Jiang Cheng controlled the drilling equipment, anticipating its performance.

This drilling equipment had just required a great effort from Jiang Cheng to transport it from the landing ground to here.

It certainly had to perform well to be worthy of Jiang Cheng's sweat.

The drilling equipment soon showcased its capabilities, making Jiang Cheng feel his effort wasn't in vain.

A large hole immediately appeared on the ice layer, extending downwards at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The drill bit disappeared from the surface, plunging beneath the ice layer.

The drilling efficiency was astonishingly high, reaching over a depth of ten meters in the blink of an eye.

After some time, a deep hole appeared before Jiang Cheng.

Looking at the gradually deepening hole, Jiang Cheng muttered to himself: "The efficiency is undeniable; it seems the task can be completed smoothly this time."

At the current drilling speed, it won't be long before reaching the Alpha Crystal.

Once they contact the Alpha Crystal, the subsequent tasks become simpler.

As long as no storms pass by, the mission is bound for success.

It seems the task went off without a hitch; Jiang Cheng's long-awaited Alpha Crystal will soon be in Gu Li's possession.

President Jiang, the drill has reached the Alpha Crystal location; the drilling task can be concluded.

After ten-plus minutes of drilling, an astronaut monitoring the data began reporting to Jiang Cheng.

Upon hearing the astronaut's words, Jiang Cheng began operating the drill equipment to slowly retrieve the drill bit from the hole.

Soon the drill bit returned to the surface, and before Jiang Cheng and his team lay a bottomless pit.

This hole directly leads to the Alpha Crystal's location, which is also the final goal of their mission.

Jiang Cheng and his team had now penetrated hundreds of meters deep into the ice layer, revealing the Alpha Crystal to them.

What they need to do now is to rappel through the ice hole to the Alpha Crystal's location, then attach the Alpha Crystal to the rope, and they can begin their journey back.

Seeing the task nearing completion, all the astronauts began to get excited.

Neptune is a desolate place where nobody wants to linger, so leaving sooner is desirable.

Moreover, they are on the verge of accomplishing this challenging mission; victory is within reach.

After confirming the drilling was complete, Jiang Cheng threw down the controller, no longer concerned with the drill equipment.

This heavy equipment held no interest for Jiang Cheng to haul back; thus, he decided to abandon it on Neptune.

Spending on such equipment costs Jiang Cheng little, so discarding it doesn't distress him.

Anyway, the equipment fulfilled its purpose and reached its end.

After abandoning the drilling equipment, Jiang Cheng began tying a rope to himself, preparing to rappel to the Alpha Crystal.

Get ready to rappel, someone come down with me.

The remaining two should stay above, ready to assist us at any time.

The hole in the ice layer is limited in size, only accommodating two people to descend simultaneously.

Moreover, someone needs to watch from above, so Jiang Cheng arranged for two astronauts to remain above; only one should accompany him down.

"I'll go down with President Jiang, I have slightly better stamina, more suited for this task."

A young astronaut stepped forward, ready to rappel down with Jiang Cheng.

This young astronaut's courage seemed commendable, at least not retreating in front of the ominous hole.

This hole reaching hundreds of meters beneath the ice is intimidating, with its depth invisible at first glance.

Most would hesitantly rappel into such depths, especially in Neptune's environment, as the risk is substantial.

A slight mistake might mean permanent entrapment in the hole.

In such a scenario, the body might never return to the Water Ball, left frozen on cold Neptune, encased in thick ice.

Just imagining this outcome is terrifying, so stepping forward was commendable enough.

Since the young one insisted on accompanying Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng gladly accepted his request.

Fine, you come with me and rappel down.

The remaining two remain on the surface, constantly monitoring the Zhou District and notifying us immediately of any emergencies.

Jiang Cheng quickly issued instructions and prepared for rappelling.

Two minutes later, Jiang Cheng and the astronaut securely fastened the rope to themselves.

Let's go!

After preparing, Jiang Cheng counted down from three and then leaped into the deep hole.

Jiang Cheng amidst the ice layer worked hard to control his descent speed with a rappelling device.

The rappelling device and rope began to intensely rub, producing resistance to offset Jiang Cheng's gravity, smoothing his descent speed.

Step by step, Jiang Cheng descended towards the bottom, closing in on the Alpha Crystal.

The young astronaut followed Jiang Cheng down.

Both gradually vanished from the hole's entrance into deep darkness.

Due to the considerable depth below the ice layer and the inherent lack of sunlight on Neptune, it appeared unusually dark inside, almost obscuring visibility.

Without their spacesuits' lighting equipment, Jiang Cheng and his companion wouldn't discern their location.

Using the suit's lighting equipment, Jiang Cheng finally observed the Zhou District.

Neptune's ice layer had minimal impurities, transparently crystalline.

Surrounded by thick ice, Jiang Cheng and his team positioned centrally.

Now, Jiang Cheng couldn't see the upper hole or the bottom.

Stuck in between, unable to rise or descend, was the most frightening.

The dark and narrow surroundings would evoke deep-seated fears within one's heart.

This environment felt oppressive, capable of driving someone with weak mental composure insane.

Fortunately, Jiang Cheng and the young astronaut were mentally strong.

Ignoring the surroundings, they focused on rappelling downward.

After another stretch in the dark journey, Jiang Cheng finally glimpsed the Alpha Crystal beneath his feet.

The Alpha Crystal wasn't large, barely a meter in length.