Five minutes later, the sea remained as calm as ever.
For some reason, the initial anxiety of the crowd had subsided, replaced by a strange calm as they watched the placid surface of the ocean.
"More people! Bring more people!" Mike was starting to panic, shouting for his crew and ordering, "Go down and see what's going on!"
No matter the situation, the current reality was that if Su Yang didn't emerge safely, this show might be over.
Initially, the production team had held the Dragon Country side in very low regard.
However, Director Wen's phone call earlier, delivered with such a stern tone, had genuinely frightened Mike.
After all, this was a matter of life and death. Not only was Director Wen extremely worried, but Mike was also terrified of a real accident occurring.
This was because Su Yang had been completely out of contact for five minutes.
Normally, it wouldn't matter if Su Yang was out of contact, but the current circumstances were that Su Yang had jumped into the sea and had been silent for five minutes.
Five minutes... what could happen in five minutes underwater?
No one knew.
Everyone watched the sea with bated breath, praying for Su Yang's safe return.
Whether their concern was genuine or feigned before, they all wished for Su Yang's safety now.
After all, it was only the first day of the show's recording. If a life was lost on the very first day, all the guests involved would inevitably be implicated in some way.
During the previous filming, everyone had seen that Su Yang had been consistently targeted.
This had been broadcast live throughout.
If anything happened to Su Yang, those who had targeted him would face unprecedented condemnation.
Moreover, the Dragon Country side was already aware of the situation, placing considerable pressure on Mike.
They might look down on the Dragon Country, but the Dragon Country's strength was undeniable.
No matter how poorly they viewed the Dragon Country, they had to respect its power.
The sea remained calm. About two minutes after the personnel Mike had dispatched entered the water, they surfaced.
"Director! We haven't found anyone!"
The person removed their diving gear and shouted loudly at Mike.
At this moment, Mike's heart sank.
Then, a few sobs could be heard from the crowd.
George and Bama, who had desperately wanted Su Yang dead, were now completely silent.
George, in particular, sat there with vacant eyes, as if his soul had been snatched away.
The incident had indeed originated with George, so he was understandably terrified at this moment.
A minute later, two figures appeared on the sea surface not far away.
The crowd looked over with hopeful anticipation, only to see two professional crew members.
They removed their diving equipment and, facing the crowd's worry, expectation, and the subsequent disappointment at not seeing Su Yang, one of them yelled, "We don't know where Su Yang swam off to! We lost him!"
This statement chilled everyone to the bone.
"Quick, quick, call the police!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and the group descended into another wave of panic.
At this point, calling the police would be futile.
If Su Yang were still alive, by the time the police arrived and rescue operations began, he would likely be dead.
If Su Yang were dead, calling the police now would be of no use.
International Channel
[Seriously, what is Su Yang doing? Did he really not think about the consequences?]
[He jumped in so casually, it made me feel like I could do it too.]
[How long has he been down there now?]
[Seven or eight minutes already.]
[What's the world record for unassisted freediving?]
[I forget the exact number, but if Su Yang is still alive, he's probably broken it by now.]
[Let's pray nothing happens. If something happens to Su Yang, this show will probably be canceled. It's only the first day, and I was really enjoying it.]
Dragon Country Channel
[The US is openly committing murder! How will this debt be settled?]
[This idiot George is making me so angry!]
[Why did Su Yang jump in?! Doesn't he know how dangerous it is?!]
[Does Su Yang have absolute confidence in himself?]
[No matter how confident he is, he shouldn't jump into the sea like this! It's nighttime, and it's the ocean!]
[For anyone, jumping into the sea is like finding a needle in a haystack, right?]
[My house is next to a temple. I'm already kneeling before Buddha, praying for Su Yang.]
[Upstairs, stop looking at your phone and focus on praying. Don't displease Buddha.]
Meanwhile, the Cultural Bureau was in complete chaos.
The Cultural Bureau's phones were ringing off the hook. Upon receiving a call, Director Wen urgently contacted Mike.
Normally, Mike might not have paid much attention to Director Wen's calls, but at this critical juncture, he dared not be careless when facing Director Wen's call.
After the call connected, Director Wen shouted, "Director Mike! How is Su Yang?!"
Mike was startled by the volume of Director Wen's voice. He was genuinely feeling guilty at this moment.
Facing Director Wen's question, Mike didn't even dare to answer directly.
"Su Yang, he, he's alright, isn't he?"
"What do you mean, 'he's alright, isn't he?' Our Dragon Country Cultural Bureau's phones are being bombarded! Su Yang was forced to jump into the sea by the guests on your show! How long has it been? Has Su Yang surfaced yet?!"
Mike was truly frightened by Director Wen's furious roar.
But Director Wen didn't stop there. He continued to berate Mike, "Do you know Su Yang is from our Dragon Country?
It's one thing if you look down on our Dragon Country normally, we don't really care, but this is a matter of life and death! Why are you doing this?
It's a human life!"
As he spoke, Director Wen felt his head spin, as if he were about to faint.
However, Director Wen knew very well that he could not collapse.
Su Yang was still in the sea, his safety unknown. If he fainted now, he wouldn't be able to manage the situation with the netizens in Dragon Country.
The netizens' emotions were running high, and Director Wen had to quickly appease them.
But the most important thing right now was to ensure Su Yang's safety.
"Director Mike, today is the first day of the show's recording.
I've watched the live broadcast. We have dedicated personnel at the Dragon Country Cultural Bureau who have been monitoring the stream.
Su Yang is a living person. During today's recording, he has been subjected to considerable targeting. We see all of this.
Don't think that because you're halfway across the globe, our Dragon Country doesn't know how you're treating Su Yang.
You had better pray that Su Yang is unharmed. If anything happens to Su Yang, I believe you know that this show will be halted.
And our Dragon Country is not to be trifled with. We will make you pay the price you deserve!"
After roaring at Mike, Director Wen hung up the phone.
Mike listened to the dial tone in his phone, and indeed, his anxiety intensified.
This was why Mike had immediately sent another professional to search the sea, to see if they could find any sign of Su Yang.
This beach was quite large, but the sea was divided into shallow and deep waters.
If Su Yang were in the shallow waters, the professional divers would surely have seen him and known his whereabouts.
Now, there were only two possibilities.
One, Su Yang was dead.
Two, Su Yang had gone into the deep sea.
When this thought occurred, Charlie's worry grew even more intense.
Before jumping into the sea, Su Yang had told Charlie to rest assured.
If Su Yang had surfaced after a minute or two, Charlie would have had no complaints.
He wouldn't be feeling this worried and distressed.
But now, Su Yang had completely vanished, leaving Charlie and the other guests with equally worried expressions.
Although he knew Su Yang was not an ordinary person, Charlie had not realized until now that Su Yang could hold his breath for such an extended period.