At that moment, the Tianlong Ship completed its final turn.
It abandoned all evasive maneuvers and pointed its massive bow straight at the oncoming Thunder.
The two Steel Behemoths carved two resolute wakes across the sea, rushing toward each other without a backward glance.
One nautical mile apart.
Half a nautical mile.
Less than half a nautical mile!
Chen Houpu seized the microphone of the loudspeaker system and, with all his strength, roared at the enemy ship drawing ever closer—the same battle cry that had once echoed across the sea in another time and place.
"My ship has orders to ram yours!"
"Sink the enemy ship!!!"
"Sink the enemy ship!!!"
Thousands of soldiers, sailors and soldiers alike, raised their voices as one.
Their shouts surged into an unstoppable torrent, drowning out the roar of cannon fire and the crashing waves.
Boom!!!
The Tianlong Ship's bow slammed into the hull of the Thunder.
The earth-shaking impact made the entire sea tremble.
The Thunder, the Combined Fleet flagship Yamamoto had been so proud of, had already been gutted by the earlier bombardment, its structure severely damaged.
Now the Tianlong Ship's bow cut into it like a red-hot blade through butter, striking straight into the enormous breach in its hull!
"Crack—crack—"
The grating sound of metal twisting and snapping rang without end.
The Thunder's hull began to split apart from the point of impact.
Huge cracks spread across the entire ship in an instant, like a spiderweb.
Countless fragments shot skyward amid black smoke and blazing fire.
The Chinese soldiers aboard the Tianlong Ship could even clearly see Japanese troops inside the Thunder's shattered compartments, screaming in terror as twisted steel plates crushed them and ruptured pipes swallowed them up.
Their wails seemed so insignificant against the groaning steel.
The Thunder's engine room,