Note: This is Chapter 9 and 10 from the MTL Novel, both chapters where 800 words so i just put them together.
.......
Norman reviewed the data provided by the automatic navigation terminal. Based on the submarine's current location, it would take at least three to four days to reach the gathering outpost. This estimate assumed a minimum of twenty hours of sailing per day. With the need to collect supplies and rest, there was little free time to waste.
Moreover, with the current energy reserves, the submarine could sustain full power for only about three days. Before the energy was completely depleted, Norman would need to find a way to replenish it—either by locating enough energy ore or by hunting abyss creatures to earn mileage points for purchasing supplies.
However, to hunt these abyss creatures, ship-based weapons were essential. The small harpoon currently onboard wouldn't suffice; even against smaller abyss creatures, it would struggle to penetrate their defenses.
Thus, Norman made a firm decision: he couldn't remain in this starting area any longer and needed to dive deeper into the abyss immediately.
With his mind made up, Norman wasted no time. He activated the submarine's autopilot, setting it to dive deeper into the abyss along the established navigation route at full speed.
The slight mechanical hum echoed in the desolate deep sea. In the vast, dark ocean, the Tartarus moved like a tiny ant in a desert, emitting a faint light as it slowly wandered.
Along the way, the sonar display sporadically detected HV points. Norman glanced at them briefly, assessing the situation, but continued his journey without stopping.
As the submarine descended further, the number of HV points increased. According to Norman's rough calculations, most of these HV points contained relatively poor resources. The golden text from his cheat clearly stated that these resources had little mining value.
However, the cheat, with its subjective consciousness and sarcastic remarks, persistently reminded Norman of the principle that even the tallest skyscrapers start from the ground up. Yet, Norman chose to ignore these prompts.
To him, it made more sense to dive deeper and find richer deposits rather than waste precious time on resource points in the starting zone. It would be more efficient to wait for one good harvest rather than settle for two or three from the starting area.
Time passed slowly during the monotonous voyage. For the first half-hour, the surroundings remained unchanged. Norman sat in the cockpit, staring out at the unbroken darkness beyond the porthole. He began to feel a sense of unease, as if he were driving on an endless highway, trapped in an eerie loop with no change in scenery.
To alleviate this unsettling feeling, Norman opened the regional communication channel and discreetly monitored the conversations to distract himself.
As time went on, the chatter in the communication channel, which had initially been chaotic, began to make more sense. Most players had wasted their five daily messages at the start of the game. By the time they realized this, it was too late.
Now, those still actively speaking in the channel were more experienced players who had remained relatively calm at the game's outset. The topics of discussion focused on survival strategies.
Norman gleaned several valuable clues from these discussions. For instance, a submarine named "Inspiration" had entered a mysterious area after traveling thirty to forty kilometers from its spawn point. There, the pioneer discovered a plethora of fluorescent plants. Although these plants had no collection value, the scene was breathtaking—like a mythical kingdom teeming with vibrant fish and marine life. Moreover, numerous HV points were detected within a 500-meter range, though most were guarded by abyss creatures. The pioneer could do little but admire the underwater scenery, unable to confront the threats.
In addition, some players had begun listing items for trade on the platform. Most were offering basic resources such as iron ore, copper ore, and rubber in exchange for food and fresh water. This indicated that, at least for now, food and water were still the most pressing concerns for everyone. It's likely that until most players reach the gathering outpost, these resources will remain scarce.
"First, build a fresh water extractor," Norman decided. "Then, once I have enough fresh water, I'll repair the gravity ball. With the high exchange rate right now, I can make a significant profit!"
Half an hour later, Tartarus had left the area near the spawn point and had traveled more than ten kilometers. The surrounding environment finally began to change.
Although the deep abyss remained dark, the underwater landscape became more complex and diverse. The once flat and barren seabed, covered in brown sand, was now more colorful. Various strangely shaped calcareous coral skeletons and living corals were scattered among the reefs and seafloor fissures. Towering deep abyss algae, some dozens of meters tall, rose like trees, swaying in the currents, resembling a lush underwater forest.
Norman finally spotted signs of the fish he'd been hoping to find. Dense schools of fish swam among the seaweed, sometimes gathering around the submarine, constantly changing formations and displaying various patterns—it was a spectacular sight!
As he gazed through the glass porthole, Norman was mesmerized by the scene before him. The dreamlike, vibrant, and magnificent underwater world was unlike anything he had ever seen.
At that moment, the mysterious depths of this alien planet's abyss revealed themselves in all their splendor, leaving Norman in awe.
"So, this is what it looks like in this planet's abyss?! It's truly spectacular!"
Norman involuntarily left his seat, pressing close to the porthole like a curious child, utterly captivated by the stunning deep-sea landscape.
