Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 237 Vines That Can Unleash Mind Magic! The Terrifying Predator (Please Subscribe)
The damage to the modified Type 022 missile ship was greater than people imagined.

The corrosive blood corroded the armor plates, creating numerous pits and craters. It is estimated that the repair work on the armor surface of the Type 022 will take a considerable amount of time.

Previously, after the giant rock plunged into the cockpit and got stuck, its tentacles' frantic attacks also caused problems with the robotic arm and the compartment that housed the tadpole detectors.

It took a tremendous amount of effort from everyone, with the help of auxiliary tools, to cut through the steel and finally drag the steel storage compartment out from behind the twisted cockpit.

After the hatch was opened, the "Tadpole-07" detector inside was revealed.

Everyone only glanced at it, and the surrounding soldiers all gasped in shock.

Once the probe was out of the seawater, its appearance showed almost no trace of the precision of a high-tech creation.

Its entire outer shell looked as if it had been splashed with a high concentration of strong acid. Its surface was covered with a large amount of translucent mucus, and underneath the mucus were ugly scars that were pitted and seemed to have solidified again after dissolving.

As the sea breeze blows, smoke even rises from some places.

The butcher immediately shouted, "Don't come any closer!"

"Hey, why are you backing away? Are you asking me to carry it?"

A young engineering soldier in charge of recycling the equipment smiled and put on protective gloves, preparing to move things and grab a job.

"stop!"

With a sharp shout, the butcher swiftly grabbed the soldier's wrist, the force so great that the soldier staggered.

"Are you blind? Don't you want your hands anymore? Or do you want to get a prosthetic limb?"

The butcher glared at the young soldier with fine downy hair on his lip, thinking that after the mission was over, he would definitely make this engineer undergo extra training.

The young soldier trembled at the sight of the butcher's glare.

The butcher spoke only after seeing the other man's restraint and unease, but his voice carried a chilling coldness.

"Look closely, the slime on that thing's surface is strange. It seems to be extremely corrosive, even stronger than the sea monster's blood! It can melt the outer shell of this detector like this!"

The young soldier's gaze fell on the detector's horribly damaged exterior. He seemed to realize something, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead as he was filled with lingering fear.

"Thanks, Captain Butcher." Zhao Jingzhong, who was standing nearby, walked over and saw the item. He gasped inwardly, nodded heavily to the butcher, and then glared at the young soldier. "Xiao Xie, how many times have I told you not to be so reckless? Go back and memorize the safety rules ten times. The whole class will have extra practice!"

Upon hearing this, the soldier named Xiao Xie turned pale, and his comrades in the same class looked at him with puzzled expressions.

"Haha, we're all comrades, it's only right." The butcher laughed as he released the reckless soldier's hand, his gaze returning to the detector.

After the smoke cleared, he put on the glass helmet, squatted down, looked around, and felt that the thing was very strange. He then picked up the steel section that he had just cut with the cutting machine, rubbed it on the sticky residue left on the detector's outer shell, and then picked it up to examine it.

Then, the butcher's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.

Where the steel touched the viscous liquid, something resembling bubbles appeared.

The steel, which is covered with dense bubbles like those in a can of cola, is undergoing corrosive changes at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Holy crap!" Liu Heng, who had come closer, almost popped his eyes out. "Captain, this thing... it seems even more potent than aqua regia! Even concentrated sulfuric acid wouldn't corrode this quickly, would it?"

Seeing this from a distance, Xiao Xie felt a chill run down his spine.

A huge wave of emotions surged within the butcher.

No wonder the tadpole detector was so badly damaged!

It's important to know that the outer shell of the tadpole detector is not made of cheap civilian-grade materials, but of high-entropy titanium-nickel alloy that has just been downgraded from laboratory to military use!

Although it's not the Ti-6Al-4V ELI titanium alloy used in the Striver pressure hull, which can withstand 1100 atmospheres of pressure, the high-entropy titanium-nickel alloy they made also has strong pressure resistance.

Behind the University of Tokyo is the Industrial Cthulhu, possessing unimaginable super-production capacity.

