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Of course, it may not be because of fear but because of seasickness.
However, the two guys in the cabin were still a little frightened by the giant megalodon with dragon blood flowing in its body. Even if a shark with a size and mass larger than the Trieste was used by Hollywood to make a monster movie, it would not be out of place...
"The equipment department has updated the sonar system of the Trieste. Now we can monitor the movements within a radius of approximately ten nautical miles. If any large creature really enters the warning range, it will definitely be discovered." Caesar said.
Anyone who has taken diving lessons at Kassel College knows that in oceans below a hundred meters in depth, the sunlight from the clouds can no longer penetrate.
Not to mention the two thousand meter depth that the Trieste is at at this moment and the eight thousand meter depth that it may reach later. There is always pure darkness all around, like falling into hell. When you look up, you can only see the chaos at the beginning of the world.
Traditional shortwave radar and advanced lidar are useless in such a ghost place. Underwater sonar is the most effective detection equipment.
Not just the Trieste, all submarines in the world rely entirely on hearing to operate underwater bats.
So normally submarines don't vibrate at high speed like fighter jets. The Trieste has taken silence to an even more extreme level. When it is silent, it is like a stone floating in the sea. Even if there really are megalodon sharks soaked in dragon blood who want to taste what cholesterol and high-fat terrestrial creatures taste like, they will not chew on a piece of iron stone that might break their teeth.
The only regret is that the Trieste is not equipped with many weapon systems. As an expedition ship, it doesn't even have a torpedo compartment.
But the Equipment Department is the Equipment Department after all. Deputy Director Karl argued that we cannot let students be without guns and finally persuaded Angers to let the academy carry out armed modifications in the submersible. Several air compartments were made smaller and a new weapons compartment was added, which was equipped with deep-water torpedoes and alchemical sulfur bombs.
In addition, the nuclear power compartment of the Trieste itself is a small nuclear bomb. Throwing it into the kingdom of God might open the eyes of those arrogant emperors in ancient times.
Of course, Caesar and Chu Zihang both knew that the Trieste was originally powered by just the most common hydrochloric acid batteries, but the lunatics in the equipment department agreed that the power was too small to complete a large-scale survey, so a nuclear power cabin was added.
Therefore, this submersible has two power sources. The weak power source is driven by lithium batteries, and the strong power source is the nuclear power cabin that can be used as a nuclear bomb.
At the same time, they also tacitly knew a fact that no one wanted to say.
If the underwater unmanned operating robot cannot break through the layer of field formed around the embryo, the Trieste will ultimately have no way to drop the sulfur alchemical bomb at the hatching embryo, and even the storm torpedoes and miniaturized nuclear bombs launched from the sea surface will ultimately fail to achieve the desired effect. The ancient dragon embryo is still alive and well after experiencing all of this, then the Trieste is the last weapon.
Before the dive, the last page of the operation manual given to Chu Zihang by the executive department clearly stated that all the efforts made by the academy had failed due to the influence of uncontrollable factors. In this case, how should the team responsible for implementing the Jiyuan plan kill the ancient king.
No nuclear power cabin in the world will explode under normal conditions. There is only one way to detonate such a dangerous but stable power source, and that is to let the neutron density exceed the threshold.
That is to say, when necessary, Chu Zihang and Caesar must perform a series of operations to make the nuclear power compartment of the Trieste enter an overheating state.
Fortunately, this time the Equipment Department did not think of letting Chu Zihang directly ignite himself with Jun Yan and hold the nuclear power cabin for Caesar to drop him out. Instead, it was written that the control circuit of the cabin could act as a detonation circuit. They only needed to activate the nuclear power cabin and throw it above the embryo, and it would detonate by itself.
Of course, it is also possible that Director Akadula forgot that Chu Zihang's spirit was Jun Yan. After all, the otaku gang in the Equipment Department are usually not interested in anything in the academy except for explosions.
"Command center, please respond. The Trieste has dived to the predetermined depth. Please start the next step." Chu Zihang quickly adjusted his state. He left a suicide note for his father and said goodbye to Susie. It didn't matter even if he died here.
For those who care about him, time will always wash away all the sorrows. Dad and Mom will have a new child, and they are still very young; Susie will also fall in love again, and maybe that boy will not be as silent as he is and will be very interesting.
The Chinese man's voice came from the loudspeaker, "Command center received, please wait, we are calculating the best diving angle." he said.
Taking advantage of the gap just now, Caesar has searched for the information of Cheng Shuangfan through EVA. Unexpectedly, his identity was not encrypted at all. All options including date of birth, childhood experiences, growth process, parents, etc. were clickable hyperlinks.
This is an A-level hybrid who graduated from the Alchemy and Mechanics Department of Kassel College in 2003. When he was studying, he was considered a Lancelot-like figure, calm and composed, with the elegance and confidence that comes from the bones of the Chinese.
But they were unable to find his spiritual power. They only knew that this guy had completed an A-level mission alone in 2008 and killed a fifth-generation species that escaped from the ancient emperor's tomb.
"Permit the Trieste to proceed to the next step and release the first batch of underwater operation drones." Cheng Shuangfan gave the order.
