Chapter 0808: Leave the Gold Behind

Captain John furrowed his brows deeply, his mood darkening as time passed. A vague sense of foreboding gnawed at him. He had the uneasy feeling that their covert mission had somehow been compromised. Otherwise, the Germans could not have so conveniently located them.

Of course, it could still be a mere coincidence. If it were, that would be the best outcome—they might still have a chance to escape. But if it were not a coincidence, then their situation was perilous.

Exhausted from a sleepless night, Captain John was physically drained, yet he forced himself to remain alert. The most dangerous part of their mission was at hand, and there was no room for error. A single misstep could cost them everything—perhaps even their lives.

Within half an hour, the lookout aboard the "Lancaster" sounded the alarm.

Captain John's face turned as black as soot.

"Captain, we've spotted German destroyers. There are six of them—one to our northwest, one to the southwest, and several to the west!" an officer reported.

"Damn it! It's a trap!" Captain John cursed under his breath.

The Germans had gathered six destroyers in this location, and it was clear they were after them. Under normal circumstances, there would have been no need to assemble such a large force for a simple training exercise. The Germans must have known about their mission and were lying in wait.

But Captain John could no longer afford to dwell on this—his sole focus now was leading the ship to safety.

Though the "Lancaster" was a formidable destroyer, capable of holding its own against a single German vessel, facing six was an entirely different matter. The German fleet would easily send them to the bottom of the ocean.

"Turn! Immediately! We can't continue forward!" Captain John ordered.

Advancing would only lead them directly into the trap. The only option now was to retreat, even if it meant abandoning their mission. Preserving their lives, and most importantly, the precious cargo, was paramount.

"Yes, Captain!" The quartermaster immediately took control of the helm.

The "Lancaster" carved a swift arc through the waves, pivoting quickly to head back toward Britain.

But their hopes were quickly dashed. Ahead of them loomed a massive warship—the German battlecruiser "Blücher." Its three triple-barreled 305mm guns, towering above them, were already raised and aimed.

"Fire!" commanded Rear Admiral Lübeck, the fleet commander.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The roar of the three 305mm guns echoed across the sea, and shells began to scream toward the "Lancaster."

"My God! A German battlecruiser!" Captain John whispered in despair.

"What should we do? Captain, with a battlecruiser here, can we still escape?" the other officers asked in shock. They were a mere destroyer, and the German battlecruiser could sink them with a single salvo.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Shells exploded beside the "Lancaster," sending towering columns of water into the air.

"Turn southwest! Increase speed and charge!" Captain John barked.

The "Lancaster" turned again, attempting to make a run for it in the southwest direction. But soon they were confronted by another massive warship—a German light cruiser, the "Magdeburg." With a displacement of over 4,500 tons and armed with four triple-barreled 105mm guns, the "Magdeburg" was not to be underestimated.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

As the "Magdeburg" began to fire, a relentless hail of shells fell around the "Lancaster," placing it in grave danger.

"Damn it, another German light cruiser. What now?" Captain John was at a loss, unable to think of a way out.

It seemed they had fallen completely into a German naval trap. All around them, German warships closed in. There were not only the powerful battlecruisers and light cruisers, but also fast destroyers. The "Lancaster" had no chance to escape—it was like a small boat in a violent storm, teetering on the brink of capsizing.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The German ships relentlessly fired, their shells exploding around the "Lancaster," making the tiny destroyer seem fragile as it struggled to stay afloat.

"Captain, the Germans have sent an encoded telegram," reported a signalman.

"What do they want?" Captain John asked grimly.

"Captain, the Germans demand we leave the gold behind or they will sink us! They've made it clear that if we don't cooperate, they will kill us all!" The signalman swallowed hard before continuing.

"Gold? We're carrying gold?"

"My God! So those were the crates we loaded last night—they were full of gold. No wonder the Germans are pursuing us so relentlessly."

"What do we do now? If we don't give the gold to the Germans, they'll kill us all!"

"Damn those Germans! Are they trying to violate international conventions?"

"Humph! The Germans are the most powerful nation in the world now. Even if they kill us all, who can stop them?"

The officers aboard the "Lancaster" began to argue amongst themselves.

Captain John's brow remained furrowed in deep thought. So the Germans were after the gold. His mission had been to safely deliver it to Canada. If they failed, the gold would have to be sunk to prevent it from falling into German hands.

But now, those despicable Germans were threatening their lives. Captain John found himself trapped in a moral dilemma. He had no doubt that if they didn't comply, the Germans would indeed slaughter them all.

"Yes, our ship is carrying gold—one hundred tons of it. The gold is destined for Canada. If we can't hold the homeland, we must go to Canada and continue the fight against the Germans. Therefore, we must transport our national wealth to Canada before it falls into German hands!" Captain John confessed the truth, his voice heavy with the weight of the decision.