Around the massive Victoria, countless small lifeboats floated on the sea, and it appeared that some lifeboats from the Victoria had not yet been lowered.
Although they were far apart, Chen Xiao could still faintly hear the cries of despair and fear.
For some reason, seeing such a vivid and astonishing scene, Chen Xiao didn't feel as shocked as he had expected. Instead, he felt a strange, inexplicable calm. He tilted his head, his neck stiff, the pain in his chest tormenting him, yet he still managed to move his lips twice.
As soon as Zhang Xiaotao saw Chen Xiao wake up, she immediately bent down and called out to him twice.
Chen Xiao's eyes had lost all their luster, and his gaze was somewhat vacant as he silently stared at the Victoria, which was sinking in the distance to the side.
Finally, Zhang Xiaotao heard Chen Xiao's words clearly. He said, "It's just like in the movies..."
After saying this, the young man fainted again.
When Chen Xiao woke up for the second time, he could only hear the whistling wind in his ears!
He opened his eyes and saw dark clouds gathering overhead, and a torrential downpour poured down relentlessly. The howling wind sounded like the roar of a wild beast over the vast sea!
The lifeboat seemed poised to capsize at any moment, bobbing up and down on wave after wave. With each big wave, the people on board screamed in terror, huddled together, and some even shouted something wildly.
Zhang Xiaotao sat next to Chen Xiao, tightly gripping his wrist with one hand. Although she was pale with fright, she pursed her lips tightly.
Looking at the girl's profile, this was the last thing Chen Xiao saw when he woke up for the second time. Then, a huge wave crashed in. Salty seawater poured onto Chen Xiao's face and body, and he fainted again.
When Chen Xiao woke up for the third time, he felt himself lying on a soft sandy ground. His head was resting on something, and when he turned his neck slightly, he immediately felt a dull ache all over his body.
He finally realized he was resting his head on Zhang Xiaotao's lap. The two of them were sitting on a beach, Zhang Xiaotao's face a mixture of laughter and tears, as if watching Chen Xiao wake up. She was overjoyed, hugged Chen Xiao's head with both hands, and then began to wail. Tears fell drop by drop onto Chen Xiao's face. Chen Xiao opened his mouth and sighed, "Have we made it ashore?"
"We're trapped."
The answer to Chen Xiao did not come from Zhang Xiaotao, but from a voice above his head. Although Chen Xiao could not sit up and turn around, he still heard it clearly—it was the sound of fireworks!
That unique, indifferent, slightly hoarse, yet magnetic voice.
Fireworks looked disheveled. At this moment, she seemed to have lost all connection with the word "elegance."
Her cheongsam was stained with dirt and sand, her hair was wet and covered with grit, and it was all disheveled and sticky to her forehead and cheeks. But her eyes remained calm and bright.
Zhang Xiaotao was still sobbing softly when Yan Hua walked directly to Chen Xiao's side, knelt down, and looked down into his eyes: "Your condition is very bad. You have multiple injuries—which wouldn't normally be a problem, but we have no medical supplies right now, and the hygiene situation is far from ideal; we can't even guarantee your wounds won't get infected. Also… you were shot in the lung, and blood has flowed into it. When you were unconscious, you kept coughing, and there was blood in your spit. Fortunately, the internal bleeding has stopped; you're lucky. But your lungs are very weak now, I'm afraid…"
Even without Yan Hua's words, Chen Xiao could sense his current condition. He felt weak, leaning against Zhang Xiaotao's chest. He couldn't even move a finger. It felt like a thousand-pound weight was pressing on his chest, making each breath incredibly difficult, and his chest burned with pain.
My lungs felt like a leaky bellows; although I could still breathe, I couldn't seem to get enough oxygen, and the pain was excruciating.
"The two knife wounds on your shoulder have damaged muscle tissue, and the knife wound on your leg... I just can't understand how you could have been so lively and energetic on the ship with such serious injuries." Fireworks' voice seemed devoid of emotion; the content of her words sounded mocking, yet her tone held no hint of sarcasm. It was as calm as a machine.
"Will I... die?" Chen Xiao asked with difficulty.
“I don’t know. These kinds of injuries aren’t fatal, but we don’t have any medicine right now. Also, your body seems to have caught a chill after being soaked in seawater. You’ve had a fever since last night…” Fireworks shook her head.
"Will I die?" A strange glint suddenly flashed in Chen Xiao's eyes. Staring straight at the fireworks, his voice hoarse as if a broken gong, he asked with difficulty, in broken sentences, "Senior Fireworks, I'm not asking about my injuries, I'm asking you, will I... die?"
Fireworks understood Chen Xiao's meaning, and this time her expression finally changed, a hint of apology flashing in her eyes.
Seeing the hint of apology in the other person's eyes, Chen Xiao's heart sank. Could it be... that I'm going to die?
Fortunately, Fireworks replied, "I don't know."
Chen Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and took a deep breath despite the pain—it seemed that only by taking deep breaths could her lungs get enough oxygen to relieve the tightness in her chest, but the pain from deep breaths was also doubled.
Chen Xiao's brows furrowed in pain, but she asked, "You...you don't know? You're not..."
"I can't tell." Fireworks' reply returned to its flat tone: "Your future is unknown!"
Zhang Xiaotao couldn't understand the content of Chen Xiao and Yan Hua's conversation, but she did catch one thing: "You two know each other?"
"I've seen it once," came the fireworks.
"Help me...help me sit up." Chen Xiao struggled for a moment, and Zhang Xiaotao quickly and carefully lifted him up, letting him lean against her shoulder. Although men and women are different, they couldn't worry about that at the moment.
“My pants, the pocket…” Chen Xiao pointed to his tattered pants: “The right one…”
Zhang Xiaotao took a small bottle out of Chen Xiao's pocket.
My eyes lit up when I saw the fireworks!
"Cell repair fluid?"
"The Japanese gave it to me." Chen Xiao took a breath.
For the first time, a hint of relief appeared on Yan Hua's face, but Chen Xiao smiled wryly: "This thing... is useless to me, but it's always good to have it as a backup, just in case..."
Towards the end, he struggled to breathe, unable to catch his breath, and his face turned bright red.
On the beach, Chen Xiao leaned against Zhang Xiaotao's chest. Zhang Xiaotao struggled to take off his shirt, because the blood from his wound had already congealed, and the blood yoke even held the clothes and flesh together. The tearing process was so painful that Chen Xiao almost bit his lip until it bled.
Not far away, the lifeboat ran aground on the beach.
The beach isn't very long; you can see the end at a glance. It's about a few hundred meters long and forms a circular shape.
Around the three were other people, all passengers from the lifeboat, but they were all elderly, weak, and women.
The situation is not optimistic. In addition to Chen Xiao and the other two, there are four other women: two elderly people in their sixties who are an elderly couple, and a girl who looks no more than thirteen years old.
To make matters worse, it was an island, an uninhabited island.
After the Victoria sank, those who boarded the lifeboats were not fortunate enough to be rescued.
That very night, a sudden storm swept through the area, scattering all the lifeboats on the surface.