Chapter 38: Salvage

Chapter 38: Salvage

The Witch's Eye had an overall spindle-shaped structure, narrow at both ends and wider in the middle.

War Hammer had mentioned in the letter that the magical energy fluctuations were probably at the center of the lake.

So, Hua Mi first controlled the drone to float on the water's surface, pushing it towards the "pupil" of the Witch's Eye, and then slowly descended.

Hua Mi stood on the shore, operating the drone controller while keeping his eyes fixed on the screen in the middle of the controller.

The screen displayed real-time footage captured by the drone.

At first, the light was quite abundant, and while the lake water wasn't exactly clear, the visibility was around two to three meters.

But as they descended, the available light rapidly decreased, and soon the visibility shrank to less than a meter.

Particles and tiny bubbles in the lake water danced around the drone as they obstructed its view.

During the descent, Hua Mi even saw a few fish darting by.

"There seem to be quite a few fish down here. Why is it so difficult to catch them?"

After descending a bit further, it was time to turn on the lights.

Hua Mi pressed the light control switch.

The screen instantly brightened up.

The drone's spotlight had two parts: one encircled the body of the drone and couldn't be adjusted, while the other was positioned in front of the drone and could be oriented within a certain angle range.

"Wow, it's so deep, over 20 meters already."

The depth of the Witch's Eye was deeper than Hua Mi had imagined. The screen showed a depth of 21 meters.

This depth was beyond what his body could handle if he were to dive without equipment. The water pressure at depths greater than 20 meters could easily harm a person's organs without proper equipment.

The screen gradually showed an increase in aquatic plants. Hua Mi had to control the drone more carefully to avoid getting entangled in the vegetation.

Finally, at a depth of 26.7 meters, the drone touched the lake bottom.

The good news was that the lakebed was covered with soft, loose sediment that could be easily excavated with the drone's two mechanical arms.

The bad news was that the aquatic plants were incredibly dense here, making it challenging to see through them as they swayed in the water, creating a forest-like underwater environment that severely obstructed their vision.

Hua Mi could only keep moving the drone forward while continuously using its mechanical arms to push the aquatic plants aside.

According to War Hammer, the source of the magical energy fluctuations was buried under the sediment. However, there was no need to start digging with the drone right away. Digging blindly would take forever, and they might not even find it in the end.

In the midst of the underwater vegetation, there was a faint silhouette of a face, motionless and facing the camera.

Hua Mi's scalp tingled.

When the spotlight completely turned in that direction, the face drew back a little.

Hua Mi could now see the face clearly.

Pallid.

It wasn't a human face.

Six eyes were neatly arranged in two rows, with layers of eyelids that resembled human ones. There were many shadows moving behind it.

The face shrank back when the bright light hit it, and then the upper and lower parts of the face split open, revealing a round hole filled with rows of sharp teeth. It lunged forward and snapped at the drone with a single bite.

The screen shook violently.

Fortunately, the drone had a smooth, disc-like design, and the creature's bite didn't latch onto it.

Hua Mi immediately adjusted the drone's posture and ascended at full speed.

The camera pointed down, allowing him to see the water creature chase after the drone for a while before giving up and disappearing into the darkness below.

Perhaps it was sensitive to light and could only operate in the dark depths of the lake.

In any case, Hua Mi breathed a sigh of relief.

It also crossed his mind that maybe the skeleton at the lakebed had been stripped of its flesh and blood by that water creature, which explained why it hadn't contributed to the fertility of the area.

But why were there no aquatic plants around it?

Hua Mi contemplated this as the drone resurfaced and quickly made its way to the shore.

He retrieved the drone from the water, noting the distinct bite marks left along the edge. The creature's biting force was astonishing and could easily sever his arm with a single bite.

Hua Mi controlled the mechanical arms to open the metal box, allowing a swarm of bees to approach and investigate.

The space inside was small, containing only a black "stone."

It was about the size of a red bean, oval in shape, and had a smooth, unblemished surface.

At that moment, Xiao Zi flew by, taking one look at it and concluded, "This is a seed."

Unlock exclusive early access to more than 200 chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.