Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

"Cough cough..."

The barrier was carefully lowered by the ghost, who couldn't help but cough up another mouthful of blood; his injuries were quite severe.

The organization's attacks were merciless; even with the toughest armor, he couldn't withstand such brutal beatings.

"We're out!"

Li Cang looked around, his tone filled with relief at surviving a disaster.

Now they have finally left the laboratory.

but……

Lingque immediately poured cold water on the situation: "It's not completely safe yet! The base's meltdown countdown is still ongoing! We must find the deep-sea submersible and leave here immediately!"

The detector in her hand showed that the external water pressure reading was stable.

This indicates that they have indeed returned to the pressure layer where the submarine dock is located.

But the entire base structure was emitting ominous vibrations and groans of twisting metal, with dust and debris falling from overhead from time to time.

It was clear that the organization intended to use the entire base to send these intruders home.

Hearing Lingque's words.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Now it's their turn to run away!
"The deep-sea submersible is at berth number three ahead!"

Based on his memory and the shipyard structure diagram that the spirit bird quickly retrieved, the ghost pointed to a passage on the left and said, "Hurry up!"

They don't have that much time to waste.

Jiang Nian suppressed the metallic taste in his throat, his internal energy struggling to circulate within him, alleviating the weakness and stinging pain in his meridians caused by overexertion.

Even he is severely overdrawn now.

My body can't take it anymore.

He stepped forward and lifted one of the ramparts' arms, helping the ghost to support him as they moved forward.

Old Zhao and Li Cang, who was in slightly better condition, were responsible for covering the rear and keeping watch.

The shaking of the base grew more and more intense, like a dying beast making its final struggle.

The piercing alarm could be clearly heard even here, accompanied by the electronic synthesized sound of a meltdown countdown, pounding on everyone's nerves.

"120 seconds left in the countdown."

"Come on!"

Not only them, but many other members of the organization were also on the run.

The underwater base not only housed organized soldiers.

There are also researchers from many other organizations.

They didn't have strong combat abilities, and they didn't want to die at this moment.

However, their frantic escape ahead gave Jiang Nian and his group a sense of direction!
Just follow them!
"I see a deep-sea submersible!"

The sparrow leading the charge let out a low cry.

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they saw the streamlined Jiaolong-class deep-sea submersible quietly floating in the water at the berth ahead.

It is connected to the dock via a flexible passageway.

It appears to be intact, which is their only hope!
The dragon was originally hiding on the outskirts, but now it has noticed the anomaly at the underwater base.

They also came over to help Jiang Nian and the others leave.

However, just as they were about to rush out of the passage and step onto the connecting dock...

A sudden change occurred!

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

Several beams of blazing white pulsed light suddenly shot out from the shadows on the side of the dock, striking the ground in front of the group precisely and melting several charred craters.

This forced them to abruptly stop and quickly seek cover.

"There's an ambush!"

The ghost's eyes were icy, and he instantly raised the pulse pistol in his hand.

From behind the supply crates and maintenance supports piled up at the dock, seven or eight guards dressed in black diving suits and carrying standard weapons emerged.

They were clearly ordered to block the exits and prevent anyone from leaving.

The head guard, his eyes fierce beneath his mask, shouted through the loudspeaker: "Give up resistance! Surrender immediately! Otherwise, kill us on sight!"

"Surrender? Are you waiting to be melted down into molten iron?"

Old Zhao spat and checked the remaining ammunition in his rifle.

"Boss, how do we fight? Time is running out!"

These organization members are also very intelligent, and they are all suicide squad members.

They would definitely be no match for Ghosts if they fought head-on, but it would be a different story if they could just stall for time!

The ghost quickly assessed the situation.

The enemy has a numerical advantage and occupies favorable terrain, so a forced breakthrough will inevitably take a long time.

Moreover, their condition is extremely poor; the barrier is severely damaged, and Jiang Nian has suffered enormous losses...

"Ninety seconds left!"

The chilling countdown was like the footsteps of death.

Jiang Nian took a deep breath, completely surrendering the barrier to the Ghost, and slowly straightened up from behind the cover. His face was still pale, but his eyes were as sharp as ever, as if his previous weakness was just an illusion.

"I'll lead the way, you follow, and we'll board the boat directly."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable resolve.

Before the ghost could respond, Jiang Nian had already stepped out of the cover!
Time is tight and tasks are heavy.

They cannot be left on the seabed by members of these organizations!

The guards on the other side were clearly not expecting anyone to dare to expose themselves so directly under the fire. They paused for a moment, then opened fire wildly!
The pulse beams swept towards Jiang Nian like a sudden storm!

