Chapter 622: Ivy Sherwood Sees the News

Even though the explosion occurred in the waters over a dozen kilometers away from Lustre, the massive boom was heard by most of the city’s residents.

Ahead of them was a giant plume of black smoke. The burning cruise ship resembled a massive fireball; even the continuous downpour from the sky could not extinguish the flames. Furthermore, because the ship had been destroyed, it had already begun to sink at an alarming rate.

Piercingly cold winds howled across the ocean surface, chilling him to the bone, yet Zane Linton still couldn’t snap out of his daze. He refused to believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.

"Mr. Linton! Mr. Linton!" the others shouted in a panic. "Did the cruise ship up ahead just explode? But President Blackwood is still on it, and so are our brothers!"

For such a massive vessel to detonate so suddenly and with such firepower, it meant Jason Summers must have rigged the place with a colossal amount of explosives well in advance. Otherwise, it could never have exploded with such force. Moreover, aside from those on the ship, many of their men had been approaching in submarines. Who knew if they had been caught in the blast!

So many lives were at stake—did Jason truly disregard everything? And what about Jason himself? His helicopter had plummeted into the sea; was he dead?

"Call for rescue! Hurry and get rescue teams!" Zane roared. "Contact the police department! Mobilize the rescue squads from the city and all neighboring areas!"

Even though his mind was still reeling, Zane immediately dispatched his men to save lives.

The ocean was entirely different from the land. On solid ground, even if someone was knocked unconscious by the shockwave, they would eventually wake up. But out at sea, it was all too easy to drown. Even if one miraculously survived the blast, they could still suffocate beneath the waves. And President Blackwood’s position had been at the very epicenter of the explosion.

The last thing Zane had seen was President Blackwood still standing on that cruise ship! In such immense danger, what condition was President Blackwood in right now?

Zane didn’t even dare to think about it. The accident had happened far too suddenly. With an explosion of this magnitude, not even a man with nine lives could have survived.

"Save them! Everyone, come with me to save them right now!" Zane rallied all the remaining men. Disregarding everything else, they had to head straight for the center of the blast. Even with the storm still raging, he had to go.

President Blackwood absolutely could not let anything happen to him. He just couldn’t.

Meanwhile.

Such a deafening blast was bound to attract the public’s attention. The media quickly broke the news, reporting that a cruise ship appeared to have exploded at sea. Billowing thick smoke was now visible in the sky, though many people who were indoors remained oblivious to the sight.

Ivy Sherwood and the others were just about to leave the crematorium. Because Ivy had nearly collapsed, Nina Scott had accompanied her to sit down and rest for a moment.

The television nearby was broadcasting the news: "According to our reports, a cruise ship explosion has occurred in the southwestern waters. The cause of the explosion is currently unknown, and the number of casualties remains unconfirmed."

The footage wasn’t very clear; in fact, it was so far away that practically nothing could be seen. The surveillance cameras in Lustre closest to the coast merely captured a sudden, tremendous boom that instantly lit up the sky. Immediately after, plumes of thick smoke rose into the air, the burning flames illuminating the clouds like a fiery sunset. Even from such a vast distance, the scene was absolutely terrifying.

Seeing the report, Nina commented, "Why would a cruise ship suddenly explode? It’s so dangerous—why are there even cruise ships out at sea in this weather? I’m going to check online." With that, she unlocked her phone.

Upon seeing the news, Ivy was completely stunned. As the footage reflected in her pupils, it was as if the flames were detonating right inside her eyes. Her pupils constricted sharply, and she still hadn’t recovered from the stinging sensation in her chest. Grabbing her phone, she immediately prepared to call Quentin Blackwood.

It was an explosion out at sea; it shouldn’t have anything to do with Quentin, right? Where had Quentin tracked him down to by now? Had he found any clues regarding Jason Summers?

But as Ivy held her phone, it slipped from her grasp twice. Her hands were trembling far too violently. Over the past two days, she had cried so much over her grandfather’s death that her eyes were puffy and swollen. She thought her tears had run entirely dry and she had no more left to shed. Yet now, fresh tears were already welling up in her eyes.

Quentin’s phone couldn’t be reached. A cold, automated voice informed her that the number she dialed was powered off. She had no idea why Quentin’s phone would be off. Ivy then tried calling Zane Linton, but his line was busy.

Unable to get through to either of them, Ivy told herself that perhaps they were just busy. They were probably in the middle of chasing Jason down. It had nothing to do with the explosion—they were so far away, after all.

Nina spoke up. "Ivy, look online. People are saying this accident is way too suspicious."

An incident of this magnitude was bound to spark massive public discussion. Already, the Lustre explosion had rocketed to the top of the trending searches. Netizens were buzzing with theories.

"I heard someone was searching the whole city for someone today, right? Tons of people and cops were deployed."

"I happen to be at the airport and saw it too. I heard there was activity at the train stations and docks as well. What happened? Is it related to the explosion?"

"I heard they were hunting down some fugitive over by the abandoned docks. Who knows if they caught him yet?"

"Then what’s the deal with this exploding cruise ship? Was anyone hurt?"

"Just look at the scale of that blast—you can tell how powerful it was. If anyone was on board or even nearby, they were probably blown to pieces. Thank goodness it happened so far out at sea. Do you realize what would happen if this went off in the city center? Half of Lustre would probably be leveled."

Nina showed her phone to Ivy. "This is just too terrifying," she said. "I hope whoever was on that cruise ship is safe."

"Ivy? Ivy, what’s wrong? Why are you zoning out?" Nina asked when she noticed Ivy sitting there, completely frozen.

Ivy held her phone tightly and continued to call Quentin, but his device remained powered off. She couldn’t reach a single person.

Seeing Ivy’s expression, Nina said, "You’re not worried about your Mr. Blackwood, are you? Relax, it’s so far away, and Quentin isn’t on that cruise ship. He’s definitely just busy hunting down Jason Summers and hasn’t seen your calls."

The news continued its broadcast in the background, reporting that the majority of the rescue teams had been dispatched, but the specific situation remained unknown.

"Nina, I just feel a sense of dread in my heart. I... I want to..."

"You’re not thinking of going to look for Quentin, are you?"

Ivy nodded. "Yes!"

"But it’s still pouring rain outside! And Lustre is huge, where would you even start looking?" Nina reasoned. "There was just an explosion near the docks, so there will definitely be tons of people there. I know you’re worried, but don’t overthink this."

"But I just can’t put my mind at ease. I feel this lingering terror." Ivy couldn’t put the feeling into words. It was as if she had just lost something incredibly important to her. This anxiety was only amplified by the fact that she couldn’t reach anyone at all.

"It’ll be hard for just the two of us to find him. I’ll contact Miles Mercer," Nina said, immediately dialing Miles’s number.

Ivy didn’t know many other people, nor did she want to trouble anyone else. Yet, she truly couldn’t shake her unease right now. After a moment of thought, she dialed a different number. She figured she might be able to ask that particular person for help.