Five hundred nautical miles southeast of Albion's location, a metal titan with a staggering length of 1500fts was stationed above the ocean waters.
Ptolemy was its name.
Below the water, a submarine entered its underwater docking bay before the large hatch closed, and the water was expunged. The crew exited the submarine shortly after.
A line of people waited for them on the side.
"Boss."
The captain of the crew saluted.
The person nodded before cutting right to the main point, "Your team returned earlier than scheduled. Did something happen this time?"
It was clear that the crew was one person short, but the boss was unconcerned with the fate of the missing person. New recruits die all the time. He was more interested in the report the captain had for him.
"Yes, boss."
The captain nodded before cautioned a crewmate to step forward with the papers in his hand and pass it over to the boss.
"These are the sonar scan readings we received at the 30-thousand feet depth. The size of the sea creatures detected at this depth has exceeded the largest marine life currently recorded in the world. I suspect that there be a—"
"Dimensional rift."
The boss finished.
The captain nodded and continued, "Yes, boss. The chance of an undiscovered underwater dimensional rift located at the bottom of the Ganymede Ocean is quite high. I await your new orders, boss."
"An underwater dimensional rift, huh? It appears that the world is quite fortunate. All the ocean waters in the world would have been emptied out by now if another body of water did not exist on the other side of this underwater dimensional rift. But if the underwater dimensional rift truly exists, we cannot let others know about it."
"Boss means that we will…"
"That's right. This underwater dimensional rift will be exclusively owned and monopolized by us, Future Tech, to train our people. Interdimensional beast waves are becoming stronger, and the limited quota set by the world government is clearly not enough for all our people to grow."
"Your crew has been searching the seafloor for so long. It is time to take a break. Everyone can enjoy two weeks off. Another team will be sent to validate the authenticity of the underwater dimensional rift."
The boss said.
"What about the main objective, boss?" The captain asked.
"There is still little information on the nature of these big sea creatures. We do not know if there are docile or aggressive. Until we figure that out, I do not intend to risk losing a good crew and sub. The main mission will be put on hold for now. I need to consult the higher-ups before we decide what to do."
The boss stated.
"I understand, boss. I will inform the crew." The captain turned around to his crew and said, "Well, unless you are all deaf, I am pretty sure you have all heard the boss. We get two weeks off."
"Hooray! We can finally take a break! God, it has been two years since the last break!"
"Yeah! I was getting really sick of sitting in that sub all the time!"
The crew cheered.
After their excitement died down, the boss called for silence before sweeping everyone present a sharp look.
"Everyone should be aware of the organization's rule by now, but I will reiterate it for both everyone and the organization's sake. This matter is highly confidential and is to be kept secret. You know the consequences if you fail to keep silent."
The boss sternly warned.
"Loose lips sink ships. We understand, boss!"
Everyone nodded seriously.
"Alright, everyone is dismissed. Buzz off, and go do what you need to do." The boss said irresponsibly as he loosened his tie. "Damn, this tie is killing me!"
The tension was loosened, and the heavy atmosphere was dispelled with this action of his. Everyone laughed and carried on with their tasks with a lightened mood.
The organization has rules, and there is a clear hierarchy, but everything was a formality. As long as the taboo is not committed, everyone was still family. They were a gang, not some government body.
…
Two nautical miles west of Albion's original location.
A 200ft long factory trawler was seen cruising through the ocean waters. Long nets were hauled into the waters before it was reeled back in with hundreds of caught fishes at a time.
A fishing ship of this magnitude was comparable to some of the world's smallest warships and can be mistaken for one from afar.
Nevertheless, it was not equipped with any of the large artilleries usually found on warships and battleships. In fact, there was no form of large weaponry equipped at all.
It was a commercial-type fishing vessel, and everything can be seen at a closer glance.
Some distance away from the factory trawler, Albion patted the orca and set it free underwater. He decided that it was about time to return its freedom.
Besides, it was too conspicuous with its large size. It would be difficult for him to get closer to the ship if the orca followed him.
The orca was overjoyed and thanked Albion for his mercy before swimming off into the distance. It did not look back even once as it feared that Albion would change his mind if it did.
After the orca disappeared, Albion carefully made his way closer to the ship. If he can reach the navigation room, he would be able to learn his location.
He already a decision in his heart.
He was unaware of how much the world has changed in the past two years, but if the region of influence of the four generals remained the same or even reduced since then, he will head to the Asiana continent to build up his strength.
But before all that, he needed to find some clothes. It was time to graduate from exhibitionism, although it was never his choice to become an exhibitionist in the first place.
He reached the side of the large moving factory trawler, undetected, and felt the hull's smooth and wet metal surface that made it impossible for ordinary people to climb.
However, he was not an ordinary person.
Black Ashura Flames lit up on the tips of his fingers and instantly dried his hands before latching onto the hull and evaporating the wet surface. His vice-like grip indented the flat side of the hull and created small fingertip ledges for him.
Just like that, he began his secret climb up the side of the ship like some friendly neighborhood—Ahem, like some special agent infiltrating but in the nude as the chilly evening winds scraped against his butt cheeks and made him tingle.