Deep underground, hidden facilities leading directly to the sea, huge projects unknown to anyone, secrets buried between countless truths and lies... half a century of concealment, the hopes and expectations of the past, the fears and taboos that continue to this day.
All of these, at this moment, gathered in front of Agatha, cast in cold metal, silently suspended between the interlaced beams like skeletons, as if the years had solidified and then started again... A submersible secretly built by the city-state authorities.
Agatha stood quietly in front of the huge and silent machine, staring at the pile of steel through the thick black cloth. A silent pressure seemed to be jumping on the edge of her perception.
After a long time, she finally broke the silence with a hoarse voice: "How did you find out?"
"There's a lot of luck involved," Tirian said. "I believe that even among Governor Winston's confidants, there are only a handful of people who know about this, and most of them may have died in the final defense. But after taking over the work of City Hall, I noticed the abnormal flow of funds and personnel, and they all point to a non-public scientific research project in this port." As he said, he turned his head and looked at the behemoth hanging between the steel beams.
"The rest is simple. Since South Port had been completely occupied, we searched the area extensively. We found a suspicious warehouse, a suspicious shaft, a suspicious underground facility, and a suspicious submersible."
Tirian's expression was calm when he spoke of this, but even if she was just listening, Agatha couldn't help but marvel at the ability of this "Iron Vice Admiral"... He took over and understood everything about Frostbite so quickly, which was totally unlike what a person who had been away from the city-state for half a century could do.
Such a confidential facility cannot be easily found by finding some clues. It is as if he has never left Frost.
"Can this machine be used now?" Agatha couldn't help asking after a brief silence.
"It needs to be checked," Tirian shook his head. "Although this submersible was built based on the blueprint left by the Frost Queen, it uses a lot of modern and even contemporary technologies. Moreover, there are many ground devices in this facility to support the operation of the submersible, such as air pumps, steel cables and communication equipment. We need to understand the status and function of these devices." "The bad news is that the people who know these technical details are probably gone, killed in the previous Frost Defense Battle.
When we found this underground facility, it was locked from the inside. The people inside seemed to want to lock the monsters in isolation, but they didn't know how big the disaster was. "Tirion shook his head slightly when he said this; "But there is good news," he raised his hand and pointed around, "the submersible is intact, including everything in this hall, is intact."
Agatha did not speak, but raised her head silently and turned to look in the direction she came from. The heavy and slightly twisted door stood quietly in her chaotic vision. The outline of a palm print was faintly outlined in the bloodstains on the door. The vitality in the blood had passed away, but the outline still glowed faintly in her vision.
Tirian's voice came from the side, interrupting Agatha's thoughts: "Next, I will try to find someone who knows about this secret project. Maybe not all technicians were in this facility at the time, but if there are really no surviving technicians, then we can only let some old guys in the Sea Mist Fleet try their luck."
Agatha frowned in confusion. "Sea Fog Fleet" Tirian smiled. "They were the ones who participated in the Abyss Project back then. They will be surprised when they see this submersible." Agatha fell silent, with a myriad of emotions rising and falling in her heart. She didn't know whether she should sigh at the reincarnation of history or be glad that everything was returning to where it should be.
Tirian on the side also fell silent. The Iron Lieutenant General gradually restrained the smile on his face, and instead slowly scanned the hall with a silent and solemn look. Finally, his eyes stopped on the door leading to the elevator. He nodded slightly, as if paying tribute to this unknown folly and feat.
The sea breeze was gentle, the waves were rolling, and the surging power output by the steam core drove the ship under his feet. The cold sea breeze blowing in his face dispelled the distracting thoughts in his mind. Lawrence stood on the high front deck of the White Oak, wearing his captain's coat that he had worn for many years, looking at the sea in the distance; however, the heart of this old captain was not as calm as he showed at the moment. A gentle female voice came from the small mirror hanging on his chest, "You are getting nervous."
"I've been feeling nervous since I left Frost," Lawrence smacked his lips, "after all, we have to take the initiative to 'meet' that ship.
For a hundred years, the sailors on the vast ocean have been trying desperately to escape from that ship, but we are actively approaching it. If I tell this to others, the guys in the Explorers' Association will definitely think I'm crazy.
