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墨書 Inktalez
I don't know how long I had been asleep, but when I opened my eyes groggily, everything around me was still shrouded in darkness. The sound of the waves was clear, and the sky was filled with stars. I sat up and stretched a bit, noticing a man sitting across from me. When he saw that I was awake, he seemed to smile and asked, "Awake? How do you feel?" It was Mai Lao's voice, but since I had just opened my eyes, I hadn't yet adjusted to my surroundings.
I rubbed my head and replied, "Um, I'm okay, just still feeling a bit tired. Where are we?" I casually looked around and realized we were on a Lifeboat. All my previous memories were intact; I hadn't forgotten anything. There were two other people on the boat, but I couldn't see who they were.
"We're on the Lifeboat. Mai Lao saved us. Brother Yi, you're really lucky! Not only did the ship sink, but after drifting for so long, you're still alive. I almost thought I wouldn't find you," Jiao Ba said as he rowed the boat in front of me. After a moment of adjusting, I finally got a clearer view of my surroundings.
"Yeah, Brother Yi, we owe our escape this time to Mai Lao," Shunzi's voice chimed in beside me.
I turned to glance at him; he was wrapped in bandages. Although his face was still pale, he looked much better than before and seemed more spirited. Seeing that he was alive eased my heart significantly. "Shunzi? Thank God! I'm just glad to see you're okay." I took Shunzi's hand, and this big guy squeezed mine tightly in reassurance.
Then I asked, "Mai Lao, where exactly are we now? What happened to the fishing boat?"
Mai Lao shook his head and said, "I don't know. We've temporarily lost contact with the fishing boat and can only search slowly."
"What? Lost contact? How is that possible? I clearly remember that the Wreck was right next to our fishing boat; how could we lose contact so suddenly?" What exactly had happened here? While drifting at sea, I knew I had moved away from the fishing boat, but why had it turned out like this? I couldn't understand.
Mai Lao looked at me seriously and said, "Actually, from the moment we boarded the Wreck, this ship started moving as if pushed by some force. Even the Steel Wire Rope connecting to the Buoy snapped completely; we just didn't notice it at the time. It wasn't until I escaped from the Wreck that I realized we had long since drifted away from the fishing boat. This Lifeboat was tied to the Wreck by someone sent by the Bearded Man; luckily it didn’t 'fall behind.' Without it, rescuing you would have been nearly impossible."
I looked at him with confusion and asked, "Mai Lao, can I ask you something? In such a chaotic situation with gunfire everywhere, how did you manage to escape?" I was eager to know how this Old Man had such remarkable abilities.
Mike chuckled and said, "What's so strange about that? It was precisely because things were chaotic that I managed to leave. The moment gunfire erupted, I dashed toward the Hatch. I knew they were all busy dealing with that female corpse; they wouldn't have time to pay attention to us! Who would have thought that someone like me—who always believed in science—would encounter such bizarre events? A corpse can kill; who would believe it if I told them?"
"Yes! If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't believe it either. By the way, weren't you afraid of getting shot back then?"
Although his words made sense and seemed plausible on the surface, I knew very well that it wasn't like that at all. In a chaotic environment, the first instinct of a normal person would definitely be self-preservation, not rushing out.
He was a Marine Biologist and could not have possibly gone through such a situation unless he had received special training. At that time, the gunfire was so intense that even I wouldn't dare to act recklessly. Yet he managed to escape unnoticed in such a dangerous situation; this alone was something an ordinary person could never accomplish.
Mai Lao seemed to sense my doubts. He maintained his smile and said, "I know what you're thinking. Actually, it's nothing special. Although I'm a Marine Biology Professor, I served in the military for a few years and received professional training. At that time, I was also just trying my luck without absolute certainty."
I couldn't believe that this Old Man had been a soldier. I casually asked, "Which unit did you serve in?"
"Let's not get into which unit; as a soldier, you should know that some things shouldn't be casually mentioned." Mai Lao winked, perfectly concealing his past.
I analyzed in my mind: if he were indeed one of the men in black, he wouldn't reveal such important information. He could easily come up with another excuse instead of admitting to being a soldier; wasn't that just inviting suspicion? So if Mai Lao wasn't one of them, could the man in black be Li Xin? Or was there someone else?
While things were becoming clearer, they still felt vague, and I couldn't find any definite clues. But one thing was clear: this Old Man was definitely not simple. His skills should be on par with mine, if not better. Did he have ulterior motives as well? Suddenly, I realized that everyone who had come out to sea seemed to have their own agenda.
At that moment, I gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Mai Lao, you really are impressive! If it weren't for you this time, we would all be accompanying that female corpse."
"I barely escaped by luck; don't think too highly of me or you'll be disappointed," he waved his hand and chuckled.
I stopped pressing him about that topic. "What should we do now? Is there any hope of finding a fishing boat?" This was my biggest concern. With just this small broken boat, we would eventually die; one big wave could capsize us, and there was no food here—we could starve to death.
"That's hard to say; I can only do my best. The direction we're heading is correct, but whether the fishing boats have left or not is unclear," Mai Lao said seriously. From his expression, it didn't seem like he was joking.
"What if... we can't find a fishing boat?" Shunzi asked quietly from the side.
"We'll die," Jiao Ba replied casually while rowing the boat.
"Die again? I can barely take it anymore." As soon as Shunzi heard the word "die," his expression changed instantly. It was normal for this big boy to be scared after everything he had been through.
Mai Lao patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Let's take turns rowing. Jiao Ba, you take a break! Let me handle it." With that, he walked to the back of the boat and took the oar from Jiao Ba's hands.
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