The main light flickered and then came back on; no one spoke in the cabin.
Nana's voice immediately rang out: "External heat flow impact initiated, temperature rises by 3.2 degrees within fifteen seconds."
Chen Hao grabbed the edge of the control panel: "Activate the cooling system! Cut off all non-essential power!"
Nana swiped her finger across the screen, and the water curtain nozzles on the outer shell of the ship instantly opened, with low-temperature circulating water forming a protective layer against the hull. She spoke calmly: "The water curtain coverage is 87%, which is expected to delay heat conduction by four to six minutes."
“That’s enough.” Chen Hao stared at the video screen in front of him. “Karl, how much longer can the power last?”
“The thrusters are already at full capacity.” Carl looked at the dashboard. “If we pull any higher, the fuse will blow.”
"Don't burn it," Chen Hao said. "We haven't lived enough yet."
Susan pulled a monitoring device from the medical cabinet and quickly scanned the data on her wrist. "Oxygen is stable, heart rate is slightly high but not exceeding the limit. The hull is properly sealed, with no leaks."
"That's good." Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "Otherwise, we'd either be boiled or flattened."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a muffled thud came from above, as if something had hit the deck.
“Falling rocks.” Nana looked up. “The rock strata above have collapsed, and fragments with a diameter of more than two meters are falling into the sea. They are expected to enter the navigation path within three minutes.”
"We'll take a zigzag evasive maneuver," Chen Hao decided. "Susan, you fine-tune the servo, and I'll call out the direction."
Susan got into the passenger seat and placed her hands on the control stick. Chen Hao stared at the sonar image, where several red dots were rapidly approaching from above.
"Five degrees to the left!" he roared.
The ship tilted sharply, dodging the first wave of falling rocks. Several white waves erupted on the surface, and a huge rock slid into the deep sea, grazing the starboard side, causing the entire ship to rock halfway around.
"Hold on!" Chen Hao gripped the handrail. "The next one is right in front of us!"
"Distance 800 meters," Nana reported. "Speed 12 meters per second, estimated collision point in the middle of the flight path."
"Ten degrees to the right!" Chen Hao shouted, "Full speed ahead!"
Susan jerked the steering wheel, the propellers roaring as they propelled the boat forward. They were dancing on a knife's edge, each turn fraught with gaps between falling rocks.
Carl gritted his teeth and looked at the power gauge: "The engine temperature is almost at the red line."
"Let it burn." Chen Hao's eyes remained glued to the screen. "Just don't let it break."
A series of impacts came from afar, like someone smashing a tin roof with a hammer. The ship trembled slightly, but it didn't stop.
"Let's get out of the rockfall zone for now," Nana said. "We're maintaining a speed of over seven knots; we can try to accelerate."
"Add more." Chen Hao nodded. "Run as fast as you can."
The thrusters revved up again, the bow cutting through the churning water as it hurtled toward the safe zone marked on the map. Behind it, the crimson area had become a sea of fire, with scalding mud and gas constantly spewing from the seabed, distorting the entire ocean current.
"The shockwave is coming," Nana suddenly said.
The next second, the entire ship tilted sharply to the left, as if it had been kicked from the side. Everyone staggered, and Karl nearly crashed into the control panel.
"The ballast tank is out of balance!" He rushed over and pressed the regulating valve. "Half of the water is leaking from the left side!"
"Make up for it!" Chen Hao roared.
Carl manually injected balancing fluid, and the hull slowly returned to level. But just as it stabilized, a new alarm sounded.
“The navigation map is distorted.” Nana stared at the screen. “Electromagnetic interference has increased, and the original route cannot be identified.”
“Then let’s change routes.” Chen Hao squinted at the blurry terrain map. “Go close to the bottom and find some cover.”
“It’s feasible.” Nana activated the low-frequency detection signal. “There’s an underwater ridge 1,200 meters ahead, high enough to shield part of the shock wave.”
"Let's go that way," Chen Hao said, "following the base of the mountain."
The ship slowly sank, the depth gauge readings fluctuating. The closer they got to the seabed, the calmer the currents became. A mountain ridge, like a wall, stood between the eruption zone and them, becoming the only barrier.
“The heat flow is still chasing.” Susan looked at the temperature reading. “The outer shell is now 48 degrees Celsius, which is 20 degrees Celsius higher than normal.”
“The water curtain is still working,” Nana said, “but the cooling efficiency has dropped by thirty percent.”
"Just hang in there." Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, his forehead covered in sweat. "We're swimming while being grilled, so nobody can think about being comfortable."
Carl grinned. "I thought only barbecue stalls were this curly in the summer."
“You’re like a kebab right now,” Chen Hao said. “All that’s missing is a sprinkle of cumin.”
“Then you’ll have to get ashore alive first.” Karl turned and glared at him. “Otherwise, who’s going to collect your corpse?”
“I don’t need to collect it,” Chen Hao said. “I’ll just throw it into the sea to feed the fish; that’s part of the ecological cycle.”
Susan sighed: "Can you guys shut up and save your energy?"
"No." The two said in unison.
Nana suddenly raised her hand: "Attention, a strong countercurrent has appeared on the right, with a speed of more than five meters per second, and it is squeezing our channel."
"Can the ballast tank be adjusted?" Chen Hao asked.
“Okay.” Carl checked the valve. “But adjusting it again would require touching the main balancing tank, which is a bit risky.”
“Then let’s move,” Chen Hao said. “It’s better than being swept back.”
Carl unscrewed the latch and manually released the regulating fluid. The boat sank slightly, avoiding the most turbulent section against the current. They crawled along the edge of the storm like an insect on the ground.
