Boom!
A huge wave crashed over them, slamming the warship off course.
Cobra quickly twisted the control levers several times, narrowly dodging the brunt of the wave. But just as he steadied the ship, another even bigger wave came surging toward them.
“Raise the bow! Climb up it!” Ryan gripped the control stick tightly, lifting the bow as high as he could instantly.
The wave ahead loomed over a hundred meters tall, its thickness hinting at a monstrous power. There was no dodging this one-only facing it head-on. They had to punch through the crest, or the ship would be shattered on impact.
“The hull’s up thirty degrees-that’s the max,” Cobra said, his face set, beads of sweat or maybe seawater streaming down, though he showed no sign of human warmth or fear.
“Not enough! Get it higher, faster!” Ryan’s face turned stony as he saw the giant wave closing in. If the bow didn’t lift high enough, they’d be smashed to pieces.
“Raising the hull, forcing it up!” Bill sat beside him, biting his lip so hard it bled, though he seemed unaware, focused solely on the controls.
The monstrous wave came crashing down, towering over them with a hundred-meter height that could crush them like an ant.
“Head into it!” Ryan yelled, yanking the control stick up with one hand and slamming his other onto the control panel, pushing them to their absolute limit.
In a heartbeat, the warship surged up the monstrous wave, climbing it straight on with incredible force and precision, almost defying gravity.
“Bow angle at twenty-four degrees, hull pressure exceeding the standard by ten percent,” came the tense voice from the control system.
“Bow angle at seventy-three degrees, hull pressure now over fifty percent of the limit.”
This wasn’t just a battle against the water; it was a fight against the universe itself. The warship was like an ant scaling Mount Everest, trembling with the sheer weight of the challenge yet unwavering in purpose.
Ryan and his crew’s sharp calculations and fearless execution were now reaching their peak.
The bow was now nearly vertical to the ocean below. This was no whirlpool with the force of gravity pulling them downward; this was something entirely different. If they tilted to a full ninety degrees, the entire ship and everyone on board would be doomed.
“Boss, we can’t go any higher!” Cobra shouted, practically screaming over the roar of the storm.
“Push it higher, full speed!” Ryan’s voice rang out, his eyes bloodshot, blazing with a ruthless resolve and iron-willed authority.
Taking a deep breath, Cobra and the others pushed every control lever to its highest limit. The warship tilted nearly ninety degrees, climbing the monstrous wave like a vertical cliff.
Everyone on board was flung toward the back hold by the force. At this near-vertical angle, some crew members on the outer decks were tossed clear off the ship. Thankfully, the Dark family members had tied themselves securely with thick ropes. Now they were dragged along behind the ship, bobbing in the crashing waves, hanging on as they looked up in awe at the warship’s struggle against the fury of the sea.
The crew inside the warship couldn’t see the full picture. In the captain’s room, Ryan and the others could only make out the giant wave ahead, completely unaware of the scene behind them. But the Dark family members, dragged along in the water, had the terrifying view clear as day.
By now, the warship had climbed to about seventy percent of the wave’s towering height. Above them was the massive, crashing wave, threatening to swallow them whole, while behind lay a vast, empty sea. In the dim light, the Dark family members could clearly see the warship hanging mid-air, at least seventy or eighty meters above the ocean, with nothing below but a dizzying drop.
The intense speed and force of the ship’s climb left them struggling to control their bodies, practically scraping up the wave as they were pulled along. The relentless push of water invaded their noses and mouths, drowning them as they endured the tug of opposing forces, each agonizing in its own way.
In the captain’s room, all the control panels flashed red, alarms blaring nonstop. Ryan’s gaze was fixed on the giant wave, his rugged jaw clenched so tightly that Echo could almost hear his teeth grinding.
Echo took a deep breath and looked at the massive, menacing wave ahead. Through the transparent wall of the captain’s room, every terrifying detail was laid bare. The overwhelming water loomed like a giant mouth, ready to devour every person, everything in its path.
“Power system is over the limit-cease rotation!”
“Pressure levels are near breaking point-approaching collapse!”
“Rotation disrupted-drainage system malfunctioning!”
One report after another came through as nearly every part of the warship faced critical issues. The reckless maneuvers, combined with the full force of the unleashed energy, had pushed the battered warship to the brink of disintegration.
“Boss, we’re still about ten meters short!” Hawk shouted, his voice a raw scream in the roaring storm, his tone carrying the urgency and desperation of the moment.
“Put everything we have into it!” Ryan’s eyes were bloodshot, his jaw clenching audibly.
This was their last shot; if they fell short, they’d be crushed without a trace.
Echo clung tightly to Ryan, glancing up to see his face drenched in either sweat or seawater. Droplets gathered on his long lashes, nearly blinding him. Without a second thought, she quickly reached up to wipe his face. At this moment, Ryan had no time to notice the small details, let alone wipe his own face.
The dizziness had vanished, completely overridden by the body’s survival instincts. Echo’s mind was sharply clear, so focused she could barely remember what disorientation felt like.
Her heart seemed to stop, steady and calm as she looked at the colossal wave. She felt utterly serene, as if her heart no longer knew how to beat. The sound of the hull cracking under pressure echoed through the storm, yet there was no trace of fear left in her. She’d gone beyond fear, to the point where terror no longer held meaning.
Michael had strapped himself to the door, but the crushing pressure had pinned him hard against the back of the captain’s room. He couldn’t even move, let alone try to come forward. With the ship tilted so steeply, all the seawater in the cabin had pooled at the back, nearly drowning him.
Echo, who was clinging tightly to Ryan, glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Michael, almost submerged. She frowned, noticing the splashes in the water, showing he was still struggling. But soon even his hair started disappearing below the surface.
Grinding her teeth, Echo grabbed the iron strap on the back of Ryan’s captain’s chair, squirming her way out from behind him. She quickly secured herself to the chair, knowing she couldn’t just watch helplessly while everyone else was fighting to survive. Any dizziness she’d felt was long forgotten; she was determined to help.
She grabbed some floating container-she didn’t even know what it was-as long as it could scoop water. Practically hanging upside down behind Ryan’s seat, she started frantically bailing water out of the cabin.
Suddenly, a violent jolt rocked the entire ship. Echo was thrown around mid-air, slamming into the metal of Ryan’s chair. But by now, she barely registered the pain. She only thought of going faster; if she didn’t, Michael might drown right there.
“All pressure systems destroyed!” Bill’s voice was thick with barely controlled fury.
“One more meter!” Ryan ignored Bill’s report, his whole body radiating intense focus and determination. His fierce expression was enough to make anyone shiver.
“Screw it, we’re going all in!” Cobra shouted, pushing every control in front of him to the maximum.
Instantly, the ship started shaking uncontrollably, as if it was about to come apart any second.
With a loud, bone-jarring thud, Echo’s heart sank.
Was this it? Had the ship finally broken apart? Was this the end?
The thought flashed through her mind, but her hands kept moving, bailing water without a pause.