But Jiang Nian acted even faster!

He no longer held back any energy, pushing his movement techniques to their limit.

Most of the beams of light hit empty space, and the few that came close were either dodged by the slightest margin or slapped away by his palm infused with internal energy!

"Bang! Bang!"

The palm strike collided with the pulse beam, producing a muffled explosion that burst into dazzling sparks!

He instantly cut into the guards' formation!
There are no flashy lights and shadows, only the simplest and most efficient killing techniques.

The sounds of bones cracking, muffled groans, and weapons falling from hands were incessant.

A guard attempted to choke him from behind, but Jiang Nian delivered a powerful elbow strike to his chest, sending him flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

Another man raised his gun to aim, but Jiang Nian grabbed his wrist and twisted it sharply. With a clear cracking sound, the weapon was taken over and then used as a projectile to knock down a third man.

The guard squad leader looked at Jiang Nian in horror, who was like a tiger among sheep, and had just raised his vortex gun to aim.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Nian was already within reach!

"Crack!"

The squad leader's gun-wielding arm was cleanly and decisively broken. The excruciating pain caused him to let out a shrill scream, which was then cut short by Jiang Nian's chop to the side of his neck. He collapsed to the ground, his voice cut off abruptly.

The whole process took less than fifteen seconds.

When Jiang Nian stopped moving and stood slightly out of breath amidst the mess, there wasn't a single enemy left standing on the dock.

"Sixty seconds left!"

"go!"

Jiang Nian turned around and shouted at the stunned crowd.

Ghost and the others reacted instantly, using the barrier as a springboard to rush across the dock at top speed and head towards the docking hatch of the deep-sea submersible.

"Sparrow! Activate the deep-sea submersible! Old Zhao, assist Ghost in sending the barrier in! Li Cang, check the docking mechanism and prepare for emergency evacuation!"

Jiang Nian quickly gave the orders while keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings.

Prepare for a possible final counterattack.

The submersible's hatch opened smoothly, and everyone filed in.

"Consultant Jiang, come in quickly!"

"The sparrow called out anxiously from inside the cabin."

Jiang Nian glanced one last time at the dock, which was trembling violently as if it could disintegrate at any moment, and then his figure flashed away.

They also crawled into the cabin.

"boom!"

The hatch closed and locked quickly.

"Emergency escape! Maximum thrust! Move away from the base!"

Ghost sat in the passenger seat and yelled at the pilot. The submersible's engine roared, and the powerful thrust pressed everyone firmly into their seats.

The flexible connecting channel was forcibly broken, and the deep-sea submersible suddenly rushed towards the dock exit!

Almost at the same time that the deep-sea submersible burst out of the dock.

A deafening roar came from behind!

Even through the thick hull and the deep sea, the muffled explosion, like the howl of a giant beast, still clearly reached everyone's ears.

Through the porthole, you can see the massive underwater base behind you, from which countless dazzling fireballs and bolts of lightning are bursting forth!
The structure collapsed layer by layer, and the alloy dome twisted and tore apart.

Huge metal components were tossed around like toys.

Even from a distance, the powerful shockwave caused the submersible to shake violently!
"pay close attention!"

The driver desperately held the control lever steady and pushed the power output to its limit.

The submersible struggled against the shockwave, speeding away from the explosion's epicenter.

Everyone held their breath, watching the devastating scene behind them.

The underwater fortress, which had consumed countless resources of the organization and concealed a shocking conspiracy, was crumbling before their eyes, turning into a burning pile of ruins.

"...We...succeeded?"

Li Cang murmured, somewhat incredulous.

"If the base melts down, the resonance generator will definitely be destroyed as well."

Lingque breathed a long sigh of relief as she watched the gradually calming energy turbulence on the detector and the continuous explosion signals behind her.

"Project Tide has been a complete failure!"

Ghost's tense nerves finally relaxed a bit, and he leaned back in his chair, feeling a wave of exhaustion.

He looked at Jiang Nian, whose face was still pale, his eyes filled with gratitude and respect.

Without Jiang Nian, they would have had no chance of completing this seemingly impossible task.

Jiang Nian closed his eyes and focused all his energy on regulating his breathing.

His last forceful attack almost aggravated his internal injuries.

"Debrief the situation."

The ghost roused itself and began to fulfill its duties as commander.

"The submersible's outer shell sustained minor damage, and some sensors malfunctioned during the impact, but this does not affect navigation. The propulsion system is intact," the pilot reported.

