Free Web NovelChapter 346: Chapter 53: Begin Diving
The Black Tortoise Bloodline granted its bearer natural control over water. The Zhengguo Government knew Su Zhou had never demonstrated any Water Spiritual Power, which was why they sent this old veteran to guide him. Nominally, Su Zhou was the team leader, but Xuan Lu was the one actually in charge of the entire exploration plan. Su Zhou, of course, had no complaints. He didn’t understand the relevant procedures anyway. If anything, it was Xuan Lu who was in an awkward position, managing everything without being the official leader. If not for his advanced age and his indifference to such empty titles, he might have even felt a bit resentful.
"It’s a submersible, but a newly built model. Tests have shown it can easily dive to the bottom of a ten-thousand-meter trench, let alone a six-thousand-meter seabed. If you wanted to dive out there yourself, that’s not out of the question either. The Chilong has an escape mechanism similar to a torpedo launcher, so you can enter the water at any time."
Xuan Lu chuckled and took a sip of the sweet black soybean milk in his cup. Just as the Northwest Bai Family, with their Gold Element bloodline, excelled in materials science and professions requiring a keen perception of various metals, the Xuan Family was naturally intimately familiar with this deep-sea operation. In fact, they had even designed and built the submersible themselves.
The old man, quite proudly, showed off his family’s achievement to the powerful young man before him. "The Chilong was originally designed for future exploration of Otherworlds or extraterrestrial planets—those ’Extraordinary Environments’ that surpass Earth’s. Its durability standards far exceed any exploration needs on Earth."
By now, five multinational research vessels had arrived in the Mariana Sea Area. Numerous exploration instruments were already running, collecting data on the surrounding environment.
The film crew up ahead was shooting the opening monologue. The spindle-shaped, all-white ’Chilong submersible’ was also on display. Its hull was adorned with flowing, wave-like patterns that shimmered with a faint blue light in the sea breeze.
In Su Zhou’s expert opinion, Xuan Lu wasn’t just boasting. Leaving aside the runic structures on the submersible, the special Extraordinary alloy alone likely had a hardness comparable to, or even exceeding, the Golden Feathers of Garuda’s true form. He would have a very hard time damaging it without using his real strength.
In the distance, the opening monologue of the Zhengguo film crew could be faintly heard.
"The Dragon and jade, the Dragon and Phoenix... they are synonymous with Zhengguo culture. Besides the Dragon and Phoenix, no other totem of worship in the world is so singular and ancient. Besides jade, no other mineral is so naturally imbued with such Divinity."
"With the Spiritual Energy Revival, the Divinity of jade has been proven. Wearing a piece of high-quality jade can gather Spiritual Qi, relieve fatigue, and soothe the mind. Our ancient ancestors must have discovered this, which is why they made jade synonymous with their very civilization."
"But what of the Dragon and Phoenix? From where does their Divinity originate? Did such creatures truly exist in this world? What is the true origin of our ancient totems? In antiquity, ’dragon’ was synonymous with ’light,’ and the term ’Dragon and Phoenix’ was used as one. What were they in truth? This question is too profound, too vast, for any single person to answer."
"But today, we will unveil the secret of the Dragon! We will reveal to all the true face of our totem, long hidden behind the veil of history! We will excavate ruins from a forgotten ancient era and, from the merest fragments we find, piece together the truth of our past."
"The major live outdoor documentary, a *Walking into the Ruins* special edition—*Legacy of the Ancients: In Search of the Dragon*—is about to reveal all these secrets."
"Stay tuned."
Next came the commercial break. Meanwhile, Su Zhou and the others began preparing for the dive. The staff had just completed safety checks on the Chilong submersible, and all personnel had donned their protective gear.
The other multinational research vessels could be seen following similar procedures. They would dive to the seafloor in a predetermined sequence—and naturally, the Zhengguo exploration team, led by Su Zhou, would be the first to go.
The Chilong was a large, manned submersible powered by ’Spiritual Power Conversion Batteries’—a well-established technology. The Shao Family’s own Shao’s Photovoltaic had also conducted related research in this field.
Compared to typical deep-sea submersibles, the Chilong was massive—18 meters long and 7 meters wide. It was equipped with a deep-sea escape function and had twelve seats in total. The occupants included three pilots, four people providing security—Su Zhou, Xuan Lu, and two other official Transcendents—two members of the *Walking into the Ruins* film crew responsible for filming, and three researchers tasked with collecting underwater survey and exploration data.
Inside the submersible, Su Zhou took seat number eight, the one closest to the ’escape mechanism.’ After all, if they encountered a giant Sea Beast, he would be the first one out to fight it. The others settled into their seats in an orderly fashion. They had all been trained for this, and their movements were crisp and efficient.
Soon, with a voiceover from the film crew, the Chilong’s hatch sealed shut, and the dive began.
The white submersible was lowered smoothly into the water, then began its descent... Sunlight gradually faded, and the cerulean sea grew darker and deeper, until it was pitch black.
Watched by everyone on board and tens of millions of viewers around the globe, they journeyed toward the bottom of the sea.
