3: The first battle was a victory! The roar of vertical launch missiles!

"Understood! The salvage team is to deploy immediately!" First Officer Gao Qiang executed the order without question. Lin Feng's absolute authority, established during the recent battle, ensured his commands were followed without obstruction.

The piercing alarm siren changed to a low-pitched operational alert. The massive 055 destroyer slowly decelerated and turned in the surging waves, its colossal hull tracing a huge arc as it moved towards the area where missile debris and oil slicks floated. The crane at the stern began to operate, emitting a low hydraulic hum.

Lin Feng stood on the open observation deck on the bridge's flank, the strong sea wind, mixed with the smell of gunpowder and salt, hitting him, making his combat uniform flap. He gazed at the busy scene below: a High-Speed Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB) was steadily lowered into the sea, and four elite Marines, wearing orange life vests, carrying diving gear, and armed with weapons, quickly boarded it. Simultaneously, a square military-grade underwater robot, equipped with mechanical arms and an underwater camera, was also lowered.

"Commander, the wind and waves are too strong, and underwater visibility is extremely low. Salvage operations are risky," Gao Qiang said, his tone grave, as he approached Lin Feng. The sea conditions had not improved with the end of the battle; in fact, being close to the explosion zone made the waves even more chaotic.

"I know," Lin Feng's eyes were like torches, fixed on the last signal point representing the black box on the sea surface. "But we must retrieve that object! It might tell us who launched the missiles, and even… the truth of this world." The system's 'high-value information' assessment made it impossible for him to ignore.

The RHIB bobbed and leaped in the waves, like a leaf in a gale, struggling towards the target area. Team members, in diving suits and carrying salvage equipment, unhesitatingly jumped into the cold, murky seawater. The underwater robot also submerged, its searchlight beams sweeping through the dark water, transmitting real-time footage back to the bridge.

Time passed minute by minute. The severe sea conditions and the intermittent positioning signal due to the damaged black box made the salvage work exceptionally difficult. The atmosphere on the bridge grew tense once more.

Just then, the system's prompt sounded in Lin Feng's mind again:

"Ding! Detected that the host successfully commanded and won the first battle. Commander authority level has increased!"

"Unlocked: Mission Center (Officially Activated)"

"Unlocked: Basic Communication Scan Function (Can attempt to receive public radio broadcasts)"

"Unlocked: Junior Crew Training Acceleration Module (Requires energy consumption)"

Mission Center! Lin Feng's heart stirred, and he immediately immersed his consciousness into the system interface.

A brand new section unfolded, containing only one shimmering mission entry:

"Main Mission (Prologue): Lone Ship in the Raging Sea"

"Mission Objectives:"

"1. Survive the first attack. (Completed)"

"2. Acquire the key information source (Salvage the black box). (In Progress)"

"3. Establish a preliminary foothold (Must reach and control a safe coast or island within 72 hours)."

"Mission Rewards:"

"Energy/Points +1000"

"Small Coastal Outpost Blueprint × 1"

"Random Basic Industrial Equipment Blueprint × 1"

"Unlock 'Technology Tree: Basic Construction' branch"

"Failure Penalty: Energy/Points reset to zero, random system module damaged."

"Time Remaining: 71 hours 58 minutes…"

"Foothold…" Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. The system clearly indicated the next direction. No matter how powerful a ship, without a reliable base to support it, it was ultimately like rootless duckweed. 72 hours, time was pressing!

As he pondered the mission details, the excited voice of the communications officer broke the silence on the bridge: "Report, Commander! Receiving a faint but continuous public radio broadcast signal! The source… seems to be global in nature! Attempting to analyze content!"

"Global broadcast? Quick! Patch it to the loudspeaker!" Lin Feng's spirits lifted.

After a burst of static noise, a male announcer's voice, though intermittent and mixed with interference, yet still conveying extreme fatigue and panic, came through the bridge's loudspeakers:

"…Repeat…This is…International Emergency Broadcast…Last global report…Disaster…Disaster is beyond containment…"

"…Codename 'Wither'…Transmission route unknown…Extremely short incubation period…Symptoms include…High fever, internal bleeding, nervous system collapse…Fatality rate…Over 95%…"

"…Major cities worldwide…Plunged into chaos…Order…Collapsed…Military…Lost control…"

"…Transportation paralyzed…Communication networks…Widespread outages…Suspected of…Unknown cyber-attack…"

"…Warning all survivors…Stay away from densely populated areas…Seek…Safe shelters…"

"…Water sources…Food…May be contaminated…Exercise caution…"

"…Nations…Governments…Have…Ceased to exist…We…Are losing…Civilization…"

"…May God…Bless…Humanity…"

At this point, the broadcast was completely drowned out by a more jarring, screaming noise, followed by dead silence.

