Chen Hao placed the thruster on the support, still chewing on crumbs of an energy bar. He stared at the bottomless black sea outside the window and suddenly smiled.
"I have an idea."
Susan looked up: "Again?"
“Not like in a science fiction movie,” he said. “It’s a serious one.”
Nana stood in front of the control panel, and the indicator light flashed slightly.
"I was just thinking, those glowing umbrellas, they can move together, which means they know how to coordinate. What if there's something that specifically eats them? They can't just blindly bump into things, right? There must be some kind of strategy."
Carl looked away from the data screen: "You mean predators also have tactics?"
"Otherwise what?" Chen Hao shrugged. "Such a vast sea, if it wanders aimlessly for decades, it might not even find a meal. It has to be smart."
The alarm went off as soon as he finished speaking.
It wasn't a sharp, piercing sound; it was a low-frequency vibration, like someone tapping on an iron pipe in the distance.
“The heat source is approaching.” Nana’s voice was flat. “Estimated size: over eighteen meters. Slow speed, but steady direction. 1200 meters away, moving towards our current location.”
Susan immediately pulled up the sonar map. A huge red dot was approaching, with no small targets following it.
"I operate alone," she said. "I'm not a pack hunter."
“It wasn’t just passing by.” Carl stared at the trajectory. “It turned a corner, like it was coming straight for us.”
Chen Hao didn't move. He leaned against the wall, his fingers lightly tapping his knee.
"How did it find us?" he asked.
Nana replied, "The most likely causes are water flow disturbance and body temperature differences. Our thrusters generate weak eddies when they run, and the temperature control system inside the diving suit also creates a thermal gradient."
“In other words,” Chen Hao grinned, “it doesn’t see, it ‘feels’ where we are.”
"correct."
"Then could we... make it sense the wrong place?"
The office was silent for a second.
Susan frowned: "You're trying to lie to it?"
“It’s not a lie,” Chen Hao shook his head. “It’s an act. We’ll find a stand-in, have it chase after us, and then we’ll sneak away.”
Carl laughed: "You think it's a fool?"
“All animals have habits.” Chen Hao sat up straight. “It eats based on signals, which means it believes in those signals. As long as we create one that smells even better, it will have to go and see it.”
Nana had already brought up the database interface, where sensory models of deep-sea predators were scrolling across the screen.
“It’s confirmed,” she said. “These creatures rely on mechanoreceptors to detect low-frequency vibrations and react strongly to simulated heartbeat signals. There have been historical records of squid releasing electric pulses to interfere with shark tracking.”
“Let’s do it this way.” Chen Hao stood up. “Find an abandoned buoy and modify it into a ‘breathing’ dummy. Let it float on the other side, and we’ll skim along the seabed.”
Susan hesitated: "But if the four of us walk together, there will still be traces."
“So we can’t go together.” Chen Hao pointed to the map. “Nana and I will go first, and you two will stay behind to operate the buoy. Once it takes the bait, you can catch up.”
“Too risky,” Susan objected. “What if it doesn’t fall for it?”
"That means it doesn't want to eat today," Chen Hao shrugged. "Anyway, we weren't planning on treating it to hot pot."
Carl laughed out loud.
Nana has already started preparing the equipment list.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the launch site.
The new thruster was reinstalled on his back, and it felt much more stable than before. Chen Hao checked that the interface was locked and the breathing system was normal, then pressed the start button.
With a soft hum, the thrusters entered standby mode.
“Buoy charging complete,” Carl said in the communications. “Signal will be released in three minutes.”
“Remember the rhythm,” Chen Hao said. “Don’t go too fast all at once. Make it sound like someone is actually breathing there. Gradually increase the speed, and then suddenly stop at the end—to pique its curiosity.”
“Understood,” Susan replied. “You two set off now, don’t wait too long.”
The hatch opened, and seawater rushed in.
Chen Hao and Nana swam out side by side, shutting down the main thrusters and switching to low-speed gliding using the bottom micro-jet nozzles. They stayed close to the seabed, trying to avoid the strong currents between the rocks.
Behind them, the buoy was launched and slowly rose up the slope.
Three minutes.
Susan's voice came through the communication channel: "Signal activated."
Immediately afterwards, a dull thud came from afar, like a giant object whipping its tail.
The sonar alarm jumped.
"It's turning!" Carl shouted. "It's accelerating toward the buoy!"
Chen Hao didn't speak, but gestured to Nana: Speed up.
