't know. I want to check. Can you stop the boat and find someone to dive in and check?"
"I'm afraid there is no diving equipment. The boat is full now, with a draft of about 18 meters. I don't think it can be done by free diving alone."
"Suzue-kun, whose hometown is in Okinawa, used to fish with his father who was a fisherman when he was in junior high school. It is said that diving to 20 meters is no problem."
"You mean let him check it out?"
"Compared to navigating in such fear, I think that would be better at least. If nothing is found on the bottom of the ship, you can feel at ease. On the contrary, if something is installed, you can ask the headquarters again for instructions. Isn't that okay? ?”
"Is it dangerous?"
"Do you mean the sea?"
"Yeah, I mean the sea. Is Suzue-kun really capable of free diving to the bottom of the boat?" Yoshizawa wanted to confirm that with the development of giant ships and automation, there are more crew members who can't swim. stand up.The gigantic oil tanker looks more like a factory on land than a ship.
"He is very confident." Nakanishi replied.
"Then, stop the boat at dawn and ask Suzue-kun to check it. It's still too dangerous at night." Yoshizawa looked out the window at the vast sea under the night.
The commotion caused by the time bomb feels like silly worry on the one hand, and on the other hand, it feels like a looming unknown horror.
After Yoshizawa asked Nakanishi to go back to rest, he called Captain Kobayashi again.
Kobayashi, 50, had previously served in the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
"I want to ask you, is it feasible to install a time bomb under the ship?"
When Yoshizawa asked this question, Kobayashi with a beard on his face immediately replied: "This is very feasible."
"Are there any similar devices in the Maritime Self-Defense Force?"
"I've never seen it. But I've heard that in World War II, there are many stories of time bombs that rely on the attraction of magnets to attract the hull of the ship. It seems that divers attacked enemy ships anchored in the bay. The device used. It is said that the U.S. Navy has developed a more advanced device, and of course the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force may also be equipped with this device.”
"Do you think a layman can make it?"
"It's impossible for people who don't understand it at all. But if you have a certain degree of professional knowledge, it's not impossible to do it. Because time bombs are for some radicals, whether it's making, waterproofing or installing When it comes to powerful magnets, they are all very good at it."
"In other words, do you think it is very likely that a time bomb was installed on this ship?"
"Maybe I didn't like what I said."
"It has been decided. At dawn tomorrow, I will let Suzue-kun dive down to check. In case there is a time bomb installed on the bottom of the ship, do you think it is possible to dismantle the bomb with our own ability?"
"In short, I don't think it can be done. If we don't know what kind of structure it is, it will be demolished. If there is an explosion, we may not be able to bear the responsibility."
"Understood—" Yoshizawa sighed softly, and then it occurred to him that the time bomb issue might not be real yet.I had no choice but to smile wryly again.
Try to check tomorrow, if there is nothing, the embarrassment of worry and fear in front of you may become the laughing stock of others.
However, once a time bomb is really installed on the bottom of the ship, what should we do?When Ji Ze thought of this, the forced smile on the corner of his mouth disappeared without a trace.
Totsukawa felt a strong anxiety hit his heart when the prisoner said that the three days would pass without a clue.He just stayed in the police station of the first search department for so many days.Not only was he not able to understand the latest movements of the giant oil tankers sailing in the South China Sea, but he was very annoyed at the slow response from the headquarters of the New Pacific Oil Company.
Wakamiya's management also showed no sign of accepting the prisoner's request.
"Today is the third day that the prisoner said, do you remember?" Totsukawa asked Wakamiya in the president's office forcefully.
It was almost 7 o'clock in the evening.
If the three days mentioned by the prisoner meant exactly 12:00 this night, then the explosion would take another five hours.
"I know." Wakamiya replied impatiently, "We held several board meetings to discuss, but finally decided to ignore the prisoner's threat."
"why?"
"Because what the prisoner said is a delusion, I can't believe it."
"But in fact, the prisoner also didn't trust New Pacific Petroleum Company. That's why he said he set a double trap."
When Totsukawa said this, Wakamiya frowned very unhappy and said, "You are not with the criminals, are you?"
"There is absolutely no such thing, but if what the prisoner said is true, the Yangping, the so-called giant oil tanker, with 370,000 cubic meters of oil and 33 crew members will all be sacrificed."
