I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

After hanging up the captain's call, Manager Zhou sat quietly in his office for a long time.

His office was small, about thirty square meters, with the walls covered with photos related to diving—colorful corals, schools of fish, sleeping shipwrecks, leisurely sea turtles, and several photos of him with his guests, everyone in the photos smiling broadly.

He sank into the old leather chair, the seat of which was cracked in several places, revealing the yellowed sponge inside.

The ashtray in front of me was piled high with cigarette butts, some of which had already gone out, while others were still emitting wisps of smoke.

He picked up his phone, scrolled to a name in his contacts, hesitated for a long time, and ultimately did not press the dial button.

He didn't know who to call. He had been working in this industry for over a decade and knew quite a few people, but none of them could actually help him.

He put his cell phone on the table, picked up the landline, and dialed the captain's number. The phone was answered after two rings.

"You guys come back first."

Manager Zhou's voice was filled with deep exhaustion. "Take Lao Zhao to the hospital, and everyone else, go back to the shop. I can't find the owner of that yacht. I asked several people before, but they couldn't say for sure. It might be someone from out of town. Don't worry about it for now, we'll talk about it when we get back."

The captain responded with a "yes" on the other end of the phone and then hung up.

Manager Zhou put down the microphone, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

He recalled a similar incident that had occurred before, where several instructors had turned off the air tanks of tourists underwater, causing them considerable fright, and they complained after coming ashore.

However, due to a lack of evidence—there was no video recording or witnesses of the underwater incident—the instructor insisted it was an accident, and the tourists ultimately had to let the matter drop.

For this reason, he slammed his fist on the table several times, reprimanded the relevant personnel, and deducted their bonuses, hoping to serve as a warning.

Now it seems that everything was in vain.

Unbeknownst to him, the moment he hung up the phone, several invisible nets had already been quietly cast.

Shortly after the incident, Xiao Lin returned to the yacht and immediately found Captain Sun.

She took off her diving mask and flippers, her wet hair plastered to her cheeks, water droplets dripping down her chin.

Without bothering to wipe it off, he walked straight to the driver's seat and said a few words in a low voice.

After listening, Captain Sun's expression changed slightly, then he nodded and picked up the walkie-talkie to contact Lao Wu.

He didn't say much, but simply gave a brief and concise account of the general situation.

After listening, Old Wu only replied, "Understood, I'll handle the rest."

Captain Sun relayed Lao Wu's words to Luo Fei, who had finished diving.

Luo Fei listened to Captain Sun's words without looking up, only grunting in response, and continued to help his parents pack their diving equipment.

After hanging up the walkie-talkie with Captain Sun, Lao Wu made several phone calls in succession.

The first call was to the head of the Lushi National Security Department.

After the call connected, Lao Wu identified himself and, without any pleasantries, said directly, "There's a situation I need your cooperation with. This afternoon, in the waters near the Blue Tears Reef, an instructor from a dive shop attempted to commit a crime against a family member of a high-ranking national official. The suspect was apprehended at the scene, but the dive shop involved needs to be thoroughly investigated."

"Investigate whether this dive shop has received any previous complaints, such as those involving air tanks, mask removal, or extortion of tourists, which were dropped due to lack of evidence. This time, we don't need to worry about evidence; all complaints will be determined based on facts and dealt with strictly and severely."

"All of their company's operating qualifications, safety records, tax records, and personnel qualifications will be thoroughly reviewed. We will examine each item carefully, and if we find a problem, we will deal with it one by one; if we find two problems, we will deal with both. We will not leave them any room for maneuver."

The person on the other end of the phone didn't ask for a reason or inquire who the "important national official" was. They simply said "Understood" and hung up.

Old Wu then made several more phone calls to other relevant departments in Lushi.

The content of each call was roughly the same, and the tone was identical—calm, brief, and unquestionable.

He did not explain the reason or Luo Fei's background, but simply told the other party that there was a dive shop that needed to be investigated, and that the investigation should be thorough and rigorous, leaving no questions unanswered.

No one who received the call asked any further questions, because they could tell from Lao Wu's tone that this was not a discussion, but a notification.

Blue Ocean Dive Shop is located on an old street in the city center of Lushi, not far from the sea, less than a ten-minute walk away.

It was an old three-story building with white paint on the exterior walls, some of which had peeled off, revealing the cement walls underneath.

The entrance on the first floor is the reception hall, with posters for various diving courses displayed on the walls, ranging from Open Water to Diver Distance Diving, from recreational diving to technical diving, and from beginner to instructor training.

At this time of day, the store should be nearly empty, with customers having already left and employees going home, but today is different.

Just after 4 p.m., three black minivans pulled up in front of the store at the same time.

The car door opened, and the people who got out were dressed in casual clothes, but their walking posture, standing posture, and the way they looked at people all exuded an "extraordinary" aura.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a square face, a buzz cut, wearing a dark gray jacket, and holding a brown paper envelope in his hand.

