Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

By performing a self-check again and reducing the failure rate to around 5%, the submarine will have the most basic conditions for navigation.

"Airlock connection lock released..."

"Electromagnetic attraction power off..."

"Physical constraints have been broken..."

Luo Tianming didn't need to leave the bridge to input these instructions into the computer one by one.

Fortunately, the predecessor of the 'Nautilus' had a very simple structure, and most of it had entered into an automated process. Luo Tianming only needed to manually operate it at critical moments to avoid the attacking monsters.

With the submarine starting up, Luo Tianming finally left the outpost that had cast a shadow over him.

As soon as the submarine started, Levi left her post without permission and came to wait on Luo Tianming's bridge.

Perhaps because the submarine itself is noisy and has a rather claustrophobic and dark environment, even someone as strong as Levi is not used to this atmosphere.

In the quiet, boundless seabed, all they could see was the reflected image from the sonar interface and the range of a few dozen meters that the submarine's camera could capture.

It felt like driving in a thick fog, everything was unknown, there was no end in sight, neither the road ahead nor the road behind, it was as if they were the only people left in the world.

Finally, Revy couldn't help but speak first:

"Hey~"

"..."

Just as Luo Tianming was about to respond, the 'Captain's Log' in his arms emitted an unbearable heat.

——!

He immediately pulled out his log, and where the 'Never Died' system was previously noted, a new line suddenly appeared:

[Mission Issued - Shipwreck - There is a sunken submarine about 300 meters away. Board it and search for the treasure inside. Reward: Recruitment Ticket x1]

[Mission Issued - Newbie Exit - Complete the first underwater exit while wearing a diving suit, including activities such as movement, underwater operations, combat, and return. Reward 1 Recruitment Ticket for each completed task]

"...!"

Upon seeing these words, Luo Tianming was immediately overjoyed.

He immediately turned off the submarine's autopilot and shifted into gear to apply the brakes.

Unaware of the danger, Levi wasn't wearing a seatbelt, and the sudden braking sent her flying.

Bang-!

After a series of tumbling motions, she crashed headfirst into the wall of the driver's cab, landing upside down with her knees on the ground and her neck twisted to the side. At the same time... a glimpse of pink was visible through her hot pants.

Chapter 8 The Sunken Ship

"Aro!!!"

Still lying upside down, Levi looked at the 'upside-down' man from her crotch, and she was so angry that she wanted to pull him off the driver's seat and beat him up.

Luo Tianming: "..."

He turned his face away, trying to avoid looking at that touch of pink, but it backfired... imprinting the shape and the flawless pink steamed bun deep in his memory.

"Explain yourself to me!" Revy stormed up to him angrily. "What the hell are you doing all of a sudden?!"

Ignoring Levi's anger, Luo Tianming overpowered her with an even more excited tone: "A shipwreck—it's a shipwreck!"

Revy: "What shipwreck?"

Luo Tianming explained, "It's the submarine that sank. We don't have much else on Europa, but we have a lot of submarines!"

"During the era of large-scale development of outposts, countless submarines served as the transportation and communication link between various stations. Some submarines had to sink to the bottom of the sea due to malfunctions. And these submarines that sank but whose hulls were not breached must have contained the supplies we need!"

Levi: "Huh?"

Luo Tianming didn't intend to explain further. Anyway, the 'Captain's Log' stated that there was treasure in the sunken ship within 300 meters of this location, so it must be true.

He immediately activated the active sonar system, and sure enough, a metallic reaction was detected 200 meters to his southwest. The submarine immediately changed course and headed towards the sunken ship.

-

It wasn't until she saw the metallic sheen of the sunken ship reflected in the surveillance footage that Levi looked at Luo Tianming in disbelief.

How on earth did this guy discover a shipwreck in the ocean when visibility was only a few dozen meters?

The external surveillance camera was focused on the bow of the sunken ship, and Revy read aloud the English text written on it: "JPM Jupiter? What is that?"

Luo Tianming's expression clearly changed.

Because he knew very well:

'JPM' is an abbreviation for the People's Movement of Jupiter.

This movement originated when Europa was first colonized in interstellar space. Some people planned to emulate ancient societies on Earth and establish a more democratic and free government on Europa, governing it through elections and ballots.

However, due to some unexpected events, the organization commonly known as JPM was dissolved, and some of its members later reorganized into an organization known as the 'Jupiter Separatists' and gradually came to the forefront.

