inspire-indiana Chapter 676 Plum Blossoms Bloom Above the Neon Lights
Chapter 676 Plum Blossoms Bloom Above the Neon Lights
Kenjiro continued, his tone a mixture of sympathy and morbid excitement:
"Because he witnessed the terrifying power of that super bomb firsthand, he became a staunch 'surrenderist' after returning, constantly advising his superiors that the war must be stopped immediately, otherwise we would perish as a nation."
Yamaguchi Tsutomu silently swallowed.
He could completely understand how the general felt.
Without personally experiencing that cataclysmic scene, it's impossible to imagine the power that transcends human comprehension.
Anyone who has witnessed that scene, as long as they have a shred of reason, would become a "surrenderist," right?
This is simply the obvious answer.
"And then?" Yamaguchi Tsutomu couldn't help but ask.
"And then?" Kenjiro's voice suddenly rose, carrying the dramatic effect of telling a horror story, "Those young officers who clamored for 'suicide at the cost of honor' regarded him as a thorn in their side."
It is said that just a few nights ago, a group of people broke into the general's residence.
Kenjiro gestured wildly, as if he had witnessed it firsthand:
"They shouted 'Questions are useless!' and gave the general no chance to explain. They rushed in and pressed pistols against his forehead—"
At this point, Kenjiro suddenly made a trigger-pulling gesture and imitated a gunshot:
"Snapped!"
"—Red and white, it all sprayed out at once. On the spot... sigh." He ended with another sigh, but the excited blush from telling the bizarre story still lingered on his face.
As Yamaguchi Tsutomu listened to the bloody details while lying in bed, he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his wounds seemed to hurt even more.
Kenjiro described the brutal murder of a high-ranking official in such a naive, even slightly excited tone. This stark contrast made him feel a chilling sense of absurdity that ran deep in his bones.
A brief silence fell over the room, broken only by the continuous chirping of cicadas outside the window.
After a while, Kenjiro's excitement faded, replaced by a genuine worry.
He leaned closer to Yamaguchi and asked in a low voice:
"Yamaguchi-kun, do you think... what those big shots said is true? White Eagle... does White Eagle and his crew have a third super bomb?"
Yamaguchi Tsutomu remained silent, staring blankly at the mottled marks on the ceiling.
He was just a lowly draftsman. Although in the eyes of the villagers, being able to work at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was already a remarkable achievement, what could he possibly know?
All he knew was that indescribable flash of light, and the hell on earth that followed.
Seeing that Yamaguchi Tsutomu did not answer, Kenjiro became even more uneasy. He hugged his knees as if seeking some sense of security, and timidly asked again, "Then...then here, Niigata...will it also...be subjected to that kind of bombing?"
Yamaguchi Tsutomu finally turned his head slowly, looked into Kenjiro's fearful eyes, and sighed deeply.
“Niigata…” His voice was hoarse, “is one of the most important ports on the Japanese coast, a base for oil refining and the chemical industry, and a strategic stronghold connecting our mainland with the Asian continent…”
The city here is quite large, and there are many military-related factories…”
He didn't answer directly, but the meaning in his words was crystal clear.
Under this logic of war, targets like Niigata might actually...
He didn't finish his sentence, but the deep despair and uncertain fear, like the twilight gradually spreading outside the window, enveloped the entire room and also weighed on their hearts.
Is a B-29 carrying a super bomb silently flying in this direction from the far horizon?
-----
High in the air, Lin Tianxiang's fingers rested on the cold control lever, feeling the steady and powerful pulse of the four Wright R-3350 engines.
Outside the cockpit was an impenetrable darkness, with only the faint glow of the instrument panel illuminating his and the co-pilot's tense profiles.
The massive B-29, like a giant bird in the night, silently tore through the clouds and sped toward its predetermined coordinates.
Time flew by during the intense flight.
As the horizon began to lighten and the faint glimmer of dawn attempted to dispel the darkness, the navigator's voice broke the silence in the cockpit: "Captain, approaching the turning point."
"Received." Lin Tianxiang's voice was calm and even, without any apparent emotion.
He took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all his distracting thoughts.
Begin with both hands, applying pressure gently but firmly to the left.
The massive fuselage responded to his command and began to turn to the left in an elegant arc.
This is not just a change of direction, but a sign that we are entering the final attack route.
Through the side window, he could see the blurry figures of the other two wingmen, "White Peony" and "Golden Chrysanthemum," who, like loyal guards, closely followed the trajectory of "Red Lotus" and completed this crucial turn in sync.
In the pre-dawn light, the three Deathbringers formed their final attack formation.
