Pet King

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Upon hearing the report from Sonar Technician No.1, the duty officer looked at him intensely. The duty officer knew the standards of Sonar Technician No.1, and he knew that he wouldn’t fail to distinguish whether or not the target was a whale. He grabbed a spare earphone and put it on his head. Sonar Technician No.2 also began to track the unusual sound.

The three of them were in deep concentration, and the already quiet sonar room became even more quiet––so quiet that even their breathing could be heard clearly. Based on their judgment, they would decide whether or not to report the abnormal contact to the captain.

Half a minute later.

The duty officer let out a breath of air. The alertness on his face gradually disappeared and he smiled. “Turns out that an old friend is back,” he chuckled and said to himself.

Sonar Technician No.1 had barely ever heard him laugh while on duty, so when he did, he couldn’t help but ask, “Sir?”

“Don’t worry. That’s just a whale,” the duty officer said calmly.

“But…” Sonar Technician No.1 didn’t just follow the orders of a superior blindly; he wanted to raise a disagreement.

The duty officer waved his hand. “That’s a whale, but it’s not an ordinary whale… To be honest, I didn’t expect to hear its sound again.” His face had a rare look of melancholy, and he sighed. “So many years have passed since I last heard its sound. Back then, I was still sitting in your position. I was as young as the two of you…”

Sonar Technician No.1 and Sonar Technician No. 2 were confused. They couldn’t understand what their officer was saying.

The duty officer smiled. “You guys are too young, of course. You haven’t heard its sound before, so it’s nothing surprising. Its voice disappeared long ago, so it didn’t appear in your training course… I’ve always thought that it was dead, but now that I hear it again, it seems to be doing well.”

“Sir, what’s going on here?” Sonar Technician No.1 could no longer stand the officer’s riddle.

“It’s 52 Hertz. Haven’t you heard of it?” the duty officer said with a smile. “During my time, it was a legend, and all the Sonar Technicians of my generation knew about it.”

Sonar Technician No.1 and Sonar Technician No. 2 seemed to have some slight impression of the name, but they couldn’t recall anything at the moment.

“But, Sir, its sound isn’t 52 Hz…” Sonar Technician No.1 said hesitantly. He didn’t want to interrupt the officer’s good mood, but he had his duties, so he had to clear all doubt.

“It hasn’t been 52 Hz for a long time,” the duty officer replied.

The two Sonar Technicians stared at his face and waited for him to explain further.

“It’s 52 Hertz, a legendary whale. People call it ‘the world’s loneliest whale’ and, because of its unique frequency, which is very different from other whales, it can’t communicate with other whales.” The duty officer fell into the recollections of his past. “I remember this one time, the submarine I was in brushed past it… The closest we have ever been to it was less than one nautical mile. At that moment, I had the sudden impulse to activate the active sonar on the bow and use it to respond to its voice and tell it, ‘I hear you, and I’m by your side. You are not alone.'”

The two Sonar Technicians looked at each other and were surprised that their officer had such an unknown past. “Then… did you do it?” Sonar Technician No. 1 asked out of curiosity. If there was an enemy submarine nearby, starting the active sonar could have revealed their position.

“What do you think?” the duty officer responded snappily. “We are soldiers and military discipline is of the utmost importance. Especially while on combat duty, we mustn’t neglect our duties or act on our own selfish desires. Doing so may bring disaster to the entire submarine… All I did was think about it. If I had really done so, I would’ve been sent to the military court, and I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you today!”

Sonar Technician No. 1 then made a face to No. 2, and the two secretly snickered, an expression that fit their age.

“What happened after?” Sonar Technician No. 1 asked.

“There’s no after,” said the duty officer. “I only met it once and never again. It was also said that no one else had heard it since… Initially, someone said that it had swum over to the other seas in search for its own kind. But there were also others that said that it was dead, that it had probably encountered a group of killer whales or a whaling ship… After many years, people gradually forgot about it…”

He suddenly hit his own head. “Speaking about this, I just remembered that I had a bet with someone. I had bet that it didn’t die while another tramp had insisted that it was dead… To hell, once we return back to base, I’ll have to get the bet from him. I’ll also have to consider inflation and interest!”

The two sonar technicians laughed aloud. “Sir, since you didn’t do it that time, did you regret it after?” Sonar Technician No. 1 asked suddenly.

“Sometimes I do I find it quite regrettable,” the duty officer honestly admitted. “There are only a few opportunities in life where you feel that kind of impulse.”

“So, do you want to make up for that regret?” Sonar Technician No.1 asked.

