The Living Ocean!

Neither the real-time monitoring equipment nor the Valkyrie's early warning system issued any tsunami warning in advance; in fact, everything appeared normal until just seconds before they were engulfed by the tsunami!

Seeing the exploration team leader, who was raging with fury, veins bulging on his forehead, and eyes bloodshot, the Tech-Priest was also stunned.

He kept muttering, "Impossible, this is impossible—Great Machine God, Omnissiah, what is going on?!"

"(Greek swear words)."

The captain slammed his fist on the control panel in anger, then glared fiercely at the terrified Tech-Priest: "We'll settle this score with you after we get back alive!"

The tsunami came so suddenly that they didn't have time to react or escape.

According to the calculations of the Machine Spirit on the Valkyrie, it would take them at least 20 to 30 seconds to take off and escape the tsunami's safe altitude.

Captain Ke looked around at the terrifying tsunami that was nearly 10,000 meters high, and a wave of despair washed over him.

It's virtually impossible to make the Valkyrie ascend vertically nearly 10,000 meters within 20-30 seconds, unless Omnissiah grants her a special blessing and she experiences "great joy from her Machine Spirit."

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, Topa, the leader of the exploration team, frantically racked his brains and, in a fraction of a second, found the only way out.

"Descend immediately!" he roared at the pilot. "Everyone onto the wreckage of the Mechanicus Ark and wait inside for the tsunami to subside!"

This is their only way to survive!

This Mechanicus Craftworld- ship is currently the only "safe zone" that can provide them with shelter, and the only place that can withstand the tsunami.

"But---Captain, it's dangerous here." Someone hesitated, looking warily at the wreckage.

After all, just minutes ago, members of two exploration teams had mysteriously disappeared, which was enough to prove that the ruins of this warship held unimaginable dangers.

"Do you have any other options?" Topa glared at him and said coldly, "If you don't want to be turned into mincemeat by a tsunami, this is the only way!"

"Topa's decision was correct." The initially stunned Tech-Priest, regaining his composure, immediately echoed his sentiment, "We have no time to hesitate! The tsunami is about to hit! Land on the wreckage immediately!"

The pilot maneuvered the Valkyrie, and amidst the Maelstrom and tsunamis all around, she was like a nimble seagull, barely managing to land on the wreckage of the Craftworld amidst the roar of the storm and the tempest.

It was more of a crash than a landing. If it weren't for the Imperium's robust and durable military equipment, it would probably have been completely destroyed in one impact.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Seeing that the tsunami was already engulfing them, Topa immediately led the remaining six members and the Tech-Priest, a total of eight people, to the exploration team, carrying as much equipment as possible, and proceeded in the direction explored by the first two teams.

However, a huge wave had already surged onto the wreckage, and the terrifying impact sent the last two people flying.

"Kade! Willy!"

Someone tried to save their companion who had been knocked away.

But Topa roared, interrupting them. "Forget about them, they're dead! Get out of here, the tsunami is almost here!"

Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand the terror of such a natural disaster. The waves whipped up by the tsunami were tens of meters high, and the roaring sound was like thunder. Waterfalls of seawater poured down from the sky, washing over their bodies, making every step forward a struggle against immense pressure!

If it weren't for this armor, everyone would probably have been killed by the immense pressure of the seawater!

Under immense pressure, they had neither the time nor the energy to speak, and were running for their lives, hoping to find an entrance into the wreckage ahead.

"Found it!!!"

One of them exclaimed in surprise, and Topa and the others looked over.

The man found a crack in the wreckage, just big enough for one person to pass through.

"Hurry up and get in!" At this point, Topa didn't have time to analyze whether the crack was safe or not; it was better than waiting to die here.

The remaining six people filed in one after another.

They climbed along the crack for a long time before finally reaching the interior of the Craftworld wreckage.

After sealing the crack with his welding torch, the Tech-Priest, devoid of any semblance of Mechanicus decorum, plopped down on the ground. "Phew—it's safe here now."

"Breathe! Breathe! Breathe!"

Amidst broken cables and the wreckage of the Craftworld with its cracked deck, several people remained breathless and shaken.

It wasn't that they were physically exhausted, but rather that they had been on edge the entire time during the extremely dangerous situation, and now that they were finally safe, they naturally relaxed immediately.

But before they could even relax for a moment, someone suddenly screamed, "Captain, Captain One!"

Topa suddenly turned his head and saw what appeared to be clumps of pink, gelatinous substance seeping into the cracks in the man's Bio-armor.

"Captain, Captain—I, I feel something's wrong, there's a sound!" The man's face was filled with terror, and he was scratching himself frantically, as if he were itching, screaming in fear, "Ahhh—there's a sound, it's it, it's talking!"

In just a few seconds, the man began to scream like a madman, emitting terrifying and shrill cries.

His Bio-armor developed cracks, and pinkish gelatinous substance kept gushing out from it, accompanied by crimson, horrifying blood!

"Aaaaaah!!!"

He howled in agony, his eyes bloodshot, and upon closer inspection, one could see wisps of pinkish substance, like willow catkins, gathering towards his pupils. "Kill, kill me, Captain—it, it's alive, stay away from it—Aaaaaah!"

Finally, as if he could no longer control himself, he roared like a wild beast and attacked his companion beside him.

Bang!!!

A single explosive shell detonated, ending his life!

Golden shell casings ejected, releasing thick plumes of smoke. Topa's gaze turned icy. "Everyone, get away from him immediately and conduct self-checks. Tech-Priest —burn him! Don't leave any future threats!"

The Tech-Priest used the Promethium to incinerate the member's body, while the remaining members began self-examination.

The self-check was completed quickly. Their armor was intact and had not been invaded by the pink seawater. The other person's armor had been damaged by a violent impact during the escape, resulting in a tiny crack that allowed the strange seawater to enter.

However, this also caused a look of fear to appear on the faces of the other members of the exploration team.

They never imagined that just being touched by seawater would turn them into such a terrifying sight!

Suddenly, the atmosphere became much heavier.

Some even showed fear on their faces, with a hint of retreat in their voices. "Captain, Captain, should we continue exploring?"

"Of course we must continue the mission!"

Topa's stern gaze swept over the group. "Our mission is to identify dangers and prepare for subsequent exploration teams and resource collection."

"If we retreat now, how can we complete the mission if we don't provide sufficient information?"

"And don't forget," he said, his tone becoming heavier and more serious, "If it weren't for His Highness Alvin, we'd still be slaves. Our treatment in the fleet is the highest among all, equal to that of the sailors. If we can't even handle this simple matter, how can we face going back?!"

Topa put it very bluntly.

The group, initially somewhat fearful, exchanged glances, regained their courage, and gritted their teeth, encouraging each other. "Captain, you're right. If we go back like this, how can we face anyone in the fleet? Let's go!"

They say you can spend a fortune to buy a horse's bones, and that's what Alvin did too.

He freed these people from the slave market and treated them with considerable respect—wasn't this the very moment he was after?!

If they feel fear, apprehension, or retreat here, not only will they be unable to overcome their own mental hurdle, but they will also be unable to justify themselves within the fleet!

Those who have lost their value do not deserve to live.

"Can we contact the mothership?" Topa took a deep breath and whispered to the Tech-Priest beside him, "This seawater is strange. It seems to be a living organism that's invading our consciousness. We must inform the subsequent exploration teams about this."

He was prepared for the entire team to be wiped out, so that he could provide intelligence on the site to subsequent exploration teams and help them minimize their casualties.

"No." The Tech-Priest shook his head, his face grim. "There's a large signal jamming device here. I don't know why it was activated, but if we want to contact the mothership, we have to solve this problem."