That's my ring!
I sighed and took out the measuring device... The measuring device was in a small pocket specially sewn into my underwear, along with the ring. I took it out...
A moment later, I laughed helplessly: "Damn it, are you kidding me? The yellow index on the measuring device is high... You're in good luck... It's a pity I'm about to die of thirst and hunger!"
Where can we find food and water at sea?
I really wanted to throw the thing in my hand into the sea in a fit of pique, but as soon as I stretched my hand out, I didn't dare. After thinking about it, I pulled it back close to my body.
Just when I had decided to give up, I heard a shout coming from the sea with the wind...
"Help, help me..."
I perked up and sat up. I saw a person wearing a lifebuoy on the sea in the distance, bobbing up and down in the waves. She looked like she was about to be swallowed by the waves at any moment, but she was struggling and paddling desperately.
It was Xiao Feng. Without hesitation, I grabbed the oar from the lifeboat and rowed towards her…
I reached out and pulled her onto the boat. Xiao Feng's face was deathly pale, even a bit ashen. After struggling to breathe and coughing, she looked at me with surprise and said haltingly, "It's...it's you, Xiao Wu? How did you get...to...here? This boat is..."
I leaned against the boat, too lazy to move: "Don't ask anymore, I stole the boat."
Xiao Feng was also exhausted and lay there seemingly unable to move, but she still managed to force a smile at me: "Xiao Wu, thank you...you saved my life."
I said calmly, "Don't thank me so soon. I didn't save you. We're both doomed."
Xiao Feng caught her breath for a moment, then struggled to ask, "What's wrong?"
I sat up, pointed at the three bags, and glanced at Xiaofeng: "Did you see them?"
"So much money?" Xiao Feng's expression changed slightly. Then she turned to look at me: "This..."
“It’s a lot of money.” I smiled bitterly. “A lot, a lot, a lot of money… If I used that money to buy food, the rice I could buy could crush me a hundred times over! The water I could buy could drown me a hundred times over! But the problem is… Miss, this is the ocean. There are no supermarkets nearby!” I took a breath, looked at Xiaofeng, and told her in a low voice, “There’s no food or water on the ship, so we’re both doomed, both doomed! So don’t thank me for saving you. I just gave you another option in terms of death.”
My smile grew increasingly strained: "If I hadn't saved you, you would have drowned. Now... at least you have some options. You can choose to drown, or stay on the boat and die of thirst or starvation."
We looked at each other for a while, and then we both suddenly laughed.
It's a helpless laugh. When people are in dire straits, they seem to cast aside all past grievances...
resentment?
The grudges between Xiaofeng and me, whether she hates me or I look down on her... does it matter at a time like this? On this vast sea, it's just the two of us left on this small boat, and who knows, a huge wave might send us to our deaths in the next hour...
Besides, when people reach this point, do they still have the energy to hate each other?
After laughing for a while, I noticed that Xiaofeng's face grew paler and paler. Her laughter gradually weakened, and then she started coughing again.
I moved a few steps closer to her, then grasped her wrist and checked her pulse.
Actually, I don't understand traditional Chinese medicine, let alone know how to take a pulse. But at least I've studied martial arts and know some basic principles. Her pulse was somewhat irregular, and her breathing was rapid and shallow.
"Have you been sick the whole time?" I sighed.
Xiao Feng forced a smile: "I've been sick for a few days. I don't think I'm used to the climate at sea. I've started to have some shortness of breath, and it's gotten worse in the last few days."
I remained silent for a while.
There was some food in my bag, and I even put a couple of anti-inflammatory pills in it. But... when I jumped into the sea with that black man, I was prepared to die together. My own bag had already fallen into the sea!
Her condition is very bad, even quite serious. In this situation, what she needs most is a doctor! If there is no doctor, at least she should have a cup of hot water, a dry place, and a warm bed so she can lie down for a while.
But none of that was there. I could only look at her and sigh.
Xiao Feng noticed my expression and forced a smile: "Alright, Xiao Wu, I know my situation. Anyway, it doesn't matter how I die now."
After she said that, I felt more at ease and simply lay down: "By the way, I've never asked you, how did you end up on that boat?"
"What else can we do but run away!" Xiao Feng's tone was tinged with resentment, and at this moment, there was a resolute and sinister expression on her face... This expression reminded me of her original appearance.
"Aren't you curious why I ended up in the south doing pyramid schemes?" Xiao Feng's tone was mocking. "After that nightclub incident, I couldn't make a living in Nanjing's establishments anymore. You left the nightclub, but after that guy Awei took over, he spread the word that no place would dare let me do business there. So I had no choice but to come south to make money..."
