Eunuch, do you really know these martial arts?

The escape pod was violently churning in the seawater.

Jiang Nian gripped the handrail tightly, feeling as if his internal organs were about to be thrown out of his chest. The external observation window was pitch black, with only the scarlet warning lights on the dashboard flashing frantically.

The cold, robotic system notification echoed in the cramped space.

"Jiang Nian! Hang in there!"

Bai Yongxu's voice came through the earpiece, unusually trembling slightly.

"Hailong No. 4 and No. 6 are returning at full speed! Hold on for thirty seconds!"

Jiang Nian coughed up a mouthful of blood and wiped his mouth.

He stared at the persistent red dot on the sonar screen.

The other party clearly had no intention of letting him go and was closing in at full speed.

"He's accelerating!" Old Qin shouted urgently in the command center, "Jiang Nian, does your escape pod have emergency propellant?"

“Yes.” Jiang Nian gritted his teeth, his hand resting on a red cover on the control panel. “But it can only be used once. After that, it will completely lose its mobility.”

"Use it!" Yang Zhan's voice was resolute. "Charge to the edge of the trench! There are strong undercurrents there that can sweep you in!"

The sonar alarm blared.

The patrol vehicle's weapon system locked on, and the faint blue glow of its charging lights could be seen through the murky seawater.

"Now!" Yang Zhan shouted.

Jiang Nian flung open the red cover and slammed down the emergency spray button inside.

At the rear of the escape pod, three sets of backup thrusters ignite simultaneously!
Almost simultaneously, a beam of energy grazed the top of the escape pod, melting through a corner of the outer armor.

"Hit warning! Hull breach! Flooding!"

Seawater rushed in through the breach, instantly submerging Jiang Nian's ankles.

But he didn't have time to worry about that.

On the sonar screen, the contour line representing the edge of the trench is getting closer and closer.

"Prepare for the impact!" Old Qin's voice was taut.

The escape pod plunged headlong into the undercurrent.

The world spun around in an instant.

The cabin slammed into something hard, making his vision go black.

"Jiang Nian! Report the situation!" Bai Yongxu asked urgently.

“Still…alive…” Jiang Nian opened his eyes with difficulty and found that outside the observation window was a rugged seabed rock wall.

The escape pod got stuck in a crevice in the rock.

"Location?" he asked, panting.

"The edge of the trench, 1,400 meters deep." Old Qin quickly located the position. "The good news is that the undercurrent has led you into a complex terrain area, and that patrol vehicle dares not easily pursue you in."

"Where's the bad news?"

"Your escape pod is jammed, the power system is completely destroyed, and you have seven minutes of oxygen left."

The communication channel was completely silent.

It takes at least twenty minutes to send a deep-sea submersible down from the sea surface.

"Where is the Sea Dragon Squad?" Jiang Nian asked.

“They’re entangled with two other vehicles and can’t break free,” General Zhao said in a low voice. “We’re mobilizing the nearest support forces, but time…”

"enough."

Jiang Nian interrupted him and began inspecting the equipment in the escape pod.

"Mr. Qin, if I wear a diving suit and swim out, how long can I stay afloat?"

"Are you crazy?" Dr. Xu's voice broke in. "You have at least three broken ribs, a contused lung, and internal bleeding! Trying to swim 1,400 meters underwater? You'll die!"

"Staying here will only lead to death."

Jiang Nian had already begun to remove his tattered combat uniform.

With every movement, a tearing pain shot through his chest. But he gritted his teeth and didn't stop.

"Jiang Nian, listen to me." Bai Yongxu's voice became unusually serious. "Stay in the cabin and wait for rescue. That's an order."

"Sir, we only have six minutes of oxygen left."

"We'll figure something out!"

"What method?" Jiang Nian asked back, "Have the Sea Dragon Squad abandon the enemy to save me? Then they'll all die together."

He opened the locker and took out the lightweight diving suit.

“I have an emergency breathing apparatus with fifteen minutes of oxygen. The terrain at the edge of the trench is complex, but it is also the best hiding place. As long as I can swim to that hydrothermal vent area, I can use the high temperature to interfere with the enemy's sonar.”

"Do you know how far that hydrothermal vent is from you?" Old Qin pulled up a map. "It's 1.5 nautical miles as the crow flies! In your current condition, it would take you at least twenty minutes to swim there!"

"Then swim for twenty minutes."

Jiang Nian has already put on her diving suit and is checking the seal.

"Mr. Qin, is the jammer still usable?"

"The jammer in the escape pod was damaged in the impact, but the diving suit had a miniature version built in, which was only one-tenth the power of the original. It could only suppress the activity of the markers, not completely block them."

"enough."

Jiang Nian pulled up her mask and took a deep breath.

