140: Invisibility at face-to-face! The gecko's wall-climbing technique! A nuclear submarine sailed right over my head!

The massive blast wave had not yet completely subsided, and the deep-sea currents were still chaotic.

Taking advantage of the turbulent currents.

The black iron ghost silently slipped into a menacing Submarine fissures, like a withered leaf sinking into the abyss.

This is the most treacherous geological fault zone on the edge of the East Sea Continental Shelf.

On both sides were black rock walls, hundreds of meters high, as if carved by knives and axes, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, waiting to devour any intruder.

The rock walls were covered with sulfur-colored hydrothermal vents.

Pillars of scalding black smoke erupted from deep within the Earth's crust, heating the surrounding seawater until it twisted and deformed.

"Sizzle... Rumble..."

Here, the sonar screen was a chaotic mess of static.

The roar of geological activity, the popping of bubbles from hydrothermal eruptions, and the echoes of deep-ocean currents crashing against the rock walls.

All converged into a natural background noise reaching 120 decibels.

"This place... it's practically a pressure cooker."

Old Chen hunched over the helm, still recovering from the fear of the three torpedoes that had just grazed past them.

He looked at the hydrothermal vents outside the window, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps, his voice trembling:

"Boss, do we really have to go in here?

The turbulence in this canyon is worse than a typhoon. If we hit the rock wall, even though our new skin is tough.

It can't withstand that kind of grinding!"

"This is the best cover."

Jiang Ran sat in the Commander's chair, but he wasn't looking at the dazzling holographic sea chart.

Instead, he slowly closed his eyes.

As his vision shut down, his other senses were infinitely magnified.

Through the nerve connection system, every inch of the black iron's Biological Armor became his skin.

He could clearly feel the direction of the ocean currents, and the force of the thermal waves from the hydrothermal vents impacting the ship's hull.

He could even sense the subtle changes in water pressure reflected from the rock walls on both sides.

"Turn off active sonar, turn off radar, and even... turn off the holographic sea chart."

Jiang Ran's voice was low and calm, exceptionally clear in the roaring deep sea:

"Here, eyes will deceive you, radar will mislead you.

Only the water flow does not lie."

"Dr. Su, cut off all heat emissions, and lower the reactor power to the minimum required for life support."

"We are not a ship now, we are a rock."

"A dead rock that has drifted in this canyon for ten thousand years..."

As the command was executed, the faint glow on the black iron's hull surface completely extinguished.

It concealed all its aura, allowing itself to be carried by the violent deep-sea currents.

Silently plunging towards the depths of the canyon that seemed to lead to hell.

"Those guys... didn't leave."

Su Qingyu stared intently at the passive sonar spectrum analyzer in front of her.

Her voice was extremely low, as if speaking a little louder would be heard by enemies several kilometers away.

On the screen, the signals representing the Ark submarine fleet did not depart due to the previous "whale misjudgment."

Instead, they lingered at the canyon's entrance like a pack of patient wolves.

"They're not stupid."

Jiang Ran still had his eyes closed, his fingers gently tapping the armrest: "A startled humpback whale might sprint for a while.

But it would never perform precise tactical maneuvers like that just now.

That Commander is suspicious."

As if to confirm Jiang Ran's judgment.

Dozens of dense small light spots suddenly appeared on the edge of the sonar screen.

They were not as large as submarines, nor did they emit obvious propulsion noise.

Instead, they scattered like a group of deep-sea spiders, rapidly spreading to every corner of the canyon.

"What are those?"

Old Chen leaned over, looking at the strange small dots.

"They are UUVs - Unmanned Underwater Vehicles, code-named 'Wind Listener'."

Su Qingyu's expression became exceptionally grim:

"These small devices come with magnetic adsorption devices and high-sensitivity acoustic arrays.

They won't attack actively.

Instead, they will attach themselves to the canyon walls, narrow passes, and vantage points."

As her voice fell, red warning circles began to light up on the holographic sea chart.

After reaching their designated positions, these small light spots quickly stopped moving and became silent listening posts.

In less than five minutes, the entire main path of the canyon was covered with these electronic eyes and ears.

They were interconnected, weaving an invisible yet airtight sonar net in the deep sea.

"This is a cage."

Su Qingyu pointed at the red circles, her voice trembling: "They filter out the geological noise in the background and have set thresholds specifically for mechanical vibrations and propeller cavitation noise.

Even if we only use 1% power, or even just the gear friction sound when the rudder turns... as long as a tiny sound belonging to 'artificial machinery' is emitted, this net will instantly tighten."

"Then, the three nuclear submarines above us will unleash all their heavy torpedoes upon us."

Old Chen broke out in a cold sweat.

He subconsciously glanced at the power pedal under his foot and moved his foot away, afraid of accidentally stepping on it:

"Then... then aren't we completely trapped?

This canyon is so long, how do we get out without an engine?

Are we supposed to stay here until we rust?"

"The path is blocked, thrusters cannot be used."

