Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 95: Genji Heavy Industries (7)

Dragon Raja 3

“‘I’m not talking about mission levels. What I mean is, how are the three of us going to dive so deep? I can barely handle a five-kilometer run without stopping three times, and now you want me to dive eight kilometers? I’d be starving halfway down!’”

“‘That’s not the main issue. The main issue is the deep-sea pressure,’” Chu Zihang said. “‘At that depth, wearing a diving suit would be useless—you’d need a submersible. But as far as I know, most manned submersibles in the world can’t even reach 6,000 meters. The pressure in the abyss is several hundred times that of the surface, enough to crush a submersible into a flat sheet of metal.’”

“‘Exactly. The abyss is an environment more extreme than outer space, and without cutting-edge equipment, reaching it is impossible.’”

“‘That’s why the Gear Department has prepared something unprecedented in human history for you. It’s currently undergoing final inspection at the Ganryū Research Institute under the Japanese division. Please follow me.’” Chisei stood up, pressing his palm against the wall. The granite panels engraved with Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi silently parted, revealing a black passageway.

The men in black inside the passageway bowed deeply, saying, “‘Young Master.’”

Chisei did not return the greeting, instead leading Ryoma Genichirō and Caesar’s team through the corridor. The corridor was crisscrossed with dense infrared laser beams. Anyone attempting to infiltrate would trigger an alarm, not to mention the men in black armed guards. Chu Zihang looked wary, while Caesar unleashed his “Kamaitachi,” hearing countless heartbeats and mechanical sounds. The group of Kamaitachi swept ahead like bats, splitting up at each intersection and flying further, while their flapping wings echoed from the depths of the passage. In Caesar’s mind, a more detailed map of the passage slowly formed; it was like a sprawling spiderweb leading everywhere.

“‘These corridors connect to every floor,’” Ryoma Genichirō explained. “‘This architectural technique existed as far back as the Sengoku period. To prevent assassinations by ninjas or betrayals by subordinates, daimyo built secret passages within their castles.’”

Chisei entered a code to open a small elevator hidden in the wall. “‘Please.’”

As the elevator descended rapidly, Caesar suddenly heard the sound of water. It wasn’t the gurgling of water flowing through pipes—it was the sound of tides, waves crashing upon one another.

“‘Welcome to the Ganryū Research Institute.’” The elevator doors opened, and a man in a white lab coat bowed deeply. “‘I am Miyamoto Shio, director of this institute, and also head of the Miyamoto family.’”

The sound of tides filled their ears, and they saw white-capped waves. They were now beneath Genji Heavy Industries, but it wasn’t an ordinary underground space. This was the interior of a tunnel over twelve meters in diameter, half of which was submerged in water.

Rushing water pounded the tunnel’s metal walls, and one after another, xenon lamps lined the ceiling, stretching far into the dark distance. Huge construction machines slid along the walls of the tunnel, automatically checking the water level and flow rate.

“‘Whoa!’” Lu Mingfei exclaimed. His voice echoed in the enormous space. This impressive tunnel was comparable to the Channel Tunnel between England and France—it was large enough to accommodate trains passing through. If they built a highway inside it, at least six cars could drive side by side, and the water flowing beneath their feet was like a surging river.

“‘This is Tokyo’s underground drainage system,’” Miyamoto Shio explained. “‘Tokyo is often hit by hurricanes, which bring heavy rainfall, and the rainwater from the surrounding mountains also converges here. Therefore, the Tokyo government built a large-scale underground drainage system, including tunnels like this, giant underground reservoirs, and massive turbines. During a storm, the system can store an entire lake’s worth of water underground, and then use the turbines and pipes to drain it into the sea. The entire underground structure is built with special anti-corrosion steel, and we call it the ‘Iron Dome.’ The Maruyama Construction Office, under the family’s management, was responsible for this project, and thanks to it, Tokyo has not experienced any floods since its completion. The Ganryū Research Institute’s secret factory is located here, and there’s also a dock—a small submarine can directly reach Genji Heavy Industries via the waterways.’”

“‘That also makes smuggling contraband very convenient, doesn’t it?’” Caesar remarked.

“‘That’s one of the reasons why Maruyama Construction was willing to take on this government project,’” Chisei said.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded throughout the tunnel, accompanied by a rumble like distant thunder.

“‘The next wave crest is coming; we’d better move to higher ground so we don’t get soaked,’” Miyamoto Shio said.

The head of the family was still under thirty, with a handsome and neat appearance, sporting old-fashioned tortoiseshell glasses and meticulously combed hair. He looked nothing like a gangster—more like a young teacher at an college.

They had just climbed to higher ground when the white wave crest arrived. The tunnel trembled, and spray flew into the air like a white dragon struggling against the constraints of the tunnel, roaring and surging forward. When the wave crest passed, they couldn’t hear each other over the noise and could only read lips.

“‘It rained heavily last night, so there will be several waves like this today. But when it’s not raining, the water surface here is calm enough to be considered a river. You can even sit by the water and make tea, enjoying a moment of Zen. During the cherry blossom season, petals will float on the water’s surface, and we call it the ‘Cherry Blossom Sea.’ If you stay a few more days, you might see it,’” Miyamoto Shio said. “‘We are currently busy calibrating the equipment delivered by the Gear Department. Since they refused to send anyone to help, it has taken a little longer, but we are nearing the end, and it won’t delay your mission.’”

“They climbed the iron staircase, and suddenly, as they turned a corner, Lu Mingfei’s eyes were filled with light. A shower of sparks rained down from above, like fleeting fireworks in the night sky. A massive black shadow was suspended from the top of the tunnel, with dozens of engineers hanging on ropes around it, busy with welding torches that produced the sparks.

‘That’s the submersible you’ll be using, the Trieste,’ Miyamoto Shio explained. ‘This is a legendary piece of diving equipment. In 1960, it reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench at a depth of over 10,000 meters. This isn’t a replica—it’s the original prototype. Submersibles have extremely high craftsmanship requirements; even a pinhole leak in the hull could mean the whole submersible is torn apart by the pressure. Even if we had the Gear Department rush to build one using the Trieste’s blueprints, we wouldn’t be able to guarantee safety. The most reliable option is a prototype that has been proven in action.’ Miyamoto added, ‘Although it set the world record in 1960, in the half-century since then, humanity hasn’t built a submersible that can rival it.’

‘This legendary thing must be worth a fortune,’ Lu Mingfei said, amazed.

‘Isn’t this thing from my family?’ Caesar looked puzzled.

‘Indeed, it is part of the Gattuso family collection, donated to the college by Patriarch Pompeii and then modified by the Gear Department,’ Miyamoto Shio said.

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