Chapter 334: Deep Sea Training, Source Essence Rewards

Chapter 334: Deep Sea Training, Source Essence Rewards

"In support of the Malacca Strait mission, the Southern Theater Command has specially allocated two Third Stage Source Essences, one being the Tide Summoner and the other, the Deep Sea Overlord."

At the Longwei Base training ground, the Southern Theater Command staff officer, Qi Jinghui, announced the command's decision to the ten Marine Ability Users before him:

"These two Third Stage Source Essences will be handed over to Lieutenant Colonel Lu to decide how to utilize them in assisting the completion of this deep-sea mission. As for the specific allocation, I'll let Lieutenant Colonel Lu explain."

The Xia military indeed attached great importance to the Malacca Strait mission, and without Lu Heng having to request it, Li Guining had the command mobilize all available resources.

These two Third Stage Source Essences were the support provided by the Southern Theater.

Just by their names, one could tell that both Source Essences belonged to the Marine job class.

Among them, the Deep Sea Overlord was a general-purpose Source Essence with no specific attribute requirements for the Ability User.

The Tide Summoner, on the other hand, leaned towards Mental Ability Users, possessing the ability to control seawater.

The two Source Essences didn't have an absolute hierarchy of strength, but there would be a more suitable preference.

Lu Heng stepped forward to face the ten individuals, his gaze sweeping across them, and said in a clear voice, "Over the past three days, you have all at least upgraded two skills and mastered stronger underwater capabilities.

"These two Third Stage Source Essences are also for enhancing Marine abilities, which means that by choosing these Source Essences, you will be committed to the Marine enhancement path in the future.

"Listen to my command, those without a Third Stage Source Essence and who feel inclined towards these two Source Essences, take a step forward."

Upon hearing the order, seven people stepped forward.

Only three people remained at the back, looking at each other with disappointment in their eyes.

These ten individuals were chosen because of their exceptional underwater capabilities, with over half of their skill sets related to water.

Therefore, as long as they were clear-headed, they would undoubtedly choose the Marine enhancement path.

If they wanted to change paths now, even if they could become Land Warfare Ability Users, they would most likely lead a mediocre life from then on.

The Marine competition was relatively less intense, and it was also their area of expertise.

Initially, four or five of these ten individuals planned to request a transfer back to their original units after completing this mission.

After all, the Special Forces had a unique structure.

However, after three days, each of these ten Marine warriors had upgraded two skills.

This made them realize the true uniqueness of the Special Forces, and everyone changed their initial thoughts.

The reason for recruiting these ten individuals into the Special Forces was to address the deep-sea fog crisis in the Malacca Strait, so Lu Heng primarily upgraded their water-related skills.

For example, the C-grade Underwater Breathing had been upgraded to C-grade Advanced Underwater Breathing, enhancing their oxygen acquisition capability in water.

Additionally, skills that increased underwater mobility were also upgraded.

One of them, a Second Lieutenant named Liu Haiyang, had his D-grade Water Flow Acceleration upgraded to C-grade Wave Surge Acceleration.

Before the Abyssal Descent, the average swimming speed of athletes among ordinary humans was approximately 2 meters per second.

The world record for the men's 100-meter freestyle was 46.40 seconds.

Evidently, a swimming speed of 2 meters per second was already close to the limit of ordinary humans.

If diving deeper, the speed would be even slower.

It was clear that humans had very weak underwater mobility and could be outperformed by any type of fish.

In the Abyssal Era, the standard for Marine Ability Users among human Ability Users was to match the speed of dolphins in water.

Dolphins swam at about 36 kilometers per hour, or 10 meters per second, in water.

10 meters per second was roughly the maximum running speed of athletes on land.

In other words, the passing line for Marine Ability Users' swimming speed in water was equivalent to the top speed of athletes on land.

This requirement wasn't high for Ability Users, and a single skill could solve it.

The effect of the Water Flow Acceleration skill was to increase underwater acceleration by 8 meters per second, and with the Ability User's own swimming speed, strength, and agility, they could usually reach the passing line of 10 meters per second.

In other words, a qualified Marine Ability User needed a skill similar to Water Flow Acceleration.

Needing one skill seemed easy.

However, coupled with Underwater Breathing, it already occupied two skill slots.

The official Xia statistics showed that the initial number of skill slots for Ability Users was 2.15, meaning that for most Ability Users, becoming a Marine Ability User would require using up two skill slots.