"The patient's vital signs are stable, but he needs surgery as soon as possible. The others mostly have minor injuries and are exhausted."

"That's what Zhao Rui, who's in charge of taking care of the wounded, said."

"Communication signal is being restored; attempting to reconnect to base..."

Lingque operated the equipment.

Just then, the submersible suddenly shook violently again, not from the aftershock of the impact behind it, but as if it had hit something.

"what happened?"

The ghost immediately asked.

"Sonar indicates...we appear to have entered a dense area of ​​underwater debris!"

The driver looked at the screen, his voice filled with surprise and doubt.

"These are fragments ejected from the base explosion! There are a lot of them!"

Through the porthole, one could vaguely see twisted metal objects and broken pipes passing by the submersible.

"Be careful! Get out of this area!"

The ghost gave the order.

The submersible began to maneuver nimbly through the dense wreckage.

However, misfortunes never come singly.

"Warning! Starboard thruster entangled in large debris! Power output reduced by 40%!"

The driver's voice carried a hint of panic.

"Try to break free!"

"No! It's wrapped too tightly! Forcing it free could break the thruster shaft!"

The submersible slowed down noticeably and began to yaw unsteadily in the water.

Behind them, the burning and falling wreckage of the base continued to fall into the sea like a meteor shower, and the situation was critical!
"I'll go out and clean up."

Jiang Nian opened her eyes and said calmly.

"No! The external pressure is still immense! This is 5000 meters deep in the ocean! And there's too much debris; it's too dangerous!"

The ghost immediately objected.

He knew that Jiang Nian was in very poor condition.

"It's more dangerous to stay here."

Jiang Nian had already stood up and walked towards the weapons compartment/transfer compartment. "Give me a spare deep-sea armor and cutting tools. We need to clear this out as soon as possible before we can leave."

Apart from him, no one else was able to move freely under such deep-sea pressure.

Only he can complete this task.

His attitude was resolute, and the ghost opened its mouth, but ultimately could not dissuade him any further.

He knew that what Jiang Nian said was true.

Moreover, it would probably be even more dangerous for them to go out and clean up!

A few minutes later, Jiang Nian, wearing heavy deep-sea diving armor, re-entered the icy seawater.

Despite the armor protection, the pervasive and terrifying pressure still penetrated clearly, making him feel suffocated.

The pressure of writing 5000 words in the Deep Sea is indeed well-deserved.

If he hadn't already reached the Grandmaster level, he definitely wouldn't want to experience this kind of pressure!

He grabbed the handrail next to the bulkhead to steady himself and looked to the starboard side.

A large, twisted mass of what looked like some kind of metal frame was tightly wrapped around the right-side thruster blades.

Jiang Nian drew a specially made underwater cutting torch from his waist and began carefully cutting the tangled metal.

Underwater operations are extremely difficult.

The water flow, pressure, and the occasional falling debris from above all caused significant disruption.

Jiang Nian was completely focused.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Inside the submersible, everyone watched nervously as the blurry images were transmitted from the external monitor.

Suddenly, a huge fragment of the base's outer wall, like a small mountain, crashed down from above, aiming directly at Jiang Nian and the deep-sea submersible who were working!

"Advisor Jiang! Watch out!"

The sparrow cried out in alarm.

Underwater, Jiang Nian also felt the huge shadow and oppressive feeling coming from above.

He turned around abruptly, his pupils shrinking sharply!

At the critical moment, he pushed off the hull of the submersible with both feet and retreated rapidly.

At the same time, turn the cutting torch to maximum power and swing it hard at the last few main supports of the winding propeller!
"Crack!"

The stent snapped!

Almost simultaneously, he yelled into the communicator: "Max power! Hard port!"

The submersible pilot instinctively carried out the command, the engine roared, and the hull suddenly tilted to the left to accelerate!
The massive fragment grazed the starboard side of the submersible and Jiang Nian, who had just detached, before crashing into the darkness below.

"Jiang Nian!"

The ghost shouted into the communicator.

A few seconds later, Jiang Nian's slightly panting but steady voice came through the communicator.

"I'm fine. How's the thruster?"

The pilot immediately checked: "The starboard thruster is working again! Power is normal!"

"Bring him back immediately!"

Ghost Command.

The transfer cabin reopened, and Jiang Nian returned inside, covered in icy seawater and exhausted.

After removing his helmet, his face was completely pale, and his lips were even somewhat purple.

Despite having internal strength and specialized equipment for defense, it almost couldn't withstand the pressure of the deep sea.

"Quick, a first-aid kit!"

Zhao Rui immediately stepped forward. (End of Chapter)