"If a time bomb is actually installed, then it's good to say. But if the prisoner is just talking nonsense, what do you think will happen? Just one threatening phone call, and $1 million, $1 million. Wouldn't my new Pacific Oil Company be successful? The biggest joke in the world? Well, let me tell you. Not only New Pacific Petroleum Corporation, but New Pacific Corporation and New Pacific Bank have also received the same threats many times. They say that we have to pay for planting bombs in oil bases , or, if you don’t want the factory to explode, you have to pay 10 million yen for threatening phone calls and letters. It’s all nonsense, and it’s the same this time. And I said, what do you police do? Didn't you catch the criminal by the tail?"
"Sorry, I haven't been caught yet. All we know so far is that the prisoner is a man with ties to Indonesia, and he seems to have some grievances with New Pacific Oil."
"That thing, you don't need to say it, even we know it."
While Wakamiya was staring at Totsukawa contemptuously, the phone in the president's office rang.
The head of the secretary's office, Tanahashi, picked up the microphone, answered two or three sentences, then covered the microphone, and said nervously to Wakamiya, "It's that man."
Totsukawa said firmly to Wakamiya: "Please think again."
However, Wakamiya, who picked up the microphone, ignored Totsukawa's advice and shouted: "Our answer is, NO! Do you understand? For your threat to coax children, we absolutely cannot tolerate giving you 1 million dollars." Yes." Then, "Ping!" and hung up the phone.
Totsukawa looked dumbfounded at Wakamiya who was full of excitement.
In this way, the prisoner cut off contact with them.
Although this is not a case of fraud, the delivery of money is almost a very important condition in the chance of being able to catch the prisoner.But President Wakamiya refused to pay that money, which resulted in the loss of that opportunity.
Wakamiya stared at Totsukawa with a blue face and said, "From now on, it will be your job as a policeman. Let's catch the criminal as soon as possible!"
"You don't need to talk about it. We will definitely do our best. However, maybe the Yangping is blown up, and we have nothing to do with it."
"The time bomb or something is just the prisoner's nonsense."
"If you look like that, you will be beautiful." Totsukawa also rarely began to sarcasm.
Suppressing his anger, Totsukawa returned to the Metropolitan Police Department.Just before 9 p.m., a phone call came.
"I'm Fumiko Yoshizawa."
Totsukawa seemed to have no memory of the woman's voice or name.
"Eh?" One side responded, and the other side continued: "Just now, because of an inexplicable call, I ran to the headquarters. It was Mr. Tanahashi who asked me to contact you. I want to talk to you about the Yopei."
Those few words made Totsukawa hold the microphone firmly, and asked, "You just said your name is Yoshizawa?"
"Yes, I am Yoshizawa's wife."
"Is the Yoshizawa-san you mentioned the captain of the Yohei?"
"yes."
"You mean you got a weird phone call?"
"I heard from a guy that there was a ticking bomb on the Yohei—"
"I'll leave right away," said Totsukawa.
Totsukawa asked about the address, and immediately drove there.
The location is in Qiyu County, in a place surrounded by a large bush.Since an antenna about 20 meters high can be seen in the moonlight, Yoshizawa's family was easy to find.
The worried and panic-stricken woman said to Totsukawa, "I don't know what happened right now. When I was anxious, I—"
"Did a man call?"
"yes."
"Can you tell me the contents of the call as accurately as possible?"
"It was the voice of a young man. Since he was asking about Mr. Yoshizawa's house, I said I was Yoshizawa's wife. Then he said that what he was going to tell me next was a very important thing, and he asked me to listen carefully. "
"and then?"
"He said he had planted a time bomb on the Yohei himself. New Pacific Oil didn't take it seriously. He said the bomb would go off at 12 o'clock Japan time tonight."
"12 o'clock?" Totsukawa glanced at his watch, and it would be 12 o'clock in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Wenzi still looked like that, and said with a puzzled face: "He told me those things very eagerly, and I don't know if it's true."
"So did the prisoner ask you anything? Is it money?"
"No. He told me to contact the Yangping and tell them to abandon the ship before 12 o'clock and take refuge. The other party only said so much, and then hung up the phone."
"Wait a minute, please. Are you saying that the man told you to contact Yangping?"
"yes."
"Do you have any method of contact? Any particular method?"
"Yes. My husband and I have both passed our national certification as amateur radio specialists and use the radio to keep in touch with each other from time to time."
"I see." Totsukawa nodded, only then did he realize that the 20-meter-high antenna was for this purpose.
