Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 129: The Aftermath of the "Hunting the Titans" Incident
The twelve stars.

Ize sat in the quiet, high-tech medical room, staring blankly at his teacher who was fast asleep in front of him.

The scene of being pushed away by Shi Ming in the critical moment flashed through her mind, lingering and almost becoming a brand. It was because of that push that she was able to save her life and return safely to the Twelve Stars, becoming the only one in the group who was not injured.

It's no exaggeration to say that Shi Ming was her savior.

"Stone……"

Unfortunately, that figure perished in the sea of ​​lightning.

And Renault... he too will remain there forever.

She glanced at the teacher.

The teacher fell into a coma as soon as he returned. Fortunately, the medical system of the Twelve Stars inherited the top technology of the Golden Age, and now, after treatment, his condition has improved a lot.

Mr. Lei's injuries were also very serious. He had been using the Infinite Purple Lightning frequently, and his body was on the verge of collapse. He barely managed to hold on and led them to safety. His current condition was not much better than his teacher's.

After Mr. Iruka awoke, he was fine and was already sailing his drifting ship back to the African Union, also known as the Land of Black Gold. Before leaving, he heard about what had happened afterward and couldn't help but sigh.

"That Ashina's attempt to outwit his opponent backfired, and he was killed—it was his own fault. But little Stone and I hit it off really well. I had planned to invite him to explore the underwater pyramids after the mission was complete, but unexpectedly…"

"Alas! A hero died young!"

The final fruit was obtained by the woman who disguised herself as an old man.

That woman was cunning and treacherous. In the early stages of the fight, she pretended to be weak while secretly gaining the upper hand, putting in very little effort and conserving her strength. That's how she managed to steal the victory at the end.

Thinking about this, Ize felt very unwilling.

Why?
She was overwhelmed with unspoken worries when the door to the medical room was pushed open.

“Miss Ize, Mr. Marshall invites you to the conference hall. He has some questions for you.”

Mr. Marshall?
The secretary of the top leader of the Twelve Star Alliance?

Ize paused for a moment, then realized that this was something that had to be faced. Whether it was Professor Wright's family or the higher-ups of the Twelve Stars, they were all closely following the ins and outs of this matter and wanted to know the truth.

It's time to tell them who the culprits are.

That S-rank Awakened One who used the charm skill.

……

……

With a bountiful harvest, Shi Ming returned to his loyal Dayun ship.

After arranging things on the ship, he finally had a chance to get some rest, but he only slept for five hours before the communicator he put back on his waist started beeping incessantly.

Ugh, so annoying!

He sat up, still grumpy from waking up, a trait he hadn't displayed in a long time.

His S-rank awakening and numerous battles meant that every cell in his body needed a complete rest.

The frequency with which you read the messages is precisely what we call "Let there be light."

Okay, this is going to be interesting.

Shi Ming picked up the communicator.

What greeted them was the "commander's" fury.

Empty letters cannot convey genuine emotions.

But between the lines, Shi Ming could still feel that anger.

[Lighthouse: Damn it!!! What happened? What happened?! An S-rank Awakened has fallen! In my thirty years of commanding the America Drifting Ship, with three generals and nine gold medals, has such a thing ever happened?! Divine Melody, what are you doing?! Do you still want to be the captain?!]

The fall of an S-class Awakened is an extremely rare occurrence among all the drifting ship factions.

How many S-rank Awakened beings does a major power like the Lighthouse have? The inexplicable death of one of them is equivalent to losing a quarter of the top resources of an entire power. Who can accept such a thing?

Deaths and injuries are inevitable during missions, but someone must be held accountable!
The captain of the "Divine Comedy" had seen the message long ago, but dared not and did not know how to reply.

The captains of the other drifting boats in the group dared not speak under these circumstances.

Among them were members who gloated over the misfortune.

Just like with [Gold Mountain] and [Michael], because of the death of their navigator Edward, the two captains have been unable to find a specific person responsible for the incident and can only drag it out. Now that someone has stirred up an even bigger mess, wouldn't the conflict be completely shifted?
OK, OK!

No matter how much potential Edward has, on paper he's only an A-rank. Things can turn out badly or badly; there's room for maneuver. Miss Yan, on the other hand, is a top-tier person, a true S-rank, and it's rumored that she has close, unspeakable relationships with many high-ranking officials.

This is a really big deal.

Throughout history and in most organizations, the relationships between "colleagues" have always been quite delicate and complex. Although they may share the same superiors, it is impossible for them to share common hatred or joy.

Often, while one's own failures are certainly regrettable, the success of one's colleagues is even harder to accept.

Similarly, one's own achievements bring pleasure, while the failures of colleagues bring even more excitement.

The reasons behind this are difficult to explain clearly.

Seeing that [Divine Comedy] was not replying to the message for a long time, the Lighthouse's commander became even more annoyed.

[Lighthouse: How did Miss Yan die? What is the whereabouts of her body now? Did Wright and his group return safely? What is the current state of that S-class sea monster? Divine Comedy! You know nothing about any of this?]

for a long time,

Shi Ming saw that Shen Qu had finally replied to the message.

[Divine Comedy: Reporting, sir. Miss Yan's cause of death is unknown, her body is missing, and Wright and his group have returned to the Twelve Stars. Further details are pending investigation.]

[Lighthouse: Find out the truth quickly within a day and give me a clear explanation.]

[Lighthouse: Someone must be held accountable for the sacrifice of an S-rank Awakened, and I don't want that person to be you.]

[Divine Comedy: Yes, sir.]

This once-renowned captain of a drifting ship, now leaned weakly against the captain's chair, his heart filled with unspeakable bitterness.

Casualties are inevitable in missions, but as the commander said, someone must be held accountable within the organization.

Whether it's the Twelve Stars or the Black Society, there needs to be someone to take the blame. If the truth of the matter cannot be found, and no one or force can be found to be responsible, the blame will inevitably be placed on the captain's head, and the outcome will be certain: death.

He understood a little better how Captain Michael and Captain Gold Mountain felt back then.

Anyone can be a captain, but the death of an S-class awakened individual must be accounted for.

"Plan a flight route immediately and head to Mount Olympus."

"Yes, Captain. However... the sea area where Mount Olympus is located is under the jurisdiction of the Twelve Stars. A general-class drifting ship must be informed in advance before heading there."

"Contact them! The Twelve Stars! Wright of the Twelve Stars is also in big trouble. How come he returned safely while Miss Yan died in the line of duty? Contact them and find out what happened. But maybe, it was they who were behind it..."

The captain of the divine song felt increasingly uneasy.

He then asked another communications officer who was on standby.

"How is the recovery operation for the remains of the 'Beltfish' going? Have you found Miss Yan's body?"

"Captain, there have been no discoveries so far. As you know, finding and retrieving Miss Yan's body in the deep sea is extremely difficult. Moreover, according to reports, the seabed in the relevant area is in a state of chaos, with numerous signs of battle, and only the remains of some unknown creatures can be found."

"Continue the investigation."

……

……

……

On Mount Fuji, it was a cloudy day with dark clouds, and the spectacular sight of the cherry blossoms at sea was no longer there.

Black Society.

Itsukushima Rin sat in the chair with a deathly silence on her face, unable to utter a sound for a long time.

Of the three A-level Awakened on the ship, one more has died, leaving only one survivor. The Stone of Taunt has once again been left out.

There were only three words in his heart.

Ruined.

……

……

……

　There will be a third update today, a bonus update for 100 monthly votes, but it might be quite late.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)