Jiang Ran slowly opened his eyes, and in his Deep blue eyes, the despairing red blockade net was reflected.

His expression remained unpanicked, instead revealing an inscrutable calmness, and even... a hint of excitement.

"Who said a ship must rely on thrusters to move?"

Jiang Ran stood up and walked to the helm, gripping the cold steering wheel with his hands:

"Birds can glide for thousands of miles without flapping their wings, and fish can drift with the current without wagging their tails."

"In this deep sea, there is plenty of power to borrow."

"Fluid Control Field - Fine Mode, activated."

As Jiang Ran's thoughts stirred, the massive body of the black iron ghost did not emit any mechanical start-up roar.

Instead, the dark silver Biological Armor on its surface.

Began to undergo a micrometre-level vibration that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

If observed with a microscope at this moment, one would find that the originally smooth "dead skin."

Was now slightly erect, like living fish scales.

Innumerable tiny cilia swayed in the current, actively adjusting the direction of every drop of seawater flowing over the ship's hull.

"Hold on tight."

Jiang Ran's hands left the steering wheel, suspended in mid-air, as if caressing an invisible airflow.

"We're going 'surfing'."

At this moment.

A hydrothermal vent directly below erupted violently, and scalding black smoke, carrying immense thermal energy, shot upwards.

Forming a strong rising warm current in the cold deep sea.

For an ordinary submarine, encountering such transverse turbulence would cause it to lose balance, or even crash into the rock wall.

But the black iron moved.

It didn't fight the force, but sharply tilted thirty degrees to the left.

The massive hull, like a glider with outstretched wings, precisely "cut" into the edge of the rising current.

"Whoosh—"

Without engine thrust.

This five-thousand-ton steel behemoth defied gravity, lifted by the thermal current, and floated upwards lightly.

Then, using gravitational potential energy, it silently glided diagonally forward. The numbers on the speedometer began to jump wildly:

5 knots... 15 knots... 25 knots!

"My god..."

Old Chen stared intently at the engine output power meter, which still showed "0."

Then he looked at the rapidly receding rock walls outside, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit a light bulb:

"Not burning fuel? Not using electricity either?

Has our ship become a spirit?

Is it flying by itself?"

"This is the ultimate application of fluid mechanics."

Su Qingyu looked at the perfect gliding curve on the screen, her eyes shining with brilliance:

"By adjusting the friction coefficient on the hull surface, and utilizing the temperature difference convection and ocean currents within the canyon as power sources.

The black iron is not 'swimming' in the water now, but 'flying' in the water."

In this dark, rugged, rock-strewn, and current-filled deep-sea canyon.

The black iron was like a deep-sea ghost.

Sometimes it glided sideways along the rock wall, using the water's rebound from the rocks to accelerate;

Sometimes it dived into the abyss, accumulating kinetic energy through gravity.

It threaded its way through that airtight sonar listening net.

Several times, its massive hull almost grazed the “Wind Listener” UUVs clinging to the rock walls.

The distance was less than ten meters.

But in those electronic ears,

they only heard the sound of natural water currents and couldn't distinguish it as a warship loaded with weapons.

Silent, fast, deadly.

Jiang Ran closed his eyes, his expression intoxicated and focused.

In his perception, this ship had vanished.

He had transformed into a dark current in this deep sea, breathing and sharing fate with the ocean.

“The strait is ahead.”

Jiang Ran suddenly spoke, his finger slightly hooked.

The black iron, utilizing a sideways cold current, executed an incredible right-angle drift in the water.

It silently glided into a huge shadow:

“Careful, we’re about to meet an old friend.”

“Beep—! Warning!”

“High-energy heat source detected in the strait ahead!

Distance: 500 meters!

Approaching!”

zero's alarm no longer broadcasted, but exploded directly in Jiang Ran’s mind.

The canyon ahead suddenly narrowed.

The jagged rock walls on both sides were like a pair of closing fangs, leaving only a narrow passage less than two hundred meters wide.

And at the end of that passage, a dazzling red heat source, like a runaway subway train, was rushing head-on.

It was a patrolling “Poseidon” class attack nuclear submarine.

It clearly didn’t want to miss any blind spot, so it had activated its active collision avoidance sonar, swaggering as it guarded this essential path.

“We’re going to… crash!!”

Old Chen watched the rapidly enlarging light spot on the sonar screen, his face instantly turning as white as paper.

At this distance and speed, there was no time to turn around.

If they were to forcibly reverse the engine now, the violent cavitation noise would instantly attract several heavy torpedoes.

Head-on collision, or being detected and sunk? There seemed to be only one path to death.

“Don’t panic.”

Jiang Ran’s eyes suddenly opened, and a faint blue light flashed in the darkness.

His hands didn’t touch the power lever; instead, he spread his fingers and pressed down hard.

“If the path is blocked, then we’ll go ‘under’.”

“Fluid Control—Adsorption Mode!”

In that critical moment, the black iron performed a maneuver that defied physical common sense.

It didn’t evade left or right; instead, its bow plunged sharply downwards.

