Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

The first step was to locate the detonation circuit. Among dozens of wires, she found the two key lines, one gold and one blue, both wrapped in a thick insulating layer, with an outer nano-coating to prevent electromagnetic interference and physical damage.

Mai Shude carefully used tweezers to pick out the gold and blue threads, then used a laser cutter to make small cuts at specific locations on both threads. Her movements were extremely precise, and the cut depth was just right, cutting only the insulation layer and nano-coating without damaging the internal conductors.

The next step is crucial: install a thermoelectric resistor between the gold and blue wires. This is a miniature detonator; over time, as current flows through the resistor, it slowly melts. The two wires will then short-circuit completely, causing damage. By the time the Snake Clan tries to find evidence, the thermoelectric resistor has vanished without a trace.

Mai Shude took a rice-grain-sized thermocouple from her toolbox and used a miniature soldering tool to connect it to two wires. The whole process took less than three minutes, but fine beads of sweat had already appeared on her forehead. It wasn't physical exertion, but rather a high degree of mental concentration; any mistake could cause the nuclear bomb to detonate prematurely, or trigger an alarm that would be detected by Sumeru.

"The resistor will melt in five minutes. Time for a deep-sea walk." Chip Girl reconnected the communication. "Is the work outside ready?"

“Ready.” Mai Shude checked her equipment: oxygen cylinder, safety rope, metal hook, perfluorosulfonic acid resin, and most importantly, locking agent, which was in a sealed metal tube and attached to her belt with a strong magnet.

"The call is over. Get ready at home and wait for me," Mai Shude said.

"Alright, I'll wash myself until I'm all clean and smelling nice. Don't forget to use the locking agent. It must be injected within 4 hours! Otherwise, Her Majesty the Queen will pass away and won't be able to enjoy her concubines."

"Narcissism! Goodbye!" Mai Shude turned off her headphones, but couldn't help but smile.

At a depth of 500 meters or more, radio waves are completely useless, and communication cables are barely usable. Mai Shutoku was able to make calls before because she had connected the communication cable between the Trieste and Sumeru, which allowed her to chat with Potato Chips.

But from now on, even this only remaining means of communication will be unusable, as she will have to conduct a deep-sea walk without protective gear.

Mai Shutoku took a deep breath; this was the last time she would breathe air with her lungs. Then she began the diving preparation procedure.

First, she opened the valve to the outside seawater. At first, there was only a faint sound of flowing water, but soon, seawater surged into the small space like a raging beast. Mai Shuto was prepared; she bit down on the breathing regulator and opened the valve on the oxygen cylinder. The icy seawater engulfed her, and pressure squeezed her body from all sides.

But a strange thing happened. Under the influence of the drug, her body underwent subtle changes.

The skin secretes a special mucus that forms a thin film over the bodysuit, balancing internal and external pressure. The lungs are temporarily restructured to extract oxygen directly from seawater. A transparent nictitating membrane is added to the surface of the eyes to protect them from high-pressure damage.

She activated the power of words.

It's not one of the commonly used ones, but a completely new Word of Power that can only be used after a temporary enhancement of one's bloodline: "Sea Wanderer." This Word of Power can create a small field around the body, reducing the effects of seawater pressure while enhancing mobility in the water.

Mai Shude sprang to her feet and swam out of the vent. The seawater outside was icy cold, but she quickly adjusted. She hovered beside the submersible's hull, glancing back at the space she had just been in, which was now completely filled with seawater.

The illumination from the spotlights illuminated her clearly, but she was completely invisible to those in the cockpit; she was positioned precisely in the blind spots of the observation ports. Mai adjusted her breathing regulator and then began moving along the hull of the submersible.

Although she wasn't wearing a royal robe embroidered with gold, she walked slowly atop the submersible, as if inspecting her own territory, her long, seaweed-like hair floating silently in the dark water. Her bodysuit clung tightly to her body in the deep sea, outlining breathtaking curves, its surface covered in shimmering, turquoise scales that appeared and disappeared under the spotlights, like the skin of some mysterious creature.

