69novels Chapter 437 Evelyn is discovered!
Chapter 437 Evelyn is discovered!
Chapter 437 Evelyn is discovered!
One week later, in Dahua County, Guangxi, at Jiudun Skylight.
After a week of final preparations and coordination, the massive convoy finally arrived at its destination.
The Nine Heavenly Window is not a single opening, but an underground river system composed of multiple vertical caves.
The entry point they chose was the No. 4 skylight, which had the widest water surface and was most suitable as a base.
This place resembles a giant emerald lake surrounded by mountains, with calm, clear water.
However, everyone knows that beneath this tranquility lies a cold and dark entrance to the abyss at the center of the earth.
With the assistance of the local government, the entire area has been cordoned off and placed under closed management.
On the shore, a professional diving base was set up in just a few days.
Under the huge sunshade, the compressor of the gas mixing station hummed with a deep rumble, and Raven and Han's assistants were meticulously filling and analyzing dozens of gas cylinders.
Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen were doing the final setup and dressing of their gear.
This was a highly ritualistic and extremely complicated process.
They first put on thick, specialized thermal underwear, and then put on Santi's top-of-the-line drysuits over it.
The collar and cuffs of the dryer are made of extremely close-fitting silicone to ensure that not a single drop of water can seep in.
Lin Yu-an put on a carbon fiber backplate and, with Raven's help, mounted the 30-kilogram JJ-CCR closed-circuit respirator on his back.
The two checked each other's pipe connections to ensure they were secure before starting the "five-minute breathing test" before entering the water.
They opened the gas cylinders, put on mouthpieces and mouthpieces, and breathed using CCRs while keeping a close eye on the screen of the Shearwater computer on their wrists.
Ensure the oxygen probe reading is stable and the carbon dioxide level is zero.
They attached four spare gas cylinders with different gas ratios to their sides with clips, looking like futuristic warriors fully armored.
Finally, Sue's underwater thruster was attached to the D-ring in front of her.
Director Chen on the shore was dumbfounded. The two men were covered in various pipelines, instruments and metal cylinders. They looked more like astronauts about to enter outer space than divers.
"Teacher Han," Director Chen couldn't help but ask Han Ting beside him in a low voice, "How heavy are all those things they're carrying?"
Han Ting's gaze turned serious: "A recreational diver's gear might only weigh about 20 kilograms, but for the depths they're about to challenge, that's a joke."
"A fully loaded CCR respirator weighs nearly 30 kilograms, and four large-capacity spare cylinders weigh more than 40 kilograms, plus dry clothes, counterweights, and other accessories —"
He paused for a moment, then gave Director Chen a number that made him gasp in shock.
"On land, each of them is currently carrying a weight of over 80 kilograms. This exceeds the maximum load capacity of most special forces units."
"For technical divers, those few dozen meters from the shore into the water can sometimes be more dangerous than being hundreds of meters underwater. Any slip could be fatal."
Han Ting stood aside, watching their meticulous process, his eyes filled with the tacit understanding and recognition between professionals.
With all preparations complete, Lin Yu-an put on his diving mask and took one last look at Raven.
He didn't speak, but simply extended his hand, making the internationally recognized technical diving hand signal "OK," then pointed at Raven, and finally at the surface of the water, his eyes questioning.
Raven immediately understood. She also gave a firm "OK" sign and nodded vigorously at Lin Yu'an, her eyes full of confidence and anticipation.
Having received confirmation, Lin Yu'an turned to look at Han Ting.
He held up five fingers to represent the number "5", then held up a "0", then pointed downwards and made a horizontal joining gesture with his palms.
(The gesture means: We will meet at a depth of 50 meters underwater.)
Han Jing nodded, then gave a thumbs-up and pressed it down firmly. This is a gesture among divers to wish each other good luck and a safe dive.
The final communication is complete.
The two walked to the water's edge, patted each other's CC breathing apparatus on the back one last time, then bit the mouthpiece of the breathing apparatus, turned their backs to the water, and fell backward at the same time.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
With two muffled splashes, they vanished instantly beneath the emerald green surface, leaving only ripples spreading outwards.