On the bridge, the slight exhilaration that had arisen from the battle victory was instantly frozen by the cold despair brought by this broadcast! Everyone stood rigid, their faces drained of color, their eyes filled with incredible horror.

A global deadly virus? Order collapsed? Governments disintegrated? A 95% fatality rate?!

Lin Feng felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head! He finally understood! He understood why he only had one ship at the start! He understood why those two missiles came (most likely the work of remnants of a certain country's navy, out of control in the chaos)! He understood why the system required him to establish a foothold!

This was not an ordinary war! This was a global, civilization-destroying apocalypse! This was a true — world-altering cataclysm!

"Wit-Wither?" A young sailor's voice trembled as he repeated the word from the broadcast.

"A 95% fatality rate…Then…Then on land…" Another officer's voice carried despair.

Panic, like a cold tide, began to spread through the bridge.

"Silence!" Lin Feng suddenly turned, his voice like a thunderclap, carrying an undeniable authority that instantly quelled all whispers and panic. His cold and sharp gaze swept over every terrified face.

"What are you panicking about!" His voice was resolute. "We survived! Deep Blue 01 is still here! Weapons are still here! Power is still here! We just shot down two missiles that wanted our lives! Outside is hell, but here! This ship! Is our Ark in purgatory!"

He pointed to the salvage boat still working steadfastly in the wind and waves outside the porthole, and to the signal point representing the black box on the screen: "That box is the first key to unraveling the mystery of this disaster! With it, we can know more! And better survive!"

He walked to the tactical display console and slammed the control panel, the loud noise startling everyone: "Look at what's beneath our feet! It's the 055! It's a ten-thousand-ton destroyer! It's one of the most powerful combat fortresses on this ocean! We have the most advanced weapons, the strongest hull, and you—the most excellent crew!"

His voice was full of power and an almost fanatical conviction: "Order has collapsed? Then we will establish a new order! The land has fallen? Then the ocean is our home and battlefield! No safe zone? Then we will use missiles and naval guns to carve out a safe zone!"

He looked around at everyone, every word like an oath: "Remember! From today on, Deep Blue 01 is everyone's home! It is our fortress for survival and battle! And I, Lin Feng, as your Commander, promise you: as long as this ship is here, as long as I am here, I will never abandon anyone! We will survive! Not only survive, but on this wasteland, we will raise our flag anew!"

"Deep Blue Hegemony, begins today!"

Lin Feng's strong and forceful words, like a stabilizing anchor, instantly dispelled the gloom and fear in the crew's hearts. Looking at their Commander's young yet resolute face, feeling the unyielding fighting spirit and strong confidence in his words, a surge of hot blood once again boiled in the officers and soldiers' chests!

Yes! They had just performed a miracle! They had the most advanced warship in the world! They had a Commander who remained calm as ice and commanded with certainty even in desperation! What if outside was hell? Their ship was the sharp sword that would cleave through the raging seas of hell!

"Yes, Commander!"

"Deep Blue 01! Invincible!"

"Follow the Commander! We'll carve out a new world!"

Suppressed roars and firm vows echoed through the bridge, and morale visibly re-coalesced and soared!

Just then, the excited shouts of the salvage team came through the communicator: "Report, Commander! Black box salvaged successfully! Recovered to the fast boat! Repeat, target successfully recovered!"

"Good!" Lin Feng's eyes flashed with brilliance. "Return immediately! Prepare for disinfection and quarantine procedures! Send the object to my command room! Quick!"

The black box was in hand! The mission of establishing a foothold, the truth of the global disaster, might be hidden within it! And his journey, the journey of this lone ship in the apocalyptic raging sea, had just begun its prelude of blood and fire! He looked at the radar screen, where, in the depths of the still-unsettled explosion fog, more indistinct signals seemed to faintly flicker…

The storm had not ceased, and dangers lurked everywhere. But the cannons of Deep Blue 01 were no longer lost!