40: A giant beast in a cage! Capture the "Echo of the Abyss"!

The icy, bone-chilling seawater, like a giant ink-black curtain, enveloped the sea area that had just experienced a silent strangulation. The turbulent waves stirred up by the depth charge explosion had not yet fully subsided, and huge white foam glowed with an eerie phosphorescence under the moonlight. At the center of the vortex, a colossal object was slowly and heavily rising from the abyss in an uncontrolled manner.

The searchlights of the Deep Blue Blade pierced through the darkness like sharp swords, firmly locking onto the steel behemoth emerging from the sea.

abyssal echoes!

This Sea Abyss Giant Beast-class attack nuclear submarine, the Ark's pride, no longer retained its former ferocity and elegance. A huge, tearing wound was shockingly visible in the middle of the hull, near the bottom of the sail, with twisted metal peeling outwards, and seawater was furiously pouring in. The stern propeller area was also severely damaged, maintaining a pitiful speed with only auxiliary motors, like a dying giant whale, helplessly tilting and spinning on the sea surface. Multiple areas of the hull were dented, and the anechoic tiles were extensively peeled off, making it look like a giant beast stripped of its scales, in a state of utter disarray. The ear-piercing sound of metal twisting and the electrical sparks caused by internal equipment short-circuits were exceptionally clear in the silent night.

"Falcon" Squadron reports! Target has completely lost diving capability! Hull damage is severe, and it is continuously surfacing! No self-destruct signal or torpedo re-loading signs detected!" The helicopter squadron's report came through.

"Iron Rock" and "Raging Waves" move in for close-range monitoring! All weapons locked on target! Destroy immediately if any unusual movement is detected!" Commander Chen Hai's order was cold and decisive. Facing such a heavily wounded but still potentially lethal beast, there was no room for carelessness.

Several frigates, like vigilant hounds, cautiously surrounded it, with all their naval guns, anti-submarine rockets, and torpedo tubes pointed at the dilapidated submarine. Beams of searchlight swept back and forth across its scarred hull.

Lin Feng stood on the open-air command bridge of the Deep Blue Blade, the sea breeze blowing at his clothes. His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, fixed on that creation, which symbolized the pinnacle of the Ark's underwater power. Capturing it was far more valuable than sinking it!

"Electronic warfare team! Target's internal communications, control systems! Maintain continuous suppression! Ensure any possible self-destruct procedures or resistance commands are paralyzed!" Lin Feng ordered into the communicator.

"Understood! Full-spectrum jamming is ongoing! Focusing on suppressing its internal command links and weapon control systems!" The electronic warfare officer responded quickly.

"Sea Dragon Assault Team! Prepare to board!" Lin Feng's voice reached the special operations team already waiting on the deck. "Objectives: control the command center, engine room, and weapon control center! Primary mission: ensure the submarine does not scuttle or self-destruct! Eliminate all resistance! Move out!"

"Sea Dragon understood!" Captain Lei Gang's voice was steady and powerful. A dozen eliteTeam members, clad in black diving suits, carrying compact underwater propulsion devices and assault weapons, slipped into the icy water like ghosts. They split into two groups: one group used their thrusters to speed towards the submarine's damaged opening, which was the best entry point into the hull; the other group swam towards the relatively intact sail, preparing to force their way in through the top hatch.

Underwater assault, silent and deadly.

Inside the bridge, the atmosphere was more somber than the deep sea. The main screen was split into several views: external surveillance, shaky and blurry real-time footage from the assault team's helmet cameras, and internal structural diagrams of the submarine, attempted to be peeked at through special means (such as small reconnaissance robots).

"Team A reports! Entered the hull through the damaged opening! Severe flooding inside, passages blocked! Encountered minor resistance, eliminated! Advancing towards the core area!"

"Team B reports! Sail top hatch is locked from the inside! Attempting directional breaching!"

Boom!

A muffled explosion sound came through the communicator, accompanied by the ear-splitting noise of tearing metal.

"Team B! Hatch breached! Encountering resistance! Intense firefight!"

The helmet camera footage shook violently, muzzle flashes constantly flickered in the narrow, smoke and water-filled passage, and the clanging of bullets hitting metal, short screams, and command voices mingled together. Figures in the Ark's standard combat uniforms could be seen resisting stubbornly, but they were clearly disorganized and had their connection to the command core severed by powerful electronic suppression.

"Suppressing fire! Throw stun grenades! Quickly control the command center!" Lei Gang's command was still clear against the backdrop of intense gunfire.

Puff! Puff!

The unique muffled bangs and bright flashes of stun grenades appeared one after another in the passage. The sound of resistance gunfire instantly thinned out, replaced by groans of pain.

"Command center controlled! Repeat! Command center controlled! Important targets found! Suspected captain and core officers! Some personnel attempted to destroy equipment, but were stopped!"

The screen switched, and a relatively spacious but chaotic compartment appeared on the screen. Most control panel screens were shattered or flickering with error codes, and documents were scattered everywhere. Several men in officer uniforms were pinned to the ground by the assault team, among them a middle-aged man with graying hair and sinister eyes, staring intently at the assault team's camera, who was indeed the captain of the abyssal echoes. There was no fear in his eyes, only deep-seated resentment and unwillingness.

"Engine room reports! Team A has controlled the power core! Reactor emergency shutdown successful! Flooding initially controlled! No signs of self-destruct device activation detected!"

"Weapon Control Center reports! Control of all torpedo tubes and missile silos seized! Systems are physically locked and inoperable!"

A series of good news arrived, and the oppressive atmosphere in the bridge finally eased.

