Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

The piercing mechanical alarms still echoed inside the submersible.

"Starboard thruster power is unstable! Output power is decreasing!"

The driver's voice was filled with barely suppressed panic, "We may have damaged the main shaft!"

The damage was greater than they had imagined!

Ghost grabbed the edge of the control panel, his knuckles turning white from the force.

How much thrust can it maintain?

They are currently at the bottom of the sea.

Moreover, due to the influence of underwater turbulence, they cannot float or sink naturally.

Without sufficient thrust, there is a high possibility that the ship will be swept away by turbulence later on!
"At most 30%! And it's still declining! We can't fight the deep-sea currents!"

The submersible rocked violently in the seawater, like a toy being seized by an invisible giant hand.

Through the porthole, all that could be seen was endless darkness.

Occasionally, glimpses of explosion debris would flash by, illuminating the solemn faces of the crowd.

Jiang Nian pushed away the medical kit Zhao Rui offered and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth: "Take me to the cabin."

"Your injury—"

Just as the ghost was about to stop him, he met Jiang Nian's unquestionable gaze, and the words caught in his throat.

He knew Jiang Nian had already made up her mind!

And they have no choice now!
We have no choice but to continue relying on Jiang Nian!
"My internal energy can temporarily stabilize mechanical vibrations."

Jiang Nian had already gotten up.

"If the thrusters completely fail, we will all be trapped at a depth of 5,000 meters on the seabed."

This is an indisputable fact!
Lingque quickly pulled up the structural diagram of the deep-sea submersible: "Follow me, the cabin is at the rear, and you need to go through two sealed doors."

The submersible jolted violently again, and everyone had to hold onto something to stay upright.

The wall let out a muffled groan on the stretcher, clearly the vibration aggravating the wound.

"Old Zhao, you stay here and take care of the fortifications."

Ghost quickly assigned tasks: "Li Cang, you go and assist the pilot in stabilizing the course. Ling Que, you take Consultant Jiang to the cockpit and make sure the thrusters are repaired before they completely fail!"

The emergency lights flickered on and off in the narrow passage.

Jiang Nian followed Ling Que through the swaying ship, feeling as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on his chest with every step.

The work in the deep sea had almost exhausted his internal energy, and the stinging pain in his meridians was getting stronger and stronger.

"right here."

Lingque opened the sealed door, and a strong smell of engine oil and burnt machinery wafted out.

The cabin space is cramped and filled with various pipes and cables.

The main drive unit of the starboard thruster is emitting an abnormal hum.

Several sensors have turned red, indicating that the spindle bearing temperature has risen sharply.

"The problem is more serious than we thought."

Lingque examined the control panel, her face grim.

"It's not just simple debris entanglement; the main shaft may have been deformed in the impact just now. At this depth, we cannot carry out replacement operations."

Moreover, although they are special forces members.

But it's not omnipotent either.

Given the current situation, only professional technicians can continue to perform repairs.

Ling Que's face was a little pale!

Jiang Nian placed his palm on the violently vibrating transmission device casing and closed his eyes.

The internal force probed into the machine, sensing the operating status of each part.

"The main shaft was not deformed, but the fixing bolts of the third bearing housing came loose, causing the drive shaft to rotate eccentrically."

A moment later, Jiang Nian opened his eyes. "If this continues, the bearing will burn out completely in less than ten minutes."

The sparrow looked at him in surprise: "You can sense the internal structure?"

"When one cultivates internal strength to a certain level, one can perceive the subtle vibrations of matter."

Jiang Nian gave a simple explanation and looked around.

"Do you have the tools? The bearing housing must be re-secured."

“We have an emergency repair kit, but…”

Lingque hesitated, then said, "At a depth of 5,000 meters, separated by a thick outer shell, we have no way of accessing the internal structure!"

All routine repairs are done outside!
Jiang Nian did not answer, but instead turned his gaze to a maintenance panel on the outer casing of the transmission device.

"Take it apart."

"What? Removing the panel will cause the cabin to collapse instantly under the pressure of seawater!"

The sparrow exclaimed in surprise.

"It won't be completely disassembled. I only need to open the inner sealing valve, and I can use my internal force to form a temporary barrier," Jiang Nian said calmly.

"This is the only way."

Lingque stared wide-eyed, almost unable to believe what she was hearing.

