Chapter 1

The eastern port military management zone of Frost had seen many people staying up all night.

Since the Sea Swallow lost contact, more than twenty-four hours had passed, and even the port church's psionic calls to the ship's chaplain received no response.

The few clues or traces pointed to a grim possibility.

In the harbor office, a middle-aged man in a Frost Navy commander's uniform, with thinning hair, sat behind his desk with a gloomy expression. Several other commanders sat in the other chairs in the room. The atmosphere in the not-so-large room was somber and oppressive, as if brewing a storm.

"We still haven't found the Sea Swallow. We searched three times in the direction of Frost Island from the last signal location of the Sea Swallow, but there was nothing on the sea," said a civilian officer with short, light brown hair, shaking his head.

"The most optimistic estimate is that the Sea Swallow's communication system malfunctioned, and the ship's chaplain had an accident. The ship drifted off course while out of control—but frankly, that's too optimistic," another officer sighed. "Such a large ship, even if it drifted out of control, couldn't have drifted beyond the search range in such a short time. The greater possibility is that the Sea Swallow encountered a serious accident and sank... Earlier, a patrol boat patrolling near the coast reported hearing faint explosions and seeing distant flashes in the night. That might have been the Sea Swallow."

"Such a large ship would take several hours to sink, right? We sent out search parties as soon as the Sea Swallow lost contact," the civilian officer with short, light brown hair frowned. "What's more, there's no oil pollution on the sea. How could the traces disappear so cleanly? Could the whole ship have sunk to the bottom of the sea instantly?"

"...You should send someone to Dagger Island to confirm the situation," said another male officer. "Perhaps the Sea Swallow was not sailing towards Frost Island. Perhaps it was stranded near Dagger Island for some reason..."

"Given the current situation on Dagger Island, sending people to the island requires complicated procedures..."

"Contact them, at least. This procedure is a bit complicated, but the Governor's Office can give an answer in as little as half an hour..."

The officers exchanged glances, and one of them said, "What about Dagger Island..."

"We have not yet found any trace or wreckage of the Sea Swallow. We initially believe that the General initiated 'Procedure Twenty-Two.' The Sea Swallow may have sunk," he said with a solemn expression. "Next, we must expand the search area, look for traces of the attacker in the outer sea, and prepare to investigate the situation on Dagger Island."

"It is possible that Procedure Twenty-Two was initiated—the situation was too urgent or there was a risk of meme leakage, or the Sea Swallow was completely taken over by others, which is why no news came back," said Xia Yanhui, the general commander of port defense, in a low voice. "Although this still doesn't explain why the wreckage of the Sea Swallow disappeared so cleanly."

"The attacker..." The female officer who had spoken earlier looked increasingly solemn. "If this attacker really exists, do you think it wasn't destroyed along with the Sea Swallow's 'Procedure Twenty-Two'?"

Amid such gravity, General Commander Lister paused for a moment, then continued, "I understand the General. If the Sea Swallow really encountered an irresistible supernatural contamination, he would not hesitate to initiate Procedure Twenty-Two. So what we need to do in the next stage is not just continue searching for possible remnants of the Sea Swallow, but also figure out what attacked and contaminated the ship—if there really is an attacker, it may not be tangible, and that is a huge threat to Frost."

"'Procedure Twenty-Two' is just speculation. The Sea Swallow was indeed invaded and contaminated by supernatural forces. The ship has gloriously fulfilled its duty, but it would be rash to investigate Dagger Island," said the Gatekeeper calmly. "The island may already be completely out of control."

"One of the primary principles when facing supernatural disasters—unless there is sufficiently strong direct evidence, always assume that the enemy still exists," Lister said slowly. "Whether it's a supernatural item or a supernatural phenomenon, its 'vitality' is always surprisingly strong."

The discussion in the room continued until a steady voice from behind the desk interrupted everyone, "Procedure Twenty-Two."

The room fell silent for a moment, and the officers who were discussing raised their eyes to look at the middle-aged man behind the desk with dense hair and a serious face.

In the office, the officers exchanged glances. The pressure brought by the words "Procedure Twenty-Two" instantly made the already oppressive atmosphere even more tense.

