Chapter 70: Ecological Simulation, Thalassophobia

"Ordinary deep-sea simulation training uses equipment to simulate the high-pressure environment of the deep ocean, pushing trainees to their physiological limits through various stimuli. Of course, the duration of this is not very long, because this training not only tests the trainee's breath-holding ability, but also evaluates their response to sudden emergencies. The entire training lasts about three minutes. My idea is: Please, Instructor Zhu, prepare an oxygen tank for us, and the five of us will undergo deep-sea simulation training. We won't end the training until the oxygen in the tank is completely exhausted!"

Qi Tian spoke in a calm and composed manner, as if he were mentioning something trivial. The four men beside him, unaware of the exact nature of this deep-sea simulation training, did not experience any major emotional fluctuations upon hearing his words. The only thing they could be certain of was that Qi Tian was increasing the difficulty by extending the time until the oxygen in the tank ran out, and nothing more.

However, for Zhu Xiaotian and Old Song, who understood what deep-sea simulation training entailed, Qi Tian's words were no different from a bomb exploding right next to their ears!

Deep-sea simulation training is also known as the amphibian warrior's nightmare! During the training, trainees are fully immersed through visual, auditory, and tactile sensations that constantly challenge their physical and psychological limits. Some of the more timid ones get so frightened that they wet their pants right there in the training ground. There have even been cases where trainees experienced emotional breakdowns after the training and demanded to leave the elite Sharp Blade unit!

Everyone avoids this training like the plague, eager for it to end as quickly as possible. Yet Qi Tian was actually doing the exact opposite, asking to increase the difficulty and prolong the duration?

Could this kid... have been fooled by Ouyang Nuanyu?

In Zhu Xiaotian's understanding, all of Qi Tian's knowledge about Sharp Blade came from Ouyang Nuanyu. Logically speaking, he should not have been unaware of how terrifying this training was. Yet under such circumstances, he still requested an extension of time and an increase in training difficulty.

"Qi Tian, are you certain you know what this deep-sea simulation training involves?" Zhu Xiaotian asked, feeling somewhat uncertain, and decided to probe.

Qi Tian leaned close to Zhu Xiaotian's ear, whispered a few words, and then returned to his position in the formation.

At that moment, Zhu Xiaotian's complexion turned slightly pale!

After pondering for a few seconds, Zhu Xiaotian ultimately decided to support Qi Tian's idea. He nodded and agreed, "Since you believe the five of you have the ability to challenge a higher-difficulty deep-sea simulation training, I will back you up. Old Song, help me get an oxygen tank, and by the way, adjust the 3D simulation to the highest difficulty level!"

"Understood!" Old Song, sitting at the console, responded and quickly got to work.

In the training grounds of the amphibious troops, oxygen tanks were the most common items. In less than thirty seconds, Old Song brought an oxygen tank over to Qi Tian and handed it to him.

"You're challenging the highest difficulty right out of the gate—you five greenhorns better be careful not to wet your pants on the spot out of pure terror!"

"Then we'll just have to wait and see!"

Qi Tian took the oxygen tank, moved quickly, and led his four brothers into the deep-sea simulation pool.

All five of them held their breath simultaneously, relaxed their bodies completely, and swam all the way to the bottom of the pool. At the same time, the tight diving suits on their bodies contracted simultaneously, and an indescribable, massive pressure descended upon all five of them at once.

It was a very strange sensation, as if their entire bodies were being compressed by a tremendous force, and even breathing gradually became restricted!

"Pfft!"

Song Wei was the first one who couldn't hold it anymore, directly expelling the breath he had been holding in his chest. His face was filled with extreme terror, and his entire body curled up into a ball, collapsing straight to the bottom of the pool.

Seeing this, Qi Tian quickly shoved the mouthpiece of the oxygen tank into Song Wei's mouth, while using hand gestures to signal the other three. Under the rapid bodily compression, they had to ensure their bodies were completely relaxed and try their best to get used to the feeling of pressure, rather than tensing up like Song Wei and completely exhaling their air. If this weren't training, but actual combat, Song Wei would likely have perished on the spot, leaving no burial site!

Song Wei, having resumed breathing oxygen, slowly stood up. He had noticed Qi Tian's actions just moments before, nodded heavily at his four brothers to confirm there were no issues, and once again forced his body to relax.

Meanwhile, Old Song in the console area looked at Song Wei, who had just recovered, and pulled a control lever beside him with a half-smile.

The next second, the pool, which had previously been in a stable state, suddenly churned with countless waves. A massive impact surged continuously toward Qi Tian and the others, knocking them over and sending them tumbling into a chaotic pile, standing upside down at the bottom of the high-tech pool.

