Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

The 180-meter-high dam rises abruptly from the river surface, stretching across the steep canyons on both sides, cutting the entire Yangtze River in half.

The gray-white floodgates stand in a row, resembling fossilized ribs of some giant beast embedded in the mountain.

Looking up from the deck of the ship, the crane on the top of the dam is faintly visible in the clouds.

It's like the preparation scene before the Jaegers launch in Pacific Rim.

Before the preparations for the operation were completed, everyone was able to view the entire Three Gorges Dam.

"My God." Lu Mingfei pushed his sunglasses up to his forehead, tilting his neck back at a dangerous angle.

"Was this really built by humans?"

"A reinforced concrete gravity dam, construction began in 1994 and it was fully completed in 2006." Chu Zihang stood on the ship's side, answering Lu Mingfei's question as if it were an encyclopedia entry.

"The dam is over 2,300 meters long, with a maximum height of 181 meters and a normal water level of 175 meters."

"I've seen it in the documents."

"The information didn't tell you what it feels like to stand below and look down," Caesar said, getting up from the sun lounger beside him.

His blond hair was blown back by the river wind, and his eyes narrowed into slits as he stared at the giant gray wall that cut the sky in two.

Caesar's right hand unconsciously caressed the hilt of the Dicketto hunting knife at his waist, his thumb repeatedly scraping the Gattuso family crest at the end of the hilt.

This is a small gesture he only makes when he's nervous.

Nono stepped out from the bow of the boat, holding a waterproof camera, and took a few pictures of the dam.

Today, she tied her long red hair into two braids, which hung down in front of her chest, making her look like the heroine of some adventure movie.

Especially the two modified Berettas she wore on her waist, which made her even more like Lara Croft, the female protagonist of Tomb Raider.

"Stop daydreaming, the equipment department's submersible is almost ready." Chen Motong tilted his head towards the stern of the ship.

At the stern, the six-spherical cockpit is connected to a central power core via articulated robotic arms, making the whole thing look like a metal octopus.

"What does 'please fill in the beneficiary' mean?" Lu Mingfei asked, pointing to the sign on the submersible.

"Literal meaning." Shen Jue stood up from the sun lounger, took off his sunglasses, and changed his lace shorts into a one-piece wetsuit.

"Most of the equipment in the Kassel College equipment department has a self-destruct function, which they say is to prevent technology leaks."

"Self-destruct?" Lu Mingfei's mouth dropped open in exaggerated surprise.

Even with his current physical strength, he could still be completely destroyed if he encountered a high-yield explosive.

"Don't worry, the blast radius has been precisely calculated, just enough to turn the people in the cockpit into ashes."

"But it won't hurt the teammates around you," Shen Jue said, patting Lu Mingfei on the shoulder.

"This is their understanding of 'minimizing friendly fire'."

Lu Mingfei patted his head, seemingly unconvinced by Shen Jue's words of comfort.

Fingel was the last to get up from the sunchair. He stretched, but his attention was drawn to the Three Gorges Dam.

Old Tang was the last to get up. Apart from exchanging a few words with Shen Jue and Lu Mingfei, he seemed out of place with the others.

The foreign mercenary hired by the Dragonblood Family from the United States was wearing a faded military green jacket.

He was also carrying a canvas bag that looked at least ten years old.

Old Tang stood in front of the submersible, looking left and right, his expression like that of an American soldier bravely facing death.

"Is this thing safe?" Old Tang asked in English with a heavy southern accent.

"The safest suicide device in all of Kassel College," Kaiser replied in English, his face expressionless.

Shen Jue and six others entered the diving device one after another.

Thanks to Shen Jue's guidance, Lu Mingfei is now very curious about the dragon clan relics buried at the bottom of the river.

The cockpits of the seven submersibles were sealed one after another, and dark red indicator lights lit up inside.

Shen Jue heard the voice of Deputy Director Karl on the special communication channel provided by the Equipment Department.

The man, whom the principal of Angers called "the most logical person in this mental hospital," is checking his list of personal alchemy equipment, which he is very proud of.

And a pre-dive inspection checklist for dragon's breath bottles and extra-large caliber special bullets.

Shen Jue listened while placing her hands on the control lever.

Through the spherical glass canopy of the cockpit, he felt excited about the adventure that was about to unfold.

"The Kassel Seven, prepare to dive," Shen Jue said calmly.

"Brother Shen, something's not right," Lu Mingfei suddenly said.

"Why are there McDonald's and other fast food restaurants in our submersible?"

Shen Jue laughed and said, "This is just a necessary offering to commemorate that legendary figure."

"If you don't have some kind of cheat code, you'll probably end up like that guy who elbowed the river."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, having grown accustomed to Shen Jue's slight neuroticism.

Seven submersibles simultaneously activated their thrusters, and the silver-gray metallic octopus slowly sank into the river.

Thirty meters underwater.

Sunlight can also penetrate the water's surface, forming a shimmering golden film overhead.

Shen Jue could see the thrusters from the other six cockpits leaving six trails of bubbles in the emerald green water.

Sixty meters underwater.

The light began to dim, and the gold turned grayish-blue, then dark blue.

Through the glass canopy of the cockpit, the world above the water was no longer visible.

All I could see was a blurry, bright area overhead, like an old fluorescent sticker forgotten on the ceiling.

Ninety meters underwater.

This location is now basically out of the sunlight's reach.

Without the aid of light, looking down, there is only pure darkness and nothingness.

As for the deeper parts, they are mostly deathly silent.

The submersible's searchlight beam can only illuminate the water about ten meters ahead; beyond that, the light is scattered by suspended silt and plankton, turning the area into a murky, dark green.

Occasionally, something would slip past the edge of the beam of light.

A fish whose name is unknown, or a piece of dead wood washed down by the current, or something even more indescribable.

There were even strangely shaped creatures, which didn't look like normal fish, swaying in the dark.

Upon seeing those creatures, Caesar became convinced that deep within the riverbed, there might very well be remnants of the dragon race.

Due to the influence of the dragon relics, the appearance of these aquatic creatures has begun to deviate from the scope of conventional biology.

They began to transform into dragon-like creatures.

"Depth 120 meters, water temperature 11 degrees Celsius, water pressure 12 atmospheres." Chu Zihang's voice came through the communication channel, as calm and collected as ever.

"The sonar detected abnormal terrain fifty meters below."

"Unusual terrain?" Caesar asked.

"A dragon clan relic is actually hidden next to a major national water conservancy project."

"We found out?"

"That thing... seems a bit too big." Chu Zihang paused, as if confirming the sonar reading.

"It's like a cluster of buildings; it doesn't look like it was formed naturally at all."

"Maybe we'll find the dragon's remains on our first dive," Shen Jue said.

"So many of us high-blooded hybrids were suddenly sucked into Nibelungen, the ruins of the dragon race."

"That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the communication channel, then Chen Motong whistled.

The whistle sounded slightly distorted by the distortion of the electricity, but the celebratory meaning was still accurately conveyed to everyone.

"Commander Shen, are you sure it's a dragon relic?"

"It sounds to me like the ruins of some ancient water conservancy project, filtered through layers of fantasy by those idiots on the board..."

Chen Motong's voice stopped abruptly.

In that brief moment, everyone seemed to have been transported to another world.

A dazzling, colorful glow appeared underwater.

The radiance illuminated a massive crystal complex hidden at the bottom of the river.

The magnificent ancient architectural complex left everyone speechless.