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墨書 Inktalez
Upon entering the cave, I felt as if I were being propelled by a powerful force. My body was completely out of control, allowing me to weave through the dark space. I couldn't see anything around me; it was pitch black, and it felt as though I was heading straight for hell.
Just as I sensed that death was imminent, there was a loud 'boom,' and I was ejected from the depths of the sea. A massive bubble at the entrance shot me up to the Sea Surface.
The bubble propelled me more than ten meters above the Sea Surface. Once the bubble disappeared, I crashed onto the surface. From the moment I was drawn into the vortex until I was thrown out onto the Sea Surface, only a minute or two had passed. It felt like a legendary Time Travel experience, as if I had been flung out in an instant.
The only thing I could feel grateful for was that I was still alive and that the Spear in my hand remained with me. However, the Underwater Light was nowhere to be found; I had no idea where it had gone. If I hadn't clung tightly to the Spear, it probably would have been lost too. At least now, I could ensure my safety for the time being.
I floated on the Sea Surface, taking a moment to calm myself. Everything had happened so quickly and unexpectedly; I still couldn't comprehend what was going on.
After a moment, I righted my body and looked around. My God, where am I? I had no idea where I currently was. The sky was overcast with dark clouds, lightning flashed, and thunder roared; not a trace of sunlight could be seen. A rapid bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of Thunder. It seemed like a heavy rainstorm was about to hit.
I clearly remembered that just before being sucked into the vortex, it had been a bright sunny day. How could everything have changed so suddenly?
What kind of cursed place is this? Where exactly am I? All I could see around me was an endless expanse of ocean; everything else appeared black. The waves crashed against my body repeatedly, leaving me dizzy and disoriented.
I shouted out twice, “Mai Lao! Jiao Ba!”
But it was all in vain; there was no response. The wound on my abdomen throbbed slightly—it must have flared up again. I needed to find others. Struggling to move forward, I soon spotted an overturned fishing boat not far ahead.
It was Jenny's Fishing Boat; it must have been ejected from the Sea Surface by that massive bubble as well. Without thinking twice, I swam toward it like someone grasping at a lifeline.
As I reached the side of the fishing boat, I saw that it lay capsized underwater, slowly sinking. Everything on board had scattered around it, floating in the dark Sea Surface; even the lone Lifeboat had flipped over and was gradually submerging beneath the waves.
I quickly swam over to the lifeboat, hoping to turn it over, but that thought was too naive; it was simply impossible. The small boat soon sank into the depths of the sea.
Forget it, I needed to find someone. I searched around the fishing boat but didn’t see a single person. This was bad—had everyone perished? I shouted, “Mai Lao, Jiao Ba, where are you?” The only response was my own voice echoing back from the sea surface.
I started to panic and called out again, “Jenny, Li Xin, Shunzi.” Still no response, just the sound of waves and thunder.
I was at a loss for what to do. Just when I was feeling desperate, a voice suddenly called out from behind me, “Brother Yi, Brother Yi, we’re over here!” It was Jiao Ba’s voice.
I quickly turned around and saw Jiao Ba not far in front of me, struggling to swim while holding someone. He was sinking and surfacing intermittently, clearly on the verge of exhaustion.
I hurried over to him. The person Jiao Ba was holding was Li Xin. I stepped forward to help support her. “How is she, Lao Ba? Is she okay?”
“I’m fine; you need to check on Li Xin!” Jiao Ba said with great effort while carrying an oxygen tank on his back.
I checked under Li Xin’s nose; her breathing was very weak. She must have lost consciousness from inhaling too much water. We had to save her quickly. “Hurry! While the fishing boat hasn’t sunk completely yet, let’s get Li Xin up!”
Together, Jiao Ba and I managed to swim Li Xin to the side of the fishing boat. Although it had capsized, there was still some part of the hull we could use.
We got Li Xin onto the surface and laid her flat. I began performing artificial respiration on her. I pressed down on her chest several times, but there was still no response from Li Xin; she looked as if she were dead, her face pale and motionless.
“It’s over! Li Xin won’t make it!” Jiao Ba said anxiously.
“Shut your mouth!” I shot him a glare.
I focused on Li Xin; damn it, I had to save her! I pinched her nose with one hand and opened her mouth with the other before starting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After several attempts, I pressed down hard on her chest again.
"Wake up, Li Xin! Wake up, damn it, don't fall asleep!" I was starting to lose it, shouting loudly.
