Chapter 180: Going into the Water Again
"Try to delay it for ten minutes." "Okay."
On the way here, the team's technicians had already controlled the robot mouse to circle the lake bottom, but did not find any trace of the octopus. After the robot mouse re-entered the research institute, it discovered that the octopus had returned to its original laboratory.
The technician explained the situation at the bottom of the lake and showed the team the footage captured by the robot mouse. Seeing the octopus return to the lab again, the others couldn't help but feel a headache.
"Why is it just sitting here? Isn't the lake big enough for it to be active outside? Why does it have to go back to the institute?"
"You can go back if you want, but why always stay in this room? Can't we go to other rooms?" The younger team members couldn't help but complain.
They only had the last two laboratories in the institute left to search. They had thought that today's operation would be easier if the octopus was not there, but now it seems that they cannot avoid this octopus.
"Maybe it's just a habit. Octopuses naturally like to squeeze themselves into confined spaces, and maybe they haven't changed this habit even after transforming into zombies," one of the team members said. "Didn't they say some zombies are afraid of water but some aren't? Later investigations revealed that the zombies that were afraid of water were actually landlubbers in their lifetime. Perhaps octopuses are the same."
"But if this shark has truly transformed into a zombie, it could be beneficial to us. In the cold weather, as long as we don't stimulate it, it shouldn't be as active as it was yesterday. This means we can deal with it the same way we deal with ordinary zombies. In that case, the plan we made last night might actually work."
"But what if it's still active?"
"Then we can only implement plan number two!"
Shark listened to his teammates and looked at the motionless giant octopus on the screen. He knew that delaying any further would not yield any results, so he gave the order directly.
"Get off the car and go to the island first. Follow yesterday's plan number one and prepare the mechanical mouse."
"yes."
Everyone in the carriage, including Jin, Tony and others, immediately took action.
In the cab, Jiang Qian, who was always paying attention to the dynamics in the carriage, also controlled the train to slowly descend after hearing Shark's words.
The carriage did not land at the previous location, but landed closer to the research institute. This was the location chosen by Jiang Qian and Shark after consultation, which would make it easier to take the team members away in case of danger in the water.
The train landed gently, and the air currents blew up the snowflakes on the ground.
After Shark counted the number of people, he got out of the car with his teammates.
But they did not go into the water directly. Instead, they controlled the robot mouse into the lake first.
This batch of robotic mice was newly developed by the Academy of Sciences three months ago. There are not many of them, but they are not only waterproof but also resistant to low temperatures. They were originally developed for use in winter rescue operations. If this mission was not urgent and important, they would not have been able to apply for so many.
Before the robot mice entered the water, the cameras installed on their eyes were turned on. At this time, the technician's computer screen also displayed the scenes seen by these robot mice at the bottom of the lake in different areas.
Most of the robot mice were scattered around the institute, and only a few entered the institute through the entrance that had been discovered previously.
The situation in the institute can be clearly seen under the infrared camera.
The corridor was noticeably more chaotic than the last time they entered, and the water was noticeably more murky. The team members speculated that this was probably caused by the octopus's previous entry and exit.
The tiny propellers behind the robot's feet kept moving forward in the water. Finally, after passing through numerous obstacles, they reached the end of the corridor.
Six team members, operating six robotic mice, entered two different laboratories on both sides of the corridor.
That’s right, after the team members encountered the octopus when they searched for the USB flash drive themselves last time, this time, the team members learned their lesson and sent the robot mouse out first.
Due to their size limitations, these robot mice would be slow to conduct a detailed search at the bottom of the lake, so the team members would rather do it themselves than use the robot mice.
But now, with the octopus suspected of being zombified, the lifeless robot mouse became the best option for searching. Furthermore, the robot mouse's small size made it less likely to attract the octopus's attention than other robot dogs and robots, and it could also enter small crevices in the room, allowing for more detailed exploration.
The facts are just as they predicted.
After the robot mouse entered the laboratory, the giant octopus that almost filled the room did not react at all. The team members breathed a sigh of relief and manipulated the robot mouse to search for areas not occupied by the octopus.
