Chapter 251: Repeatedly Rejected Exploration Plan

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Repeatedly Rejected Exploration Plan

Lick’s words plunged the room into silence. It wasn’t that his theory lacked sense—it made too much sense!

"It seems... that’s definitely a possibility."

If this were true, their entire exploration plan would have to be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch. For a moment, a heavy silence filled the lounge.

Finally, Liang He proposed a new idea.

"Perhaps we can combine this with our original plan."

To Liang He’s mind, if Lick was right—that the creatures simply couldn’t push the killer whales, creating the illusion that the whales weren’t being targeted—then they could turn this to their advantage. Using this reverse logic could give them the upper hand when exploring the Mysterious Sea Area.

"You mean... use the killer whales as our submarines?"

Huo An was the first to catch on to her train of thought. Hearing this, the others experienced a moment of sudden realization, quickly followed by hesitation.

"But the killer whales only listen to you. Wouldn’t that require you to go underwater yourself?"

They desperately wanted to keep Liang He in a safe position. They were more than happy to have her act as an armchair commander who only gave orders without ever lifting a finger.

"Not necessarily. There’s another way."

Though Liang He didn’t know why they were so opposed to her entering the water, she respected their concerns. Besides, they were on Skalan Star, not Sky Shining Star; as a guest, she knew she ought to defer to her hosts.

"I’ve got it!"

Ao Ke suddenly slapped his thigh. In his excitement, he struck with so much force that his palm immediately turned red—and his thigh didn’t fare much better.

"Use your words properly, Ao Ke. Stop jump-scaring people while the president is still here," Goring chided, reminding him to be mindful of scaring an elder like President Lucas.

However, Goring had clearly underestimated President Lucas, who didn’t care in the slightest about Ao Ke’s sudden outbursts. After all, Lick was hardly any better.

"Alright, don’t tease an old man like me." Catching Ao Ke’s apologetic gaze, President Lucas waved it off dismissively. "Since you have a good idea, Ao Ke, hurry up and share it with the rest of us."

President Lucas genuinely wanted to hear his solution. That said, he suspected Liang He had already figured it out before any of them, and the rest were simply brainstorming under her subtle guidance.

"Sorry, sorry, I just got a little too excited," Ao Ke apologized profusely, scratching his head in embarrassment. A faint blush crept over his wheat-colored cheeks. "I just wanted to suggest that maybe we could choose a heavier submarine."

If those creatures couldn’t push a killer whale weighing several tons, wouldn’t finding a submarine of equal weight solve the problem? Unfortunately, Goring vetoed this suggestion the moment it left his mouth.

"The submarines equipped in the reserve are all lightweight. Unless we request a military-grade submarine from Federation Headquarters, it’s completely impossible."

Generally, nature reserves weren’t equipped with submarines at all. Skalan Star had been granted special clearance due to its vast oceans, but its vessels were still far below military standards. Submarines were categorized into large, medium, and small classes. The reserve primarily housed small variants, also known as midget submarines or submersibles.

"Small submarines can only hold two to three people. The one Leila used previously was already considered one of the larger submarines available in the reserve."

Yet, compared to a military submarine, it was nothing more than a newborn infant.

Having his hard-earned solution outright rejected by Goring left Ao Ke feeling somewhat disappointed. However, from Goring’s explanation, he also realized his idea had been a bit of a pipe dream.

"If it comes down to it, I can submit an application to my superiors, but it will take a long time."

Leila was probably one of the few people present who could legitimately request a large submarine from the Federation. However, military submarines weren’t handed out casually, especially not to the remote Skalan Star. By the time the bureaucratic process was completed and the submarine deployed, Skalan Star would likely have already fallen victim to the Rebel Army’s conspiracy.

"We’re on a tight schedule. How can we possibly wait that long?" Realizing that nothing seemed to work, Ao Ke hung his head in dismay. He just wanted to save his brothers as soon as possible—why was it so difficult?

"It looks like Liang He’s method is our only option left."

Goring felt a massive headache coming on, especially with Huo An holding down the fort right here in the room. He was genuinely terrified that if anything happened to Liang He, Huo An would fight him to the death!

"Actually, I have another idea." Perhaps unable to bear their distress, Liang He pondered for a moment before offering an alternative. "If there’s a way to tether the submarine to a killer whale, that might allow us to meet the weight requirement."

It was like running with weights. Whether the killer whale towed the submarine, or the submarine borrowed the killer whale’s mass to remain anchored in place, the result would be exactly the same.

As soon as she said this, everyone’s eyes lit up. They all turned to look at Liang He, their gazes filled with unconcealed astonishment and admiration.

"That’s it! It’s such a brilliant idea—why didn’t I think of that earlier?" Lick looked like he wanted to beat his chest and stomp his feet in frustration.

"Exactly! This is a great plan! This way, no matter who goes into the water, staying inside the submarine will always be safer!"

As the acting district head, Goring was ultimately most concerned with the lives of those still living. This was especially true for external aides like Leila and Liang He—he couldn’t afford to take responsibility if anything happened to either of them.

"Indeed. Liang He’s proposal seems to be the optimal solution."

Even Huo An hadn’t expected Liang He to suggest this. He had assumed she would want to dive into the water herself to investigate, whether out of a desire to save the endangered animals or to satisfy her rare sense of curiosity.

"Alright! We’ll do exactly as Liang He says!"

Seeing that Huo An raised no objections, Goring happily greenlit the plan. However, enlisting the killer whales’ help still required Liang He to communicate with them first.

"I’ll go find the Tiger Whale Clan Leader now and ask for their consent. If they’re unwilling to help, we’ll think of something else."

But based on what Liang He knew about the pod, once they realized that whatever lay within the Mysterious Sea Area could destroy the ocean they relied on for survival, they wouldn’t just stand idly by.

Just as Liang He had predicted, Grandma Tiger Whale nodded continuously in agreement upon learning that the humans wanted to investigate the Mysterious Sea Area and stop what she had called a disaster.

"EE-EE! EE-EE!"

Grandma Tiger Whale didn’t assign her clan members to complete this arduous task; instead, she chose to take on the burden herself. In her heart, she was the Tiger Whale Clan Leader and inherently bore the weight of such profound responsibilities. Now that she was growing old, she would inevitably have to pass her leadership down to a younger, stronger killer whale one day. She figured it would be best to utilize the last of her remaining strength.

"EE... EE..."

Listening to the chorus of cries rising and falling around Grandma Tiger Whale, Liang He could hear the deep sorrow and reluctance hidden within their voices. It sounded as though this were a battle with no point of return, and Grandma Tiger Whale, their clan leader, was a heroic warrior marching toward her death.

"EE-EE! EE-EE!"

Grandma Tiger Whale comforted her pod, telling them that she didn’t fear death. For the future of the killer whales, she was willing to lay down her life!

Deeply shaken to her core, Liang He found herself momentarily speechless. She didn’t know whether her proposal had actually been the right choice.

Should she really place such a heavy burden onto the shoulders of a killer whale? If so, what was the meaning of their existence as human beings?