Her heart was beating very slowly, and a mountain-like weight pressed down on her. Walking in this place felt like walking on an alien planet with ten times the gravity of Earth in Dragon Ball. But fortunately, her enhanced bloodline and body helped her withstand the high pressure of the deep sea, and the power of her Words further reduced the effects of the pressure.

It took her about a minute to adjust to the situation before she began to execute the second step of her plan: to create an accident that would cause the air valve to malfunction.

Mai Shutoku removed the tough pressure armor from the Trieste's hull and located the air valve hidden inside. This was the Trieste's emergency vent valve, rarely used under normal circumstances, but it would automatically open in the event of a nuclear bomb detonation, releasing high-pressure gas to accelerate the Trieste's descent and ensure the nuclear bomb exploded at the predetermined depth.

She took out a quartz-encapsulated container of perfluorosulfonic acid resin from her backpack. This is the strongest solid superacid known to humankind, its acidity being trillions of times greater than concentrated sulfuric acid. Mai Shutoku applied the perfluorosulfonic acid resin to the neck of the air valve and then secured it with a special clamp. This acid would slowly corrode the metal; after about two hours, the valve's critical components would fail, but the corrosion would appear as natural aging and be difficult to detect.

After completing this step, Mai Shude lightly leaped off the top of the Trieste, sliding down the outer wall between the observation windows to the bottom of the Trieste. Here, she found the oxygen tank's connector and connected it to her own oxygen cylinder with a steel pipe.

This operation was to ensure she had a sufficient supply of oxygen for the upcoming mission. Although in theory "Siren's Song" allowed her to extract oxygen directly from seawater, that was limited, and an extra supply of oxygen would allow her to last longer.

She secured herself with metal hooks and a safety rope, then slowly lay flat on the hull of the submersible, looking around at the pitch-black world with only the monotonous beams of spotlights sweeping back and forth.

This was the first time she had ever actually seen the deep sea with her own eyes.

It's completely different from what you see through the observation window. When you're actually there, when you become part of this darkness, the feeling is both shocking and terrifying.

Above was endless darkness, below was even deeper darkness. The lights of the Trieste, like fragile flashlights, traced brief paths of light in the boundless indigo. Tiny plankton drifted by in the path of light, like dust in space. Occasionally, luminous deep-sea creatures swam by, like ghosts, fleeting and ephemeral.

Absolute silence. Not that there was no sound, but that all sounds had been absorbed, distorted, and rendered unfamiliar by the seawater. The hum of the submersible's engine, the groaning of the metal hull under pressure, and faint sounds from deeper within, like whispers or songs.

Mai Shude closed her eyes, maximizing her senses. In her enhanced state, her senses were ten times sharper. She could "hear" the sounds of fish swimming hundreds of meters away, "sense" geothermal activity thousands of meters below, and even vaguely "touch" the outline of a colossal being. Deep within the abyss, something that had slumbered for millennia was slowly awakening.

She opened her eyes, her golden pupils gleaming faintly in the darkness.

"Below lies the underworld," she whispered to herself.

Then she glanced at her diving watch; the thermoelectric resistor should have melted, the detonation circuit had burned out, and the nuclear bomb was temporarily safe. But her mission was far from over.

Her boss's instructions were clear: protect the three young men, make sure they get to the burial site, and then act as needed.

"Act according to circumstances" is a phrase bosses love to use, meaning that situations are complex and changeable, making it impossible to formulate detailed plans in advance, and one can only rely on the judgment and ability of the executor.

Mai Shude untied her safety rope, gave a gentle push, and left the submersible's outer shell. She hovered in the seawater, watching the massive metal structure slowly sink, its lights fading into the distance like a falling star.

She didn't follow immediately, but remained where she was, closed her eyes, and expanded her senses once again. This time, she no longer focused on the submersible, but on her surroundings.

Something is approaching.

It wasn't a school of fish, nor was it any common deep-sea creature. It was something larger, older, and more dangerous. She could sense changes in the water flow, subtle fluctuations in temperature, and disturbances in the bioelectric field.

More than one. At least three, approaching the submersible from different directions at different speeds.

Mai Shude opened her eyes, a dangerous smile curling at the corner of her lips.

