After awakening her X-ray vision, the beautiful CEO couldn't sit still any longer.

Ye Tian looked at that spot. He knew that while caution was not wrong, sometimes being too cautious was not necessarily a good thing.

"Captain Wang is very cautious in his work," Ye Tian said, first acknowledging the value of his experience.

"But our time and the risks we face do not allow us to proceed entirely according to plan."

He walked to the sonar control panel and looked at the blurry, dangerous bulge in the echo image.

"Under current conditions, it is almost impossible to conduct manned underwater observations directly."

However, we don't have the time to remain stagnant and observe for an extended period.

We need to get through this area as soon as possible. We've already been delayed for two days in the sea of ​​clouds, and we can't afford to waste any more time.

Otherwise, if someone else finds that abandoned mine first, all our efforts will be in vain.

He turned to Wang Yuyan, their eyes meeting: "We need a compromise."

The first close-range reconnaissance mission will be conducted using an unmanned underwater vehicle.

"But underwater unmanned vehicles are very likely to go out of control," Captain Wang pointed out the key point.

"So we don't do long-term projects, nor do we expect them to come out unscathed."

Ye Tian's thoughts became exceptionally clear.

"The main task of the underwater unmanned submersible is not precision operation or sampling, but to carry specially made high-intensity lighting equipment and omnidirectional magnetic field recorder."

We set a limited task time, for example, thirty minutes.

Make it as close as possible to the target point to capture images of the seabed topography and any suspicious objects.

Simultaneously, it continuously records precise data on magnetic field, temperature, and water flow.

Ye Tian paused, then looked at Captain Wang:

"If the signal begins to weaken significantly, or the underwater drone becomes visibly out of control."

Immediately initiate the preset emergency ascent procedure, or directly sever the umbilical cable, making it a disposable detector.

Regardless of the outcome, at least we'll get firsthand information and know roughly what's going on.

How strong is the magnetic field interference, and how complex is the terrain?

This is far more valuable than simply waiting for data and making inferences.

It can also help us quickly determine whether crossing that point is worth taking a greater risk.

Ye Tian's plan was undoubtedly riskier, with a high possibility of losing the expensive underwater drone, but as he said, time was of the essence.

"I think it's entirely feasible. As long as I can transmit back the general underwater topography, I can fill in all the remaining outlines."

The equipment carried by underwater unmanned vehicles should be reinforced as much as possible.

Especially for cameras and sensors, they must be able to withstand strong magnetic field interference.

Sun Yongqiang, who had been analyzing the terrain from the map, then spoke up to support Ye Tian's approach.

"If that's the case, then let's do it this way."

Operating an underwater unmanned vehicle requires setting up a dual emergency recovery mechanism.

Captain Wang, is it technically possible to do that?

Wang Yuyan quickly replied.

Captain Wang sighed, but there was no anger in his eyes at having his opinions rejected; only a rigorous approach to his work.

"Yes, there are spare pressure hulls and shielding materials on board, so we can temporarily modify the core module."

Emergency buoyancy devices and separation latches are also standard spare parts.

Give me two hours to prepare.

He looked at Ye Tian, ​​who possessed a kind of imposing presence that belied his age.

"But Mr. Ye, Miss, I must say it again."

Even so, once the underwater unmanned vehicle goes down, our control over it will be very limited.

The transmitted images and data are likely to be intermittent, or even full of interference and noise.

This is more like a trial-and-error experiment using expensive equipment, which is very risky.

"Try and fail if you want."

Wang Yuyan made the final decision, her eyes as cold as a sudden gust of wind rising from the sea.

"Captain Wang, this is our destination."

Her slender finger pressed heavily on the center of the deep red dot on the screen.

Captain Wang said no more, turned around, picked up the walkie-talkie, and began to issue a series of instructions in a calm tone:

"Bosun, take your men to the aft deck underwater unmanned vehicle hangar for an emergency equipment inspection and pressure shielding modification."

The model is based on the C-7 design, with a focus on reinforcing the camera and sensor units, and will be completed within two hours!

Chief Engineer, keep the main engines on standby. We need to maintain a low-speed maneuver at the target point with the prevailing wind direction!

Communications officer, switch to anti-jamming data link mode and prepare to receive and log all abnormal data streams!

The atmosphere in the cockpit suddenly became busy.

Wang Yuyan then sat down at the secondary control panel and began retrieving more detailed simulation data of the target area.

It also calculates the optimal descent path of the underwater unmanned vehicle and the ocean current profiles it may encounter.

Ye Tian stood still, watching quietly without moving.