This super alloy, which possesses high corrosion resistance and ultra-high pressure resistance, costs 6,000 yuan per kilogram.

It is designed to have a maximum diving depth of over 8,000 meters and can withstand 850 atmospheres of pressure. Its exterior is coated with a modified epoxy resin mixed with polyether ether ketone!
A tiny tadpole detector costs as much as a house in a small fourth-tier county town.

With such a high cost, even if you throw this thing into the sea, after a few years, the seawater will at most damage some of the paint, but it will not be able to corrode the contents at all.

But this deep-sea technological creation only dived to a mere 1,500 meters, at most circling around that trench that was probably formed by the movement of tectonic plates. After emerging from the forbidden area, it was corrupted into this state.

What kind of monster is hiding in that trench?
Moreover, why are so many schools of fish moving back and forth without any problems? On the contrary, these technological creations seem to have issues?
"Where is Dr. Xiang?" the butcher asked.

"Dr. Xiang is cutting the large hornstone. I'm going to find him!"

A while later, Xiang Siyuan, who was freezing the mutated giant octopus in the distance, heard about the discovery of the submersible and ran over happily like a cat smelling fish.

When he saw the viscous, still-active corrosive slime on the tadpole probe, his eyes blazed not with fear, but with a burning, almost greedy light.

"Hiss... It surfaced from such deep water, and this thing can still stick to the surface... Treasure! A real treasure, this is definitely a real treasure!"

He rubbed his hands excitedly, circled the detector twice, and muttered to himself, "This is unscientific! The water flow is so strong, how can this thing still stick to the equipment? The adhesion! The biological activity! My God! Biology doesn't exist anymore!"

He turned around abruptly and waved his hand at the soldiers behind him.

"Quick! Use the inert glass sampler to scrape all this slime off, don't waste a single drop!"

"Dr. Xiang, are these things very powerful?"

Xiang Siyuan nodded, his eyes shining brightly, and his voice trembling slightly.

"If this thing is like the giant octopus from before... our creatures... wait, holy crap... this is incredibly corrosive... it might burn even ordinary containers!"

Upon closer inspection, Xiang Siyuan discovered that the sticky substance adhering to the surface was actually corroding the alloy shell, and his expression immediately turned serious.

The soldiers watched Xiang Siyuan's actions, then looked at each other in bewilderment.

Many people initially dismissed the slime, thinking that ordinary plastic gloves would suffice for isolation. However, after hearing Xiang Siyuan's explanation, their expressions changed when they looked at the puddle covered with the tadpole detector.

This isn't corrosive slime; it's clearly a walking medal of honor, something that could be useful in the future!

"Everyone be careful, it's highly adhesive and extremely corrosive. Don't let sweat get in, as it could damage the sample's purity!"

Xiang Siyuan came to see what was going on and nervously directed things from the side.

He wanted to help, but the soldiers, considering scientists to be of high value, immediately forced him to evacuate several units.

After a flurry of frantic treasure hunting, the strange slime was finally collected.

After the biological samples were processed, Xiang Siyuan turned his attention back to the detector itself and said with a serious expression, "Alright, this should greatly reduce the corrosion rate of the detector. You guys work on the data recovery, I'm going to study this thing."

The butcher watched Xiang Siyuan leave like a scumbag, then turned around and looked at the battered detector with the other soldiers.

At this moment, everyone had only one thought in their minds—what kind of crazy and terrifying underwater hell had this little iron lump discovered during the hour or so it had been gone?
-
More than 180 kilometers away, in the large canteen next to the command center near the Time-Space Gate.

Su Mingjin picked up her plate, quickly grabbed some seafood and vegetables, and went to find a place to grab a bite.

When she arrived at her destination, she discovered that Liu Chang, who had been standing next to her, was nowhere to be seen.

Su Mingjin was stunned for a moment. When she saw other people greeting her, she responded and then sat down to eat.

He had only taken two bites when his assistant, Liu Chang, approached him with a grin, carrying a plate of freshly grilled meat.