Of course, the so-called task of calculating the best diving angle is not up to the elites of the executive department. EVA will give suggestions within a few seconds, and the submersible's remote operating system will also input relevant instructions synchronously.
Caesar, who tied himself to the deputy position with a fixing rope, immediately lifted the transparent cover that served as a protection over a button on the console and pressed it.
"The current depth is two thousand. The negative current is stable. The submersible is operating normally. The first batch of underwater operation drones... will be released." Caesar's voice was accompanied by a terrifying whistle like an airlock leaking. It was the independent cabin carrying the drones that was exhausting all the gas.
Chu Zihang had a stern face. As the leader of the original team, the executive department of this dive operation still let him take on the position of leader. Although Caesar expressed his dissatisfaction to Mr. Frost, and the Gattuso family also symbolically expressed to the school that Frost hoped to make Caesar the leader of the dive team, it seemed that Principal Angers and Professor Schneider were completely unmoved.
The ears of both men were filled with the sounds of machinery running and air whistling, but even though the noise in the cabin was as loud as a vibrating plate filled with cargo buzzing in their ears, Chu Zihang and Caesar could still hear each other's heartbeats like drums and breathing like the whistling wind.
Obviously no one is as calm as they appear.
The sound of the machinery stopped abruptly. Chu Zihang and Caesar looked at each other, and then looked at the display screen on the console at the same time.
It automatically jumped to the control background of twelve underwater operation drones, and then entered the No. 1 machine. Endless darkness descended on the screen after one second.
The Gasley lighting was turned on, and a yellow drone passed silently outside the porthole. The thing was no bigger than a mountain bike, and its appearance was actually like a flat manta ray.
"This shape can help it withstand the high pressure in the deep sea. Otherwise, our drone will be crushed by a thousand atmospheres of pressure as soon as it leaves the Trieste at a depth of 8,000 meters under the sea," said Chu Zihang.
"The submersible will continue to dive after this drone dives one thousand meters, and we will recover it after it reaches the same depth." Caesar poked at the operating panel, flipped through the operating manual, and said with a frown.
Videos captured by the drone's front and bottom cameras appeared on the display screen at the same time. All the lights converged into a beam of light, surrounded by dark black sea water.
"It really feels like hell..." said Chu Zihang.
"Under the sea is the loneliest place. Even in hell there will be evil spirits to keep you company," said Caesar.
They looked out through the narrow porthole. The gash lit up the surrounding area very brightly, and there were tiny, glimmering fragments floating down. It was sea snow.
Marine snow is mainly composed of a combination of tiny dead and living organisms, including some crustaceans visible to the naked eye.
Small or large flakes of snow are floating down the sky, like a lonely winter night when you are standing under a street light and looking up at a snowstorm falling in the windless night sky.
There was only the sound of gurgling water all around, as hydraulic oil flowed slowly through pipes on all sides. Chu Zihang exhaled slightly. The tranquility outside the porthole made him even forget for a moment that they were in a dangerous deep sea. In the trench six thousand meters below them, a dragon was waking up from its slumber.
"What is that!" Caesar suddenly roared in horror. Chu Zihang only had time to look back and was immediately stunned.
The display screen, which was still peaceful and quiet a second ago, was completely frozen. A shocking bloody mouth with its jaws and sharp teeth was exposed and solidified in front of them!
Chapter 350: Ghosttooth Viper
A dazzling red light suddenly began to flash on the sonar screen, and at the same time, the operating panel of the underwater drone also flashed red. The cabin filled with pipes and circuits was filled with an anxious and panic-inducing red.
The Trieste was issuing a silent warning.
The cockpit of the submersible is small and compact, and the internal space is probably only as big as a civilian elevator, just enough to accommodate Chu Zihang and Caesar without being crowded.
At this moment, the elites of the academy held their breath at the same time and rushed to the operating table with nervous expressions.
"What's the situation over there?" Chu Zihang's palms were sweating, and he looked up at the dark sea outside the observation window where snow was falling.
He still needed to ensure his control of this antique to avoid a possible disaster if the EVA's communication was suddenly interrupted and the remote control system failed.
"Drone No. 25 has been destroyed... Medium-sized target, approaching rapidly, speed 61.5 knots, 2100 degrees, depth meters!" Caesar squinted and stared at the sonar screen.
"Rules out submarines and torpedoes. The infrared response is high, and no radio signals are received. It must be some kind of creature! Judging from the last video sent back by UAV No. 1, it should be a shark! A super shark with a mouth that is more than two meters wide!"
Shark teeth are arranged in layers in the mouth, with hundreds of teeth in each layer. The outermost teeth are used for hunting, while the inner teeth are used as backup.
When the outermost teeth fall out or become damaged, the inner teeth move forward along the gums to take their place.
Caesar and Chu Zihang had both taken marine biology courses in college, and had systematically studied the physiological structure of most marine organisms, including sharks.
But when Chu Zihang heard what Caesar said, he was still stunned. He didn't understand why that subspecies of dragon would attack their drone.
The vast majority of marine life is completely uninterested in submersibles, submarines, or even divers. They are neither afraid nor curious, they simply ignore them.
