Unleash the Slaughter!

It was Heratia.

"The command center estimates that we will be able to enter the Precursor Ruins in two hours..."

She stood beside Maria, gazing at the deep sea as well.

"This time, the number of personnel will be increased; there will be three ships, and a total of thirty-six people will be on board..."

"This time, as the commander-in-chief, I don't have the authority to arrange the actions of all the ships."

Heratia shook her head slightly as she spoke.

Although the title of Commander-in-Chief sounds impressive, in reality, in another respect, she has actually been weakened.

Because her job duties changed from handling the small and big matters on a single ship to handling the major affairs of the entire fleet.

In the event of an emergency, her orders will be paramount.

However, similarly, in some other situations, the captains of other ships have absolute command authority.

In the back-and-forth, her authority was actually diminished in this crucial area of personnel command.

"Um."

Maria nodded, indicating that she had heard.

After a moment of silence, Heratia turned her head away again.

Are you going down this time?

Heratia knew that last time, she had half-begged and half-coerced Maria into entering the Precursor Ruins with her, and Maria herself was not interested in it.

So, although Maria was brought aboard again this time, Heratia wasn't sure if Maria would be willing to continue exploring the Precursor Ruins with them.

After all, Maria herself said she knew there were dangers inside the Precursor Ruins...

Although Heratia was certain that Maria's daily behavior suggested she was completely unafraid of the danger,... being unafraid of danger and actively seeking it out are two different things.

Everyone knows that the chance of dying from jumping from a height of two or three meters is extremely small, but that doesn't mean everyone would inexplicably jump from such a height...

Will you go?

Maria turned her head and looked at Heratia.

The hidden meaning in her words even left Heratia herself somewhat bewildered.

Is she... concerned about herself?

Hmm~

"Yes."

Despite her curiosity, Heratia did not forget her mission.

As the fleet captain, she did indeed have an obligation to accompany the team to obtain firsthand information.

Then Maria found the answer.

"Then let's go..."

Upon arriving at the familiar diving chamber, Maria quickly discovered that everyone inside was already prepared.

Many of them wore extremely excited smiles.

It seems they've already begun to anticipate what unprecedented new discoveries they might make from this experience.

Little did they know, this time, the outcome was already recorded in subsequent history...

"Thump..."

Not long after, everyone began to slowly swim towards the seabed.

Unlike the last time when a certain weight was used to support the descent.

This time, everyone's technology has clearly improved significantly.

Each person has a small actuator that propels their bodies toward the seabed.

Before long, a large group of more than thirty people had gathered at the entrance.

The door that Maria had forcefully opened with her hands last time was now closed.

This surprised everyone, but no one said anything more.

Heratia's orders came out very quickly.

"The engineering team is ready."

A group of people stepped forward and sat on the security screening machine next to them.

Ready to start.

Everyone gathered curiously at the entrance, eager to be the first to sneak inside.

But...

"Wrong..."

Maria whispered, her brow furrowing slightly.

Unfortunately, this time, Heratia couldn't say anything to help her.

Just moments later, the door suddenly burst open.

But to everyone's surprise, this time, the underwater ruins, which were originally filled with water, were now completely dry!

With the gate's access control system breached, the influx of seawater almost forcefully pushed everyone inside!

They were like rowboats standing on the edge of a waterfall, almost uncontrollably being swept towards the seabed by the ocean pressure!

Maria instinctively prepared to grab Heratia, or at least hold her back.

However, the water pressure is strong enough to tear a person's flesh apart.

The moment they grasped each other, Maria realized what was happening, relaxed her body, and let the seawater carry her and the other person into the ruins!

The scene was chaotic!

"Close the gate! Now!"

Fortunately, Heratia remained calm at this moment.

She issued the order to the Engineering Department in the firmest voice.

After being repeated several times, someone finally realized what was happening.

He struggled to raise his hand and, once again, manipulated the system to close the door.

The influx of seawater then stopped.

The crowd was calling to each other and began to gather in twos and threes.

Soon, someone discovered the problem.

"It seems like I can breathe here..."

"Um?"

The others who heard the words were also taken aback. They all raised the equipment built into their diving suits to test the air quality.

The test results were exactly the same as what the other party said...

"Can I really breathe?!"

"But didn't the report say that this whole area was flooded?"

"The report is wrong? That's impossible! Last time we came, it was definitely full of water."

"So... what exactly is going on here?"

The noise continued, and for a moment everyone lost their composure.

Heratia also heard the others say that she could breathe... but she didn't immediately choose to breathe. Instead, she subconsciously turned her head to look at Maria, who was protecting her in her arms.

"... There's no problem."

Maria also took off her helmet, tried it out for a bit, and then gave her answer.

Heratia then slowly began to move.

After everyone had recovered from what had just happened, Heratia continued to speak.

"Everyone, assess your surroundings and the condition of your companions... Safe individuals, assemble this way!"

Heratia spoke.

The order spread quickly and received a swift response.

Before long, a small group of about thirty people returned.

Several others were knocked unconscious by the force of the seawater, and the rest sustained injuries of varying degrees.

Heratia frowned, then turned her head to look at the doorway.

"We need to go back and rest, but... there's no way to go any further from here."

Heratia knew that Maria had the ability to open doors with her bare hands, but clearly, not everyone had the same ability to resist the impact of the water.

Continuing to walk out this way would be far too dangerous.

"We must delve deeper..."

Heratia spoke, then glanced at everyone present.

To her dismay, although she had explained their current situation, most of them were not afraid; on the contrary, they showed an eager expression.

God knows what these researchers are planning to do.

However, Heratia was in no mood to care!

"Take a headcount of the injuries. Those with serious injuries should halt operations and await rescue. Those with minor injuries should remain here to protect the other members in case of emergencies... The rest of you, in groups of at least three, should search for an escape route... Any relevant clues should be communicated via communicator."

Heratia said this without pausing, then turned and left with Maria.

This surprised Maria somewhat.

Aren't you going to go check on them?

Are you worried they'll cause trouble?

Heratia smiled, as if she knew Maria's confusion.

"Although this group is unreliable, they are ultimately senior scholars selected by Aegir. They know when they can act impulsively and when they must prioritize the greater good. They are all equals, and after all the bickering, they will eventually reach a conclusion."

"And those who accept this result will agree, because it was their own decision,"

"But if I stay there, their discussions will inevitably turn to us, which means I'll have to make a decision... No matter what I choose, they'll be dissatisfied, which could lead to some uncontrollable dangers."

"It's clear you don't have much experience managing people."

Heratia spoke, she turned her head slightly to look at Maria behind her.

To her surprise, there was only an empty road behind her.

Maria...

Gone...

401

Chapter 401 Unleashing a Bloodbath!

Gone...

Heratia blinked.

She turned her head and looked around again.

At either end of this dark road, there were no oncoming travelers, nor any enemies.

There was only boundless darkness and a silence so profound it could suffocate one.

"Maria?"

Heratia tilted her head and made a clear, crisp sound.