When the prototype thruster was taken out of the 3D-printed chamber, its surface was still slightly warm. Nana ran a testing pen along the seam; the blue light slid around the metal grooves and finally stopped at the energy interface.
“The structure is complete,” she said. “We can begin power-on testing.”
Chen Hao had already put on his new diving suit and stood in front of the test platform, twisting his shoulders a couple of times. The guide groove on his back and the thruster connection port aligned perfectly, and clicked shut.
“Don’t let it blow up.” Carl leaned against the wall, holding a camera in his hand. “I don’t want to film my will.”
"It won't explode," Nana said. "At most, it'll just smoke a little."
“That’s even more frightening.” Susan sat at the control panel, her fingers tapping on the keyboard to bring up the monitoring interface. “Vitality signs, energy consumption, water flow feedback, everything is connected. I can see what you’re thinking as soon as you get into the water.”
"Then don't look." Chen Hao pulled down his mask. "I'm afraid you'll be embarrassed."
The alarm light flashed red the instant the system started its self-test.
"Warning: Energy conduction is out of sync." A mechanical voice announced.
Chen Hao was stunned: "What do you mean?"
“There’s a voltage frequency discrepancy between the thruster and the diving suit.” Nana stared at the data stream. “The difference is 0.3 Hz, which isn’t large, but it will affect startup stability.”
"Didn't the simulation work perfectly?" Karl leaned closer. "How could such a basic mistake happen?"
“Environmental factors.” Nana pulled up the temperature control chart. “The laboratory is twelve degrees warmer than the deep sea. The shape memory alloy expands slightly when heated, causing the contact surface of the guide groove to shift.”
"Then what should we do?"
“Manual calibration.” She walked behind Chen Hao and opened the adjustment panel. “Do as I say. First, cut off the main power supply, then switch the third node on the back to manual mode.”
Chen Hao did as instructed.
"Now, slowly increase the output frequency by 0.05 each time until the system prompts 'Match successful'."
As he adjusted the dial, he muttered to himself, "It's like turning on a radio to find a station; it's an old-fashioned operation."
"As long as it works." Susan watched the curve on the screen slowly flatten out. "The synchronization rate has recovered... eighty percent... ninety percent... all done! It's green!"
The alarm was lifted, and the thrusters emitted a slight hum, like breathing to activate.
"It's done?" Chen Hao turned his head.
"It's done." Nana took a half step back. "Let's get ready to go into the water."
Half an hour later, Chen Hao stood on the water entry platform on the south side of the abandoned observation tower. Above him were the steel cables of the base's elevator, and below him lay the dark, murky seawater. The test area, two hundred meters deep, lay ahead, offering a wide field of vision, but no record of large biological activity.
“There’s enough oxygen for four hours,” Susan’s voice came through the earpiece. “Remember, acclimatize slowly first, don’t go on a high-speed ride right away.”
"I know." He took a deep breath and flipped himself into the water.
Cold water instantly enveloped his entire body. The propulsion system was slightly sluggish when it first activated, like the grogginess of the last few seconds before waking up. Then a gentle vibration came from his back, and water was drawn through the channels on both sides, propelling him forward.
"Initial velocity 1.5 meters per second," Nana reported. "Drag decreased by 35 percent, as expected."
"It feels like someone is gently pushing me forward," Chen Hao laughed. "It's quite comfortable."
He tried increasing the power. The thrusters responded quickly, increasing the speed to 3.2, and he barely felt any vibration.
"It's stable now," he said. "It's not shaking like it used to."
"The automatic balancing module is running," Nana reminded. "Be careful not to change direction too often; get used to straight-line propulsion first."
No sooner had he finished speaking than his foot slipped, and he crashed into a protruding rock ridge. The thrusters suddenly accelerated, and he spun half a circle on the spot, almost hitting his face against the rock.
"Holy crap!"
"Output fluctuations!" Susan shouted immediately, "Turn off automatic mode and switch to manual micro-control!"
Chen Hao frantically pressed the switch button. The thruster's hum changed, and the vibration became intermittent and controllable. He used the momentum to adjust his posture and finally stabilized.
"What just happened?" he asked, panting.
"Your right foot got caught in a whirlpool," Nana analyzed. "The system misinterpreted it as a steering command, triggering compensatory propulsion."
"Give me a heads-up next time." He wiped the condensation off his mask. "I almost gave the sea creatures a taste of my own medicine."
“Automatic balancing has been turned off,” Nana said. “From now on, you have complete control of the pulse rhythm.”
He slowly found his rhythm. With each gentle push, the thruster released a small amount of energy, the water flowing smoothly along the treads on the back of his wetsuit, the thrust steady and quiet. There was no roar of a propeller, nor any turbulent bubbles.
“This thing is really quiet,” he said. “Even the fish can’t hear me coming.”
