The surface of the Pacific Ocean was eerily covered by a vast expanse of gray mist!?
Lin Xue was shocked. She had been on deck the entire time and hadn't noticed the mist until her younger brother pointed it out.
Jack was surprised, "It's foggy! This is not a good sign. We need to get back to the cabin immediately."
He pulled out his phone to take a picture of the scene, only to be astonished to find that it had no signal.
This phone had satellite communication capabilities. How could it possibly have no signal!?
At this moment, the cruise ship's broadcast sounded.
"Dear distinguished passengers, the Nixos has mistakenly entered unknown waters and is currently out of contact with the outside world. All passengers are requested to return to their cabins immediately and not to wander around!"
The broadcast continued. Lin Xue and the other two immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and hurried back to the cabin.
Inside the cabin, all the passengers were gathered, their expressions filled with unease.
"What's going on? How could we mistakenly enter unknown waters out of nowhere? This is too unprofessional."
"Yeah, the Nixos is the largest cruise ship in the world, and it still makes mistakes like this."
"Where is the captain? I want to complain! If my time is delayed, you can't afford to compensate me!"
A group of passengers clamored. Those who could afford to board the Nixos were either wealthy or powerful, and none of them were simple.
Lin Xue and her younger brother, Lin Zihao, approached an old man with white hair, wearing a Tang suit.
"Grandpa, what exactly is happening? How did the Nixos get lost at sea?" Lin Xue asked, her expression uneasy. She had never experienced anything like this before.
At this moment, the mist outside the cruise ship grew thicker and thicker, obscuring the sky and blocking out the sun, making it seem like night.
Lin Wencheng was very steady. At nearly a hundred years old, he had seen all sorts of storms and was much calmer.
"Perhaps a storm is coming. The weather on the Pacific is unpredictable, so it's quite normal."
Lin Zihao looked at the dark expanse outside the glass window and muttered, "Even if a storm comes, we wouldn't lose our signal."
Lin Xue agreed with Lin Zihao. The scene before them was too abnormal.
The cruise ship's broadcast sounded again, this time to reassure all passengers and tell them not to worry.
However, in the cruise ship's control room, all the staff were already in a panic, their faces filled with fear.
"Captain, the cruise ship is out of control and is heading into the mist!"
"We can't contact the outside world. The signal is completely blocked, and we can't send anything out!"
"This mist is too strange. It seems to be dragging the Nixos in, and we can't resist..."
The captain, a burly white man, had an extremely grim expression. He had sailed at sea for so many years and had never encountered such a bizarre situation.
He cursed, "Damn it, what is this thing? Are we entering a parallel universe?"
But now, all he could do was curse, unable to do anything, and watch as the cruise ship plunged deeper into the mist.
A full day passed like this, and the cruise ship was still trapped in the mist, still sailing.
The passengers in the cabin, from initial unease to growing anxiety, then sensing something was wrong, began to feel fear.
"What the hell? It's been a whole day and night, and we're still in the mist?"
"Where have we ended up? Why is there still no signal?"
"Captain! Come out and explain to us, don't just brush us off!"
The crowd could no longer bear the torment and began to break down.
The people here were all elites, and they cherished their lives immensely.
Seeing that he could no longer hide the truth, the captain reluctantly stepped out and said, "Everyone, I have some bad news. We are lost in the Pacific Ocean."
"We have lost our direction, lost our signal, and lost control of the cruise ship. Yes, the Nixos is out of control."
Upon hearing the captain's words, the passengers erupted, unable to accept this reality!
The Nixos, the world's largest cruise ship, was out of control!
And it was bizarrely heading deeper into the mist, which sent chills down everyone's spines.
"This... have we encountered the devil? Why is the cruise ship out of control, why!?"
"Did we enter the Bermuda Triangle? Encountered the legendary mysterious phenomenon?"
"Impossible, the Nixos was not in the waters of the Bermuda Triangle."
Everyone trembled, looking at the mist surrounding the cruise ship as if they were seeing ghosts grinning at them.
Lin Xue's face was ashen. This was her first time traveling far, and she encountered such a situation, filling her with fear.
Lin Zihao was a little better, but his face was still pale. After all, he was a fifteen-year-old boy, and he was still very scared in the face of such a strange phenomenon.
"Grandpa, are we going to die? Just like the ships that disappeared at sea in the legends," Lin Zihao said, pursing his lips.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lin Wencheng glared at his grandson. "The Nixos is the world's largest cruise ship, and it has a large supply of food. It can last for a month or two without a problem. And if the outside world can't contact the cruise ship, they will definitely send warships to search. I believe we will be rescued soon."
He said a few words to comfort the two, easing their worries.
However, he felt a little uneasy in his heart. The situation the Nixos encountered was too bizarre. Even he, who had lived for nearly a hundred years, had never heard of such a thing, which made him slightly apprehensive.
If the cruise ship was out of contact in this mist, could warships avoid it?
.........
In the Eastern Domain of the Great Wilderness, at the Eastern Garrison's military camp.
General Fan Cheng sat in his chair, looking at the imperial decree sent from the capital in his hand.
"General, what are His Majesty's orders?" asked the副将 (fùjiàng - deputy general) standing beside him.
Fan Cheng put away the imperial decree, solemnly placed it in a treasure chest, and then sealed it with a restriction.
"His Majesty ordered us not to act rashly. We can conduct light reconnaissance but not go deep. The Southern Garrison is already rushing this way."
Fan Cheng stood up, his expression grave.
The Endless Sea was full of mysteries. No one knew what the other side of the sea would be like, or if it was full of danger.
And the Endless Sea was the rear of the Great Gan Dynasty. If the mist receded and brought danger, then their Eastern Garrison would be the first line of defense protecting Great Gan!
The second line of defense would be the Southern Garrison, which was on its way!
The deputy general's heart trembled, understanding that His Majesty attached great importance to the situation of the Endless Sea.
Just then, a soldier rushed in to report.
"Reporting, General! Those sent to investigate the Endless Sea have discovered new developments!"