Chapter 99: Heart of the Ocean

The "Voyager" sailed like a perfectly received, silent giant, silently sinking into the embrace of the vast Pacific, following preset instructions to conduct adaptive navigation and system diagnostics in the deep sea region marked as "Zone C," far from main shipping lanes.

Though Qin Feng remained at headquarters, his consciousness maintained an eerie connection with this oceanic fortress through an encrypted satellite link surpassing current technology; he could not only monitor the ship's real-time data but also, via sensors scattered across its hull, almost physically "feel" the ocean's breath.

That day, after finishing daily duties, Qin Feng's thoughts shifted, and he once again immersed his consciousness into the link with the "Voyager."

Inside the Main Control Room, a massive panoramic virtual screen displayed the profound, unfathomable seabed beneath the vessel; deep-sea probes glided like ghosts through the pitch-black waters, their powerful searchlights slicing through primordial darkness, occasionally illuminating bizarre deep-sea creatures and jagged underwater mountain ranges.

Everything proceeded as planned.

Yet just as Qin Feng prepared to sever the connection, the flat electronic voice of the Main Control AI, "Navigator," suddenly sounded, carrying a system-preset "priority alert":

"Warning: Detected anomalous high-concentration, unknown-form energy signature. Coordinates: East Longitude XXX. XXX, North Latitude XX. XXX, Depth: meters. Energy spectrum analysis… no match in known databases. Intensity level: extreme. Potential risk: unknown."

Simultaneously, one side of the virtual screen erupted in cascading streams of complex data, while the other switched to the probe's latest visual feed.

It was an unusually flat region at the very bottom of the trench, as if meticulously polished by some unseen force; at its center lay a single… "object."

Roughly the size of a fist, it glowed with a deep, shifting blue that defied precise description, as if the very essence of the entire ocean had been condensed within it. It was not a regular crystal; its surface was mirror-smooth, yet countless faint, life-like veins of luminous flow drifted and breathed slowly within. It emitted no blinding light, yet its mere presence acted like a gravitational singularity, drawing in all surrounding light and attention—even the absolute darkness of the deep sea could not swallow it.

Data from the probe showed that seawater density, temperature, and even some undefined "biological activity field" around the blue object exhibited abnormal gradient shifts. More startlingly, when the probe attempted to approach for closer scanning, it was gently repelled by an invisible force field.

"Heart of the Ocean…" The term surfaced in Qin Feng's consciousness as if by instinct; he did not know where it came from—perhaps a system prompt, perhaps an intuitive resonance within himself.

He could distinctly "feel" that within this "Heart of the Ocean" lay a vast, pure, ancient energy—a force intrinsically tied to life and the very origin of this blue planet!

This was no naturally formed mineral! Nor could it be a product of current human technology!

"Immediately mark this coordinate! Maximum secrecy level!" Qin Feng issued the order, his voice tinged with urgency he himself had not noticed, "Deploy all available probes, establish continuous Observation points! No contact or recovery attempts without my direct command!"

"Command confirmed." "Navigator" executed swiftly.

More probes were released, like loyal sentinels, forming a tight Observation network far around the "Heart of the Ocean," which lay silently beneath ten thousand meters of water.

Qin Feng's heart could not settle.

The first true scientific discovery of the "Voyager," awarded by the system, turned out to be something beyond imagination! Was this again the system's design? Or did the ship itself possess some innate ability to attract or detect such "supernatural" objects?

He attempted to activate his newly acquired 【Fortune Dominion】 ability, observing the "Heart of the Ocean" across the vast distance.

In his "vision," the blue object in the deep sea was surrounded by a vast, boundless… "azure" fortune he had never seen before. This fortune did not represent personal destiny, but rather a pure, immense, primordial "source fortune" of nature itself—its scale and purity made his own proud pale-gold fortune seem insignificant.

This thing was no ordinary artifact!

Qin Feng forcibly suppressed the urge to retrieve it immediately. Intuition told him that, with the "Voyager"'s current capabilities and his own limited understanding, any hasty contact could trigger unpredictable consequences—or even disaster.

It lay there silently, as if asleep for billions of years.

But now, it had been found.

Found by a young man who possessed a system, was building a Tech Empire, and boldly sought to touch the fundamental laws.

"Heart of the Ocean…" Qin Feng repeated the name, his eyes growing brighter.

He had a strong premonition that this mysterious object from the Deep Sea might be the key to unlocking higher system permissions—and even truly comprehending certain underlying rules of this world.

It might contain energy applications beyond current technology, relate to the ultimate secrets of life, or even… hold some unknown connection to the system's own origin.

At this moment, the mission of the "Voyager" acquired a deeper meaning.

It was not merely a ship or a mobile Base—it was a key, a key that might unlock the door to a new world!

And now, this key had led Qin Feng to a treasure so astonishing it could drive the entire world mad.

"Maintain close surveillance. Collect all data." Qin Feng issued his final command, his consciousness slowly withdrawing from the link.

He sat in his office, yet his gaze seemed to pierce through steel and concrete, reaching toward the distant, hidden blue depths concealing earth-shattering secrets.

The Empire's blueprint now demanded a bold new chapter—the Ocean Chapter.

And the starting point of this chapter was this… "Heart of the Ocean."