Chapter 108: The Rhombic Crystal (Fourth update, an additional chapter for舵主 Book Is My Life's first contribution)

"My God, I swear the big guy we just picked up on sonar is absolutely some kind of anomalous marine creature."

"Yeah, definitely. But how big is it? A mutated sea snake?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ryan. Do you really think a sea snake would have claws? Look at this printout; the image clearly shows it has four powerful limbs."

"Damn it, forget the claws for a second. What is that thing on its back? Does that look like a human child to you?"

"No way. Could that be a sonar glitch? Maybe a large fish just happened to swim over it?"

"Is your brain full of hamburgers? Would a large fish show up as a shape like that?"

"..."

Inside a submarine carrying over fifty people, the control room erupted into a heated argument over the images captured by the sonar.

"Alright, everyone, stop bickering over useless details."

"Tell me, are we going to follow it or not?"

"Don't ask me; you'll have to ask Commander Marion."

The eyes of everyone in the control room instantly turned toward a middle-aged man who was lost in deep thought.

"Follow it?"

Marion shook his head.

"Listen up, you idiots, let's not go looking for trouble. I have no interest in tracking this kind of deep-sea anomaly. Who knows what kind of bizarre abilities it might have? Fifty meters long—that’s no joke. God knows if our torpedoes could even hit it."

"Alright, Ryan, report the data we’ve gathered to headquarters. Give them the general range of where this creature is headed, and then let our Third Fleet, currently patrolling the open ocean, handle it. We’re just a coastal patrol unit; I don't want any part of this."

The deep sea had long since ceased to be peaceful. The French Navy had already suffered several heavy losses in the deep, including two sunken submarines. Consequently, the captain of this small vessel had no intention of stalking a fifty-meter-long mutated creature.

Just as the submarine transmitted the information about the Olm to its superiors, Ji Yu, controlling the creature, had already reached a point nearly one hundred kilometers from the coast. In the water, the Olm moved with incredible speed; at full throttle, Ji Yu felt it could likely exceed three hundred kilometers per hour. The ability to manipulate water acted perfectly upon the Olm’s body. In the vast, unobstructed expanse of the ocean, the creature swam without a single care.

Ultimately, Ji Yu chose to stop in a sea area nearly three hundred kilometers from the coastline. Surfacing, he surveyed his surroundings; the entire sea was tranquil. Under the near-noon sun, the surface shimmered with dancing light. Ji Yu had no intention of venturing deeper into the ocean for now. For one, he was concerned about the potential presence of even more powerful anomalous creatures in the deep. To ensure the safety of the Olm—and the little girl he carried—he chose to stay put, intending to undergo the Stage Two guidance mission right here.

As for whether breaking through would cause a massive disturbance, Ji Yu no longer cared. Humans would discover him sooner or later; as long as they didn't launch an unprovoked attack, everything would be fine. Besides, with the little girl present, Ji Yu believed that any normal human would hesitate to order an immediate strike against the Olm. Bringing the girl along might have seemed reckless, but as it turned out, her presence served as a significant guarantee of the Olm's safety.

Upon breaking the surface, Ji Yu activated Absolute Zero. In an instant, a frigid chill erupted across the sea, and ice began to form at a visible rate. Spreading outward, the ice cracked and expanded across the water. Once a rectangular, ultra-thick ice sheet of nearly six hundred square meters had formed, Ji Yu controlled the water mass around the Olm and guided the little girl onto the ice.

Though the air was biting, the girl felt no cold; shielded by the surrounding water, the chill seemed completely locked out. As she landed, Ji Yu maneuvered the Olm onto the ice, which was nearly forty meters thick. The creature then coiled its massive body, shielding the girl in the center. Having done all this, Ji Yu blinked at the girl.

She looked on, bewildered. She didn't know what the Olm was trying to express, but she knew it was about to do something significant. The ice beneath her feet, the bubble-like liquid swirling around her, and the silvery-white scales of the Olm—the girl was filled with curiosity. Yet, for all her wonder, she remained composed and quiet. She simply sat there, head tilted, eyes sparkling with curiosity as she stared at the creature.

Then, Ji Yu began.

He raised the Olm’s massive head and lay still on the ice, closing his eyes. The ocean, an endless essence of water—he could feel it all the moment he closed his eyes. For meditation, the Olm didn't necessarily need to be submerged; as long as water surrounded him, it was enough.

It began. Ji Yu followed the prompts for the second stage of the guidance mission. One minute passed—everything remained the same. Five minutes—no change. Ten minutes later, a pale blue, diamond-shaped phantom appeared above the Olm’s head.

Half an hour later, the blue diamond-shaped phantom began to descend slowly, coming to rest right in the center of the Olm’s forehead. Then, as the crystalline, diamond-like shape pulsed with brilliant blue light, the seawater around the ice began to stir without a breeze. The water swirled around the ice, spinning faster and faster.

Finally, like a bolt of dry lightning on a clear day, a crack appeared at the top of the tangible blue crystal on the Olm's forehead. Instantly, all the swirling seawater rose into the air. A massive whirlpool formed. Countless streams of water spiraled upward, diving toward the blue crystal on the Olm’s brow.

The moment this water neared the crystal, it seemed to condense into thin threads, all of it devoured by the crystal’s powerful suction. The sea surged and boiled; centered on the ice, the whirlpool grew larger and rose higher. The water spun like a tornado, rising from the sea as if falling from the sky. At the center of the vortex, the crystal on the Olm’s forehead accepted it all without hesitation.

The entire sea began to undergo increasingly dramatic changes.