And then a little further down, they finally arrived at the submarine dock.

The atmosphere changed immediately the closer they got.

The noise from the rest of the harbor faded behind layers of reinforced concrete walls and steel blast barriers surrounding the submarine sector. Armed naval guards stood at every checkpoint with rifles ready while automated surveillance cameras rotated slowly overhead.

Unlike the busy destroyer docks filled with visible activity, the submarine area felt quieter.

Floodlights reflected across the dark seawater beneath the massive submarine pens while warning lights blinked softly along maintenance gantries extending over the docks.

Then Ryan finally saw it clearly.

The submarine.

A massive black hull rested silently beside the reinforced pier, partially submerged beneath the cold harbor water. Even stationary, the vessel looked intimidating. Its smooth dark surface absorbed most of the surrounding light, making it appear almost invisible against the water at certain angles.

The sail tower rose above the hull like the fin of some deep-sea predator.

Crew personnel moved carefully across the upper surface conducting final checks while dock workers disconnected remaining support cables and fuel lines.

Ryan stared quietly for a moment.

"Damn..." he muttered.

The submarine looked enormous up close.

Several sailors carrying equipment cases walked past them before stopping and saluting immediately.

"Sir."

Adrian returned the salute casually.

One of the officers stepped forward afterward.

"Captain is waiting inside the command access hatch."

Adrian nodded once.

"Any issues so far?"

"None reported, sir. Reactor stable. Sonar arrays calibrated. Weapons systems green."

Ryan glanced toward Adrian briefly.

Even after everything, hearing phrases like reactor stable and weapons systems green still felt unreal in the middle of an apocalypse.

The officer continued.

"We completed final diagnostics thirty minutes ago. Navigation systems and communication relays are operational."

Adrian looked toward the submarine again.

"Good."

Nearby, another group of sailors loaded sealed supply containers into the vessel through a lower cargo hatch. Ammunition crates, spare parts, food supplies, medical kits, and torpedoes were being transferred carefully under supervision.

The amount of preparation made it obvious.

This was not just a short patrol.

This was a serious reconnaissance mission.

Ryan followed Adrian as they moved across the reinforced metal walkway leading toward the submarine hatch.

The closer they got, the larger the vessel felt.

Its hull towered beside them like a steel wall.

One of the sailors standing near the hatch finally spoke.

"Captain on deck!"

Several nearby crew members immediately straightened.

Then a man climbed up from the command hatch onto the upper hull.

He looked somewhere in his late forties, with short graying hair and a hardened expression shaped by years of military service. His dark naval uniform looked clean despite the nonstop harbor activity surrounding them.

The captain immediately saluted Adrian sharply.

"Captain Weber reporting, sir."

Adrian returned the salute.

"At ease, Captain."

"At ease, Captain."

Captain Weber lowered his salute before stepping closer toward Adrian and Ryan.

Up close, the man looked even more seasoned than Ryan initially thought. Small scars lined parts of his jaw while exhaustion lingered faintly beneath his eyes despite his composed posture.

Still, the captain carried himself professionally.

The kind of man who had likely spent decades underwater commanding submarines long before the world collapsed. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Adrian glanced toward the vessel behind him.

"Everything prepared?"

"Yes, sir," Captain Weber replied immediately. "Final loading procedures are nearly complete. Reactor output stable at operational levels. Sonar arrays fully calibrated. Navigation systems synchronized."

Ryan looked toward the submarine again.

The vessel almost felt alive.

Low mechanical vibrations traveled through the hull while internal systems hummed faintly beneath layers of steel and armor plating. Crew personnel moved efficiently across the upper deck while others descended through the hatch carrying final supply cases into the submarine interior.

One nearby crane slowly lowered a heavy torpedo into a loading section near the forward compartment under careful supervision from weapons crews.

Ryan stared at it briefly.

Even the torpedoes looked massive.

"Still weird seeing all this here in the Philippines," Ryan admitted quietly.

Captain Weber gave a faint smile.

"It’s weird for us too honestly."

Adrian crossed his arms slightly.

"Okay, do you know about the mission right? Scout the sea of the Philippines, look for a marine threat. It’s possible that there could be sea monsters down there. Heck, a huge bird already exists."

"Yes, I understand sir, the importance of this mission," Captain Weber replied.

His expression became more serious afterward.

"The ocean is the largest blind spot we currently have."

Adrian nodded once.

"And that’s exactly what concerns me."

The captain glanced briefly toward the dark waters outside the harbor before continuing.

"We know what happened on land because we saw it ourselves. Cities collapsed. The infected evolved. Variants appeared."

He looked back toward Adrian and Ryan.

"But the sea..."

He paused slightly.

"We still don’t know what happened beneath it."

The wind moved softly across the harbor while the submarine’s hull creaked faintly beside them.

Ryan folded his arms.

"You really think there are things down there?"

Captain Weber answered honestly.

"I think it would be naïve to assume there aren’t."

Nobody argued with that.

At this point, humanity had already seen enough impossible things to stop underestimating the outbreak.

The infected adapted.

Mutated.

Evolved.

And the ocean covered most of the planet.

Adrian looked toward the submarine again.

"What’s the operational depth limit?"

Captain Weber answered immediately.

"For this vessel, safe operational depth is over four hundred meters. Emergency limits go significantly deeper, though I’d rather not test those unless absolutely necessary."

Ryan whistled quietly.

"Four hundred meters beneath the ocean during an apocalypse. Yeah, no thanks."

A faint smile appeared on several nearby sailors hearing that.

The tension around the dock eased slightly for a moment.

Then one of the submarine officers climbed out of the hatch carrying a tablet.

"Captain, final reactor diagnostics complete."

Captain Weber accepted the device quickly and reviewed the data.

"Any abnormalities?"

"None, sir. Reactor output stable. Internal pressure systems stable. Oxygen recyclers operating at full efficiency."

The officer hesitated briefly afterward.

"There was one thing though."

Captain Weber looked up.

"What?"

The officer glanced toward Adrian first before answering.

"Passive sonar briefly picked up movement outside the bay perimeter fifteen minutes ago."

Ryan immediately frowned.

"Movement?"

The officer nodded.

"Large movement."

The atmosphere around the dock shifted instantly again.

Captain Weber narrowed his eyes.

"Whale?"

The officer slowly shook his head.

"Didn’t sound like one."

That answer lingered heavily in the air.

Adrian stepped closer slightly.

"Could you identify distance?"

"Rough estimate around twenty kilometers west of Subic Bay," the officer replied. "Signal disappeared shortly after."

Ryan looked toward the dark ocean beyond the harbor.

The waters outside suddenly felt much less empty now.

Captain Weber handed the tablet back before speaking calmly.

"We’ll investigate once we clear the bay."

Adrian nodded.

"Do not engage unless necessary."

"Yes, sir and we’re ready for departure whenever you give the order."

"Okay, you may prepare yourselves now."