Chapter 463

“Prepare to launch the Infinite!”

At this moment, all members of the Infinite stood on the submarine base’s supply platform, staring at this fully modified armed train, their expressions varied; the train was now coated in a high-energy structural metal pressure hull, forged into a single unit like a segmented, slender submarine, with specially designed multi-layer composite pressure-resistant windows on both sides of the windows—Stardust Crystal Glass—capable of withstanding extreme environments of 300 atmospheres.

Lin Xian and Getsu Shinji designed these windows not out of any touristy whim, but to facilitate psychic abilities in deep-sea conditions.

Humming!

The Falcon Sea Team members hauling supplies onto the submarine at Deepwater Port suddenly froze, turning and looking up in astonishment: a highly unusual giant train was floating through the air, slowly approaching above Deepwater Port.

The next instant, with Kiki and Long Zhijie coordinating, the Infinite’s headlamp sliced through the murky black seawater, like a steel behemoth diving into the boiling black abyss.

“Done.”

“Lin Xian,” Chen Sixuan said, standing at the harbor’s edge preparing to board: “Once we detonate that geothermal well, the entire island might sink—we must move beyond a certain range.”

“I know.” Lin Xian checked the time, his gaze sweeping over everyone: “Everyone board first. I’ll take Viola to set up—we have less than an hour until dark, and only one chance.”

“I’m coming with you!” Kiki flew over immediately upon hearing Lin Xian: “I can save you a lot of time.”

“Alright.”

“Lin,” Ryan called from the entrance of the Abyss-class nuclear submarine: “I think the preset decoy torpedoes are unnecessary. My suggestion is to cancel the launch path—let’s adapt on the fly. What do you think?”

“Fine.” Lin Xian nodded, his eyes glinting: “If those things still work at all.”

With Mount Garan erupting and sea horrors gathering, the scattered sparks of decoy torpedoes might not even attract attention—that’s why Lin Xian was betting on the submarine base’s geothermal well. But Ryan’s suggestion was valid too; keeping them on hand might prove useful if they escaped this sea area and needed them in the dark.

Soon, all Infinite members boarded the Infinite in deep-dive mode; each carriage had become a deep-sea chamber, with little internal change—mainly the external pressure hull, deep-dive propulsion units, and internal pressure-balancing and life-support modules.

Lin Xian, meanwhile, headed toward the upper geothermal well with Viola and Kiki.

Splash!

Mo Xiaotian stood by the window of Car 5, gazing through the double layers of train and pressure-resistant windows; the carriage was already half-submerged, turbulent waves slapping against the glass. Watching the half-water, half-deep-sea view outside, Mo Xiaotian turned pale and said to Lu Xingchen:

“Master, are we… really going underwater?”

Lu Xingchen sat cross-legged before the tea table, brewing himself a pot of tea, eyes half-lidded, calm and composed as he rebuked Mo Xiaotian: “Don’t panic. Whether descending into a boiling abyss or entering heaven’s forge, we refine our hearts in the fire of calamity.”

A flame danced on his fingertip: “Xiaotian, listen well—only mortals fear drowning! The thunder in your hand is what tears through eternal night!”

Mo Xiaotian watched as Fire Brother trembled slightly, lifting the teacup to his lips with a nonchalant expression, sipping, then setting it down with shaking hands, utterly stunned.

“Understood?”

“Got it, got it.”

Nearby, Da Lou curiously inspected the deep-dive module’s changes; hearing Fire Brother’s words, he pointed at the window and said: “Fire Brother, look at this seawater—it’s as black as ink. There must be plenty of weird things down there.”

Lu Xingchen didn’t turn his head, waving dismissively: “No problem. I’ll handle any underwater weirdness myself. Water’s nothing special—don’t bother looking.”

Seeing Lu Xingchen wouldn’t even glance at the window, Da Lou chuckled at Mo Xiaotian, easing the tension; in the corner, Long Zhijie stood with arms crossed, silent, appearing utterly indifferent.

Everyone knew Lu Xingchen feared enclosed abyssal environments; his calm facade likely hid a soaked back.

In Car 3, Chen Sixuan, Shu Qin, Lu Chang, Luo Yang, Xiao Yuan, Qian Dele, Ning Jing, and others had gathered; the blood crystals from Ryan’s team were now concentrated in a single container. Ding Junyi stood before the lab table, her small flower fully bloomed, radiating a surging green light.

She extended one hand; countless ink-green vines spread outward like living things, climbing over the blood crystals—whether Grade One, Two, or Three and Four—all were wrapped in coils, and the concentrated dark energy within them, as if drained of power, rapidly flowed along the vines toward the center!

At the center, a peculiar calamity plant had grown.

Silver Dragon Ten Thousand Twists!

“First time seeing our scientist activate a psychic ability—this power is incredible,” Qian Dele said, eyes gleaming.

Ning Jing stared at the Silver Dragon Ten Thousand Twists, her expression grave; she knew this plant had enabled their escape from Star Abyss Five—a plant capable of generating dimensional bubbles was undoubtedly miraculous.

Shu Qin glanced at Chen Sixuan and whispered: “What can we do now?”

Chen Sixuan frowned and shook her head: “I don’t know. For deep diving… I have no experience.”

“None of us do,” Qian Dele said, gesturing at the hovering maintenance robots: “We’re entirely reliant on these robots and Viola. Once underwater, we can’t fly or run. Beyond 3000 meters, even our power suits won’t hold up.”

“Kiki and Long Zhijie’s psychic shields should be fine,” Luo Yang said. “But I think this is the least of our worries. With Lin’s mechanical psychic ability and Silent City’s tech, I have complete faith in the Infinite.”

Xiao Yuan nodded nervously: “Me too.”

“We need a contingency plan,” Ning Jing said. “Our train’s fine on land, but underwater it’s too long—carriages could separate. With Falcon Sea Team still here, just in case, we should split into teams—each person assigned someone to watch over them underwater.”

“Alright,” Chen Sixuan said.

In the rear carriage, Sha Sha confirmed the “Flying Peach” was securely locked onto its bracket; the hydraulic clamps emitted a dull *click*.

“Good. You won’t be usable underwater, but someday I’ll convert you into an interstellar vessel—or fuse you with Lin’s giant mech. Then you’ll be way cooler~”

Sha Sha admired her partner, then turned to return to the front carriage. Her fingertip had just left the cold metal bracket when a faint, unsettling sound pierced the thick hull and the Stardust Crystal glass windows, seeping up from the unfathomable darkness below.

*Click-click… click-click…*

Not the splash of waves against the hull, nor the hum of thrusters—it was a… faint scraping, as if countless tiny, hard objects were moving along the train’s unbreakable high-energy structural metal pressure hull beneath.

The sound was quiet, drowned in the deep-dive machinery’s noise and the sea’s surging, nearly indistinguishable—but Sha Sha’s nerves snapped instantly. A chill raced up her spine. Instinctively, she crouched, her ear pressed against the cold alloy floor. They were underwater now. Everyone knew the deep sea was unpredictable. Hearing this sound, she went instantly alert.

“You heard it too?”