"That's...an island?"
The morning mist had dissipated, and Zhuang Rui noticed the faint outline of an island appearing on the distant sea.
Chapter 824 A Glimmer of Hope
Because of the great distance, Zhuang Rui could only vaguely see the outline of an island, but this still made him ecstatic. Seeing land in the boundless sea was no less exciting than seeing an oasis in the desert.
"Compressed biscuits, bread, that's all?"
Zhuang Rui emptied the pockets of the life jacket and found that there was nothing else inside except for seven or eight sealed compressed biscuits and two fist-sized pieces of bread.
The worst part is that both of these things require water to eat. Although Zhuang Rui's stomach was growling with hunger, he still stuffed the things back into his pocket. He would rather starve to death than die of thirst.
There was also a small knife that Peng Fei had given to Zhuang Rui. The black blade emitted a strange, cold light. If it hadn't been stuck in the foam inside his life jacket, Zhuang Rui really wouldn't have known how to carry it.
Standing on the reef, Zhuang Rui observed the direction of the seawater flow. To his delight, the seawater seemed to be flowing towards the island, which would greatly increase his chances of swimming to the island.
As the saying goes, "looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death," and the same is true at sea. Friends who have been on ocean-going ships know that when the ship is about to dock, you can see the coastline in the distance, but it often takes a long time to reach the point where you can see it.
However... the distant islands still filled Zhuang Rui with boundless hope.
"Damn it, I'll risk it."
Looking at the islands that were faintly visible in the distance, Zhuang Rui gritted his teeth. Without fresh water, staying on this reef would only lead to his death sooner or later.
He had hoped that the rescue team would find him, but after more than ten hours, he hadn't seen a single person or even a bird. It seemed that Zhuang Rui was all alone in the world, and the loneliness was unbearable for him.
Moreover, it is currently high tide, and if they wait until evening when the tide recedes, even if Zhuang Rui stays on the reef, he could very well be pulled to the seabed by that terrifying suction force.
Although Zhuang Rui possesses special abilities, he is not someone from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. If you suffocate him for a few minutes, his life will still be in danger.
With a "plop," Zhuang Rui clumsily jumped into the water and swam towards the island.
Zhuang Rui learned to swim by playing around in Yunlong Lake in Pengcheng when he was a child with Liu Chuan. Although his swimming style wasn't very graceful, it was very practical. Plus, he had plenty of energy, and after a few minutes, he had swum over a hundred meters, leaving the life-saving reef far behind.
"Damn, where am I?"
To avoid being attacked by sharks in the sea, Zhuang Rui kept releasing his spiritual energy while swimming. He discovered that the reefs he had just seen in this area were just the tip of the iceberg.
Beneath the seawater lie countless semi-tidal reefs. After swimming just a few hundred meters in the water, Zhuang Rui discovered no fewer than several hundred reefs. If the tide were to recede completely, this place would definitely become a tourist attraction with bizarrely shaped rocks.
As for half-tide reefs, they are reefs that are exposed above the sea surface when the tide is halfway down, but are submerged when the tide is high. We are currently in the high tide period, so many reefs are not yet exposed above the water.
These reefs are veritable ship killers. Hidden in the seawater, these semi-tidal reefs are strangely shaped and rugged, ranging in size from dozens of square meters to three or four meters.
The semi-tidal reef has a very shallow draft. If a ship were to actually enter this area, it would definitely run aground and sink. For example, the reef that Zhuang Rui just swam over was long and pointed, resembling the comb of a rooster. It was only about one meter below the water. If a ship were to hit it, it would be like being stuck in a sharp knife.
Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy detection range is currently around 500 meters. While swimming, Zhuang Rui also checked the depth of this sea area. The riverbed can be seen at a depth of about 60 or 70 meters.
However, compared to the riverbed covered with fine sand, the riverbed here is much more colorful, with countless fish swimming in it and colorful coral reefs growing everywhere. What caught Zhuang Rui's eye was that among those reefs and sand, there were also many shipwrecks.
Some boats were bow-up, their hulls buried in the riverbed, while others lay flat on the riverbed, their decks covered with seaweed and moss.
Some boats are no longer recognizable, having become one with the reefs, with countless fish swimming among them; this place has become their habitat.
Most of these shipwrecks are wooden vessels, presumably remnants from the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, and they come in various shapes and sizes.
However, most of the shipwrecks on the seabed are wooden two-masted sailing ships, with the hulls joined together using wooden pegs. After looking for a long time, Zhuang Rui did not find a single modern ironclad ship. If these wooden ships were salvaged, it would probably be enough to open an ancient ship museum.
On a large ship about thirty meters long, Zhuang Rui could clearly see that the round holes on the hull that were originally used to extend the oars had now become gates for marine life to enter and exit.
