441. Submarine Cavern

The anxious tone in Bad Bad's voice made Ye Feng uneasy, so he quickly pulled his attention away from the Dragon's inner core, closed his eyes, and carefully recalled the technique. A complex route for channeling energy appeared in his mind. Ye Feng didn’t linger on it; as long as he remembered, it wouldn’t escape him.

“Bad Bad, what’s happened?” Ye Feng asked.

“Angus, that bastard, he wants to move the sea!” Bad Bad replied, exasperated.

“What? How is that possible?” Ye Feng exclaimed in disbelief.

“The leader of the Dragon tribe has searched every land and shallow sea area on Earth, but couldn’t find the Dragon’s inner core. Now he wants to search the deep sea. But it was Angus who suggested it; I suspect he has ulterior motives,” Bad Bad explained.

“What method is he using to move the sea?” Ye Feng couldn’t imagine how anyone could relocate the deep ocean.

“He’s using a primitive, foolish method, just with new tools,” Bad Bad said, pointing to the ring on Ye Feng’s hand.

Ye Feng followed Bad Bad’s gaze to his own hand, frowned, and asked, “A spatial ring?”

“That’s right. All the metal foundries on land are now manufacturing spatial rings. Angus plans to move the deep sea bit by bit, like the Foolish Old Man moving mountains. That means we’re in danger,” Bad Bad said.

“Damn, he’s really gone mad. Can you calculate how much time we have left? And can the Ocean Fortress’s defenses withstand the Dragon tribe’s attack?” Ye Feng asked.

“I can’t precisely estimate the time, since I don’t know how many rings Angus plans to make. But Andrea said the dragons gave him only ten days. As for the Ocean Fortress’s defenses, for now, they’re fine. But you need to consider the energy supply. All its defenses rely on energy. The lowest defense level could last thousands of years, but if the dragons attack, we’ll have to activate maximum defense, which might only last us a few years,” Bad Bad replied, his tone heavy with worry.

Ye Feng fell silent. One crisis followed another, and these villains never let him catch a breath. It was truly disgusting.

After pondering for a while, Ye Feng asked, “Are there any deep caves in the ocean, ones that go down very far?”

“Are you thinking…?” Bad Bad couldn’t quite follow Ye Feng’s line of thought.

“Find a large enough cave, then we go inside and block the entrance. That way, we can buy ourselves more time. I need some time,” Ye Feng said.

“I’ll look for one. Given Earth’s tectonic activity, there should be caves in the seabed, but whether there’s one big enough is uncertain,” Bad Bad replied, scanning the seabed as he spoke.

“Let’s hope we find one. I can’t think of any other solution,” Ye Feng said helplessly.

Scanning the entire sea was a massive undertaking. Not until Ye Feng and the women had happily finished dinner did Bad Bad finally have results.

“Ye Feng, luck is on your side. I found a place perfect for us, not only suitable, but with an excellent environment. We won’t need to stay in the Ocean Fortress all the time,” Bad Bad said excitedly.

“What exactly did you find?” Ye Feng was already used to Bad Bad’s excitement; every time he found something good, he became wildly enthusiastic. This struck Ye Feng as odd, since according to Bad Bad’s data, he shouldn’t be unfamiliar with such things, so why was he so thrilled?

“A natural, super-large cave. The entrance is just the right size for the Ocean Fortress to enter, but inside it’s enormous—about half the size of China. It might be crowded for the people in the Ocean Fortress, but with a bit of modification, it could become an underground kingdom,” Bad Bad said, brimming with excitement. Such a place wasn’t in his records at all. He couldn’t understand why, after returning to the past, he could see or find so many things beyond his expectations.

“What’s the internal condition of this natural cave? Is there no water inside?” Ye Feng was delighted; this was exactly the kind of place he needed.

“That’s the most miraculous part. The air pressure inside the cave seems to balance with the external water pressure, so there’s no seawater inside—only some fresh water. The cave lies tens of thousands of meters beneath the land, solidified by millennia of sediment. The entrance is part of a network of interconnected caves. If we seal the entrance, no one will find us in the short term,” Bad Bad said with a smile.

“You say we seal the entrance? With what? Angus should be able to notice, right?” Ye Feng asked, puzzled.

“We’ll need special technology. I’ve already had Madman and the others prepare the materials for sealing the entrance and given them the manufacturing method. I believe they’ll make it soon. Once we enter, we can install it outside. It will be completely undetectable from outside. With an extra thermal barrier, Angus won’t be able to detect us no matter how he tries,” Bad Bad said with a grin.

“Then what are we waiting for? Move the Ocean Fortress there—how far is it?” Ye Feng asked.

“I started moving as soon as I told you. It’s not close; even at the fastest speed, it’ll take five days,” Bad Bad replied.

“Let’s hope that bastard isn’t too quick. May we make it in time,” Ye Feng prayed.

“If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll get there. It’s in a very deep place, or else no one would have discovered it,” Bad Bad said, smiling.

“Let’s hope so,” Ye Feng replied.

…

During her time in the Ocean Fortress, Chi Yanhuan was deeply conflicted, all because of Ye Feng. She lived in Ye Feng’s quarters, surrounded by women who were all his, except for herself.

Sometimes she didn’t understand her own feelings. When Ye Feng came to see her, she couldn’t help but argue with him. When he stayed away, she couldn’t help but think about him. Chi Yanhuan had grown up in the Red Army, trained every day, and had never been in love, so she didn’t realize what she felt was love.

Although Amy and the other women treated Chi Yanhuan well, and they all understood that she would sooner or later become one of their sisters, this only made Chi Yanhuan more conflicted. What was she, exactly? Ye Feng’s friend? Girlfriend? Woman?

Ye Feng, however, paid no attention to any of this—or rather, he simply had no time. When he entered the Ocean Fortress, he was gravely wounded, close to death. After recovering, he immediately began researching ways to escape; he had no time for her.

After his conversation with Bad Bad, it was nearly midnight. Of course, midnight meant nothing in the ocean depths, where sunlight never reached and people relied on artificial suns.

Ye Feng had just recovered, so the women didn’t invite him into their rooms. He decided to return to his own room, passing Chi Yanhuan’s door along the way.

At that moment, Chi Yanhuan was waiting for Ye Feng. Seeing him approach, she opened the door and pulled him into her room.

[End of Chapter]