The underwater world instantly transforms from bustling activity to utter tranquility.
Without any external sounds, Lin Yu'an could only hear the slight hissing sound of his CCR respirator during its cycle, and the gurgling sound of bubbles overflowing from the exhaust valve.
In this absolute silence, gestures and eye contact became their only language.
[Descent Process]
Sunlight penetrates the water from 0 to 30 meters, forming swaying pillars of light, like steps leading to a temple, illuminating the huge underwater entrance.
The visibility here is excellent, and you can see the unique aquatic plants attached to the cave walls.
They descended slowly at a precise speed of 20 meters per minute, constantly equalizing their ear pressure.
Lin Yu-an was in front, responsible for main navigation. Rui-wen was behind, responsible for observation and support.
The two conducted a final equipment check using simple hand gestures. Lin Yu'an would occasionally turn around, point to his face mirror with his index finger, and then make an "OK" sign.
Raven would respond in the same way, indicating that everything is normal.
The sunlight, which had been 30-60 meters away, had completely disappeared, plunging the world into pure darkness.
They turned on their headlamps and the main lights on their thrusters almost simultaneously, and three powerful beams of light illuminated the white guide rope that connected to the main tunnel entrance.
Upon reaching a depth of 50 meters, Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen did not continue descending. Instead, they hovered briefly at the designated location, as per the pre-arranged plan.
Raven took a small sonic beacon with a strobe light from her equipment bag and attached it to the main guide rope.
This beacon will serve as a "relay station" and emergency rendezvous point between them and Han Ting.
After completing all this, Raven took out a device with an antenna, resembling a small walkie-talkie, from her equipment bag—a portable acoustic transponder.
Then, he pressed a special button on the diving computer on his wrist.
Inside the command tent on the shore, the atmosphere was unusually quiet. Han and Director Chen were not staring at the water, but rather at the screen of a laptop connected to an underwater listening device.
Suddenly, a clear, short "beep" sounded from the computer speaker.
On the spectrum graph on the screen, a green line representing a specific frequency signal lit up instantly.
"Handshake signal received!" the monitoring assistant immediately reported. "Depth 50.3 meters, signal strength 100%. Status normal, about to enter the second stage of descent."
Director Chen breathed a long sigh of relief; it was the first time he had ever seen sonar communication, something he had only ever seen in military movies.
After seeing the signal, Han nodded to Director Chen beside him.
"They are in good condition and have a clear signal, which proves that they have completed the initial adaptation. It's my turn to go down."
After saying that, Han put on his mask, rolled into the water, and his figure was as agile as a black dolphin, quickly disappearing from the surface of the water.
A few minutes later, a powerful beam of light shone down from above.
Han Ting has arrived.
His descent speed was extremely fast, but his posture was as steady as a rock, without a single unnecessary movement, demonstrating world-class body control.
The three met for the first time in 50-meter-deep water, forming a stable equilateral triangle formation.
Han first used a light to scan Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen's eyes in turn to observe their pupil reactions and confirm that they did not show any signs of anesthesia.
Then, he held up three fingers, waved them in front of his underwater computer, and pointed downwards. This meant the three of them should descend together to the next node.
Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen simultaneously made the "OK" sign.
Then, Han Ting pointed at Lin Yu'an and made a forward-moving gesture with his index and middle fingers.
He then pointed to Raven and made a gesture of looking around with his palm. Finally, he pointed to himself and made a protective gesture behind his back with his palm.
The tactical division of labor is clear.
Lin Yu'an continued to scout ahead. Ruiwen was responsible for flank observation. Lao Mao brought up the rear, ensuring the safety of the entire team's backline.
Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen nodded again, showing their complete trust in this experienced senior.
The final "OK" hand gestures were exchanged. Han was the first to adjust his posture, giving way to the main guide rope.
Lin Yu'an activated the thrusters and began to lead the three-person elite team at a steady speed toward the first support station 100 meters deep.
60-100 meters:
The water temperature plummeted to a bone-chilling 15 degrees Celsius. When Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen arrived at a small underwater platform at a depth of 100 meters, Han's figure also appeared as expected.