Moreover, Zhuang Rui could clearly sense the presence of spiritual energy in those rotten wooden boats, with countless tiny specks of it.
"Damn it, it's so frustrating to see something you can't have, it's infuriating..."
As Zhuang Rui sensed the varying strengths of spiritual energy in the areas where they resided, he felt an itch to get out of his mind.
Without a doubt, those things are all ancient treasures. No wonder people always say that the ocean is the world's greatest treasure.
In order to reach the mainland as soon as possible, Zhuang Rui constantly used his spiritual energy to cleanse his body and swam tirelessly toward the distant islands. Only when he was extremely exhausted would he find a reef that was readily available to rest.
These reefs didn't affect Zhuang Rui much; he could occasionally stop and rest. But the problem was that there were a lot of marine life in this area, most of which clung to the reefs. A large portion of the spiritual energy that Zhuang Rui dispersed was injected into the bodies of these marine creatures.
A coral reef can support four hundred species of fish. Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy attracted schools of colorful sea fish, whose names he couldn't even name. Among them was even a large sea turtle with a diameter of about one meter.
The marine creatures, having absorbed the spiritual energy, seemed to have been given a shot of adrenaline, and they all emerged from the reefs, following behind Zhuang Rui.
After the initial surprise, Zhuang Rui actually enjoyed the situation. You see, being alone in the ocean, the feeling of loneliness is hard to describe in words.
With so many sea fish around him, Zhuang Rui's mood improved a lot.
"Damn, that's... a shark?"
After swimming a few hundred meters further, Zhuang Rui suddenly noticed that the school of fish behind him had become chaotic. A huge creature, about two meters long and entirely silver, rushed into the school, opening its large mouth with serrated teeth and devouring the fish that were trying to escape.
This terrified Zhuang Rui so much that he was scared out of his wits. Although he had imagined that he might encounter sharks in the sea, he never expected that the creature would be attracted by his spiritual energy.
Although the shark was still twenty or thirty meters away, Zhuang Rui's heart was pounding in his throat. He quickly suppressed his spiritual energy and dared not swim any further. He relied on the buoyancy of his life jacket to float on the surface of the sea.
"Buddha, Bodhisattva, please don't come any closer, please don't come any closer, you can't see me, you can't see me..."
Seeing the shark leisurely swim towards him after scattering the school of fish, Zhuang Rui's heart pounded so hard it was practically in his throat.
Zhuang Rui muttered to himself, his expression like that of someone playing a character with special abilities in a Hong Kong movie, hoping the big guy wouldn't see him.
However, the shark didn't seem to understand Zhuang Rui's language. It still swam over slowly, its black, marble-like eyes looking at Zhuang Rui.
"A knife, that's right, I still have a knife..."
Zhuang Rui gripped the small knife. Although he knew it posed no threat to the shark, it still made him feel a little better, like someone who had fallen off a cliff grabbing a lifeline.
As the shark approached, Zhuang Rui's nerves were on edge. He knew he had no chance of winning against a shark in the sea, but he refused to give up. He hadn't even seen his unborn children yet. The shark didn't charge straight at Zhuang Rui. Instead, it circled him, seemingly sniffing something. After about ten seconds, it suddenly flicked its tail fin and swam towards the seabed.
"I'll never eat shark fin again. Who the hell said sharks eat people?"
After seeing the shark swim away, Zhuang Rui felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he seemed to collapse. If it weren't for his life jacket, he would have definitely sunk to the bottom of the sea by now.
Zhuang Rui was incredibly resentful of Spielberg. If it weren't for that guy's movie "Jaws", would he have been so scared?
Zhuang Rui was unaware that there are more than 380 species of sharks in the ocean, of which only about 30 species will actively attack humans. Most sharks simply feed on other marine fish and are not so fond of human flesh.
Moreover, Zhuang Rui was quite lucky. The shark he encountered was just an ordinary thresher shark, not a bloodthirsty great white shark. If it had been a great white shark, even if Zhuang Rui had prayed to every god in the heavens, he would probably still be a fish in the belly by now.
Finding a reef a few dozen meters away, Zhuang Rui mustered all his strength and swam over. After climbing onto the reef, Zhuang Rui didn't want to move at all. The situation he had just experienced was too stimulating, causing his cerebral cortex to secrete hormones that were dozens of times higher than usual.
Zhuang Rui lay on the rocks for a full half hour before he finally recovered. After glancing at the sun gradually sinking below the horizon, he mustered his courage and jumped back into the sea.
Staying on this reef, which protrudes only two or three meters above the sea, is not a safe choice. At low tide, there is a good chance that you will be swept into the deep ocean.
Now swimming in the sea, Zhuang Rui no longer dared to release his spiritual energy to look around. Although the shark from before didn't bite, someone with a weak heart would probably be scared to death. Zhuang Rui didn't have the courage to try something so thrilling again.