As he pushed open the door to the reception area, the young woman at the front desk was tidying up her desk. Startled by the group rushing in, she dropped her folder, scattering pages everywhere. Without bothering to pick them up, she stammered, "P-who...who are you looking for?"

The leader didn't answer her question. Instead, he placed the manila envelope on the counter, pushed it over, and said, "Notify your manager that all operations of Blue Ocean Diving Company are suspended from this moment on. All personnel, including management, instructors, crew, and support staff, are not allowed to leave and are awaiting investigation."

The young woman at the front desk turned pale, her lips trembled, and she picked up the phone on the table. Her hand shook as she pressed the buttons three times before she finally got the number right.

When the call connected, she said in a tearful voice, "Mr. Zhou... there are people downstairs... saying they want to suspend all of our company's operations... no one is allowed to leave..."

On the other end of the phone, Manager Zhou was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I understand," and hung up.

He stood up from his chair, walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and looked down.

Three black vans were parked downstairs, and seven or eight people were standing next to them, some smoking and others making phone calls.

Manager Zhou watched for a while, then lowered the curtains, sat back in his chair, picked up the cigarette case on the table, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Smoke billowed from his nostrils, slowly spreading through the office like a thin layer of mist, obscuring his face but unable to conceal the gloom in his eyes.

Meanwhile, the same thing is happening simultaneously in several different parts of Lushi.

The reception area of ​​Blue Ocean Dive Shop at the pier was sealed off, and two uniformed staff members stood at the door, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.

Blue Ocean Dive Shop's branches in several popular tourist areas were also sealed off in accordance with the law, staff members were detained, and all computers, documents, and ledgers were moved into vehicles.

Several boats belonging to Blue Ocean Dive Shop that had just docked were immediately seized by the coast guard. No one on board was allowed to disembark, and they had to wait for investigators to board the boats to verify their identities and take statements.

The coaches are still at sea, and their boat is on its way back.

The injured coach lay on the sofa in the cabin, his wrist wrapped in bandages, a wet towel covering his face, and he was groaning in pain from time to time.

The tall coach sat next to him, holding a bottle of water, and occasionally dripping a few drops onto his lips.

Another instructor stood at the stern, facing the sea, a cigarette between his fingers. The smoke was blown away by the sea breeze and disappeared without a trace before it could take shape.

They had no idea what was happening on the shore.

No one could notify them. The ship's radio was on, but the only sounds on that channel were the rustling of the waves and the occasional calls from other ships.

It was already evening when the boat docked.

The sun hung in the western sky, its orange-red rays bathing the entire dock.

The captain moored the ship in its berth, turned off the engine, and the ship rocked slightly before becoming quiet.

There were many people standing on the dock, not tourists or onlookers, but people in uniform—coast guards, market regulators, tax officials, maritime personnel, and a few people in plainclothes who were clearly not ordinary people.

They stood motionless at the entrance to the dock, beside the berth, and on both sides of the passageway, waiting for the ship to dock.

The captain was the first to disembark.

He saw those people, their uniforms and expressions, paused for a moment, and then continued walking.

A man in a coast guard uniform stopped him, showed his identification, and said, "Are you the captain of Blue Ocean Diving Company? Please cooperate with the investigation. Your boat needs to be temporarily impounded, and no one on board is allowed to leave."

The captain didn't speak, he just nodded.

He turned around, facing the ship, and stood there quietly.

The tall coach was the second to disembark.

He helped his injured companion down the gangway step by step. The injured man's left arm was in a sling across his chest, wrapped in bandages, and his right hand was on the tall coach's shoulder. His legs were weak, and he needed the tall coach's support for each step.

They were stopped as soon as they stepped onto the dock.

A person in a market supervision uniform walked up to them, holding a document in his hand. He read a few lines, the gist of which was: You are suspected of engaging in dangerous activities against tourists underwater, violating relevant laws and regulations. It has been decided to conduct a compulsory investigation on you. Please cooperate.

The tall coach's face turned completely pale.

The injured coach suddenly stopped groaning and opened his eyes—eyes that were bloodshot.

He looked at the people in uniform, at the documents in their hands, at the expressionless faces, and then his body began to tremble, starting from his hands and spreading throughout his entire body.

When the other instructor came off the boat, he was still holding that cigarette in his hand. The cigarette had been extinguished, but the ash was still hanging on it, grayish-white, as if it might break at any moment.

He saw the people on the dock, slipped, and almost fell. The cigarette in his hand fell to the ground, and the ash scattered everywhere.

A man in plainclothes walked up to him, showed his identification, and then said sternly, "All complaints your company has received before will now be reopened for investigation. Cases that were previously dismissed due to lack of evidence will now be accepted as fact based on the content of the complaints. You know what you've done."