Chapter 125: France's Stance (Part One)

"Report!"

"Enter!"

A communications officer walked into Morton's lounge.

"Commander, we have just received an urgent request for assistance from the Denmark Naval Headquarters. Here is the official dispatch for your review."

"Denmark?"

Morton frowned slightly, wondering if their nation had encountered some intractable marine mutative creature. He took the report from the officer and glanced at it.

Indeed.

However, after reading the contents, Morton did not consider it a major issue. The report merely stated that a terrifying mutative creature had appeared in the waters off Denmark, killed some fishermen, and then fled. Denmark’s request was for the French naval fleet to assist in searching for and neutralizing this creature, which they claimed posed a threat to all surrounding nations.

"Were any detailed photos or videos sent along with this?" Morton asked after finishing the report.

"Yes, but..."

The soldier’s face showed hesitation, accompanied by an expression that made it unclear whether he wanted to laugh or cry.

"What is that look for?" Morton frowned.

"No, Commander. In short, I don't know how to report this properly. You should head to the command center; the deputy commander and other officers are waiting for you."

Morton was stunned. They were all waiting for him?

"Fine. I’ll see what kind of riddles you are playing at."

Morton shook his head, stood up, and walked out of the lounge.

Ten minutes later, inside the aircraft carrier's bridge command center, the room was deathly quiet as everyone looked at the images and the civilian-shot footage sent by Denmark. Most remained silent, waiting for Morton to finish watching, their eyes fixed on him with a trace of strangeness.

"Why are you all staring at me?"

"Well, speak up. What do you make of this incident caused by the olm?"

Morton scolded them before sitting in the main chair, looking contemplative.

"Commander, isn't it obvious from the video? The olm was clearly targeting those fishing boats."

"And what were those fishing boats doing? Whaling?"

"In that regard, I think the olm's actions are quite understandable, aren't they?"

"Furthermore, based on everything we observed of the olm yesterday, it clearly possesses high intelligence."

"It is normal for God-favored creatures to have their own temperaments, and these people clearly provoked it by whaling."

"Besides, this event alone doesn't prove it has malice toward humanity. After all, it didn't kill those who fell into the water, did it?"

"I think this is just Denmark’s own bad luck. International criticism of their bloody whaling festival has been long-standing. They didn't know when to stop, so they brought this disaster upon themselves."

Richard, as a casual follower of the Druidic Order, naturally loathed and rejected whaling, making him the first to speak up for the olm.

"That may be so, but the olm's act of killing people is surely going too far, isn't it?" an officer frowned.

"Going too far? And what if you were the whale being killed? From the whale's perspective, would you see anything wrong with it?" Richard retorted.

"But we are human, Richard. Please remember your position."

"Human? I'm sorry, if humanity is this greedy and unrestrained, then I really don't want to be human."

"You!"

The officer glared at Richard in anger, while Richard remained calm.

"Enough, stop the arguing. Let's set the Denmark incident aside for a moment."

"What we need to discuss first is: how did this God-favored creature end up in the waters off Denmark? And what about the little girl who was with it?"

"Is there any news from the mainland? How is the investigation into the girl's personal information going?" asked Deputy Fleet Commander Clive.

"Reporting, Commander. News has just come in. Half an hour ago, they located the little girl."

"Because the girl is of Asian descent, she was easy to find. Personnel on the ground are currently heading to where she resides," an officer replied immediately.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room, including Fleet Commander Morton, brightened up.

"Colonel Gardner, I expect such matters to be reported to me in a timely manner in the future. I do not wish to see this happen again."

"Yes, sir!"

Morton's displeasure made the officer stiffen, and he immediately stood at attention, responding loudly. Morton nodded in approval.

"Good news. Is the girl a citizen of our country? If she has no nationality, suggest to the team there that they grant her citizenship immediately."

"Rest assured, Commander. The team on the ground is fully prepared; all naturalization documents were brought with them. Perhaps we will have more good news soon," Colonel Gardner replied with a smile.

"Fair enough. In that case, heh." Morton laughed.

"Sir?" Everyone looked at the smiling Morton.

"Let's do this: send a message to the people in Denmark. Tell them we will track the creature. Well, I don't need to say anything else, do I?"

The others understood and shared a knowing smile. However, among the senior officers, one felt differently. After the brief council, and three hours later when the fleet docked for resupply, this officer seized the opportunity to enter a port convenience store.

***

Denmark Naval Headquarters.

"Damn it! These wretched Frenchmen! How dare they deceive us!"

"God-favored creature?"

"Fine. We weren't involved in the Mystery Tree incident, and now we aren't included in this so-called God-favored olm incident either, yet we are the ones suffering the losses. How wonderful."

"We cannot let this go. Commander, we must react."

In an instant, all the senior naval officers in the Denmark war room became furious. The Denmark Naval Commander was the same. Sitting in the main seat, he tried to control his emotions and spoke in a cold, measured tone.

"Very well. If they want to hide it, I will let the whole world know!"

"Colonel William, notify the Parliament immediately. Furthermore, regardless of whether the Parliament passes my proposal, contact every major newspaper and international news agency in the country at once."

"Yes, sir!"

The officer took his orders and immediately headed out of the war room. Watching the officer leave, the Denmark Naval Commander turned to everyone else: "Gentlemen, do you have any objections to my decision?"

"None! I fully support the Commander's decision."

"Yes, the Commander's decision is our decision. We cannot let this slide."

"Right. Even if we can't make the French pay, we certainly won't make things easy for them."