The world had been paying attention to the situation within the Divine Realm from the moment the typhoon appeared. However, the typhoon made it difficult for satellites to observe the battlefield under normal circumstances. It was only after the typhoon subsided that people learned one thing: the Divine Realm, which was located over the ocean, had suddenly begun to move again. No news had come from within the Divine Realm, and the fleets of various countries had suffered heavy losses.
China's aircraft carrier was unharmed, but all other warships had been sunk. This was considered the most fortunate outcome because, during the earlier attack by sea beasts, many ships had been sunk before they could even retaliate. Underwater guided weapons were rendered useless, while the sea beasts could unleash various abilities, especially those that controlled water currents. Flipping a ship over was a simple matter for them.
However, people still wanted to know about the events within the Divine Realm. What everyone cared about most was how the battle inside the Divine Realm had gone.
No one knew what had happened in the Divine Realm because no one had entered it, nor did anyone know the state of the battle within.
During the second operation to salvage the meteorite, countries had already lost hope. The ocean was the domain of sea beasts, and how could fighting in their territory end well? The complete lack of news from the Divine Realm at this time almost certainly meant that the second operation had also failed; otherwise, it wouldn't be like this.
Far away in Yuzhou, Chang Jianyi and Chu Zhaoyan were also worried about Shen Feng. They knew that Shen Feng had set out this time to salvage the meteorite, and then he encountered a sudden typhoon within the Divine Realm. Under such circumstances, whether he could survive was uncertain.
Fortunately, three days later, Yuzhou managed to contact Wang Aoye. Wang Aoye was also at the scene, and they were bound to know something about the situation.
As a result, after contacting Wang Aoye, Wang Aoye replied, "I don't know anything about what's happening in the Divine Realm right now. I ran away early during the second typhoon attack. Even so, six of my brothers fell into the sea. Before we left, Shen Feng and Li Keyi hadn't left yet. They can fly, so they should be fine as long as they don't descend. Also, there were too many sea beasts at the time, about fifty or sixty. I'm not sure about the specific details."
Wang Aoye was the first person they could contact. Besides Yuzhou contacting him, many other forces were also reaching out to him. After all, he was the first man to emerge from the Divine Realm and must have possessed firsthand information. It was most appropriate to question him at this time.
However, in reality, Wang Aoye had barely managed to escape. One of his modified cargo ships had already sunk, resulting in heavy losses. Wang Aoye did not participate in the subsequent battles, so he knew nothing.
Wang Aoye wrote down the details of the battle in the Divine Realm and posted them online. Anyone who wanted to know the news could find it there, which finally brought him some peace.
Upon learning about what everyone had encountered at sea, Chang Jianyi and Chu Zhaoyan were temporarily relieved. After all, Shen Feng and Li Keyi were unharmed before Wang Aoye left, which meant that their chances of survival were very high.
Next, a signal came from the coral forest. It was a call from Ke Yiming. After killing a giant sea turtle, Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe finally emerged. They then began contacting headquarters, hoping that headquarters would come to pick them up quickly.
The aircraft carrier returned to the coral forest. The electromagnetic field had disappeared, and the aircraft carrier could enter. However, they had to be careful of reefs; hitting coral could cause damage. Headquarters issued an order for the two to search the coral forest for surviving ability users and report the situation at all times.
After hanging up the phone, Ke Yiming couldn't help but say to Yun Laizhe, "Ah Zhe, headquarters doesn't treat us as their own. They were already retreating when they encountered the typhoon, and they didn't even notify us. Before, the captain of the cruiser would at least give us a message in a bottle. Now, there isn't even a message in a bottle."
Yun Laizhe shrugged helplessly and said, "Who told us that ability users are expendable? Aren't we always the ones who have to do the dangerous things?"
The two felt helpless and then began searching the coral forest for companions. Several inflatable boats in the sea were still intact. Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe cut off a hundred catties of turtle meat and set off. They rowed through the coral forest, searching for anyone who might still be alive.
The coral forest was in ruins after the battle, and with the destruction caused by the typhoon, broken planks were scattered everywhere. Even though the sea beasts had left, seeing the aftermath of the battle, the two felt a sense of shock.
"Ke Yiming, look quickly, there are still sea beast corpses on the water. This shows that Captain and the others have strong combat power. They managed to kill quite a few sea beasts in desperation. Perhaps Captain and the others are still alive now," Yun Laizhe suddenly saw huge dark shadows on a patch of sea. These shadows were also giant sea beasts, but they were now dead. Small fish appeared, feeding on the corpses of the sea beasts.
Ke Yiming quickly nodded and said, "It seems that some people might have survived after the battle. If that's the case, we can still earn merit. Being able to return alive from the sea twice already proves our current strength."
Very few people survived returning from the sea, especially after being attacked by sea beasts. Two years ago, after an attack by sea beasts, only one-tenth of the people survived. It was unknown how many could be found this time.
Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe immediately searched the sea beast corpses for evolution crystals, but they unexpectedly discovered that the evolution crystals in the heads of these sea beasts had mostly been taken away. Upon realizing this, the two suddenly understood one thing: there were likely other people alive in this sea area.
Finally, after rowing their boat, they found Gong Changfa on a coral island. Gong Changfa looked very disheveled, his hair messy, and he seemed to have lost all his spirit. He was unharmed, but his entire demeanor had become gloomy.
"Captain, I've come to pick you up. Are you alright? Where are the others?" Yun Laizhe shouted to Gong Changfa on the island.
Gong Changfa finally looked up. Seeing Yun Laizhe appear, a smile appeared on his face, but it was a bitter smile. It seemed that Gong Changfa was not feeling well at this moment.
"Ah Zhe, you're still alive? I thought all our brothers were dead. It's good that you're alive!" Gong Changfa said, tears welling up.
Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe did not expect such a thing to happen. Gong Changfa was a dignified man, yet he was crying at this moment. They couldn't imagine what this man had gone through. If he hadn't experienced a great change, he wouldn't be so heartbroken.
"Captain, don't cry. If you think everyone from the Chosen Bureau is dead, we can rebuild it. I still have an evolution crystal here, which can cultivate twenty ability users. Don't be sad, I'll help you rebuild the Chosen Bureau," Yun Laizhe quickly comforted Gong Changfa. He and Gong Changfa were childhood friends, and he didn't want to see Gong Changfa dejected.
However, upon hearing this, Gong Changfa said, "Forget it. I don't want to form the Chosen Bureau anymore. When I return to China, I'll find a small or medium-sized city to guard. In short, I'll never go out to sea again. As for headquarters' missions, I won't participate anymore. I plan to live out the rest of my life in a small place."
Ke Yiming also persuaded him, "Don't be so pessimistic. Headquarters doesn't have many ability users under them now. At this time, you are a powerful combat force, and headquarters cannot ignore you. You still have a chance to make a comeback!"
"It's not that I don't have a chance. You don't understand. I've watched my subordinates be annihilated twice. The first time was okay; Xun Yan was at least alive. But now, Xun Yan is also dead. I watched my brothers die with my own eyes, and the organization I personally built was destroyed. I'm disheartened. Don't try to persuade me anymore. Ah Zhe, after I leave, if you rebuild the Chosen Bureau, you will definitely be the captain. Do a good job then." Gong Changfa explained. He was tired of being the captain of the Chosen Bureau.
Yun Laizhe quickly said, "No, no, I can't. I'm not as capable as you, Captain. I just muddle along in normal times. How can I have the ability to manage a team? If you don't plan to form the Chosen Bureau, I also plan to find a city to retire in."
Ke Yiming took the opportunity to invite him, "Then come with me to Jinling. This place is great. It's an ancient capital of six dynasties, and there are countless delicacies. Then, the two of us brothers will live there. Isn't that a wonderful thing?"
Gong Changfa had been feeling uneasy. Although he survived the night of the sea beast attack, after this great battle, he had realized that it was his own competitive spirit that led him to want to complete the mission, thus implicating his brothers. Their deaths were inseparable from him. Thinking of this, Gong Changfa felt the urge to retire and find a small city to garrison. If mutated beasts appeared, he would kill them; if mutated birds attacked, he would resist them. In the future, he would never go out to sea again.
Gong Changfa's attitude was very firm at this moment. It was clear that he had made up his mind to retire. Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe couldn't persuade him further. They then took Gong Changfa with them and continued searching in the sea.
Their search indeed found quite a few people. Xiao Sheng was still alive but injured, with both arms broken. It would likely take one to two months to recover. Jin Zijiue and Qin Kewe were on an island. According to Jin Zijiue, Qin Kewe had saved him at a critical moment. He had been so weak and powerless that he couldn't even swim. Fortunately, Qin Kewe had saved Jin Zijiue and brought him ashore.
Upon seeing Ke Yiming and Yun Laizhe, Xiao Sheng couldn't help but ask, "Have you seen Shen Feng? Is he still alive?"
Ke Yiming shook his head and said, "I haven't seen him, but don't worry. Shen Feng had previously escaped successfully at sea with Yue Hengyi. In this situation, Shen Feng must have experience. He should be alive, especially since he can walk on water."
Xiao Sheng couldn't help but sigh, "There are always people better than you. After this battle, I realized how weak I am. In the future, if I can become stronger, I will definitely get revenge! I don't believe that humans are truly no match for sea beasts."
Compared to the dispirited Gong Changfa, Xiao Sheng was now motivated. He still wanted to rebuild the Ability Administration Bureau and one day take revenge.
The group then searched the coral forest and found several ability users who were lucky enough to be alive. Unfortunately, they were all foreign ability users. With the intention of caring for them, they took these people with them, preparing to return by aircraft carrier.
Xiao Sheng felt a sense of unease because Shen Feng had not been found. Returning to the country without him seemed difficult to explain to Shen Yu. However, they had searched the nearby sea areas, and Shen Feng truly couldn't be found. At this moment, his unease seemed to have become a reality.