32: Time Travelers and Thunder Under the Ice

The successful operation of the Chronosphere gave the base wings. Sun Zheng immediately began planning an unprecedented North Pole exploration mission—Operation "Sub-Ice Probe."

This time, he no longer needed to have his troops travel long distances, risking ambushes from Ice Abyss Predators across the ice fields. He would use Chronosphere Teleportation to precisely deploy a well-equipped special squad into the core area of the North Pole!

The objective was to establish a temporary observation post near an Ice Abyss Predator nest and attempt to safely collect sub-ice energy mineral samples.

The squad members were strictly screened:

Commander: The experienced Rocket Trooper Falcon One, who had been promoted to Second Lieutenant.

Assault Team: Two elite American Soldiers equipped with experimental rifles fitted with electromagnetic interference warheads.

Support Team: One engineering-type multifunction infantry vehicle carrying an Engineer and new "Deep Ice" drilling equipment.

Defense Core: A portable core module for an experimental Tesla Coil to be assembled on-site by the Engineer, providing regional electromagnetic protection.

Reconnaissance and Evacuation Support: One Rocket Trooper responsible for high-altitude sentry duty, carrying a Chrono Beacon to ensure an emergency evacuation.

The core of the entire plan was speed and precision. Teleport, deploy, sample, and evacuate—it all had to be completed in a very short time, giving the Ice Abyss Predators no time to react.

Action Day.

The atmosphere in the Command Center was solemn. Sun Zheng personally manned the Chronosphere control console. The massive ring-shaped device once again glowed with a ghostly blue light, and the hum of converging energy echoed through the hall.

"Coordinates locked: North Pole preset coordinates Z-1."

"Teleportation units confirmed."

"Energy output stable."

"Countdown: 3... 2... 1... Teleport!"

A flash of blue light! On the Command Center's large screen, the light dots representing the squad vanished from the base instantly, appearing the next moment at the North Pole's Z-1 coordinates, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away!

"Teleportation successful! Error margin is less than three meters!"

"Begin the operation!" Sun Zheng ordered immediately.

At the North Pole, bone-chilling cold and eternal darkness shrouded everything. The squad members quickly adapted to the environment and carried out the operation according to the plan.

"Engineer, assemble the Tesla Coil immediately! Rocket Trooper, take to the skies for reconnaissance! Soldiers, establish a defensive perimeter!" Falcon One's voice was calm and decisive.

The Engineer jumped off the infantry vehicle and, with his assistant, quickly pieced together the Tesla Coil core. High in the air, the Rocket Trooper kept a vigilant watch on the surroundings, especially that ice fissure that had swallowed their comrades. The two American Soldiers used the infantry vehicle as cover to build a defensive line.

A few minutes later, a five-meter-tall, simple Tesla Coil sparking with electromagnetic energy rose from the ground, its energy field enveloping the squad.

"Tesla Coil online!"

"No anomalies detected in the vicinity!"

"Engineer, begin drilling for samples!"

The drilling equipment started up, its sharp bit piercing toward the energy mineral layer beneath the ice. The entire process was tense and orderly.

Sun Zheng kept a close eye on the data in the Command Center. The energy signals beneath the ice fluctuated slightly due to the drilling, but it didn't trigger a violent reaction. The direction of the ice fissure remained dead silent.

"Sample collection complete! The purity is very high!" the Engineer's voice carried a hint of excitement.

"Prepare to evacuate!" Falcon One ordered. The mission had gone unexpectedly smoothly.

But just as the squad was packing up their equipment and preparing to activate the beacon, a sudden change occurred!

"Wooo—!!!"

A low, angry roar that seemed to come from the center of the earth echoed from the direction of the ice fissure! The entire ice field began to shake violently!

"Alert! Large-scale life reactions detected under the ice! There are so many of them! They're surfacing rapidly!" The Rocket Trooper's voice was filled with terror.

"Quick, activate the beacon!" Falcon One roared.

The Engineer scrambled to activate the Chrono Beacon. At that moment, the ice beneath their feet suddenly exploded! Several even larger Ice Abyss Predators burst through the ice, their blue compound eyes locked onto the squad with overwhelming fury!

The drilling had disturbed them after all! This time, it was the true elite guards!

"Fire!" Falcon One was the first to shoot with his electromagnetic rifle! The Tesla Coil instantly released a powerful electrical arc, engulfing the predator in the lead!

"Crack-pop!" The predator hit by the arc let out a pained shriek, its movements visibly sluggish as electricity crackled across its carapace! Electromagnetic attacks were indeed effective!

But more predators burst from the ice in all directions! They seemed to have learned, no longer charging blindly but instead using the complex terrain of the ice field to flank and surround them!

"The beacon needs time to activate! We're surrounded!" the Engineer shouted anxiously.

The squad was in an unprecedented crisis!

In the Command Center, Sun Zheng's eyes were bloodshot! Without hesitation, he activated the Chronosphere again!

"Target: Zone Z-1! Teleportation units: prism tanks!"

He was going to teleport the strongest ground firepower directly into the center of the battlefield!