116: The Undersea Pyramid

The submarine descended slowly into the canyon. No one knew how long they had been submerged when a report came in that they could go no further; the external pressure was reaching a point where it would crush the vessel.

Solas’s expression darkened. He was no reckless man, and he could not force his crew to risk their lives. Yet, the thought that a world-shaking discovery might be lying on the seabed just ahead left him deeply unwilling to give up now.

Just then, a sailor approached with a look of astonishment. "Sir, the pressure readings have changed. We are at a depth of 2,000 meters, but the gauge is only showing pressure equivalent to 200 meters!"

Solas was ecstatic. "Continue the descent!"

The canyon was like a bottomless pit. The sailor continued to call out the depths: 3,000 meters, 4,500 meters! The sailor was drenched in sweat; this was madness. They were flirting with death. The only thing keeping them calm was that the pressure had not increased—in fact, it was still dropping.

"Boss," a sailor exclaimed, "sonar indicates the canyon ends in another 500 meters. There appears to be an empty space below."

"Good... did the scans reveal anything else?"

The sailor shook his head. "We have deployed the underwater drone; a report will follow shortly."

Solas paced the deck in excitement. It took another ten minutes to descend the final 500 meters. A sailor rushed over, looking confused. "Boss, there is... a massive bubble down there. It’s an air-filled space."

Solas jumped for joy. "An air-filled space? You mean there is a space capable of sustaining human life down there!?" Even Mutou, Li Yun, and Professor Qin looked at one another in disbelief. Who could have imagined that in the legendary "Latitude of Death"—the Bermuda Triangle—at a depth of ten thousand meters, there would be a pocket of space without water?

"Yes! And the photos from the drone show massive structures inside," the sailor said, handing over a photograph.

Everyone gathered around to look, gasping in unison. It was clearly an Egyptian-style pyramid! How could such a thing exist ten thousand meters deep in the ocean? Furthermore, the photos revealed not just the pyramid, but an entire complex of buildings, though there were no signs of biological activity.

The sailor added, "The situation here is bizarre. The pressure gauge shows that the deeper we go, the lower the pressure gets. By the time we reach the bottom, the pressure shouldn't cause any physical discomfort. However, the captain says the situation is too strange and does not recommend you go down."

"We are going down! How could we not?" Solas said excitedly. "Tell the captain to hold the position by the architectural complex. I am going down to investigate. This is a discovery of the century; no matter the danger, I must see it for myself!"

Such a miraculous sight was not something one saw every day. Everyone wanted to see it, and Mutou’s group knew that this was likely the location pointed to by the Time and Space Administration, making it even more imperative to investigate.

Following Solas's orders, the submarine docked at the side of the massive bubble and moved slowly toward the seabed.

From the outside, everything within the air-filled space looked distorted and unclear. A bodyguard tentatively extended his waterproof firearm through the boundary between the water and the space; there was no resistance. He then pushed his hand, head, and eventually his entire body through.

Beyond the water curtain, he gestured to the others that it was safe to enter. Mutou stepped through first, feeling as if he were passing through a soap bubble. Whatever kept the water at bay, it worked perfectly; as soon as a person passed through, the water curtain sealed itself, and not a single drop entered the space.

One by one, the others followed.

"It’s miraculous!" Solas shouted as soon as he entered. "We can breathe! And look, this must be the legendary ruins of Atlantis!"

The theory of Atlantis was one proposed by many researchers and experts, suggesting that an ancient civilization existed ten thousand years ago and suddenly sank to the seabed due to geological changes caused by earthquakes.

Mutou noted that the space was about a square kilometer in size. The most prominent structure was the pyramid, which reached nearly to the top of the space. Surrounding it were various stone structures, pillars, stone statues, and arches. It appeared that the entire complex had been built around the pyramid, with no residential buildings for humans.

A bodyguard swept the area with an instrument. "No energy readings. No signs of life other than us."

"It’s incredible!" Solas repeated, his face flushed with excitement. "This could not have been built by modern technology. By all rights, it should be pitch black at a depth of ten thousand meters, yet there is no light source here, and it is as bright as day. This must be the technology of an ancient civilization unknown to us!"

"There is an energy reading... very faint, coming from the pyramid!" Zigui whispered this to Mutou and Gu Feng after activating her combat armor.

