Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 40 Karst Landforms and Lakes, That Giant Octopus Must Be Delicious! (Please Read On and Vote!)

"This is it."

It seemed the weather was on their side; by the time they reached the lake, the snowstorm had gradually stopped.

Wang Zhen looked at the sky and found that the sun was shining brightly soon.

"This awful weather!"

"I hope today's mission goes smoothly! Everyone, set up the barbed wire and establish the defensive perimeter!"

The snowmobile, pulling a wire mesh ring, quickly laid the wire mesh around the snow.

In just a few minutes, several cheap and simple wire mesh barriers were erected.

If enemies attack, the barbed wire can significantly slow down the speed of the undead running at high speed, giving the warriors time to unleash the metal storm!

After the first line of defense was completed, the soldiers drove vehicles in a triangular formation to build a simple steel defensive line.

Then, the soldiers got off the vehicle one after another!
Deputy Captain Wang Zhen led his squad on guard while the research team began setting up various uniquely shaped pieces of equipment.

"Drone ready!"

"Deep Diver One, Two, and Three, deployed!"

At Zhao Jiaqi's command, several multi-rotor drones took off and then precisely dropped a series of gleaming silver detectors into the lake.

The Deepdiver active sonar detector, used for reconnaissance, possesses excellent anti-jamming capabilities and signal transmission performance. The battery can operate continuously for 5 days.

If it enters the spy mode of passive sonar collection, it can work for 90 days, greatly reducing the possibility of being detected.

However, this thing didn't display its fangs in the oceans of the modern world, but it was used for detection in lakes of another world.

"Sonar signal normal. Initiating active sonar deployment to construct a 3D model of the lake!"

"Underwater footage successfully transmitted, reconnaissance findings uploaded!"

On the screen, the dark underwater world was gradually illuminated...

The mystery surrounding the lake, which had captivated both the explorers and the combat personnel, was quickly unveiled.

The reconnaissance information was also quickly relayed to the rear headquarters.

This ice-blue ribbon quietly wraps around the lake on the silent, snow-white earth. Its surface is unremarkable, but as the sonar probes into the lakebed, surprising discoveries emerge one after another.

Various strangely shaped fish swam past the camera, densely packed, an astonishing number...

"There's such a good variety of fish?"

Besides this, what surprised everyone the most was that the depth of the narrow lake reached 1200 meters!
Beneath the lakebed lie countless deep, dark holes, their destinations unknown.

"This is outrageous, it's so deep, just like Lake Baikal."

"The temperature at the bottom of the lake is also abnormal, with a strong heat flow reaction... Is this a hot spring lake?"

"It does resemble karst topography quite a bit! No wonder the ice and snow here always freeze and melt, melt and freeze again."

A researcher pointed to a bright red patch in the thermal image on the screen, his eyes lighting up: "It's connected to an active underground hydrothermal tributary!"

Wang Zhen came closer and, upon seeing the 3D model of the lake, his face showed surprise.

As the 3D model of the lakebed became more and more detailed, joy appeared on everyone's faces.

This is more than just a lake.

This is an extremely rich fishery resource, geothermal energy, and an untapped treasure trove!

"Look at those signal feedbacks, they're all densely packed schools of fish, many of them large fish!"

"This is practically a natural fishing base!"

"More than that!" Zhao Jiaqi said, his eyes shining. "The core temperature of the heat source is extremely high. We've discovered quite a few hot springs before, and I estimate that the vicinity should lead directly to the lava zone. We can totally build a geothermal power plant around it!"

"With such a high temperature, how come these fish aren't cooked?"

"It must taste pretty good, right?"

Wang Zhen stared at the dense cluster of fish dots on the screen, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. "Once this mission is over and I can take off my protective suit, I definitely want to come here and experience some otherworldly sea fishing."

"This large lake must be a freshwater bay; the fish in it must taste absolutely amazing!"

"Send the message to the camp command!"

As the head of the scientific expedition team, Zhao Jiaqi quickly issued instructions: "Start preparing the live specimen catching net. Let's bring up some fish specimens first."

Just then, a rapid and strange ringing sound came through the sonar operator's headset.

Beep—beep beep—!
"what?"

He frowned sharply.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Jiaqi immediately looked at her with a questioning gaze.

“Several things emerged from the depths of the cave…large, and…very quickly!”

The operator's fingers flew across the keyboard, trying to decipher the garbled signal.

In the center of the screen, several enormous shadows rose rapidly from the abyss at an illogical speed, their three-dimensional models taking shape at breakneck speed under the horrified gazes of the crowd.

The outline... looked like the outline of several giant octopuses.

Yes, a super giant octopus!

"Hiss... How can it be so big?"

"Wow, that's a lot! How many days' worth would that take?"

A collective gasp filled the temporary monitoring center.

The data calculated by the radar sent chills down everyone's spine.

The octopus swarm that emerged from the ground was huge, with tentacles over 20 meters long, and even the smaller ones were over 10 meters long. If the tentacles were fully extended, they would probably reach 40 meters!
It's an absolute behemoth.

Despite its enormous weight, it appears remarkably slender and elongated, large enough to feed an army soldier three meals a day!

"Hey, they're rising. Aren't they afraid of decompression and dying?"

“These guys…are they after the detector? Quick, retrieve the detector! Quick…quick…” Zhao Jiaqi hurriedly ordered.

However, it was too late.

The giant octopuses rapidly approached the sonar detector, and then the multi-functional sonar detection device on the screen suddenly trembled. Several thick shadows violently rolled in from below, like the tentacles of death, instantly entangling the detector that was constantly emitting "provocative" signals.

Shila-

Signal interruption.

All that remained on the screen was a static-like display representing a lost signal.

After the Deepsea 2 probe was damaged, two other probes were also damaged.

At the campsite outside the lake, everyone looked at each other.

"Is our detector made of alloy components?"

"It's not an alloy, it's a polymer material. It doesn't have deep-sea exploration capabilities and is essentially disposable. Although those things have good pressure resistance, they are easily damaged when squeezed."

"That's not bad."

Wang Zhen looked at the lake surface, which was slightly bubbling, and involuntarily swallowed.

The impact of that instant was too shocking.

“Engineer Zhao…” Wang Zhen’s voice was a little hoarse. The ease on his face had disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression. “Are octopuses on Earth powerful and aggressive?”

“Octopuses have a strong constricting force, but they generally don’t attack so proactively in the modern world,” a researcher said, frowning.

Zhao Jiaqi nodded and rationally analyzed, "In the modern world, octopuses rely on vision and chemosensory to hunt, and many octopuses like to ambush."

"Then why do they attack us on their own initiative?"

(End of this chapter)