In the Frost Eastern Port Military Administration Zone, many people have not slept all night.
It had been more than 24 hours since the Haiyan lost contact, and even when the port church sent out psychic calls to the ship's chaplain on the Haiyan, no response was received.
The only clues or traces point to bad possibilities.
Inside the harbor office, a middle-aged man with sparse hair and wearing the uniform of a Frost Navy commander was sitting behind his desk with a gloomy face. Several other commanders were sitting on other chairs in the room. The atmosphere in the not-so-large room was gloomy and depressing, as if a storm was brewing.
"We still haven't found any trace of the Petrel. We have searched three times in the direction of Frost Island from the direction where the Petrel last sent back a signal, but there is nothing on the sea." A civilian officer with short light brown hair shook his head.
"The most optimistic estimate is that the communication system of the Haiyan malfunctioned, the chaplain on board had an accident, and the ship drifted off course out of control - but to be honest, this is too optimistic," another officer sighed, "Such a large ship, even if it drifted out of control, it is impossible for it to drift out of the search range in such a short time. The greater possibility is that the Haiyan encountered a serious accident and sank... Previously, a patrol boat near the coast reported hearing faint explosions and seeing distant flashes in the night. That might be the Haiyan."
"A ship that big would take hours to sink, right? We sent out a search force immediately after the Haiyan lost contact," the civilian officer with short light brown hair frowned, "not to mention that there was no oil to pollute the sea surface, how could the traces disappear so cleanly? Could the entire ship sink to the bottom of the sea in an instant?"
"... You should send someone to Dagger Island to confirm the situation," said another male officer, "Perhaps the Petrel is not sailing towards Frost Island, or perhaps it is stranded near Dagger Island for some reason..."
"Given the current situation on Dagger Island, sending people to the island requires complicated procedures..."
"You can contact us. The procedure is a bit complicated. The Archon's Office can give you the answer in half an hour at the earliest..."
Several officers looked at each other, and one of them said, "Then on Dagger Island..."
"We still haven't found any traces or wreckage of the Petrel. We currently believe that the general has activated 'Procedure 22', and the Petrel may have sunk," he said solemnly, "Next we have to expand the search area, look for traces of the attackers in the open sea, and prepare to investigate the situation on Dagger Island."
"Perhaps the 22nd procedure was activated - the situation was too urgent or there was a risk of meme leakage, or the Haiyan was completely under the control of others, so there was no news," said Xia Yanhui, the chief commander of the port defense, in a low voice, "although this still cannot explain why the wreckage of Haiyan disappeared so cleanly."
"The attacker..." The female officer who had spoken earlier looked increasingly serious. "If this attacker really existed, do you think it was not destroyed with the 'Procedure 22' of the Petrel?"
In such a solemn moment, Commander-in-Chief Lister paused for a moment and continued, "I know the general. If the Petrel really encountered an irresistible supernatural pollution, he would definitely activate Procedure 22 without hesitation. So what we need to do in the next stage is not only to continue searching for possible traces of the Petrel, but also to figure out what attacked and polluted the ship. If there really is an attacker, it may not be tangible, which is a huge threat to Frostbite."
"Procedure 22 is incorrect. The Petrel has indeed been invaded and contaminated by supernatural forces. The ship has served honorably, but it is not advisable to investigate Dagger Island rashly," the gatekeeper said calmly. "The island may be completely out of control."
"One of the first principles when facing extraordinary disasters is to always assume that the enemy still exists unless there is strong enough direct evidence," Lister said slowly, "Whether it is an extraordinary item or an extraordinary phenomenon, their vitality is always surprisingly strong."
The discussion in the room continued until a steady voice from behind the desk interrupted everyone: "Procedure No. 22."
The room fell silent for a moment, and the officers who were discussing raised their heads.
line, looking at the middle-aged man with thick hair and a serious face behind the desk.
Inside the office, the officers looked at each other in bewilderment. The pressure brought by the words "Procedure No. 22" instantly made the already depressing atmosphere even more solemn.