What's more, the materials used in the drones manufactured by the Equipment Department are strong titanium alloy, ceramics and new composite material carbon fiber.
That thing is also silent throughout its voyage in the deep sea. Its excellent shock-absorbing design, alloy shell filled with curved corners, shock-absorbing raft installation of multi-stage underwater propulsion motors and the use of pump-jet propulsion instead of traditional propellers, all these features allow the drone's noise level to be controlled between 90 and 100 decibels, even lower than the background noise of the ocean.
This is probably the most proud design of the Equipment Department in recent years.
It is hard to imagine how the shark, which was corroded by dragon blood, could find the slowly sinking drone.
"We don't need to worry. The Trieste is 15 meters in size and is wrapped in a super-strength alloy shell. The shark is just a medium-sized target to us and it cannot pose a threat to this submersible." Caesar quickly calmed down.
It is just a subspecies that has been corroded by the blood of the ancient species. They have even fought against real corpse guards made from the corpses of ancient dragons in Genji Heavy Industries.
How could a man who hunts gods be afraid of wild beasts?
"But if its target is really this submersible, then perhaps we should re-plan our dive plan," Chu Zihang said. "Something would not want to see the Trieste carrying nuclear bombs and alchemical sulfur bombs go to the depths of the abyss."
Caesar's face looked gloomy and ugly for a moment.
Wild animals have the instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm, and so do humans and dragons.
However, humans call this strange ability the sixth sense, while dragons call this ability to sense danger "spiritual awareness."
It's like you point a single-person rocket launcher at a fifth-generation species that has just woken up from a deep sleep. He may not belong to this society at all, and his most recent whereabouts are only in the Middle Ages, but he will still instinctively want to escape from the aiming range of the rocket launcher.
Because death was slowly creeping over his entire body like cold sea water.
Perhaps the ancient dragon embryo that was sunk into the deep sea along with the Lenin in the depths of the Abyss has fully awakened. It was lurking in the dark abyss waiting for the recovery of its strength, but it felt the Trieste carrying deadly weapons falling from the sky, so it sent or intimidated a subspecies to destroy them.
"Turn off the engine first," said Caesar.
Chu Zihang understood and immediately proceeded to shut down the engine system of the Trieste. The dark steel fish began to glide silently in the deep sea.
Caesar also fumbled to turn off the power and tightened all the valves.
In the deep sea, human submarines rely entirely on hearing to move, and the animals are the same.
The cabin of the submersible quickly became silent. At the same time, the situation here had been learned by the executive department. Once it was confirmed that the dragon in the abyss had awakened and completely mastered the new ecosystem, the academy would have to temporarily suspend the blasting plan and immediately pull the Trieste out from underwater.
An alchemical sulfur bomb or nuclear bomb could certainly easily destroy an embryo that was immobilized and hatching on the seabed, but it would not be able to kill a swift and dangerous dragon.
In this situation, Operation Jiyuan had already been declared a failure. The only thing Principal Angers and Professor Schneider could do was to pull Caesar and Chu Zihang and their tin cans out from the two thousand meters deep water to avoid more meaningless sacrifices.
Chu Zihang pursed his lips tightly, making his lips look extremely thin and the shadows on his facial contours extremely deep.
He glanced at Caesar and found that Caesar's expression was almost the same as his.
Both of them were trying their best to restrain themselves from making any sound, and the cabin was as quiet as if it was the other side of the world.
This is also the rule on the submarine. When sailing in silence, all passengers must remain silent and can only communicate through eye contact and gestures.
The Trieste itself is a hollow metal shell, which is an excellent conductor of sound. The same is true for sea water. Even extremely subtle sounds in a submarine will be amplified hundreds of times in sea water.
No one knows whether the mutated shark has evolved powerful biological sonar like a whale, but Chu Zihang and Caesar are unwilling to take the risk.
The active sonar has been turned off by Caesar, and now they can only use passive sonar to scan the surroundings, but this will greatly reduce the range of the submersible.
They now had to wait until the shark's shockwaves touched the Trieste before they could detect the creature's approach.
Ten minutes have passed since UAV No. 1 was destroyed. According to the speed of the mutant shark detected by Caesar through sonar, they should be able to rendezvous soon.
The sonar screen was blank at first, but suddenly an object flashing red light was rapidly approaching the Trieste.
Chu Zihang’s brows were knitted together.
Here it comes, are they really the target of that thing?
The sea outside the observation window was suddenly stirred. The dense sea snow that was originally falling from above now became turbid, and the clumps of organic matter were torn apart by the transparent whirlpool.
Both of them subconsciously gripped the fixed railings beside them to prevent themselves from being knocked out of their seats in the impending impact.
Suddenly, a majestic black shadow approached from afar in the sea illuminated by the gas! Its long tail swung violently, and it moved like a ferocious fish!
It was indeed a shark corroded by dragon blood. It was huge, nearly ten meters long, with two strange eyes that were faintly golden. The surface of its body was not smooth fish skin, but covered with metal-like scales.
Obviously, this thing destroyed the No. 1 drone released by Chu Zihang.