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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 223: New Pu Ocean
The bow of the fishing boat was lifted high, crashing violently against the solid wall ahead. The roaring waves drowned out the two people's screams, and everything spun wildly. The bow shattered, cold seawater surged into the forward cabin, and the fishing boat suddenly came to a halt, its stern rising out of the water. People and cargo on the deck slid toward the broken bow.
All of this happened in an instant. As the boat tilted, Jiang He quickly turned to grab the door frame, while Zhou Huai mirrored his actions on the other side, trying to hold on to stabilize himself. However, the open cabin door was pulled off its hinges and fell heavily onto Zhou Huai's head. In pain, he let go and fell down, instantly swallowed by the turbulent waves. Yet Jiang He's crisis was far from over; the swirling waters created by the collision surged violently. The stern lifted for a moment before crashing back into the sea, shaking everything in the cabin loose. A wooden tea table shot out like a missile, smashing through the cabin door and knocking Jiang He down as well.
Fortunately, as the boat returned to the water's surface, Jiang He did not plummet into the depths but instead rolled a short distance on the deck before stabilizing himself. The shattered bow floated on the surface as water poured into the forward cabin, flooding into the midsection as well. The boat spun in the whirlpool and began to sink gradually.
With no experience at sea, Jiang He's understanding of maritime disasters was limited to films like Titanic and Perfect Storm. Whether it was a luxurious cruise ship or a fishing vessel caught in a storm, both ended tragically. In a panic, Jiang He could only cling tightly to the side of the boat, desperately searching for a life preserver or something similar to save himself. However, the speed at which the boat sank exceeded his expectations. The seawater had already flooded into the midsection; more than half of the deck was submerged. After a brief moment of stability, the stern again rose under pressure from the water, ready for its final capsizing.
At that moment, Jiang He suddenly saw what their fishing boat had collided with: a massive and terrifying super tanker. In his mind, he had imagined that an aircraft carrier would be one of the largest vessels he could conceive of, but he had never seen one up close. The size of this giant ship was enough to overwhelm him.
The tanker’s hull towered seven or eight meters above sea level, its rust-red body exuding an aura of heaviness and cold indifference. Above that were four-meter-high black walls. The fishing boat had crashed head-on into the bow of this giant vessel. On one side of its enormous anchor chain compartment were three large characters written in clerical script: New Pu Ocean. Above that, it was completely shrouded in thick sea mist, making it impossible to see if anyone was aboard.
Jiang He couldn't understand why such a behemoth would suddenly appear in the middle of their shipping lane. There was no time for him to ponder; as the boat continued to sink slowly, he clung to the side and scrambled upward, reaching for what remained above water—the last piece of high ground not yet submerged.
It is difficult to describe the feeling of waiting for death without experiencing it firsthand. The super tanker loomed indifferently before him while their fishing boat felt as small as an ant beneath it. The waters where they collided continued to churn violently; amidst splashes of foam, parts of the massive ship lay hidden beneath the surface—there seemed to be not even a scratch on it. Their fragile fishing boat had smashed against it like a vase hitting marble—shattered completely while their opponent remained unscathed.
Wiping seawater from his face, Jiang He looked around in terror at fins rushing toward him from all directions; his heart sank to his stomach. He remembered seeing movies where sinking ships created powerful whirlpools that dragged people down to drown; staying on board would only lead him into those depths. Perhaps jumping into the sea might offer a slim chance of survival. But as fins tore through waves toward him, that last glimmer of hope vanished. He glanced down at his chest where he had been injured; blood mixed with seawater created a strong scent—a beacon for sharks.
"Let it be!" Jiang He gritted his teeth and encouraged himself as he steadied himself against the railing and jumped onto the cabin roof. With all his strength, he broke off an antenna and gripped it tightly in hand, preparing to dive into the water for a final showdown with sharks and whirlpools.
Just then, gunfire erupted over the tumultuous waves while simultaneously a fin broke through the surface as a massive shark leaped into view. Its enormous jaws revealed rows of sharp teeth like great knives; what was particularly chilling was that this five or six-meter-long shark had clamped down on a bloodied arm between its teeth. The shark soared through the air with incredible speed; Jiang He barely caught sight of its massive white form before it plunged back into the water, dragging away with it a trail of blood.
