82: Chapter 82 Babao's Mother, a Heroic and Valiant Female Naval Captain

"Mr. Lin Yun, I must remind you that this is the combat command center of the 'dinghai-class warship,' not your private laboratory!"

A cold yet highly penetrating female voice rang out across the bridge, which was filled with a sense of futuristic technology.

The owner of the voice was a woman dressed in a pure white naval uniform, her posture as straight as a pine tree. She had neat short hair and delicate yet well-defined features, exuding a heroic aura unique to soldiers. Her phoenix-like eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and at this moment, she was looking directly at Lin Yun without any hesitation.

She was Captain Long Ying, the Commander-in-Chief of the East Sea Fleet, a legendary female captain who had grown up amidst turbulent waves.

Half a day ago, when she received orders from the High Command to cooperate unconditionally with Lin Yun, this "national treasure," she felt respect in her heart. But after Lin Yun boarded her flagship, the "dinghai-class warship," his first request was for her to dismantle the core processors of all the fleet's most advanced "Deep Sea Dragon Lizard" Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) and replace them with a palm-sized black cube he had brought. Captain Long Ying's professional instinct immediately led her to object.

"Captain Long, I understand your concerns." Lin Yun toyed with the black cube named the "Quantum Entanglement Communication Core" in his hand, his expression indifferent. "But you must understand that what we are facing might not be an enemy in the traditional sense."

"The Mariana Trench has water pressure exceeding a thousand atmospheres; the environment there is enough to crush steel into thin sheets. Your UUVs rely on fiber optics and ultra-long-wave communication. Once they enter depths below eight thousand meters, signal delay and loss rates will exceed ninety percent."

Lin Yun walked to a massive holographic sea chart and lightly tapped the bottomless area of the Mariana Trench.

"But this little thing of mine can allow the UUV to ignore any interference from physical media and transmit real-time images from ten thousand meters deep back here as clearly as a live TV broadcast."

Captain Long Ying's brow furrowed even tighter.

Quantum entanglement? A concept that only existed at the frontiers of theoretical physics—he was claiming to have made a physical product out of it?

As a general, she believed in mature technology that had been drilled and verified thousands of times, not this kind of "black technology" that sounded like a fairy tale.

"Mr. Lin, I respect your achievements in other fields." Captain Long Ying's tone remained firm. "But in the ocean, especially the deep sea, any minor technical error can lead to catastrophic consequences. I cannot take risks with my soldiers' equipment."

The other officers on the bridge held their breath; the atmosphere became heavy for a moment.

They all knew their captain's temper—she was famously uncompromising. They hadn't expected her to dare to directly contradict Lin Yun, the man who was now essentially a "god" in the Dragon Kingdom.

Looking at Captain Long Ying's pretty face, which was written all over with "professionalism" and "stubbornness," Lin Yun didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed with interest.

[Ding! Detected the eighth S-rank Mother Potential Target — Captain Long Ying.]

[Potential Assessment: Absolute Command (S-rank), Tactical Intuition (S-rank), Deep Sea Adaptability (A-rank).]

[System Prompt: This target possesses extremely strong willpower and leadership talent, making her the best candidate for nurturing a 'Starry Sea Fleet Commander-in-Chief' offspring. Current Favorability: -10 (Skepticism).]

Negative ten? Interesting.

"Captain Long, how about we make a bet?" Lin Yun suddenly spoke up.

"Bet on what?"

"On this 'little thing' of mine." Lin Yun placed the quantum core on the table. "I will modify only one 'Deep Sea Dragon Lizard' and have it dive simultaneously with your unmodified UUVs. We'll see who can reach the bottom of the trench at eleven thousand meters first and transmit clear images."

"If I lose, I will leave the ship immediately and never interfere with any of your commands."

"If you lose..." Lin Yun's gaze swept over Captain Long Ying's strikingly heroic face, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, "you have to agree to one condition of mine."

Captain Long Ying met his gaze without hesitation: "What condition?"

"It's a secret for now."

"Fine! I'll bet with you!" Captain Long Ying answered decisively. She had absolute confidence in her fleet's equipment.

Half an hour later.

On the broad aft deck of the "dinghai-class warship," two "Deep Sea Dragon Lizard" UUVs, shaped like mechanical giant sharks, were slowly lowered into the deep blue Pacific Ocean by massive cranes.

In the command center, everyone's eyes were focused on two giant split screens.

"On the left is 'Dragon Lizard No. 1,' using conventional power and communication systems."

"On the right is 'Dragon Lizard No. 2,' equipped with the quantum core provided by Mr. Lin."

The technician's voice echoed in the quiet command room.

"Begin the dive!"

At Captain Long Ying's command, both UUVs activated their thrusters simultaneously, turning into two white water lines as they dove toward the abyss.

Depth: 500 meters... 1,000 meters... 3,000 meters...

