Chapter 252: 'The Underwater Silence”

Chapter 252 “The Underwater Silence”

Duncan paused for a moment in deep thought. He suddenly realized that the dangers and mysteries concealed within the Boundless Sea were no less formidable in this world’s “reality.” After pondering briefly, he inquired, “What happened to that explorer later?”

“He passed away quickly. The rapid ascent and decompression took his life. He screamed and shouted for some time before succumbing to a blood clot. At least that’s the cause in the real world.”

“Was he the only crew member in the submersible?” Duncan questioned further.

“It had room for just one person. While this undoubtedly amplified the explorer’s mental pressure, it was also an unavoidable decision. The technology was limited then, and such exploration was ill-suited for multiple people to undertake together. In the ocean, one could never be certain what might take your companion’s place at any given moment or whether the sounds you heard were genuine. So diving alone was preferable, at least to avoid doubting the presence of others in the submersible.”

“Deep sea, darkness, solitude, and confronting the enigmatic unknown waters far from civilization—all these factors might have contributed to the explorer’s descent into madness,” Duncan shook his head slowly, “but this is not the crux of the matter. What’s essential is... this still doesn’t explain why the Abyss Plan later became a highly forbidden topic.”

He locked eyes with Tyrian and continued, “So far, all you’ve recounted is an accident during an exploration. Similar endeavors occur every year. The Academy of Truth even actively supports and encourages scholars and adventurers to participate in these pursuits. This has nothing to do with taboo, nor should it be connected to the Vanished.”

“Yes, if the plan had halted at 1,000 meters, the subsequent events would not have transpired,” Tyrian shook his head, his emotions stirred by the memories. “After the incident with the third submersible, Her Majesty Ray Nora temporarily suspended the exploration, but a few days later, something occurred that made the situation... progressively eerie.”

Duncan furrowed his brow, “Something?”

“The third submersible resurfaced at the edge of the temporarily sealed-off test area.”

Duncan was momentarily taken aback before responding, “A second third submersible?!”

“Yes, a second one,” Tyrian confirmed, nodding, “It emerged right in front of the naval soldiers and began sending continuous light signals for assistance in opening the hatch. The well-trained soldiers, albeit momentarily bewildered, quickly adhered to standard procedures to haul the submersible onto the work platform and aimed twenty-seven rifles, two rapid-fire cannons, and a flamethrower at its hatch. Then, a courageous priest stepped forward, sprinkled holy water, and unlocked the hatch.”

“The sixth submersible contained only a small quantity of black fibrous dry matter, resembling an undeveloped neural structure or desiccated blood vessel specimens...”

As Tyrian continued recounting the story, Duncan’s expression grew increasingly serious. Even Alice, sitting beside him, seemed to perceive the shift in the atmosphere and began to sit up straight.

Amid the progressively somber ambiance, Tyrian slowly stated—

“The seventh submersible, the last one I’m aware of, was empty.”

“Empty?” Duncan raised an eyebrow, then shook his head, “That’s even more disconcerting.”

“Yes, empty, and thus even more unsettling. The situation spiraled out of control, and we needed to find a way to stop it,” Tyrian said gravely. “Fortunately, the ‘fourth submersible’ was eventually completed—it was the successor to the third submersible. After the ‘thousand-meter’ incident, the project was put on hold, as was its construction. However, as one ‘third submersible’ after another emerged, the Queen ordered the ‘fourth submersible’ to be assembled as quickly as possible and decided to use it to investigate what had happened at the one thousand meters depths.”

Tyrian paused, seemingly struggling with gaps in his memory. He gathered his thoughts before slowly continuing, “I can’t recall the specifics of the fourth submersible. It was hastily finished, and the Frostbite Navy was only responsible for part of it. I only know that it was larger than the third, could accommodate three people, and had a sample chamber—scholars had initially planned to use it to gather specimens from the deep sea if any were found.

“The day after the seventh ‘third submersible’ surfaced, the Frostbite Kingdom’s fourth submersible was launched into the sea. Onboard were a scholar, an officer, and a powerful priest—at this point, we could no longer care about the risk of having ‘multiple people exploring together.’ Preventing the appearance of the eighth ‘third submersible’ was the top priority.

“The fourth submersible quickly descended and soon reached a depth of one thousand meters. The priest onboard maintained contact with the surface using psychic power. Perhaps due to the enhanced capabilities of the new submersible, their journey was smooth, and they confirmed the city-state’s ‘base’ scenery as previously observed by the explorer. However, the connection became intermittent soon after, and when the depth reached one thousand meters, the small church on the surface platform could barely hear any sound coming from the deep sea.”

“Nevertheless, fifteen minutes after losing contact, the priest on duty in the small church suddenly heard sounds from the deep sea again. They first heard the onboard priest scream in terror, warning the others, ‘Don’t look! Don’t think!’ Then came the officer’s voice, bellowing, followed by a deafening explosion.”

Tyrian looked up, gazing into Duncan’s eyes.

“The fourth submersible detonated the explosives,” the pirate slowly said. “They had filled the sample chamber with high-energy explosives to be the last contingency plan.”

“And then, it was all over. The fourth submersible never resurfaced, and no more ‘third submersibles’ appeared before anyone afterward.”