Jiang He hurriedly looked towards the source of the gunfire, only to see Zhou Huai, who had previously fallen into the water and was thought lost, resurfacing. He was more than ten meters away from the boat, and the sea around him had turned completely red with blood. The fish fins that had rushed towards the fishing boat now turned their guns, darting towards Zhou Huai in the bloodied waters. A chill ran down Jiang He's back as he saw Zhou Huai's right arm completely torn off, the gaping wound spraying blood that floated and sank in the water, each immersion seeming to repaint the scene in a horrific manner.
However, this was clearly not the time to be a spectator. Jiang He felt that the boat was sinking faster than the sharks could swim. Perhaps before Zhou Huai could be devoured by them, he himself would be dragged down to the depths of the sea along with this fishing boat. With this thought, Jiang He dared not hesitate any longer. Gritting his teeth, he plunged into the water, using all his strength to paddle and keep his head above water. The pull of the current was immense; although no whirlpool had formed yet, it easily dragged his less-than-sixty-kilogram body toward the center of the vortex that only showed the rear of the boat. At that moment, Zhou Huai fired several more shots, adding vivid strokes of anger and despair to the surface of the sea.
It seemed that Zhou Huai's gunfire startled those aboard the massive vessel. Jiang He could hear nothing but the rumbling sound of rolling water in his ears. As his body spun around, he thought he saw several ropes hanging down from the dark hull of the ship. Unsure if it was an illusion, he had already swallowed several mouthfuls of salty seawater. His limbs were exhausted, and he feared that in the next breath he would be completely pulled under by the whirlpool.
The corner of the fishing boat that had been above water vanished from sight, replaced by a funnel-shaped vortex of moderate size. Jiang He was swept into its center in less than a second. Just as he was about to meet his end there, a red figure streaked past him at the same speed as the swirling water. In a daze, Jiang He's survival instinct kicked in; he strained to lock onto the trajectory of that red object and used his last bit of strength to grab hold of it. At that moment, turbulent seawater completely engulfed him, and he could see a visible whirlpool dragging him into an unfathomable darkness.
The last image in Jiang He's mind was of blood and severed limbs being pulled into the whirlpool like colorful flags fluttering in the wind, dragging him down into an abyss.
...
...
There was a sensation akin to gliding; his body felt light and powerless as if it were floating like a piece of paper.
His senses burst open from their confinement; what had been deep darkness before was now torn apart by light. The muffled sounds of water faded away instantly, replaced by a rushing flow.
His lungs felt ready to explode as they greedily inhaled air; a feeling of rebirth surged through him like electricity. Jiang He suddenly opened his eyes wide. His head felt heavy and foggy; it took him a moment to understand where he was. The sensation of gliding was not an illusion—he realized he was rising further away from the surface of the sea. His arms and chest felt tight; looking down, he saw himself bound with thick ropes like zongzi, with one end tied to something at the side of a massive ship, slowly pulling him upward inch by inch.
There were intermittent muffled thuds from above as a thick column of murky water shot up towards the still boiling surface of the sea. The point where it struck burst forth in brilliant crimson hues, scattering around a giant shark that swam away from where severed limbs floated amidst bloodied waters.
Jiang He felt as though his head might explode; blinding sunlight pierced through thick mist and warmly brushed against his body. His eyelids grew unbearably heavy as fatigue overcame him. Then he heard voices nearby; it seemed his body had been placed on a deck. Many footsteps echoed around him—some were untying his bindings, others were removing his clothes, while some were performing CPR on him... A powerful force struck against his chest; his throat tickled painfully as a sour sensation surged up to his throat, triggering his body's reflexes as he vomited wave after wave of seawater.
After vomiting, the heaviness in Jiang He's body lightened a bit. He faintly heard someone shouting, catching a few words through the haze.
"There's no hope."
"Just throw him away."
"How tragic."
Ginger felt his body being lifted, and panic surged within him. He desperately tried to shout that he was still alive, pleading with them not to throw him back into the water! But his body did not obey his brain's commands; all that came out was a low, unintelligible moan.
Splash!
The sound of something heavy hitting the water pierced his ears. Ginger let out a sigh of relief; it seemed they weren't talking about him. The one being thrown back into the sea must have been Zhou.
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