These individuals primarily rebelled against the Europa Alliance, which ruled Europa, threatening society through extreme means such as terrorist attacks and submarine hijackings. These actions marked a complete break between them and the Alliance, and the organization subsequently evolved into one of the four major factions in the game *The Abyss*.

And now—if Luo Tianming isn't mistaken—these guys have begun to gradually make a comeback. The dissatisfaction of many with the Alliance has gradually become fertile ground for Jupiter separatism to grow.

This ship belongs to the Jupiter separatists.

Judging from his nameplate and military uniform, Luo Tianming is clearly the captain of the Europa Alliance at this stage, and is not one of these separatists.

However... neither alliances nor separatism are actually good prospects.

He still had a favorable impression of the Alliance because at least these guys did some practical things, such as maintaining the order of human society and ensuring the continuation of humanity on Europa.

However, since it was those people's ship, he felt no guilt whatsoever about taking the things inside.

With the plan in place, he switched the Nautilus to autopilot mode and shut down all sonar equipment to prevent it from being detected by the enemy.

Meanwhile, Luo Tianming arranged for a depressurization chamber to be opened when he exited the submarine, to prevent him from being crushed into a canned meat by the high pressure at 1000m underwater as soon as he went out.

Seeing Luo Tianming run to the newly set-up diving suit pressure tank, Levi became a little uneasy.

As Luo Tianming turned the knob on the cabinet, Levi immediately stepped forward, pressed her hand against the cabinet door, and said:

"Are you crazy?! You're really planning to risk your life for that shipwreck whose condition we don't even know?"

"You yourself said before that there are unimaginable dangers in this sea area. What if something happens to you out there?!"

Faced with Revy's roar, Luo Tianming remained calm and composed:

"Are you worried about me?"

Levi blushed, then quickly denied it, saying, "I'm not worried about you at all. I'm afraid you'll die out there. I can't sail this submarine by myself. And... if you die, no one will pay my salary."

"If there's really something that important on that shipwreck, then let me go."

She would rather put herself in danger than let the captain take risks.

But Luo Tianming shook his head: "Not this time."

He pointed to the wound on Levi's leg: "You are not allowed to wear a diving suit until your skin develops resistance. The deep sea is much more dangerous than the outposts built by humans. I don't want you to get infected with any strange diseases. I am not a doctor and I will not treat you. The previous treatment for 'Painted Skin Parasite' was just a coincidence that there was a special drug available."

Levi: "..."

"As for me, as a human who grew up on Europa, I don't need to worry about any harm from extravehicular diving."

Levi: "..."

In fact, Luo Tianming lied—he was not some superman born on Europa at all, and he was also extremely flustered during his first dive.

But when he thought about the rewards in the 'Captain's Log', he felt that he had to give it a try no matter what.

Especially the second task: [Newbie Exit]. According to the task description, this task is phased, and you will receive a reward for each phase you complete. If you can complete all the phases in one go, you will get at least five recruitment tickets!

He licked his lips. Even if he only went out for a short while, he would get two recruitment vouchers when he came back. No matter how you looked at it, this was a huge profit.

Luo Tianming donned his high-pressure diving suit, took his plasma cutter and oxygen cylinder, and awkwardly stepped into the high-pressure return capsule before exiting the cabin.

This is the last defensive gate for entering and exiting the submarine. He will be submerged here and gradually pressurized to adapt to the environment at a depth of 1000 meters, so that he will not feel nauseous or vomit due to the sudden increase in pressure.

The high-pressure diving suit he wears helps him distribute most of the pressure, allowing him to move around in the deep sea with only a slight degree of altitude sickness.

Although the entire diving suit weighs at least several tens of kilograms, and every step in the air feels like weight training, it is the perfect armor to protect him.

The outer layer of the diving suit is made of Kevlar fiber, so tough that even a knife can't cut through it. Inside is a titanium alloy mechanical exoskeleton that helps him perform movements. A miniature pressure-temperature circulation device helps him maintain body temperature in near-freezing seawater.

"..."

As I finished dressing, the icy seawater gradually submerged my head, and all the sounds around me disappeared.

Gradually—Luo Tianming could only hear his own rapid breathing, followed by his heartbeat and the throbbing of his intestines…

It was as if he had become the only person left in the world.

