Volume 5: Bottomless Sinkhole Chapter 248 Descending Equipment
"It's possible..." Ke Lan nodded, "But from the last experience, these biological weapons are obviously not yet fully developed, and most of the experimental records on the stone tablets ended in failure."
"Indeed, the monster that the pilot transformed into last time was a bit tricky, but it was still too weak compared to the invulnerable monster like the Seed of Erosion." The Hound agreed, "The only thing we need to be careful about is the eyeball you mentioned, Ke Lan... I'm afraid it's not easy to deal with."
"But judging from the exploration records of the previous hunting groups, the maximum depth they have reached is 440 meters, which means that it is safe at least within 500 meters..." Ke Lan said, and suddenly shook his head, "That's not right, they found biological tissue at 270 meters, and these tissues may be the things sealed in the A-087 ruins..."
"I still have to go down and take a look myself." Ke Lan turned to look at Layton, "Where is the equipment you brought this time?"
"It's all in the box," Leighton said, dragging out a black metal box that looked like a coffin from the table and popping open the lid.
Inside the box was a set of equipment similar to a powered exoskeleton, with sharp claws at the ends of the arms and the front ends of the feet controlled by a hydraulic system, and a total of six mini rocket thrusters installed on the back, waist and calves.
"The wind speed at a depth of 300 meters in the tiankeng is about 20 meters per second. To maintain balance, the number of suspension cables must be increased to at least eight. But it is still very dangerous. I simply gave up the cable suspension descent method and used rock climbing equipment instead." Layton explained to everyone.
"In order to cope with electromagnetic interference deep in the tiankeng, this exoskeleton uses both chip control and mechanical control. The key components are all purely mechanical structures. The filling fluid of the transmission hydraulic rod has a freezing point of minus 160 degrees. Although the overall design is relatively retro, it is sturdy and reliable." Layton said as he took the powered exoskeleton out of the box.
"The claws on both hands and feet are all made of Nino alloy. Each claw is equivalent to five sharp little ice picks, which can easily cut into the ice. They are also equipped with heating devices to ensure that they will not be frozen and cannot be pulled out... As for these six rocket thrusters, they are the last resort."
"The last safety measure? How safe is it?" the Hound asked casually.
"The power of the thrusters is enough to keep you in a hovering state in a force nine gale. In this state, the pre-filled fuel can support you for thirty minutes. If you choose to leave the ruins, you only need to adjust the jet angle and open the output valve to the maximum. If you accelerate , it only takes three and a half seconds to fly from a depth of five hundred meters to the top of the tiankeng." Leighton said, patting his chest.
"You idiot, you obviously only considered yourself when designing the equipment." Hound suddenly cursed, "With a thruster of this power, the G-force exerted on a person during acceleration is enough to crush a person's internal organs. Among the few of us, I think only you and Asano Akira can withstand this load. Anyway, my old bones can't bear it."
"Hey, old dog, you can't scold me this time. I have already thought of a way to deal with this problem!" Layton smiled and pulled out another thick package from the interlayer of the box. When the package was opened, inside was a finely crafted winter coat.
"I bought it from the military . It's a tactical anti-gravity suit for special missions in extremely cold regions. It protects against the elements, reduces stress, and resists the cold. It solves three problems at once. But it's a little expensive."
"It seems that you finally used your brain for once, which is really rare." The Hound unceremoniously picked up the anti-gravity suit, looked it over from front to back, and suddenly said, "Take back what I said before. You fool have been cheated again. This suit is second-hand. Didn't you notice the obvious wear and tear on the lining?"
"There's nothing I can do..." Layton scratched the back of his head. "This thing is produced in very small quantities, and it's not one-size-fits-all. I'm lucky to be able to get a few second-hand ones in the right size. Anyway, the actual effect won't be compromised, so I'll just wear it."
Although the hound's words were full of disgust, he put on the anti-gravity suit in the blink of an eye. He pulled the air pressure valve at the cuff, and the originally bulky and loose clothes tightened immediately, wrapping the hound's body tightly.
"It looks OK...it has a good warmth retention effect." Hound nodded, and then with the help of Layton, he put the powered exoskeleton on the outside of the anti-gravity suit. "We have to try out the new equipment first."
"Well, if we continue to stay up there, we won't be able to analyze anything more." Ke Lan nodded in agreement, "For the first time we go down, let's set a goal of 50 meters deep."
"Fifty meters? Isn't that too conservative?" Layton asked, "Those stone tablets will only appear at a depth of 150 meters. If we go down 50 meters, we won't be able to see anything."
"Our primary target is not those stone tablets." Ke Lan replied, "First, we have to figure out the range of the mental attack. If we descend rashly, if the 'things' in the pit suddenly attack us, even if I can hear those sounds, I won't be able to warn you in time... If possible, I even plan to explore one meter at a time."
"Ke Lan is right. It's not a bad thing to be cautious. Those reckless people die the fastest." said the Hound. He had already put on the exoskeleton. When his palms opened and closed, the transmission lock and the claws on his arms made a "swishing" sound of metal friction.
Layton prepared a total of six sets of such equipment, and each set was tailored to their body shapes, so there was no discomfort after putting them on. Ke Lan even felt that the five ice pick-like claws were as free as extensions of his arms.
The six people returned to the edge of the sinkhole again, but before they could go down, Dana, the leader of the Polaris Hunting Group, ran over quickly.
"What's going on with you? Are you planning to go down into the tiankeng yourself?" Dana asked in surprise, looking at the equipment on Ke Lan and the others.
The Hound said, "What's wrong? Aren't we here to explore this ruin?"
"...But, but you already know...half of the people who go down will go crazy. Do you still want to take the risk yourself? I thought you would send hunters..." Dana said in surprise.
"We are the hunters of the God Hunter Group."
"He... Master Ke Lan... is also going down?" Danner pointed at the fully armed Ke Lan and asked, "You, you want to go down too?"