The oxygen level inside the escape pod had dropped to a dangerous level, and every breath had a metallic taste.

"I will send a short pulse signal every three minutes; you track my location. If the signal is interrupted..."

He paused.

"Consider it my sacrifice."

"Jiang Nian!"

Before Bai Yongxu could finish speaking, Jiang Nian had already opened the hatch.

The icy seawater rushed in instantly.

Sonar indicated that the patrol vehicle was still lingering on the outskirts, but it was clearly hesitant to venture into the complex terrain.

Jiang Nian swam forward along the rock face.

He had to stop and catch his breath every ten meters. The excruciating pain from his broken ribs made his vision blur, but he dared not stop.

"Pulse signal received." Old Qin's voice sounded in the earpiece, filled with suppressed excitement. "You're on the right track. Continue forward for another 300 meters. There's a seaweed forest that can provide cover."

"clear."

Jiang Nian gritted her teeth and continued swimming.

The diving suit's propulsion system was damaged in the impact, leaving it reliant on manual power. Blood seeped from the wound, leaving a faint red trail behind him.

“Your blood…” Dr. Xu’s voice trembled.

“It’s alright,” Jiang Nian said. “Sharks can’t go this deep.”

The oxygen reserve in the emergency respirator dropped to 40 percent.

"How much further?" Jiang Nian asked, panting.

“Eight hundred meters,” Old Qin said, “but the terrain ahead becomes more complex, with many vertical rock pillars. You’ll have to take a detour.”

There's no way around it.

Jiang Nian stared at the dense cluster of rock pillars in front of him.

"I don't have the strength to take the detour anymore," he said honestly. "I have to go through it."

"It's too dangerous! Those rock pillars could collapse at any moment!"

"It's more dangerous to stay here."

Jiang Nian has already swum to the edge of the Stone Forest.

He adjusted his posture and squeezed sideways into the gap between the two rock pillars.

The current here was more turbulent, and the undercurrent pushed him against the rock wall. He used his arms to block, and sparks flew from the armor on his elbows.

"Turn left," Old Qin guided in real time. "There's a gap ahead; you can go straight through."

Jiang Nian did as instructed.

But just as he was about to swim out of the gap, a muffled roar suddenly came from above.

"Landslide!" Hailong No. 4's voice boomed in the channel, "Advisor Jiang, retreat immediately!"

A rock pillar, more than ten meters high, broke off at its base and slowly tilted, blocking the exit in front of it.

In the murky seawater, Jiang Nian could see a huge dark shadow looming down. He instinctively tried to retreat, but the gap behind him was too narrow, and his movements were a beat too slow.

"boom!"

The rock pillar grazed his back as it crashed onto the seabed, stirring up a large amount of mud and sand.

Jiang Nian felt a burning pain in his back; his wetsuit had been torn open.

He swam to the toppled rock pillar and tried to push it.

This rock column weighs at least several tens of tons.

Are there any other routes?

"Yes, but it takes an extra nautical mile."

Swim a mile in the sea.

Even gods couldn't do that.

Jiang Nian leaned against the rock pillar and slowly slid down to sit on the seabed.

The mud and sand rose up beneath me, then slowly settled.

"Jiang Nian, listen to me," Bai Yongxu's voice came, surprisingly calm. "We will remember you."

"Sir, don't rush to conclusions." Jiang Nian suddenly smiled. "Old Qin, what is the temperature of the underground water in the hydrothermal vent area?"

"The average temperature is 80 degrees Celsius, with some hotspots exceeding 120 degrees. Why are you asking this?"

"High temperatures cause water to expand, change density, and create upwelling." Jiang Nian looked up at the top of the rock pillar. "If I could create a large enough heat source, could I blast open this passage?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the communication channel.

"What do you have on you that can act as a heat source?" Yang Zhan asked.

“A sample of marrow ore.” Jiang Nian took out the shielded container from the inside pocket of his diving suit. “Although it’s only 100 grams, Old Qin said that the energy released by high-purity marrow ore in an uncontrolled state is equivalent to fifty times that of the same mass of TNT.”

"Are you crazy?!" Old Qin practically roared, "Detonate the marrow ore in a confined space? The shockwave will turn you into mincemeat first!"

"Don't detonate it." Jiang Nian opened the container and took out the light blue crystal. "Just let it enter an active state and release heat."

He attached the crystal to the base of the rock column.

He focused his attention on the marked nodes deep within his chest cavity.

The high-intensity energy output caused his wounds to reopen, and blood gushed from the tear in his wetsuit, spreading in the boiling seawater.

Even more alarming, the activity of the myelin minerals began to feed back into the labeling system.

"The synchronization rate has exceeded forty percent!" Old Qin's voice trembled. "Jiang Nian, your body is absorbing marrow mineral energy! Let go!"

