Hongjoong couldn't complain, per se. The flora and fauna of this planet were beautiful indeed. He had been given an oxygen tank that he had strapped to his back while continuously rejecting PSH's attempts to help him with increasing annoyance. By now they were floating through the water together calmly.  

The scientist had already gone full-on research mode, curiously gliding through corals and tall plants that seemed to reach until the surface. The sunlight was filtering through the water prettily, letting the sand and the reefs shimmer with color and making it look like a beautiful little fairytale world. Hongjoong could barely keep himself from taking samples of everything. He didn't even know what he would do with all those samples, especially without a lab or a helpful android to analyze them with. So for now, Hongjoong settled for looking and touching only, slightly disgruntled.

However, a certain someone ruined the little fun he allowed himself to have far more than the thought of their current situation did.  

“These are Creepvines. This kelp species concentrates in large forests, in shallow, sandy waters. Loose roots anchor the plant to the sea floor, from where it grows steadily toward the surface in pursuit of sunlight. The stem is fibrous and rich in iron, making it both a viable base material for fabrication of textiles, as well as a basic foodstuff.”

It was PSH, floating close to him - but at least not right behind him anymore after Hongjoong told him off - and he was scanning everything like the good little robot he was, providing information.

And really, as fascinating as it was - it was too much.

Hongjoong chose to ignore him for now, just looking around and dodging the fast little fishies that zapped past him from time to time. He hadn't brought a knife and couldn't harvest anything even if he wanted to and he also didn’t need to, at least not for now.

He just wanted to look around. Not search for things, not try to think about what to eat and whatnot. Basically, he was not even going to research these things anytime soon, so a load of information - and especially the way it was conveyed - did a great job at making his eyebrow twitch.

PSH droned on again. "This kelp forest, in particular, is located at medium-shallow depths and is home to mostly passive life forms, with the only exceptions being Stalkers and Drooping Stingers. The seabed is mostly mossy and sandy, with the terrain being comprised of grassy knolls and arches, which sometimes shows entrances to small cavern systems. There are also many canyons to be found in these forests. There is a lot of decorative flora on the sandy, grassy bottom."

Hongjoong sighed, letting his gloved fingers skim through the soft leaves surrounding him. They were of such a vibrant and healthy green that he didn't need to question the importance of this kelp forest to the ecosystem underwater. The area was heavily filled with those vines and larger fish (about nearly thrice as long as Hongjoong himself) circled around the pillar-like plants in lazy arches.

Hongjoong slowly swam closer, mesmerized by their long snout that resembled that of a crocodile and the abundance sharp teeth dangerously gracing the edges of it. Their backs were red and ridged but their bodies were of some grayish color.

He ignored PSH, slowly creeping down lower.

"The Stalker is a streamlined predator encountered in the kelp forests in wait of prey leaving the safety of the shallows to feed. The stalker likely carved out its evolutionary niche at the sweet spot between speed and size millions of years ago and may be one of the oldest species on the planet. They also have quite interesting teeth. The stalker's teeth are unusually hard and fast-growing. Its elongated snout can deliver huge biting pressure to larger attackers, while also being used to reach small herbivores seeking refuge amongst the rocks. Retinal layering on the eyeball also suggests adaptation for night-time hunting and-"

Hongjoong yelped when he was suddenly harshly grabbed by his suit and pulled back, PSH's powerful legs bringing them towards the surface again. He struggled, causing a bunch fish to look at them funny as he was dragged out of the kelp forest.

"'wait for prey leaving the safety of the shallows to feed on.'  What is wrong with your ears?!"

Hongjoong kicked at PSH until he was finally let go. He shot a glare at the android. In theory, Hongjoong was able to talk to him underneath his mask, of course he didn’t. That guy was such a boring buzzkill.

It made sense. Protection units had always been like that and Hongjoong wanted his own loyal team back already.

With a roll of his eyes, Hongjoong returned to safer waters, checking out the same colorful fishes he had seen before and that already seemed uninteresting to him compared to the things he had seen glowing deeper down earlier.

"Additionally my sensors have detected a lava geyser a few hundred meters away but I exhort you not to swim too close to it, because in case you forgot, you are human and you might burn up like a rotisserie chicken."

What a smartass. How lucky Hongjoong was to have him.

Hongjoong gestured for PSH to take a look at the entrances of what appeared to be some cave system. It didn't look that deep and actually seemed quite easy to maneuver through but Hongjoong didn't dare approach it for now. He needed to know where the various tunnels led to first, and asking PSH to scan them for him seemed like it would only result in more criticism and safety precautions. So he only took a quick glance at the mosses and little plants circling the entrances that seemed to be all over the sand.

He soon got distracted quickly by some stones right behind the plane they were currently swimming over. The stones themselves seemed to float and they had small pink lumps on them. Intrigued by what he saw, Hongjoong got closer again, just waiting for PSH to rip off his leg in the process of pulling him back.