He walked to the porthole on one side of the cabin and looked outside.

The sea remained calm, and sunlight scattered countless leaping fragments of gold on the waves.

But beneath that surface of peace, an invisible magnetic field is twisting, outlining a path to an unknown abyss.

The cold, metallic shell of the unmanned underwater vehicle is about to replace human flesh and blood, probing that cursed, silent sea for the first time.

Captain Wang gave the emergency cable cut button on the main control panel one last check, his finger hovering over the red cover.

"The underwater unmanned vehicle has been modified and is in place; the umbilical cable connection is complete; and power and signal tests are normal!"

The boatswain's earnest report came through the walkie-talkie.

"Data link is stable, intermittent signal reception window is open," the communications officer reported immediately.

Wang Yuyan looked up and her eyes met Ye Tian's in mid-air.

"Begin deployment," Ye Tian said clearly.

Soon, the low hum of a heavy crane starting up and the sound of a winch turning came from the direction of the stern deck.

The winch whirred faster and faster, emitting a dull groan.

The heavy-duty underwater drone, painted a deep blue-gray, looked like a rectangular iron coffin. It was smoothly lifted by the robotic arm and moved past the stern railing.

The thick, black umbilical cable was reduced and taut by the turntable, and then it slid into the sea with a loud "plop" as the underwater drone slid into the water.

Only a few white bubbles churned on the surface of the sea before it was quickly swallowed up.

Inside the cockpit, four screens were displayed on the main screen.

The two on the left are the views from the high-intensity searchlights mounted on the underwater unmanned submersible itself.

The two on the right are sonar topographic scan and umbilical cable depth reading, respectively.

Operator Xiao Zhao sat in front of the control panel, his hands firmly gripping the joystick, his eyes fixed on the screen.

"The underwater unmanned submersible has entered the water, its attitude is stable, its depth is 30 meters, and it has begun to descend."

"Underwater visibility is acceptable, but it's rapidly decreasing due to direct sunlight." Xiao Zhao's voice was tense, revealing professional focus.

The scene initially features a murky blue-green body of water churned up by the lights, with countless plankton and bubbles dancing wildly in the beams of light.

The shadow of the ship gradually receded, and the sunlight was quickly filtered into a thin, ethereal blue.

The underwater unmanned submersible sank steadily, like a falling stone.

The depth of the numbers jumps: 50 meters, 80 meters, 120 meters...

The light dimmed very quickly, and soon the surroundings turned into a thick, inky darkness.

Only two beams of light, like two sharp swords piercing the void, illuminated the suspended particles and occasionally startled schools of fish within a dozen meters ahead of the underwater unmanned submersible.

"160 meters deep, close to the first layer of magnetic field disturbance zone."

Captain Wang stared at the magnetometer readings, and the curve began to show high-frequency fluctuations.

Wang Yuyan stood behind Xiao Zhao, her fingers rapidly swiping across the tablet, comparing the real-time data transmitted by the underwater drone with the previously simulated path map.

"Maintain a slight course adjustment, turn right five degrees, and avoid the predicted ocean current shear layer on the left."

Following instructions, Xiao Zhao operated the underwater unmanned submersible smoothly turned in the darkness.

When the depth reading jumped to "178" meters, the edge of the relatively flat area on the sonar screen appeared about fifty meters in front of the underwater unmanned vehicle.

The sonar echoes outlined a clear contour, revealing a nearly regular, plateau-shaped area that stood out starkly against the surrounding rugged underwater mountains.

"Sweep the light over there," Wang Yuyan commanded.

Xiao Zhao controlled the gimbal of the underwater unmanned submersible, and the beam of light moved slowly, sweeping across the dark seabed below like a stage spotlight.

The sight that the beam of light captured made everyone hold their breath.

"Oh my god, what is that?"

That wasn't an underwater mountain range, nor was it ordinary shipwreck debris.

It looked like an incredible underwater ruin!

On that relatively flat ground, rows of buildings stand.

They are scattered at different heights, and most of them are broken or severely corroded.

However, the basic shape can still be vaguely discerned: the bottom is a columnar object that may be more than one meter in diameter.

Some remain upright, while many more have tilted and fallen, deeply embedded in the seabed sediments.

The surface of the column is not smooth, but covered with a thick layer of marine organism shells and rust.

However, under strong light, some sections that had shed their attachments reflected a cold, hard luster similar to steel.

The light moved along the surface of a fairly intact column.

You can see that the above features are not naturally formed, but rather regular horizontal ring-shaped protrusions and grooves.