National destiny: Starting with a coffin, building an aircraft carrier is broadcast live globally.

I briefly explained what happened to everyone.

of course,

The injured part has been omitted.

"This pool is bottomless, and we don't know where it leads."

Everyone gathered around and peered inside.

really,

Under the warm light of the corona stone, one can see deep into the rock, at least ten meters deep, before turning a corner. The rock face doesn't look man-made; some crevices have white and gold mineral crystals growing out of them.

"It is indeed fresh water."

Klaus dipped his hand into the pool and felt it for a while, then drew a conclusion.

"It's so cold, it must be groundwater, right?"

"I can use a flexible material to make a test device for water depth..."

Except when fighting, Ivan never entertains any ulterior motives, and he finds Klaus's constant probing and analysis tedious.

"That would be such a waste of time."

He stretched his muscles and bones.

Then I put my worries on the ground.

"Why don't I just go down and take a look?"

"Wait—" The arbitrary voice of protest came a step too late.

Ivan dove into the pool with a swift and stylish move, displaying professionalism, especially the splash...

There was no splash at all.

Because he got stuck 〒▽〒

Most of his body was submerged in the pool, and after a few seconds of stillness, his feet began to thrash helplessly.

"..."

"..."

Klaus slapped his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.

Aurora wanted to laugh but felt it wasn't appropriate, so she covered her mouth.

"Ugh... glug glug... glug..." came Ivan's indistinct cries from underwater, accompanied by a string of bubbles.

Renyi and Klaus each grabbed one of his legs.

After a great deal of effort, they finally managed to pull the human-shaped plug out.

[Haha, the physique of the Russian athletes is terrifying!]

Even a double-door refrigerator deserves a respectful "big brother" title.

[A Russian audience member: I can't laugh, my blood pressure is rising.]

[Thank you, we're fine (눈_눈)]

[Wait a minute, the boss's injury healed on its own?]

[You're so oblivious! This has happened so many times already! Why bother?]

"This lousy pool... is too narrow..." Ivan complained, stretching his shoulders where he was stuck.

"At least we know this path is impassable for someone your size," Klaus rolled his eyes, full of disdain.

Ren ignored the two clowns.

Ivan's inability to go down doesn't mean he can't go down.

However, without the necessary diving equipment, it's best not to act rashly.

We'll investigate why a creature like the "Lord of Desire" appeared in this pool after we've resolved the problems on the ground.

"Let's go back first."

......

On the ground, it was nearly dusk.

Jiro Sato finished a tedious day of work and crawled out of the hole that the cave dwellers had dug for them at the beginning.

With his current efficiency, he can now easily doubling his daily output, let alone 500g!

He stretched, and his stomach growled in protest.

Yoshi,

It's time to eat!

However, when he looked around, it was quiet; there wasn't a soul in sight, and the campfire was out.

What about people?

He ran to the tree at the aerial camp, circled it twice, then climbed up again, but it wasn't there.

The cave dwellers and cave monsters should be staying in their caves, and Renyi is always running around, but Ivan, the engineer, and the nun should be under the tree!

"Mr. Ivan? Miss Aurora?"

He tried calling out twice, but only the rustling of the wind through the trees answered him.

Jiro Sato's heart skipped a beat; his first thought was that he had been abandoned.

But this idea was quickly rejected—

Given his arbitrary style of doing things, if he makes a mistake or becomes useless, he will most likely be directly "decomposed" rather than being silently abandoned like this.

So, it's more like...

The group is going out!

Did they go out to set up a trap?

Probably.

He thought about it and decided to go into the woods to see if he could help in any way, and also to show his enthusiasm.

Sato Jiro rubbed his hands together eagerly and then plunged into the woods at the edge of the camp.

The light in the woods grew dimmer; the setting sun had taken away the remaining warmth, and the air became chilly.

He hadn't gone far.

I tripped over a vine that was almost blending into the ground and nearly fell flat on my face.

Looking down, a cold sweat broke out on my back.

The other end of the vine...

A row of sharpened wooden stakes, cleverly hidden in low bushes, if he had taken a slightly larger step...

He dared not imagine any further, only feeling a chill on his ankles.

This is no joke!

He then walked even slower, hunching over and silently praying that he would hear Ivan's loud voice the next second.

His entire focus was on observing those terrifying traps.

He didn't realize he was straying further and further off course, and gradually all that remained around him were the sound of his own footsteps and heavy breathing.

Until the trees become denser,

He seems... lost?!

Jiro Sato stopped and looked around blankly.

"sand......"

There was a very faint sound behind me, like something gently stepping on fallen leaves.

He turned around abruptly, but there was nothing there.

"It's the wind, it's the wind..." He swallowed hard, muttering to himself to reassure himself.

But the feeling of being watched still crept up my spine and up to the top of my head, and the few horror movies I'd watched were now playing in my mind on repeat.

Sato Jiro's legs trembled uncontrollably as a strong urge to urinate surged up.

He looked around.

He found a sturdy tree, turned his back to the deep forest, and with trembling hands, unbuckled his belt. Just as he let out a long sigh—

"Jiro Sato?"

A deep, calm male voice drifted down from not far overhead.

The main force has been found!

Sato Jiro was secretly delighted. Before his mind could process it, he instinctively stood at attention.

"Hi!"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he froze on the spot.

That sound...

Not arbitrarily, not Ivan, and not Klaus!

"Hey, hey! You, you've mistaken me for someone else!"

He hurriedly pulled up his pants, looking around as he loudly denied it in a strange accent.

"Splash—!"

Something covered in vines and leaves slid down from a branch of a nearby tree and landed silently.

That was a man wearing a homemade ghillie suit.

He straightened up and pulled down his hood, revealing a cold, serious face with deep-set features.

Sato Jiro's legs started trembling again, much to his dismay.

Isn't that Jack Morrison from America?!

"It seems you don't know how to handle unexpected situations, Sato."

Although they had never met, Morrison's tone was as calm and familiar as if he were chatting with an old friend, only his blue eyes were devoid of any warmth.

"But it's okay."

He took a step closer, looking down at Sato Jiro, whose face was ashen. "Let me remind you."

"I believe your upline has already told you this."

"Remember? Now is the time for you to serve the Empire... and for our common good."

"..."