Because there is a wireless phone on the Yohei, you can use the on-board phone to get in touch with the ship in sailing.But the cost is outrageously expensive.It costs more than 20,000 yen to talk for an hour.Therefore, it is said that after the Yoshizawa couple obtained the amateur radio expert license issued by the state, they installed radio devices on both sides of the boat and home, and started sending and receiving messages.
"Then what he said about the time bomb installed on the Yohei is probably true?" Fumiko Yoshizawa looked at Totsukawa with a grim face.
"Not very clear." Totsukawa replied truthfully, "Maybe it's the truth, maybe it's all nonsense, I don't know."
"What should I do now?"
"Have you ever told anyone about the radio conversation with your sailing husband?"
"Naturally, all the crew members on the Yangping knew about it, and "Weekly Magazine" had also interviewed us about this matter."
Wenzi brought him the weekly magazine from two months ago.
In the "Weekly Magazine", there are many pages introducing the life experience of the couple.There is an article on it called "Calling Signals Across the Indian Ocean" as the title of the article that introduces it.Since the "Weekly Magazine" is said to have a circulation of 500,000 or 600,000 copies, it can be assumed that it is very likely that the prisoner has read them.
But why did the prisoner come to tell her and ask her to contact the Yangping?Could that be evidence that what the prisoner said was true?Or, after being denied a $1 million demand, now turn to threatening the Yohei's crew and their families?
"Anyway, call your husband for me first." Totsukawa begged Wenzi to say.
The Western-style room inside is the communication room.
After Fumiko sat down in front of the radio equipment, she called the mobile radio station JE5NZM on the Yangping for him.
As soon as he heard the voice of Captain Yoshizawa, Totsukawa took the microphone from Fumiko.Although a little noise was mixed in, the other party's voice could still be heard clearly.
"I'm Totsukawa from the First Investigation Section of the Metropolitan Police Department." Totsukawa spoke into the microphone, "Do you know about the time bomb?"
"Understood. However, I heard from the headquarters that it has been resolved." Captain Yoshizawa's reply can be heard uploaded from the South China Sea.
"That matter has not been clarified yet."
"At dawn, I'm going to stop the ship and have a crew member who is good at diving go down to check it out."
"That's too late."
"What did you say? I didn't understand you."
"The prisoner called to warn just now. The bomb will explode at 12 o'clock tonight, Japan time. Therefore, if what the prisoner said is true, you will check after dawn, but it will be too late."
"Accident, fuck it. If you are right, what should we do?"
"The prisoner said on the phone that he came to contact him because he didn't want the crew on the Yangping to die."
"damn it--"
"Uh?"
Probably the conditions in the air are not good.Sometimes the chirping noise drowns out Captain Yoshizawa's voice.Not only that, but there is also a feeling of uneasiness in the heart, worrying that the Yohei will disappear in front of my eyes.
"what……"
"Eh? Say what?"
"I said you don't have to worry about us. If it is true that a time bomb has been installed, what can we people do in this sea? We don't have experts who can deal with bombs among us, understand Bar?"
"Just to be sure, can't you stop the Yangping first, take shelter on the lifeboat, and observe the situation?"
"We can't do that kind of thing. At least, as the captain, I won't. In case of an explosion, I have to stay on board and do my best to put out the fire and prevent the ship from sinking."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"Even if you think so, we still can't do anything. If a time bomb is installed, do you know how destructive that thing will be?"
"I don't know about those."
"Uh?"
The other party's voice was lost again.
Totsukawa has never felt so deeply how powerless he is now.
He never felt powerless in the face of no matter how vicious the prisoner was.Even when he encounters setbacks, he can overcome them with indomitable perseverance and determination.
However, Totsukawa alone could not rescue the Yohii that was in danger in the South China Sea.Not to mention saving, even a little help is not available.
"Anyway, I say—" Captain Yoshizawa's voice reappeared. "None of us will leave the ship for half a step."
The South China Sea looks like it is sleeping in the night.There is no wind, and the sea is wrapped in a sticky and quiet atmosphere.
However, Yoshizawa in the captain's cabin of the Yohei was staring at his watch with a pale expression.He was thinking about a conversation he had just had with a police station named Totsukawa over the radio.
The time on the ship will be calibrated to the local time at 2 am every day, that is to say, when the time on board is 10 am, the bomb installed on the bottom of the ship will explode.
