 After some subtle alterations to the ship's outline to try to disguise her, "Amethyst" slips her cable and heads downriver in the dark following a local merchant ship, which "Amethyst" uses to show the way through the shoals and distract the PLA.When the shore batteries finally notice the frigate escaping downriver, the merchantman receives the brunt of the PLA artillery and catches fire, while "Amethyst" presses on at top speed.Encountering an obstruction in the river in the form of several sunken ships, and having no proper equipment for charting a safe course, Kerans uses both intuition and luck to slip through before then reaching the guns and searchlights of Woosung.