Not long after, a result no one wanted to hear emerged.
The advance team soldiers returned, reporting that in the deep waters of that sea area, the Nix was found, broken and submerged on the seabed!
This news shocked the joint navy.
Although some had already guessed, a large portion still believed the Nix was merely out of contact.
Now they were told that the Nix had met with disaster, sinking to the bottom of the icy sea!
Upon hearing this, Vison's face turned ashen, muttering, "It's over, it's over."
He had only gained his current status and position by attaching himself to the royal family. Now that he had failed to complete the royal mission, everything he possessed would be wiped clean!
In an instant, his heart turned as cold as ice.
When Deng He received the news, his expression was a little dazed, but he quickly reacted and looked towards his old comrade, Lin Yong.
He saw that Lin Yong's face was bloodless, his eyes vacant, looking as if his soul had been lost. He was murmuring, "Xue'er, Xiao Hao, Father, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, dripping down his cheeks. A man who had always been resolute in life finally wept.
Seeing his old comrade in such a state, Deng He felt distressed. He wanted to speak words of comfort several times, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only sigh heavily:
"Alas, old Lin, you must stay strong, don't be too sad. Until we see a body, there's still a sliver of hope."
Just then, another soldier came forward to report that a US officer had proposed deploying several large warships, along with the power of the aircraft carrier, to drag the Nix out from the seabed.
Because this was a shallow area, only tens of meters deep, with enough force, the Nix could still be pulled out of the water.
Deng He thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Although he knew it was somewhat comical to have aircraft carriers and warships drag a cruise ship out of the water, he understood it was necessary.
After all, the passengers on the Nix were not ordinary people; their relatives and families had considerable influence. Whether they were found alive or dead, they could not be left to sink to the bottom of the icy sea.
"Old Lin, we are now going to drag the Nix out of the seabed. When that time comes... you can see if Uncle Lin and the others are on board."
Deng He looked at Lin Yong, who was still in a daze, and sighed slightly.
After a long while, Lin Yong gradually emerged from his immense grief, his face streaked with tears, his lips trembling as he said, "Thank you, old Deng."
After saying this, he slumped onto the chair, looking as if he had no will to live.
Seeing this, Deng He sighed again and said nothing more.
He could only hope that Uncle Lin and his niece and nephew had escaped in a lifeboat before the cruise ship sank. Although the possibility was slim, there was still a glimmer of hope.
Everyone mistakenly believed that the reason for the Nix's sinking was another attack by a sea beast, which led them to believe that the passengers on the cruise ship had no chance of escape.
The warships began to turn and move towards the place where the Nix had sunk, while a dozen small boats sailed ahead, preparing to hook up the cruise ship with thick iron cables.
This was a huge and complex task, requiring a lot of manpower and time. Fortunately, the advance team consisted of elite soldiers who were very professional, and they quickly made the work proceed in an orderly fashion.
Behind the joint navy fleet, a helicopter hovered diligently, broadcasting the fleet's situation.
After witnessing that the ship's wreckage was indeed from the Nix, the entire live broadcast room erupted in a frenzy.
Everyone found it incredible that the world's largest cruise ship could be damaged and scattered into pieces.
Everyone wondered if the Nix had sunk and met with disaster?
Because the cameras in the live broadcast room could only zoom in and could not collect sound from more than ten kilometers away, netizens could only guess blindly based on the images.
Initially, most people believed that the Nix had met with disaster. However, after seeing the fleet collecting wreckage from the sea surface in the images and continuing to sail without hesitation,
Netizens' opinions instantly shifted, speculating that the Nix might have encountered a disaster like a tsunami, causing damage to the hull but not sinking.
Some also speculated that it might have encountered a monster like a sea beast.
The war correspondent, Fox, also believed it was an encounter with a sea beast, as the extent of the damage was unlikely to be caused by a tsunami or typhoon.
The relatives and friends of the passengers on the Nix also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they hadn't met with disaster, that was good. Being out of contact meant there was a possibility of survival, and even a slim one was enough to ease their hearts.
At this moment, everyone saw the joint navy fleet stop again, and at the same time, dozens of small boats were sent to a certain sea area where ship wreckage was also floating.
Seeing this scene, everyone was astonished! Did the Nix really scatter into pieces?
"Holy crap, was the Nix attacked by a sea beast again? Or did it encounter another tsunami?"
"It should be a sea beast attack. If it were a tsunami, it wouldn't have knocked pieces off the cruise ship; it would have just flipped it over. Only a sea beast attack would result in such an outcome."
"So the Nix encountered two sea beast attacks? How is it this time, still unharmed?"
"My heavens, the Nix is too unlucky. The same thing happened twice, and the joint navy isn't as unlucky as it is."
"It's indeed unlucky. Look, it's only a few kilometers from land, and it was still attacked by a sea beast. I think this time it's dire!"
"I think so too. If it were safe and sound, why haven't we seen the cruise ship yet?"
"Look quickly, what are those soldiers doing, dragging incredibly thick iron cables and diving into the water?"
"Hiss! Could it be that the Nix has really sunk? Is the joint navy preparing to salvage the cruise ship now?"
The live broadcast instantly exploded. The Nix had indeed run into trouble!
Just moments ago, everyone thought the Nix had narrowly escaped disaster, but now it seemed it couldn't escape the fate of sinking.
The relatives and friends of the passengers on the cruise ship felt their hearts sink to the bottom, their faces turning pale. They began to pray in their hearts that the Nix hadn't sunk and that the joint navy was diving into the sea for some other reason.
But as time ticked by, the hearts of the families of the missing passengers gradually shattered.
Because in the image, dozens of huge iron cables were connected to the warships and the aircraft carrier. As the warships towed, a massive, dilapidated cruise ship was slowly dragged out of the water.