He felt that what the police department said was also very possible.However, the company seemed to only regard him as a threat to the prisoner.Which view is right?Even Yoshizawa can't judge this point.
However, even if it might explode, he would not intend to abandon ship.
Yoshizawa glanced at his watch, it was 30 minutes before 10 o'clock.
"The time bomb will explode at 10 o'clock." The prisoner's notice has been told to all the crew.
"We'll be there in another 30 minutes." First-class navigator Nakanishi said nervously.
"I know." Yoshizawa looked down at the huge deck from the window of the ship.
"Does it mean that the time bomb is installed on the bottom of the ship 20 meters from the bow?"
"Yes. That's what the headquarters said. Later, the headquarters decided it was just a prank."
"What's in the oil tanks around there?"
"A high-octane aircraft fuel."
"That is to say, it can be easily ignited?"
"yes."
"If the time bomb explodes, does that mean there will be a fire?"
Yoshizawa still has lingering fears about the horror of the fire on the tanker.It was a 12-ton oil tanker that he took when he was a first-class navigator.Burned as a result of a collision during an oil-laden voyage.
The tanker burned for two weeks before finally sinking.Not to mention trying to put out the fire by yourself, even the three fireboats that came over couldn't do anything.There was nothing to do but wait for it to burn itself out.
The Yangping is three times the size of that oil tanker, and in the event of a fire, I am afraid that nothing can be saved.
However, it is still necessary to go all out.
"Has the firefighting team been organized?" Yoshizawa looked at Nakanishi and asked.
"Two fire fighting teams have been organized and are on standby now, ready to go to the deck at any time."
"Have you done the inspection of the lifeboat just in case?"
"The inspection has been completed. It can be put into the sea at any time." One lifeboat was hoisted on each side of the bridge, and each one was of a size that could accommodate the entire crew.The reason why there are two is that when the ship is tilted, the lifeboat on one side cannot be used.
"Are there other boats around?"
"I just checked the radar. Within 50 kilometers, I didn't even detect a shadow of a ship."
"Slow down to five knots!" Yoshizawa ordered.
Yangping suddenly reduced from sixteen knots to five knots, and the speed was about 10 kilometers per hour, just like the speed of the ship when it stopped.
Yoshizawa glanced at his watch again. It was 5 minutes to 10 o'clock.
four minutes.
three minutes.
two minutes.
One minute.
Yoshizawa's watch pointed to 10 o'clock.
However, it didn't explode.
"It really is a prank!" Nakanishi said with relief.
But then, there was an explosion sound from the belly of the ship, and the huge hull of 370,000 tons vibrated with a "beep, beep, beep".
"A fire broke out near the bow!" Someone yelled.
Yoshizawa looked at the deck.
From one spot on the darkened deck smoke billowed.It can be seen flaming like a snake's tongue.
"Stop the boat!" Yoshizawa yelled.
First-class navigator Nakanishi ordered through the ship's intercom: "The firefighting team is dispatched!"
Two fire fighting teams consisting of 10 people rushed to the deck quickly.
However, it is true that the faces of 20 people on the large deck cannot be expected to be seen clearly.Looking down from the seven-storey bridge, their bodies looked like grains of rice.
The smoke that spewed out was blown away by the wind, and after covering the deck, it rushed towards the bridge. The figures of 20 firefighters disappeared in the black smoke for a while.
There are 15 oil tanks on the Yangping, and at present, as long as one explodes, it is likely to ignite the others.You know that an oil tank can be filled with about 20,000 cubic meters of oil.That is the weight of a small oil tanker.Moreover, under the high temperature of intense combustion, the partition walls of other oil tanks are likely to be burned.
Oil also spilled into the sea.
"Firefighting team!" First-class navigator Nakanishi roared into the portable loudspeaker.
"This is the first firefighting team!" The voice of the second-class navigator came back from the black smoke.
"How is the situation? Is the fire out?"
"After spraying the fire extinguishing agent, we had to pour sea water. But the fire has become more intense, and it seems that it cannot be extinguished. The current situation can only do our best to stop the fire from spreading."
"Fire Squad Two, what about your side?"
"I'm assisting the first team to put out the fire, and it's impossible to put out the fire." The deck chief replied with a roar.
Meanwhile, oil kept leaking overboard.
Because of the fire, the sea surface under the darkness of night was illuminated, and the black oil spread wider and wider in a band.
"Radio room!" Captain Yoshizawa called the radio operator on the phone, "Notify the coastal countries that there is an oil spill!"