“We’re nine kilometers from the safety buffer zone,” Nana said. “We expect to arrive in ten minutes.”
"Nine kilometers isn't a short distance." Chen Hao stared ahead. "This godforsaken place doesn't even have a street lamp."
“If you had streetlights, you’d be roasted like a suckling pig by now,” Carl said.
"I've always been fat," Chen Hao said, rubbing his stomach. "It's a good opportunity to lose some weight."
“You’re shortening my life,” Susan muttered softly.
The ship continued forward, the ridge gradually lowered, and its shielding effect diminished. The eruptions behind grew increasingly violent, and the heat spread like tentacles.
"The outer shell temperature has exceeded 50 degrees Celsius," Nana warned, "Increasing the risk of structural damage."
"Can it still hold on?" Chen Hao asked.
“There are no signs of a rupture at present,” she said, “but it may not be able to withstand a second impact.”
"Then let's not crash," Chen Hao said. "We've had enough bad luck already."
They slowly moved out of the core area, finally rushing into relatively stable waters seven minutes later. The red spot gradually disappeared from the rearview image, leaving only churning bubbles and murky water.
“The main eruption zone has been detached,” Nana announced. “We are currently 12 kilometers from the epicenter and are in the secondary impact zone.”
"Finally, I can catch my breath." Carl slumped in his chair. "My butt is numb."
"Inspect the hull." Chen Hao didn't relax. "Nana, has communication been restored?"
“The backup antenna array is now operational,” she said. “The shortwave signal can transmit short-coded information, including location coordinates and status codes.”
"Send it," Chen Hao said. "Let them know we're still alive."
Nana pressed the send button, and the signal pulse flashed briefly before disappearing into the seawater.
Susan got up and inspected the area. When she returned, she looked unwell: "The outer casing has several scratches. Although it's not broken, the coating has peeled off badly. The repair kit needs to be replaced as soon as possible."
"Let's wait until things are more stable before discussing further." Chen Hao nodded. "Karl, how's the engine?"
"It can barely run," he said. "I just have to drive slowly, otherwise it might break down halfway."
"Then let's take our time." Chen Hao leaned back in his seat. "Anyway, no one's rushing us."
The cabin fell silent, save for the hum of the equipment. The escape had exhausted everyone, but now no one dared to sleep.
Nana was still monitoring the various data, and blue light kept flashing in her eyes.
“The navigation system has partially failed,” she said. “The main radar is black, and we are only maintaining direction using inertial positioning.”
"Then let's rely on our intuition," Chen Hao said. "Anyway, I didn't know the answers to the exams before, and I still managed to get by."
“You’re just guessing,” Carl said.
“Deception is also a skill,” Chen Hao retorted, “especially in life-or-death situations.”
Susan glanced down at her watch: "We've been out for almost three hours."
“The base should be worried,” Carl said. “I wonder if anyone’s betting on whether we’re dead or alive.”
“Definitely,” Chen Hao laughed. “Those who bet on me to win have probably all gone bankrupt.”
They talked as the boat continued forward. The waters ahead remained dark, with extremely low visibility.
Suddenly, Nana looked up.
"An abnormal area has been detected ahead."
"What type?" Chen Hao immediately sat up straight.
"Visual signals are blocked, and the initial assessment is that it is a high-density suspended matter accumulation zone," she said. "It may be a fog-like layer formed by volcanic ash mixed with seawater."
"Is it possible to get through?"
“Okay.” She nodded. “But the internal environment is unknown, so I suggest proceeding at a low speed.”
"Then let's go slow," Chen Hao said. "Anyway, there aren't any other roads right now."
The boat slowed down, gently heading towards that hazy white outline. The closer it got, the less it could see ahead, as if it had sailed into a ball of wet cotton.
The image on the screen became increasingly blurry, until finally only a gray and white image remained.
“The vision system has failed,” Nana said. “Switch to sonar and thermal imaging mode.”
The outline reappears on the screen, indicating that the passage ahead is narrow and there appear to be obstacles on both sides.
"Stay close to the middle," Chen Hao ordered. "Don't brush against the wall."
The ship moved slowly forward, and everyone stared at the screen, afraid that it might suddenly collide with something.
Karl broke the silence: "Do you think there might be some kind of monster lurking in there?"
"If anyone survived, it was from the fumes," Chen Hao said. "When a volcano erupts, who can live?"
"Didn't we survive?" Karl retorted.
“That was luck,” Chen Hao said. “It wasn’t skill.”
Susan suddenly frowned: "The oxygen concentration has dropped a bit."
"Turn off the vents," Chen Hao said. "The air outside isn't clean."
Nana executed the command, switching the cabin air circulation to internal filtration. The temperature also began to rise as the external cooling water supply decreased.
"If this continues, we'll all rot away," Carl muttered.
“You already have a certain odor,” Chen Hao said.
“I smell like a man,” Carl said, puffing out his chest. “You smell like rotten.”
"You two shut up." Susan rubbed her temples. "I just want five minutes of peace and quiet."
No one responded.
The ship continued forward, the fog thickened, and the signal on the screen became unstable. The sonar image was intermittent, like the picture from an old television with a poor signal.
Nana frowned slightly: "Increased interference leads to decreased positioning accuracy."
"Can you still walk?" Chen Hao asked.
“Yes,” she said, “but we need to be more careful.”
The boat rocked slightly, as if it had bumped into something.
"What's going on?" Chen Hao asked immediately.
“Unidentified contact.” Nana adjusted her angle. “It could be floating debris, or it could be…”
She didn't finish speaking.
In the center of the screen, a blurry, elongated object slowly emerged, lying across the path ahead of the waterway.
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