Moreover, this was just the passing line.

If one wanted to gain a greater advantage in water, they would either have to upgrade skills or absorb more water-related skills.

This also showed that the Marine enhancement path was not an easy one.

Furthermore, these two skills can only be utilized in water, rendering them useless once on land.

This is also why few Ability Users choose the marine enhancement path.

Making matters more challenging, achieving the swimming speed of a dolphin is far from sufficient to develop combat prowess underwater.

The Malacca Strait's Undersea Fog Crisis is an extremely difficult task.

It's easy to understand that entering the undersea fog at a dolphin's speed and encountering the abyssal monsters below would likely leave one with no chance of escape.

Therefore, for this underwater mission, the minimum swimming speed requirement is set at the level of a shark.

Sharks typically swim at 72 kilometers per hour, or 20 meters per second.

To meet this requirement, Lu Heng upgraded the Underwater Acceleration Skill for all ten individuals.

A Second Lieutenant named Liu Haiyang, who possessed a D-grade Water Flow Acceleration skill, upgraded it to a C-grade Wave Surge Acceleration, achieving an acceleration effect of 20 meters per second. After testing, combined with his original swimming speed, he could reach 22 meters per second, and it would be even faster in combat mode.

Achieving the speed of a shark is sufficient for this mission.

Of course, the higher this data, the better.

Both the Deep Sea Overlord and Tide Summoner ranks can enhance underwater combat capabilities. Acquiring either of these ranks will significantly boost one's fighting power in the water.

Even the remaining three warriors who already possessed Third Stage Source Essence couldn't help but show eager anticipation.

Lu Heng glanced at the three and asked again, "Those who already have Third Stage Source Essence but wish to change it, step forward."

This time, two more people stepped forward.

The last person standing at the back was the highest-ranked among the ten, with an Energy Level of 40 and already possessing a third-stage rank.

Therefore, he couldn't participate in the competition for the two Third Stage Source Essence.

The last Ability User, named Cao Lixiong, was the highest-ranked among the group, with an Energy Level of 40.

Due to his high level and combat prowess, he had passed the Source Essence competition during a previous summoning and obtained a complete third-stage rank.

His third-stage rank was Energy Shield Guardian.

This is a defensive rank with strong defensive capabilities, which can also provide defense in water.

However, this is not a marine-specific rank and is not as well-suited to his other abilities.

For ordinary Ability Users, obtaining a rank often relies on luck, and not everyone has the opportunity to choose.

Sometimes, when encountering a Source Essence, they absorb it immediately to enhance their combat power, without considering if it aligns with their rank path.

Lu Heng had reviewed Cao Lixiong's file and was aware of his third-stage rank, Energy Shield Guardian. He spoke up, "Your rank can be utilized in water, and in this medium, most attacks will have their power weakened, but the defensive capabilities won't be significantly diminished.

"With this trade-off, defensive skills will be more effective underwater than on land."

Taking firearms as an example, a sniper rifle can shoot targets a kilometer away in the air.

However, once the bullet enters the water, it loses its power after moving just one meter.

Therefore, Cao Lixiong's Energy Shield Guardian rank, when used in the deep sea, offers the strongest defense, and few things can penetrate it.

"Yes!" Cao Lixiong responded with a crisp salute.

Lu Heng continued, "Next, I'll announce the distribution method for the two Source Essences. Today, we'll conduct a deep-sea training session in the East China Sea, and the top three warriors will receive rewards.

"Two of the rewards are the Deep Sea Overlord and Tide Summoner Source Essences, and the third reward is a skill upgrade opportunity.

"Rewards will be chosen based on performance rankings. Is that clear?"

"Yes!" The ten marine Ability Users responded in unison with a crisp salute.

"If you understand, board the helicopter," Lu Heng gestured towards the helicopter pad within the base.

At that moment, an armed helicopter was parked on the pad.

Lu Heng, Jane Qing, and Qi Jinghui led the team, including Liu Haiyang, Cao Lixiong, and eight other marine Ability Users, onto the armed helicopter, heading towards the East China Sea.

...

An hour and a half later, the armed helicopter arrived over the East China Sea and continued eastward.

Jane Qing opened a box and presented ten rubber balls inside, explaining, "These rubber balls have a density greater than seawater. When thrown into the sea, they'll sink to the bottom but might be carried away by the current or swallowed by large fish.