As Zhuang Rui paddled frantically, the distant, blurry islands gradually became clearer. However, as the sun set, a thin mist slowly rose over the sea, shrouding the entire island in a mysterious aura.
"Five hundred meters to go..."
Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy and could already see the white sand beach, which almost brought him to tears. After drifting in the sea for nearly 20 hours, Zhuang Rui felt as if his whole body was swollen.
The water here is not very deep, only about 20 or 30 meters deep. The sea turtles and those strangely shaped large sea fish with wings that we just saw have all disappeared. Only some smaller fish are going in and out of the various coral reefs.
The sun slowly sank below the horizon, and the calm sea began to ripple again. Small waves made it extremely difficult for Zhuang Rui to swim, and he would often be swept back by a wave after swimming several meters.
"That won't work, we need to dive into the sea..."
Zhuang Rui sensed that the direction of the seawater flow had changed, and it seemed that the tide was receding. The waves were unpredictable, sometimes forward and sometimes backward, which was a sign that the tide was about to go out.
Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Rui plunged into the sea and swam headfirst towards the shore. The water beneath the surface was relatively calm.
He swam dozens of meters in one breath, until his chest felt like it was about to explode, before Zhuang Rui surfaced and took a deep breath of air.
With continuous underwater swimming, Zhuang Rui got closer and closer to the island. Looking at the tall coconut trees not far from the shore, Zhuang Rui was so excited that tears streamed down his face.
"With coconuts around, even without water, I won't die of thirst, buddy."
However, when Zhuang Rui was still thirty or forty meters away from the island, he felt the seawater behind him suddenly exert a huge suction force, pulling him backward more than twenty meters.
"The tide is going out..."
Zhuang Rui suddenly realized something, which terrified him; this suction force was something he simply couldn't resist.
As the island receded further and further away, just when Zhuang Rui was almost in despair, a huge wave suddenly crashed over, pushing Zhuang Rui more than 20 meters toward the shore.
"Damn it, are you kidding me?"
Zhuang Rui was both surprised and delighted. He took a deep breath, dived into the water, and paddled desperately towards the shore. He was now only praying that the tide would recede a few minutes later, so that he could escape the disaster once he could step onto the beach.
The receding tide of the ocean is not as rapid as that of a river; rather, it is a process. During this phase, the waves at the seaside become exceptionally large, sweeping away all life on the shore and dragging it to the seabed.
Fortunately for Zhuang Rui, the island was surrounded by towering reefs.
These reefs altered the direction of the seawater flow, making even the receding tide more gentle, which gave Zhuang Rui a glimmer of hope.
Chapter 825 A Narrow Escape
The fleet conducting a military visit in the Indian Ocean was the first to arrive at the designated area and the first to discover the survivors of the plane crash.
Around 6 a.m., Peng Fei and the others boarded the warship, changed into clean clothes, and the two girls, who had developed high fevers due to excessive fright, were put to bed in a room.
Peng Fei rested for a short while before joining the rescue team to search for Zhuang Rui. However, as the search area expanded, they still couldn't find any trace of Zhuang Rui.
As time went on, Peng Fei grew increasingly anxious and irritable. After being refused several requests to pilot the warship's helicopter to search for Zhuang Rui, he nearly clashed with the commanding officers. ...
"What? You still haven't found them? You have over a dozen warships and hundreds of aircraft, and you can't even find a single person in an area of thirty nautical miles?"
Ouyang Lei's face was ashen. He hadn't slept well the night before and was woken up by a phone call at six o'clock this morning.
After hearing the news that the plane crash victims had been found, Ouyang Lei thought Zhuang Rui was safe. However, the next news kept Ouyang Lei awake and he stayed by the phone the whole time.
"Sir, all the planes have been dispatched, but there's still no sign of Zhuang Rui. I...I suspect..."
The voice on the other end of the phone hesitated, stammering and not continuing.
"Don't doubt it. We must find him alive or dead. That's an order. Also, the South China Sea Fleet should be arriving soon. Both sides should work together to expand the search area. Remember, you must find him!" Ouyang Lei rudely interrupted the other party. If he couldn't find Zhuang Rui, he didn't know how he would explain to his grandfather, how he would face his widowed aunt, and Zhuang Rui's wife who was about to give birth.
"Yes, I guarantee I will complete the mission." Although the answer was firm on the phone, Ouyang Lei was still very uneasy. After hanging up, Ouyang Lei sat for a while, then stood up and hurriedly left the office.
"Arrange a plane; I need to go to the South China Sea Fleet for a work inspection..."
That's how some things are; a different excuse can make them seem legitimate. Although everyone knew Ouyang Lei's purpose in going to the South China Sea Fleet, no one could bring themselves to criticize him.
"Old Xie, what do you think?"