Just then, Li Xin coughed up a mouthful of seawater, followed by another. After a series of coughs, she finally woke up.
"Finally awake. She's okay," I said with a smile at Jiao Ba.
"Where... where am I?" Li Xin slowly opened her eyes and spoke in a weak voice.
"You're on the boat. It's okay, just rest for a bit." I really didn't know how to explain it to her; I couldn't just say we were at the bottom of the boat.
I turned to Jiao Ba and quickly asked, "What about the others?"
Jiao Ba shook his head in confusion. "I don't know either. After I got thrown off the Sea Surface, I only saw Li Xin by herself."
At that moment, aside from me and Jiao Ba, everyone else had already gotten on the boat. Could it be? Were they still on board? But the boat had capsized; they might be trapped inside. "You stay here with Li Xin. The boat won't sink right away; I need to go check."
"Be careful, Brother Yi," Jiao Ba warned me from behind.
I put on my Breathing Apparatus and dove into the sea. Without an Underwater Light in hand, I could barely see anything underwater and had to surface again. "Lao Ba, do you have an Underwater Light?" I shouted for Peach Blossom Farmer.
"Yes, yes, yes! Just wait a moment!" Jiao Ba turned around and tossed me an Underwater Light.
I grabbed the Underwater Light and plunged back into the water. This fishing boat was completely doomed; it would sink in less than an hour. I dove beneath the boat and began searching each spot for people.
Outside the fishing boat, there was no need to look anymore; it had capsized. I could only check inside the cabin. The hatch on the deck was open, so I took my underwater light and swam in. I checked several rest cabins but found no one.
There were still a few places left to explore, so I headed to the control room. I quickly swam towards it, and when I opened the door, I saw two helmsmen floating inside, like corpses.
I rushed over to them, and when I saw the first helmsman, I was taken aback. The man was already dead, his mouth wide open, eyes staring blankly, with his eyeballs slightly bulging out. He had drowned.
But I didn't have time to mourn; I needed to check on the second person. The other helmsman should be in better condition, and I hoped to save him. I supported his body and quickly swam towards the exit.
Just as I burst out of the cabin, I saw Mai Lao and Big Guy rushing over. Seeing them made me feel much more at ease, and my spirits lifted.
Mai Lao gestured urgently when he saw me, "Is there anyone else?"
I didn't have time to answer him verbally; instead, I gestured with one hand, "There should be more. Hurry!"
Mai Lao nodded and swam inside with Big Guy while I continued to support the helmsman as we floated up to the sea surface.
"Damn it, Lao Ba! Come help!" Jiao Ba jumped into the water. Together, we struggled to get the helmsman to the side of the boat. Suddenly, an arm reached down from above. "Let me help you."
With great effort from all three of us, we finally managed to get him up. The guy was just too heavy. When I climbed onto the bottom of the boat, I realized that this person was actually Jenny.
I felt a surge of excitement and instinctively grabbed her hand. "Jenny! What... what happened? Are you okay?"
Jenny forced a smile and shook her head. "I'm fine. After breaking through the sea surface, I was lucky to run into Mai Lao along the way; otherwise, I can't imagine what would have happened."
"It's fine, it's fine." I tightened my grip on her hand, feeling an indescribable joy at seeing her alive.
"Brother Yi, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and save someone!" Jiao Ba shouted beside me.
"Oh, coming!" I quickly rushed over to help the helmsman. His name was Old Wang, a middle-aged man around forty. Perhaps he was lucky; after about a minute of urgent care, Old Wang finally managed to pull through.
At that moment, Mai Lao and Big Guy each dragged someone up as well—two maintenance workers from the fishing boat. We got them to the bottom of the boat and began administering first aid.
Despite our efforts, one person could not be saved. It was a young life, just in his early twenties, who tragically completed his journey in this world.
I sat down heavily at the bottom of the boat, cursing in frustration, "Damn it, how could this happen?" I felt a sense of loss that I couldn't quite articulate. Although I wasn't very familiar with him, watching that young man die right in front of me left me feeling somewhat saddened.
Mai Lao patted my shoulder and said, "It's okay, Loyalty and Righteousness. We did our best."
"Yeah, Brother Yi. Saving one is better than none; we tried our hardest," Jiao Ba chimed in beside me.
I sighed and looked up at Mai Lao, asking, "How did you find us here?"
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