His descent speed was extremely fast, demonstrating world-class body control.
The three of them confirmed their status again using hand gestures.
Han took a net bag from his body, which contained extra spare gas cylinders. He hung the supply pack on a protruding rock on the platform, establishing the first deep-water support station.
He then pointed to himself, then to the platform, and finally gave Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen a firm "OK" sign.
Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen nodded in acknowledgment and continued to delve deeper into the darkness.
They knew that 100 meters above them, China's best cave divers were watching over them, which was a great psychological comfort.
100-150 meters:
The immense pressure began to relentlessly erode the human nervous system.
At about 140 meters, Raven felt a slight, uncontrollable tremor in her fingertips.
She immediately gestured to Lin Yu-an, informing him that she had developed HPNS symptoms.
Lin Yu'an reassured her with gestures and deliberately slowed down the descent to give her time to adapt and resist.
When they finally reached a depth of 150 meters, the cave structure here was a relatively open crossroads, with a network of dark passages leading in all directions like the mouth of a giant beast.
This is the key point that Evelyn planned to explore back then.
Raven's trembling became more pronounced; she knew this was the limit of her ability to maintain effective operation.
Going further down the line, HPNS will severely impair her judgment and fine motor skills, turning her from an asset into a liability.
She looked at Lin Yu'an, shone the light on her diving computer, pointed to herself, and then made a firm horizontal slicing motion with her palm in front of her.
This series of gestures clearly conveyed the message that this was her limit of depth, and she would stay here as planned to establish a second support point.
This is part of the plan. Raven's mission is to escort Lin Yu'an safely to this unknown crossroads and serve as his frontline support.
Lin Yu'an gazed at her, reading resentment in her eyes, but even more so professionalism and trust.
He reached out and squeezed her arm tightly, then pointed down to the main guide leading to endless darkness.
Finally, pointing to himself, he made a thrusting gesture—"Give it to me, and I will complete the final exploration alone."
Raven nodded vigorously. She watched the man's figure, alone and resolute, plunge into that vertical abyss where even light was swallowed up.
150-308 meters:
From that moment on, Lin Yu'an embarked on a completely solitary journey.
200 meters — the pressure exceeds 21 atmospheres. It feels like I'm being held tightly by an invisible hand, and every breath requires tremendous effort.
But his "chosen" physique meant that, apart from the physical pressure, his mind remained terrifyingly clear.
250 meters — Here, the cave walls exhibit an eerie white hue, like some ancient sediment that has never seen light. The terrain on the sonar screen becomes increasingly rugged.
277.4 meters —
Lin Yu'an glanced at the numbers on the underwater computer and deliberately hovered at that depth for a few seconds. He felt an unparalleled respect for Han Sheng above him.
He knew that it was in such a hellish environment that Teacher Han, with his mortal body, touched the pinnacle of Asian cave diving.
But I can still keep going!
Without hesitation, he activated the thrusters and resolutely broke through the record depth, diving into that truly dark realm that no human had ever set foot in before.
286 meters —
He broke the world record for cave diving depth, which was considered "unbreakable" and held by Xavier Meniscus!
But he didn't even have time to savor the honor, because his entire focus was on the work ahead.
300 meters —
This is a symbolic depth, the "absolute death zone" for human cave diving. The pressure exceeds 31 atmospheres.
Lin Yu'an felt that the mixture of air he was breathing had become as thick as syrup, and each heartbeat was as heavy as a drum.
He shut down the thrusters, like an astronaut suspended in space, and in this eternal silence began one of the most important tasks of his mission—mapping the abyss.
He activated the $300,000 BlueprintSubsea imaging sonar and switched it to the highest precision "probe mode".
On the diving computer screen on his wrist, the navigation interface, which was originally pitch black, began to show fan-shaped ripples like radar scanning.
As the high-frequency sound waves emitted by the sonar probe continuously struck the surrounding cave walls and returned, countless tiny points of light began to appear on the screen and were quickly pieced together and rendered by the software.
A three-dimensional model, never before depicted by humankind, was being constructed bit by bit before his eyes.