The two simultaneously activated micro-pulse mode, moving forward like two fallen leaves skimming over the mud and sand. The thruster power was reduced to a minimum, producing almost no wake.
Fifty meters.
One hundred meters.
After rounding a rocky ridge, a narrow rift valley appears ahead, only wide enough for one person to pass through.
"Separate line," Chen Hao gestured. "You go first."
Nana nodded, turned her body to the side, and squeezed herself little by little into the gap. Chen Hao followed closely behind.
We had only crossed halfway when the communication suddenly stopped.
“Signal lost,” Nana said softly.
"Don't stop," Chen Hao replied with a gesture. "Keep going."
They climbed out of the rift valley and found themselves in an open depression. In the distance, the buoy's signal was still flashing, but the frequency was beginning to malfunction.
“They are increasing their output,” Nana judged.
"That means that guy hasn't left yet." Chen Hao lay down, pressing himself against the ground. "Wait."
A minute passed.
Two minutes.
Suddenly, the buoy signal stopped.
"Something's wrong." Chen Hao frowned.
“Not necessarily.” Nana pointed to the sonar. “The target is stationary. There’s no pursuit movement.”
"It stopped?" Chen Hao was incredulous. "This kind of thing would stop to think?"
“Possibly,” Nana said. “Advanced predators often pause their activity to scan their surroundings when they are unsure of the authenticity of their prey.”
“That means they’re suspicious.” Chen Hao stroked his chin. “We need to add more scenes.”
He turned on his wrist terminal, connected to the backup channel, and entered a preset program.
“I recorded the buoy’s last signal,” he said. “Now I’m playing it on repeat so it thinks its prey is injured and struggling.”
He pressed play.
A few seconds later, the sound of a tailshot came again in the distance.
“It moved!” Nana said, “but it wasn’t coming from the direction we were coming from.”
“It’s taking a longer route.” Chen Hao narrowed his eyes. “Is it trying to outflank us?”
“It’s more likely a probe,” Nana analyzed. “It suspects there’s a trap ahead and chooses to approach from the flank.”
“Then let’s go in the opposite direction.” Chen Hao raised his hand. “Tell Susan and Carl that we can set off. We’ll wait for them here to meet up.”
Fifteen minutes later, the four regrouped.
“Where is it now?” Susan asked.
"It's stuck 300 meters east of the buoy." Carl looked at the transmitted data. "It hasn't gotten any closer, nor has it moved away; it's just been swaying there."
"It's like waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump," Chen Hao laughed. "Unfortunately, the rabbit got away."
"What's next?" Nana asked.
“Continue the mission.” Chen Hao looked at the next marker on the map. “The original plan remains the same, just a different route.”
They advanced in formation, moving slowly along the edge of the depression.
During the journey, the detector indicated slight signs of geological activity ahead.
“It could be a hydrothermal leak,” Susan said. “It’s worth taking samples.”
"Go take a look," Chen Hao said, "but don't linger."
They approached a slope where tiny bubbles were constantly rising from the bottom. Chen Hao dispatched a remotely controlled probe to collect sediment from the edge area.
“Got it,” he said. “A little black residue, doesn’t look like ordinary minerals.”
"Seal and store it," Nana reminded, "to avoid contamination."
Just then, the sonar fluctuated slightly.
“It moved,” Carl said in a low voice.
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
The red dots moved slowly, heading back to their original positions.
“It thought we were still there,” Susan said with a sigh of relief.
"It'll probably be furious when it finds it's empty." Chen Hao put away the probe. "Let's go, don't let it make a wasted trip."
They changed course and maintained low-power navigation.
The seabed topography gradually rises, and although there is no light, the detector shows that the water ahead is becoming more stable.
“That move just now,” Susan suddenly said, “was actually quite risky.”
“I know,” Chen Hao said, “but I’d rather use my brain than speed. After all, I’m too bulky to withstand a collision.”
Carl laughed: "You know you're fat?"
“Being fat has its advantages,” Chen Hao said confidently. “Bigger size means stronger signal, and it makes any role look real.”
Nana glanced at him: "Next time, I might consider letting you be the bait."
"No way." Chen Hao waved his hand. "I am the commander, and the commander cannot be sacrificed."
The line fell silent for a moment.
The ripples gently propelled them forward.
In the distance, the last bubble rose from the seabed and burst into the cold darkness.
Chen Hao raised his hand and pointed to a dark blue expanse ahead.
Keep moving forward.
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