The two women waited for about half an hour. After that, the gate of the base opened again.
The naval chief walked out, and Nelly immediately greeted him. Her eyes were filled with anticipation. However, the naval chief's next words poured a bucket of cold water on her.
"I told my superiors the story you told me truthfully, but it was so absurd that it was hard to believe."
"What about the photos? Did you show them the photos? "
"Of course," the naval chief nodded. "Those photos are indeed surprising, but they only prove that there is a real underwater ruin near Yonaguni Island. This is something that the archaeologists should worry about. Besides, we don't know if these photos are forged."
Nelly's heart sank when she heard the naval chief's words.
But then she heard the naval chief say, "Even so, we just asked the hotel, airport, dive shop, and the ship that sent you back. We learned that you did have a companion. He didn't come back after diving with you. In the spirit of humanitarianism, the Self-Defense Forces agreed to transfer some manpower to help you search the nearby waters."
"How many people?" Nelly's hope was rekindled.
"Two patrol boats. Including me, there are a total of 25 members of the Naval Self-Defense Forces."
"There are too few of us," Nelly shook her head. "And we are no match for those monsters in the water."
"Unfortunately, this is the most we can send," the naval chief said. After a pause, he continued, "We will bring some weapons with us. This is the greatest help I can provide you within the scope of my duties."
Nelly knew that this was the best offer they could get.
Perhaps only after seeing the underwater palace with their own eyes would these Self-Defense Forces soldiers change their minds.
Just when Nelly was about to express her gratitude to the naval chief, she suddenly heard Han Lu ask in English, "Where is the camera?"
"It's in the hands of the people behind us. I will return the camera to you after boarding the ship." Without waiting for Nelly to translate, the naval chief answered in English. After that, he looked at Han Lu. "Any other questions?"
Although Han Lu still felt that something was wrong, she could only shake her head. Perhaps, as Nelly said, when these soldiers really saw the undersea tunnel and what was underneath, they would believe what they said before.
"Saving people is like fighting a fire. Let's go now," the naval chief said.
…
Arriving at the navy's dedicated dock, Nelly could not help but feel conflicted when she saw the endless sea. After the dive, it was difficult for her to love this blue sea without reservation like before. She even had to shake her head hard to drive the fear out of her heart.
The two patrol boats of the Self-Defense Forces were already ready, and they were filled with soldiers. In addition to the regular navy soldiers, there were also some frogmen with diving equipment.
Nelly also got a little sense of security from those determined faces.
The naval chief brought the two women to one of the patrol boats and arranged for them to sit in the cockpit. This was to make it easier for them to guide the way. As soon as they sat down, Han Lu asked, "Can we return the camera now?"
"Of course." After that, he gestured for a soldier to return Nelly's underwater camera to the two women. However, not long after Han Lu took the camera, her expression changed.
"Where's the SD card?"
"We have detained the SD card. As I said before, we need to verify the authenticity of those photos," the naval chief said. "After the identification, we will naturally return the SD card to you. If you need it, I can give you a blank card first."
"But why don't you make a copy of the photos and return the SD card to us?" Han Lu asked.
The naval chief took a deep look at Han Lu, but he did not answer.
In the end, it was Nelly who came out to smooth things over. "It's okay. Anyway, the Self-Defense Forces have already sent people. I don't care if you return the SD card later. Everyone's goal is the same, and that is to solve this crisis as soon as possible."
Han Lu looked at the soldiers outside the cockpit who were armed to the teeth and said nothing.
The speedboat soon arrived at the place where Nelly and the other two dived. After that, Nelly and Han Lu found the reef where they got out of trouble based on their memory.
But this time, there was no need to send the frogmen to dive. They could see that there was no undersea tunnel below.
In fact, it was basically a reef beach. Other than the reefs that were exposed above the water surface, there were also reefs under the water. Not to mention a passage that could accommodate a sperm whale, even a slightly larger dolphin would probably be stuck inside.
Nelly's eyes widened. "This … How is this possible?! We clearly escaped from here in the afternoon! "
"Are you sure you remember correctly?" the naval chief asked.
"Yes, I remember that reef. It looks like … a saddle, and the reef next to it looks like an onion," Nelly said.
"It's here," Han Lu said in English. "I will never forget this place."
"But where is the undersea palace you mentioned?" The naval chief frowned.
"It should be here. Through that huge undersea tunnel, the mysterious and terrifying undersea palace is below." When Nelly said that, she seemed to recall what happened below, and she could not help but shiver.
The naval chief shook his head. "When you told me the story just now, to be honest, I didn't quite believe it. Let's not talk about the magical and weird parts. Just talking about the undersea tunnel and the palace … As the diving guide here, you should know very well that this area has always been a very popular diving spot. Every year, a lot of divers will come here during the peak season. If there really is an undersea tunnel and palace below, do you think no one has discovered it until today?"
"This …" Nelly was stunned. She had to admit that what the naval chief said made sense. Just a few hours ago, she did escape from here.
But now it seemed like all of this was just an illusion.
Could it be that this was all the influence of the red sea? But how could she solve the problem that she and Han Lu happened to have the same hallucination? And where did Zhang Heng go after that? Was he just an illusion too?
Nelly looked around blankly. She could no longer tell what was reality and what was her delusion.
The naval chief was quite patient. He then said in English, "The reason why I brought people here even though I know you are lying is that some of your companions are missing. But if you keep telling me about monsters and undersea palaces, believe me, it will not help you find your companions."
He looked into Nelly's eyes. "I want to help you, but first, you have to tell me what happened underwater."
Nelly opened her mouth, but she could not say a word.
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