How to use human strength to withstand the terrifying pressure of the 5,000-meter deep sea?
This has exceeded the limits of her understanding of ancient martial arts!
This is the power of a grandmaster!
But Jiang Nian had already picked up his tools and started removing the fixing bolts of the inspection panel.

His movements were steady and precise, showing no signs of weakness from before.

"I need your cooperation."

Without looking up, Jiang Nian said, "The moment I open the inner valve, seawater will rush in. You must tighten the bolts of the bearing housing as quickly as possible while I build up the internal force barrier."

"We only have one chance, and the time will not exceed thirty seconds."

Lingque took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She picked up the hydraulic wrench, checked its condition, and then nodded emphatically to Jiang Nian:

"I'm ready."

The submersible shook violently again, clearly having lost sufficient propulsion and beginning to be swept away by deep-sea currents.

"start."

Jiang Nian's voice was low and deep.

With the last bolt removed, the access panel was moved away.

The internal sealing valve opened a crack immediately.

In an instant, the terrifying pressure difference caused seawater to spray in like a high-pressure water gun!

The entire cabin was filled with a deafening roar!

Jiang Nian's aura surged, and an invisible wall seemed to appear in front of his palms, forcefully blocking the raging seawater within an area about half a meter in diameter!

His face turned deathly pale instantly, and the muscles in his arms trembled violently from the extreme force.

"quick!"

Jiang Nian squeezed out the word through gritted teeth.

Lingque dared not delay and immediately extended the hydraulic wrench into the area isolated by internal force, precisely fitting it onto the loose bolt.

The high-pressure environment makes every movement extremely difficult.

She could clearly feel the immense resistance coming from the wrench.

"First one...tightened!"

Lingque shouted, her combat uniform already soaked with sweat.

Jiang Nian groaned, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth again.

Maintaining this level of internal force barrier placed a far greater burden on him than one could have imagined.

"Second one done!"

The submersible was shaking more and more violently, and alarms were sounding one after another.

The ghost's voice came through the communicator, tinged with obvious anxiety. "What's the situation? We're about to lose control of our course!"

"Give us one more minute!"

Lingque responded, her hands continuing their work without pause.

The third, the fourth...

With each bolt tightened, Jiang Nian's expression grew increasingly grim.

"the last one!"

Lingque practically roared, using all her strength to press the hydraulic wrench all the way down.

The instant the bolts were tightened, Jiang Nian abruptly withdrew his internal force and simultaneously closed the inner sealing valve with a palm strike!

There was a "click".

The valve was closed tightly, completely isolating the seawater from the outside.

The seawater, now free of its internal force barrier, crashed heavily against the inside of the valve, producing a dull thud that shook the entire submersible.

Jiang Nian could no longer hold on. He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, sweat dripping onto the metal floor like rain.

"Advisor Jiang!"

Lingque hurriedly stepped forward to help him up.

"I'm fine..."

Jiang Nian waved his hand, his voice weak but with a hint of relief, "Check the status of the thrusters."

Lingque immediately checked the control panel, her face lighting up with joy: "Vibration amplitude has decreased by 70%! Output power is stable at 85%! We've succeeded!"

When the news reached the command center, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good job!"

The ghost's voice came through the communicator, barely concealing his excitement: "The course has stabilized, and we are ascending to a safe depth. We are expected to arrive at the rendezvous point in four hours."

"How did you do that just now?"

Lingque couldn't help but ask, her eyes filled with admiration and curiosity, "That level of water pressure is difficult even for special alloys to withstand..."

Jiang Nian slowly opened his eyes, his tone calm: "You can cultivate your internal energy to the Grandmaster level, but in that situation just now, I could only last for less than a minute."

Even so, it is still beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

The sparrow sighed, "Without you, we might have remained here in the deep sea forever."

Jiang Nian didn't reply, but instead asked a question.

"Any new information from the base?"

Lingque checked the communication equipment: "The signal is gradually being restored. We just received a short, intermittent message that Chief Bai has dispatched a support fleet to meet us in the designated area. Also..."

She paused, then said, "The organization's self-destruct program at its underwater base appears to have triggered a chain reaction, making the seabed geological structure in that area very unstable and potentially creating new deep-sea whirlpools."

Jiang Nian frowned slightly: "We must leave this area of ​​water as soon as possible."

