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The seas were calm, and it took Yu’s eyes a few moments to adjust to the dawn’s sun He would have preferred to surface at night, but it would have made this operation much more difficult

Yu didn’t think there wasspotted He’d selected this point specifically because it was so isolated They were far fro in this region of the ocean a thousand miles from the nearest land

The executive officer joined him on the deck, and Yu said, “What does the traffic look like?”

“According to thesystem, the closest vessel is the containership Lookout Bay one hundred twenty miles north of us It won’t pass within fifty miles of this place”

“Good,” Yu replied, pleased with his choice

of location “Maneuver us alongside the tanker”

The Wuzong eased up to the oiler on the last of its battery charge The sub was a Type 039A Yuan-class diesel-electric boat with air-independent propulsion,periods underwater without snorkeling to provide air to the engines Its design made it much quieter than a nuclear sub Its batteries were virtually silent, while a nuclear power plant’s coolant pu to prevent meltdowns

The disadvantage was its range A nuclear sub could circuate the earth multiple times before the reactor fuel had to be replaced, but diesel fuel eventually ran out

The Wuzong had been running on fu of the day before, and the batteries were draining at a rapid rate It was a huge risk, crossing the entire Pacific in a sub intended for guarding the Chinese coastline, but it was one Yu had been willing to take for this mission

This operation ell outside the People’s Liberation Army Navy chain of command It was a covert mission, and he’d handpicked the crew hi up for, that if they were discovered or captured, they’d all be sent to reeducation ca his superiors, and his own beloved service record, giving thes went badly

He didn’t have the authority to redirect a nuclear attack sub for this operation, but he did have enough clout to take command of a diesel-electric boat He’d been a sub co to headquarters in Beijing, but he’d arranged this iven evidence that could finally let hie for his brother’s death

Years ago, Yu Tien was the codo, which was sunk underand Tien had been close, enlisting in the Navy together and coh the ranks, Tien in surface warfare, Jiang in the submarine force

Tien had been a brilliant co was shocked and devastated to learn that the Chengdo had gone down It had been last reported overtaking a cargo ship to launch a boarding party for inspection, and then it simply disappeared It took six months to find the remains of the ship, which was riddled with holes frounfire

It was long rue, which seeated it all the saly vanished into myth

Then Tate had co and shown hion was responsible It was under the command of a former CIA officer named Juan Cabrillo, Tate’s ex-partner