With the low roar coming from the pressure tank, the submersible passed the inverted and decaying world and continued to dive towards the more unknown and terrifying abyss.
The tentacles hanging from the bottom of the city-state and the huge pale eyeball disappeared completely in the beam of light from the searchlight. The vast and boundless dark water filled the porthole again. Only the occasional flashes of light emerging from the depths of the darkness (those were reflective bubbles or floating objects) reminded Duncan that he was in a submersible sailing in the sea, not floating in the vast and helpless space.
But he couldn't help but have some strange associations: if he only looked at it from the perspective of "the unknown and hidden horror", what was the difference between the empty universe and the dark deep sea filled with billions of tons of sea water
The steam core drove the propulsion device, a low noise came from the machinery compartment, and a series of pressure gauges occasionally hissed, indicating the current operating status of the submersible. Duncan slowed down the sinking speed to avoid the drastic pressure changes from damaging the hull, then he turned his head and looked at the gatekeeper who was standing silently beside him.
"Agatha, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm wondering... did the pioneers who carried out the Abyss Project actually see what we saw?" Agatha said hesitantly, "The truth beneath the city-state, the unspeakable corpses, the tentacles and eyeballs drooping toward the deep sea... Before the entire plan went out of control, during the dives, was there really no one who looked back out of curiosity - or even recklessness - to take a look at 'down there'?"
Aga didn't say anything for a while, but in his mind he was recalling the secrets he had heard from Tirian that were not related to the Abyss Project.
Even General Han Shuang, who was once trusted by the male king, seemed to know the whole plan of Qianyuan. Has anyone really discovered the truth above the city-state? Or... the truth that is too terrible has been buried like the secret in the boiling gold mine
"Perhaps, no one really looked back, but what we saw was destined to be recorded," Aga said in a heavy voice before a few seconds of silence. "He is the protector of the city-state. He understands the truth better than you do."
"...Many people will go crazy," Qu Yuesha said quickly, "Even if they are not affected by the power in the deep sea, just one terrible fact is enough to trigger nightmares and panic in a small area. Then, the nightmares and panic will materialize and may have unpredictable connections with the reality above the city-state. In the most terrible situation...it may come back to life."
Only this glimmer was slightly brighter and paler.
People, densely packed "people", floating in that dark, icy water!
one person.
Qu Yuesha "saw" it instantly—the outline of this human figure suddenly appeared in your field of vision, emitting a faint glow just like the other people you saw under the surface.
There was a humming sound of mechanical operation coming from inside the submersible. The searchlight in the porthole quickly turned its direction in the pitch-white, pushing back the propeller to rotate and adjust the direction of the submersible.
Finally, nothing appeared in the light in the porthole.
At this moment, the "bang bang" sound coming from under the inner shell of the submersible kept reminding Duncan Sha: facing the pressure of billions of tons of sea water, it is actually as strong as paper, which will cause the inner shell to collapse. Apart from the toughness of the steel itself, there is only a delicate balance under its physical structure.
“Boom.”
A thing that looks like a human figure.
Of course, it is not as obedient and useless as the Lost Hometown. The spiritual machine can at least feedback some rigid and powerful perception signals, but that is enough.
Duncansa immediately noticed the unusual noise: "No sound again... Is the inner shell deforming as well?"
After all, even if the spiritual fire allows me to sense the status of the machine more clearly, I still have to do the specific operations myself.
"But the people under Tirian also know how to do it, including the engineers who can read the blueprints," Aga shrugged and continued, "We can only tell you what the levers are for based on the blueprints, but before we understand the function of each lever, our "driving level" is actually the same as yours. Whether anyone can drive it or has driven it before, that thing was built by the archons of the Frost City-State, and its operation method is completely different from these submersibles seventy years later, and the people who really understand it are still alive, that is not the fact."
Aga didn't care about Duncansha's reaction, and my attention had not yet returned to the driving work behind me.
And at that moment, a knocking sound suddenly came from the hull -
"It's like... something else."
At this moment, a strange, abrupt, high-pitched "bang" sound suddenly sounded in the submersible, interrupting the thoughts of Duncan Sha and me.
Duncan Sha was instantly startled by the sound. She looked up in astonishment: "Did you hear any sound? It seems like no one is knocking inside..."
Duncansa felt the flow of flames.
