Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

September 9th, 9:10 PM.

The deep sea, at a depth of 3,200 meters.

Inside the cargo hold of the "Far Voyage".

"Drip... drip... drip..."

The red light on the mine flashed faster and faster.

Su Ming stared intently at the device, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"It's not magnetically triggered...it's a double-safety system..."

He quickly crouched down and used his flashlight to illuminate the side of the mine.

really.

In addition to the magnetic trigger, there is also a mechanical timer at the bottom of the mine.

The hands on the timer are rapidly reversing.

Thirty seconds left.

"Damn it..."

Su Ming gritted his teeth and immediately took out the multi-tool knife from his waist.

He had to disarm the mine within thirty seconds.

Otherwise, the entire cargo hold would have been blown up.

He will be buried three thousand meters deep in the sea.

Su Ming took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"The timer is a mechanical device... the countdown will stop if the gear transmission is cut off..."

He used the tip of his knife to pry open the outer casing of the mine.

Inside, countless gears and springs are exposed.

Twenty seconds left.

Su Ming's fingers flew across the gears.

He was looking for that "key gear"—if he could jam it, the entire timer would stop running.

Fifteen seconds.

found it.

A brass gear, about the size of a thumb, is spinning rapidly.

Su Ming immediately pressed the tip of his knife against the edge of the gear.

Then, he pried it open with force.

"Click—"

The gears are stuck.

The timer's hands stopped moving.

The red light went out.

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the ground.

"Almost..."

He looked up and glanced at his watch.

Five seconds left.

If he had been any slower, he would have been blown to pieces by now.

Su Ming stood up and picked up the waterproof bag containing the hard drive.

Then he turned and walked toward the hatch.

But just as he reached the door—

"Boom!"

The entire cargo ship suddenly began to shake violently.

Su Ming stumbled and almost fell.

"What's going on?!"

He rushed out of the cabin and ran towards the deck.

Then, he saw a scene that sent chills down his spine.

The cargo ship's hull is slowly sliding into the depths of the trench.

"The trench has collapsed..."

Su Ming's eyes widened suddenly.

Although the mine did not explode, the vibrations caused by him prying the gears triggered a small earthquake on the seabed.

The cargo ship was already anchored at the edge of the trench.

Now, it is sliding into an even deeper abyss.

Su Ming immediately rushed towards the makeshift "diving bell".

But the cargo ship tilted so badly that he couldn't stand up at all.

"We must leave immediately..."

Su Ming gritted his teeth, grabbed the winch rope, and pulled hard.

"Click—"

The rope is taut.

The metal bucket was pulled up.

Su Ming grabbed the edge of the iron bucket, his whole body suspended in mid-air.

The cargo ship slowly sank into the abyss beneath his feet.

Su Ming pulled the rope with all his might, raising the iron barrel.

One hundred meters.

Two hundred meters.

500 meters.

The cargo ship's silhouette gradually disappeared into the darkness.

Su Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But he knew the danger was not over.

He had only one oxygen cylinder left.

It is still more than 2,000 meters from the sea surface.

"We must use it sparingly..."

Su Ming turned on the valve of the last oxygen cylinder and carefully replenished the air pressure inside.

One kilometer.

1,500 meters.

Two kilometers.

The pressure gauge on the oxygen cylinder is nearing zero.

Su Ming's breathing began to become difficult.

The air inside the bucket is getting thinner and thinner.

"Five hundred meters to go..."

Su Ming gritted his teeth and pulled the rope with all his might.

Four hundred meters.

Three hundred meters.

Two hundred meters.

The oxygen cylinder was completely empty.

Su Ming felt as if his lungs were about to explode.

My vision started to go black.

"Don't faint..."

He bit his tongue hard, using the pain to force himself to stay awake.

One hundred meters.

Fifty meters.

Twenty meters.

The hull of the "Breaking Waves" finally came into view.

Su Ming used his last bit of strength to pull the rope.

"Splash—"

The iron bucket burst out of the water.

Su Ming rolled out of the iron barrel, lay on the deck, and gasped for breath.

The cold sea breeze on his face made him feel alive.

He lay on the deck, gazing at the dark night sky, and smiled.

"Got it..."

He took the black hard drive out of the waterproof bag.

On the hard drive, there was a line of small print—

"Dragon Kingdom Deep-Sea Drilling Project - Core Data - Top Secret".

Su Ming gripped the hard drive tightly and slowly sat up.

Then, he looked into the distance.

In the darkness, the silhouette of a ship is rapidly approaching.

The searchlight at the bow illuminated the sea.

The black octopus has finally caught up.

Su Ming stood up and walked into the cockpit.

He started the engine.

The engines of the "Breaking Waves" emitted a deep roar.

Su Ming gripped the rudder, his eyes cold as he watched the approaching black patrol boat.

"Want a hard drive?"

"Then come and get it."