What happened next was simple. After heading south, Xiaofeng ran into a former friend who had also worked in the entertainment industry. Now, that friend was involved in pyramid schemes, and Xiaofeng was dragged into it.
But this woman is truly shrewd! Using the skills she honed over years in the entertainment industry, she actually managed to get in touch with the boss of that pyramid scheme! Then, through her connections, she managed to get entangled with several other leaders of the pyramid scheme…
"Don't look at me like that," Xiao Feng said coldly. "I know what you're thinking... You're right, I slept my way up with those men! Otherwise, how could I have climbed to that position? Humph!" Her tone was disdainful, yet laced with resentment. "What kind of men haven't I seen! The moment those guys saw me, their eyes lit up, and I knew what they were thinking! It's just spreading my legs, I've done that before! I was lucky, one of them fell for me, and I used all my skills to make him infatuated. He even handed over the accounts to me, and I officially entered their inner circle... By the time you saw me, I was basically a leader of one side. If the police hadn't raided our hideout that time, I..."
She suddenly sighed and said with a bitter smile, "I only found out after I ran away that the police raided our hideout because someone sabotaged it. It was someone from our gang who sold us out! Damn it... But since they were ruthless, I'll be ruthless too! I just took their money and ran! I traveled south from Guangzhou, sailed to Vietnam, and stayed there for more than ten days before finally managing to get on a ship to smuggle myself into Canada. Isn't Canada supposed to be one of the most livable countries in the world? I was planning to take the money and enjoy the rest of my life."
So that's why the woman ran away.
“I’m not only wanted by the police, but also being tracked down by the gang members. I embezzled a large sum of money from them, and if they find me, I’m doomed. So I can’t stay in Southeast Asia anymore; the farther I go, the better.” Xiao Feng’s tone was smug.
I have no interest in her affairs and don't want to hear about them anymore. They're all wicked things, and hearing about them makes me very uncomfortable.
Xiao Feng gradually said she was tired, and she really couldn't hold on any longer. She slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.
I drifted off to sleep...
I had a dream... The funny thing is, this time I didn't dream about Yan Di, Fang Nan, or anyone else... I didn't even dream about Huan Ge or the others again...
I dreamt that I was running frantically through the streets and alleys of Nanjing. I had a lot of money in my pocket, but every shop I went to told me they didn't sell water.
No Coke, no soda, no fruit juice... nothing at all!
I spotted a KFC from afar, but when I went inside, I found they had no burgers, no wings, no Coke! Nothing at all!
Finally, I woke up in despair, feeling only bitterness and dryness in my mouth.
After casually glancing at the US dollars in my bag, I suddenly thought, if someone told me now that a bottle of Coke costs a million dollars, I'd probably be willing to fight tooth and nail to buy it!
Part 1: In the Martial World, Helpless by One's Own Circumstances, Chapter 131: Tears Flowing Down My Face
This is the second day on the life raft. I have no strength to move. I haven't eaten or drunk anything for a day and a night. I feel like I don't even want to move my little finger. However, lying down is just as uncomfortable.
The sun was shining brightly on the life raft without any shade, which felt strange. Although the weather wasn't hot and the sea breeze was somewhat cool, being exposed to the sun for so long caused my body to lose moisture quickly, and my lips were already chapped.
I tried to lick my lips with my tongue, but unfortunately my tongue was also very dry... The friction between my lips and tongue felt like two dry sponges.
Xiao Feng didn't move, only occasionally letting out a soft hum. I called her name, but she didn't answer. I frowned and tried to move over, then reached out and touched her forehead.
The seawater on my body had long since dried, and there seemed to be a layer of salt frost on my clothes and body... especially on my hair, with a strange smell.
Xiaofeng's forehead was a little hot, and I didn't know if she had a fever... because my palms had lost their sharpness of sensation and only felt hot... but perhaps it was just my imagination.
"Am I going to die soon?" Xiaofeng's voice was very weak, so weak that I had to lean close to her head to hear it.
"I don't know," I replied dryly, then swallowed hard—if I still had any saliva left, my throat felt like it was on fire: "Maybe we're all going to die soon."
Xiao Feng turned her head to face me. Her face was ashen, but there was an unusual light in her eyes. Then she asked me in a very serious tone, "Xiao Wu, do you want to die?"
"No, nobody wants to die," I said calmly. "If you want to live a little longer, it's best if we don't talk. Talking too much will make your mouth dry."
"Is there a difference?" Xiaofeng forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. To be honest, she looked haggard, extremely haggard… While Xiaofeng wasn't considered exceptionally beautiful, she possessed a certain charm and knew how to dress well… Women in her profession are generally very good at dressing up. But now her face looked aged; the wrinkles around her eyes and the forehead lines were very pronounced, and her skin had lost its luster and elasticity…
She looked ten years older.
