18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 432

Jasper and Stella were blissfully unaware of the chaos unfolding in Iran. They quickly found their balance and worked together to stabilize their submarine. "They've got five of those things..."

Before Stella could finish her sentence, several dark shapes emerged from beyond the 2688, swiftly forming ranks.

One, two, three, four, five, six...

A total of six submersible crafts-not submarines. These were hexagonal underwater vehicles, smaller but faster than the 2688.

And they were riveting together underwater. Two became one, growing larger and heavier.

"Holy smokes, these aren't just subs. They're modular underwater fortresses," Jasper muttered in amazement.

You had to hand it to them-their geographical constraints had pushed them to incredible ingenuity. With rising sea levels and no new land to claim, they turned their focus to the vast ocean. Even without military sovereignty, nothing stopped them from dreaming of underwater cities.

Stella always thought it was just a fantasy, but here it was, staring them in the face.

These polyhedral crafts were more like submersible aircraft, capable of disassembling and reassembling in multiple configurations, like something out of Transformers.

Despite being less than half the size of the 2688 when alone, their combined strength was formidable.

If there were enough, they could form a base.

Normally, they could operate as a whole to withstand the unpredictable weather at sea. When a storm hit, they could quickly break apart and evade danger with their speed and knowledge of the area. The engineers were skilled at turning small advantages into big wins, often with surprise attacks or invasions.

Their confidence was sky-high; otherwise, they wouldn't have charged in blindly.

But they could also correct course instantly upon realizing their mistakes.

And now, they were transforming!

The six crafts combined in the depths, their mass and offensive capabilities skyrocketing.

and Stella weren't about to risk a head-on collision

didn't hesitate to

with Iran's

in their craft, it was that

waves, an exhilarating chase was

pursuing from day

had endured a 14-year war, triumphing even with just millet and rifles. She had no reason

launched 2688. It hadn't been through the cataclysmic tsunamis caused by tectonic collisions and had ample nuclear fuel and optimal component

were different. They had been toiling away at sea for years. Even with the best of luck, they would have weathered countless storms and were now worn and weary.

continued

at her watch, her brow furrowing. "Something's not

Jasper noticed it too.

the ocean's bottom grew dimmer, and the current's speed and direction shifted

decades of maritime

but with Iran's relentless pursuit, they

increasingly treacherous currents, with

began to show,

times Iran's craft nearly caught up, aiming to ram the 2688's stern, only to be skillfully dodged by

their desperation

abnormal currents, and alarms began

pale. "Bad

An oceanic whirlpool?

by the collision of multiple ocean currents and monsoon winds under the influence of the Earth's rotation. Vortexes varied in size and destructive

less than a meter across, and large ones could stretch hundreds

akin to the perilous Bermuda Triangle, where countless planes and

the tectonic collisions, the sea

they ventured deeper, the currents and weather grew more

the waves, while currents clashed below, expanding

screeching, Jasper said gravely, "If

from behind,