Reborn: I Stock Up and Bully the Trash to Dominate the Apocalypse

However, according to Zhou Shuwan's perception, there were still seven or eight submarines relentlessly pursuing her from behind.

Driven to desperation by Disent's death order, those people were only thinking about speeding up their pursuit and were completely unaware of the hidden danger lurking in the crystal net ahead.

The submarine at the very front plunged headlong into the densely packed crystal network without any warning.

First, a few pieces of transparent film floated lightly onto the hull. The captain thought they were just ordinary impurities in the seawater, cursed "damned fog," and ordered to continue accelerating.

However, this surge stirred up the surrounding water, and countless crystal nets were swept up by the airflow, instantly entangled in the submarine's rudder.

The moment the tail rudder turned, a piercing "creak" sound rang out.

When the kaolinite crystallization network comes into contact with water, its viscosity increases dramatically, sticking to the metal rudder blade like super glue, becoming more and more tightly entangled as it spins.

The originally flexible tail rudder gradually became stuck, turning from a full rotation to a half-amplitude swing.

The submarine's course suddenly veered off course, and it stumbled in the boiling water.

"The servo is malfunctioning! What happened?"

The operator hurriedly checked and operated the robotic arm to peel off the membrane outside the cabin.

However, as soon as the robotic arm touched it, it was firmly stuck to the membrane. With a little force, instead of tearing off the membrane, the membrane made the robotic arm stick even more firmly to the cabin wall.

The captain was furious and ordered the high-pressure water cannons to be activated for a thorough cleaning.

The water jets out, but it seems to be providing a "helper" to the crystallization network.

The strong water flow drew in more of the surrounding film, and those transparent films spread rapidly along the hull, quickly enveloping the propeller.

As the blades rotated, they were tightly constricted by the crystallization network, causing the rotation speed to decrease more and more, the roaring sound to change from crisp to muffled, and the propeller to stop completely.

The submarine instantly lost power and floated in place in the boiling water.

Meanwhile, the crystallization net continued to pour in, like an invisible ghost net, wrapping around the bow and stern of the boat, layer upon layer.

"The power system is completely paralyzed! The backup engine won't start either!"

"The air intake is completely blocked by this net!"

The crew members screamed in terror, and some grabbed tools to try to break open the hatch and escape.

However, the hatch was already completely covered by the crystallization net, and when it was slammed down, it only made a dull sound.

Someone tried to activate the escape pod, but the mechanical lock was entangled in the crystal mesh, and pressing the switch had no effect.

The crystallizing net continues to combine with other floating nets, being swept up by wave after wave, and tightening continuously.

It was as if countless hands were gripping the submarine. The sound of metal twisting gradually came from the hull, the outer shell was slightly deformed by the pressure, and tiny cracks began to spread.

The people inside the cabin watched helplessly as the instrument panels went black one by one, unable to do anything about it.

There was no explosion, no fire, only endless suffocation and torment.

They could only cling to the escape pod door, screaming in despair.

The sound of the hull twisting grew louder and louder until the submarine deformed, dented, and developed cracks.

The long-awaited boiling water gushed in, instantly filling the cabin and drowning out the screams.

The entire submarine gradually lost buoyancy and slowly sank into the deep sea.

It eventually disappeared completely into the white, steaming boiling water, vanishing without a trace.

Zhou Shuwan witnessed the entire horrific state of the submarine behind her.

She whispered, "It sank..."

"It's too dangerous, sis, we have to get out of this area!" Mu Mu said.

Zhou Shuwan nodded: "Keep moving forward, we'll definitely find the exit."

Qi Mingyu maneuvered the submarine, struggling to navigate through the gaps in the crystal net.

They circled around for three whole hours, but all they could see outside the porthole was a very fragmented network of kaolinite crystals.

It was as if this thing completely covered the entire sea area, with no end in sight.

Mu Mu rubbed her stiff wrists, her voice tinged with weariness: "Why can't we finish going around in this circle? Just how big is this mineral layer?"

Qi Mingyu's arms were also a little sore, but he still held the control stick steadily: "I feel that the range of the crystallization network is getting bigger and bigger."

"That's because they encountered boiling water!"

Zhou Shuwan gazed thoughtfully at the floating crystal net outside.

She had just used her senses to explore it, and found that these kaolinite ore deposits were extremely pure, making them a life-saving treasure for the isolated island.

In the post-apocalyptic world, the earth's crust is frequently disturbed, and isolated islands often encounter earthquakes and storms. The foundations of fortresses and houses are always prone to loosening and even developing cracks.

If this kaolinite ore could be ground into powder and mixed with the clay and lime on the island, it could be made into a very strong three-in-one soil.

The foundation will be stronger than the cement before the apocalypse, and even if another earthquake occurs, it will be able to firmly hold the fortress and there will be no need to worry about it collapsing.

In addition, this mineral powder can be applied to the walls of the fortress for moisture and corrosion protection.

More importantly, it has a lot of space!

Her space is not afraid of these crystal nets; as long as she has a thought, she can put them into her space.

Once we get back, we'll let them air dry and then see how the base plans to utilize them.

She only knew the basics; she didn't know the specifics of how to do it.

She closed her eyes and found a relatively open space in the room.

The crystallization nets on the side of the submarine began to be collected into space one by one.

She moved incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, the crystal net in front of them visibly diminished.

Mu Mu's expression was filled with surprise: "With your help, sister, we'll definitely be able to avoid the threat of the Crystal Network soon!"

A glint of light flashed in Qi Mingyu's eyes as he took advantage of the moment when the crystal membrane diminished to steadily maneuver the submarine forward.

The resistance of boiling water is still considerable, but without the obstruction of the crystal film, the speed of travel is significantly faster.

With her eyes closed and focused on controlling the device, Zhou Shuwan collected the kaolinite crystal films floating on the side of the ship piece by piece.

"Sis, you're amazing! At this rate, you'll clear a path in no time!"

Zhou Shuwan didn't open her eyes, her voice slightly hoarse: "Don't be careless. This mineral layer is extremely vast. I can only clear the area around the submarine; there's still a lot deeper inside. And the pursuers are still behind us. We need to get out of this area as soon as possible."

At this point, they no longer cared about the pursuers behind them.

So no one knew that yet another submarine had accidentally run into the crystallization net and gotten entangled.

Zhou Shuwan didn't stop. While collecting the crystal membranes along the way, she sensed the surrounding environment and suddenly said, "Adjust 10 degrees to the left. The water flow is gentler over there, and the crystal membranes are sparser. Going with the water flow will save some power."

Qi Mingyu immediately did as instructed, and the submarine skillfully changed direction, sailing into a relatively open area of ​​water.

There were indeed far fewer crystal films here, with only a few scattered pieces floating in the boiling water.

"Strange, why is there less crystal film here? Are we finally about to leave this area?" Mu Mu asked curiously.

"No. It's a problem with the seabed topography," Zhou Shuwan explained.

“There’s a shallow depression on the seabed here. The heat flow splits here, and the kaolinite slurry can’t float to the surface, so it can’t form many crystal films. If we follow this shallow depression, we should be able to get out of here faster.”