Chapter 1977: Chapter 1867: Into the Water (Part 2)
"Looks like itâs clearing up!" Sun Yiyi pointed at the clouds overhead that were gradually thinning.
Xu Duoduo stood on the deck, frowned as he looked at the distant sky, and gently nodded.
"Miss Ono, can you work at night?" Song Xiaodong asked.
"Underwater operations are pitch black; during the day, you can only illuminate up to ten meters deep, and itâs dark below that. Night operations are possible, as long as the sea is calm and peaceful." Miss Ono replied.
"Thatâs good."
At five in the evening, the sea finally returned to normal, and the clouds in the sky seemed to have completely disappeared. The sky was clear as if washed, leaving no trace, and after the storm, only the oceanâs magnificent sunset remained, casting a golden glow on the surface.
The whirlpool surrounding the reefs and the clouds above had vanished, even the three towering reefs had completely disappeared, submerged underwater.
"Miss Ono, letâs start."
Yumi Ono then directed the frogmen to begin deep diving operations; they checked equipment, inspected each otherâs gear, and entered the water. Xu Duoduo had taught these procedures.
Altogether, five divers went down.
The surface quickly calmed down, with only strings of bubbles rising from underwater.
Chapter 1868: A Strange Happenstance
Song Xiaodong and Lin Feng stood solemnly by the shipâs side, watching the situation below.
After a long while, all five divers came up and gestured to Yumi Ono.
Yumi Ono walked to Song Xiaodong and said, "Mr. Song, Iâm really sorry. The depth is over 100 meters, so we could only take some photos at that depth."
The limit for scuba diving is 100 meters; beyond that, a new diving technique called saturation diving is needed to extend effective diving time.
This ship lacks both the conditions and equipment for saturation diving, and they hadnât prepared for deep diving before setting out to sea.
"Is it that deep below?" Song Xiaodong furrowed his brow.
"Mr. Song, after the big whirlpool disappeared, the water level rose significantly. The three reefs that used to tower above the surface are now underwater," Xu Duoduo said to Song Xiaodong.
The divers climbed out and exchanged rapid words in Japanese with Yumi Ono.
Lin Feng, shrewd and experienced, had specifically selected a Dragon Gate warrior who understood Japanese. Upon hearing the exchange in Japanese, Lin Feng quickly signaled to this warrior to listen carefully to their conversation.
After all, this is the Sea of Japan; if thereâs anything valuable here, Japanâs authorities might get involved.
After a while, Yumi Ono turned to Song Xiaodong and said, "There is something strange underwater here; the seabed is not visible, and there are sunken ships everywhere."
Lin Feng glanced back at the Dragon Gate warrior who understood Japanese, and the warrior nodded.
"Why are there so many shipwrecks here?" Song Xiaodong pondered, recalling the various documents he had read in the Dragon Gate Secret Vault, including references to the âReturn to Ruin.â
Many historical records also contain references.
The "Classic of Mountains and Seas" states: "Beyond the East Sea lies a great abyss, the land of Shao Hao."
"Liezi · Tang Wen" mentions: "East of the Bohai Sea, countless miles away, thereâs a great abyss with unfathomable depths, known as Return to Ruin."
Ming Li Dongyangâs "Offering at the Suburban Altar in the South Sea" states: "Below the Return to Ruin lies a spiritual land, containing the skills of benefiting others within Guangli."
Eventually, Return to Ruin became legend, a place where all shipwrecks on the sea congregate; all ships that sink to the bottom eventually end up in one place, which is Return to Ruin.
"I wonder what the Dark Night Sect is doing here? Could they genuinely be interested in salvaging shipwrecks?" Song Xiaodong laughed bitterly.
"Sect Leader, it seems they are indeed after something underwater, but we donât know what it is. There are so many shipwrecks; we donât know which one the Dark Night Sect is seeking," Lin Feng said to Song Xiaodong.
"If itâs under such weather conditions as before, the sea level here would be lower than elsewhere, and the seabed wouldnât be as deep. But with such weather, if there are chaotic currents, it would be troublesome," Xu Duoduo said.
Now Song Xiaodong faced two choices: wait for the previous harsh weather for the water level to drop here, or go back for saturation diving preparation.
"Can you do saturation diving?" Song Xiaodong asked Yumi Ono.
"We can, but the equipment isnât here; it needs to be transported from elsewhere."
Waiting for harsh weather and equipment to arrive both require waiting.
Itâs uncertain how much the Dark Night Sect knows about this place; if theyâve already started preparing for saturation diving, then Song Xiaodongâs odds of success are quite low.
Song Xiaodong pondered for a moment and felt that continued waiting wouldnât help, so he said to Yumi Ono, "Letâs return. Notify someone to prepare for saturation diving."
"Alright." Yumi Ono, hearing that they are returning, agreed readily for the first time.
The ship set sail back, the sea calm and peaceful, the sunset spectacular and magnificent, the sea breezes gentle, as if the previously oppressive, seemingly dark weather hadnât happened at all.
"The weather over the sea is truly strange." Chu Xianling carried his still wet suitcase onto the deck, complaining to Song Xiaodong.
"Hahaha..." Song Xiaodong couldnât help but laugh when he saw Chu Xianlingâs bedraggled appearance.
"Youâre still laughing!" Chu Xianling glared angrily at Song Xiaodong.
"Why did I have to come here to suffer with you? I should have stayed home with Qingqing." Chu Xianling then called Miao Qingqing: "Hello? Qingqing? What are you doing?"