"I will submit an investigation application to the Governor. Although the Sea Swallow had an accident on the way back to the island, and also sent a message that the inspection work was successfully completed when leaving Dagger Island, the ship still had an accident. The situation on Dagger Island is also questionable," Lister slowly stood up, supporting himself on the desk with both hands. "What we need to do next..."

A secretary pushed open the door, saluting the superior behind the desk, "Sir, the Gatekeeper has arrived."

"The Gatekeeper?" Lister's face showed obvious surprise. "What is she doing here?"

"She said it's about the Sea Swallow, and the situation is urgent."

"Please come in..." Lister said immediately, but before he could finish speaking, a gust of gray wind swept up in the corridor outside the door. Then, this gray wind, seemingly mixed with dark dust, poured into the room, swirling rapidly in the office. The Gatekeeper's figure stepped out of the gray wind—she carried a tin cane commonly used by the death priests in one hand, and her eyes, revealed between the bandages, showed seriousness and a hint of apology.

"Sorry, Colonel Lister, the situation is urgent. I heard your response and came in directly," Lister nodded. "I want to know how far you have investigated the whereabouts of the Sea Swallow so far?"

Lister did not show any displeasure at the Gatekeeper's direct entry into the office. A qualified soldier knows the priorities, and the city-state's "Gatekeeper" has many privileges in urgent situations. The fact that this woman appeared so hastily obviously meant that the situation had become so urgent that there was no time for pleasantries.

"Dagger Island is out of control?" The muscles on Lister's face twitched visibly. "What information do you have?"

"...I'm not at liberty to disclose the source of the information at this time," the Gatekeeper said firmly. "But its reliability is very high. I haven't had time to report the situation to the Grand Cathedral and City Hall, because that might waste time. Colonel Lister, I want you to immediately seal off all sea routes around Dagger Island, prohibiting any ships from approaching, and not allowing anything to leave the island—and especially not allowing them to land on Frost Island."

"Madam, I must remind you—this is not in accordance with procedure," Lister said in a serious tone. "I am willing to trust your judgment as the Gatekeeper, but you should know that every rule is summarized with human lives—it is no small matter to send the navy to seal off Dagger Island. I need a clearer order and explanation."

"At least this won't make the situation worse," the Gatekeeper took a half step forward. "I have sent someone to the Grand Cathedral, and subsequent orders will be coming soon."

A moment later, the fixed copper pipes on the wall beside the desk emitted the hiss of airflow and a rapid, approaching clicking sound. Then, accompanied by a crisp metallic impact, the copper pipe vibrated, and a few wisps of white gas emerged from the buckle device at the end of the pipe.

Before the defense commander could finish speaking, a slightly hurried sound of footsteps suddenly echoed in the corridor, followed by a knock on the door that interrupted his subsequent words.

Lister frowned, "Enter."

"A ship has appeared in the far sea area and sent a signal requesting to enter the port," Lister slowly raised his head, his face solemn. "It's the Sea Swallow."

The room quickly fell silent.

Lister opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but at that moment, a sudden, rapid ringing from the corner of the room interrupted what he wanted to say.

The port defense commander glanced at the Gatekeeper, then turned and quickly went to the small table beside him and pressed the button on the table.

The officers exchanged glances. The Gatekeeper's eyes instantly became solemn, and Lister suddenly spoke after a few seconds of silence, "To the dock."

Standing on the observation deck of the East Port dock, the silhouette of the steam clipper could already be seen—it was gradually magnifying on the horizon, with cloud-like steam rising above it.

The Sea Swallow had appeared. More than twenty-two hours after its disappearance, it reappeared in the eyes of the people of Frost, and sailed straight towards the military dock of East Port.

Faintly audible sounds of a steam whistle carried over, with a halting rhythm.

A junior officer put down his binoculars and said simply.

"Silhouette and flag recognition... it's the Sea Swallow."

Lister, however, remained motionless, staring at the black shadow gradually approaching on the sea, without saying a word for a long time.

"Second signal, the Sea Swallow is requesting entry to the port," the junior officer turned his head and looked at Lister.

Lister opened the buckle, flipped the cover, took out the capsule from the pipe, quickly looked at the note inside, and his face changed instantly.

"Sink it." The Gatekeeper, who had been silent since the beginning, finally broke the silence.