Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 128: Tomb of God (1)

Dragon Raja 3

The rock layers below seemed to have been cleaved open by an unparalleled giant weapon, leaving scars stretching over a thousand miles and oozing golden blood. Lu Mingfei was filled with the muffled sound of explosions; the river of magma resembled a giant sword immersed in seawater, being tempered without boiling.

“I think I can hear thunder,” Lu Mingfei said.

“It’s the sound of seawater vaporizing,” Chu Zihang replied. “In this ultra-high pressure abyss, the boiling point of seawater exceeds 500 degrees Celsius. When magma comes into contact with seawater, the seawater vaporizes, and the thunder you hear is the steam explosions caused by that vaporization. But after the water vapor cools slightly, it is restored to liquid by the high pressure; the bubbles don’t even have time to escape the surface of the magma.”

After a minor malfunction, the Trieste ship operated very smoothly, with airflow passing through the valves making a slight whirring sound, and the pointers on the dashboard fluctuating, all values remaining within a reasonable range. Caesar was controlling the Trieste ship as it descended rapidly, getting closer to the surface of the magma. Due to a loss of oxygen, Caesar wanted to save a bit of time, causing his driving style to suddenly become aggressive.

“Boss, don’t do that! If you slip, we’ll fall into the magma!” Lu Mingfei warned.

“Don’t worry; you know my driving skills.”

“This isn’t about driving skills! If we get this close and lose control again, we’ll fall into the magma!”

“We won’t be that unlucky, will we? Isn’t there a Japanese proverb? Saints won’t be defeated by the same trick twice. So, the Trieste ship won’t malfunction the same way twice either.” Caesar appeared very confident.

“Boss, now I’m even more convinced your logic has died!”

In fact, Caesar wasn’t feeling particularly relaxed either; in such an incredible place, if he didn’t say something to ease the tension, the psychological pressure could crush a person. The depth gauge read 8,500 meters, and the Trieste ship activated its weak power source, using the lithium battery to drive the propeller steadily through the depths. Below, the seabed fissures looked like a burning abyss, and the Trieste ship passing above it resembled a firelit midge. This abyss reminded Lu Mingfei of the Ginnunga Gap from Norse mythology. Before the world was created, there was no sky or land; the space was filled with dense mist, and the Ginnunga Gap stretched across it. One side was the land of fire, and the other was the land of mist, where the ancestors of the frost giants, Ymir and the giant cow Audhumla, were born from the clash between flames and cold. Audhumla licked the ice and salt for sustenance while Ymir fed on her milk.

Lu Mingfei looked down at the flowing liquid, the boundary between the golden magma and the black seawater exceptionally clear. Dark red shrimp swam near the lava, alongside some dark purple creatures coexisting with the shrimp.

“Incredible, isn’t it? Originally, humans didn’t believe any life could survive at temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Celsius because the water in their bodies would vaporize at that temperature,” Chu Zihang said. “But later, divers discovered that some small shrimp can withstand temperatures of 400 degrees, living near underwater volcanoes and feeding on the phosphorus from the volcanoes. Life is truly an incredible thing; what humanity understands is just a small part of it. Some believe that underwater volcanoes are where life first originated, providing enough moisture and temperature, with volcanic eruptions bringing forth vast amounts of minerals from the mantle.”

“The Ginnunga Gap?” Lu Mingfei asked.

Chu Zihang nodded. “Professors believe that the Ginnunga Gap in Norse mythology actually refers to the rifts in the sea. Only those who have been here can describe that grand feeling.”

“Who could have come to such a place in ancient times?”

“Dragons. Myths say that life originated here, implying that dragons are born from places similar to the abyss,” Chu Zihang replied.

At this moment, all the observation windows opened, giving them almost a 360-degree view, except for the surface of the Trieste ship. Mai stood above the cockpit, looking down at the fissures, feeling as if she might ignite from the heat.

“The external water temperature is 224 degrees,” Chu Zihang said. “Although there’s an insulating layer, if we continue to approach the magma surface, we may not be able to withstand it.”

“It’s like taking a steam sauna now; if it gets any hotter, we’ll be roasting pigs,” Lu Mingfei wiped his sweat from his forehead.

The scene in the cockpit was somewhat chaotic; Caesar’s team was almost naked, everyone sweating profusely, feeling as if their butts were melting into the seats. This was a mistake because very few people had reached the bottom of the abyss. The Gear Department had no reference materials, mistakenly believing the bottom of the abyss was a low-temperature environment, so the combat suits still had insulation functions. Wearing the combat suits now would definitely lead to heatstroke. But Chu Zihang still wore his belt and carried a long knife, while Caesar flexed his chest muscles, letting the sweat pool and trickle down through the gaps.

“Do you mind if I take off my underwear too?” Lu Mingfei asked. His soaked underwear felt like a roasted toad sticking to his backside, and in such extreme heat, even a single thread felt hot against his skin.

“Go ahead; after all, we’re all men,” Caesar said, biting his cigar. “The external temperature has risen another 15 degrees, and there are 38 minutes of oxygen remaining.”

Lu Mingfei stripped off his underwear and tossed it into the corner, feeling as if he had shed a down jacket, instantly feeling more relaxed.

“God! What’s that thing standing up?” Caesar exclaimed.

Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment, then silently looked down at his own groin… He raised his head and found that Chu Zihang was also looking at the same spot with suspicion.

“Boss, watch your decency! No matter how great your muscles are, I’m not interested in men!” Lu Mingfei said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“No one cares about that thing of yours,” Caesar slowly turned his head, his expression wooden. “Look outside, at nine o’clock.”

Lu Mingfei had never seen such an expression on Caesar’s face—fear, confusion, shock, and panic. It was as if he had seen a ghost or a god descending before him.

Lu Mingfei quickly looked toward the nine o’clock direction and, with just one glance, completely forgot about the intense heat. He slowly shivered, goosebumps rising all over his body. He had actually seen a tower! A gigantic tower! It stood on the gentle slope beside the fissure, with the tides of magma rising and falling not far from it, the dark tower illuminated as if it were made of iron about to melt. No one spoke; at this moment, all words felt inadequate, leaving only shock, ecstasy, and fear.