Allen concluded, looking at them with unwavering eyes.
Eileen stared wide-eyed at the constantly changing numbers on the screen, then glanced at her younger brother:
"You cracked it yourself? My God, Allen! When did you become so amazing!"
Her attention was initially focused on her brother's achievements, but she quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. "But... going to the depths of the abyss? It's too dangerous! We should tell Father immediately!"
Roy fell into deep thought, pushing up his non-existent glasses (a habitual gesture), and murmured:
"Encrypted information stream... coordinate beacons... countdown... This seems like some kind of pre-set trigger mechanism, or... an invitation? The Howling Abyss is where spatial rifts are located, and too many unknowns have accumulated there throughout history. The Zedo civilization? Or... something else?"
He looked at Allen, his expression turning serious:
"Allen, your caution is justified. Reporting directly might complicate matters. However, acting on your own is equally risky. What do you plan to do?"
Allen knew the most crucial moment had arrived.
He produced his revised design drawings of the "Tunneler Type III" and a rough action plan.
“I’ve used the ‘Tunneler Type III’ as a base, adding stronger protection and stealth modules. It can carry us into the target area. Eileen, your elemental magic can handle sudden combat and environmental hazards. Roy, your theoretical knowledge and analytical skills can help us decipher any unknown symbols or mechanisms we may encounter.”
He paused, his voice earnest:
"This is our own discovery, an opportunity for us to face and solve problems using our own abilities."
I don't want to always be the one being protected. Besides, we have a time limit; we must arrive before the countdown ends. If we report it up the chain of approvals, we might miss the opportunity.
A brief silence fell over the workshop.
Only the low hum of the energy instrument and the relentlessly decreasing numbers on the screen reminded us of the passage of time.
Eileen looked at the unprecedented determination and longing in her brother's eyes, then glanced at the mysterious coordinates, and bit her lip.
She was naturally adventurous and extremely protective of her own, and her brother's request and her inner turmoil ultimately prevailed.
"Okay! I'll go crazy with you this once!"
Eileen clenched her fists, and sparks of ice crystals and fire seemed to emanate from her body. "But it's agreed that if things go wrong, we must retreat immediately and ask Father for help!"
Roy sighed and smiled helplessly: "Logically and from a thirst for knowledge standpoint, I cannot refuse such an 'invitation.' Allen, your plan, though risky, is not without its feasibility. I will do my best to provide support."
Three hands clasped tightly together.
For the first time, without guidance from their fathers, the younger generation of the Truk family decided to face an unknown challenge together.
For the next several dozen hours, Allen's workshop entered an unprecedented state of activity. The three worked together, dividing the tasks:
Allen was in charge of fully transforming the "Tunneler III" from an exploration hull into a small submersible with short-range stealth capabilities, strong protection, and basic living functions.
He used all his technical reserves and even secretly accessed some non-sensitive materials from his father's laboratory.
Eileen was in charge of preparing magic scrolls and potions to deal with all possible battles, while using her influence to cleverly conceal the workshop's abnormal energy fluctuations and resource mobilization.
Roy buried himself in the base's public archives and the parts of the Zedo civilization's files that his father had allowed them access to, trying to find any clues related to that coordinate, encryption method, or time stamp.
Although their actions were secretive, they were not without flaws.
The Shadowbinders of Narash seemed to have noticed the unusual activity of the young lords, but perhaps out of respect for Lind's children, or perhaps with some kind of tacit approval, they did not interfere further, but simply reported the situation quietly.
Deep within the lord's manor, Lind stood atop the observation tower, listening to Astaire's low report, his gaze calmly fixed on the direction of the Howling Abyss.
Let them be.
Linde's voice was devoid of emotion, "One needs to go through trials to grow. Let the Shadowbinders follow in the shadows, and don't intervene unless it's a matter of life and death."
"Yes, my lord."
The countdown has begun; only ten standard hours remain.
Inside Allen's workshop, a five-meter-long, multi-sized metal spider-like vessel with hidden runes flowing across its surface—the "Tunneler Mod"—was ready.