"Well done!" Chen Hai couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

Lin Feng's tightly clenched fist slowly relaxed, but his eyes remained sharp: "Maintain maximum alert! Thoroughly search every corner! Especially communication records, navigation logs, encrypted databases! No storage medium, not even a piece of paper, can be missed! Technical team prepare to board! Assess damage, and after ensuring safety, attempt to recover some core data!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Technical experts and more support personnel quickly boarded the conquered Sea Abyss Giant Beast via lowered inflatable speedboats. Under the strict escort of the assault team, they began to carefully explore this crystallization of the Ark's highest underwater technology, like archaeologists.

Hours later, preliminary reports were presented to Lin Feng.

"Reporting, Commander!" Dr. Su Qing, the technical director and also the base's top computer expert, said with barely suppressed excitement on her face, "The harvest... far exceeds expectations!"

"First, stealth technology! Its pump-jet propulsion system, integrated raft shock-absorbing base, and most crucially, the formula and process drawings for the new 'Deep Sea Phantom' anechoic tile material, are largely intact! This will allow our next-generation submarines to reduce noise to an unprecedented level!"

"Second, diving depth limit! Structural design drawings show that its maximum diving depth far exceeds our previous estimates, approaching 1500 meters! The related high-strength pressure hull materials and welding processes are priceless!"

"Third, weapon systems! We captured its unlaunched 'Abyssal Piercer' heavy intelligent torpedoes! The guidance system, propulsion technology, and warhead design of these torpedoes represent the pinnacle of current underwater attack weapons! And its submarine-launched land-attack cruise missile data..."

"Fourth, and most crucial!" Su Qing's voice lowered, with a hint of solemnity, "In its core encrypted database's physical isolation zone, we found a solid-state drive that had not been completely destroyed. Although some data is corrupted, our team is attempting to repair it. Preliminary parsed fragmented information shows... the Ark is executing a top-secret operation called 'Ark Project,' its objective... seems to be related to multiple ancient ruins worldwide, including the one we previously discovered under the Antarctic ice sheet! Furthermore, the hard drive repeatedly mentioned a codename—'Deep Blue Doom'!"

"'Deep Blue Doom'?" Lin Feng's eyes instantly became incredibly cold. This was no coincidence! This submarine's infiltration into his sphere of influence was probably not just retaliation and deterrence, but more likely carried a mission to scout or even destroy clues related to 'ancient ruins'!

Just then, the intelligence officer responsible for interrogating prisoners walked over quickly, his face grim: "Commander, that captain... refuses to speak. But during the interrogation of other engine room officers, someone broke down and revealed a vague piece of information: their current operation, codenamed 'Probe,' one of its main purposes is to confirm whether we have activated... 'some kind of legacy from the deep sea.' He also said... 'You don't even know who you've provoked, They... are about to wake up.'"

Deep sea legacy? They?

Lin Feng felt a chill crawl up his spine. This subtly connected with his previous discovery of underwater ruins and the Pioneer's clues. The Ark knew far more than he had imagined!

"Reporting, Commander!" The communications officer suddenly interjected, his voice tinged with tension, "We intercepted a broadcast signal from the Ark's high command, using a special encrypted frequency band. It's sent in clear code, and it seems... it's for us!"

Lin Feng's eyes narrowed: "Play it!"

Through the communicator, a cold, emotionless voice, as if electronically synthesized, with an air of condescending indifference and suppressed rage, emerged:

"To the Deep Blue Fleet and Commander Lin Feng:"

"Your presumptuous act of destroying abyssal echoes and stealing sacred technology has touched the Ark's unforgivable bottom line."

"The power you have usurped, stemming from taboo, will ultimately bring destruction. The name 'Deep Blue' is the omen of your doom."

"This vendetta will be repaid with the wreckage of your fleet, the ashes of your bases, and your arrogant souls... in blood!"

"Doomsday Judgment... descends now!"

The broadcast abruptly ended, but that cold, destructive threat pressed on everyone's hearts like a tangible weight.

"'The Ark'... has declared war." Chen Hai said in a deep voice, his face incredibly solemn.

Lin Feng was silent for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over the screen at the completely controlled abyssal echoes, like a trapped beast in an iron cage, then looking towards the deep, dark horizon in the distance. A cold, battle-ready curve slowly formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Doomsday Judgment?" He repeated softly, then his voice suddenly rose, resolute and firm, resounding throughout the command center:

"Then let it come!"

"Order: Entire fleet! Level One combat readiness! Base defense systems at full power!"

"Technical department! At the fastest speed, thoroughly analyze the 'skin' (anechoic tiles), 'bones' (structural technology), and 'teeth' (torpedoes) stripped from abyssal echoes! Convert them into our own strength!"

"Repair department! Assess abyssal echoes' repair value! If it's worth it, I want it flying the flag of Deep Blue in the shortest possible time!"

"As for the Ark's doom..." Lin Feng's gaze turned towards the bow, where the electromagnetic railgun, fully cooled and now emitting a cold, eerie glow, stood. "I want to see whether their judgment comes faster, or if my 'Thunder'... strikes louder!"

The Deep Blue Hegemony system's prompt sounded in his mind at the opportune moment:

> [Major strategic objective achieved: Captured enemy's top-tier technological creation ('Sea Abyss Giant Beast' class nuclear submarine)!]

> [Received massive integral reward!]

> [New module unlocked: Reverse Engineering Laboratory (Advanced)!]

> [New exchange items unlocked: 'Abyssal Piercer' torpedo technology (partial), 'Deep Sea Phantom' stealth technology (partial)!]

> [System upgrade progress increased!]

Crisis and opportunity coexist! A cloud of full-scale war, actively stirred up by the Ark, had already gathered. And the Deep Blue Fleet, after capturing the giant beast and seizing precious treasures, would face this global 'Doomsday Judgment' with an even stronger stance!