Suddenly, the scene before him changed again. A massive underwater fissure, glowing faintly like an entrance to another dimension, appeared in the darkness ahead.
The autopilot system of the Tartarus guided the submarine into the fissure in a diving posture.
Norman finally snapped out of his reverie. He realized that this deep-dive journey was about to enter the next stage.
After passing through the magnificent and dreamy-rich area, Norman found himself in the depths of a pitch-black ocean. Suddenly, a seabed fissure emitting a hazy shimmer, like an entrance to a different dimension, appeared in front of him.
The fissure was massive, at least fifty or sixty meters wide, slicing through the undulating seabed like a scar torn by an earthquake—hideous and eye-catching.
The submarine's autopilot system didn't alert Norman at all. While he was admiring the seascape, the submarine dove straight through the underwater jungle of seaweed and into the fissure.
It wasn't until this moment that Norman finally reacted, hurriedly checking the central control screen. He discovered that the automatic navigation was guiding the Tartarus, leading it deeper into the fissure.
Norman realized he had likely moved beyond the starting phase and was now entering the next stage of the deep dive.
There was one thing that puzzled him. He had expected the deep dive route to be relatively gentle, with a gradual descent along sloping terrain. Even as the ocean depth increased, he assumed they would stay on the earth's crust.
The location of the gathering outpost was supposed to be on a flat sea area on the crust's surface. But from what he could see now, that wasn't the case.
Entering this fissure meant they were plunging deep into the seabed. If the journey didn't rise again and exit through another route, they would be burrowing into the earth's crust itself.
It was hard to imagine how terrifying the depths would be by the end of this journey!
Norman suddenly felt that this survival game wasn't just about surviving. If survival were the only goal, the game settings wouldn't be so complex.
"It seems I need to rethink my situation. It might not be just a game..." Norman pondered, planting a seed of doubt in his mind.
However, at this stage, overthinking was pointless. The background of this world would likely unfold slowly, perhaps after reaching the first gathering outpost.
For now, the only goal was to survive! To make it to Gathering Outpost 1 before the ice layer collapsed.
With this understanding, Norman set aside his wandering thoughts and focused again on resource exploration.
As the submarine continued its descent, the fissure loomed larger in his view, like the gaping mouth of an abyss, swallowing the Tartarus bit by bit—a truly terrifying sight.
As they drew nearer, Norman realized the shallow light he had seen earlier was caused by strange seaweed clinging to the rock walls. The seaweed spread like moss over the entire fissure.
He focused on one piece of seaweed, but the cheat didn't give any hints. It seemed the seaweed had no value beyond its eerie beauty.
The sonar detection system also didn't pick up any HV points nearby.
Frustrated, Norman returned to the driver's seat, bored, watching the submarine continue to dive into the darkness.
After descending about one hundred meters, a huge gap appeared on one side of the fissure, like a cave entrance in a mountain.
Under Norman's uncertain gaze, the autopilot system guided the submarine to turn and head into the cave.
"Damn it! the route to the gathering outpost is fucking complicated? Without the autopilots guidance, no pioneer would ever think to go this way!" Norman muttered, watching the submarine disappear into the boundless darkness again.
This time, after entering the cave, the submarine stopped descending and began to move forward steadily. However, according to the coordinates on the central control display, the directions were still downward.
The Tartarus was now over 2,300 meters below sea level. Another 100 meters, and the water pressure would reach the submarine's limit!
Fortunately, at 2,376 meters, the descent stopped. The submarine continued into the darkness on a more parallel course.
Norman noticed that the submarine seemed to be in a hollow cave structure. The surrounding rock walls were riddled with countless cavities and cave entrances, creating a dizzying sight for anyone with trypophobia.
The sonar detection system finally picked up an HV point nearby.
Norman quickly checked the display. The cheat now showed a different prompt than before.
(Info Drop: 480 meters ahead, there is a copper mine with considerable amount. If fully mined, it will yield substantial gains. Don't miss this opportunity, like seriously)
"A copper mine?! Just what I needed!" Norman exclaimed in delight.
The three units of iron ore mined in the starting area had been useful, but this copper mine was a game-changer. The system indicated that the content was significant, promising at least five units or more.
With this, he could finally gather the materials needed to make the fresh water extractor!
Excited, Norman switched the submarine to manual control and personally steered it toward the HV point.
Two minutes later, the Tartarus stopped in front of a huge cave entrance. The three-dimensional map showed that the copper mine was deep within this cave.
However, the entrance was too narrow for the Tartarus to pass through.
Realizing he would have to proceed on foot/swim his way there, Norman took a deep breath and didn't hesitate. Grabbing his diving knife and harpoon, he put on his diving suit, where he would proceed to plunge into the dark, foreboding cave.