"I will submit an application for investigation to the Archon. Although the accident happened on the way back to the main island, and the news that the inspection work was successfully completed was sent when it left Dagger Island, the ship still has an accident now, and the situation on Dagger Island is also suspicious," Liszt slowly stood up, supporting his hands on the table, "Let's go on..."
A secretary pushed the door open and saluted the officer behind the desk: "Sir, the gatekeeper is here."
"Gatekeeper?" Liszt's face was obviously surprised. "What is she doing here?"
"It's about the Petrel, and the situation is urgent."
"Please let her in..." Liszt said immediately, but before he finished his words, a gray wind rolled up in the corridor outside the door, and then the gray wind that seemed to be mixed with black smoke and dust rushed into the room, circling quickly in the office, and the figure of the gatekeeper stepped out of the gray wind—in one hand she held the tin cane that the death priests always carried, and the look in her eyes revealed from between the bandages was serious and a little apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Colonel Lister, the situation is urgent. I came in directly after hearing your response." Lister nodded, "I want to know what stage your investigation of the whereabouts of the Petrel has reached?"
Lister did not express his dissatisfaction with the gatekeeper's behavior of breaking into the office directly. A qualified soldier knows the priorities, and the "gatekeeper" of the city-state has many privileges in emergency situations. The lady appeared in such a hurry, which obviously meant that the situation was so urgent that there was no time for courtesy.
"Dagger Island is out of control?" The muscles on Lister's face twitched noticeably. "What information do you have?"
"… The source of the intelligence cannot be disclosed for now," the gatekeeper said firmly, "but it is very reliable. I haven't had time to report the situation to the cathedral and the city hall, because it may delay the process. Colonel Lister, I hope you will immediately block all routes around Dagger Island and prohibit any ships from approaching. Do not allow anything to leave the island—let alone land on Frost Island."
"Ma'am, I must remind you that this is not in accordance with the procedure," Liszt said in a serious tone, "I am willing to trust your judgment as the gatekeeper, but you should know that every rule is summarized at the cost of human lives. Sending the navy to blockade Dagger Island is no small matter. I need clearer orders and explanations."
"At least this won't make the situation worse," the gatekeeper took a half step forward, "I have sent people to the cathedral, and the follow-up orders will come soon."
A moment later, a hissing sound of air flow and a clicking sound that quickly came from the copper pipe fixed on the wall next to the table, followed by a crisp metal collision. The copper pipe shook, and some white air flow came out of the clip device at the end of the pipe.
The defense commander had not finished his words when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded in the corridor, followed by a knock on the door that interrupted his subsequent words.
Liszt frowned: "Come in."
"A ship appeared in the open sea and sent out a signal requesting to enter the port," Lister slowly raised his head with a serious expression, "It's the Petrel.
The room quickly became quiet.
Liszt opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something else, but at this moment, a sudden and urgent ring in the corner of the room interrupted what he was about to say.
The port defense commander glanced at the gatekeeper, then turned and walked quickly to the small table next to him and pressed the button on the table.
The officers looked at each other, the gatekeeper's eyes suddenly became solemn, and Lister was silent for a few seconds before suddenly saying, "Go to the dock."
Standing on the observation deck of Donggang Wharf, you can already see the silhouette of the steamship - it gradually grows larger on the horizon, with clouds of steam rising above it.
The Petrel appeared. After being missing for more than twenty-two hours, it reappeared in the eyes of the Frost People and headed straight for the military dock in East Port.
Vaguely
The sound of the whistle of the ship came over, accompanied by a pause rhythm.
A junior officer put down his binoculars and spoke simply.
"The silhouette and the flag on the bow identify it as the Haiyan."
However, Liszt still stared at the gradually approaching black shadow on the sea without saying a word for a long time.
"Second signal, the Haiyan applies to enter the port," the junior officer turned his head and looked at Lister, "
Lister opened the buckle, flipped the cover, took out the capsule compartment from the pipe, took out the note inside and took a quick look at it, his face changed instantly.
"Sink it." The gatekeeper who had been silent since a while finally broke the silence.