pdf-ebookys Chapter 1276
Chapter 1276
The view outside the porthole was so monotonous it was unsettling.
The seabed remains a flat, gray-black rock bed, covered with natural trenches of varying depths.
Occasionally, a few clusters of dead deep-sea corals stand abruptly on the rock bed.
The skeletal branches swayed slightly in the water, their shape both ferocious and eerie.
Qi Mingyu was completely focused on controlling the submarine.
The submarine's speed was kept at the lowest setting, both to conserve energy and to ensure a timely response to emergencies.
At a depth of 3,000 meters in the ocean, any accident could be fatal.
"How can the seabed here be so flat?" Mu Mu leaned against the cabin wall, her voice low.
His back still ached slightly, but the painkillers were still working, and his attention was drawn to his surroundings, which reduced the pain considerably.
He stared out the porthole at the ravines stretching into the darkness, like a labyrinth with no end.
"Logically speaking, at such a deep seabed, after the compression of tectonic plates and the scouring of ocean currents, there should be more protruding reefs or sunken trenches."
Zhou Shuwan did not answer immediately; her gaze fell on the edges of those ravines.
“It might be related to the formation of this basin,” she said slowly, her voice calm.
"The enclosed environment formed by the giant sea cliffs isolates the seabed from the impact of external ocean currents. In addition, the continuous gushing of cold springs and the stable water flow have, over a long period of time, eroded the seabed to an exceptionally flat state."
"Those gullies are probably traces left by crustal movements when the basin was first formed. They were later slowly eroded by the flow of cold spring water, which is why they look like they do now."
"Moreover, look at the seawater in those gullies; there's almost no sign of movement, it's as if it's frozen. This shows that the water exchange in this area is extremely slow, and it is precisely because of this that the cold springs can maintain the low-temperature environment within the basin for so long."
Besides the visual impact, the extreme auditory silence is even more agonizing.
Zhou Shuwan turned the submarine's sonar system to maximum sensitivity.
All that came through the headphones was a continuous, monotonous "hissing" sound—the background noise of the deep sea.
There was no other sound.
There were no sonar reflections of swimming fish, no crisp sounds of rocks colliding, and not even the slightest rustling of the seabed rock.
This deep-sea basin, surrounded by giant sea cliffs, is like a desolate corner forgotten by the world.
Apart from their lone submarine, there was no sign of life.
Time passed slowly in this monotonous and oppressive atmosphere.
The first day passed, and the view outside the porthole remained unchanged: the same gray-black seabed, the crisscrossing trenches, and the endless darkness.
Zhou Shuwan records the submarine's core data every hour. Its pressure resistance remains stable, and its oxygen reserves are still at 65%.
Because they strictly controlled their activity level and breathing rate, their oxygen consumption was slower than expected.
Zhou Shuwan and the other two took turns resting, eating, and taking care of their personal needs.
Because the surrounding environment hasn't changed for a long time, it gives people the illusion that they've been staying in the same place without moving.
This makes people feel particularly irritable.
Mu Mu, in particular, was suffering terribly from back pain and pounded the cabin wall several times, complaining, "Come on, something different! There's no change at all!"
Zhou Shuwan knew he was in pain, so she carefully treated his wounds and comforted him, "I can see the direction ahead more clearly than any of you, so we are moving forward. Don't worry, we will definitely get out of here!"
Mu Mu lay there deflated, gritting her teeth, letting the muscles in her back tremble.
Mingyu turned to the side from the control panel and handed over an energy bar: "Chewing on something will help you distract yourself."
His voice was slightly hoarse; his eyes were bloodshot from being focused for more than ten hours straight.
The submarine's interior lights were a cold white, which shone on his sharply defined face, making him appear even more exhausted.
Mu Mu took it and chewed it silently.
In this apocalypse, no matter how angry a person is, they won't turn down food.
Zhou Shuwan took out a large steamed bun filled with pork and vegetables and stuffed it into Mu Mu's hand: "Eat some. After you eat these, I'll give you a cup of hawthorn porridge. It'll whet your appetite and make you feel better."
Both she and Qi Mingyu understood that Mu Mu was suffering because of the wound on his back, so they were both very tolerant of his bad temper at this time.
She then handed Qi Mingyu a cup of hot black rice porridge.
Qi Mingyu smiled at her, drinking his porridge while driving carefully.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Shuwan suddenly frowned: "Watch out! There's something like a tsunami! Move to the side!"
Qi Mingyu immediately changed direction.
After moving to the side for about ten minutes, the people inside the cabin were on high alert.
Zhou Shuwan's expression grew increasingly serious: "No, we might not be able to avoid it!"
"Look! They're here!" Mu Mu exclaimed.
The next moment, the submarine was hit by a violent impact.
The cabin suddenly shook violently, and even though the group was prepared, they were still violently swayed from side to side.
While maneuvering the submarine, Qi Mingyu asked, "What is this? It doesn't look like a tsunami!"
Yes, they didn't look like they were hit by a tsunami.
Zhou Shuwan hadn't sensed it clearly just now; she only saw a thick, viscous "wall of water" in the darkness, rapidly spreading towards the submarine at an alarming speed.
But now that she's so close, she can see it clearly.
"It's a salt dome! There must be a giant salt dome buried beneath this seabed!"
"Salt domes are common geological structures in the deep sea. They are formed by the upward arching of deep underground salt layers under pressure. The interior consists of loose salt grains and highly concentrated brine."
Once the surface rock crust cracks, these materials will gush out instantly, forming a highly destructive 'salt storm', which is more deadly than a storm at sea!
Before Qi Mingyu could give any response instructions, the second wave of impact arrived.
This time the force was greater than before. It was as if the submarine was being gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand and then violently thrown to the left, instantly overturning the items inside the cabin.
The backup display screen on the monitoring platform even detached from its bracket and slammed heavily onto the cabin panel, shattering instantly with a crackling sound of electricity.
The indicator lights on the dashboard began flashing wildly, and a piercing alarm ripped through the cabin's deathly silence like a sharp blade, assaulting everyone's eardrums.
"The right bulkhead is damaged! The outer protective plate is dented!" Zhou Shuwan's voice was urgent.
Qi Mingyu gripped the control lever with both hands, trying to stabilize the submarine's attitude.
But the resistance of the seawater suddenly became extremely strong, and the submarine seemed to be stuck in thick mud, causing its forward speed to drop sharply.