Banton Island.
At a small harbor on the western side of the island, a specially designed underwater passage led to a submerged platform made of coral cement, about 35 meters below the surface.
Mackerel 001 slowly docked on the platform. A connecting chamber rose from beneath it and fitted into the submersible's underside. The chamber then began pumping out its water to test the passage for leaks.
Once they confirmed there were no leaks, Xu Ying Ming entered the transport compartment at the bottom of Mackerel 001 under the escort of the soldiers.
The two hatches between the transport compartment and the connecting chamber opened, and the capsule elevator inside the transport compartment slid steadily downward.
The capsule elevator wasn't pulled by cables. Instead, it moved up and down using gripping gears. It had considerable power of its own and could withstand the water pressure at depths of over a hundred meters.
The capsule elevator descended from Mackerel 001 and traveled 18 meters down into the water-exchange chamber. The two hatches above it then closed one after the other.
After leaving the capsule elevator, Xu Ying Ming was escorted to the underground transport compartment, where he boarded a tram bound for the interior of the island.
As Li Qingye's core Research Base and the place where his true body was located, Banton Island was naturally under extremely tight security.
Even Xu Ying Ming didn't know where the island was. The soldiers had only told him it was called "Spider's Nest Base."
The submarine had traveled underwater the entire way, with no landmarks in sight. He hadn't even been allowed into its control room and had been confined to a designated passenger cabin.
He wasn't allowed to bring any communications devices or similar equipment, and even his clothes had to be