"President Su, this is some newly arrived cumin lamb from over there. Would you like to try it? It's the second batch of large-tailed Han sheep raised in this other world. The meat is even more tender than the Dongshan goats on Earth!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mingjin picked up a slice of meat. The slice was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The aroma of cumin and chili mixed with the natural freshness of the mutton, and it exploded in her mouth.

She squinted her eyes contentedly, and with a bite of sweet and sour pickled radish, it was a perfect match.

"It's delicious, but you can have the rest!"

Su Mingjin didn't hold back her praise, and picked up another piece of the otherworldly fast-growing bok choy. Its sweet and crisp taste was incomparable to any vegetable on Earth.

"That's right, the food standards here would be enough for a state banquet back on Earth!" Liu Chang couldn't help but pinch a piece of mutton and stuff it into his mouth, saying indistinctly, "I feel like if I keep eating like this, I'll have to do extra training again in a few days!"

Su Mingjin was amused by him, and her mood lightened considerably.

Thinking about these improved vegetables and livestock, and the breeding work after they were transported back to modern times, made her feel even more cheerful.

The vegetables grown on Earth in this other world are growing very well. After several generations of cultivation, the taste and yield are completely different from the original version.

After being transported back to Earth for cultivation, the yield and taste of the first generation of vegetables grown and improved on Earth were perfectly replicated.

However, without the nourishment of these special energy particles, they will regress to their original state after a maximum of five generations.

This might be another way of ending the lineage after five generations.

"Professor Li Donglai said that they are re-editing the vegetable and various seeds, and perhaps in a few years we will be able to master ultra-high yield staple food!"

Su Mingjin nodded.

Currently, the human exploration teams are still in a very early stage of developing various resources, staple foods, and vegetables in the other world.

For example, many plants are found to be growing well in other worlds, and those transferred from Earth are also growing well. After being planted, they have a great increase in productivity and improved taste. People who have tasted them can even say that they are completely different varieties.

But this is an optimization and improvement that has not yet been mastered.

They meticulously cultivate plants and livestock from another world, continuously supplying first-generation seeds and breeding stock from that world to improve modern agricultural structures and food quality.

Although, based on the characteristics of plant growth, the types of food on the dining table will undergo a major revolution in less than ten years.

However, the ultimate goal of the University of Tokyo is to precisely improve vegetable seeds and permanently enhance certain characteristics.

The only regret for Su Mingjin and the pioneering team was the space station issue.

What a wonderful thing it would be if we could build a space station in another world and use space radiation for breeding!

After eating and drinking her fill, Su Mingjin returned to the command center.

As soon as you step inside, a happy and joyful atmosphere washes over you.

On the huge main screen, drone footage and other surveillance information are being displayed in real time.

Meanwhile, Brigade Commander Man had his hands behind his back, looking at the screen.

"how's it going?"

Commander Man turned his head and saw that it was Su Mingjin. He stood at attention, saluted, and then smiled and said, "President Su, have you finished eating? The collection and sorting work over there is going very well. The detector has been recovered. Although the damage to the detector was a bit beyond our expectations, we are preparing to process the storage unit on it and recover the information!"

Upon hearing this, Su Mingjin was taken aback: "The equipment was severely damaged?"

"Yes, the damage is quite significant." Commander Man briefly explained the discovery he had just made, and shortly afterward, the people responsible for retrieving and processing the information began to organize the data.

Brigade Commander Fu knew that the command center was waiting, so he set up a live video broadcast.

Su Mingjin checked the time: "Why don't you go eat first?"

Commander Man nodded, then shook his head: "I still want to see how things go first."

"I know you might not listen to my advice, but eating on time and maintaining good health are essential for maintaining your fighting spirit!"

"President Su, we're about to begin disassembly."

Su Mingjin nodded, knowing that Brigade Commander Man was under a lot of psychological pressure with his soldiers, and that her attempts to comfort and reassure him were not enough to ease his mind.

On the screen, the deep-sea probe codenamed Tadpole lies quietly on the alloy workbench.

Su Mingjin's pupils contracted slightly after just one glance.

