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Chapter 219: The Fantastical Drift of Young Jiang
The two engaged in a brief but intense confrontation, but before they could separate, Shaoshan and Song Yao, rushing from the pier, were momentarily halted by Zhou Huai's last flying knife. Before Jiang He could rise to his feet, a dark gun barrel suddenly protruded from the cabin.
"Get down!" Shaoshan shouted, warning Jiang He. He and Song Yao quickly tilted their bodies and plunged into the water, splashing as gunfire erupted from the boat.
Jiang He realized that the assailant had a gun. Seeing him brandishing a firearm, he hurriedly rolled towards the side of the boat, grabbing some cargo from the deck and tossing it overboard. He then crawled around the cabin towards the stern.
Zhou Huai did not rush to eliminate them completely. After temporarily forcing the three back, he kicked open the bridge and shot at the ropes securing the boat. He cautiously glanced around before retreating into the cockpit. Jiang He and Lurking remained at the stern, hearing gunshots from the cockpit but daring not to show themselves. The deck was piled with ropes and fishing gear; Jiang He rummaged through and found a boat pole. Testing its weight, he climbed up to the top of the boat. Just as he steadied himself, the fishing boat suddenly shook violently, followed by the roar of its engine.
The water surface rippled with a thunderous sound as Shaoshan and Song Yao, who had fallen into the water, quickly swam aside to avoid being hit by the moving metal mass. Jiang He clung to the mast to steady himself, watching as the fishing boat slowly pulled away from the dock, leaving him momentarily at a loss for what to do.
" Jiang He! Get down!" Shaoshan called out from afar, spotting him on top of the boat and urgently urging him to abandon ship.
Perhaps their shouts had revealed their position; in that instant when the fishing boat turned around, Zhou Huai fired a shot into the water, sending up a spray that forced Shaoshan back again. Song Yao had never been on a boat before but understood that there was usually a propeller at the stern. If they got caught in it, they would likely be torn apart. So as soon as the fishing boat started moving, she swam towards shore, hoping to find an opportunity to board it. However, despite appearing to move slowly, it was already drifting away from the shore, and she missed her chance.
Jiang He gritted his teeth and crouched down; abandoning ship was easy now, but finding another opportunity to confront Zhou Huai would not be so simple. Estimating that he was likely alone on board against an opponent whose strength was not vastly superior to his own, he figured he could find a way to outsmart him. He signaled to Shaoshan and Song Yao from a distance; seeing no movement on either side of the deck, he jumped down from the top of the boat and tossed a coil of rope overboard. As the fishing boat moved away, the buoy on the rope gradually stretched apart until most of it slipped free.
In the water, Shaoshan found it difficult to maneuver and had no choice but to swim ashore first. Song Yao helped pull him up and pointed at a Workboat in the harbor, saying urgently, "Can’t we use those boats? Is there any way?"
"Since everyone else is left behind, we definitely can't move them," Shaoshan replied as he wiped water off his face while watching the fishing boat drift further away. Frustration welled up inside him. Chasing after it in a kayak was impossible; they had jumped down from the viewing wall where zombies swarmed along the dock and pier—returning was out of the question.
Just as they hesitated, they suddenly heard a loud crash behind them as heavy objects fell to the ground. Turning around, they saw containers blocking their path collapsing with a thunderous noise as a horde of zombies surged out towards them from behind.
"Things are bad," Shaoshan said, his face pale. There was still no movement from the observation wall, and the makeshift dock where they were standing was blocked by debris. With the Zombie now charging in, their only option was to jump into the water. Shaoshan's mind raced as he glanced at the Workboat they had just passed. He turned to Song Yao and said, "Jump into the water and swim towards the bow of the ship. There's an anchor chain there; we need to get on the big ship!" Before he could finish, a Zombie lunged at him. Shaoshan felt a surge of adrenaline and swung his knife, cleaving through the approaching Zombie's skull before turning and sprinting away.
Song Yao understood that Shaoshan was buying her time, so she didn’t hesitate any longer. She quickly dispatched a stray Zombie and dove back into the water, swimming with all her might towards the large Container Ship docked across from them. As she swam, she glanced back at the fishing boat that was about to leave the harbor. The sea mist obscured her view, leaving only a vague shadow in sight. The sound of splashes behind her broke her concentration; she saw several Zombies jumping into the water from the Container alleyway. Although they couldn't swim, they flailed awkwardly as they made their way toward her.
Panic surged through Song Yao as she quickened her pace. Seeing Shaoshan cornered by another group of Zombies, she shouted, "Get in the water!" It was unclear whether Shaoshan heard her, but the Zombies in the water definitely did. Most of them began to flounder as soon as they hit the water, but some remained afloat—perhaps due to their rotting bodies or some other reason—slowly moving forward in a chaotic manner. Song Yao had no intention of getting entangled with them; she focused on reaching the Container Ship. The rusted anchor chain hung down from the bow’s anchor chain compartment. Grabbing hold of it, she stepped onto the links and began to climb up, but halfway up, she felt disheartened.
The anchor chain was still far from the deck, and while the stern wasn't as curved as the bow, its nearly vertical steel walls were slick and impossible to grip. This left Song Yao in a precarious position with no way to go either up or down. The anchor chain could hold her for now, but if she stayed too long, her arms would tire out. The Zombies likely wouldn’t be able to climb up after her, but being surrounded in the water posed a significant threat. They wouldn’t drown; if one managed to grab her while swimming, it would be disastrous.
From her position, Song Yao couldn’t see what was happening at the observation wall. However, Zeng Yadong and others waiting there witnessed the trio's plight unfold like a silent film in the empty harbor: one by one, they boarded a ship only to fall back into the water. In the end, only Jiang He managed to leave with the fishing boat while Shaoshan and Song Yao were forced into the water by Zombies.
Wang Zhongyu was frantic; his search for Brothers in Arms yielded no results, and time was running out for Shaoshan and Song Yao. He had initially planned to provide cover fire but realized that shooting wouldn’t solve anything now that Zombies were in the water—it might even draw more Zombies from their side of the dock.
The stark difference between land and water became painfully clear at that moment. No matter how skilled one might be on land, facing an expanse of open water left them helpless. Zeng Yadong herself wasn’t much of a swimmer; according to her own words, she could manage a few splashes in a pool but lacked even the courage to enter such deep waters like this harbor. Wheat was even worse off—a complete landlubber.
Just when Shaoshan finally managed to climb up onto the anchor chain, Jin Bo returned at last, panting heavily with excitement evident on his face.
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