The little robot mouse darted through every nook and cranny of the room, exploring inch by inch. But after searching everywhere, it couldn't find any trace of the USB drive.
By this time, it was already noon.
Seeing that the action had yielded no results, everyone was discouraged and remained silent during lunch breaks.
Many people had placed their hopes on this operation. If they failed to find the USB drive, even if they weren't blamed, they would still feel bad. Especially since the higher-ups had provided them with such excellent logistics for this operation.
Looking at the sumptuous lunch in front of them and thinking about the entire morning's operation that had yielded no results, some team members were so depressed that they couldn't even eat.
Shark was a little disappointed that he didn't find the USB drive in the morning.
But now, he looked at the members of the team he led and knew he had to cheer them up.
Their team was formed on short notice, with members chosen for their ability to swim. None of them had ever served as team leader. Even Shark had only held the position for a short time when the vice-captain of their previous team was injured.
Sharks have no experience, but fortunately they can imitate.
He thought of his former team leader and said to his teammates, "Even though we didn't find it this morning, it's not time to give up yet. We still have places we haven't searched yet, right?"
The other teammates were stunned, "What are you talking about?"
"The back of that octopus?"
"Right." Shark nodded and encouraged everyone, "Since we're going to look for it, we have to find it thoroughly. That way, we can be considered to have done our best. Everyone, cheer up. Starting this afternoon, we will implement Plan Two!"
"yes!"
After responding with loud shouts, everyone gradually became more alert.
Yes! It’s not the last moment yet, so we can’t give up easily.
After quickly finishing their meal, everyone put on their equipment and devoted themselves to Plan No. 2.
"Put on the primer!"
Following the shark's command, the technician could see on the computer screen that the abdominal cavity of a robotic mouse opened in front of the shark, and then a thin stream of red liquid flowed out of the robotic mouse's abdominal cavity.
As soon as the liquid came out, it was diluted by the lake water, and the trace became much lighter, but the tentacles of the octopus in the laboratory, which had been silent for a long time, slowly began to move.
The team members responsible for controlling the robot mouse gritted their teeth and controlled the robot mouse to slowly move closer.
From another perspective, as the robot mouse approaches, the octopus's tentacles swing more and more vigorously.
"Not enough, come closer."
The robot mouse moved closer, and then the whole octopus began to move.
Knowing that the high concentration of chicken blood had taken effect, the team members quickly controlled the robot mouse to retreat, trying to lure the octopus outside as planned.
The other team members stared at the screen closely, watching the little mouse getting closer and closer to the door...
But suddenly, the screen went black.
From other perspectives, some team members watched the octopus waving its tentacles to destroy the robot mouse, but they had no time to feel sorry for the destroyed robot mouse. Instead, they quickly performed the same actions as the destroyed robot mouse.
The familiar red liquid was released again, and in the narrow space, the octopus became even more agitated.
"Don't hesitate, hurry up and get out!"
The team member controlling the second robot mouse did not dare to stay and controlled the robot mouse to go out first. Fortunately, after it went out, the octopus also took the bait and followed closely behind.
But it was clearly not time to relax, as the second robot mouse was soon destroyed. Fortunately, a third robot mouse came to the rescue...
In this way, with the help of one robot mouse after another, they finally led the octopus out of the building where the research institute was located.
Shark glanced at the technician next to him and instructed, "Next, do as we agreed before. You will take charge."
The technician, who had been staring intently at the screen, turned his head instantly upon hearing his words, his eyes filled with disapproval and reluctance. "Captain, is this necessary?"
Shark raised his hand and patted his shoulder, then turned his head to look at the lake. "This is also a last resort. We must be fully prepared, so some sacrifices are necessary."
This octopus is too destructive. Even if they lure it out of the research institute so that they can go into the water to find the USB flash drive, once it finds them, they may not be able to escape unscathed in a critical moment.
Therefore, when he goes into the water to perform a mission, there must be a commander outside who can ensure the safety of most teammates at critical moments.