This time the android stayed quiet though - well, quieter than usual as he only muttered on about how the angle at which the sunlight filtered through the water was ideal for tanning or something - and left Hongjoong to his own exploring.

It was more comfortable like that. The water had a pleasant temperature and surrounded Hongjoong smoothly, relaxing his strained body that was still aching from his night on that floor. Hongjoong enjoyed the way it carried him over to those rocks that were indeed floating above what seemed to be a steep cliff leading to another chasm beneath.

He looked at PSH, prompting him to speak and he did, pushing his hair back in an arrogant manner.

"Most of the Underwater Islands rely completely on the buoyancy provided by Ancient Floaters. There are currently eighteen islands in the area, with the size of the many "islands" varying from minuscule to massive. Two of the largest islands have a great variety of life forms and even possess their own separate cave system. A large ring of broken-off rocks surrounds the largest island.

Hydrothermal vents can be found on the surface of the largest island, while Lava Geysers can be found in huge numbers on the ocean floor directly underneath the islands. Occasionally, large chunks of rock can be seen falling down from the islands and disintegrating. In some places-"

Hongjoong motioned for him to stop his blabbering, which earned him a disapproving glare. He glared back twice as impatiently, swimming closer to the rocks to gently press his hands against them. They were quite light, letting themselves be pushed around easily despite their size.

He pointed to one of the pink lumps close to his face, watching it closely while PSH went at it again.

"A Floater. Two species living in symbiosis, which attach to and attempt to feed on any objects they come into contact with. The pink main body and inner suction jaw is the dominant creature. Once attached to an organism or other stable surface it will attempt to leech nutrients in order to grow. The outer, gel-like substance is a mesh of microorganisms capable of forming a sealed vacuum around the creature's jaws. A thin layer of helium is stored within the outer membrane, providing buoyancy to the floater and anything it is attached to. They are passive and safe to touch." PSH rolled his eyes at him and Hongjoong elegantly kept pretending he did not see that, reaching out to touch the Floater.

It felt funny even through his gloves, the mass sticky and spongy to the touch. He grabbed it carefully, trying not to squish the pink body too hard as he pulled it off the rock. Immediately the large stone tilted in his direction, losing some of its balance. Hongjoong was deeply fascinated, letting his eyes examine its smooth body. It was about as big as a head and he could still hold it comfortably in his hands.

It would be perfect to play dodgeball with actually.

Hongjoong chuckled to himself, reminded of the times when he had played dodgeball in peace with his team on the training grounds of the Aurora. He twisted the creature in his hands, looking at its bottom side.

The sight made him shiver, amazement seeping into disgust.

It had a mouth. A red, round opening that disappeared inside. There were multiple tentacle-like arms attached to it, reaching around for something to hold onto and Hongjoong also spotted a sharp row of teeth.

"... and erosion patterns on the landmasses suspended here suggest they once floated on the surface." PSH ended whatever speech he had been giving behind Hongjoong until now and swam over to some other fish he wanted to scan. Obviously Hongjoong was safe right now.

With a quick look around him, Hongjoong slowly moved closer, stretching his hands out to PSH. With absolutely no pressure he lifted the Floater close to the android’s busy back, watching it find its destination all by itself and immediately latching on to his shoulder. It simply stayed there, not really hindering him in any movement.

Hongjoong giggled to himself and turned to get another, sticking it to PSH's lower back. He did seem to grow a bit confused now, slowly kicking his legs to stay at the spot he was currently at. Hongjoong left it at that, waiting for him to notice as he went to explore more.

He felt better now. Pranking that insufferable android certainly brightened his day a bit. On his way past the stones, he took another Floater, holding it in his hands as he was swimming. He wanted to stick it to their life pod later, making sure to keep it afloat. There were no nutrients for it to leech from after all

That’s when PSH called out to him.

"Medico Kim, the nighttime is approaching. We should return to the safety of our pod. You require rest and nutrients for tomorrow and I shall check for any messages that that pod might have received in our absence."

Buzzkill.

Hongjoong turned with a sigh, trusting PSH's GPS System to lead them back to their pod, even if he could see it still from here. The android did have a point. The sun had indeed moved past the horizon, the waters were bathed in a gray twilight and it was getting harder to see. Even the kelp forest on the other side of the plateau seemed to have disappeared in the gloomy distance.

In exchange for the darkness, however, some of the organisms down here started glowing in different colors. There were some fish with a soft blue hue to them, some plants on the ground that were dotted with white. Even at night, there were enough florescent light sources to make out some shapes. Hongjoong could barely wait to get a flashlight and explore more.

But that had to wait. First, they needed to check for survivors on the Aurora, then they had to get through to their space station, and only after that, he would allow himself to have fun here while he waited.

Or well, as much fun as one could have with a PSH floating around.

*******

By the way the whole data that Hwa is talking about is from the Subnautuca Fandom Wiki, I do not make this up myself! Feel free to look anything up there if you ever wonder about something ^^