This is a job that demands a great deal of patience and skill. Lin Yu-an needs to rotate his body 360 degrees around himself to ensure that the sonar waves can scan every corner and crevice.
He knew that if Evelyn had really been here, she would likely be trapped in some blind spot of the sonar scan due to the water flow or HPNS.
You must make sure you have a map and not miss any possible hiding places.
Finally, at a depth of 308 meters, a faint but clear anomalous echo appeared in the lower right corner of the sonar screen.
It wasn't the smooth or rugged outline of the rock, but an irregular, human-shaped object stuck in a vertical crack in the rock face.
Lin Yu'an's heart skipped a beat! He controlled the thrusters and slowly approached.
As the beam of light from the main lamp pierced the darkness, the heartbreaking scene finally came into view.
Evelyn Rockefeller, the courageous explorer, was trapped in that narrow crevice in an almost flying manner.
Her body was stuck between her spare gas cylinder and the CCR on her back, and she could not break free.
Judging from her posture, she was likely caught in a sudden downdraft and, in order to avoid being swept into a deeper, unknown abyss, she struggled to "wedge" herself into this last refuge.
She was like a butterfly with broken wings, forever frozen on her way home.
Lin Yu'an hovered in front of the body and silently mourned for thirty seconds.
Just as he was about to begin recording and assessing the salvage operation, his light inadvertently swept across the rock face next to Evelyn.
Just centimeters in front of the fingertips of her stiff gloves, a mark carved with a diving knife, though hastily done, was clearly visible on the rock face.
It was a small arrow, pointing towards the deeper darkness below.
Next to the arrow, there is a number engraved – "308".
Lin Yu'an's breathing stopped instantly.
He understood everything instantly.
Evelyn Rockefeller, the great explorer, in the last moments of her life, was trapped here in a desperate situation where oxygen was about to run out.
She neither panicked nor gave up.
The last thing I did was to use all my strength to leave this mark on this rock located in a human-restricted area.
This marker is proof that she arrived here. This downward arrow is her final message to those who come after her.
And this "308" is the depth of her glory that she measured with her life!
She didn't fall here while out of control; she arrived here while fully conscious!
This means that as early as three years ago, the world record for the deepest cave diving was quietly broken by this unsung hero in this unknown darkness.
Looking at the mark, Lin Yu'an felt a surge of indescribable emotions, a mixture of admiration and sorrow.
He knew that he had arrived here today merely as a follower. The true pioneer was the queen before him, who had been asleep for three years.
He cannot, and absolutely will not, steal the glory that rightfully belongs to her.
Lin Yu'an made a decision.
Even though at a depth of 300 meters, every bit of physical exertion meant a significant increase in oxygen metabolism, he still took out the specially made titanium alloy diving knife from his leg pouch.
With his hands, which remained as steady as a rock even in the abyss, he approached the rock wall and, with great difficulty but with unwavering determination, carved another set of information below the "308" mark.
The blade scraped against the rock, producing a dull sound in the still water.
ER-308M
Lin—Witness
Even with her "Abyss Physique," Lin Yu-an felt slightly out of breath after doing all this.
After doing all this, he used the high-definition camera on his helmet to clearly and completely record the rock wall that witnessed the cross-time experiences of the two explorers.
This video footage will serve as evidence that Evelyn Rockefeller was posthumously recognized as a world record holder.
Then, he began to take action.
He approached cautiously, assessing the difficulty of the retrieval. Fortunately, Evelyn's body wasn't stuck too tightly.
Lin Yu-an abandoned the adventurous idea of using cutting tools and instead used a method that was almost like "pulling out a cork" by precisely adjusting the buoyancy.
Extremely gently, inch by inch, they moved her out of the crevice in the rock where she had been imprisoned for three years.
He then unfolded the specially made body bag and solemnly placed her inside.
He meticulously emptied the excess air from the bag and adjusted the position of the hook.
During the long ascent and decompression process, he needed to monitor the expansion of the gas inside the bag at all times, just like caring for a fragile baby, to ensure that she could return to the sunlight intact.
He will take her, and her glory, home with him.