The four-hour flight was spent in a tense atmosphere.

As the submersible continued to rise, the external water pressure gradually decreased, and everyone's physical condition improved accordingly.

After Zhao Rui's emergency treatment, Bi Lei's condition stabilized. Although he was still weak, he was no longer in danger of dying.

When the submersible finally broke through the water and was bathed in the long-awaited sunlight, everyone felt a sense of relief, as if they had survived a disaster.

Through the porthole, two frigates painted with military insignia could be seen waiting on the sea not far away. A helicopter hovered overhead, lowering a rescue sling.

"We've arrived to meet you."

The driver let out a long sigh, his voice filled with exhaustion and relief.

Soon, the submersible docked with one of the frigates.

Jiang Nian stepped out of the cabin with Ling Que's help.

On the deck, Bai Yongxu waited for him personally.

Seeing that Jiang Nian and the others had returned safely, he strode forward, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Jiang Nian's pale face.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Bai Yongxu patted Jiang Nian's shoulder heavily, his tone full of emotion, "The base has received your preliminary report."

"In this operation, you prevented a disaster that could have caused millions of casualties."

Jiang Nian nodded slightly: "This is our duty."

"The medical team is ready to treat the injured team members immediately."

Bai Yongxu turned to medical staff.

“In particular, the barriers and Advisor Jiang need to be thoroughly examined.”

Just then, an officer walked quickly to Bai Yongxu's side and whispered a few words of report.

Bai Yongxu's expression immediately turned serious.

"What happened?"

Jiang Nian keenly sensed something was amiss.

Bai Yongxu gestured for the officer to step back and then spoke to Jiang Nian in a low voice.

"According to our latest intelligence, the organization has not ceased its activities despite the destruction of the underwater base. We have detected through multiple channels that they are activating their backup plans."

"A backup plan?"

Jiang Nian's eyes sharpened.

"The specifics are still unclear, but what is certain is that their plan for Zero has never changed."

Bai Yongxu said in a heavy tone, "Moreover, according to intelligence, they have multiple similar research facilities around the world. The underwater base is just one of them."

Jiang Nian remained silent for a moment, then looked up at the distant sea.

"In other words, the battle is far from over."

"Yes."

Bai Yongxu nodded. "We must be prepared. The organization's strength and infiltration far exceed our previous estimates. This time you destroyed their underwater base, they will definitely retaliate."

After a brief pause, Bai Yongxu continued.

"You should rest and recover first. We need to plan the organization's next steps carefully."

Inside the medical room, the doctor gave Jiang Nian a comprehensive examination.

The results are worrying.

His internal energy was severely depleted, and many meridians were damaged. In addition, the internal injuries caused by the pressure of the deep sea will require a considerable period of recuperation to fully recover.

"Given your current physical condition, you cannot engage in high-intensity combat for at least a month, let alone use your Grandmaster-level internal energy."

The doctor warned seriously, "Otherwise, it could cause permanent damage."

Jiang Nian nodded silently.

Deep down, however, he knew that such a period of rest was probably a luxury given the elusive nature of the organization.

That evening, in the frigate's conference room.

Baek Yong-wook chaired an emergency intelligence analysis meeting.

"Based on the information we intercepted and the data brought back by Jiang Nian and his team, we can confirm that the organization's Tide Project is only part of their strategy."

The intelligence analyst pointed to a world map on a large screen, marked with several red dots.

“These locations are where we suspect the organization has other research facilities. Judging from their distribution, they appear to be carrying out multiple different projects simultaneously, with the ‘Tide Project’ being just one of them.”

The ghost asked, "Do you have any specific information about their next move?"

"It's hard to say."

The analyst shook his head. "The organization's communication encryption level is extremely high; we can only capture some fragmented information. But one thing is certain: their interest in Advisor Jiang and Zero is unusually strong."

Bai Yongxu continued, "This means two things: First, Jiang Nian, you have become a key target of the organization, and you must be more careful in your future actions; second, Zero's security level needs to be raised again, and it must not fall into the organization's hands."

Jiang Nian pondered for a moment and then said, "The organization is so obsessed with Zero because he has a secret that we haven't discovered yet. Perhaps... we should be more proactive."

"What do you mean?" Bai Yongxu looked at him. (End of Chapter)