Chapter 78 – The Silent Sea
The roar of the stealth jet quieted into a low hum as it descended into the heart of the South China Sea. Below, vast waves shimmered under moonlight, their calm belying the storm that loomed beneath.
Inside the jet, tension coiled like a wire pulled tight. Bai Xueqing sat beside Mo Chen, her eyes fixed on the digital map projecting Helix's predicted surfacing zone.
Lin Nuo leaned over from his seat. "We'll arrive at the coordinates in twenty minutes. Submarine rendezvous is locked in. Admiral Lu said to expect resistance."
"Of course he did," Xueqing murmured. "Oracle never plays fair."
Mo Chen adjusted his earpiece. "Team Alpha is already underwater. They'll secure the perimeter. Mirage is leading Team Bravo."
Yanshang, seated by the window, glanced at the storm rolling in across the horizon. "We're walking into a trap."
"No," Xueqing corrected him. "We're bringing one."
---
The submarine was a black behemoth beneath the waves, quiet as death. The team descended into its belly like shadows, each member equipped with tech-laced suits and high-grade oxygenators. The lights inside were dim, casting everyone's faces in ghostly hues.
"Welcome aboard the Hai Long," Admiral Lu greeted, his weathered face stoic. "We've been tracking surface shifts. Something's definitely rising beneath us."
Mirage stepped beside Xueqing. "Helix is programmed to surface only when secure signals align in three frequencies. We've hijacked one. If we time the other two…"
"It'll breach right into our trap," Xueqing finished.
Lu pointed to the sonar screen. "And if it doesn't?"
"We improvise," Mo Chen said darkly.
---
Hours passed. The silence of the deep sea was deafening. Then—at 03:47 a.m.—a low rumble vibrated through the hull.
"Movement," Lin Nuo called. "Something massive, ascending fast."
Everyone tensed as the sonar lit up. A colossal dot surged upward.
Helix.
The sea above churned as a steel fortress rose from the depths—its sleek, obsidian body part submarine, part data center. Towers sprouted like horns, flashing red with encrypted signals.
"Showtime," Mirage whispered.
Xueqing gave the order. "Deploy."
---
Torpedo drones launched from Hai Long's side bays, targeting Helix's sensor arrays. At the same time, Xueqing's team swam upward in formation, breaching the surface around the black vessel.
Explosions of controlled EMP bursts erupted, knocking out external comms. Grappling hooks lashed onto Helix's side, and the team ascended.
Mo Chen landed beside Xueqing atop the deck. "Just like old times."
She nodded. "Except this time, we win."
Shall we dive into Chapter 79 – Storming the Ghost Fortress nenext