There are few crazy shipowners on the Infinite Sea - and you will become the most awake legend among these crazy shipowners, Martha said with a smile, "Does this give me a little motivation?" Lawrence sighed: "You tell a man who is about to be sent to the gallows that the noose he is given is the most beautiful of all ropes - you can even tie a bow on him, do you think this will have a comforting effect
Martha in the mirror opened her mouth and seemed to be about to speak, but a hoarse and noisy voice suddenly came from the flagpole not far away: "Sure! As long as the noose works, don't even think about tying a bow, you can even tie me into a bow!"
Lawrence's mouth twitched suddenly, and he turned his head to look in the direction where the sound came from - a noose hung from the tall flagpole on the bow, and Abnormal 007 was hanging himself on the noose, swinging back and forth with the swaying of the ship, looking evil and weird.
"You're not going to come down yet," Lawrence looked at the mummy hanging on the flagpole unhappily, "You've been hanging there for a whole day."
"What if it suddenly works? I feel a little sleepy just now," the mummy who hung himself on the flagpole with a noose shouted, "I'll hang for a while longer - you promised me that I can choose where to sleep."
"I promised you that you could choose a place to rest without disturbing others, but you didn't say you wanted to hang yourself on the flagpole," Lawrence glared, "I advise you to give up. Your sealing method has obviously failed. Your only choice is to follow me and report to the Lost Homeland.
"The mummy hanging on the flagpole suddenly let out an exaggerated wail, but Lawrence was in no mood to pay attention to this guy. Instead, he lowered his head again and said to the small mirror on his chest: "Do you think it will go smoothly?"
"Why are you asking me?" "Your intuition has always been sharp. You were responsible for deciding the departure date each time."
“Do you even remember this
Martha sighed, and then she smiled softly, "Don't worry so much, you have already accepted your new identity as a member of the Lost Home Fleet, and this is not your first time meeting that ship."
"That's true, but I'm really nervous." Lawrence sighed and subconsciously adjusted his collar. "Besides, the last time I met that ship, it was not worth remembering at all. That scene would be a nightmare for any ship owner."
"Think positively. At least this time the Lost Homeland won't run straight into you again." A creaking, teeth-grinding noise suddenly interrupted Martha's words.
The next second, Lawrence found that layers of dark green flames appeared out of thin air around the White Oak under his feet, followed by the roar of the engine and the violent swing caused by the sudden turn of the rudder! In the blink of an eye, the originally calm sea changed its appearance. Countless terrifying shadows as dark as ink, like hair, suddenly appeared on the blue sea surface. The sunlight in the sky also dimmed and became illusory. Thick clouds and fog fell from the sky like a huge curtain. The entire ocean was polluted by the "hair" and became dark. The mummy hanging on the flagpole screamed almost instantly. And in the shrill screams of the mummy and the exclamations of the sailors, Lawrence realized that the White Oak had been dragged into the spirit world by some powerful force-accompanied by a thrilling roar and the sudden wind and waves, a towering, blazing ship shadow rushed out of the thick fog in front!
The Lost Homeland appeared, like a blazing cliff, it rolled over this side in an overwhelming manner. The scream of Abnormal 077 almost resounded throughout the entire sea.
"It's coming, it's coming!
Damn it, it crashed into me after all!
I don't want to play anymore! I want to go home! Let me go! I want to go home!
"Ah-" Then, the bow of the Lost Homeland suddenly stopped amid the piercing scream of the "sailor"... It was less than half a meter away from the bow of the White Oak, and stopped in an incredible way.
Lawrence stood in a daze at the bow. After a long while, his eyes moved around. Then he looked up dully at the ghost ship towering before him in flames. The horrifying scene in his memory intersected with reality. He came to this position again and witnessed this doomsday-like scenery again.
The Lost Homeland was coming, and a tall figure appeared in his field of vision. Duncan Abnomer, the eternal master of the Lost Homeland, stood on the high ship's side, overlooking this side. This was the second time Lawrence had come face to face with this legendary being. Then, he heard the other party speak, and the voice was low, like a majestic thunder, "Lawrence, what the hell is going on on your ship?"