"Should I send an SOS signal?"
"Not yet," said Yoshizawa.
It was the second central oil tank that was blown up, and as a result the balance of the ship was disrupted.They want to do their best to put out the fire with their own strength.Can the second central oil tank at the front be filled with sea water to extinguish the fire?As long as the fire can be extinguished, it is possible to return to Hong Kong on its own.
The sky gradually brightened.
The Yangping is still burning.A plume of black smoke rose from the brightened sky.Like the mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb, even the height of five or six hundred meters is filled with black smoke.
The fire brigade continuously poured seawater into the forward oil tank.
Explosions can also be heard.
The warning plane of the Philippine Air Force began to circle above the head of the Yangping when it dropped to about 500 meters in the air.
Captain Yoshizawa put on his fireproof suit and went to the deck to put out the fire.The deck of the tanker is not only very large, but also has many oil pipelines distributed in a criss-cross pattern.
The heat wave hit Yoshizawa directly.
At some point during the night, a large opening was opened on the deck directly above the second central oil tank at the front, and flames spewed up from there.The three-millimeter-thick steel plate was exaggeratedly twisted and rolled into a ball like malt sugar.
Two firefighting teams used fire pumps with large-diameter tubes to pour seawater into it desperately, but the fire still spewed out, showing no signs of abating.
How long will the oil in the second central oil sump of the front part be burnt up again? 20,000 cubic meters of oil!Even with such a terrifying fire, it will probably burn for two or three days.
The trouble is whether the flames will spread to other tanks during this time.
The temperature would have been even hotter if it hadn't been cooled by the influx of seawater.Can the steel plate separated from other oil tanks withstand such a high temperature of hundreds of degrees, or thousands of degrees?
One of the more terrifying things is vaporized fuel gas.The gas is being evaporated from the oil bit by bit from the 15 oil tanks.
If the sea wind blows, the gas will be blown everywhere. If the wind stops again, the gas will permeate the deck, and the fire will easily spread.
Therefore, it is particularly dangerous when the ship is stopped. Fortunately, there is a sea breeze of five or six knots now.
"Come on!" Yoshizawa encouraged the firefighters and returned to the bridge. "There is a call from the headquarters." After the radio communication room came to announce, Yoshizawa hurriedly walked towards the radio communication room next door.
"How's the situation?" President Wakamiya asked loudly.
"The second central oil tank at the front is still burning continuously." Yoshizawa replied calmly.
"Can't it be extinguished?" Wakamiya complained angrily.
"The fire is too strong, it can't be done. Right now, we can only do our best to prevent the fire from spreading to other oil tanks."
"No matter what, the fire must be extinguished and the oil leakage is prevented. This is not only a matter of the sinking of the Yangping, but also the reputation of the New Pacific Petroleum Company. At the moment when the pressure on the giant tanker is like a mountain, alas—”
"please wait for a moment."
"What? What happened again?"
The bow of the Yohei is now completely surrounded by fire, and even the bridge at the stern can hear the terrible explosion of "bang bang".Two firefighting teams were forced by the fire and retreated from the deck to the bridge.Every face looked exhausted, and it seemed that they couldn't even walk steadily.
"It is impossible to extinguish it." The second-class navigator, the head of the first fire extinguishing team, reported to Yoshizawa in a hoarse voice.Yoshizawa looked towards the bow of the ship with despairing eyes.
Some of the red flames had reached a height of 30 meters, burning the front deck of the ship and disappearing.The temperature of that flame should exceed a thousand degrees, even iron can be melted.It is impossible to extinguish it by the hands of firefighters.There was nothing to do but wait for the fire to die out by itself.But to say that letting the fire go out by itself means that the fire can only be allowed to burn so arbitrarily until the 370,000 cubic meters of oil loaded on the Yohei are completely burned.
Maybe it will last for a month or two.
"On the starboard side, the spy boats in the Philippine Sea are constantly approaching!" First-class navigator Nakanishi shouted to Yoshizawa.
Yoshizawa peered to starboard through the binoculars.
It is a thousand-ton security boat.
"They're asking about our situation," said a voice from the radio room.
"Answer them directly, saying that it is no longer enough for us to put out the fire by ourselves," Yoshizawa said.
The guard boat stopped 300 meters away.I probably saw that the fire was extremely violent, and felt that it would be dangerous to get closer.