Gu Feng added, "There is a scent of the undead. This pyramid gives me a sinister feeling."

Mutou knew Gu Feng was the strongest among them (aside from Lu Daoxuan, who was far too mysterious). If Gu Feng said this, there was likely danger. He turned to the two women and Li Yun. "Do not wander off. Stay close to me."

The three nodded. Six mercenaries drew their weapons and chambered rounds, looking alert. Solas frowned. "What are you doing?"

The leader of the mercenaries, a tall, strong Black man, replied, "I don't know why, but I have a feeling of impending danger."

The other mercenaries nodded in agreement. Their life of living on the edge had given them a sense for danger far superior to that of ordinary people.

Professor Qin, in high spirits, joked, "You are all being paranoid. This is a ruin at least ten thousand years old. What danger could there be? Are monsters going to crawl out?" He added, "Be careful, these are ancient artifacts. It would be a tragedy to damage them!"

Solas agreed, "Everything here has immense research value. Do not fire your weapons unless necessary." The mercenaries nodded and shielded him as they moved toward the pyramid. Mutou’s group followed closely.

The pyramid was identical to those in Egypt, though it lacked a Sphinx. There was an open gate at the base. Professor Qin and his students were fascinated by the pillars, stone statues, and geometric patterns carved around the entrance, constantly exclaiming in awe.

Mutou noticed a set of twisted, winding characters above the gate that looked remarkably like the ones on his Golden Scepter. He and Lu Daoxuan exchanged a glance of confusion: *It seems the Golden Scepter has a deep connection to this place. But how did it end up on the surface?*

"Look... what is that?" A bodyguard suddenly pointed to the side of the pyramid and shouted. The group had approached from another angle earlier and hadn't noticed it. Now, following his finger, they all gasped: "That is..."

On the side of the pyramid sat the four US military bombers they had seen in the photographs earlier. Seeing this, the group felt a chill run down their spines.

A bodyguard trembled, "Could it be? Is this an alien base?"

"No, perhaps it's the descendants of the Atlantis continent," Professor Qin said excitedly.

"Don't talk nonsense," a bodyguard interjected. "Didn't the equipment just say there were no life signs?"

The mercenary who had been using the detector shook the device in confusion. "My instrument shows no life signs other than us!"

The group was baffled. Solas, protected by his guards, cautiously approached the planes. He inspected one before stepping down. "No people. But these aircraft have been modified, as if they are used frequently. This is too strange. Could there be life here that we don't know about?"

On the other side, Lu Daoxuan adjusted his glasses. Mutou knew those glasses were high-precision scanners. "How is it?"

Lu Daoxuan replied coldly, "There is life energy inside the pyramid... very faint, as if in hibernation."

Mutou asked, "Could this be the place?"

Lu Daoxuan knew he was referring to the hidden mission from the Time and Space Administration. "Seventy percent chance."

Mutou nodded. Just as he was about to enter the pyramid to investigate, he saw Solas and his guards already heading inside. The mercenary leader seemed to hesitate for a moment before stepping in. Mutou realized the mercenaries likely sensed the danger, but as bodyguards, they had no choice but to follow their client.

Professor Qin and his students, who had been studying the carvings outside, saw the others enter and, suddenly feeling a surge of fear at being left alone in the vast, empty space, hurried to follow.

The light inside the pyramid was much dimmer. The mercenaries switched on their tactical lights and led the way. They had walked for over a hundred meters when they felt the passage sloping downward. Suddenly, the female student with Professor Qin let out a scream, which echoed sharply in the silence of the pyramid. The mercenaries reflexively swung their beams toward her, nearly opening fire.

Professor Qin barked, "What are you screaming for!"

The student, Li Yan, said with a sob, "Something crawled over my foot. It felt like a scorpion or a rat!"

Professor Qin grumbled, "What are you talking about? These are ruins from ten thousand years ago. How could there be animals? Even if there were, they would have died out ages ago!"

Li Yan puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "But I really felt something crawl over my foot. It was very light—either a scorpion or a rat!"

At her words, the mercenaries swept their lights across the floor. They saw no small animals. Just as they were about to ask if she was mistaken, they discovered something abnormal: on the dusty floor of the passage, there were footprints that did not belong to any of them...