"The rubber balls have a glowing device that emits a red light every ten seconds. The visibility in the water is approximately two to three hundred meters, depending on the seawater's clarity."

"Remember the coordinates from here. Starting now, the helicopter will drop a rubber ball into the sea every minute.

After ten rubber balls have been dropped, it will fly a hundred kilometers east, and then you will be released to retrieve them.

Once you find the rubber balls, return to the Baoshan Lighthouse on the shore. The first three to return will receive a reward. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, we understand!" The ten individuals responded in unison.

"Good. Begin dropping the rubber balls," Jane Qing said, grabbing a rubber ball and tossing it into the sea.

These rubber balls had a diameter of 15 centimeters, and without any other means of identification, retrieving them from the sea would be challenging.

However, the rubber balls were equipped with red-glowing devices, so finding the flashing red light would lead them to the balls.

Even so, retrieving the rubber balls wasn't as easy as it seemed.

After dropping all ten rubber balls, the helicopter would fly another 100 kilometers east, meaning these ten Marine Ability Users needed to swim back from a distance of 100 kilometers to the drop point.

For an ordinary person, a 100-kilometer distance would be an impossible task.

These ten Marine warriors had all enhanced their underwater skills, and their current speed exceeded 20 meters per second.

Therefore, the 100-kilometer distance in the sea only required one and a half hours for them.

The rubber ball drop location was approximately 150 kilometers from the Baoshan Lighthouse on the shore.

Thus, this marine training session would last about four hours.

While the ten Marine warriors checked their equipment, the helicopter had already flown 100 kilometers.

Jane Qing raised her voice and asked, "Have you all checked your equipment?"

"Check complete!" They responded in unison.

"Should we go down here? We're currently 100 meters above the sea surface. Do we need to descend further?" Jane asked.

Cao Lixiong stood by the helicopter door, glanced downward, and replied, "As long as it's seawater below, I can jump from outer space."

His third-rank job was an Energy Shield Guardian, with maxed-out defense, and objects falling through the atmosphere had a terminal velocity due to air resistance.

So, he could indeed jump from outer space.

The others didn't have such powerful defense, but jumping into the sea from a 100-meter height wasn't a significant challenge.

After the Marine warriors had checked their equipment, they jumped into the sea one by one, commencing the deep-sea training.

Jane Qing gave a final reminder, "This deep-sea training session will last four hours. If you can't find the rubber balls within four hours, you can return directly to the Baoshan Lighthouse. If you encounter danger, signal for help. Remember, this is just a training exercise. You are teammates who will fight side by side. If any member encounters danger, assisting them is the top priority."

"Yes!"

The ten individuals responded in unison, but since this training was a competition, they checked their compasses after entering the sea and immediately started swimming westward.

They all sprinted at their maximum speed, like ten flying fish shooting across the sea surface.

Typically, swimming on the sea surface was faster than underwater, so seven of them swam freestyle on the surface, leaving seven white trails behind them.

However, three individuals were underwater.

Lu Heng knew exactly who these three were; their underwater acceleration skills were more effective at the sea bottom, including Liu Haiyang.

Therefore, these three dove straight into the sea bottom, disappearing from the helicopter's sight.

Lu Heng watched as the ten warriors sprinted through the sea, some even reaching speeds of 100 kilometers per hour.

70 kilometers per hour was the passing line for this undersea fog crisis, but the ten individuals' speeds varied in the sea. A few reached 100 kilometers per hour, gradually pulling ahead of the others.

100 kilometers per hour, on land, was achievable for most cars and wasn't considered exceptionally fast.

However, in the sea, this speed was the maximum for high-speed warships.

In other words, for these Marine Ability Users, even surface vessels couldn't match their speed.

If they were underwater, their advantage was even more apparent.

Submarines were the only vessels capable of diving deep, and the most advanced ones had a maximum speed of only 50 kilometers per hour at the sea bottom.

In other words, these ten Marine warriors could almost double the speed of submarines underwater.

Moreover, this was just their normal swimming speed; their combat speed could be even higher.

Only with such underwater speed could they have the ability to resolve the undersea fog crisis.

As Lu Heng watched the Marine warriors gradually move away, he pointed towards the direction of the Baoshan Lighthouse, "Let's head back."

The helicopter turned and returned to the Baoshan Lighthouse north of Zizitan Beach.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end