Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

Men Running on the Sea and in the Sky

Sudo instantly deciphered the Morse code signal and steered the US-2 to change course. The navigator/communicator, a seaman first class, consulted charts to determine the pirates' escape route.

"South-southwest of here is Namorik Atoll."

"So that's where they are hiding. Let's get rid of them before they escape into the civilian population."

The US-2 flew in the direction of Namorik Atoll. Soon after, a pirate-flagged corvette of the former Chinese Navy was caught in their line of sight.

The pirates are in a good mood, as they have taken away medicines, which are very valuable in this era, as well as food, which was supposed to supply the islanders, and fuel, which is essential for piracy.

"That's pretty good for an old cargo ship!"

The People's Liberation Army was forced to drastically downsize under the control of the United Nations in the wake of the East Asia War that broke out some 80 years ago. Suddenly deprived of their jobs and privileges, former soldiers of the PLA were reduced to bandits after robbing the Communist government of all weapons and arms. And now, those who belonged to the ground forces have become warlords ruling the mainland, while those who served in the navy are operating as pirates in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean, using naval vessels from the old century at their own discretion. This Qingdao Chinese Legion was one such group of pirates.

The captain, Ming Shiyuan, stood on the deck looking out over the ocean. His strong physique and face suggest that he is capable of leading a band of ruffians. But behind them, the guardians of the Pacific Ocean were approaching. The first to notice this was an air search radar spotter.

"...Captain! Aircraft approaching from our six!"

"What!?"

Ming Shiyuan shouted in surprise and hurried back to the bridge. Soon, the sound of heavy propellers echoed over the sea.

"There! It's a flying boat of the Imperial Japanese Navy!"

"Tsk...!"

Blue aircraft mimicking the sky and sea, the guardians of the great ocean, appeared. As the crew cowered, Captain Ming Shiyuan ordered his men to escape at full speed.

"Run away as fast as we can and get ready for battle! Keep them at bay with anti-aircraft fire!"

"Sir!"

Meanwhile, the gunship variant of the US-2 was getting closer and closer. The combat crew hurried to prepare the machine guns and missiles in the armory, and the navigators increased the ship's speed. However, the US-2 quickly caught up behind the ship. The aircraft then issued a warning.

"Pirate ship over there. Stop immediately! Obey our orders and you will not be killed!"

Sudo's voice echoed. However, the ship did not stop, but on the contrary, fired its machine guns at the US-2.

In order to move away from the enemy attack, the US-2 kept the left side of its fuselage pointed toward the ship and circled around it to increase the distance. On the left side of the fuselage, a Gatling gun peeked out, its muzzle pointed at the pirate ship.

"Commence fire!"

"Roger!"

The gunner operated his equipment and opened fire from two Gatling guns under the order of Sudo, the captain of the plane. They struck the gun rack and the spot where the machine gun was installed, smashing the gunner as well.