I didn't realize it was this serious!
The damage to that detector was truly significant. It seemed as if the corrosive liquid had gnawed at its outer shell, leaving it pitted and riddled with honeycomb-like corrosion holes. Its originally smooth, streamlined design was now unrecognizable.

"Will this... affect the storage units inside?" Su Mingjin's voice carried a hint of nervousness that she herself was unaware of.

“It’s not a problem for now,” Commander Man said, rubbing his chin. “It’s a miracle that this thing can float up from a 1,500-meter-deep trench!”

“I remember this thing is a high-entropy titanium-nickel alloy,” Su Mingjin walked to the screen, her eyes fixed on the cold screen, “What on earth could have destroyed it like this?”

"Dr. Xiang's preliminary analysis indicates that what we just saw was a highly corrosive viscous substance with biological activity."

Commander Man rested his hand on his chin, looking at the almost destroyed detector in the video, and said with a serious expression, "Dr. Xiang said that this thing's biological activity and adhesion completely overturn existing biology. I wonder if we can find any useful clues!"

Su Mingjin rubbed her temples, feeling a slight headache.

After the headache, comes anticipation!
Because of the large octopuses caught in Changhu Lake last time, there have been many research results.

Now we've discovered something even more bizarre.

I wonder what good stuff I might find here!

Just then, the voice of the project team leader came through the communicator in the video, carrying a hint of excitement and nervousness.

"Report: The tadpole detector's outer casing has been cleaned, and the storage unit has been removed! We are now connecting to the data core... We are beginning to attempt to read the device's image data!"

Inside the command center, everyone instinctively held their breath.

The appalling tadpole-like image on the main screen flashed by, and then the video switched.

A data reading progress bar appears.

"Ha, the data packet has been identified. It's a file of several gigabytes, with a lot of packet loss, but it should be able to give us some key data!"

Upon hearing the substantial data, everyone smiled.

Watching the progress bar slowly move forward, Su Mingjin pursed her lips.

I wonder how many valuable things this detector managed to discover in the forbidden area during the long period it was gone.

I don't know where the crazy and terrifying underwater hell is, teeming with all kinds of sea monsters, or a region full of bizarre ecosystems.

The progress bar finally came to an end with a soft click.

The right side of the main screen flickered, and then various compressed files appeared!

"Data reading complete. Starting decompression. Attempting to reconstruct the image sequence according to timestamps!"

In the live stream, the technician's voice was filled with suppressed excitement, and his fingers were typing rapidly on the keyboard.

The frontline operations room and the rear command center were completely silent, all eyes fixed on the black screen.

A few seconds later, a blurry spot of light appeared in the center of the screen.

Immediately, an extremely dark, noisy still image appeared.

"Why is it a picture?" Liu Chang asked subconsciously.

"Reporting to General Su, Tadpole is an emergency detection unit with limited energy and storage space. In order to record as much information as possible and save data backups, it will automatically switch to a low-energy sequential photography mode instead of high-definition video."

The technical team leader quickly explained, "But don't worry, everyone. When we designed it, we took into account the possibility that the main probe might be attacked by sea monsters in the forbidden area, resulting in the loss of the main probe. The tadpole probe will also back up the data from the main probe to ensure that more information is brought back!"

After saying this, he instructed, "Link the images taken by multiple detectors together to create a dynamic video."

As soon as he finished speaking, the images on the screen began to flicker at a rate of several frames per second.

It's all drawings, and although it's choppy, it still allows people to roughly understand the situation.

The initial footage is from the first-person perspective of the main submersible.

In the upper left and upper right corners of the detector, various environmental parameters are displayed in green text and scroll steadily.

The scene started out normally, with the submersible sailing slowly through the dark depths of the sea towards the five-kilometer-long forbidden zone of death.

On land, all kinds of creatures mysteriously disappear and mechanical creations are inexplicably destroyed as soon as you get close.

However, in the ocean, many creatures can be seen burrowing into that place!
In the frontline operations room, everyone subconsciously slowed their breathing; the air seemed to freeze.

The coordinate data on the screen flickered, confirming that the submarine had crossed that invisible boundary. In that instant, the main screen abruptly turned a glaring, deathly white!

