The next day, just as Gu Shenzhou predicted, Jiang Ling, who was watched by several wet divers as she got into the exoskeleton, was indeed terrified.
The underwater training rooms are located on the surface of Donghai Station, approximately 260 meters below the surface, near the seabed. They are connected by several tunnels to Area 3, which is located one floor above Area 4 and serves as a key transportation hub within the station. They resemble large-scale duck eggs, their "eggshells" made of a special material resisting the immense pressure of the seawater, maintaining a relatively safe pressure for the freshwater within.
Their upper half is transparent, and some fluorescent creatures often float in the black sea water, like meteors in the dark night - this makes the trainees feel invisible psychological pressure.
The exoskeleton was different from the one from the day before; it had additional buoyancy modules installed throughout its body, offsetting its own weight. The consequence was predictable: it was now easily affected by the currents around it, becoming unwieldy and constantly bobbing in the water.
Jiang Ling's progress was much faster than the others. Unlike the others, she didn't start by learning how to use the exoskeleton. Instead, the divers led her to a cylindrical simulated spaceship model. Then, following the instruction manual, she operated a half-human-height device on the model's exterior. The device was supposed to be part of the spaceship's attitude control system, but it had been artificially broken into pieces, apparently to facilitate training, though perhaps also to increase the learning curve.
She now has a good memory, and the device soon became a phantom in her mind. Various buttons and pipeline interfaces were constantly analyzed and formed a strong one-to-one correspondence with the initial pile of learning materials.
What she feared was not the dictionary-like instruction set, but the surrounding environment - as she tinkered with the task at hand with incredible precision, the memory of her comrade who had died in front of her half a year ago reappeared in her mind.
Jiang Ling doesn't think she is a nostalgic person, but the person who chose to stand in front of her despite having no psychic abilities has been deeply etched in her soul. She now hates herself at that time. She had all the abilities but no willingness to help others. The monster's way of thinking has changed her after all, making it difficult for her to accurately judge the danger according to the physical limits of ordinary people.
Powerful forces can be fascinating, but they can also be disorienting.
Her nerves were strained, and before the divers could react, the unfortunate model in her hands was ripped apart by her immense strength. Like a large whale slain in battle, the shattered box of unknown material surfaced at a slow but steady pace, drawing a few exclamations.
"Trainee No. 067, due to improper operation, the equipment was damaged and 100 points were deducted. The test failed. Please leave the training room temporarily." A line of words appeared on the display screen of the exoskeleton helmet.
"Fuck!" Jiang Ling yelled, then looked helplessly at the two divers approaching. The lower half of their faces were blocked by their underwater breathing apparatus, but their eyes through the diving goggles still gave a helpless look.
Not long after, she was fished to the shore by a robotic arm. As soon as she came out of the exoskeleton, she saw several serious and stiff faces.
"Can I say that I was careless?" Jiang Ling explained weakly.
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