Luo Tianming took two deep breaths and pressed the exit button on his diving suit.

Chapter 9 Exiting the Cabin

"..."

Upon exiting the capsule, the first thing that came into view was an endless abyss and darkness...

Can you imagine what it would be like to look down from a glass walkway?

Just one glance was enough to make me feel a little dizzy; the visual impact made my body begin to give in.

Looking down from the deep sea is a hundred times more terrifying—because you can't see the bottom at all. Below is endless, dark, and icy water with visibility of less than a few dozen meters. All you can hear is the sound of your own breathing.

Once you fall, it feels like you'll keep falling forever... with no end in sight.

Even more terrifying is the vastness of the deep sea. Looking out from the seabed, there is an endless ocean, with no end in sight, or rather, no end at all.

Europa is a typical ocean planet, with its surface completely covered by oceans, and its total water volume is about two to three times that of Earth's oceans.

"..."

Before Luo Tianming could even feel fear as he faced the deep sea, the warmth emanating from the captain's log he carried in his arms dispelled it!

There's a reward!!

This must be the second task, "Newbie Exit," which has been successfully triggered, but it seems that only the first stage, "exit," has been completed. What about the next step, "movement"?

Luo Tianming tried to move his limbs in the deep sea, which was a thousand meters below the surface, but he did not receive any feedback from the captain's log.

'Does this mean I have to do something more strenuous?'

Luo Tianming thought for a moment, then quietly waited for himself to land on the hull of the sunken ship.

With a thud, he felt his shoes seem to stick to something, indicating that he had successfully landed on the wrecked ship. The magnets on the soles of his shoes held him firmly to the hull.

He tried to pull his legs up, feeling as if he were walking through waist-deep mud.

With another heavy thud from the boots, a second wave of heat surged through his arms, indicating that the 'exercise' phase was complete.

Luo Tianming was secretly overjoyed. Such a simple task had earned him two recruitment vouchers. Even if he returned empty-handed, his trip would not have been in vain.

"..."

But then he thought again: since the 'exit' and 'movement' phases are so simple, the remaining 'collection' and 'return' phases must also be simple. At worst, he can just give up the 'combat' phase mission.

After thinking it over, he immediately activated a turbine jet device in his arms. This was a mobility tool used for deep-sea diving. Once activated, he needed to grab the handles on both sides with both hands, and then the turbine's tail would instantly spray out a large amount of water to propel him forward.

Every step he took in the deep sea was extremely physically demanding, and he had to conserve his precious energy for more important tasks.

Using the turbine, Luo Tianming circled the sunken ship. There were no obvious signs of damage, indicating that it had sunk due to malfunction or loss of fuel. The ship was 90 meters long and belonged to the T2 class transport submarine. The Nautilus was a T1 class reconnaissance submarine, which was not only a lower class but also half the size.

However, the two have different functions. The T2 transport submarine is the backbone of communication between various stations, while the T1 reconnaissance submarine is specifically for captains who are so poor that they can only afford to buy them with loans to pay off their debts.

To make a comparison, it's like the difference between a medium-duty truck and a Wuling Hongguang.

Luo Tianming: "..."

Wuling it is! I can carry lots of people!

After fully embracing the spirit of Ah Q, Luo Tianming found a location roughly where the cargo hold was located below the submarine, took out the plasma cutter from his back, and began cutting the outer shell.

A plasma cutter uses an electric current to create a plasma arc from gas, which, combined with a high-speed airflow, removes molten metal to achieve cutting. The maximum temperature can reach 8000℃, so there are very few things in the world that it cannot cut.

However, there are also disadvantages to underwater operations – you have to carry oxygen tanks, otherwise you can't use them.

Luo Tianming only brought two canisters of oxygen. If he used them all up and still couldn't cut the exit, he figured he wouldn't even be able to get back to the Nautilus.

Fortunately, the new cutting machine brought from the outpost was powerful enough. Luo Tianming quickly opened a hole with a diameter of 1 meter. He went up and kicked open the inner wall, and the surging seawater pushed him directly into the empty interior.

After I fell in, seawater kept rushing in from behind, and it probably won't be long before it fills the place up.

Judging from the oxygen mask on the diver's body, the place where Luo Tianming cut the opening appeared to be the food cargo hold at the very bottom of the submarine, where seawater rushed in, sweeping up and soaking the already spoiled food.