I Have a Modern Weapon Gacha System in the Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter 180: Go Surface

The destroyer captain immediately looked toward Adrian.

"Orders?"

Adrian stared at the tactical display silently for several seconds.

Then another transmission came from Captain Weber’s submarine.

"This is Weber."

His voice sounded more serious now.

"The contact just changed heading."

Adrian looked up immediately.

"Toward us?"

A brief pause came through the speaker.

Then Weber answered.

"Yes."

The entire Combat Information Center became silent again.

Somewhere beneath the Philippine Sea, another surviving navy had just discovered them too.

The destroyer captain slowly crossed his arms.

"Sir, if that really is a Type 094, then we are dealing with a Jin-class ballistic missile submarine."

Ryan frowned slightly.

"And that means?"

The captain answered immediately.

"Nuclear-powered submarine. Long endurance. Strategic missile platform."

Ryan blinked.

"So basically another floating apocalypse machine."

"Pretty much," the captain admitted.

Adrian kept his eyes on the tactical screen.

The unknown submarine continued moving steadily beneath the ocean.

Not aggressive.

Not evasive either.

That alone told him something important.

They were curious.

Just like his fleet.

Captain Weber’s voice came through again.

"Recommend caution. If they still possess operational missiles, one wrong move could escalate fast."

Adrian nodded slightly even though Weber could not see him.

"I know."

The room remained tense while sonar operators tracked the underwater contact carefully.

Then one of the communications officers suddenly looked up.

"Sir."

Adrian turned toward him.

"What?"

"We’re receiving a low-frequency acoustic transmission."

That immediately drew everyone’s attention.

The officer adjusted several filters before routing the incoming signal through the speakers.

At first, only static and distorted underwater interference filled the compartment.

Then a voice emerged.

Broken.

Heavily distorted.

But unmistakably human.

"...unknown naval group... identify yourselves..."

The room became even quieter afterward.

Ryan slowly exhaled.

"Well. That answers the alive question."

The destroyer captain stepped closer toward the communications console.

"Can we transmit back?"

The communications officer nodded.

"Yes, sir. We can respond through underwater acoustic communication relay."

Adrian looked toward the captain.

"Do it."

The officer immediately prepared the transmission.

"What should we say?"

Adrian thought briefly before answering.

"Unknown submarine, this is Philippine naval task group operating under independent command authority. State your identity."

The officer transmitted the message.

Then everyone waited.

The ocean itself suddenly felt tense.

Not from monsters this time.

But from humans.

Several long seconds passed before another distorted transmission came through the speakers.

"...This is People’s Liberation Army Navy submarine Changzheng-418..."

The sonar operator quietly muttered—

"They really survived..."

The transmission continued through static.

"...identify your operational status..."

Ryan looked toward Adrian.

"They sound cautious."

"They should be," Adrian replied.

Captain Weber’s submarine remained positioned deeper beneath the fleet while silently tracking the Chinese submarine from a distance.

Inside his command compartment, several officers listened carefully to the exchange.

One sonar operator quietly spoke.

"Sir... their propulsion output just decreased."

Weber narrowed his eyes.

"They’re slowing down?"

"Yes, sir."

That was another good sign.

If the Chinese submarine intended immediate hostility, they likely would not slow down.

Still—

Nobody aboard either side trusted the situation completely.

Adrian stepped closer toward the communications officer again.

"Respond."

The officer nodded.

"Go ahead, sir."

"Changzheng-418, we are maintaining defensive naval operations within Philippine waters. We are not hostile unless threatened."

The transmission echoed into the sea.

Again they waited.

Then another response arrived.

"...Philippine naval authority should no longer exist..."

Several officers inside the Combat Information Center exchanged looks after hearing that.

Honestly—

The Chinese commander was not wrong.

Most governments no longer existed in any meaningful form.

Adrian answered calmly.

"Most governments no longer exist. Humanity adapted."

Silence followed again.

Then the Chinese submarine transmitted once more.

"...We detected major naval combat signatures in this area..."

Ryan quietly muttered beside Adrian.

"Well yeah, because we fought a damn Kraken."

Adrian ignored the comment.

Instead he answered directly.

"We engaged hostile infected marine organism."

This time the silence lasted longer.

Much longer.

Then finally—

"...Repeat last statement."

The destroyer captain almost smirked hearing that.

Adrian remained calm.

"We engaged and neutralized hostile mutated marine entity."

More silence.

Because somewhere beneath the Philippine Sea, the Chinese submarine crew was probably trying to decide whether Adrian’s fleet had gone insane.

Then Captain Weber suddenly transmitted privately to the fleet.

"Adrian."

"What is it?"

"We’re detecting additional acoustic activity inside the Chinese submarine."

"Meaning?"

"Likely combat preparation."

The room’s tension immediately returned.

The destroyer captain straightened slightly.

"All ships maintain weapons readiness."

"Aye, Captain."

On the destroyer decks outside, sailors immediately moved toward missile systems and naval guns again. CIWS systems rotated slightly while anti-submarine warfare teams prepared torpedoes in case the situation deteriorated.

Even the SH-60 Seahawk above continued circling cautiously over the water.

Meanwhile, beneath the sea inside the Chinese submarine Changzheng-418, the atmosphere was equally tense.

Red emergency lighting illuminated the submarine command compartment while Chinese naval officers stared toward their sonar and tactical displays.

Captain Liu Zheng stood near the center console silently.

The surviving Chinese submarine crew looked exhausted.

Thin.

Worn down.

Some sailors had visible facial hair from prolonged deployment while others looked like they had not slept properly in days.

Because honestly—

They probably hadn’t.

One sonar officer looked toward Captain Liu.

"Captain... the surface group appears heavily armed."

Another officer added quietly.

"They possess multiple destroyers, a cruiser, and at least one nuclear submarine."

Captain Liu remained silent for several moments.

Then he finally spoke.

"And they destroyed something."

The tactical officer looked confused.

"Sir?"

Captain Liu pointed toward the sonar logs.

"The biological signatures earlier."

He slowly looked around the compartment.

"The sea around us still contains blood and tissue debris."

Realization slowly spread across several officers afterward.

The Philippine fleet had not lied.

Something enormous really had been here.

Captain Liu walked slowly toward the communications station.

"Transmit again."

"Yes, Captain."

The underwater communication system activated once more.

Back aboard Adrian’s destroyer, the speakers crackled again.

"...Philippine task group... we request visual confirmation..."

Ryan blinked.

"How the hell are we supposed to do visual confirmation underwater?"

The destroyer captain answered quietly.

"They probably want surface contact."

Adrian nodded once.

"Tell them we’ll surface."

Several officers immediately looked toward him.

The destroyer captain frowned slightly.

"Sir, are you sure?"

Adrian crossed his arms.

"If they wanted to attack, they already had opportunities."

Captain Weber’s voice came through afterward.

"I agree."

That surprised several officers.

Weber continued calmly.

"They’ve been shadowing us for almost twenty minutes. No aggressive maneuvering. No targeting sonar. No torpedo deployment."

The submarine captain paused briefly.

"They’re cautious. Just like us."

Adrian looked toward the communications officer.

"Transmit."

The officer nodded quickly.

"Changzheng-418, this is Philippine task group command. We are willing to establish surface visual contact under mutual non-aggression conditions."

The message transmitted into the ocean.

Then came the response.

"...Accepted."