The bright light flashed and disappeared in an instant, and some people in the command center even instinctively closed their eyes.

When the image returned, the deep sea had completely changed color.

A strange mix of gray, black, red, and green hues, like an overturned palette of paint, tumbles and swirls in the deep blue sea.

In the footage, a strange, bright light source appears out of nowhere, causing the optical sensor to overexpose.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

A piercing alarm blared from the speakers, and the data box in the corner of the screen instantly turned red!

"Radiation levels off the charts! Electromagnetic interference intensity more than thirty times the normal level! Detection of magical particle fluctuations! Wait, how come gamma rays are detected in the deep sea?" The technical team leader's voice changed.

"This regulation is even more outrageous than drilling directly into a nuclear reactor!"

Everyone's hearts were in their throats. They were worried that the detector might not capture any crucial clues because of this, and that it would activate the program and return autonomously.

Fortunately, military-grade underwater vehicles have extremely strong anti-jamming capabilities, and the image miraculously stabilized after the violent flickering.

If the AI ​​program determines that the operation has failed, it will continue to wait.

Even stranger things happened.

The submersible's terrain detection and depth gauges were completely malfunctioning, with the numbers fluctuating wildly. One second it showed a depth of 1,500 meters, and the next it showed a depth of -300 meters.

It was as if it had no longer been in the ocean, but had stumbled into an alien space where the rules of physics had completely collapsed.

"This must be a positioning failure in the sensor array of the unmanned underwater vehicle!" the technician said.

Soon, a line of eye-catching red text popped up in the center of the screen.

"Connection to command center interrupted"

Immediately afterwards, the AI's autonomous decision-making log began to refresh.

"Connection failed, activate contingency plan #1"

"Optical system calibration complete, attempting ascent."

"To avoid attacks from marine life, the active sonar array remains silent."

The technical team leader immediately reported: "General Su, Commander Man, this is the main submersible's AI program taking over. It will prioritize using optical instruments to assist in surfacing, trying its best not to disturb any marine life."

Su Mingjin nodded, her gaze fixed intently on the screen.
In the footage, the submarine's thrusters begin to reverse, adjusting its attitude in preparation for surfacing.

It was during the ascent that the view of the deep ocean finally became clear.

This area of ​​sea, marked as a restricted zone, does indeed have schools of fish, and quite a few of them.

But these fish look quite different from what people would expect.

On the bodies of some fish, a keratin layer that should not exist has grown, while on the muscles of other fish, visible abscesses and abnormalities have appeared, resembling tumors hanging on their bodies.

At this moment, these deformed fish are slowly swimming around some strange vines that are growing wildly on the seabed.

Besides being dark gray, the vines also had a faint purplish-blue tinge, and there were even some faint lights flowing on the vines, as if they had their own life.

The fish were behaving strangely, constantly circling around the vines.

The fish didn't seem to be foraging for food; they looked more like they were playing some kind of game.

The unmanned underwater vehicle's optical lens faithfully recorded all of this.

However, the emergence of unmanned underwater vehicles has already shattered the eerie tranquility of the ocean.

As the submersible surfaced, some fish spotted the intruder and turned around, their scarlet eyes locking onto the uninvited guest.

The next second, they went berserk, ramming their bodies into the submarine's sturdy hull.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dull thud was transmitted through the water flow, captured by highly sensitive sensors, and echoed within the command center.

The AI ​​program inside the submarine made a quick decision, and a line of small text refreshed in the corner of the screen.

"External impact analysis: Threat level zero. Outer shell integrity: 100%. Continue ascent command."

The submersible remained unmoved and continued to surface.

However, the underwater vehicle's actions have already stirred up unrest in this sea area.

The fish's futile attack alerted other marine life in the area.

Several creatures that looked like giant leeches slid out from the shadows of the vines.

They are grayish-brown all over, interspersed with mottled pale white, the shortest being nearly a meter long and the longest being five or six meters long. When their bodies twist and turn in the water, they appear exceptionally agile.

Their primary targets were the schools of fish that had collided with the submarine; their enormous mouths opened wide, easily swallowing a mutated fish whole.