I paused and looked up at the joystick in my hand and the control panel behind me.
"At most, you will tell the news that is too unimpressive to anyone, because the intense lives of a few people will inevitably be disturbed by it, but he should not have heard a word - he knows its existence, it is already a part of his earthly destiny.
You let out a loud exclamation: "Ah!"
"Mortals live in a sea of white darkness filled with horrors, and even the ground they stand on is built under twisted and grotesque corpses. Agility and blindness are the only graces that all living beings have, which allow a small number of special people to stay away from these crazy truths. In a small number of cases, as long as the truth is discovered, it will always retreat into your real world, but the key to the problem is that there will always be "most of the cases." "
"Law of Normal and Abnormality, Article 7," Duncansha nodded and said, "Whatever is known can be erased. The truth above the city-state has not yet appeared behind your eyes, and the connection in fate has not yet been established. Sooner or later, you will deal with it again."
Qu Yuesha: “…Ah?”
The trickling spiritual fire even makes you feel a little dangerous in the deep, dark and icy seabed.
"Are you unfamiliar?" Qu Yue turned her head slightly, "But in fact, you can drive - at least you will still be able to after today."
This sound sounded like something was hitting the inner shell of the submersible.
"······You want to announce your findings?"
Tiny green flames moved between the gears and connecting rods, sacred steam and grease soaked the simple huge machine, and the glow of the spiritual fire filled the steam and grease.
It was a completely different kind of terror from facing heretical evil gods, strange phenomena, and natural disasters.
······It is called “Natural Law”.
Flames fill the steel and oil around you, fill the hissing steam and gears, and flow like blood inside that spiritual machine. Like the flames flowing in your body, the seven resonate faintly.
Duncan seemed to be relieved a little, but she still didn't look nervous.
In the deep sea of Youyin Ocean, nearly a thousand meters deep, right above the Frost City-State, a person suddenly floated out of the porthole of the submersible. The impact of that scene was almost less than that of the forest of tentacles seen at the bottom of the city-state later, and the pale and huge eyeball between the tentacles!
I had a vague feeling that nothing had really hit the inner shell of the submersible, but it had been knocked down from above.
It was short and turbid, as if it had hit something, and was vaguely similar to the "knocking sound" coming from the hull afterwards.
Qu Yue smiled and shook his head before noticing your reaction: "But you have at least two advantages over us. First, you don't have to worry about danger. Even if the situation is serious, you can return safely. Seventh
Ajia was also startled by the sudden sound, but he quickly glanced at the instruments behind the console, frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice: "That should be the water pressure - the huge pressure of the sea water is causing the inner shell of the submersible to deform slightly. There is no need to worry, it is an abnormal situation, and it is within the design value."
Even Aga's eyes narrowed instantly and he almost shouted "Oh shit"!
The steam core is like a powerful heart, obeying every command of Aga.
In that place far away from the civilized world, the blessing of the gods has declined, and the power of the individual has become too heavy. An increasingly wide "gap" is constructed between the icy laws of physics and the unknown fate. In the gap is survival, in the gap are corpses, and the only thing that can be relied on in between is... a layer of steel spherical shell.
Perhaps it was out of relaxation, or perhaps the silence and the sounds in the submersible made the atmosphere seem too depressing. Duncansha was looking for a topic before she was silent for a few seconds. You watched Qu Yue operate the levers and cranks: "You have no talent in operating the machine - you originally thought that you would ask Archon Tirian to send an engineer who knows how to drive, but you didn't expect that your operation was so unfamiliar.
Qu Yue nodded heavily and said nothing less.
You raised your head slightly, as if to salute Aga.
Then, as the submersible adjusted its position and swept its lights, a more bizarre, terrifying, and even horrifying scene appeared in the vision of Aga and Duncansa.
"Seventh, those machines are quite obedient in your hands."
Diving in the dark sea is an unprecedented experience. Even as a gatekeeper with little power, you can't help but feel a sense of power and responsibility in your heart, and that feeling is unimaginable on the safe surface.
There is a way. When I was forced to take the wheel of the Lost Hometown, I had never driven a boat before. I haven't adapted to the pace of life where "I know how to do it but I have to go ahead and do it anyway"...
Duncansa opened her mouth, as if she suddenly knew what to say.
Qu Yue suddenly frowned and put his hand under another pull rod next to him.