It seems that being a wet nurse is a busier job than one might imagine.

She adjusted her oxygen supply, checked her equipment—two specially made diving knives, a high-pressure harpoon, and several small sonar jammers—and then, with a swift, arched motion, she shot towards the submersible like an arrow, leaving a trail of bubbles behind her.

In the deep sea, the hunters begin their operation.

Chapter 423 Pompeii Sent Me

Schneider watched as countless data streams flowed, holographic projection screens surrounding him like loyal servants. With a wave of his hand after processing each instruction, the old screen vanished, and new information immediately filled in.

On the surface, the on-site commander, Genjiro, was in charge of everything, but in reality, every order originated from Schneider. The permissions granted by the Black Card allowed Norma to connect with the Kaguya-hime system without any delay, making him feel as if he were on a Sumeru throne, controlling every detail of the deep sea and the surface.

Manstein sat in the corner, his notebook spread out in front of him, densely covered with writing. He wasn't a combatant; he was better at solving problems with documents and reports.

"Report on my performance," he said without looking up when Schneider asked. "Explain why I did not implement the Board of Trustees' resolution to halt the plan. The procedure was unjust, and the Disciplinary Committee could not comply."

“A bard,” Schneider said with a hint of sarcasm, “always following in the footsteps of heroes, recording their exploits.”

“Without these reports, you and the principal would have already broken ties with the board of directors.” Manstein paused writing. “However, Frost clearly knows my position, so why did the Gattuso family let you and me lead this operation, and even give you this black card? This is not like him.”

“Because the person who sent me wasn’t Frost,” Manstein said, looking up. “It was Pompeii.”

“Pompeii?” Schneider’s fingers paused on the armrest.

“School rules stipulate that only the parents can stop a task involving their children. When Caesar set off, Pompeii was in XZ in meditation. Frost sent men on horseback into the mountains and managed to get him out,” Manstein said, adjusting his glasses. “That’s why there was this contradictory situation where Pompeii first donated the Trieste and then sent me to stop the plan.”

"He specifically asked you to come?"

“I think his real purpose is to get the black card to you through me,” Manstein said, taking the black card out of his pocket. “What a strange father, seemingly indifferent to his son’s life or death.”

Schneider was silent for a moment, then his deep voice came from behind his oxygen mask: "I think Pompeii knows something. He knows what's down in the Abyss, so even if it means risking Caesar's life, he wants us to send people down."

"why?"

"Shortly after the Prince's affair, Pompeii's secretary sent over the Trieste, which we didn't need at the time," Schneider said, pulling up a record. "The deep-sea submersible was in excellent condition and ready to be used at any time. I tentatively suggested that Caesar might pilot it, and he not only didn't object but was very pleased, even requesting that the hull be painted in the shape of a Chinese dragon."

“A dragon?” Manstein frowned.

“A mark. He was telling some people: This is my man.” Schneider paused. “The Japanese branch was just as strange. They were unusually enthusiastic, investing all their resources, yet they never admitted it was a dragon embryo, only constantly demanding intelligence. The equipment department refused to send anyone to support them, but the Japanese branch, which had been hesitant, suddenly gave their full support, controlling the sea area and building a platform within two days.”

Manstein put down his pen: "It seems everyone knows the inside story, except us?"

"So I added Caesar to the diving team and appointed Genjiro as the on-site commander. He's a high-ranking member of the Snake Clan, and he can't shirk responsibility if something goes wrong." Schneider's gaze shifted to the large screen, where the embryo hatching rate remained stable at 32%.

"So far, things are going smoothly," Manstein said, glancing at the screen.

"Depth 2100 meters, Trieste is operating normally." Schneider had barely finished speaking when a piercing alarm shattered the tranquility of the control room.

Red warning signs flashed wildly on the holographic screen. On the deep-sea submersible's cross-section diagram, alarms lit up simultaneously in all three air chambers, and pressure readings plummeted.

"Air chamber leak?" Schneider jumped to his feet.

He was always on guard against deep-sea dragons, but he never expected that the equipment, which had undergone numerous inspections, would malfunction first.

Manstein also stood up, his face pale: "How could all three compartments leak at the same time?"

"EVA, analyze the cause!" Schneider commanded.

Norma's alternate personality, EVA, immediately responded: "Overload detected in the control circuit; the relays for three air valves have blown simultaneously. The abnormal current originates from the nuclear fuel monitoring system, which has an undesigned connection to the air control circuit, suspected to be a wiring error during modification."

"The modification of the Geyser Research Institute," Schneider gritted his teeth, "simulating the consequences!"

"If the leak continues, the submersible will lose all buoyancy within 12 minutes and sink in free fall. After 18 minutes, it will exceed the design depth of the hull and may disintegrate."

Manstein asked urgently, "Can it be repaired?"

“The valve needs to be closed manually by operating the mechanical linkage, which is located in watertight compartment No. 3,” EVA replied. “But the seawater in the compartment must be emptied first, a process that will take at least 5 minutes. And operating under the high pressure of the deep sea requires tremendous force.”

“Caesar can do it,” Manstein said, looking at Schneider.

Schneider didn't respond immediately. His gaze swept across the fluctuating data on the screen, then settled on the stable 32% embryo hatching rate. Everything was too coincidental: Pompeii's unusual generosity, the Japanese branch's excessive enthusiasm, the equipment department's refusal to provide support, and now, a fatal mechanical failure.

“Schneider!” Manstein urged.

“EVA, establish emergency communication and contact Caesar directly,” Schneider decided, but before pressing the call button, he turned to Manstein. “Do you think this was an accident?”

Manstein was taken aback: "You suspect it was man-made?"

“What’s the probability of all three air pods failing simultaneously? And it just so happens to happen at a depth where they can’t surface immediately,” Schneider said in a low voice. “Pompeii, the Japanese branch, even the equipment department—everyone has their own agenda. We thought we were on a mission, but perhaps…”

"Are we just pawns?" Manstein continued, a chill running down his spine. "Someone is playing chess, and we don't even know the whole chessboard."

Schneider nodded. "If there really is a mastermind behind this, it's too late now. The three of them have already submerged; we can only try to salvage the situation." He pressed the call button. "Caesar, please respond. This is the central control room of Kassel College. You are experiencing a serious malfunction."

Schneider banished all distracting thoughts. Whatever the conspiracy behind it all, the most important thing now was to bring those three young men back from the deep sea.

Far away in Tokyo Bay, on the Sumeru Throne, Genji also received a malfunction alarm.

"Master, should we inform Mr. Masamune?" a subordinate beside him asked in a low voice.

“No need,” Genjiro said. “I’ll handle it.”

He turned and walked to the porthole, gazing at the inky black sea. Under the moonlight, the water was as black as ink, its depths unfathomable. Beneath that darkness lay not only slumbering ancient dragons, but also countless untold secrets. The Snake Clan had waited far too long for this day. Whatever the cost, the plan must continue.

He pressed the button on another communication channel: "Eri, how are the preparations going?"

There was no sound from the other end of the channel, only the faint clicking of keys. A line of text appeared on the screen: "Ready."

“Very good.” Yuan Zhisheng closed the communication and looked back at the sea.

Chapter 424 The Fall

The Trieste was shaking violently, as if it might disintegrate at any moment. Caesar's face appeared unusually pale under the cold, eerie green light of the instrument panel: "The submersible has malfunctioned! Damn it! This old relic is unreliable! Sumeru! Sumeru! The pressure in watertight compartments 1, 2, and 3 has dropped simultaneously! Can you hear me?!"

Without any warning. Just seconds before, the Trieste was descending smoothly, its instruments reading normal. Suddenly, the entire Trieste seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand, jolted violently, followed by a terrifying sense of loss of control. Three of the four air chambers began to leak simultaneously, compressed air escaping wildly with a sharp, piercing shriek.

A feeling of weightlessness immediately overwhelmed them, like an elevator cable suddenly snapping—no, worse than that, as they were being dragged by endless seawater into an abyss.

"2500m, 2700m, 3000m," Chu Zihang said calmly, but at an extremely fast pace. In just one minute, they had already descended one kilometer, and their speed was still increasing.