Black Reef Archipelago

Kane's cooking was mediocre, but he was quite skilled at grilling meat and making fish soup.

After preparing grilled meat, fish soup, and stew, the two ate in the dining hall. Leviathan did not seem to mind.

After eating, Kane cleaned up the table and dishes.

Leviathan, meanwhile, returned to the cockpit to see whether there were any suitable deserted islands that could serve as the Third Base.

However, finding a suitable deserted island was truly not easy.

Though the South Blue was vast, occupying roughly one-sixth of Blue Sea Star's surface, any islands here with development potential had long since been inhabited.

Uninhabited deserted islands were generally either like Camel Island, with natural environments too harsh for habitation; too small; or home to, or surrounded by, terrifying creatures.

Of course, even islands with harsh environments might be occupied by people. Pirate crews, for example, sought out remote deserted islands to use as secret bases.

Before they knew it, time had reached December 16.

By then, Marlin 001 had arrived at the boundary between the southeastern and southwestern regions of the South Blue, in the high-latitude region of the Southern Hemisphere. This area was already within the Antarctic Circle, and even the Red Line in this region was blanketed in snow.

Since it was summer in the Southern Hemisphere, there were no vast icebergs or blizzards to be seen in the Antarctic waters.

Leviathan finally stopped, having found an extremely suitable location.

A vast "island."

This island was not above the sea surface. Only at low tide would some of its reefs emerge, while at high tide, only three small reef islets remained above water.

It was called a vast island because the foundations of these reef islets were actually one connected whole.

Leviathan piloted Marlin 001 on a circuit through the seafloor.

He discovered that within a radius of 720 to 1,200 kilometers, the sea was 8,000 to 14,000 meters deep everywhere except for this central reef island, where the average depth was only around 30 to 150 meters.

The reef's base formed an oval, with a radius of roughly 30 to 37 kilometers. At high tide, only three reef islets emerged above the surface; at low tide, nineteen did, with the largest covering approximately 3.2 square kilometers.

These reef islets all shared one feature: they were generally black, because a great many black corals grew in this area.

Clearly, these reef islets had formed from the accumulated remains of dead black coral.

Leviathan named it the "Black Reef Archipelago," while the vast reef base below was named the "Black Coral Great Atoll."

After receiving the information on the Black Reef Archipelago, Wang Gao considered it carefully. Although it lacked any large expanse of land above water, the archipelago's reef base was large enough and relatively easy to modify.

Moreover, the lack of obvious, large landmasses meant it would not attract attention. This was already a sparsely populated sea at the edge of the Antarctic Circle, and not even fishermen came here to fish.

As for pirates and the like, they would be even less likely to come to such a godforsaken place.

Sparse population and rare human activity meant better secrecy.

Although it was a full 33,200 kilometers from Camel Island, with the Marlin-class's top speed of 200 knots—roughly 370 kilometers per hour—the journey of over 30,000 kilometers took only around 100 to 300 hours each way.

An average of four to thirteen days was still acceptable.

Wang Gao immediately decided to have Leviathan establish the Third Base at the Black Reef Archipelago.

Upon receiving the order, Leviathan first planted a ring of Algae Coral around the seafloor reef base, completely sealing off the more than ten existing channels beneath the reefs.

Any ships unfamiliar with the local hydrographic conditions would strike a reef and sink the moment they entered the Black Reef Archipelago.

Leviathan planned only to carve several passages through the underwater cliff walls that could lead into the reefs' submerged tunnels.

The construction project began, and Kane, equipped with Sea Warrior Armor by Leviathan, also helped build the base.

During this period.

Wang Gao also had Sonic Bird transport improved genetic organism seeds and the new version of Sea King Armor from Camel Island to the Black Reef Archipelago.

Sonic Bird was a specially developed genetic organism. It was not large, only slightly bigger than an ordinary eagle, but its defining trait was its incredible speed, with a cruising speed that could reach Mach 1.

It was mainly used to transport things such as genetic seeds.

The trip from Camel Island to the Black Reef Archipelago took only about twenty-eight hours, making it far faster than the Marlin-class.

Wang Gao updated Leviathan's Sea King Armor and delivered a batch of new genetic seeds. These seeds could be replicated and propagated, so only one of each type needed to be sent over.

The waves around the Black Reef Archipelago surged violently.

But beneath the sea, it had become a massive construction site. On the cliff wall at the edge of the reef island, at a depth of roughly 600 to 800 meters below the surface, a huge opening had already taken shape.

The entrance was now wrapped in specially made layers of coral, forming a door that could be opened and closed. Beyond it, enhanced vines continuously and violently destroyed the rock strata.

Ultraman, equipped with Sea Warrior Armor, was responsible for excavating this sea tunnel. All he needed to do was control the enhanced vines and continuously destroy the rock strata along the way.

Elsewhere.

In the central area of the Black Reef Archipelago.

Leviathan had already completed the construction of an underground base there, with the entire base hidden below sea level.

The base lay 240 meters below sea level, with roughly 80 meters of rock above it, along with a 20-to-30-meter layer of sediment.

It was divided into four levels, upper and lower, each with roughly the same area—around 15,000 square meters.

After completing the main framework, the next step was interior finishing. Aside from the laboratories, he had already taken care of all the other basic facilities.

After the reef island was surrounded by Algae Coral, a relatively stable sea area formed in the middle, covering roughly 923 square kilometers.

Leviathan replanned this stable, shallow sea area, using Algae Coral as partitions to create relatively independent underwater zones.

He then selected some suitable species from the genetic seeds Wang Gao had sent over and planted them in these undersea areas.

They were mainly Sea Rice Farms and Nutrient Ball Algae farms.

Inside the base, Leviathan designated the second underground level as a residential area, where the nineteen pregnant women and thirteen infants were housed.

Kane's wife, Ultraman Mary, was appointed acting director of the nursery.

Everyone understood their circumstances. Though they had been forced apart from their relatives, for the sake of their children's survival, the pregnant women all chose to live on resolutely.

Human adaptability was tenacious. Moreover, the underground base was not as gloomy as they had imagined. Day and night were clearly distinguished there, with sunlight and plants.

Artificial sun lamps were installed on the hundred-meter-high ceiling, rising in the east and setting in the west along rails.

The camouflage-colored leaves on the ceiling could change color to imitate clouds in the sky.

The ground was covered with lawns, gardens, vegetable plots, farmland, woods, and streams, along with a large windmill, making it feel as though one had stepped into a pastoral landscape.

This was the power of technology. One of the changes Wang Gao had brought to this world was to use technology to improve humanity's quality of life.

Inside the nursery, Dozens pregnant women operated basic auxiliary Base Armor, allowing them to avoid overexertion while still handling household chores and the like.

Thank you all for your support (ω｀)