Chapter 260: Revelry's Sudden Halt, the Nightmare Begins

East Ocean Empire, Sasebo Naval Base, Banquet Hall of the First Combined Fleet Command Headquarters.

Just a few minutes ago, the banquet hall was still filled with laughter and clinking glasses, but now it had fallen into a deathly silence. The cheerful music had long stopped, the smiles on the guests' faces froze, and they stood there, either shocked or bewildered, at a loss.

The air seemed to have solidified, heavy enough to make one breathless. On the floor, the shards of the shattered crystal glass and the golden champagne liquid glared especially brightly under the bright lights, silently speaking of what had just happened.

At the center of the banquet hall, the Supreme Commander of the First Combined Fleet, General Ōkuchi Den'nana, had a face as pale as paper, with a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

The dignity and confidence he had long held from his high position had vanished completely, replaced by extreme shock and barely concealed panic.

"Say it again! What did you say?!'' He grabbed the young communications officer's collar, his voice hoarse as he snarled, eyes like he wanted to devour someone, "What do you mean we can't make contact?! Is it equipment failure? Or weather interference?! Immediately get me through to the Naval Ministry! Order the Sasebo and Kure Naval Aviation Corps to take off at once and head to the designated sea area to search!"

"Sir…… we have tried every method……'' The communications officer trembled all over from fear, but still forced himself to report in fragments, "Backup radio, emergency frequencies, signal lights…… all…… all had no response! It was…… as if they had completely vanished from the sea surface! The duty room also contacted the meteorological department; tonight that sea area…… was calm with no abnormal weather reports!"

General Ōkuchi Den'nana suddenly released his grip, staggered back two steps, almost falling, but was promptly steadied by his adjutant beside him. He looked around, seeing faces all filled with the same shock and unease.

"Keep calling! Call without cease!'' He roared at another staff officer who had rushed over, "Use maximum power! Employ every means possible, we must contact Yamaguchi! We must!"

The duty officer's face was equally grim; he lowered his head and reported, "Sir, it's been over an hour and a half since we lost contact, we've tried all known methods…… I'm afraid…… I'm afraid……" He didn't dare say the rest, but his heavy tone said everything.

All calls were like stones sinking into the sea.

No response.

No signal.

Nothing at all.

The fact struck General Ōkuchi Den'nana's heart like a cold boulder——the special mixed sub-fleet led by the empire's strongest battleship, the "Nagato," carrying the empire's glory and absolute confidence, had truly…… lost contact! In enemy waters, communication was completely cut off!

The other officers in the command headquarters also gradually came to their senses from the initial shock. After a brief silence, low, repressed murmurs began to spread through the crowd.

"How could this happen? The "Nagato"…… and the Yamaguchi Commander……"

"Could it be an ambush by the Chinese? Impossible! They don't have that kind of strength!"

"Could it be…… they ran aground? Or suffered a serious internal accident?"

"Fifteen capital ships…… and all those auxiliary vessels…… how could they all lose contact at once? This is too strange……"

Their faces were filled with disbelief and deep unease. In their view, the imperial navy was invincible, especially when facing the backward Great Dry Navy. How could a formidable fleet like the "Nagato" just silently vanish into the vast ocean while carrying out something akin to an "armed cruise" mission?

This completely exceeded their comprehension; an ominous foreboding, like a cold poisonous snake, began to coil around everyone's hearts.

The banquet ended completely, the tables littered with cups and plates left unattended. This night at Sasebo Naval Base was destined to be sleepless. The foam of revelry was ruthlessly shattered by harsh reality, leaving only pervasive dread and the torment of awaiting final judgment.

The deathly silence was shattered by a furious roar and a tremendous bang!

"Bakayarō!!!"

Ōkuchi Den'nana slammed his fist onto the chart table before him; the hard wooden surface let out a painful groan. His whole person was like an enraged lion, eyes bloodshot, veins bulging, where was any trace of his former composure and pride?

Now his complexion was ashen, lips cracked, hair somewhat disheveled; that expression was wan and ferocious, like one bereaved of parents.

"Lost contact?! An entire special mixed fleet! The empire's finest "Nagato"! Two "Fusō"! Plus four "Myōkō" and eight "Fubuki"! Fifteen capital ships in total! Just…… vanished without a trace?!'' He panted, roaring at the silent officers around him, spit flying, "Tell me! How is this possible?! This is absolutely impossible!"

He could not accept it! He would not believe it!

How much painstaking effort did the establishment and maintenance of the East Ocean Empire Navy cost the empire?! Not just steel and coal! It was the countless citizens tightening their belts in contribution, and those "Iron Ladies" who bore the empire's mission, crossed oceans, endured humiliation abroad, shedding blood and tears to earn precious foreign exchange and military funds!

Even the nobles in the palace set an "example" for this! All this unimaginable "sacrifice", could it really be for this fleet to simply vanish without a trace in the face of a mere Chinese warlord at sea?!

He seemed to hear those "Iron Ladies" weeping silently in a distant foreign land; their sacrifices, their "dedication", could they really have been exchanged for such an outcome?!

"Lin Yu…… Lin Yu……'' Ōkuchi Den'nana gritted his teeth, the name grinding between them, his eyes filled with bone-deep hatred and…… a hint of fear he himself refused to admit, hidden beneath his anger.

"A mere regional warlord, hiding in a corner! A mud-legged upstart who climbed up by opportunism! What does he rely on?! What ability does he have?! How could he make the empire's fleet, founded on such "sacrifice", just disappear into thin air?!"

Ōkuchi Den'nana swept his arm, knocking over an empty wine cup on the table, and shouted hoarsely, "This is definitely not a battle! He doesn't deserve it! It must be an accident! Fatal sea conditions! Mechanical failure! Or…… or…… a sneaky attack by other Great Powers! But it absolutely cannot be that Lin Yu! He lacks the strength! He is utterly unworthy to let the empire's fleet, the blood and sweat of those "Iron Ladies", be destroyed in his hands!"

He seemed to be convincing himself, yet also issuing orders to his subordinates. He outright refused to accept defeat, especially against an opponent he looked down upon. This loss was too great—great enough that it was not merely a military defeat, but a heavy blow to some dark cornerstone on which the empire relied to function.

He would rather believe any bizarre cause than admit that the naval power the empire had built at such cost could actually be defeated by a "jumping clown" in his eyes.

In the hall, no one dared to oppose the furious commander at this moment. Yet many officers' eyes had already been shadowed. No matter how the commander roared or refused to believe, a cold hard fact lay before them: that mighty fleet had indeed vanished. And what that signified was enough to make everyone present shiver.

The empire's naval myth seemed, on this night, to have revealed its first shocking crack.