flstandardbreds Chapter 1291
Chapter 1291
"Back to the depression basin of the giant sea cliff!"
As soon as Zhou Shuwan finished speaking, Qi Mingyu understood immediately and abruptly turned the submarine control lever.
Mu Mu immediately reached out and pressed the auxiliary control panel.
The three of them reached a consensus almost simultaneously—that was the only safe place to hide at that moment.
The giant sea cliffs stretch for hundreds of kilometers, and the seabed is as if it has been cleaved by a giant axe, with a depression in the middle forming a natural basin.
The water temperature inside the basin is much lower than that of the surrounding sea. More importantly, there is a huge cold seep vent at the bottom of the basin, and the continuously flowing low-temperature fluid will seriously interfere with sonar detection.
It was a very secluded place, and in this desperate situation, it became the only lifeline.
The submarine moved nimbly through the seabed rock formations like an arrow released from a bow.
Qi Mingyu stared intently at the reefs rushing past the porthole, his fingers making precise adjustments on the control lever, each turn fraught with danger.
Zhou Shuwan leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes and focused her mind, her senses quietly extending towards the coral reef area.
She could clearly sense that seven reconnaissance submarines were advancing toward the Coral Sea in a fan-shaped formation.
They first arrived near the rock wall where the coral polyps gathered, and the sonar repeatedly scanned every inch of the sea area. The soldiers even sent out underwater probes to carefully examine the remaining slime traces on the rock wall.
However, coral polyps continuously secrete mucus, and the coral branches and rock walls are always covered with a moist, dark green film, making it impossible to see any trace of extensive collection.
The low-temperature seawater that Zhou Shuwan had injected earlier had already blended with the surrounding sea area, and the water temperature was now stable, no different from that of normal sea areas.
The reconnaissance submarine circled in place for half an hour without discovering anything unusual.
"Damn it!" The commander slammed his fist on the control panel. "Expand the search area! Focus on the surrounding reef areas and sea cliff depressions; they're definitely hiding nearby!"
The seven submarines immediately dispersed, spreading outwards like a net across the surrounding sea.
Zhou Shuwan was terrified. Fortunately, they made a quick decision and fled towards the giant sea cliff, otherwise they would have been in real danger.
Mu Mu also breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Luckily we didn't stay where we were, otherwise we would definitely be surrounded by enemies by now."
Qi Mingyu nodded as well.
Because they were already some distance from the coral reef area, they were no longer within the other party's search range.
The three of them finally relaxed a little.
Zhou Shuwan leaned back in her chair, breathing softly.
The energy expenditure from continuously transferring seawater was far greater than I had imagined. My temples were still throbbing, and dark shadows occasionally flashed before my eyes.
She closed her eyes to rest.
Qi Mingyu and Mu Mu both noticed her unusual behavior. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with anxiety and worry.
However, they tacitly remained silent, instead accelerating the submarine to its maximum speed and fleeing forward.
They finally found a rocky area where they could temporarily settle down.
Zhou Shuwan then asked, "What's our oxygen level like?"
She had already realized that the submarine was in bad shape.
This is also what forced Qi Mingyu to stop the submarine.
Qi Mingyu reported the data with a solemn expression: "Only 20% left. The full-speed escape just now consumed too much energy, and the efficiency of the oxygen circulation system has dropped by half."
Upon hearing this, Mu Mu immediately leaned over to check, her brows instantly furrowing: "20%? Then we can only last for 20 hours at most, we'll have to wear oxygen masks."
But this is not a fatal problem.
Because Zhou Shuwan's space contains oxygen tanks, enough for the three of them to use temporarily.
An even more fatal problem was that the submarine's cooling system malfunctioned.
Qi Mingyu pointed to the flashing red warning on the monitoring panel: "When we were driving at full speed just now, the engine load was too high, and a section of the cooling pipe was melted by the high temperature."
"The reactor temperature is slowly rising. Although it is still within a safe range for now, at this rate, the reactor will overheat and trigger an alarm in 36 hours at most. At that time, it will either be forced to shut down or cause an explosion."
This news came like a bolt from the blue, instantly freezing the atmosphere in the cockpit.
36 hours means that they not only have to wait for Zhou Shuwan to restore the space's ability to collect data, but also have to find a new way out during this time.
Either find a replacement cooling part, or find another usable submarine.
But these are all things that cannot be done in a short time.
"How badly is the cooling pipe damaged? Can it be repaired?" Mu Mu asked anxiously.
Qi Mingyu shook his head: "The damage is inside the reactor. We don't have the professional tools or spare pipes, so there's no way to repair it."
He looked at Zhou Shuwan, his eyes full of worry, "Wanwan, will three days be enough for you to recover?"
Mu Mu also looked at Zhou Shuwan, her expression full of worry.
He knew that his sister had exhausted herself to the limit in her efforts to move the seawater, and that the next two days of rest were crucial.
Zhou Shuwan revealed a faint smile, looking extremely gentle.
"Don't worry, I'm not that fragile. Give me two days, and I'll definitely be back to my best. Then I'll definitely take us all away from here."
Through the control panel, Qi Mingyu couldn't help but reach out and hold her hand tightly.
He had always known that because she possessed the space, she carried more pressure than anyone else!
And this husband, besides silently supporting her and staying by her side, could do very little else.
"Okay. You get some rest these next couple of days! Mu Mu and I will keep watch around!"
Zhou Shuwan nodded vigorously.
For the next two days, she devoted herself almost entirely to recovery.
However, Zhou Shuwan had a severe headache, so Mu Mu made full use of her expertise as a doctor and had Zhou Shuwan find a set of silver needles from her space to perform acupuncture treatment on her every day.
"Sister, bear with it. These needles will be inserted near your temples to relieve your headache." Mu Mu held the silver needles and carefully aimed them at the acupoints.
The moment the silver needle pierced the acupoint, Zhou Shuwan frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed.
Mu Mu's technique was excellent. Her throbbing temples gradually calmed down, and the dizziness in her mind lessened considerably.
When the seawater was being transferred earlier, she pretended not to feel unwell, but in reality, she had a splitting headache and could barely hold on.
If she weren't worried about distracting Qi Mingyu and Mu Mu, she would have already banged her head against the wall.
Mu Mu performed acupuncture on her once in the morning and once in the evening. After each acupuncture session, Zhou Shuwan would fall into a deep sleep.
Qi Mingyu took turns guarding the cockpit and her side, monitoring the submarine's various data while keeping an eye on the outside world.
He reduced all equipment in the submarine to a minimum, shutting down all non-critical systems except for essential monitoring equipment, and even replacing the lighting with the dimmest emergency lights.
They must hold on for as long as possible to give Zhou Shuwan enough time to recover.