From Frost City to the east, as far as the eye can see on the sea cliff, you can see a towering rocky island - it is long, narrow and curved, shaped like a thin scimitar or a weird-shaped dagger, covering the entire island.
It is surrounded by rugged rocks and barren sand, so the Frost People gave it a vivid name based on this shape, calling it "Dagger Island".
In the vast ocean, land is the most precious resource. No matter how desolate or narrow the island is, people will try their best to put it to use, and Dagger Island is no exception.
There is fresh water on this island, but there is no arable land or enough flat land. It cannot be used as a stable settlement or food-producing area, and there are no usable plants and animals. However, this island once had a small amount of boiling water.
Due to the gold deposits, the Frost people established a mining field and refinery on the island. After the little bit of boiling gold was mined, it served as a transit port for a period of time. After the Frost Rebellion, the shipping routes around the city-state
After adjustments, the island's port was transformed into a special storage facility to preserve dangerous things that must be kept away from the civilized world.
As time goes by and things go up and down, this deserted island covered with strange rocks has changed its management agencies one after another. Now it is controlled by the Frost Military and has been turned into a confidential "temporary research base" for
Study the strange thing fished out of the deep sea.
The sealing devices used to preserve dangerous things and the strict security measures on the island are strong guarantees for such research.
A mechanical speedboat sailed from Frost at noon and approached the military port on the sunken side of Dagger Island. The high-flying flag on the mechanical speedboat marked its identity as belonging to the Frost Navy.
After a series of complex and strict verification, testing, and registration procedures, the clipper named "Petrel" was allowed to dock. With the gradually deepening roar of the steam core, it docked next to the trestle and stepped from the ship's side.
Put down the springboard.
Several soldiers wearing blue and black navy uniforms walked off the gangplank first, followed by a tall and burly officer with short gray hair.
Several military personnel stationed on the island are already waiting on the shore.
The burly officer with short gray hair took stock of the situation near the trestle, and then walked ashore along the gangplank. Several waiting personnel immediately stepped forward and saluted, and one of them said: "General, you are later than scheduled.
It takes twenty-five minutes and requires registration and instructions - you must go to the registration room in person."
"Well," the burly officer known as the general nodded. He didn't think it was offensive for an ordinary non-commissioned officer to say these words to himself as a general - this is a special research facility, and all strict approval regulations are normal and
Reasonable safety request, "Let's go now...how is the situation over there, professor?"
"Professor Myerson is in the 'secret room'. He made a discovery while analyzing and testing a new batch of samples. The material scraped from the surface of the thing seemed to exhibit wonderful properties under special experimental conditions," the responder said
, "But the specific situation will not be discussed in detail until we enter the 'secret room'."
"Okay, take me to the registration room."
…
On the inside of the bay not far from the Dagger Island military port, in a solid building made of a mixture of reinforced concrete and huge rocks, research work is still being carried out in a busy manner.
This inconspicuous building with a dusty appearance is the so-called "secret room", and it is also one of the most tightly protected and structurally strongest laboratories on the island.
The hall inside the building is brightly lit.
This is a huge hexagonal prism-shaped room. Each wall is made of the strongest cement. The tops of the walls are engraved with symbols of mystical significance and religious symbols. There are also huge scripture tapes hanging from the ceiling.
Hanging down and interlaced in the light and shadow gaps of the gas lamps, steam pipes crisscrossed through the roof of the hall, some valves were making a slight hissing sound, and incense devices were burning quietly in the corners of the hall, and the sacred smoke slowly blended into the air.
middle.
Researchers in short robes were busy all over the hall. A metal device about five or six meters in diameter and round in shape like a big bell was suspended in the center of the room by a thick chain. The surface of the metal device was mottled and old, as if it had been
It has been immersed in seawater for a long time, and the complex valves and connection structures on its top are enough to show its role.
This is a "diving bell".
