The encounter with the giant crab was nearly 4 kilometers from the depression.
Zhou Yi, accompanied by Xie Xun and the samurai crabs, entered the sea floor.
A sand rat usually digs holes around 2 meters beneath the ground, but to avoid the high-density Death Light radiation on the sea floor, it reaches nearly 4 meters. It's fortunate that this species is naturally adept at digging, otherwise reaching this depth would be a very arduous task.
The Hammerhead Soldiers dug four holes in succession, all without finding the location.
It was not until they dug the sixth hole that a Hammerhead Soldier's hammer strike caused the ground to suddenly shake, and a mass of something burrowed out of the sandy soil.
Zhou Yi immediately ordered a withdrawal to ensure the safety of the Hammerhead Soldiers.
A large samurai crab crawled out of the pit, smaller than a room but still worthy of the name giant crab.
As someone who spent years in the company of samurai crabs, Zhou Yi immediately noticed something different about it.
Although the giant crab's eyes were also silver, they remained rigidly on either side, whereas normal samurai crabs' eyes would move as if blinking.
Its black shell did not have the Silver Cross but was covered in a thick layer of Light Soot Sand.
From [Alert]'s perspective, there was no luminescent reaction on the giant crab's body.
On its unencumbered large pincer and the tips of its eight legs, one could clearly see the metal structure. Not to mention, there were two obvious crystal lampshades below the eyes of the giant crab.
It was a man-made mechanical crab, missing the last two legs on the left, and was in a damaged state.
After being activated, it did not move again, and the lights in its eyes went out.
As Zhou Yi got closer, the lights came back on.
But it seemed to be out of energy, unable to do anything else.
Under Zhou Yi's command, the samurai crabs dragged the giant crab back to shore.
Under the sunlight, the giant crab lay prostrate on the ground.
Its black Light Soot on the body was scraped off by the samurai crabs using shovels and chisels, revealing the rusty metal shell underneath, with damaged white paint. On the left side, there was a picture of a little person in a bottle, and on the right, a number.
A mechanical crab made by the Alchemist Association?
Zhou Yi pondered what purpose this thing could serve.
The Weapon Master, Xie Xun, carefully examined the giant crab and reported, "Leader, I found a hatch that can be opened."
"Open it and take a look, and remember, you are all employees of the company, so call me Chairman."
Following the order, Xie Xun, holding a shield, used a rebar to pry open the hatch on the underside of the giant crab.
He crawled into the hatch and came out after a while with two things.
A fist-sized green stone.
The tin box was heavy, with a mechanical lock on each of the four clasps; the lock holes were oddly conical and impossible to open with conventional means.
For safety, Zhou Yi had Xie Xun refrain from forcibly breaking open the box.
Red Kestrel flew over the stone and scanned it, "This is a [Water Octopus] in [Dehydrated State]. Just add water and it will come back to life."
Zhou Yi asked, "What is a Water Octopus?"
"A species of the Guangna Species, very intelligent. They have multiple brains and are naturally gifted cerebral workers."
The drone assessed, "Based on my search and rescue experience, it is the operator of this crab-shaped vehicle. To avoid danger and maintain survival, the Water Octopus can dehydrate itself into a near-hibernative state with minimal energy consumption, waiting for rescue and immersion revival."
"But this does not mean they are immortal. Regardless of dehydration, irreversible physiological decline continues, and the average lifespan of a Water Octopus is 90 years. Beyond this limit, even if placed in water, it will only yield fragments."
Zhou Yi remembered the dehydrated Trisolarans.
He had the samurai crabs bring a bucket filled with water and put the stone-shaped Water Octopus into it.
The green stone slowly swelled, grew, with soft limbs stretching out from within.
About a minute later.
A small green octopus propped itself up out of the bucket, looking around and waving its tentacles. However, it couldn't make a sound, seemingly trying to communicate something.
Zhou Yi approached and reached out his hand towards it; hesitant at first, the creature eventually touched him with one of its suction-cupped tentacles.
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Consciousness synchronisation initiated.
Zhou Yi said, "I'm glad you're okay."
"Mind communication? Or some kind of special device implanted in the body?" Octopus Brother was taken aback and immediately realized, "It seems you saved me, I am deeply grateful for your life-saving grace."
"I am Bi Qi, an Alchemist of the Alchemist Association, researching the Bone Fossils and ancient civilizations beneath the Dead Sea. What about my submarine? Is it still there? Great, it looks intact. Did you see my research ship?"
It spoke very quickly, eager to express itself.
After introducing himself, Zhou Yi told it that besides the crab-shaped device buried in the sediment of the sea floor, no other vessels were found.
Bi Qi made its way to the tin box on its eight tentacles, inserted a tentacle into each lock, and opened all four locks.
Then it lifted the tin lid and took out a suction cup to adhere to its smooth, large head.
"The sound emitter is broken, that's too bad."
Then it pulled out a silver badge and showed it to Zhou Yi, "This is my badge, which can prove the authenticity of my identity."
Zhou Yi had once confiscated a bronze Alchemist Association badge.
Octopus Brother's badge was made of silver—or perhaps silver-plated material—with some black oxidation marks on the surface, although the other engraved details remained identical.
Red Kestrel said, "It belongs to the Alchemist Association as a high-ranking Alchemist. Ordinary Alchemists only possess bronze badges after passing the Association's certification, also known as a Bronze Badge."
"Silver Badge represents outstanding achievements in a certain area or field and denotes a high-ranking Alchemist."