Early morning in the Strait of Gibraltar.

On the side close to the Mediterranean, there are many ships docked at the port of the seaside city of Gibraltar.

They were all ships preparing to travel from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, waiting to cross this strait.

Before the construction of the Suez Canal.

The Strait of Gibraltar is the lifeline of the maritime economy of the countries bordering the Mediterranean.

Even now there is another outlet in the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, which provides the closest route from Europa to nearby lands in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific.

However, the Strait of Gibraltar still plays an important role in the world's maritime economy, given the distance and cargo capacity.

After all, the artificially dug Suez Canal is too narrow and shallow, and it is not possible for ships wishing to go to the Atlantic Ocean to go out of the Suez Canal and then go south around the entire African continent to the Atlantic.

That's not realistic.

So.

In an era when maritime shipping was still needed.

The Strait of Gibraltar is always home to a large number of ships.

It will always be an important hub for maritime shipping for countries at the junction of Asia, Europe and Africa.

And this morning.

Many ships were still docked at the city of Gibraltar and had not yet been notified of the passage by the Strait of Gibraltar Authority.

Next to a cargo ship moored at the port.

A few yellow-skinned seafarers from China gathered in a small restaurant in Lingang, chatting with each other boringly over breakfast.

They were a cargo ship that had come to trade in the Mediterranean, preparing to travel south from West Africa through the Strait of Gibraltar to trade with some African countries.

Then after rounding the entire African continent, go back to China via the Strait of Malacca.

Only this morning.

The people of the Strait of Gibraltar Administration Office have been slow to let them go.

So much so that now a bunch of ships from various countries in the Mediterranean zone are crowded and waiting in the city port of Gibraltar.

A few of their seamen, who had drunk a little wine and didn't eat last night, also got off the ship and found a place to eat.

"The Spaniards and the group of people who never set the sun are hypocritical, and the simple work of real-time satellite shooting has to let people go to the field to investigate the fog situation."

The bearded sailor took a bite of paella, and then couldn't help but complain.

Seafarers who frequent the Strait of Gibraltar know that foggy weather is prone to in spring and autumn, and that they need to be explored before they can be released.

This app is really necessary.

After all, fog is still a relatively troublesome thing for maritime shipping, and there is a certain degree of danger in it.

But this group of people from the Strait of Gibraltar Administration.

Stick to the old method that has been used for hundreds of years, and let the manual confirm the fog situation.

Although the commissioners responsible for checking the fog situation will live directly in specific houses on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar in the spring and autumn seasons, so that they can complete the survey of their sections as soon as possible each day.

But it's still a long process.

Generally, the survey can be completed from before dawn in the early morning until about seven or eight o'clock in the morning.

"To be honest, no matter how slow the manual survey is, it should be over at this time."

"Is it a release or a restriction? If the traffic is restricted, what time will it be released? ”

"Why didn't you notice at all?"

Another Sven seafarer, who was wearing glasses, frowned, sensing something was wrong.

Looking out through the dining room window.

Countless ships are waiting in the city's harbor.

Seafarers from all over the world wander around this port city, rejuvenating the boredom of their journey at sea.

He ignored the bustle for a moment.

Look a little further.

At the departure port, we go toward the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar Mediterranean.

There seems to be a vague feeling.

This made the bespectacled seafarer frown.

"Da Chun, bring the telescope that your mother gave me to use."

The bespectacled seafarer patted his companion beside him, who was only looking down to eat, and extended his hand to him.

And the man who was called Da Chun was stunned.

Then he put down the Iberian ham in his hand.

After wiping the fragrant grease on his hands, he pulled out a palm-sized monocular from his pocket and handed it to his partner.

A seafarer with glasses takes the binoculars.

Then he put it on and looked through the window into the distance that had seemed a little hazy before.

This time.

The scene that had previously felt hazy suddenly became clear.

The distance is narrowed.

The bespectacled seafarer saw a faint fog on the horizon, and a little farther away the fog was even whiter and denser.

A cursory look.

The entire area behind the Mediterranean entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar appears to be covered in fog.

This has never been seen before.

The Strait of Gibraltar in the spring and autumn does produce heavy fog.

In spring, foggy weather occurs due to the temperature difference between the water surface of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the convergence of warm and humid air currents overhead.

But.

It's just foggy weather, and reduced visibility makes navigation dangerous.

It's not the fog of war.

And it doesn't take you away from your vision entirely.

But no matter how impossible it is, what you see with your own eyes will not deceive.

The Strait of Gibraltar in the distance.

Probably there are some special circumstances.

So much so that there was a fog thick enough to deprive it of all vision.

It also spread all the way to the entrance in the distance.

This indicates that the Strait of Gibraltar after the entrance may have been foggy for the entire length of the road.

Due to this special situation, the people of the Strait of Gibraltar Administration are now unable to take care of their ships waiting to enter.

Silence.

The bespectacled seafarer swallowed.

With a hint of confusion, he said, "Guys, I guess something is wrong." ”

said.

He handed the telescope to his companion.

