Hearing Sonar Technician No. 1's report, the duty officer looked at him deeply. He knew that with his level, he wouldn't be unable to distinguish whether the target was a whale or not, so he took the spare headset and put it on his head.
Sonar Technician No. 2 also began to track the abnormal sound.
The three of them held their breaths, and the already quiet sonar room became even quieter. Based on their judgment, they would decide whether to report the abnormal contact to the captain.
Half a minute later.
The duty officer breathed a sigh of relief. His vigilant look gradually disappeared, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.
"So, an old friend is back," he said to himself with a chuckle.
Sonar Technician No. 1 had almost never seen him smile on duty. Seeing him like this, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Sir?"
"Don't worry, it's just a whale," the duty officer said with certainty.
"But …" Sonar Technician No. 1 did not blindly follow his superior and still wanted to raise an objection.
The duty officer waved his hand. "That's a whale, but not an ordinary whale … To be honest, I didn't expect to hear its voice again."
His face showed a rare sense of loss, and he sighed. "It's been so many years. The last time I heard its voice, I was still sitting in your position, and I was as young as you were …"
Sonar Technician No. 1 and Sonar Technician No. 2 looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what the officer was talking about.
The duty officer smiled slightly. "You are still too young, so of course you haven't heard its voice. That's not surprising. Its voice has disappeared for many years, so it didn't appear in your training courses … I always thought it was dead, and I never heard its voice again. Now, it sounds like it's still alive and well. "
"Sir, what the hell is going on?" Sonar Technician No. 1 couldn't stand the officer's riddle.
"It's 52 Hertz. Haven't you heard of it?" The duty officer laughed. "In my time, it was a legend. All the Sonar Technicians of my generation knew it."
Sonar Technician No. 1 and Sonar Technician No. 2 seemed to have some impression of the name, but they couldn't remember it at the moment.
"But, sir, its voice isn't 52 Hertz …" Sonar Technician No. 1 said hesitantly. He didn't want to interrupt the officer's good mood, but it was his duty, and he had to question it.
"Because it wasn't 52 Hertz a long time ago," the duty officer replied.
The two Sonar Technicians stared at his face, waiting for him to explain further.
"It's 52 Hertz, a legendary whale. People call it the 'loneliest whale in the world' because its sound frequency is very unique and completely different from other whales, so it can't communicate with other whales." The officer on duty was lost in his memories. "I remember that the submarine I was in brushed past it once. The closest distance was less than one nautical mile. At that time, I suddenly had the urge to activate the active sonar on the bow and respond to its voice with the active sonar. I wanted to tell it that I heard you, that I was right next to you, and that you were not alone.
The two Sonar Technicians looked at each other, surprised that their superior had such an unknown past.
"Then … then did you do it?" Sonar Technician No. 1 asked curiously.
One had to know that if there were enemy submarines nearby, activating the active sonar might expose one's position. Even an operational mistake could not be forgiven, let alone an active sonar.
"What do you think?" The duty officer replied in a bad mood. "We are soldiers, and military discipline is as strict as a mountain. We cannot neglect our duties during combat duty and act recklessly for our own selfish desires. That could bring disaster to the entire submarine … I was just thinking about it. If I really did that, I would have been sent to military court long ago, and I wouldn't be standing here talking to you today!"
Sonar Technician No. 1 made a face at Sonar Technician No. 2, and the two of them secretly laughed. This was an expression that matched their age.
"What happened after that?" Sonar Technician No. 1 asked again.
"There was no after that," the duty officer said. "I only encountered it once, and I never encountered it again. I heard that other people didn't hear its voice again … At first, some people said that it swam to other parts of the sea in search of its own kind, and some people said that it died, encountered a group of killer whales, or encountered a whaling ship … Many years have passed, and people gradually forgot about it … "
He suddenly slapped his forehead. "Speaking of this, I just remembered that I made a bet with someone back then. I bet that it didn't die, and there was another b * tch who insisted that it died … Motherf * cker, when I return to the base this time, I have to ask for the bet from that year, and I have to include inflation and interest!"
The two Sonar Technicians laughed involuntarily.
"Sir, you didn't do that at that time. Did you regret it after that?" Sonar Technician No. 1 stopped laughing and suddenly asked.
"Sometimes I regret it when I think about it," the duty officer admitted frankly. "It's rare to have a few moments of passion and impulse in life."
"Then do you want to make up for your regret?" Sonar Technician No. 1 asked.
The smile on Sonar Technician No. 2's face froze.
The three of them looked at the button of the active sonar at the bow at the same time.
