ebookland Chapter 1269
Chapter 1269
The submarine is still diving deeper into the boiling sea.
The numbers on the temperature monitoring screen inside the cabin had long since crossed the critical threshold, emitting a sharp beep.
Qi Mingyu reached out and turned off the alarm.
"The pressure reading is still rising." Qi Mingyu's voice was a few decibels lower than usual.
This was something they hadn't considered at all.
I wonder if the high-temperature coating will be able to withstand the increased pressure!
Zhou Shuwan raised her hand and pressed it against the cabin wall, feeling a scorching heat.
She could clearly "hear" the sound of the submarine's hull rubbing against the boiling water. It wasn't the ordinary whimper of seawater, but rather like countless red-hot needles piercing through the thick alloy layer.
The hull was trembling slightly, not from the aftershocks of the tsunami, but from the groans of the metal skeleton struggling under the immense pressure of the deep sea.
"This is not ordinary deep-sea pressure."
"Boiling water has a lower density than seawater at room temperature, resulting in greater buoyancy. As a result, we sank more slowly than expected, but the pressure increased much faster."
Mu Mu looked serious and turned her gaze to the porthole.
But the view outside the porthole made his heart beat even faster.
The further down you go, the thicker the color of the seawater becomes.
The dark blue had long since lost its eerie vibrancy, turning into an almost pure black color, as if all the light had been drained away.
The boiling water no longer churned on the surface, but turned into thick, hot mist.
The submarine traversed through it like a trapped beast that had stumbled into purgatory, surrounded by invisible fire.
Occasionally, tiny specks of light would flit past the porthole; these were mineral crystals that had condensed under high temperatures.
They no longer have that shimmering, iridescent appearance on the surface, but instead have a deathly pale whiteness, like phosphorescent flames floating in boiling water.
There were also some charred remains, which looked like the remains of underwater coral reefs burned by lava eruptions from volcanoes.
They twisted and turned, like pairs of withered hands reaching out to the submarine, bobbing up and down in the boiling water.
"Did you hear that?" Zhou Shuwan suddenly asked.
Qi Mingyu and Mu Mu held their breath at the same time.
The engine roar inside the cabin seemed to be isolated, replaced by a deep, guttural sound, like the growl of a giant beast.
The sound came from all directions of the submarine, like countless hands scratching at the hull, or like magma surging from deep within the earth's crust.
It sounded like the collision of oceanic plates, or like the sound of rock layers breaking and being squeezed after a volcanic eruption.
“It’s the resonance of the earth’s crust.” Zhou Shuwan’s voice was soft, but it pierced through the deep rumble.
Mu Mu clenched her fists unconsciously, her knuckles turning white.
The submarine's descent speed is getting slower and slower.
Qi Mingyu stared at the depth gauge, the numbers on the screen jumping more and more laboredly, as if each jump required a tremendous amount of effort.
When they finally reached the seabed, he suddenly pulled on the control stick.
The submarine slowly stabilized itself and hovered in the desolate depths of the sea.
Zhou Shuwan and Mu Mu simultaneously approached the porthole.
The sight before them made them hold their breath instantly.
This is an underwater world that has been completely destroyed.
The once flat seabed is now completely unrecognizable.
Countless bottomless cracks, like hideous scars, stretched from beneath the submarine into the distance.
Dark red magma was still seeping out of the crack, and the moment the magma came into contact with the boiling water, puffs of white steam rose up.
Under the pressure of the deep sea, the steam was instantly compressed into fine water droplets, like a silent rain.
The seabed is covered with rubble left behind by volcanic eruptions.
The pebbles ranged in size from as large as a small mountain to as small as a fingernail, all bearing charred marks from being burned.
They were piled up haphazardly, like an abandoned battlefield.
Even the few relatively intact rock layers that exist have long been eroded by magma, leaving them riddled with holes and exposing their honeycomb-like structure.
Even more shocking are the remains of sea creatures swallowed by lava.
Those were the shells of some huge, unidentified mollusks, which had long since been melted into clumps of twisted, metallic-colored matter.
There were also some skeletons that looked like those of deep-sea fish, bleached white by the lava.
This must be a deep-sea fish that died when the ocean froze. Its remains remained on the silent seabed until an underwater volcano erupted, destroying the only remaining skeleton once again!
This seabed is like a purgatory forgotten by God.
The phrase "terrified" seems so inadequate at this moment.
Qi Mingyu and Mu Mu both looked somewhat pale.
They had seen countless ruins in the apocalypse, cities swallowed by tsunamis, seas frozen over, and volcanic eruptions, but they had never seen anything like this—
A destruction from which even the deep sea could not escape.
"Be careful, avoid those cracks." Zhou Shuwan's voice was a little tense. "The rock strata below are not stable. If you touch them, it could cause a secondary collapse."
Qi Mingyu nodded and maneuvered the submarine like a feather, carefully avoiding the jagged cracks and piles of rubble.
The submarine's engine noise was kept to a minimum, as if afraid of disturbing the souls of the dead in these ruins.
After the initial shock, Mu Mu's next thought was how lucky she was to have come!
In this ruin that could erupt at any moment, he always managed to help his sister and brother-in-law in some way.
The submarine traveled through the ruins as if it had taken an eternity.
Finally, Zhou Shuwan's eyes lit up.
"Turn to the left, fifteen degrees."
Qi Mingyu immediately adjusted the course.
The submarine slowly turned and headed to the left.
As the submarine moved, the view outside the porthole gradually changed.
The charred pebbles were becoming fewer and fewer, and in their place was a seabed covered with a white substance.
The white substance resembled a thick layer of frost, covering the rock strata and reflecting a crystalline luster under the submarine's lights.
The smell of sulfur in the air grew stronger and stronger.
Even through the sealed submarine bulkheads, and even while wearing air-conditioned suits designed to block out odors, the three could clearly smell the pungent, sweet-smelling odor.
That's the smell of sulfides carried by the hot springs when they erupt.
"Coming."
The submarine's lights pierced through the white fog ahead.
When the scene appeared before their eyes, the three of them were all stunned.
It was a group of hot springs I had never seen before.
Unlike the dark, black chimneys I'd seen before, the hot spring vents here are a pure white color.
One after another, "chimneys" of various shapes emerge from the seabed, like white jade carefully sculpted by God.
Some of them tower into the clouds, like white lighthouses;
Some are short and chubby, like upside-down bowls;
Some are intertwined, like pairs of hands clasped tightly together.