Three hours earlier, at China's Strategic Command Center, all of China's senior leaders had gathered. They watched the red dot flashing on the map nervously. Behind them, rows of enormous machines ran at high speed, the roar of their exhaust fans making the place feel like a factory.
"Three nautical miles to the target..."
"Two nautical miles to the target..."
"One thousand meters to the target..."
Everyone stared nervously at the enormous screen before them. The entire screen stood at a seventy-five-degree angle, creating a visually unsettling impression, as though it might collapse at any moment. As the flashing red dot drew closer and closer to the target waters, even these senior Chinese leaders, normally unflappable and well acquainted with great winds and waves, had their hearts in their throats.
A man with a buzz cut stood at the very front, his hands clasped behind his back and his face indistinct. He was China's supreme leader.
A young programmer behind him quickly shouted, "Report! Elite Four Nalu has been confirmed to have successfully entered the target waters!"
"Has the moment come..." The man's voice seemed to carry some anticipation, but also some hesitation.
The senior leaders whispered among themselves behind him. This time, they had secretly planted a sensor on Elite Four Nalu without even Nalu herself noticing. Though they knew this might cause some misunderstandings, it was the safest way to prevent word from leaking out.
"Every time before this, our people forgot how they entered the Temple of the Sea before they even went inside. This time, we must get to the bottom of it!" said a very old man with a goatee, thick reading glasses, and a white robe.
He was the leading researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and currently served as its president. He