Under Zero's precise control, the third decoy successfully burst open beside the giant fish.
As increasingly frequent bursts of ultrasound traveled through the seawater, the [Poseidon] continued to inch stealthily toward the giant fish.
Unlike before, Hope deliberately skirted the area flashing with orange-red light this time.
Watching the cracked skin draw closer through the viewport, Hope and Hansent instinctively slowed their breathing.
The cockpit was utterly silent. Apart from the sounds of the instrument controls, the two could even hear their own hearts beating in their chests.
"Try collecting a sample with the mechanical arm."
Lü Yongchang's voice came through the speaker.
Hope felt his heart give a slight tremor.
Collect a sample with the mechanical arm?
How the fuck was that any different from dancing in front of the Grim Reaper?!
"Relax." Perhaps sensing the two pilots' fear, Mao Zhengzhi spoke up beside Lü Yongchang. "Taking everything into account, its skin is very thick. Sampling the surface probably won't attract its attention."
"...Probably?" Hope felt numb all over.
"Ahem! Definitely! I meant definitely!" As though remembering something, Mao Zhengzhi gave Lü Yongchang a strange look and hurriedly corrected himself.
At that, the corner of Lü Yongchang's mouth twitched. "..."
Deep in the pitch-black liquid ammonia ocean, a giant fish over two hundred meters long was excitedly gulping down the seawater around it.
Beside it, a spherical probe with a somewhat pitted surface waved the manipulator on its side, slowly approaching the Deep-Sea Giant Fish as it lost itself in its feast.
A bright beam pierced the slightly murky seawater and shone straight onto the giant fish's back, clearly illuminating its surface patterns.
Like a dried-up riverbed, it was covered in cracks of varying depths.
Irregular plates of shell overlapped one another, wrapping the Deep-Sea Giant Fish in