Of course, there was a third option. Fight.
Morris thought of his helicopter, and then of the several pounds of TNT stored in the warehouse.
Maybe… they could win?
Splash—!
Just as they were hesitating, Luke suddenly broke through the surface of the water and arrived at the research station.
"Who's there?!"
Jonas, who was still struggling with the decision, noticed the disturbance and sharply looked outside.
The others followed the sound and turned their heads, only to see a handsome, unfamiliar man who had somehow entered the control room.
[Abnormal targets Suyin, Jonas Taylor detected. 200 anomaly points gained. Current anomaly points: 1100 / 3900]
Facing the gazes of the crowd, Luke raised an eyebrow.
"So it's the Megalodon universe."
Luke let out a long breath. Megalodon was good. Megalodon was wonderful.
Although a Megalodon typically possessed a massive body over twenty meters long and was the undisputed apex marine predator in human history, capable of completely overpowering a Mosasaurus,
in this merged universe, Megalodon was truly the younger brother.
Was twenty meters really that big?
A single torpedo could take care of it.
Anything that couldn't withstand conventional human heavy firepower and lacked a unique ability simply wasn't a threat.
Not bad. It turned out to be a small bonus scenario after all.
"Sir, I don't recall you being on my invitation list."
After Morris swept a questioning look over the others and saw that everyone was just as confused, he turned his wary gaze toward Luke.
The rest also quietly went on alert.
In this isolated, cut-off research station, the sudden appearance of a stranger with an unknown background naturally provoked suspicion and caution.
"You all carry on. Don't mind me."
Luke pointed at the two enormous unknown creatures displayed on the sonar detector. "They're my targets."
Morris and the others followed Luke's line of sight, their expressions turning extremely odd.
A mercenary? A bounty hunter?
But where was his ship?
Morris subconsciously glanced at systems specialist Jax out of the corner of his eye, suspicion rising in his heart.
If no one had cooperated from the inside, how could Luke have infiltrated the research station?
Jax, who was responsible for the station's core systems, naturally became the prime suspect.
Suyin studied Luke with curiosity.
"Sir…"
Suyin had just opened her mouth when Luke interrupted her. "Miss Zhang, just call me Rowling, Luke Rowling."
Zhang Suyin's pupils contracted slightly. He knows my name?
The others became even more suspicious of Luke's background.
Suyin hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Mr. Luke, do you know what those two unknown creatures are?"
"One is a Mosasaurus. The other is a biological weapon sent by aliens to invade Earth. Don't worry, it's not a Titan."
Luke casually pulled over a chair and sat down, acting as if he were the owner of the place.
Meanwhile, Morris and the others were so tense that they didn't know whether to stand or sit. Just who was the one in charge here?
Hearing Luke say this, Zhang Suyin let out a sigh of relief. But the moment she processed his words, she grew even more nervous.
Wait a second. An alien invasion? Wasn't that even more troublesome than a Titan?
Zhang Suyin and the others exchanged looks.
Morris spoke subconsciously, "I didn't realize today was April Fool's Day."
Luke smiled, offered no further explanation, and merely looked Suyin over with casual interest.
It had to be said, Suyin was quite pleasing to the eye.
Zhang Suyin felt slightly uncomfortable under Luke's gaze, but she didn't feel annoyed or disgusted.
Being looked at by a handsome man was not the same as being looked at by an ugly one.
The former was appreciation and good taste. The latter was ugly harassment and a probable future grape plotter, with even a single glance being nauseating. Take notes. A handsome guy can even harass a girl and still be called romantic with hunter eyes.
After a while, seeing that Luke made no further moves, Morris couldn't wait any longer.
"Leave him alone for now. We need to start the rescue operation immediately!"
"Jonas, can you do this or not?"
Jonas looked at him. "I'll bring them back."
After all, his ex-wife was trapped in the submersible, and Jonas didn't want to watch the woman he had once shared intimacy with die right in front of him.
Suyin snapped back to herself and volunteered, "I'll go as well."
"I have extensive deep-sea work experience. I can help."
"I suggest you think it through carefully."
Luke spoke up at that moment. "The trench isn't a safe place. Down there, you'll be isolated and helpless."
Instead of getting angry, Suyin's eyes lit up when she heard this.
"Mr. Luke, you seem to know something?"
"Of course. But this matter is very special. I can only say that those who know will know, and those who don't can't be easily told. In the end, it's enough that I know. Don't ask me how, because even if I explained it, you wouldn't believe it. Just like what I said earlier. How many of you actually believed me?"
Luke said this while looking toward Jonas.
The others looked completely bewildered. What was he even talking about?
Zhang Suyin's mouth twitched slightly. Good grief, he was really pulling this kind of act.
However, as a highly educated person who understood social nuance, she quickly noticed Luke's gaze toward Jonas and connected it with what Morris had previously said about him.
She couldn't help but speculate inwardly. Could everything Jonas said back then have been true?
That time, when he abandoned eight teammates, was it really not because he didn't want to save them, but because he couldn't?
If he had stayed any longer, he might have been attacked by that unknown creature.
Jonas, however, failed to pick up on the deeper meaning in Luke's eyes.
Seeing Luke act like a riddler, and hating riddles most of all, Jonas turned around and headed down to start the deep-sea submersible.
Seeing this, the others stopped questioning Luke, gathered around Jax, and nervously watched the large screen.
When Jonas entered the thermocline, everyone's hearts tightened.
Even Suyin stopped paying attention to Luke.
At that moment, however, Jax stared at the sonar display in confusion.
"What's going on? Has a giant cruise ship entered our vicinity?"
"Wait, it's dropped anchor?!"
Morris's attention was immediately diverted. "Can you confirm the identity of the vessel?"
"Let me check."
Jax rapidly tapped at the keyboard with both hands. "After cross-referencing the data, it appears to be the world's number one luxury liner, the Argo."
"It's a super cruise ship specially built by billionaire Simon. It's been sailing at sea for over half a month, and according to its itinerary, it should indeed have arrived near the Mariana Trench."
"However… I'm not receiving any response from the Argo. It seems to be… malfunctioning?"
Jax was utterly perplexed.
Under normal circumstances, there was no way a luxury cruise ship of that level would break down.
This wasn't the Titanic.
Simon?
Luke's brow twitched slightly as he subconsciously thought of the CEO of Jurassic Park who had been buried during the pterodactyl attack.
Another villain had appeared?
Luke keenly sensed that something was wrong.
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