Directly below the suspended diving bell, a huge circular grille plate is embedded in the center of the hall floor. The diameter of the grille plate is much larger than the long axis of the diving bell. Through the grille,
Through the grid, you can vaguely see the eye-catching red light deep underground.
A tall, thin, meticulous old scholar with silver hair was standing in front of the diving bell suspended in mid-air, supervising several assistants to carefully scrape samples from the surface of the thing.
A cleric wearing a priest's robe walked slowly behind the assistants. The priest was holding a brass incense burner in his hand. Light incense smoke rose from the furnace along with soft sounds like murmuring prayers.
It floats slowly in the air.
"Professor, General Belazov has arrived at the port," an assistant walked over and said behind the tall and thin old scholar. "After completing the necessary registration and handover, he will come here directly to see you.
"
"Oh... Belazov, I received news that he is going to come in person. It seems that the city hall is finally a little nervous," Professor Myerson, who has short silver hair and is meticulous, said with a helpless tone, "Come on.
Come on...how are the samples sent to the lab this morning?"
"After the last round of testing, it is now confirmed that although the thing looks like rust, it is definitely not any substance we know, and its properties are changing over time.
," the assistant replied, "It feels... as if that thing is still in some kind of evolutionary process, so that it can never stably express its own attributes."
"Um."
Professor Myerson nodded slightly, but his eyes still stayed on the suspended diving bell.
The exterior of the diving bell is severely rusted, but you can still clearly see the circular hatch structure on its side. The hatch is now tightly closed. It has not been opened since it was sent into this "secret room".
On the other side of the diving bell, you can see a round window, which is inlaid with a very, very thick special glass. But for some reason, the inside of the round window is full of dirt, and black things almost cover the entire glass.
As for the situation in the diving bell, I couldn't see clearly.
You can only vaguely see a messy cavity inside, and something that looks like liquid.
What's inside a diving bell?
Professor Myerson himself had actually had this kind of curiosity more than once, but no matter how curious he was, he never had the slightest idea of opening the hatch.
The year the Qianyuan Project began, he was sixteen years old.
He knew there were things to be curious about and things to be cautious about.
While thinking, the assistant's voice came from behind again: "Professor, do you think the higher-ups will order us to open that hatch?"
"...To be fair, I don't expect to receive such an order at all," Professor Myerson shook his head and turned to look at his assistant. "Courage and the spirit of exploration have allowed humans to survive on the boundless sea, but this
Once these two qualities cross the line, they turn into recklessness and death."
The assistant blinked, then blinked his third and fourth eyes.
"But our current progress is too slow - what if another submersible comes up as you predicted?"
Myerson pondered for a moment and shook his head slightly: "When that time comes, I'm afraid what we have to do is not just open the hatch - we have to be prepared to face the deep sea."
The assistant seemed to understand but not understand.
This assistant is still too young - but then again, half a century later, how many people can still understand the horror of the Qianyuan Project?
Professor Myerson raised his head and looked at the figures busy around the diving bell.
Some of the figures seemed different from when they first arrived on the island.
Other figures occasionally made the old professor feel a little strange.
There seemed to be many unknown figures appearing in this research facility without realizing it.
But this is nothing surprising. It is normal for research teams to have personnel changes, especially for such complex special projects that require the participation of multiple experts. It all makes perfect sense.
The clergyman holding the brass incense burner came over and nodded slightly in front of Professor Myerson.
The incense burner in his hand opened his eyes slightly and secretly looked at the old scholar's appearance.
The wonderful smell of incense floats in the air.
"Today's prayers have been completed," the priest said softly, "I will be here again at this time tomorrow to pray for the machines."
"Thank you for your hard work, %￥&%@*Pastor." The old professor smiled and nodded, addressing the other person naturally, "If it weren't for the fact that there would be a lot of trouble in the afternoon, I should buy you a drink."
"Let's receive the general first," the priest laughed. "That's a big shot who comes here to 'supervise' the work on behalf of the Frost City State."