"Those damned American bastards!"
On the Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer, a staff officer slammed his fist against the bridge console, furious.
"Shen Yan, no matter what, save them first. But we'll need some time to reach a suitable position. Send out the helicopters first."
The Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer could carry eleven helicopters. Its status among Japan's naval forces was second only to the Izumo-class helicopter destroyer, and with slight modifications, it could be prepared to carry F-35s in the future.
After receiving the distress signal, they began circling around Okinawa Island. The rescue target was located on a peninsula jutting out from the island, surrounded by reefs. They needed to find the nearest suitable location to allow the helicopters to shuttle survivors back and forth.
However, just as the helicopters began taking off one after another and flying toward the rescue site, sonar control suddenly detected something.
"Something's coming toward us. Judging by its speed, it isn't a torpedo, and there's quite a lot of them."
"They look a bit like dolphins."
"Something's not right. If they were dolphins, we should be able to see them by now."
The captain gazed toward the stretch of sea indicated by the sonar display and frowned.
Dolphins occasionally leaped out of the water. A pod of dolphins would not be this quiet.
His expression gradually turned grave.
"Send anti-submarine helicopters to investigate. Prepare the Phalanx systems, the autocannons, and the anti-submarine rockets."
The Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer was primarily meant to operate aircraft and usually sailed alongside other vessels. This time, it had come alone solely for the rescue.
It did not even have conventional naval guns, only four 12.7mm machine guns and two MK-15 Phalanx systems for intercepting close-range missiles and aircraft.
It had some missiles as well, but most were for self-defense and