"Did you have any wishes before you died?" Xiao Feng asked in a low voice.
"Yes." I stopped looking at her and looked up at the sky, but then I closed my eyes because the sun was too bright: "I have too many wishes."
"For example?"
I sighed. My throat was so dry I really didn't want to speak. But I felt Xiaofeng was right... What difference did it make? We were both doomed anyway...
"My biggest wish is to have an ice-cold Coke right now!" I licked my lips hard, swallowed hard, and suddenly perked up, gesturing with my hand: "The big kind, the kind where you unscrew the cap... sizzle!! A burst of air comes right up! Then add some ice cubes and pour it into the glass... swallow it down in one gulp! Swallowing and biting the ice cubes at the same time..." I got more and more into it as I spoke, and couldn't help but close my eyes and start fantasizing.
I daydreamed for a while, then suddenly realized there was no sound around me. I glanced at Xiaofeng and found she had fainted. I quickly went over and patted her face.
Xiaofeng barely opened her eyes, slowly waking up. Looking at me, her gaze gradually focused, and she softly said, "I... just fell asleep? I was so tired... I kept wanting to close... close... my eyes, but I... didn't dare..." She suddenly took a deep breath: "I know... if I fall asleep, I won't wake up again."
I sighed and looked at her without saying anything.
Xiao Feng seems to be dying. She was already weak and ill, and after being in the seawater for so long without food or water, she looks like she's about to pass away!
Xiao Feng suddenly smiled... I don't know why, but I always felt there was a hint of cruelty in her smile... She looked at me and said, "I never imagined that the two of us would... die together."
I remained silent, unable even to manage a smile.
Indeed, I never imagined it. Two completely unrelated people like us would end up dying together!
"I'm terrified of dying," Xiaofeng said earnestly. Her voice was so low I had to lean in close to hear her; even moving her lips seemed difficult. "But... if someone dies with me... I'll feel a little better. I'd be at ease if you died with me!" There was a hint of wickedness in her eyes. But when her gaze fell on my face, a flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes.
I smiled.
She suddenly raised her finger slightly and struggled. I glanced at her and finally understood that she wanted to sit up: "What are you doing? Don't move."
"I want to see...see it one more time." A strange light suddenly appeared on Xiao Feng's face. Her previously lifeless eyes seemed to have a dried-up river suddenly flowing again: "I want to see it one more time, to see this world one more time..."
I sighed, went over and lifted her up in my arms, letting her lean against the edge of the inflatable raft. Xiao Feng's body was trembling uncontrollably, and she felt incredibly heavy; she had no strength left.
She looked around and her eyes filled with disappointment... because there was nothing around her except seawater!
She slowly closed her eyes... To be honest, I thought she was dead... because her breathing was very weak, and her chest wasn't rising and falling; I thought she was really dead...
But just as I was thinking this, she suddenly opened her eyes again, her gaze unfocused... She tried to look for a while, as if I were right next to her, but she seemed to have difficulty focusing her gaze on my face.
"Xiao Wu!" She suddenly spoke, seemingly out of nowhere, "I regret it."
"What?"
"You shouldn't have died." There was something almost insane in her eyes. "I wanted you to die with me, so I wouldn't be afraid if I had someone by my side going to the underworld... But I regret it, you shouldn't have died."
Her speech suddenly became fluent! I knew it was a final burst of energy before death!
“You don’t deserve this.” Xiao Feng chuckled. “You’re a good person, and good people shouldn’t die like this. Besides, you’ve helped me three times since we got here from the ship… I can’t drag you down with me; that would be too sinful of me.”
I sighed. It seemed Xiao Feng had gone mad before she died. I couldn't bear to say anything, so I just went along with her and whispered, "Alright, I won't die then."
She smiled, a smile that held a hint of mystery...
Then, with some effort, he raised his fingertip and pointed to his pants...the left pocket!
“I was thinking of not telling you, and you could just die with me. But one can’t do that. You helped me, so I changed my mind.” She almost gasped for breath after each sentence: “Look there.”
There was a zipper on the pocket. I frowned and unzipped it, and something immediately came out!
That's a mineral water bottle!!!
I immediately exclaimed in surprise and took out the bottle! Thank God, it was almost full of water! Only slightly less!
I immediately remembered. This bottle was given to me by the Vietnamese guy working for Fatty before I set sail! And on the day I was on the smuggling ship, Xiao Feng was taken away by those bastards… When we came back, I gave her this bottle of water! To let her… cleanse herself!
“You…are useless?” I looked at Xiaofeng, holding the bottle.