“11:17 a.m.,” Karl suddenly interjected, “a historic moment—the first time humans have secretly approached seabed rocks without making any noise.”
"Shut up," Chen Hao said with a laugh. "I'm about to start testing the maximum speed."
“Don’t rush,” Susan said. “There’s an undercurrent ahead, and the sonar shows frequent abrupt changes in the current velocity.”
"It's a good opportunity to test whether 'following the laws of fluidity' will work." He quickened his pace.
Upon entering the undercurrent area, the resistance increases significantly. Traditional propulsion systems would struggle against the current in such conditions, doubling energy consumption. His propulsion system, however, is different.
At first, the power increased rapidly, and the energy consumption curve jumped upwards. Just as Nana was about to remind him to slow down, Chen Hao released the push button.
"What are you doing?" Susan asked.
“Don’t confront it head-on,” he said. “Wait for the water to flow over.”
A few seconds later, a horizontal ocean current swept in. He veered to the side, letting the current propel him. The thrusters sensed the change in direction, automatically adjusted their pulse frequency, and began to glide using the force.
The speed did not decrease but increased instead.
"4.3...4.5...4.6!" Nana read the numbers. "Stabilizing at 4.6 meters per second!"
"Wow, that's amazing." Carl stared at the figure on the screen. "This guy draws a straight line in the water, just like he cut it with a knife."
“Keep monitoring the energy consumption.” Susan stared at the data. “If we can maintain low-energy operation in this environment, we won’t need to carry so many batteries for long-distance cruises in the future.”
“The energy consumption is now only two-fifths of the estimated value,” Nana confirmed. “The energy-saving gliding mode has been activated.”
Chen Hao ran more and more smoothly. His body felt like it had become one with the water flow; the propulsion system was no longer a machine on his back, but more like an extension of his limbs. When turning, he only needed to tilt slightly, and the water flow would naturally guide his direction.
"I feel like I can fly," he said.
“You don’t,” Nana replied calmly. “You’ve only mastered the art of movement.”
“Art my ass.” He laughed. “I just want to rush out and see what E-7 is hiding right now.”
“No,” Susan immediately objected. “You can’t go beyond the designated area on your first trial. If something goes wrong, no one will be there to rescue you.”
“I’m not alone.” He patted the communicator. “You’re all here.”
“We are,” Carl said, “but we can’t lift the fat man from two hundred meters deep.”
“Hey, this body type is designed to withstand pressure!” he retorted. “Besides, this suit recognizes me; it won’t let me die.”
After he finished speaking, the thruster suddenly vibrated slightly, as if in response.
"Look!" he exclaimed triumphantly, "It nodded!"
“It’s a pulse reset,” Nana said. “Don’t overhype the device.”
"I don't believe it." He stomped his foot. "Let's sprint!"
The thrusters were operating at full power. The speedometer jumped to 4.7 and then stabilized. He left a straight trail in the open sea, with almost no bubbles behind him, only slight disturbances from the current.
“Oxygen monitoring is delayed,” Susan suddenly said. “The data shows that it’s being depleted too quickly; there might be a problem with the sensor.”
"Body temperature is normal." Nana simultaneously checked vital signs: "Heart rate 110, blood pressure stable, no signs of hypoxia. Determined to be a false alarm."
"Then let's continue." Chen Hao didn't slow down. "I haven't had enough fun yet."
He darted across a group of reefs, deftly maneuvering around obstacles. The thrusters activated and stopped multiple times in a short distance, reacting rapidly. After a sharp turn, he came to a stop at the outer edge of the observation tower, hovering in the water.
"How is it?" he asked.
“The data is perfect.” Susan had to admit, “Speed, stability, energy consumption, all meet the standards.”
“It’s even better than I expected,” Carl said. “I’ll have to go back and re-edit the video; the title will be ‘How a Fat Man Takes Flight in Water.’”
"Stop cutting it." Chen Hao gazed at the dark trench in the distance. "I don't want to go back right now."
“What did you say?” Susan asked.
“I said, I don’t want to go back.” He adjusted the thruster angle. “The E-7 isn’t far from here, only a dozen kilometers away as the crow flies. I have speed, range, and this suit to keep me alive.”
"Are you crazy?" Susan raised her voice. "The mission is just to test the thrusters, not to let you go on an adventure!"
"Isn't this a perfect test of its performance in real combat?" he said. "You want to know if it works? I'll tell you now—it does, and it works well."
“Chen Hao,” Nana began, “his unauthorized actions violated the security protocol.”
“I know.” He looked down at the thrusters. “But I have a question too.”
"What?"
“If the first person to go into the sea had hesitated like this, we would still be sunbathing on the shore right now.” After he finished speaking, he pushed hard.
The water surged backward abruptly. His figure vanished from the monitoring range in an instant, leaving only a fragmented sentence:
"Wait until my signal drops before you decide whether or not to come looking for me."
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