Immediately afterwards, more leeches swarmed in from all directions, their target the submersible.

They wrapped around the hull of the submarine, and upon contact, there was a soft hissing sound, accompanied by a large number of bubbles.

"Report! The hull of the submersible must have been corroded by strong acid at this time!" The technical team leader's voice was tense.

Su Mingjin's brows furrowed into a knot.

The main submersible didn't even turn on its active sonar, yet it still attracted this kind of thing.

Their attack power is so strong, how will we infiltrate that place in the future?

In the blink of an eye, the optical lenses of the main submersible were completely covered by these strange leeches, and the screen went completely black.

"Optical system failure! Visual navigation unavailable!"

"Emergency plan activated! Releasing all tadpoles!"

As the main screen's optical lens was attacked by those leech-like monsters, the screen suddenly flashed and switched to several new perspectives.

That was a multi-view network of dozens of tadpole-shaped probes ejected from the main submersible.

Through its lens, everyone in the command center witnessed a scene they would never forget.

That priceless, massive main submersible, representing the pinnacle of human industrial technology, had now transformed into a writhing, expanding "flesh ball" composed of countless leeches.

Not dozens, not hundreds.

They were thousands upon thousands of them, densely packed, looking like a strange mass of flesh and blood under the light of the small tadpole detectors.

"hiss……"

A collective gasp filled the command center, and some people even instinctively took a step back.

"Damn it! These things are so weird, how can their attack power be so great?!"

Su Mingjin frowned, her gaze fixed on the screen, where dozens of tadpole detectors were their only eyes.

As the screen switched, all the parameters representing the main submersible's status turned completely red.

[A lethal threat to the underwater vehicle has been confirmed. Backup protocol activated.]

[Forced data backup transfer in progress...]

[Active sonar activated!]

The next second, an invisible, ultra-high-power sonic pulse exploded outwards from the center of the submersible!

As is well known, sonar used in the ocean is essentially a loudspeaker used to broadcast messages, and then relies on sound wave feedback to locate the target.

Creatures from other worlds are inherently sensitive, and this action felt like a depth charge had been dropped on the entire underwater world.

The main detectors, which act as the lure machines, and some tadpole detectors, which act as decoys, frequently activated their sonar and became the first targets of attack.

Many of the probes' optical lenses were seen vibrating violently as they were attacked by the sea leech monster.

The scene gradually transformed into a bloody chaos.

The previously orderly attack spiraled out of control, and all the mutated creatures went berserk, charging and tearing at each other in the water in a bloody frenzy.

"This... it's just turning on a sonar, why is it like stirring up a hornet's nest?" the technician exclaimed.

Inside the command center, everyone was speechless with shock at the sudden chaos.

Are these marine creatures usually this fierce?
At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

Those strange vines that clung to the seabed like giant withered trees suddenly emitted an eerie light.

The colors of blue, red, and purple intertwine, creating a dreamlike and illusory scene, yet it also exudes an indescribable eeriness.

Wherever the light reached, the boiling ocean instantly... froze.

All the frenzied creatures, whether mutated fish or giant leeches, froze in place, as if a pause button had been pressed.

"What's going on? Why have they stopped attacking each other?"

Before the words were even finished, the scene on the screen sent chills down everyone's spine.

All the still creatures suddenly turned around in unison, like puppets controlled by invisible threads. Regardless of marine species or size, they swam towards the glowing vines almost stiffly and uniformly.

The enormous vines stretched out countless long, thin tendrils, like whips, precisely wrapping around the swimming creatures.

A giant leech, several meters long, was entangled by its tentacles and tightened.

The leech's enormous body began to struggle violently, but to no avail.

It was forcibly dragged into the massive, vine-covered trunk and disappeared.

Immediately afterwards, a chilling writhing motion appeared on the surface of the vine that had devoured the leech, like a giant python digesting its prey.

The tadpole detector's AI decision-making program recorded all of this, adjusting the angle of the optical lens to capture the scene of these strange vines feeding, which was then seen by humans.

