Evolving Infinitely From An E-Class Hero-Chapter 65: The Whistling Derrick

"In the ocean?"

Lady Phoenix eyes widened with surprise as Agent James Clark finished his statement. The air in the room was thick with tension as all four occupants exchanged glances, their brows furrowed, lips pressed into grim lines.

"Those poor people... they’d have nowhere to run," Liquid Crystal muttered, his face twisting into a grimace.

"If that’s really the case, they’re just rats in a floating trap. ’Greatest Calamity attack’ sounds about right," he added, but his words earned him a sharp glare from Lady Phoenix. She was giving him a warning, it was her way of telling him to keep his pessimism in check.

"Yes... We haven’t a moment to spare. But what worries me the most is—" James began, shuffling the papers scattered across the conference table.

"Sorry to cut you off, James, but we should hurry. We’ll cover the details on the way," Lady Phoenix interrupted, her tone firm. Without another word, she turned on her heels and strode purposefully toward the exit.

"O-of course! A helicopter is on by," James blurted out, scrambling to keep up. He turned to the man seated at the head of the table, adjusting his glasses. "We’ll be off, Mr. Secretary. Any final words?"

The Secretary barely looked up. "No, I don’t. Be safe, all of you," he said, his voice devoid of emotion, his gaze fixed on empty space.

***

Rooftop – Departure

Chop

Chop

Chop

Chop!

The rhythmic sound of chopper blades filled the night air atop the towering skyscraper.

Lady Phoenix, Liquid Crystal, and Agent Clark moved toward the helicopter’s entrance, heads lowered against the gusts of wind. They climbed in, strapped themselves into their seats, and within seconds, the aircraft lifted off, ascending into the stormy night sky.

Minutes of silence passed. Then, Agent Clark cleared his throat—a subtle cough to draw the two heroes attention.

"I’ll now begin your in-flight briefing," he said nervously.

Lady Phoenix and Liquid Crystal nodded in unison.

"At approximately 4 PM this afternoon, a naval base off the coast of Sector C received a distress call. The nature of the call was identified as a Calamity Creature attack onboard a vessel.

"It was later confirmed that the cruise ship The Whistling Derrick, carrying over 3,000 passengers and 500 crew members, was under siege."

Clark adjusted his glasses before continuing.

"The Whistling Derrick sails between Sector C and Sector F across the Atlantic. We still don’t know the full extent of the damage onboard, but because it was a Calamity attack, the Navy quickly reached out to us at the Sector C ISA Tower C for assistance.

"You two were the only heroes off duty, and since you were in Sector K at the time, the government couldn’t afford to wait for your return before taking action.

"Thus, the Navy deployed a joint task force—a unit of SEALs alongside a specialized team from the ISA.

"Together, they launched an operation with nine submarines. The task force reached the ship at 8 PM. However, all communications with them ceased just 30 minutes later."

Lady Phoenix let out a heavy sigh, loud enough to momentarily halt Clark’s speech.

"Are they still in combat?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Clark hesitated before answering. "We don’t know. If they were simply out of contact, we’d have picked up some kind of distress signal. But there’s been nothing. Which means..."

"There’s only one logical conclusion," Jayden interjected grimly. "The entire task force was annihilated in under 30 minutes."

Clark didn’t respond. Instead, he adjusted his glasses again and took a deep breath before pressing on.

"There’s one more pressing concern. The Whistling Derrick is operating on an automatic navigation system. It’s currently en route to the shores of Sector C, its original docking point.

"If the Calamity creatures remain on board when it arrives, they’ll have direct access to the mainland.

"As a precaution, F-150 fighter jets equipped with tactical nuclear warheads have been deployed. If necessary, the President Viola Travis is prepared to authorize a strike."

A tense silence settled in the helicopter.

"With no way of knowing how many people are still alive onboard, we’re in a dire predicament," Clark finished, his voice heavy with frustration. He bent forward, elbows on his knees, his head lowered.

"Your mission Lady Phoenix and Liquid Crystal is to determine the cause of the task force black out, to determine and rescue as much survivors as possible and finally to eliminate the Calamity Creatures"

Lady Phoenix glanced out the window. The night sky was restless—lightning streaked through the thick clouds, illuminating the ocean below in split-second flashes. Raindrops pattered against the glass, and the chopper blades continued slicing through the storm.

Her gaze sharpened. A dim glow emerged on the horizon—a floating mass breaking the darkness of the ocean.

"We’re here," she announced.

They immediately began undoing their seat belts, securing their equipment for the mission.

"Open the door," Lady Phoenix commanded.

Clark hesitated. "But... We’re a thousand feet above sea level. Shouldn’t we move closer for a safer landing?"

She didn’t even look at him. "I wasn’t talking to you."

She locked eyes with Liquid Crystal

Without a word, he grabbed the helicopter’s door handle, swung it open, and leaped out of the helicopter.

Lady Phoenix followed close behind him.

Boom!

They both landed on the deck of the massive cruise ship.

Raindrops tapped vigorously against their shoulders as they surveyed the eerie landscape.

Half of the ship’s lights were dead, while the remaining ones flickered weakly, casting a dim, unsettling glow over the deck.

Across the front deck, corpses lay scattered—bodies twisted unnaturally, their blood mixing with the rain, forming a thick, bloody pool that slowly drained toward the edge.

The heroes exchanged glances, taking in the gruesome scene before them.

"Hmmm... You thinking what I’m thinking, Jayden?"

Lady Phoenix spoke as she cautiously stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement.

"Yes, boss... Only a Calamity Creature could have done this... These creatures showed up out of nowhere and are already pulling out S-Class heroes like you and Golden Guardian from your caccons," Jayden Fox replied briskly.

"Tch! To think I would enjoy my night at a royal ball in Sector K..." Lady Phoenix snickered.

Just then, Agent James Clark’s voice crackled in their earpieces.

>"What’s the situation down there?"

"Hmmm... Looks like the Calamity Creatures wiped out the task force you sent earlier," Sonia reported.

>"Oh dear God... Bless their souls," Clark murmured, his voice heavy with grief.

>"You’ll need to confirm if there are any survivors, and eliminate the creatures before they find them."

Lady Phoenix turned to Liquid Crystal, "Judging by the size of the cruise ship, we’ll have to split up. I’ll take the lower decks, and you’ll handle the upper ones."

>"Uh... Huh! It would be ideal to move as a unit, so you can fight the creature together. If you separate, whoever encounters it first will be forced to fight it alone!"

Agent Clark’s urgent tone crackled through their earpieces, but Lady Phoenix shook her head.

"Hmph! We don’t have a choice. We don’t even know if there are survivors yet. Speed is our only weapon."

With that, she sprinted toward the edge of the deck and leaped off, sliding down the ship’s side like a raindrop. At the last moment, she swung her fist into the metal hull, puncturing it with the force of a cannonball.

Bang!

With her bare hands, she pried the hole wider until she could squeeze through.

"I’m in... All I see are piles of boxes," she muttered, steadying her breathing.

>"Sounds like you’re in the storage room—that’s on the fourth basement level," Agent Clark responded.

She took cautious steps forward, scanning the area.

"No bodies here... This place looks practically untouched."

Meanwhile, Liquid Crystal had already reached the upper decks. He moved swiftly through the captain’s control center, his sharp gaze sweeping from left to right.

"I’ve checked the bridge, the engine room, and the control room... More bodies here than I can count," he reported nonchalantly, stepping over the lifeless forms sprawled across the blood-slicked floor.

"A hellish view, if you ask me..."

Then—he heard it.

A faint, wheezing grunt.