Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 119: Subspecies (4)

Dragon Raja 3

“Come here and let me see,” Tachibana Masamune said.

The head of the Uesugi family knelt on the cushion in front of Tachibana Masamune, but did not look at him; instead, she glanced left and right like a child forced by her parents to sit and do homework.

“You’ve worked hard,” Tachibana Masamune patted her on the head. “I really wish I could take your place, but I don’t have your abilities. What you need to do is cut everything off, including that path to the Underworld. Do you understand?”

The head of the Uesugi family extended her finger and drew a circle in Tachibana Masamune’s palm, indicating she understood, then retracted her hand back into her large sleeves, revealing only her slender fingers. She took off her wooden clogs and placed them aside, jumping onto the small boat next to the yacht while only wearing white socks. She sat alone in the small boat. The black-clad bodyguards untied the ropes, and the waves pushed the small boat away from the yacht. Tachibana Masamune suddenly stood up and walked to the side of the boat, reaching out his hand toward the head of the Uesugi family. She kept her head down, ignoring him, but Tachibana Masamune held the rope to prevent the small boat from leaving. After a stalemate for half a minute, the head of the Uesugi family pulled out a PSP from her skirt and handed it to Tachibana Masamune, turning her head away to avoid looking at him.

“This concerns the future of the family; don’t keep thinking about playing,” Tachibana Masamune admonished helplessly.

The small boat, leaving a white wake, headed towards the horizon where light glimmered. It looked like a transparent palace rising from the sea, and the Sumeru Throne in operation produced a massive roar.

“Depth 30 meters, flow rate stable, Trieste ship operating normally,” Caesar reported to on-surface commander Chisei while maneuvering the antique deep-sea equipment.

Lu Mingfei looked up through the observation window at the top, the last light bag in the center of his vision surrounded by blue-black seawater. A line of faint light seemed to be projected from an inverted well in the sky. As the submersible sank deeper, fully engulfed in darkness, Lu Mingfei shuddered slightly.

Chisei had said that the Abyss was a particularly unique place, with 8 kilometers of seawater isolating it from the world. The bottom was less than a kilometer from the mantle, and molten rock flowed like a fiery river between the layers. Almost no life could survive there; it was the loneliest hatchery in the world. But only by descending with the submersible, feeling the lights of the Sumeru Throne dimming above, and finally having the darkness swallow everything could one truly grasp the solitude of being away from the world. Their journey had only covered 1/30 of the distance, and Mingfei was already thinking of turning back; it was too lonely, making him unable to resist wanting to say something to warm himself.

Suddenly, the surroundings lit up as Chu Zihang activated the external light source. High-intensity floodlights were installed on all sides of the Trieste ship. These lights, known as “Gas Ray,” emitted blinding white light, illuminating an area about 10 meters around the submersible. However, beyond this range, the brightness quickly diminished, with the ink-like darkness constantly encroaching on the light. Lu Mingfei was astonished to see silver fish, whose names he couldn’t recall, swimming in a long line alongside the outer shell of the submersible. The “Gas Ray” illuminated their bodies, making them shine like a galaxy. This seemingly dead silent place was, unexpectedly, teeming with life.

“According to some estimates, the total biomass on land accounts for less than 1% of the total biomass on Earth, with the remaining 99% of life residing in the ocean,” Chu Zihang said. “This is the homeland of all life on Earth. After the planet first solidified, the oceans were warm and rich in organic materials, which biologists refer to as primordial soup. After billions of years of simmering, the organic molecules in the seawater collided with each other quintillions of times, undergoing countless failed reactions, until finally, a successful reaction occurred and microorganisms were born—that was the origin of the tree of evolution.”

“So the Dragon Raja was also born in the sea, then?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“That’s possible. There’s a theory that the Dragon Raja was originally a marine species that eventually ventured onto land. So choosing the seabed as a hatchery must feel like returning to their homeland for the dragons,” Chu Zihang replied.

Caesar released more compressed air, causing the submersible to sink deeper into the water. The sounds of machinery operating and the whistling air filled their ears, and they could even hear each other’s breaths and heartbeats. In daily life, even in an absolutely quiet room, there would still be background noise of about ten decibels, like the distant rumble of a heavy truck passing or the sound of water flowing in an air conditioner’s pipes, which most people find hard to notice. At this moment, the background noise had dropped to zero; although the sounds of the submersible’s operation were loud, the heartbeat and breathing sounds were surprisingly clear.

Caesar also became serious, switching rhythmically between different valves and knobs with his hands. Clearly, before arriving in Japan, no one knew they would be taking the Trieste ship for a dive. There had been no training, just a manual tossed their way, but after one night, Caesar had memorized the controls of the deep-sea equipment, navigating the submersible like an experienced captain, caressing the familiar helm as if it were an old wheel. Lu Mingfei couldn’t help but marvel at Caesar’s determination. Although he seemed aloof, it was evident he had been up all night memorizing the manual. Caesar was that kind of person; no matter how hard he worked in private or how exhausted he felt, once he donned his formal attire and stepped into the spotlight, he would exude confidence and poise, with an air of a lazy aristocrat who didn’t seem to care about anything.

So-called blue-blooded aristocrats are inherently impressive; they never emphasize that they became great through effort. If they claim they did, they are just nouveau riche.

Caesar pulled out an aluminum tube from his combat suit to pack a high-quality cigar. Usually, he would carefully cut the tip with a silver cigar cutter, but now he had to make do, biting off the end and lighting it.

“The cockpit is so small; there’s limited oxygen, and you’re still smoking a cigar,” Lu Mingfei sighed.

“The Trieste ship has an air circulation and filtration system, so the cigar smoke will dissipate quickly,” Caesar said. “We’re going to be in the sea for four hours; do you expect us just to stare at each other? If space is tight, wasn’t someone the one who brought a knife down here?”

Chu Zihang had a long knife hanging at his waist, its hilt pressed against Lu Mingfei’s lower back. From the outside, the Trieste ship appeared to be a massive 15 meters long, but the cockpit was roughly the size of an elevator shaft, surrounded by watertight chambers, airtight chambers, air pumps, and various pipes. The cramped cockpit was filled with valves and instruments, leaving little room to maneuver. Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang sat back-to-back, having to duck their heads to avoid bumping into each other.

“I keep feeling like I can hear some strange noises. Are you sure this antique of yours won’t fall apart?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“After all, it’s old equipment. Restarting it is like having a 70-year-old former world-class mountaineer challenge Mount Everest again; old bones inevitably become loose in many places,” Caesar replied. “However, the equipment department has reinforced the internal shell of the submersible with a layer of memory metal. As long as the shell holds up, minor issues with other equipment aren’t a big deal.”

“In your Italian language, does ‘thing’ sound the same as ‘life’?” Lu Mingfei adjusted the “Gas Ray” floodlights, observing the outside through 10-centimeter thick resin glass.

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