Chapter 99

"She's pale. She needs medical attention immediately." The silent diving instructor suddenly spoke up.

Evelyn Langley finally noticed the crowd gathering around them, each face etched with concern.

Sophia Laurent rushed forward. "I've called the medical team. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"My right arm might be fractured." Evelyn tried moving her arm. While she could manage underwater, now it was completely useless.

"What happened? Why did you suddenly sink?"

Evelyn hesitated. "...The oxygen tank was leaking."

Sophia's eyes sharpened. She immediately picked up the tank and inspected it.

The exterior was intact—but at the bottom...

A needle-sized hole punctured the metal.

Her head snapped up, her gaze piercing the instructor.

"Impossible! Our equipment is replaced quarterly and undergoes triple inspections before every use. We've never had issues!"

Beads of sweat formed on the instructor's forehead, his voice trembling.

"Besides, the safety zone has a full rescue system. Even in emergencies, we can respond immediately."

Sophia's anger flared. "Are you calling her a liar? If I hadn't turned the yacht around in time, could you have handled the consequences?"

Evelyn studied the panicked instructor. His fear seemed genuine.

"I saw a shark," she stated calmly.

Sophia gasped.

The instructor's face drained of color. "That's absolutely impossible!"

"Blacktip reef sharks outside the safety zone are timid deep-sea creatures. They rarely approach humans."

Evelyn remained composed. "The action cameras on the diving suits should have captured everything. We can review the footage now."

The instructor fell silent.

"My God, what's going on here?"

A belated lifeguard jogged over, his expression clueless about the crisis.

The instructor grabbed his collar. "Kim! Where the hell were you? Why weren't you at your post?"

The lifeguard raised his hands defensively. "Hey, man, I just went to the lounge for coffee. Can someone explain what's happening?"

Sophia smirked coldly. "A lifeguard abandoning his post while my friend was in danger? I have every reason to suspect this was intentional."