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 Haiyan. We have searched three times in the direction of Frost Island from the direction where the Haiyan last sent back a signal, but there is nothing on the sea." A civilian officer with short light brown hair said, shaking his head.

"The most optimistic estimate is that the communication system of the Petrel failed, 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, could not have drifted out of the search range in such a short time. The greater possibility is that the Petrel 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 could be the Petrel."

"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 the oil polluting the sea surface. How could the traces disappear so cleanly? Could the entire ship sink to the bottom of the sea in an instant?"

"...We should send someone to Dagger Island to confirm the situation," said another female officer. "Perhaps the Petrel is not sailing towards Frost Island. Perhaps it is stranded near Dagger Island for some reason..."

"Dagger Island is in a special situation right now. Sending people to the island requires complicated procedures..."

"You can contact us. The procedure is simpler and the Archon's Office can give you a reply in half an hour at the earliest..."

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 eyes and looked at the middle-aged man with sparse hair and a serious face behind the desk.

"Perhaps the 22nd procedure was activated. The situation is too urgent or there is a risk of meme leakage. Or the Petrel has been completely controlled by others. That's why no news has been received," said Lister, the port defense commander, in a low voice. "Although this still cannot explain why the wreckage of the Petrel disappeared so cleanly."

Inside the office, the officers looked at each other in bewilderment. The heavy pressure brought by the words "Procedure No. 22" instantly made the already depressing atmosphere even more solemn.

In such a solemn moment, Commander-in-Chief Lister paused for a moment and continued, "I know General Duncan. If the Petrel really encounters an irresistible supernatural pollution, he will 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."

"The attacker..." The expression of the female officer who had spoken earlier gradually became serious. "If this attacker really exists, do you think it was not destroyed by the 'Procedure No. 22' of the Petrel?"

"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."

Several officers looked at each other, and one of them hesitated and said, "What about Dagger Island..."

"I will submit an application for investigation to the Archon. Although the Sea Petrel had an accident on the way back to the main island, and a message was sent when it left Dagger Island that the inspection work was successfully completed, but now that the ship has had an accident, there are doubts about the situation on Dagger Island," Liszt stood up slowly, supporting himself on the table with both hands, "What will you do next..."

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 secretary pushed the door open and saluted the officer behind the desk: "Sir, the gatekeeper Agatha is here."

"Gatekeeper?" Liszt's face was obviously surprised. "What is she doing here?"

"It's about the Haiyan, and the situation is urgent."

"Please let her in..." Liszt said immediately, but before he finished his words, a gust of gray wind had already rolled up in the corridor outside the door, and then the gray wind that seemed to be mixed with pale smoke and dust rushed into the room, circling quickly in the office, and Agatha's figure 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." Agatha nodded. "I want to know what stage your investigation into the whereabouts of the Petrel has reached?"

Lister did not express his dissatisfaction with Agatha's behavior of breaking into the office directly. A qualified soldier knows priorities, and the "gatekeeper" of the city-state already has many privileges in emergency situations. This lady appeared in such a hurry that it was obvious that the situation was so urgent that there was no time for courtesy.

"We still haven't found any traces or wreckage of the Petrel. We suspect that General Duncan has activated 'Procedure 22' and the Petrel may have sunk," he said solemnly. "Next, we will expand the search range to look for the attackers in the open sea and prepare to investigate the situation on Dagger Island."

"The speculation in Procedure 22 is correct. The Petrel was indeed invaded and contaminated by supernatural forces. The ship has served its purpose honorably, but do not rashly investigate Dagger Island," Agatha said quickly. "The island may be completely out of control."

"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," Agatha hesitated, "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 can immediately block all routes around Dagger Island and prohibit any ships from approaching. You cannot allow anything to leave the island - let alone land on Frost Island."

"Ms. Agatha, 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 based on 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," Agatha took a half step forward, "I have sent people to the cathedral, and the follow-up orders will come soon."

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 Agatha, then turned and walked quickly to the small table next to him and pressed the button on the table.

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.

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.

"What is it?" Agatha asked curiously.

"A ship appeared in the offshore area and sent a signal requesting to enter the port," Liszt slowly raised his head with a serious expression, "It's the Petrel."

The room quickly became quiet.

The officers looked at each other. Agatha's eyes suddenly became solemn. After a few seconds of silence, Lister suddenly said, "Go to the dock."

The Petrel appeared. After being missing for more than twenty-four hours, it reappeared in the eyes of the Frost People and headed straight for the military dock in East Port.

Standing on the observation deck of Donggang Wharf, you can already see the silhouette of the steamship - it gradually gets bigger on the horizon, with clouds of steam rising above it.

"The silhouette and the flag on the bow identify it... It's the Haiyan."

A junior officer put down his binoculars and spoke in a complicated tone.

However, Liszt still stared at the gradually approaching black shadow on the sea without saying a word for a long time.

A faint sound of a whistle came over, accompanied by a peculiar rhythm of pauses.

"Second signal, the Haiyan applies to enter the port," the junior officer turned his head and looked at Lister, "Sir..."

"Sink it." Agatha, who had been silent since a while ago, finally broke the silence.