Great Ascension Code - Chapter 21: Burden of leadership.

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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I’ve unexpectedly embarked on a semi-coercive acting life.

…But it turns out, I’m quite good at it.

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Having a rough life growing up, Wang Tong had numerous dreams of living a better life. However, his alcoholic foster father sells him off as a space settler of the distant planet Norton for some pocket change. Soon after his arrival, the Zergs overran the planet and obliterated its defenses in a matter of minutes. What awaited Tong on Norton was more than just an unbearable environment – its gravity alone was five-times stronger than earth – there were also swarms of bugs, constant hunger, thirst, and desolation.

While he lives a year of total carnage and survival, humanity’s Confederation eventually overcomes the Zergs on Norton and the powerful survivor Wang Tong is given a recommendation to a once famous, but now dying military academy where he begins his life anew.

- Description from Novelupdates

One week before the destruction of the earth, Xiao Yu fused his soul with the main computer of an interstellar spacecraft, and fled before the destruction of the earth.

After the integration with the computer, Xiao Yu possessed the powerful computing power of the computer, but also possessed powerful innovation and exploration capabilities as a human being. As a result, the humble interstellar spacecraft in which Xiao Yu lived began to continuously evolve from a chemical engine to a nuclear power engine, and from a nuclear power engine to a positive and negative material annihilation engine. The volume and mass also began to increase. Big.

With the continuous development of science and technology, Xiao Yu also began to try to build a true interstellar super fleet that integrates attack, defense, exploration, landing, and acquisition …

- Description from Uukanshu