Chapter 236: An Uninvited Guest Has Arrived at Linhai!

Black Tortoise amphibious assault mech, height eight meters, weight 120 tons, appearance like a huge steel turtle.

The hull is made of dragon-scale deep-sea material specially designed for deep-sea high pressure, surface covered with wave-absorbing coating; in silent mode even the most sensitive sonar cannot detect it.

In the cockpit, Li Yang stared at the sonar image on the panoramic screen, breathing steady.

He had been hiding here for six hours.

"Target distance, fifty kilometers." Chen Guang's voice came over the comms, somewhat distorted, deep-sea communications have to go through relay buoys.

"Speed five knots, heading stable, estimated to reach interception position in forty-seven minutes."

"Received." Li Yang flexed his fingers, the mech's huge mechanical arm swayed gently on the seabed, stirring up a clump of sediment.

This mission is simple, and also satisfying.

The Foot Basin Chicken side, unwilling to let the Eight Branches Plan fail, secretly dispatched a newest-model White Whale-class submarine, intending to sneak into Longguo Approaching Sea for reconnaissance.

The submarine also carried a batch of new-type sonar arrays, said to be for "scientific use," but everyone knows what they're really for.

The military originally planned to dispatch anti-submarine aircraft to drive it off, but Feng Yan said, "They came all this way; we ought to give them a proper welcome."

Thus the Black Tortoise was deployed ahead of schedule to the designated position to carry out a deep-sea hunt.

"Li Bro, how's your side?" Wang Hao's voice crackled into the channel.

"Want me to play some music to relieve the boredom? I've prepared a deep-sea-exclusive playlist, like the theme from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea..."

"Shut up." Li Yang said, "I'm adjusting my attitude. In deep-sea lurking, distraction is the biggest taboo."

"Okay, okay, I won't disturb you." Wang Hao chuckled.

"But seriously, if that submarine's commander knew there was a mech waiting below him, would he be scared piss-less?"

"Hope not, because urine would pollute the marine environment." Li Yang also checked the weapon system; actually he wasn't carrying any weapons, this mission mainly focuses on deterrence.

From the channel came Chen Guang's coughing sound, as if he'd been choked by water.

The waiting time was very long.

The deep sea has no day or night, only eternal darkness.

The mech's internal life-support system provides oxygen and suitable temperature, but that absolute silence and oppression are not something anyone can endure.

But Li Yang has no problem.

Since childhood he's liked staying alone in a warehouse tinkering with machinery, staying there all day.

Social anxiety? No, he just finds dealing with machines simpler than dealing with people.

Forty minutes later, the target appeared on the sonar image.

A streamlined submarine was advancing at low-speed cruise mode.

"Target has entered the twenty-kilometer range." Chen Guang reported.

"Speed dropped to three knots, activated active sonar scanning; they seem to be searching for something."

"Let them search." Li Yang controlled the mech to slowly rise, maintaining a depth of nine kilometers, right beneath the submarine.

And the submarine noticed nothing.

Its sonar beams mainly point forward and to the sides; downward is a blind spot.

Moreover, the Black Tortoise's wave-absorbing material can absorb 90% of sound waves; the remaining 10% cannot be distinguished at all in the deep-sea background noise.

The distance shortened to five kilometers.

Li Yang could now make out the submarine's details: streamlined hull, seven-bladed large skew propeller, spherical sonar array at the bow...

It is indeed very advanced equipment.

Too bad, it's being used in the wrong place.

"Start the live broadcast." Feng Yan's voice suddenly cut in, "Global sync, encrypted signal, title just reads 'Deep Sea Adventure Record'."

Li Yang blinked: "Live broadcast?"

"Yes, let them, and let the whole world see, what true deep-sea technology is." Feng Yan's tone calm.

Li Yang understood.

This isn't just a simple interception mission; it's a demonstration.

It's to tell those who still harbor wishful thinking that your most advanced submarines, in our eyes, are nothing more than toys in a swimming pool.

"Received, live broadcast signal... connected." Li Yang adjusted the mech's posture.

Almost simultaneously, major global social media platforms, military forums, and even some darknet channels popped up a mysterious live-stream link.

Clicking in, the screen shows absolute darkness of the deep sea.

Only a line of small text at the bottom of the screen: "East Sea, depth nine kilometers, real-time footage."

Danmaku flooded in instantly:

"What is this? A deep-sea exploration livestream?"

"Nine kilometers?! Which country's detector can go that deep?"

"Wait, the picture is moving... looks like something!"

In the picture, a huge shadow slowly rose.

Then the outline gradually became clear: an eight-meter-tall mech, steel torso, thick mechanical arms, back with retractable vector thrusters.

Most striking is the large red five-pointed star emblem on the mech's chest.

"Longguo mech?! In the deep sea?!"

"Can this thing operate in ten-thousand-meter deep water?!"

"Wait, what's in front of it... is that a submarine?!"

The picture focused, and the full view of the White Whale-class submarine appeared in the frame.

It was still leisurely moving forward, completely unaware it was being livestreamed, and also unaware that a steel giant was approaching beneath it.

Li Yang controlled the mech, slowly extending its right mechanical arm.

Knocked.

Thud, thud.

The sound traveled through the water medium into the submarine's interior, echoing in the cabin.

In the submarine's command cabin, Foot Basin Chicken Commander Major Yamada was still drinking coffee.

Suddenly, two muffled thuds were heard.

He froze, looking at the sonar operator: 'What sound?'

The sonar operator stared at the screen, looking bewildered: 'The sonar hasn't detected anything…… Wait! Something below!'

On the screen, a huge blip suddenly appeared, right beneath the submarine.

'What is it? A whale? Or a deep‑sea monster?'

'I‑I don't know…… but it's huge, really huge!'

Yamada set down his coffee cup and quickly walked to the sonar screen.

Just then, the submarine's external monitoring camera automatically activated, and the Black Tortoise mecha was forcibly activated via wireless intrusion.

On the main screen in the command cabin, an external view appeared.

In the beam of the deep‑sea searchlight, a steel mecha stood beneath the submarine, its massive mechanical arm resting on the hull.

The mecha's optical sensor on its head swiveled, aiming at the camera.

Then, the mecha raised its other mechanical arm and made a gesture.

—waving as a greeting.

"Ohayō gozaimasu (good morning)."

The mecha's speaker emitted standard Japanese, the sound traveling through the water medium, giving an eerie, ethereal feeling.

In the command cabin, everyone froze.

Major Yamada's coffee cup fell to the floor and shattered.

The livestream footage captured all of this, and thoughtfully added subtitles in the corner.

At this moment, the barrage of comments went crazy:

"Hahahahaha!"

"Mecha: Surprising or not? Unexpected or not?"

"Submarine: I just came out for a walk."

"This way of greeting is too polite!"

"Politeness: you?"