Ahead, the outline of the target city was faintly visible in the morning light, like a dark spot on an unfolded map.
"Attention all aircraft, approach the target area. 'Messenger', prepare." Lin Tianxiang ordered.
"White Peony understands."
"The golden chrysanthemum understands."
Moments later, several cylindrical detection devices with small parachutes were dropped one after another from the bomb bays of the two wingmen.
These "messengers" will slowly drift down from the sky, their sophisticated internal instruments recording various data points for the moment of destruction to come: shockwave intensity, light radiation energy, distribution of radioactive dust, and so on.
This is a sober measurement of destruction by science.
Now, it's the turn of "Red Lotus".
"Bombardier, target locked." Lin Tianxiang's voice came through the intercom to the small bomb bay below the nose, filled with optical instruments.
"Target locked, aiming point confirmed." The bombardier's voice trembled uncontrollably.
His eyes were glued to the Norton bomb sight, the crosshairs firmly fixed on the area on the ground that was about to become a thing of the past.
"Bombing procedure initiated."
"Bomb bay doors open!"
"Insurance cancelled!"
"bomb!"
With a final, almost shout-like command from the bombardier, he pressed the red throw button with all his might.
Bang-dang——!
Buzz————
A loud, muffled metallic scraping and releasing sound came from the lower part of the fuselage.
The entire B-29 suddenly leaped upwards, as if a huge burden had been lifted off its shoulders in an instant.
Lin Tianxiang clearly felt that the control lever had become much lighter and more nimble—the 4.4-ton plutonium bomb, codenamed 'Plum Blossom,' had detached from its rack and was falling toward the ground below.
"Bomb released, parachute... parachute deployed successfully," the bombardier reported, his eyes fixed on the falling black dot.
A massive deceleration parachute bloomed behind 'Plum Blossom,' stabilizing its posture and ensuring its precise detonation at the designated altitude.
Without hesitation, Lin Tianxiang slammed the control lever all the way to the right and simultaneously pushed all four throttles to their maximum.
The B-29 roared to life, making a desperate right turn at near-maximum gradient, trying to get away from the death zone behind it as quickly as possible.
This was an escape maneuver they had practiced countless times beforehand; every second was a matter of life and death.
Inside the cabin, everyone held their breath, silently counting down the days.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Sudden.
Even though they were wearing specially made dark goggles that could absorb strong light, an indescribable, extreme light still instantly filled the entire world.
That wasn't sunlight; it was a pure, overwhelming bright white.
It pierced through the porthole, through the tightly closed eyelids, and even seemed to pierce through the skull.
Immediately following the light came silence.
An absolute silence that was extremely brief, yet unsettling.
Then comes power.
An invisible yet incredibly violent shockwave caught up with the frantically fleeing B-29 at an astonishing speed. The fuselage suddenly shook violently, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, emitting a teeth-grinding creaking sound.
Lin Tianxiang and the co-pilot gripped the control stick tightly, using all their strength to resist the deadly thrust from behind.
When the most violent turbulence subsided, Lin Tianxiang couldn't help but turn around and look out through the right-hand porthole.
A scene he will never forget is etched on his retina:
A massive, churning mushroom cloud, filled with flames and dust, roared into the sky from where the target had just been, expanding continuously until it pierced the heavens.
Its base is a fiery dark red, its middle is filled with swirling brownish-black smoke, and its top takes on an eerie, holy yet sinister milky white hue in the morning light.
It is like a monster growing from the wounds of the earth, proclaiming a destructive force created by humankind that rivals nature.
Shock, fear, and a strange sense of mission—that he had participated in creating history—were intertwined in Lin Tianxiang's mind.
He felt his heart pounding in his chest, and his palms were sweating profusely.
"Data... Data reception is normal, all 'messenger' signals are strong."
An excited voice came through the communication channel; their instruments had successfully received the data transmitted from the explosion's core.
Lin Tianxiang took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
He opened the dedicated encrypted channel for communication with "Eagle's Nest" and reported clearly in the most even tone possible:
"Eagle's Nest, Eagle's Nest, here is the Red Lotus. In the garden, the plum blossoms are in full bloom. Repeat, in the garden, the plum blossoms are in full bloom."
The coded message signifies the successful completion of the mission, and the seeds of destruction have already been sown.
After giving his report, he adjusted the course, pointing the nose of the plane toward the return route.
The four engines continued to roar, towing the steel behemoth that had just completed its mission southward, towards Okinawa, and back to the base.
Behind them, the mushroom cloud, a symbol of death and rebirth, continued to rise and expand, becoming the sole ruler of this sky.