The smile on Sonar Technician No.2’s face froze. The three men then laid their eyes on the button of the active sonar at the bow of the boat.

They did not find traces of any enemy submarines nearby, and the surrounding countries did not have any planned military exercises in the near future, so the possibility of enemy submarines being in their vicinity was very low.

However… The unique whale song continued to echo in their headset as the sonar room grew quieter.

Sonar Technician No. 1 knew that he had asked the wrong questions and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. If the officer had really wanted to make up for his regret, then the future of the three would be completely ruined.

“Hehe! What are you thinking about, kid?” The duty officer smacked him on the head and said with a smile, “I have regretted many things in life, but can I make up for all of them? No. Besides, if you don’t leave some regrets behind, is that still life?”

The two Sonar Technicians were finally relieved. Their sweat had soaked through the back of their military uniform.

Sonar Technician No. 2 glared at his companion, meaning to say, ‘Watch how I’ll get you later…’

The interaction between the two was seen by the duty officer, and the wrinkles in his eyes creased even more. The person he had made a bet with had also once joked around with him in the sonar room just like the one they were in now. He had also heard 52 Hertz’s lonely song…

A long time had passed since then, and the two little boys who once sat side by side in the sonar room had grown up with their own accomplishments, each rendering their services in two different submarines. However, the bet that was made that year still remained in their memories.

He smiled with relief. Seems like we’re really old now.

“Enough horsing around. Be on guard.” He patted the shoulders of the two men and said, “Wait until we return back to the base before you brag to others about your encounter with 52 Hertz.”

The two Sonar Technicians immediately sat upright and stopped smiling. “Sir, what kind of whale is 52 Hertz? What does it look like?” Sonar Technician No. 1 couldn’t help but ask one last question.

The duty officer shook his head. “I don’t know. As far as I know, no one has ever seen it. Although I was really close to it that time, submarines don’t have windows.”

Sonar Technician No. 1 found it regretful, but there was nothing he could do.

The two Sonar Technicians pulled their thoughts out of the long story and prepared to get back to their work. Since the suspicious voice was indeed from a whale rather than an enemy submarine, there was no need to report it.

The duty officer was about to take off the spare headset and return to his position when he suddenly stopped what he was doing. The faces of the three had a strange look at the same time! It was another one! Another unusual sound! Also from the 45 to 50 frequency range!

The two Sonar Technicians acted quickly without waiting for the officer’s instructions. Together with the towed array sonar and the bow sonar, the two sonar technicians confirmed that the sources of the two sounds were not the same. It was as if there was a chorus of voices.

They looked at their officer for instructions. That time, the duty officer was in a blur too. What was going on?

“Sir, could it be… that this is another submarine responding to it? Just like what you had wanted to do but didn’t do…” Sonar Technician No. 1 peeked at the officer’s face.

The duty officer was speechless.

What country was that crazy submarine sonar technician from? Did he really want to be sent to military court?

The duty officer broke out in cold sweat. Submarine soldiers were strictly trained, and they would absolutely abide by their military discipline. No matter what country they were from, they would not put their submarine and comrades in danger because of some sudden, fleeting impulse.

The three of them did not speak as they listened silently to the unique sounds of the two voices.

“It’s not a sonar.” They were unsure who said it first, but the other two immediately agreed.

The voice of the response was not the same as the sound of 52 Hertz, which proved that it was not a recording of 52 Hertz’s sound played back. The active sonar could not do that; it was not designed to do that.

If it was not a sonar, then…

The duty officer suddenly thought of something. “I understand.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead and smiled comfortably. All the regrets that he had left behind from over a decade ago had also dissipated in his laughter.

The two sonar technicians waited for his explanation.

“It has finally found a companion––one who can sing with it,” The duty officer said with a smile. “That’s the only explanation. After so many years of loneliness, it is finally no longer lonely.”

The two sonar technicians suddenly understood what was going on.

52 Hertz no longer needed them to respond to it with the danger of violating their military discipline. It had already found a companion who could respond to it and had gained inner peace.

“Sir, do you want to report this incident after you return?” Sonar Technician No. 1 suggested. “You know, to prevent other sonar technicians from being bothered by this matter.”

The duty officer took off his earphones and smiled. “The two of you are the first ones to hear it, so the two of you can decide. But I think this news will spread soon. After all, we aren’t the only ones cruising under the seemingly calm ocean.”

With that said, he left the sonar room with strong footsteps. A part of the heavy burden on his shoulder seemed to have been partially passed down to the young men.

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