At this moment,

a biting cold deep-sea current was falling vertically along the rock wall.

Forming an invisible underwater “waterfall.”

Jiang Ran accurately captured this force.

The black iron instantly lost buoyancy, like a heavy lead block, carried by the cold current, plummeting vertically into the shadows deep within the canyon.

At the same time,

the Biological Armor on the ship’s belly secreted a powerful viscous fluid.

Controlling the massive hull, it completed a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree flip during the descent.

It was like a giant gecko.

Pressing its dark back tightly against the uneven cliff face.

“Hold your breath!”

Just as the black iron clung to the rock wall.

Above them, that massive shadow, carrying suffocating water pressure, roared past.

That was Ark’s nuclear submarine.

It was right above the black iron, less than fifty meters away.

Through the observation window, Old Chen could even clearly see the torpedo tube covers open on the submarine’s belly.

And the pale bubbles churned out by its propellers.

“Ping—!!!”

A deafening active sonar pulse, like a heavy hammer, struck the black iron’s armor.

The sound wave swept across the black iron’s hull, reverberating back and forth between the rock wall and the hull.

Old Chen’s heart almost stopped at that moment.

He bit his fist tightly, waiting for the “battle alarm” that signified death.

One second. Two seconds.

The submarine above did not slow down or turn around.

In its sonar feedback, below was just a slightly protruding cliff face covered with sponges and rocks.

The black iron’s rough, porous “dead skin” armor.

Perfectly absorbed the sound waves, disguising itself as part of nature.

“Humming…”

As the sound of the propellers gradually faded, the death-like submarine finally disappeared at the other end of the canyon.

“Hoo… hoo…”

Old Chen slumped in his chair.

Feeling all his strength drained, his clothes on his back were as wet as if he had just been pulled out of the water:

“Damn it… just now, I even thought of my last words…”

Su Qingyu also wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, a hint of awe in her gaze towards Jiang Ran.

To be able to perform such an extreme “wall-hugging stealth” maneuver in this desperate situation, utilizing cold currents and terrain.

This was no longer a matter of mere skill; it was absolute mastery over the deep-sea environment.

“Don’t relax yet.”

Jiang Ran slowly loosened his clenched hands, “peeling” the black iron from the rock wall and re-entering the dark current.

He looked at the receding red dot on the radar, a cold smile playing on his lips:

“They’ve passed.”

“Which means… their backs are now facing us.”

Using the last bit of residual force from the descending cold current, the black iron, like a falling leaf, silently glided through the deadly strait.

As the current became calmer, Jiang Ran’s fingers moved slightly, disengaging the adsorption field on the surface of the Biological Armor.

“Pop…”

With a faint sound of a bubble bursting.

The massive hull of the black iron detached from the dark rock wall, re-suspending itself deep within the wide canyon.

At this point, the situation on the holographic sea chart had undergone a fundamental reversal.

The three red dots representing Ark’s “Poseidon” class nuclear submarines were now located directly above and in front of the black iron.

They still maintained their search formation.

Slowly advancing towards the canyon entrance, their sonar beams still fruitlessly sweeping the airspace ahead.

They had no idea.

The prey they had desperately been searching for had, like a ghost, slipped behind them.

“This is the Achilles’ heel of submarine warfare.”

Su Qingyu looked at the three unsuspecting backs on the screen, her voice tinged with suppressed excitement:

“The high-speed rotation of the propellers creates a large turbulent zone at the stern of the submarine, commonly known as the ‘sonar blind spot’.

In this area,

their own noise will mask all external sounds.”

“We are now in their blind spot.”

“As long as I press a button…”

Old Chen’s finger trembled as it hovered over the torpedo launch button, his fear now replaced by a thirst for revenge:

“Three heavy wire-guided torpedoes can send all three of these arrogant iron turtles to hell! Blast their asses!”

This temptation was too great.

For prey that had just been struggling on the brink of death.

This sudden reversal of control over life and death was enough to send adrenaline spiraling out of control.

“Not yet.”

Jiang Ran reached out and pressed down on Old Chen’s wrist, stopping his impulse.

His dark blue eyes gleamed in the darkness, calm like a bottomless pool of still water:

“Firing here, the shockwave from the explosion would reverberate through the canyon, potentially collapsing the rock walls on both sides and burying us too.”

“And…”

Jiang Ran’s gaze swept past the submarines, looking into the deeper darkness beyond.

That intuition of a top predator told him that Ark’s methods were certainly not limited to just these three submarines.

In that unseen shadow, something more subtle and insidious seemed to be lurking, approaching.

“Since they like to search, let them search a little longer.”

Jiang Ran slowly sat back in the command chair, his hands crossed over his chest, a cold, hunter’s smile playing on his lips:

“The best hunters often appear in the guise of prey.”

“Maintain silence, follow behind them.”

“When they run out of patience and reveal their true weakness…”

Jiang Ran’s finger tapped lightly on the armrest, as if knocking on the gates of hell:

“That’s when it’s our turn to knock.”