They did not find any traces of enemy submarines nearby, and the surrounding countries did not have any plans to hold military exercises in the near future, so the possibility of enemy submarines nearby was very low.
But …
The whale song that was different from other whales was still echoing in the headphones, and the sonar room seemed even quieter.
Sonar Technician No. 1 knew that he had asked the wrong question, and his forehead was slightly sweating. If the officer really wanted to make up for his regret, then the future of the three of them would be ruined here.
"Hehe! What nonsense are you thinking about, kid? "
The duty officer smacked him on the head and smiled. "I have many regrets. How can I make up for all of them? Besides, if you don't leave some regrets in life, is it still life? "
The stone in the hearts of the two Sonar Technicians' hearts was finally put down. Their sweat had already soaked the back of their military uniforms.
Sonar Technician No. 2 glared at his companion, meaning to say, "See how I'll deal with you when we get back …"
The interaction between the two of them was seen by the duty officer, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened. That was because the person who had made a bet with him back then had also played around with him in the sonar room like this, and had also listened to the sound of 52 Hertz with him …
In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed. The two young boys who had once sat side by side in the sonar room had now gotten married and were serving on two different submarines. Only the bet they had made that year still remained in their memories.
He smiled in relief. He had really gotten old.
"Stop playing around and be on duty." He patted the shoulders of the two of them and said, "About meeting 52 Hertz, wait until we get back to the base before bragging to others."
The two Sonar Technicians immediately stopped smiling and sat up straight.
"Right, sir, what kind of whale is 52 Hertz? What does it look like? "Sonar Technician No. 1 could not help but ask the last question.
The duty officer shook his head. "I don't know. As far as I know, no one has seen it. Although I was very close to it that time, the submarine has no windows, after all."
Sonar Technician No. 1 felt a little regretful, but there was nothing he could do.
The two Sonar Technicians pulled their thoughts away from the story from a long time ago and prepared to get back to work. Since the so-called suspicious sound did indeed come from a whale and not an enemy submarine, there was no need to report it to the higher-ups.
The duty officer was about to take off the spare headphones and return to his post, but his movements suddenly stopped.
A look of surprise flashed across the faces of the three people at the same time!
Another one!
Another unusual sound!
It was also coming from the 45 to 50 frequency band!
The two Sonar Technicians did not wait for the officer's instructions and quickly acted. Through the towed sonar array and the bow sonar, they confirmed that the source of the two sounds was not the same. One always stopped before the other started, as if they were echoing each other.
They looked at the officer to ask for instructions.
This time, even the duty officer was confused.
What was going on?
"Sir, could it be … that this is another submarine responding to it? Just like what you wanted to do back then but didn't … "Sonar Technician No. 1 peeked at the officer's face and said cautiously.
The duty officer was speechless.
Which country's submarine sonar technicians were so crazy? Did they really want to be sent to the military court?
This time, the duty officer's forehead was also covered in cold sweat. Submarine soldiers had undergone strict training and were absolutely 100% obedient to military discipline. No matter which country's submarine soldiers were, it was the same. They would not put the submarine and their comrades in danger because of a trace of romantic feelings in their hearts.
None of the three of them spoke. They silently listened to the two unique voices echoing each other.
"It's not a sonar." It was unknown who said it first, but it immediately received the tacit approval of the other two.
The sound of the response was mellow and varied, and it was not the same as 52 Hertz's sound. This proved that 52 Hertz's sound was not recorded and then played back. Active sonar could not do this, and it was not designed to do so.
It was not a sonar, it was …
The duty officer's heart suddenly moved.
"I understand." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and laughed comfortably. The regrets left behind from more than ten years ago also disappeared in his laughter.
The two Sonar Technicians waited for his explanation.
"It finally found a companion, a companion that can sing the same tune as it," the duty officer said with a smile. The officer on duty laughed. "That's the only explanation. After searching alone for so many years, it's finally not lonely anymore."
The two Sonar Technicians suddenly understood. So that's how it was!
52 Hertz no longer needed them to risk violating military discipline to respond, because it had found a companion that could respond to it and had obtained inner peace.
"Sir, should we report this matter when we go back?" Sonar Technician No. 1 suggested. "So that the other Sonar Technicians will not be troubled by this matter."
The duty officer took off his headphones and smiled. "You were the first to hear it, so you can decide. However, I think this news will spread soon. After all, under the seemingly calm ocean, we are not the only submarine cruising. "
After saying that, he left the sonar room with vigorous steps, as if part of the burden on his shoulders had been transferred to the young man.
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