After everyone watched it, they all subconsciously stopped eating.

"What's going on?"

"Would you like to contact someone from the Strait of Gibraltar Administration and ask?"

The bearded seafarer swallowed the paella in his mouth, and then made such a suggestion with a solemn face.

As an old den who has been sailing at sea for many years.

He understood all too well the effects of natural phenomena on their ocean-going vessels.

Even if it's an aircraft carrier.

In the event of a super typhoon, you have to rest.

Of course.

The aircraft carrier has a group of frigates, unmanned aerial vehicles, and satellite guidance to assist in avoiding typhoons in real time.

It is impossible to sink in a typhoon.

But these ordinary ships are different, no matter how large the tonnage is, they are afraid of extreme weather.

Accidentally.

Maybe it will become a skeleton in the vast ocean.

As a veteran seafarer who has experienced many heavy rains, sudden cyclones, and foggy weather.

He swore by his beard.

No celestial phenomenon should be underestimated.

For now, it's best to ask about the situation and then contact the captain to return to the Mediterranean.

"I know a strait inspector whose sun never sets, so I'll try to get in touch."

Seafarers wearing glasses tried to make a phone call.

Select the contact with the note "Gibraltar-Hunt" on your mobile phone to make a call.

I just don't know what's going on.

There was no response for a long time.

Listening to the busy sound of the missed phone, the faces of several people around him became a little nervous.

In silence.

Just listen to the many people in the harbor outside the window exclaiming.

There was a lot of noise all at once.

The people followed the prestige.

It turned out that the fog was so thick that it could be seen with the naked eye.

These people in the city port of Gibraltar clearly saw that the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar in the distance was engulfed by fog little by little.

Such an overwhelming fog.

It makes everyone feel a little uneasy.

Suppressed emotions spread.

Fortunately, the fog blocked the entrance pass and then stopped.

No more pervasive devouring like before.

Many people who knew the staff of the Gibraltar Strait Administration tried to make a phone call.

However, there was no reply.

……………………………………

Strait of Gibraltar Administration, Entrance Gates.

There would have been a permanent staff of several hundred staff members who would manage ships coming from the Mediterranean to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Their job is to register, pay fees, check qualifications, and maintain order in the strait.

Only now.

Everyone looked at the fog outside the closed doors and windows and fell into deep thought.

Of course.

More than contemplation, there is more horror.

Because of them in the fog, all communication tools seem to be useless.

This fog can indeed make people fall into it and not come back.

This situation seems to be explained by more than a simple thick fog.

More because of earlier.

It seems that someone expected such a future.

In that person's description.

It seems that in addition to this strange mist, there is also a miraculous wall?

Some of the frightened people did not dare to go out.

Staying in the room with the doors and windows closed, all kinds of thoughts kept flashing through everyone's minds.

In particular, the people who had come into contact with that Rip Hunt earlier looked at a certain lounge not far away.

It's just that under the gaze of a fat-headed and big-eared leader, everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

……

In the wee hours of this morning.

In fact, a strait inspector with cold sweat on his forehead and soaked all over his body came here tremblingly.

His name is Rip Hunt.

is one of the employees here.

It's just that he was supposed to patrol on both sides of the strait this morning, but he was embarrassed and covered in dust, and appeared at the entrance gate.

He shouted that there was an important message to be conveyed.

According to him, he didn't know where his phone had fallen after the earthquake, so he had to rush over to deliver the message.

After the officer on duty let him in, he heard a very outrageous message from his mouth.

[A miraculous wall appears out of thin air]

[And then there is a strange fog that is extremely thick and constantly filled.] After staying in the fog for a while, he will be exhausted, and the fog seems to be able to isolate the signal, Rip Hunt did not dare to try any other reaction, so he immediately left the fog and continued to come.

Such a description made the staff on duty confused.

According to Rip Hunt's account, the wall was at least a few hundred meters high and more than a dozen kilometers long.

But this is completely impossible.

Even if it is impossible to verify it now because of the foggy weather in the middle of the strait, the officer on duty can be sure that this is an impossible story.

Been in the Strait of Gibraltar for so many years.

How have you ever seen such a magnificent building?!

Even throughout the history of mankind, it is impossible to have such a huge bluestone wall that is at least ten kilometers long and hundreds of meters high.

If any.

It was a miracle!

And the so-called weird fog is completely unnecessary.

in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Heavy fog is the norm in spring and autumn.

This time it seems to be a bit richer, but there's no need to worry.

It's just a fog.

The big deal is the temporary ban on boats coming in and out.

What impact can it have?

Combined with Rip Hunter's crazy and mentally abnormal appearance, the officer on duty decisively decided that this Hunter was fooling around.

After several attempts to persuade to no avail.

The officers on duty locked him up in a break room.

Later, the Rip Hunter shouted that he had seen a ship flying secretly into the Channel by a giant wall, which could be used to prove his truth.

Only when it called out the number and characteristics of the ship.

The fat-headed and big-eared Spanish leader in a certain management office immediately walked into the lounge with a black face.

And then.

