บททั้งหมดของ The Last Descent: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

"Hello, am I speaking with the lead technician for the deep-sea rescue?"The voice on the other end was steady and arrogant. It had been ten years, but I still recognized it."That's me. Go ahead."My own voice was nothing like it used to be. A decade of deep-sea work, between the breathing equipment and the harsh conditions, had done irreversible damage to it."Good. This is Griffin Lattimer, from Lattimer Maritime Group. I assume you've already reviewed the situation." He paused briefly. "Name your price.""I'm not taking the job."The line went quiet for a moment, then he laughed. "I'm sorry. Did I not make myself clear? I said, name your price. Whatever you want.""I said no.""$50 million." There was not a trace of hesitation in his voice, as though he had just tossed out a number at random."$50 million in cash. You’ll get half when you go down, and the other half when you bring her up. This is a once-in-a-lifetime offer.”I said nothing. He took my silence for delibera

Brody lunged forward instantly, but I threw my arm out and held him back."Don't."Griffin watched me restrain Brody and smiled, wider and more brazen than before."I told you I'd give you two hours to think it over. You didn't take the chance, so here I am."Elise stepped out from behind him in her heels, her face a portrait of anguish and grief."I know you probably think we're terrible, but that's my daughter down there. My Cora is only 23, and she's already been trapped for fourteen hours."Her eyes reddened, and she turned to loop her arm through Griffin's. Griffin patted her on the back, then looked at me with cold eyes."$50 million. I'll wire it immediately. Put your gear on and go down. Now!""I already told you. I cannot take this job.""Are you trying to negotiate with me?" He tilted his head."Fine. Name your number. $100 million? $200 million? I've dealt with people like you before. All you're doing is driving up the price while you've got leverage. Go ahead. I'l

Elise stood rooted to the spot, her expression shifting from shock to fury."How dare you—""Your daughter is 3,600 feet below the surface with less than 19 hours of oxygen left."Griffin seized Elise's arm and pulled her back. "What do you want from us? We've never wronged you. We've never even met!"If I've done something to offend you, I apologize. Whatever your conditions are, can’t you just lay them on the table?""Conditions?" I smiled faintly. "You can’t afford my conditions.""Try me." Griffin stepped closer. "What can't I afford?""Give my son's life back in exchange for your daughter's. Can you do that?"The words came out before I could stop them. The air went still.Griffin stared at me, and confusion flickered through his eyes. "Your son? What does your son have to do with my daughter?"Elise looked up at me as well, her gaze wary. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"I did not answer. I had already said too much."It doesn't matter." I stepped back and c

Word traveled fast. Three hours later, every group chat across the deep-sea industry had exploded.Brody showed me his phone. Griffin had posted a bounty across every channel he could reach. $100 million to whoever brought Cora up alive."He's lost his mind." Brody scrolled through the screen. "$100 million. Who wouldn't be tempted? But at that depth...""Someone will go."Of course, someone did. Within two hours, three teams had accepted the job.The first was a commercial diving group from the Cerulan Coast. The second was a private rescue crew made up of retired military divers. The third was a lone operator, reportedly a former deep-sea welder from the Kaimon Islands.I leaned back in my chair while Brody read the messages aloud, one by one."The first team has already reached the area. They brought three rigs and a semi-submersible support vessel.""What's their max depth?""The specs say 2,600 feet.""They will never make it. The water pressure at 3,000 feet will crush

The weather turned without warning. A storm tore across the surface, and every vessel in the area was forced to evacuate.Griffin's support ship was the last to leave. However, his submersible never came back.The dive log showed that Griffin had pushed his craft past its rated limit of 3,000 feet two hours earlier. The positioning signal had gone dead at 3,480 feet.The final segment of his comms recording was his voice. The static was overwhelming, and the shriek of metal being crushed drowned out nearly everything, but I could still make out his words."Maren... Robb... Dad's here..."Then, the signal cut out.I sat alone in the equipment room, listening to that recording for a long time."That's enough."Brody turned off the phone.Three days later, the sea went calm. I stood on the dock and watched as the dive equipment was hoisted onto the boat, piece by piece."Maren, are you sure you want to go down today?" Brody pointed at the bandage on my arm. "Your wound—""I can