"Due to the spread of the fire in the second starboard oil tank at the front, the first central oil tank at the front is also burning!" The third-class navigator shouted.
Yoshizawa understood at this time that the time to make a decision had come.
If this continues, the entire crew may be engulfed in smoke and burned to death.
"All withdraw the ship!" Yoshizawa gave an order to the first-class navigator Nakanishi.
"Everyone evacuate the ship!" The alarm bell rang through.
Nakanishi looked at Yoshizawa with a pale face.
"I'll stay on the boat for a while, you guys should get off quickly."
"It's already like this, it will be very dangerous to stay on the ship."
"It doesn't matter, this ship won't sink for a while." Yoshizawa said with a smile, "As the captain, I must have the responsibility to stay on the ship. After everything is done, I will withdraw."
"In that case, I'll stay with you."
"Don't be silly, I order you as the captain, withdraw immediately!" Yoshizawa stared at the first-class navigator Nakanishi with stern eyes.
Nakanishi had no choice but to make a face and walked out of the bridge.
Yoshizawa stayed on the bridge alone, watching the lifeboats being lowered on the starboard sea.After confirming that all the crew members were on board, they walked to the radio communication room with confidence.
The deck had been burned to the point where it looked like it would burn just to touch it.However, the fire hadn't reached the mechanical room yet, and the air conditioner on the bridge was still working. If the generator stopped working, the living area and radio communication room should be filled with heat like a sauna.
Yoshizawa started calling the headquarters.
President Wakamiya came to pick him up.
"The entire crew has now been evacuated," Yoshizawa reported.
"Evacuate? Have you given up on putting out the fire?" Wakamiya shouted sharply, as if roaring.
Yoshizawa took out a cigarette and lit it, saying, "Yes, they have been evacuated. We can no longer put out the fire by ourselves."
"Who gave the order to tell you to evacuate?"
"As the captain, it's my duty to get them evacuated."
"That Yohei is the property of New Pacific Oil Company, not yours!" Wakamiya roared angrily.
Yoshizawa, however, managed to remain calm.Wakamiya is not here, so no matter how annoyed he is, he will never understand what the ship is like.
"Understood." Yoshizawa said, "However, as the captain, I have full responsibility for the safety of all crew members. Therefore, I have ordered evacuation."
"But, don't you still keep it?"
"yes."
"Since this is the case, doesn't it mean that it is still safe? You are not afraid that the ship will sink, right? Right?"
"It is very likely that the Yohei will not sink and just keep burning like this. But if the crew stays on it, they will definitely be burned to death."
"Is there no way to put out the fire?"
"That's no longer possible."
"Right now, according to the news, two destroyers of the U.S. Seventh Fleet are headed for you. The patrol ship of the Coast Guard near Okinawa is also heading for you."
Wakamiya sounded like he was counting on that to help, but Yoshizawa knew that it wouldn't do anything at all.
Even if a few warships with modern equipment are assembled, it is impossible to rescue the Yangping, which is burning in the raging fire.Perhaps all they can do is just watch from the sidelines.
"Captain Yoshizawa! Are you listening?" President Wakamiya roared again.
"I'm listening."
"Can you think of a way? For example, can you let the American destroyer or the patrol ship of the Coast Guard drag the Yohei?"
"Where are you going to drag it?"
"Tow to a port in Japan equipped with fire-fighting facilities."
"Currently, the situation of the Yangping is as dangerous as a gunpowder magazine. It will be very dangerous if it is closer to the coast. Especially near the seaport with dense population and factories. At present, at least as it is now in the public Stopping at sea will not cause other dangers."
"Is there an oil spill?"
"Fortunately, the amount of outflow is not very serious. However, if it is towed, the oil will spill over a large area of the sea."
"So, just watch and let the Yohei burn like this? That's the Yohei, which cost 5 billion yen in construction costs alone, plus 370,000 cubic meters of oil!"
"Therefore, I would like to respectfully listen to your decision, President."
"what do you mean?"
"The handling measures of the Yangping."
"You don't mean to say that you can't tug the boat now, or that it would be wiser to let it burn in its current position?"
"Yes, that's right. I'd say it's better than being towed to port. But it's probably going to burn for a month or so in the waters where it's at now. Obviously, it's going to have a toll on ships sailing around here." hinder. So—"
"Could it be that you want to—"
"I would like to say that if it is impossible to put out the fire, it is better to let the Yohei sink into the sea. Since American destroyers cannot fight the fire, they may be able to sink the ship with modern weapons. I want you to note to the Foreign Affairs Office. The province, the Defense Agency and other relevant departments, please ask them to sink the Yangping."
