NOVPUB"Didn’t the Research Department bring in a batch of new equipment? I remember one of them is specifically designed to survey such complex situations, right?"
"Take out that piece of equipment and investigate what’s behind the waterfall."
The assistant wanted to persuade further.
"Doctor, that is a precision instrument, very expensive to make."
Jin Nanhua glanced at the assistant.
"Are you teaching me how to do my job?"
The assistant had more to say, but ultimately, he swallowed his words and followed Jin Nanhua’s instructions.
About a dozen members of the engineering team came to the top of the waterfall, taking out a two-meter-diameter iron sphere from a box.
Wu Bin approached, his face filled with astonishment.
"Wow, this thing is badass, it looks very high-tech."
"Solid iron? Must be heavy, right?"
Upon closer inspection, Wu Bin realized that the iron sphere had a camera inside.
However, this camera was encased in layers of protection and wouldn’t be damaged by external forces when not activated.
At the top of the sphere, there was a hook, to which a sturdy iron chain and cable were attached, allowing the chain to be lowered slowly.
"Doctor, everything is ready."
Jin Nanhua was sitting in front of the monitor and made a releasing gesture.
As the chains rattled, the iron sphere began to descend slowly down the raging waterfall.
Owing to the sphere’s considerable weight, it stayed close to the rock wall, minimally affected by the current.
Even so, the sphere was still buffeted by the torrential waters, swaying and making noise.
"Ten meters, fifteen meters, twenty meters! We’ve reached the designated location!"
With the operator’s shout, the camera on the sphere was officially activated.
At first, it was all mist, but as the camera continually refreshed itself, the scenery behind the waterfall soon came into view.
Everyone watched the monitor in disbelief, and Jin Nanhua stood up, shocked.
Right behind this waterfall was an enormous stone platform!
The platform was clearly man-made, with a pair of stone doors in the center, engraved with patterns. Flanking these doors were two guard-like creatures!
Only these guardians looked different from typical ones—they had dragon heads and fish bodies, and looked quite majestic and formidable!
Wu Bin pointed to the monitor and said, "See, I told you I saw these two statues before. That iron sphere is pretty impressive, isn’t it? The picture quality is so clear, it’s high-tech, right?"
All faces turned to Wu Bin in astonishment.
Considering that just moments before, they were standing below with the waterfall blocking the view, theoretically, it should have been impossible to see anything with the naked eye.
But why was Wu Bin the only one who could see the statues?
This strange occurrence was beyond their scientific explanation.
However, based on the footage sent back by the sphere, there was no doubt that behind the waterfall was the entrance to somewhere.
After a moment of silence, Jin Nanhua said, "Get the vanguard squad together, everyone goes down to explore."
"Yes, Doctor!"
The assistant immediately relayed Jin Nanhua’s orders, and soon, everyone at the base camp was mobilized.
Since the waterfall had a rapid flow and a large volume of water,
the engineering team had to perform a controlled blast upstream to divert the water and reduce the difficulty of entry.
"Wu Bin, are you interested in joining us to take a look inside?"
The assistant exclaimed in surprise.
"Doctor, this is against regulations; he’s not a member of our vanguard team."
Jin Nanhua spoke unconcernedly, "But he is one of us from the Ninth Institute, isn’t he?"
"Since it’s our people from the Ninth Institute, they have the right to be involved in this matter."
Upon hearing Jin Nanhua’s words, the assistant fell silent.
Wu Bin had yet to realize the seriousness of the situation, scratching his face as he asked, "Are you guys an archaeology team?"
Jin Nanhua smiled faintly.
"From a certain perspective, we are indeed an archaeology team."
"Okay then, I’ve been interested in archaeology since I was a kid, and I’d like to see how these cultural relics and such are excavated."
Cultural relics?
The assistant snickered to the side.
He feared that the place they were heading to contained no relics but monsters.
"Doctor, all preparations are complete; we can breach at any time."
Hu Feng, the captain of the advance team, walked in from outside, having his team prepare a set of black advance uniforms for them.
Jin Nanhua nodded and began changing his clothes with the help of the assistant.
Seeing Wu Bin gearing up to explore, Nightingale, feeling resigned, could only pick up a set of clothes and head to a tent nearby to change.
The suit that Wu Bin held felt very much like shark skin to the touch, a tight-fitting garment with a scale-like pattern on the surface.
Jin Nanhua explained as he changed.
"The suit you’re holding is a deep-sea operational uniform, the latest achievement of the Research Department."
"Waterproof, cut-resistant, puncture-resistant, corrosion-resistant."
"Wearing this suit will also increase your pressure resistance coefficient. The only drawback is it’s not very breathable, but the Research Department is working on improving that."
After Wu Bin had dressed, Jin Nanhua casually picked up a small knife and thrust it at him.
Wu Bin jumped in fright, unable to dodge.
The knife struck Wu Bin’s body, and he could feel the dull pain, but the knife did not penetrate the suit, nor did it leave any marks on the fabric.
Jin Nanhua said with a smile, "The Research Department’s technology is reliable. I just wanted you to remember this feeling. Whenever you feel this dull pain, it means you’re under attack and must be on high alert."
Wu Bin nodded, indicating he understood.
Then Hu Feng took out a helmet from a box and handed it to Wu Bin.
The helmet looked very light, more like a mask that completely wrapped around the head.
In front of the helmet was a transparent visor that didn’t block the field of vision.
At the back of the helmet was an oxygen tube that could be directly connected to an oxygen cylinder.
No wonder this operational suit was called deep-sea; it was probably intended for diving.
Once everyone was dressed, Wu Bin followed Jin Nanhua out of the tent.
Only then did he realize that the water volume of the entire waterfall had been halved, with both the speed and the flow rate much lower than before.
Wu Bin guessed that this was due to the successful diversion by the Engineering Department upstream.
At the same time, the Engineering Department had anchored about twenty steel cables along the river bank.
These cables were laid out in a line, hanging down with the flow of the water.
Hu Feng spoke, "Doctor, we need to descend by roping down. My men will go first to provide support; you can follow us down after a while."
Jin Nanhua nodded to show his understanding.
Hu Feng fastened his visor, hooked the steel cable onto his buckle, and then entered the river, sliding downstream with the current.
As there were steel cables in place, Hu Feng didn’t need to worry about being thrown around by the water.
After Hu Feng’s departure, a staff member patted Wu Bin on the shoulder, signaling that he could enter the water too.
Wu Bin, emulating Hu Feng, attached the steel cable to his own buckle, his heart racing.
Is archaeology always this thrilling nowadays?