Before reaching a depth of five thousand meters, there was almost no difference in their performance. The transmitted images were both crystal clear, even showing the strange tube worms near the underwater volcanoes.

An imperceptible smile appeared on Captain Long Ying's face.

However, when the depth broke the critical seven-thousand-meter mark, the situation changed abruptly!

"Report! 'Dragon Lizard No. 1' signal is fluctuating! The video is starting to lag!"

"Water pressure has reached seven hundred and twenty standard atmospheres! 'No. 1's' external sensors are starting to show data errors!"

On the screen, the image on the left began to shake violently, filled with static, and the audio became intermittent.

Meanwhile, on the right, the image transmitted by 'Dragon Lizard No. 2' remained as stable as a high-definition movie. That eternally dark deep sea was illuminated by the UUV's high-energy searchlights, showing everything in minute detail—even a giant squid never seen before flashing past the lens.

Captain Long Ying's expression began to turn solemn.

When the depth gauge jumped to "9,500 meters."

*Sizzle—*

The screen on the left suddenly went black, leaving only a harsh dial tone.

"Reporting to Captain! 'Dragon Lizard No. 1'... has completely lost contact!"

The entire command center fell into a dead silence.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the still clear and smooth image on the right, and the number that continued to climb.

10,000 meters!

10,500 meters!

11,000 meters!

"Report! 'Dragon Lizard No. 2' has successfully reached the bottom of the 'Challenger Deep'! All systems are operating normally! Real-time video transmission has zero delay!"

When the technician shouted this in a trembling voice,

In the video, 'Dragon Lizard No. 2's' mechanical arm slowly extended and picked up a metal fragment shimmering with an eerie blue light from the pitch-black seabed silt.

On that fragment was engraved a... white five-pointed star emblem, long since mottled and corroded by seawater.

"That's... the Eagle Nation's insignia!" a staff officer cried out in shock.

Just then, the silt next to the metal fragment suddenly surged, and a massive monster covered in a carapace—looking like a combination of a spider and a warship—suddenly snapped open dozens of crimson compound eyes in the darkness!

"Warning! High-intensity biological field detected! The target is launching an EMP blast!"

The screen on the right also began to flicker violently!

Captain Long Ying's heart instantly leaped into her throat, and she was about to order the UUV to perform an emergency ascent.

But Lin Yun suddenly pressed down on her hand, his tone terrifyingly calm:

"Don't be in a hurry, Captain Long."

"The good show... is just beginning."

Before his voice had even faded, a circle of faint golden light suddenly lit up on the small body of 'Dragon Lizard No. 2' in the video.

That was a miniature plasma shield program Lin Yun had secretly loaded into the quantum core!

That terrifying EMP blast hit the shield without even causing a ripple.

Next, Lin Yun spoke into the console's microphone with a flat tone:

"Nuwa, activate 'Scavenger' mode."

In the next second, a scene occurred that shattered the worldviews of Captain Long Ying and all the naval elites present.

The 'Deep Sea Dragon Lizard No. 2,' which was originally intended only for scientific research, suddenly had its outer shell split open, and dozens of densely packed gun muzzles extended from within!

Beams of scorching plasma light instantly illuminated the eternal dark abyss as bright as day!

That terrifying deep-sea behemoth didn't even have time to let out a scream before it was instantly vaporized!

The command center became so quiet that a dropped needle could be heard.

Everyone looked at Lin Yun as if looking at a god.

Captain Long Ying slowly turned her head. Her sharp gaze had now been replaced by a complex mix of shock, confusion, and a hint of fanaticism.

She knew she had lost.

Lost completely and utterly.

"Mr... Lin." Her voice was a bit dry. "You won. What is that condition?"

Lin Yun looked at her, smiled slightly, stepped forward, and whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"My condition is very simple."

"Give me a child."

"A future Fleet Commander-in-Chief who can command the sea of stars."

Captain Long Ying's body suddenly stiffened, and a wave of heat rushed from the base of her ears straight to her head. Her heroic face, usually weathered by sea breezes, instantly turned as red as the sunset clouds.

However, just at this delicate moment, a piercing battle alarm suddenly rang throughout the entire "dinghai-class warship"!

"Report to Captain! Radar has detected an unidentified fleet approaching at high speed!"

"Identification signal confirmed... it's... it's the Eagle Nation's 'Liberator' nuclear-powered aircraft carrier battle group!"

"They have sent a communication demanding we leave this sea area immediately, or else... they will treat us as a hostile target and sink us!"

Captain Long Ying's face instantly turned from red to white, and then from white to green. A surging fury and killing intent erupted from her.

"The Eagle Nation's Ghost Fleet?" She spun around and looked at the sea chart, her eyes as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

"They actually dare to come!"

"Pass down my order! The entire fleet is to enter combat status! Charge the main guns!"

"I want to see just how much capability these iron coffins of the old era have left!"