Allen, Eileen, and Roy donned their basic protective gear, gathered the necessary supplies, and gave the submersible a final check of its condition.
"Are you ready?" Allen took a deep breath and looked at his older brother and sister.
Eileen patted the magic pouch at her waist, her face flushed with a mixture of nervousness and excitement:
"I can't wait any longer!"
Roy then adjusted the submarine's hatch and calmly nodded:
"All system checks completed, navigation coordinates entered."
Let's go.
The hatch slowly closed, isolating the outside world.
The eight mechanical legs of the "Tunneler Mod" moved nimbly, gliding silently out of the workshop and speeding towards the dark and menacing entrance to the Howling Abyss along a pre-planned path that avoided the main monitoring area.
As the "Tunneler Modified" silently slid into the entrance of the Howling Abyss, a fissure that opened like the fangs of a giant beast.
The light from the outside world was quickly swallowed up, replaced by an unsettling, dim glow that permeated the air, originating from the distorted energy radiation and suspended luminous spores of the abyss itself.
The temperature plummeted, and eerie frost crystals that would never melt formed on the cold rock walls.
Inside the submarine, the main light source was off, leaving only the faint blue glow from the control panel and a few necessary runes, illuminating three young but tense faces.
Allen was fully focused on controlling the submarine. Its eight mechanical legs moved nimbly and steadily across the uneven ground covered with huge crystal clusters and decaying metal debris, making extremely faint "click" sounds.
He used the external sensor of the [Tunneler Mod] to project a real-time three-dimensional image of the surrounding environment onto the main screen.
"Deep -1500 yards, the concentration of environmental magic continues to rise, and there is a slight spatial distortion phenomenon."
Allen calmly reported the data: "The energy shield is operating stably, the stealth rune is active, and no known abyss warning mechanisms have been triggered."
Eileen gripped the staff tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force.
She could clearly sense the chaotic, wild, yet anciently malevolent magical fluctuations in the external environment, which were completely different from the surface elements she was familiar with.
She tried to regulate her breathing, attempting to establish a preliminary connection with these unfamiliar energies in case of emergency.
Roy lay in front of the control panel, quickly comparing the energy patterns and rock structure features recorded along the way with the abyss data he had crammed before setting off, and cross-verifying them.
"The area indicated by the coordinates is located on the blank edge of the known exploration map. Based on the distribution of the remaining Zedo alloy fragments and traces of energy erosion, it can be inferred that there may be an unrecorded Zedo outpost there, or... some kind of unnatural structure."
He pushed up his non-existent glasses, his tone carrying the caution of a scholar, “The encryption method of the signal does indeed have the characteristics of later Zedu technology, but that countdown mechanism… feels more… ‘organic’? Or rather, it has a kind of rhythmic sense of a living organism, which is somewhat different from the highly rational style of the Zedu civilization.”
"I don't care what style it is, as long as it dares to show its face, I'll give it a good thrashing with ice and fire!"
Eileen clenched her fist, trying to dispel the overly tense atmosphere in the cabin, but the vigilance in her eyes did not diminish.
The submersible continued to descend deeper into the abyss.
The surrounding scenery became increasingly bizarre.
Huge, pulsating clusters of purple fungi covered the entire rock face; in the foul-smelling swamp, indescribable shadows wriggled indistinctly; occasionally, translucent, wailing vengeful spirits floated through the air, but they seemed oblivious to the submarine, perhaps due to the invisibility runes.
The countdown is passing silently.
Five standard hours... three standard hours... one standard hour...
Finally, with less than thirty minutes left in the countdown, the "Tunneler Mod" arrived at the core area marked by the coordinates.
The sight before them made all three of them hold their breath.
This was not the abandoned outpost as expected, but a huge underground vault that seemed to have been hollowed out by an invisible force.
At the center of the dome is not a physical building, but a complex structure with a diameter of over 100 meters that is suspended in mid-air, composed of countless dark silver data streams and broken law runes, and is constantly rotating and reconstructing!
It's like a giant, living cocoon woven from pure information and concepts!
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