As for the idea of being able to lure the octopus out of the research institute multiple times in a short period of time and evacuate in advance before being discovered each time, the sharks, who have had many dealings with zombies, think that this is not feasible.
They had used this method to attract zombies when facing zombies before.
But later they also found that although this method was effective, it was only effective at the beginning. Although it was always said that zombies acted on instinct, these guys seemed to have some intelligence besides instinct. After repeated use, this method no longer worked.
The sharks weren't sure if the octopus was as smart as the zombies, but that didn't stop them from preparing for the worst. If the octopus fell for it just once, then this would be their only chance!
As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Although this is a good saying, it also requires them to be able to light a fire later!
Shark said, straightening up and touching the technician's helmet with a smile.
"Don't be so serious. We've prepared so much, but we might not even get to that point! If it really comes to that, just listen to me and get in the car. When the time comes, just open the little note I gave you and you'll know what to do!"
The technician lowered his head, knowing he had made his decision, and didn't try to say anything else.
The shark didn't wait for his answer. Knowing that time was running out, he watched the octopus being led away from the building for a distance, then went into the water with his teammates who were already prepared.
The octopus was led to the other side of the lake by the robot mouse, and the shark finally had the opportunity to re-enter the research institute with his teammates.
Having been there once before, the team members were familiar with the route this time. However, after the giant octopus's destruction, the corridor was noticeably more chaotic than when they first entered, and the water was even more murky. Even with the protective suits completely shielding them from outside odors, and even with the filters turned up high, they could still smell the strong, fishy odor.
But no one was in the mood to pay attention to these things at the moment. Shark and other teammates who went into the water swam towards the last laboratory with a clear goal.
This is their last hope. If they still can't find the USB drive in these two laboratories, it will mean that their week-long operation has completely failed.
Thinking of the disappointment they might face after returning with the news of failure, Shark and the others cheered up and came to the place where the octopus had been before.
Because the octopus was so large, it had previously occupied quite a bit of space. Also, because the shark seemed to have used this place as its lair, there was a lot of miscellaneous stuff in the area, even some scraps of flesh that had fallen off when the octopus was feeding on itself.
Shark roughly divided the space into several equal parts and asked his teammates to search separately. Then he also immersed himself in searching among the pile of debris.
One inch, two inches... one foot, two feet... one meter, two meters...
The stench from the octopus's location was even stronger than before, nearly enough to make one faint. Even so, no one stopped searching. Instead, they held their breath and sped up their work.
In the room where undercurrents surged, an unbearable stench wafted in their noses. While they were searching for the USB drive, they were distracted by the real-time updates of the octopus's movements from their teammates on the shore through their headsets.
Although they had prepared a number of mechanical mice in advance and continuously sent mechanical dogs loaded with animal plasma into the water to attract the octopus's attention, the octopus's destructive power was still beyond their expectations. In less than fifteen minutes, even though the team members on the shore controlled the mechanical mice to try to avoid it, half of the prepared mechanical mice were quickly destroyed by it.
When there are fewer things that attract octopuses, the octopus will tend to return to its nest.
Seeing this, the technicians had no choice but to let the remaining robot dogs enter the water and try their best to attract the octopus's attention.
But this effort was time-limited. Even though he hoped to buy his teammates underwater more time to search, he had to remind them to speed up.
Shark had been listening to the reports and was of course aware of the situation outside. He glanced at the areas of the lab that hadn't been searched and said, "Try to delay for another ten minutes."
"good."
The technician looked at the time on the screen and gritted his teeth.
In the same channel, the other team members naturally heard the conversation between the two. Knowing that time was running out, they also sped up.
They didn't bother to carefully dig through the mud and debris on the ground, but just reached in to feel around.
Time passed by minute by minute, and everyone's heart was tense. Although they were at the bottom of the lake, they seemed to hear the ticking of the second hand of a clock.
【Author’s words】
The next chapter will be updated before 10 pm on Thursday.
Finished next week.
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