Sienna acted almost without hesitation. She took a deep breath, her body taut like a bowstring stretched to its limit.
The next moment, the magnificent indigo fish tail burst forth with astonishing power, slamming heavily onto the water's surface!
"boom!!!"
A deafening roar, far louder than the previous explosion of the aircraft, erupted inside the cabin! Huge sprays of water shot into the sky like a fountain, violently crashing against the metal roof several meters high, creating a deafening splash.
The entire recirculation chamber trembled slightly under this attack!
Using the violent recoil force, Sirina's figure shot out like an arrow, carrying the surging water flow, transforming into a deep blue streak of light, and heading towards a huge opening at the top of the circulation chamber used for water circulation!
Just as she was about to disappear into the dark passage, she turned around abruptly. Her deep blue eyes, piercing through the scattered water droplets, gave Lind a deep look, filled with indescribable complex emotions (fear, grievance, resentment, and a hint of relief at surviving a catastrophe).
"Don't come looking for me—!!!"
A cry, almost a scream, pierced with tears, vanished into the darkness of the pipes along with her figure, leaving only the sound of rushing water and the echoing echoes in the cold metal cabin.
Linde stood there, letting the cold water droplets fall from above, wetting his clothes and hair.
His face was expressionless, but his deep purple eyes were fixed on the direction where Sirena had disappeared, as if they could penetrate the thick steel and see her struggling to move through the raging magic network nodes.
The deep blue metal disc, like a seed thrown into the deep sea, carrying his will and invitation, sank into the endless depths of that stormy sea along with the terrified little sea monster.
Inside the circulating chamber of the Steel Sky, only the sound of water slowly calming down and the faint, meaningful curve of Linde's lips remained.
Linde stood there, letting the cold water droplets slide down his hair and soak his collar.
"Buzz—"
A standby "Watcher" mech silently glided to his side, its metal arm flexibly unfolding and transforming into an ergonomically designed simple seat, which was placed steadily behind him.
Linde did not refuse and sat down with composure.
His fingertips lightly brushed against the cold armrest of the seat, and he closed his eyes, his consciousness instantly sinking into the central core of the steel sky.
Switching perspectives.
A vast stream of data unfolded in my consciousness like a sea of stars, cold and precise.
One of the signals, extremely small yet exceptionally resilient and bearing a special energy signature, was rapidly breaking away from the range of the steel sky and heading southwest towards the sea shrouded in the eternal storm.
The source of that signal was the dark blue metal disc he had given to Sienna—it was more than just a "token".
A cold, all-controlling smile curled at the corners of Linde's mouth.
Positioner.
An ultra-precise locator that combines the spatial anchoring technology of the Zedu civilization with the imprint of Linde's own spiritual power.
Its core does not rely on conventional physical signals, but rather on an unbreakable quantum entanglement with Linde's soul essence.
More importantly, it is engraved with special spatial coordinates "receive" and "stabilize" runes.
Sirina thought she was escaping a cage, but little did she know that she had taken with her a "key" that led directly to the Linde Will.
"The turbulent magical currents of the eye of the storm can indeed block most detection and communication methods..."
Linde's spiritual whispers echoed in the torrent of data, "but they could not shield the connection of the origin, nor could they stop the guidance of the preset coordinates."
This means that as long as Sirenna returns to the Siren's gathering place with the disc, no matter what the scene is like deep within the eye of the storm, no matter how violent and chaotic the magic is, Lind can directly "project" his spiritual will—or even a projection mediated by the crystal skeleton—through the original link with the disc!
He doesn't need to know the specific path, nor does he need to fight against the energy turbulence inside the storm node.
The disk itself is a lighthouse, a precise coordinate beacon.
Once it stabilizes at its destination, Linde's will can follow that unique "line," ignoring the barriers of space and energy, and descend directly!
"The rest is up to your people... to interpret this 'gift'."
Linde's gaze seemed to pierce through the vast distance, landing on the panicked, deep blue figure.
Fear? Repulsion? Or awe and curiosity about the unknown?
Regardless of the reaction, it will open a window for him to the secrets of the deep sea.
He stopped paying attention to the rapidly receding signal point and turned his focus to the Steel Sky itself.
A vast star map unfolded in his mind, with points of light representing the steel sky moving steadily along a predetermined route toward the storm-ravaged, reef-strewn "Skullcrack Horn" at the southernmost tip of the continent of Til.
"Distance to the intended landing point: 2 standard days."
"Countdown to the pre-launch of the docking procedure for the Bokou Relics: 14 standard days."
A cold, electronic voice reported the precise time.
"Arrival in two days, handover in half a month..."
Linde calculated silently in his mind.
The damage to the Steel Sky was more severe than he had anticipated. The output of the energy core was constantly hovering at the critical point, and the instability of the attitude engine was also intensifying.
The whole process will probably not be easy.
"At the central core, the risk factor is reassessed. Engine groups 7-9 will have their output power reduced by 3% to prioritize structural stability."
"Activate the temporary reinforcement gel carried by the mechs in the areas where the external armor is damaged, focusing on protecting key energy pipeline nodes." He quickly issued the order.
"Command confirmed. Risk factor reassessment in progress... Success rate: 78.3%. Warning: Abnormal energy storm activity detected in the skull fragmentation area, exceeding historical records by 37%, which may cause unpredictable interference with the emergency landing trajectory."
The central response carried a hint of solemnity.
"78.3%...that's enough."
Linde's gaze remained unwavering. He had experienced far more perilous situations.
"Monitor storm activity and adjust course and altitude as needed. Emergency landing procedures are prioritized to the highest level."
"Command confirmed."
Having dealt with the pressing issues, Linde's consciousness once again swept over the massive interior of the Steel Sky ship.
Sirona's departure left G-7 area cold and lifeless, but her intrusion also exposed weaknesses in the ship's internal monitoring and defense.
"The machine maintenance unit conducted a full scan of the G-7 area and adjacent compartments to repair all traces of physical damage caused by the Sirenna."
Strengthen the physical barriers separating all living quarters and circulation areas from the core compartment; initiate expulsion protocols for any unauthorized access.
He will not allow any more accidents to happen.
"Command confirmed. Scanning and repair work in progress."
Having confirmed that the Steel Sky was steadily and steadfastly heading towards its destination, albeit with difficulty, Linde slowly withdrew his mental energy from the cold central core.
Consciousness returned to the cold reality of the recirculation chamber.
He opened his eyes, his purple pupils reflecting the water droplets dripping from the dome and the dim blue indicator lights of the busy mechs in the distance. The air still carried the salty tang of the sea and the faint, strange scent left by Sirina.
Standing up, Lind took one last look in the direction where Sirena had disappeared, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"The eye of the storm... the siren... we will meet again soon."
He turned and walked steadily toward the hatch. The mech pilots behind him silently stowed their seats, following closely like loyal shadows.
The steel passageway stretched out beneath his feet, cold and hard.
Only half a month of voyage remains before his "Steel Star" truly returns to its place and sets foot on the land of the Tiel continent.
And the eye of the storm in the deep sea is about to welcome an uninvited guest because of a tiny "key." The gears of fate are turning faster.
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