For a moment, only heavy breathing could be heard in the command center.

It turns out the fish weren't going out to forage or returning to their nests.

It was a pilgrimage where people's minds were manipulated and they were heading towards death.

"I'm exhausted..." a young technician couldn't help but exclaim.

Commander Man clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands. He wanted to curse, but found his throat so dry he couldn't utter a single word.

"This strange tree is actually feeding..."

"It seems that all the seafood in this ocean is its food, right?"

Just then, the massive vine seemed to realize something.

A massive vine, far thicker than any of the other tentacles, suddenly emerged from the seawater, its target clear—the unmanned underwater vehicle that had just escaped danger!
The screen shook suddenly!
In the lens of the tadpole probe, the underwater vehicle, representing the pinnacle of human industrial achievement, was tightly entangled by the giant vine, emitting a metallic groan of unbearable strain.

The data on the screen began to plummet.

[Outer shell integrity: 71%...52%...33%...]

[Structural stress exceeded! The outer shell is being crushed!]

[Signal strength is rapidly decreasing!]

[The synchronization network is experiencing problems; distributed backup storage information has begun to be transmitted.]

The last signal came intermittently.

That wasn't a complete picture, but rather fragments of data being synchronized back by dozens of tadpole probes frantically swimming around, using up their last bit of bandwidth.

One frame shows the main submersible's metal wreckage twisted into a pretzel.

One frame depicts a scene of countless fish, leeches, swordfish, and rock eagles being devoured.

Besides this, the data transmitted to Tadpole 07 by other tadpole detectors that surfaced according to the program was the data captured by its lens of more faint, huge shadows.

The colossal beasts, far larger than any they had seen before, stood motionless and silent, as if bewitched, waiting to be swept away and devoured by the vines that stretched out from the darkness…

The command center was deathly silent.

Some people had their brows furrowed, while others had their mouths open and were making gasping noises.

"What's going on... Are we all lining up to be eaten by that weird tree?"

A young technician gasped as he looked at the strange tree on the screen.

Xiang Siyuan, his face ashen, gripped the control panel and muttered to himself, "This is definitely not a plant, definitely not... It has consciousness, it's herding livestock? Are those mutated sea monsters its livestock?"

"Those strange lights, are they some kind of control magic? Or perhaps mind magic?"

"Are you kidding me! What kind of magic can control so many creatures?"

The discussions were chaotic and disorganized, revealing a sense of confusion.

In this extremely oppressive atmosphere, Liu Chang quietly approached Su Mingjin and lowered his voice, but the trembling at the end of his voice betrayed him.

"President Su, I have a guess..."

He swallowed hard, his eyes filled with fear.

"Do you think this area might actually be a prison?"

"That deep trench is just a crack in the prison wall. These fish and leeches are lured there by something and fed to the big guys locked up inside regularly..."

As he said this, he couldn't help but shudder, yet he couldn't control his mouth.

"I now strongly suspect that the bizarre, giant octopus we ate the other day escaped from this thing's mouth!"

Su Mingjin stared intently at the pitch-black main screen, as if trying to pierce through it with her gaze.

Those bright eyes reflected the bloody scenes from just moments ago, replaying them silently, over and over again.

Liu Chang's analysis is somewhat incorrect!
If it's a prison, why is that ancient ruin so strange?

Why do those large fissures on the seabed seem more like natural disasters than man-made ones?
A full half minute passed before she suddenly stood up and walked directly to the platform.

After seeing Su Mingjin's actions, everyone in the command center fell silent instantly.

"Gentlemen, we're about to get busy again! Immediately organize, package, and encrypt all the image data!"

"Communications officer, relay this message back to Earth! Have General Li lead the headquarters analysis team to analyze those things!"

She looked around, her gaze sweeping over every still-shaken face.

"Everyone else, cheer up too!"

"Show me all the video footage we have, frame by frame! Analyze it frame by frame! I need to know more about that stuff!"

"It destroyed our underwater vehicle," Su Mingjin said, a cold, chilling smile curving her lips. "And we will strip it bare, inside and out!"

(End of this chapter)