Rip Hunt, who was already simply handcogged by one hand, was gagged with a cotton cloth by the fat-headed and big-eared leader.

Then the leader ordered:

"The wee hours of the morning are forbidden periods, there can be no boat in the Strait of Gibraltar, this man is obviously mentally ill!"

"Anyone who comes into contact with this psychopath needs to report it to me!"

Since then.

Everyone went back to work.

Leave behind the dusty, nervous, gibberish-talking psychosis who came in the early hours of the morning.

Nobody cares about that person.

No one cared about those words.

Until later.

When a thick, indeed somewhat unusual fog filled the distance.

When the rest of the Strait Inspectors in the fog still did not reply.

Those who have seen Rip Hunt can't help but chuckle inwardly.

Everything seems to have come true?

The fog that gradually filled over made all those in the know shiver.

Even the leader who was worried about his bribery and gagged Rip Hunt couldn't help but have a ridiculous idea.

Maybe......

Is that Rip Hunt telling true?

There was a moment of silence.

The fat-headed, big-eared leader with a background sent an unwitting staff member into the fog.

But the staff never returned.

There was no response when contacted using a communication device.

Those in the know immediately understood everything.

There was no need for the fat-headed, big-eared leader and dead pig to scream at everyone to close the windows and doors, they rushed back into the house and closed all the doors and windows.

The rest of the team also realized that something was wrong and immediately followed into the house.

Everything happened too fast.

It's too late to sail out of here.

only had time to send a text message to the outside world asking for help before the fog was completely covered, and they all went into the houses where the isolation measures were urgently prepared.

Soon.

The fog covered all the rooms, enveloping the entire Strait of Gibraltar Administration and the entrance pass.

Let everything around you be shrouded in rich white.

time, spent in panic.

……

Soon, it was now.

Most people are waiting for rescue in a panic.

They tried again and again to reach out to the outside world, but to no avail.

They looked at the fog that was isolated from the window, and they were a little overwhelmed.

And those in the know frequently looked at the closed lounge.

In the wee hours of the morning, they thought that Rip Hunter, who was locked up in this common room at the moment, was a psychopath, so they didn't listen much to his so-called information.

But now.

They were curious about what Rip Hunt was talking about, and they were eager to learn from that person's mouth about their situation at the moment.

It's just that the fat-headed and big-eared leader has been glaring at them with vicious eyes, quietly preventing them from any move near the break room.

The insiders were not too clear about the leader's reason for doing this, and couldn't help but sneak a glance at the break room under the leader's blocking gaze.

Only the leadership understands.

This situation will not last long.

The leadership understands that sooner or later these people's fear of fog will outweigh their fear of themselves.

In the face of life and death.

His father, who was thriving in politics, wasn't so deterrent.

Sooner or later, these informed staff members would rush into the break room to ask Rip Hunt for clarification.

In fact.

Even he himself was trembling at the moment, and he wanted to ask Rip Hunt in fear.

What's going on now?

But he could tell from some of the ship's numbers that Rip Hunt had uttered when he was in a hurry to go to the hospital.

The fact that he had bribed and allowed ships to enter the Strait of Gibraltar through the entrance pass during the ban must have been known to this Rip Hunt.

If these insiders go and talk to that Rip Hunter.

For the ship had something to do with the miraculous wall of his mouth, it was bound to be re-mentioned by that Rip Hunt.

The fact that he took bribes will inevitably be exposed.

When the reckoning is made afterwards, there is absolutely no good fruit of one's own to eat.

His fear of being exposed by bribery.

Beyond the fear of the eerie fog outside.

Entering that weird fog just doesn't know life and death, and after the bribery is exposed, it will definitely be better than death.

His father's political opponents will definitely seize this point and bring down their family.

He didn't want to be reduced to an ordinary person.

Pondering.

The fat-headed and big-eared leader looked at the few people on duty in the early morning.

I slowly strengthened a thought in my heart:

Anyway, the outside world was contacted before the fog completely sealed off the place, and then all you need to do is stay in the room and wait for rescue.

There's no need to ask what happened to that Rip Hunter now.

You can be saved!

Back to a peaceful, prosperous life!

As long as you secretly emphasize the conclusion of "inevitable salvation" with a few insiders.

Tell them that you will take care of them in the future.

Let them weigh it up.

That's the case.

Naturally, he can rely on his past prestige to make several insiders not pay attention to Rip Hunt who is locked up in the lounge.

Of course.

Besides.

After being rescued, there is a possibility that he will be investigated and interrogated by the military one by one.

Once this bribery incident was exposed during the interrogation.

The things I've done over the years may be revealed.

The more I thought about it.

The fat-headed, big-eared leader's eyes became more and more gloomy as he looked at the lounge.

That Rip Hunt had better not be kept.

Restrain the idea of these insiders going to Rip Hunter, lest his bribery be exposed at the same time.

He also wanted that Rip Hunter to keep it a secret during the subsequent military interrogations.

As for how to keep it a secret......

Leaders firmly believe that:

Only the dead can best keep good secrets.

(End of chapter)