"How to deal with the Yangping is a matter for me, the president, to decide. You don't need to direct me!"
Wakamiya's roar from the Tokyo headquarters, mixed with the noise of "Kahikahi", seemed to be slapping Yoshizawa's ears.
"You're right, President." Yoshizawa said obediently, "Please make a decision. The fire will soon reach the mechanical room. The radio communication room will also soon. If it burns over, we will not be able to connect with the headquarters." connected."
I only heard "kuang kuang!" A few dull explosions echoed in the belly of the ship.The huge body of the Yangping was shaking again.Because there was a new explosion.
"What's wrong?" Wakamiya yelled loudly.It was almost a whining sound.
"Other oil tanks also exploded."
"Is there really no other way? Can't the fire be put out and the Yohira return to Japan?"
"Impossible."
"What is impossible? Do you know what a huge loss our company will suffer now, such a huge ship?" Wakamiya continued to shout angrily.
He didn't listen to a word that would make Yoshizawa worry.So Yoshizawa didn't find it particularly infuriating, nor did he feel disappointed.For large companies, there are many people who want to be captains.But once the reputation of the company is lost, it cannot be restored anyway.Moreover, the loss of several billion yuan is destined to be borne by the New Pacific Petroleum Company.
Suddenly, the voice of the wireless phone disappeared with a "poof".The surrounding air is getting hotter and hotter.
Somehow, the wireless phone dropped out and the air conditioning system failed.What was more serious than the fire burning into the mechanical room was that the high temperature of one thousand and several hundred degrees made the generator lose its ability to supply power.
The thermometer in the radio communication room rose rapidly with a normal temperature of more than 20 degrees.It's like walking into a bathroom.再这么呆在里面，恐怕这股热气也会让人受不了的。
吉泽回到了船长室里，把航海日记装进了一个塑料袋。这是为了防止被海水浸湿。他再次环视了一圈船长室。如果洋平号沉了，可就再也看不到这船长室了。
里面摆设了许多人偶。
书桌上摆放着嵌有妻子照片的小画框。吉泽把那也放入口袋后，走出了船长室。
他逃到了船尾，在那往下一看，便看见了部下们乘坐的救生艇正等着他。
一等航海中西发现吉泽的身影后，双手握着扩音器喊着：“您跳下来吧！”
由于满载着石油，从甲板到海面，不过五六米高的距离。
吉泽翻过栏杆，朝着海面纵身跃了下去。
此刻，洋平号巨大的船体已有一半都被大火团团围住了。赶到现场的两艘美国驱逐舰也因这猛烈的空气热浪而不敢靠近。
被救生艇所救上来的吉泽像只浑身湿透了的老鼠一样，远望着熊熊燃烧的洋平号。说是船，却不如说是移动着的巨型工厂，洋平号被翻腾的火焰包裹了起来。
高达15米的前桅杆烧焦后像麦糖一样弯曲着软了下来。
“YOHEI-MARU（洋平号的日文罗马读音）”的船名也被黑烟遮没了，再也看不清了。那真让人觉得仿佛是一头巨兽在作最后的挣扎，又好像是一头满身负伤的巨鲸，一面在痛苦地悲鸣着，一面在翻腾回旋着。
真是令人伤感的一幕啊！
吉泽直到现在都还不是十分熟悉眼前的这艘巨型油轮。由于机械化程度太高了，从日本到中东的航海历程中，几乎没有做过什么事情。全体船员比起面对大海的时候，面对机械的时间要多得多。
“与其说是在船上生活，倒不如说好像是在工厂里劳作一般。”一等机械士就这么说过。
那艘巨型油轮洋平号，现在才开始看起来像个活着的东西了，仿佛是一个正受着折磨而痛苦不堪的巨大生物。
“船长。”一等航海士中西表情痛苦地对吉泽说，“我们的洋平号怎么样了？”
那张脸在火焰的辉映下，如同染红了一般。
“就看总部的一个决断了。如果肯下决心的话，就敢去使用炸药、炮弹去击沉它。如果不肯决断的话，应该就会像这样子一直持续燃烧下去。”
“这么看着不停地烧下去还真是让人心酸啊！还是情愿一下就击沉它比较好。”
Notes:
Notes: