Chapter 87 Kuimen Plan
Lu Mingfei stood on the deck of the Moniah. Before his eyes was a suffocating darkness. The rainstorm pierced the night sky like countless sharp arrows, hitting the hull with a harsh sound.
The strong wind brought cold rain which slapped on his face. The icy rain seeped into his collar along his neck, and the chill penetrated his heart. The Moniach was rising and falling with difficulty on the rough river, as if struggling for survival in the dark abyss. The xenon lamps on the bow faintly penetrated the rain curtain, illuminating only a few meters in front of the ship, adding a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
After he passed the 3E exam, he didn't even have time to attend the welcome lunch for freshmen before Angers dragged him to Changjiang, China to participate in the so-called Kuimen Plan.
"It's raining so hard, do you still want to go into the water?" Lu Mingfei asked Ye Sheng and Jiude Aki who were standing nearby wearing diving suits.
Ye Sheng's bright and cheerful face was covered with an excited smile, and he adjusted his equipment flexibly with his hands, and gave Lu Mingfei a thumbs up from time to time. "Don't worry, we are professionally trained." His tone was relaxed and confident, and the Japanese girl Shude Aki next to him smiled gently, her smile revealed a bit of calmness and gentleness.
Ye Sheng has the image of a cheerful and sunny person, while Shude Aki conforms to the stereotype of Japanese girls, such as the Yamato Nadeshiko. Lu Mingfei has a good impression of both of them. It was they who conducted the admission interview for him. At that time, they were the interviewers, and he was a timid student.
At this time, a hurried report came from the cab.
"Captain, we have received a signal from the Yangtze River Navigation Maritime Safety Administration that the storm will continue in the second half of the night, with wind speeds increasing to level ten and rainfall reaching 200 mm. There will be rare rainstorms, possibly accompanied by thunderstorms, and we are required to return immediately." The third mate, who was wearing headphones, looked nervous, and there was a hint of uneasiness in his report.
The captain of the Moniach and the person in charge of this project, Professor Mans Rundstedt, stood in the cockpit with calmness and decisiveness in his eyes.
"Reply to them that our ship has a deep draft and such a storm is not enough to affect us, so they don't need to worry." His tone was firm, not affected by the weather at all.
At this point, Professor Mans remembered something and said to Lu Mingfei.
"You don't have to worry. The Moniach is a warship disguised as a tugboat. Even a Category 12 storm cannot affect it."
Hearing Professor Mans' words, Lu Mingfei frowned and said, "Can't we wait until tomorrow when the storm is less severe before diving?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the tumbling river water outside the window. There seemed to be unknown dangers hidden beneath the inky black water surface. He didn't think it was a good idea to dive in such a storm.
But unexpectedly, Professor Mans refused without even thinking about it. "No, not only us, but there are two other groups also exploring this area. One of them is funded by a private foundation and plans to explore a newly discovered underwater tomb. I suspect they are tomb robbers. They had planned to dive today but postponed it because of the storm."
"There is another group of people whose identities are so mysterious that even Norma hasn't figured them out. I got news that they may have dived before us, and their purpose may be the same as ours, so we must hurry."
Lu Mingfei wanted to persuade him again, but at this time a Latin American beauty raised her head from the surveillance screen and looked at him with interest.
Her facial features were delicate and cool, her skin was slightly bronzed, and her eyes were sharp. "Oh, junior, you are quite compassionate. The rumored 'murderous devil' turns out to have a kind heart." She laughed jokingly.
"Did you really kill all the members of the Student Union and the Lionheart Society on Freedom Day?" Her words were full of curiosity.
Lu Mingfei felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by the Latin American beauty. He turned his face slightly away. He was too lazy to respond to such a boring question.
"Okay, Selma, stop chatting." Professor Mans interrupted her impatiently and turned to Ye Sheng and Yaji and said, "Prepare to dive."
With the assistance of the crew, the two tied the communication cables around their waists, checked their diving equipment, and jumped into the turbulent river separately.
Selma, who was originally planning to chat with Lu Mingfei for a few more words, immediately turned her head and stared at the green dots representing the two of them on the screen.
After seeing Ye Sheng and Aji go into the water, Lu Mingfei also went into the cabin and changed into a diving suit. Although his swimming skills were not as good as Ye Sheng and Aji who were also going into the water, they were not bad either, so he would be a substitute team member and go into the water to support the two at any time.
After putting on his diving suit, he crossed his legs and held the huge German sword. The blade glowed coldly under the dim cabin light. He gently wiped the sword and felt the familiar weight. This was what he asked Ange to bring over.
Although the Moniach is a warship, it does not carry many weapons. Moreover, if it is to fight underwater, the power of the gun will undoubtedly be much smaller. This cold weapon has become his greatest reliance. With the giant sword in his hand, he seems to be able to gain some psychological comfort and strength from it.
As time passed, the wind and rain became more violent, and the uneasiness in Lu Mingfei's heart surged like a tide, as if foreshadowing some impending disaster.
………………
In the dark waters a few hundred meters away from the Moniach, four people in black diving suits floated quietly. Their diving equipment was as black as ink, blending into the night.
"Elder Hornlohe, according to intelligence, Norton's Bronze City is right below here, and Snake has also detected a large amount of metal forty meters underground." One of the divers reported in a cold tone.
There was no communication line between them, and they all relied on the word snake of one of the hybrids to transmit information.
Hornlohe nodded, his expression as cold as a stone sculpture, his eyes fixed on the dark depths under the water. "Harold, get ready to wake up all the surviving dragon servants below." His voice was low and cold, with an irresistible pressure.
He and Moreno both attached great importance to this operation, so he personally led the team to China and was the first to go into the water before Kassel College launched the submarine exploration.
"Yes, elder." A burly man heard Hornlohe's order and quickly dived to the bottom of the water. His hands were placed on the mud at the bottom of the river. His pupils suddenly glowed with brilliant golden light, and a powerful force surged in his body.
Word Spirit·Dividing the Mountain
The effect of splitting the mountain is to cause tremors or ground fissures in geologically unstable areas.
The bottom of the water began to shake violently, as if a sleeping beast was awakened. The ground began to crack, and a huge crack quickly spread in all directions. The ground continued to collapse, and millions of tons of river water rushed into the crack, bringing up countless mud and gravel. The underwater world instantly became chaotic and dangerous.
…………
On the Moniah, everyone felt the sudden shaking, as if the hull was violently pulled by an invisible hand. The third mate reported hastily: "Captain! The Yangtze River Navigation Maritime Safety Administration just notified us that a magnitude 5 underwater earthquake occurred under the water!"
But Professor Mans ignored him and shouted into the communicator, "Ye Sheng! Aki! Come up quickly!"
But there was only a crackling sound of electricity coming from the communication equipment, and even the two small green dots on the screen representing Ye Sheng and Yaji disappeared. They lost contact with Ye Sheng and Yaji.
Selma looked at the screen with a pale face, Professor Mance's face also showed a painful expression, and the other crew members also showed more or less anxious looks.
Lu Mingfei also frowned and looked at the screen. He didn't expect that before he even saw the dragon, the Kuimen plan would fail because of an underwater earthquake.
"I'll go into the water to find them." Lu Mingfei said. Although the effect of the kamaitachi would be weakened underwater, it did not mean that it could not be used. As long as Ye Sheng and Aki were still alive, he would be confident that he could bring them both back.
However, just as he was about to act, Ye Sheng's voice suddenly came from the communication device.
"Captain, this is Ye Sheng and Aki. They are in good condition and not injured. We are communicating through snakes now, and we have discovered Norton's Bronze City, a city made entirely of bronze."
Professor Mans felt ecstatic when he heard the voice coming from the communication equipment.
"Ye Sheng, Yaji, you guys hurry up and surface. There may be aftershocks soon, and you are running low on oxygen." Professor Mans shouted into the communication device.
"But professor, the gate of this bronze city is open. We don't know if someone has entered in advance or if they are welcoming us. We apply to continue exploring."
Ye Sheng and Yaji looked at the open bronze gate in the distance and were somewhat unwilling to go back so easily as they were already close to their destination.
After hearing Ye Sheng's words, Professor Mans hesitated. He remembered what Norma had reported before, that a group of people had set sail earlier than them, but they did not see another ship along the way, which made him a little uneasy. Moreover, if they could not complete the task today, when the group of tomb robbers went into the water tomorrow, the secret of the dragon clan might be made public.
"I understand. You wait for me down there. I'll replace your equipment and oxygen, and get you some weapons. You may meet other people in there, so protect yourself. But you only have two hours, so you must get back to the ship within two hours no matter what."
Professor Mans hesitated for a long time and finally agreed to Ye Sheng and Aki's request.
…………"Elder, is this the palace of the King of Bronze and Fire?" The diver who used the snake was amazed as he felt the information sent back by the snake.
"What an incredible creation, worthy of being the King of Bronze and Fire that represents the pinnacle of alchemy technology."
Hohenlohe couldn't help but marvel at the magnificent bronze city in front of him. Although the palace of their Presbyterian Church was also very majestic, it was still far from this city built entirely with alchemical technology.
He could feel that this city contained a huge amount of living spirits, or rather, this city was a huge living spirit that was just falling asleep.
"Let's go. Since the owner of this city has not woken up yet, let's wake up this city." Hohenlohe said as he took the lead in swimming towards the gate of the Bronze City. When he swam to the gate, he took out a quartz tube filled with black-red blood from the pocket of his diving suit.
The blood in it is Moreno's blood. After Moreno walked the path to becoming a god, his bloodline was already comparable to some second-generation species. Now, after so many years of refinement, his body even shows obvious signs of dragonization. No one knows how much human blood is left in his blood.
Hohenlohe poured the blood on the relief on the bronze door, which showed a huge human face, more than three meters tall, with a green face, fangs, and twisted in pain.
After the blood poured onto the relief, the relief, which had its eyes closed, actually opened its eyes. The dark red blood was absorbed by the relief, and the painfully twisted Lian actually showed a happy expression.
Soon, the huge human face opened its mouth and turned into a huge hole. Hornlohe could hear the sound of mechanical structure operating from inside the hole.
"Moreno's blood can only partially restore the functioning of this Bronze City? It seems that only Norton himself can revive the entire Bronze City."
Only a faint sound of gears was heard in the Bronze City of Hohenlohe. He was a little surprised, because he knew how concentrated Moreno's bloodline was. But he quickly put this matter behind him and swam in with the others.
After all, the purpose of their trip was not to activate the Bronze City, but to awaken the dragon servant left inside by Norton.
…………
"Report to the Moniach, this bronze city seems to be still in operation. I don't know if it has been running for a thousand years or it has just been opened by someone." Ye Sheng looked at something like a gear slowly turning in the corridor inside the bronze city.
The bronze walls were covered with complex alchemical symbols. Faint light occasionally flickered out from the symbols, illuminating the way forward for them. The city exuded an ancient and dangerous atmosphere, as if it had awakened.
The images he saw were transmitted to the Moniach through the camera just sent down by Professor Mans.
Everyone on the Moniach stared at the images being transmitted back intently, even Lu Mingfei was no exception. This was a true encounter with another great civilization and the truth of history.
"Ye Sheng, Yaji, take your weapons. You may meet other people later. Don't hold back. Protecting yourself is your first priority."
Professor Mans realized that someone had entered the bronze city before them, but at this time they could not let Ye Sheng and Aki surface.
This was their first time coming into contact with a dragon king's lair, and the things inside could very well subvert the entire hybrid society, so they must not let anyone else get to the things inside first.
"Understood! Understood!" Ye Sheng and Yaji said in unison, then grabbed the APS underwater assault rifle that Professor Mans had just taken down and became extremely vigilant.
They initially prepared the SPP-1 underwater pistol. However, Professor Mans realized the danger of this mission and took out the APS underwater assault rifle that he had prepared earlier.
"Do you want me to go down and support them?" Lu Mingfei's bad feeling became stronger and stronger. Every time this bad feeling came over him, he would meet a strong opponent.
"No need, wait until something happens before you go down." Professor Mans said. Although Ange arranged Lu Mingfei to participate in this operation, he still didn't trust this freshman. What could a freshman who had not received any training do?
Lu Mingfei frowned when he heard what Mance said, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he stood at the bow holding the German giant sword.
He closed his eyes, and the fairy in the wind carried all the sounds around him into his ears. Just as he said, he had a good impression of Ye Sheng and Aki, and if possible he would try to save them.
…………
"Elder, it should be just ahead. The snake has already sensed the fear." The diver known as the Spirit Snake said, pointing to a huge cave-like place ahead.
They had now reached a place without water. Hohenlohe walked towards the cave, and another diver beside him also walked forward and took out a flare gun from the waterproof bag on his waist.
A fireball like a small sun rose to the top of the cave and illuminated the entire cave. Everything in the cave was immediately exposed. Countless bronze statues were hung high on the top of the cave. They were of various shapes and majestic, like ancient guardians.
Two huge dragons were lying in the center, their scales covered with traces of time. They curled up their bodies and were sleeping, and they did not wake up even under the illumination of flares.
"Two second-generation species. I remember there was a record in the Elders' Council that Norton had another second-generation species named Samson under his command. Why didn't I see him?" Hornlohe looked at the two giant dragons that were still sleeping, thoughtfully.
"Since there are only two second-generation species, then let's use two second-generation species. If he is really William Hans or William Hans's successor, then two second-generation species should not be able to kill him. After all, he is someone who has fought against the Dragon King before."
Hornlohe took out a quartz tube from his pocket again. This time, the blood inside was not Moreno's blood, but the real blood of the Dragon King.
The blood in the bottle glowed slightly, like a burning flame. He gently poured the blood on the ground. The bodies of the two dragons trembled slightly, and their gray scales began to glow with a faint red light, as if they were slowly waking up from a deep sleep.
"You've slept for so long, I don't know how much strength you have left. This blood will serve as a whet for you. Everyone else, come closer to me." After putting down the dragon blood, a strange gray mist enveloped the figures of several people, and then everyone's figures completely disappeared.
Yanling·Mingzhao
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"Captain, we saw a brass jar." Ye Sheng and Aki came to a huge square. This square was not flooded, but there were some water marks on the ground. They didn't know whether it was because the sealing was good or the water inside was discharged by someone else's mechanism. However, they still couldn't breathe inside, and the oxygen content around was still very low.
It seemed that a fierce battle had broken out in this square. The ground was covered with densely packed bones, and those skeletons were covered with armor that had long since decayed.
In the center of those bones, there stood a brass pot as tall as a person, with complex alchemical symbols carved on its surface.
"Well done, Ye Sheng and Aki, bring that can back and your mission is accomplished. Your oxygen levels are running low and you must surface immediately." Professor Mans was excited when he saw the brass can, but he couldn't help but urge them when he thought of the oxygen levels of Ye Sheng and Aki.
"I understand, Captain." Ye Sheng said as he walked towards the brass jar, but the moment he touched the brass jar, two huge roars spread throughout the Bronze City.
"Damn it! Ye Sheng! Aji! Don't worry about that jar and surface quickly!" Professor Mans' face changed immediately when he heard two roars coming from the communication equipment, and then he shouted loudly at Ye Sheng and Aji.
Ye Sheng and Yaji's faces suddenly turned pale, but Ye Sheng did not give up the brass jar. This was the biggest gain of their trip, and it was impossible for them to return empty-handed.
He picked up the brass jar and ran out of the Bronze City with Aki, but the two roars were getting closer and closer, and the huge sound even made the entire Bronze City tremble slightly.
On the Moniach, everyone held their breath, looking extremely nervous. They stared at the screen closely, fearing that the picture would suddenly disappear.
Lu Mingfei stood at the bow, the heavy rain soaked him completely, but he didn't care. When the two roars of the sickle-weasel under the water reached his ears, he slowly opened his golden pupils.
"Now that you are here, let me see what the legendary dragon that will destroy the world looks like."
When everyone's attention was focused on the screen, he hung up an oxygen cylinder, then jumped into the water with the giant sword in hand, causing a huge splash. His figure quickly disappeared in the rain and darkness, like a sharp blade piercing the unknown abyss.
(End of this chapter)
