105: Chapter 105: The Next Construction Site Came to My Doorstep

Donghai City, Forward Command Post.

The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.

The holographic sand table displayed not the streetscape of Donghai City, but a three-dimensional model of the deep blue ocean. In the deepest part of the model, a huge red alarm kept flashing, dazzling everyone's eyes.

Jiang Ning, Director Zhao Lixin, and over a dozen top oceanographers and geologists who had rushed overnight from the capital were all gathered around the sand table, their expressions grim.

"No... absolutely not!" A white-haired academician from the Institute of Geology looked at the data on the screen and shook his head in despair. "The simulation results are in. Even if we throw all our strategic nuclear weapons at it, we can only delay the seabed collapse; we cannot stop it at all. Furthermore, the aftermath of a nuclear explosion might make the situation even worse!"

"What about underwater construction?" A leader nearby refused to give up. "Can our most advanced 'Jiaolong' go down to work?"

"Impossible!" The chief engineer of the manned deep-sea diving project immediately retorted. "The 'Jiaolong' can go down to a maximum of seven thousand meters. The point of energy eruption is eleven thousand meters below! The water pressure at that depth would instantly crush the 'Jiaolong' into a pancake! Never mind working, it wouldn't even be able to get close!"

"Then what about evacuation? If we organize the coastal residents to evacuate immediately, is there still time?"

"It's too late!" An official in charge of emergency management said, his face pale. "The simulated tsunami will arrive in sixty-eight hours. More than twenty coastal cities, nearly two hundred million people! In such a short time, with so many people, it's simply a fantasy! At most, we can only evacuate a small portion of people from the core areas."

One solution was proposed, only to be rejected.

In the face of such a display of nature's power, humanity's technological accumulation seemed woefully insufficient.

The command post was frighteningly quiet, leaving only despair.

Everyone's gaze finally settled on the young girl who had been silent all along: Jiang Ning.

She had become everyone's last hope.

"Engineer Jiang..." Director Zhao Lixin walked over to her side and asked with a dry throat, "Do you... have a solution?"

Jiang Ning did not answer immediately.

She kept staring at the three-dimensional ocean model. In her mind, countless data points and plans were being rapidly simulated.

After a long while, she finally spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it made everyone in the command post prick up their ears.

"The seabed collapse is caused by an imbalance in the earth's energy veins, leading to a loss of control over internal pressure."

"It's like a pressure cooker; there's too much steam and nowhere for it to escape, so eventually, it blows the pot apart."

"Therefore, to solve the problem, we cannot block it from the outside. That treats the symptoms but not the root cause."

"The only way is to go down."

She pointed to the flashing red dot in the deepest part of the model.

"Go to the core of the energy eruption and install a 'pressure relief valve' to properly channel out all that chaotic energy. Just like we did last time at the training ground."

"Go down?" An old expert heard this and smiled bitterly. "Engineer Jiang, the logic holds up. But the problem is, how do we get down there? That's eleven thousand meters deep in the ocean, a forbidden zone on Earth!"

Everyone looked at Jiang Ning, waiting to see what she would say.

"Our existing equipment indeed cannot go down there."

Jiang Ning acknowledged the fact.

Then, she changed the subject.

"But who said we must use 'existing' equipment?"

She reached out and made a gesture in the air.

A brand-new design for a deep-sea workstation with an extremely complex structure appeared on the holographic screen.

"This is the 'base station' No. 1, a deep-sea spiritual energy stabilization base station I just designed based on 'Intermediate Spiritual Energy Architecture' and combined with the deep-sea environment."

"It uses multi-layered composite pressure-resistant arrays; theoretically, it can withstand the water pressure at a depth of twenty thousand meters."

"The energy core can directly draw energy from the earth's veins to power itself."

"In addition, it also carries a 'high-precision spiritual energy drilling module' and a 'controllable energy guidance matrix,' which is enough to complete this 'pressure relief' job."

Looking at the design on the screen that resembled an underwater palace, all the experts present were stunned.

Is this a sci-fi movie?

"Engineer... Engineer Jiang..." Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo had arrived at some point. He looked at the blueprint, his voice trembling with excitement. "This... such a big thing... can we... can we build it? Is there... enough time?"

"Even if there isn't enough time, we must make it in time." There was no room for negotiation in Jiang Ning's tone.

"Now, I need the state to mobilize all available resources. The highest grade of special alloys, the most precise large-scale processing equipment, and..."

She paused and looked at Director Zhao Lixin.

"Bring me all three thousand students from Kunlun Academy who have just finished their training."

"No matter how much theory you learn, it's not as good as a real, hands-on fight."

"Their first construction site internship will be here."

"I want this 'base station' built within sixty hours!"

"Yes!" Director Zhao Lixin straightened his back immediately without a second thought.

In the command post, because of Jiang Ning's plan, which was bold to the point of insanity, everyone had just begun to see a glimmer of hope.

A communications soldier responsible for monitoring suddenly stood up and shouted loudly.

"Report! Urgent telegram from the Donghai Fleet of the Navy!"

"In the high seas outside our territorial waters, a large fleet of unknown nationality has been spotted assembling! The flagship is the 'child of the ocean' deep-sea research vessel from Country R!"

"At the same time, they have sent us a notification stating that in order to cope with the 'potential threat of a Pacific tsunami,' they intend to conduct 'emergency environmental exploration and scientific research' in this area!"

The large screen immediately cut to satellite footage.

On the high seas not far from the tsunami warning center, a fleet composed of over a dozen ships had already taken up formation.

That so-called "research vessel" was enormous, and its deck was piled with all sorts of "scientific research equipment" that looked menacing.

Looking at this uninvited "investigation team," the expressions of everyone in the command post darkened.

"Bullshit research!" A general cursed aloud. "These guys, who live such 'good little lives,' couldn't have come earlier or later, but they choose to show up right now! They are definitely here for that spiritual vein on the seabed!"

Jiang Ning looked at the fleet on the screen, her expression turning cold.

Flies, here again.

And at the time when she was busiest and least wanted to be disturbed.

"Tell the Donghai Fleet," she turned her head and coldly instructed Director Zhao Lixin, "to designate a maritime exclusion zone outside our construction area."

"Any ship, underwater vehicle, or even a fish that enters without permission..."

"Destroy it immediately."