Can't let go.

The crystal seemed to be stuck to his hand, greedily drawing out his life energy and feeding back even more violent heat.

This is a deadly cycle.

"The temperature is 280 degrees!" Old Qin roared. "The rock pillar is starting to melt!"

At the base of the massive rock pillar, the rock softens and liquefies under high temperatures, flowing slowly.

The entire rock column lost its support and tilted to one side.

"The passage is about to open!" Hailong VI shouted.

But Jiang Nian could no longer hear clearly.

"Jiang Nian! Wake up!" Yang Zhan shouted in the channel.

Jiang Nian suddenly opened her eyes.

The world before my eyes was a blood red.

"The passage is open! Swim quickly!" Bai Yongxu shouted.

Jiang Nian gritted his teeth and used his still-functioning left hand to paddle through the water. A burning pain shot through his back, but he couldn't care less.

"Sea Dragon Squad! Fire all missiles! Hold that vehicle back!" Bai Yongxu roared in the command center.

"understand!"

There were explosions in the distance.

But Jiang Nian no longer cared.

He used his last bit of strength to break through the sea.

Fresh air rushed into my lungs, carrying the salty, fishy scent of the sea. The sky was a blinding blue, and the sun was scorching.

Then he saw the receiving ship.

It was a research vessel painted with the logo of the Oceanographic Institute. The crane arm at the stern had been lowered, and two people in diving suits were jumping into the sea and swimming toward him.

"Hold on!" one of them shouted.

Jiang Nian wanted to answer, but when she opened her mouth, she only spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then the world went completely dark.

……

When I woke up again, I was in the medical pod.

A white ceiling, soft lighting, and the regular beeping of medical equipment.

Jiang Nian wanted to move, but her whole body felt like it had been disassembled and reassembled, with every muscle protesting.

"You were unconscious for two days. Dr. Xu said it's a miracle that you woke up."

“Hands…” Jiang Nian began hoarsely.

Su Qing's smile froze for a moment.

She gently lifted the blanket.

Jiang Nian's right arm, from the elbow down, was wrapped in a thick bio-gel bandage. Through the semi-transparent material, the charred skin and the implanted regenerative scaffold could be seen.

"Deep third-degree burns, charred muscle tissue, and severe nerve damage," Dr. Xu's voice came from the doorway. "We managed to save your arm, but functional recovery will take time."

Jiang Nian stared silently at his arm.

After a long pause, he asked, "Where are the marrow ore samples?"

"it's here."

Old Qin pushed open the door and came in, carrying a specially made low-temperature preservation box.

"The twenty samples you brought back are intact."

"What did you find?"

Old Qin opened the storage box, inside were dozens of small test tubes containing liquids of different colors.

“Look at this.” He picked up a pale gold one. “This was extracted from your blood. The marrow mineral energy and your marking system have created a symbiotic reaction.”

“Ordinary people’s blood cannot carry the energy of bone marrow minerals, and their cells will die instantly. But your blood not only carries it, but also transforms it into a more stable form.”

Jiang Nian stared at the slowly flowing golden liquid in the test tube.

"This means your body is adapting to the marrow ore," Qin Lao said in a low voice. "The organization has been trying to combine the energy of the marrow ore with biological bodies to create super soldiers. But they failed because ordinary human bodies cannot withstand it."

"And the marking system in your body just happens to provide this tolerance."

The medical pod fell silent.

The only sound was the regular beeping of the monitoring equipment.

“So,” Jiang Nian said slowly, “I am not only a key, but also a container.”

“I’m afraid it’s more than that.” Old Qin pulled up the data on his tablet. “We analyzed the last communication records before the assembly point exploded. The organization mentioned a term—anchor point.”

He looked at Jiang Nian: "We always thought that the key was a tool to open the Ruins of Return. But now it seems that the key may only be the first step. The real purpose is to establish an anchor point."

What anchor point?

"I don't know," Old Qin shook his head.

The door was pushed open, and Bai Yongxu and Yang Zhan walked in together.

Both of them had very serious expressions.

“The latest intelligence we just intercepted.” Bai Yongxu skipped the pleasantries and immediately pulled up the images on his tablet. “The drilling platform at the South China Sea base suddenly accelerated its descent while you were attacking the assembly point.”

The footage shows that the giant drill bit has penetrated 2,300 meters into the seabed and is still going deep.

"What are they digging for?" Jiang Nian asked.

“It’s not digging,” Yang Zhan said coldly, “it’s driving piles.”

"Pile driving?"

“Yes.” Bai Yongxu switched the screen to display a 3D sonar image. “Six symmetrical auxiliary structures have appeared around the drilling platform, each driving giant piles into the seabed.” (End of Chapter)