But that was not the end of it.

As soon as the five of them fell, the scenery surrounding the pool changed accordingly. The originally transparent glass suddenly turned pitch black, just like being at the bottom of the real deep ocean—pitch-dark with no sun, where one could not even see their own fingers in front of their face.

At the same time, a faint, eerie screeching sound followed closely at their ears. Coupled with the compressive effect of the diving suits and the rolling waves, Qi Tian and the others felt their vision blur, and goosebumps broke out all over their bodies. Where on earth were they right now?!

"Roar!"

At that moment, a muffled screech suddenly erupted from directly ahead, instantly drawing the gaze of all five men.

They saw a sea monster of unidentifiable species, somewhat resembling a shark, swimming slowly toward them. This creature was so massive that it completely blocked the field of vision in front of Qi Tian and the others. Its pupils, resembling red rubies, stared fixedly at them. Its blood-red maw was opened wide, with rows of interlocking teeth glistening—looking exceptionally ferocious!

"Gulp..."

The five of them swallowed their saliva in unison, every hair on their bodies standing on end. Even Qi Tian was startled by this suddenly appearing monster!

Deep-sea phobia is actually a psychological issue that exists deep within everyone. It depends on the degree of oceanic exploration in the era and the innate physiological habit of humans to fear the unknown, much like a knee-jerk reaction—everyone has it!

And right now, a behemoth was staring intensely at the five of them. Even Zhang Meng, who had always been renowned for his bravery, couldn't help but retreat step by step. It wasn't that he wasn't brave, nor was he cowed; it was simply that in front of such a genuine deep-sea behemoth, their power appeared so insignificant, so negligible! At that moment, even his soul trembled and lost control because of it!!

The five of them stood rigidly in place, locked in a standoff for half a minute. Seeing that the monster was about to reach them, Qi Tian, standing at the very front, tapped hard on the oxygen tank in his hand and gestured the sign of a fiery hoop to the four men behind him. Then, he strode forward, choosing to face the behemoth head-on without the slightest bit of cowardice or fear!

Lin Mang instinctively wanted to reach out and grab Qi Tian's wrist to stop him from doing something reckless. But at that moment, the other three brothers seemed to realize something simultaneously. With a tacit understanding, they moved out and followed closely behind Qi Tian toward the front.

"A circle, a fiery hoop?"

Lin Mang looked at the backs of his advancing brothers, and a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. He recalled the scene from a few days ago when they had just arrived at the Sharp Blade unit for selection and had to leap through the fiery hoops. Back then, Qi Tian had dared to be the first among them all. Before setting off, he had left them with a single phrase:

"Behind a warrior, there is no retreat. Before a coward, there are only cliffs!"

It was precisely relying on those sixteen words that the five brothers, despite joining midway, set a pioneering example for all the veteran soldiers who had already been undergoing selection for two days: leaping through the fiery hoops without fear!

At this moment, looking at the brave figures of his four brothers moving forward, Lin Mang felt no more timidity or hesitation. He immediately moved to catch up, choosing to join forces with his brothers to face the deep-sea terror and confront this deep-sea behemoth head-on!

Just as the five of them had said on the truck when they left the Iron Fist Regiment with Leng Qiangguo:

"The barefooted aren't afraid of those wearing shoes; the worst possible outcome is simply being worked to death! As long as you aren't even afraid of dying, then this amphibious Sharp Blade unit isn't anything to boast about!"

Meanwhile, sitting in front of the console, watching the footage transmitted back on the computer screen and monitoring the real-time heart rate monitors of the five men, Zhu Xiaotian and the supervisor Old Song saw the corners of their mouths twitch simultaneously!

"This is an ultra-realistic, highly accurate megalodon ecological simulation developed by military scientific researchers over the course of several years, achieving nearly one hundred percent restoration of deep-sea pressure, water currents, and temperature changes. Everyone who has experienced this training says that during it, deep-sea phobia makes them completely forget they are undergoing training, feeling as though they are truly placed in the deep ocean, facing a megalodon face-to-face."

"The most outstanding veteran I've ever seen managed to face the fear without being servile or overbearing, even forgetting life and death to hold out for three and a half minutes!"

"Yet, look at Qi Tian and his group—their heart rates only fluctuated slightly at the very beginning and have now completely returned to normal. Furthermore, they are swimming straight toward the megalodon. This is truly unheard of!"

"These five kids are simply too daring. Is there really nothing among them that can make them feel afraid? Not even the legendary king of beasts from a thousand meters below the ocean surface can make them back down? This..."