Just Echo she managed to scoop a few more handfuls, there was a sudden rush as the water in the cabin surged back, flooding up to her thighs.
Echo froze, surprised, and then stumbled backward, colliding with Ryan’s chair. She found herself standing upright, facing forward, where a soaking, disheveled Michael came into view, panting heavily. His pale face was lit up with shock and wild joy as he stared beyond her toward the front of the ship.
Was the storm over? Had they made it to the top?
Echo quickly turned around, looking over Ryan’s shoulder. Everything was dark and the wind still howled, but there was no more giant wave, no suffocating high-altitude pressure, no crushing water force.
All that remained was the vast expanse of open sea stretched out before them. It was like they had reached the peak of an impossible height, gazing down from the top of a towering hundred-meter wave.
The waves stretched endlessly, crashing and rolling in every direction, a view so grand and awe-inspiring it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
“SHIT! We made it! We made it!” Cobra slammed his fist down on the controls, his voice thick with uncontrollable excitement.
“Feels good, feels damn good. This life ain’t been wasted,” Bill leaned back in his chair, suddenly bursting into loud, triumphant laughter, his voice full of cocky thrill.
“Nice, we’re untouchable, we rule everything, hell yeah,” Hawk, usually the calm one, couldn’t hold back his ecstatic yell, all his emotions spilling out in that one loud shout.
Michael, still reeling from the shock, was suddenly overcome with wild joy too. Staring out at the world beneath them, it felt like they had stepped on top of it all. He couldn’t quite put it into words, but the rush was overwhelming. They’d made it past the wave they’d thought would kill them, they had actually made it. He didn’t even speak, but the grin on his face stretched from ear to ear.
“Why are you all so happy? Get ready. Pay attention,” Ryan’s commanding voice cut through the excitement.
Michael froze, still processing, but before he could fully understand, Cobra and the others had already wiped away all traces of their earlier madness. Their faces were once again calm, like nothing had changed, and they were already back in action, positioning themselves with the same cool focus as before.
Just then, the bow of the ship suddenly dropped.
Michael realized what was happening. He scrambled to grab the rope tied around him, but before he could, the ship’s front dipped down rapidly, sliding toward the massive wave below.
Echo hadn’t fully caught on yet. Suddenly, her back was jerked, like someone had grabbed her, pulling her tight against Ryan’s seat. She couldn’t move. Before she could react, the water that had been drowning Michael rushed back toward her, flooding the room. Echo didn’t have time to think and ended up swallowing a few big mouthfuls of seawater.
The ship was descending, and the situation completely reversed. The water rushed toward Echo, Ryan, and the others, exposing the rear of the room.
They were heading down now. They’d passed the peak, and no matter which direction they went, it was all downhill from here. At the wave’s peak, Echo had thought they’d stopped, but the wave was so thick, that the ship’s speed had tricked her into thinking there was a pause. Once they passed the top, it was a straight drop.
Panic gripped her. She couldn’t swim, and now she was submerged in water. In a blind panic, she flailed, not knowing what to do. Her instincts told her to reach for the people behind her. She desperately grabbed at the back of Ryan’s chair.
Meanwhile, Michael, who had been pressed against the back of the captain’s room, felt the sudden shift and couldn’t steady himself in time. He lost his balance and went sliding toward Echo, slamming into her with a crash.
Since Michael was taller and higher up than Echo, his head and chest were above the water. Before he could even catch his breath, he felt Echo struggling beneath him, panicking. Without thinking, he grabbed her by the collar and hauled her up from the water.
As soon as Echo’s head broke the surface, she coughed violently, water pouring from her mouth and nose. Michael, seeing this, grabbed the strap around his body, then pulled Echo into a tight hug, yanking both of them up into the air, hanging upside down in the captain’s room.
Since Echo was also tied with a strap and Michael didn’t have the strength to keep both of them suspended in the air, all he could manage was lifting Echo a bit higher.
“How are you? You okay?” Michael knew Echo had trouble with seasickness, but judging by the situation, it didn’t look too bad.
Echo kept gasping for air, slowly stopping her coughing. Thankfully, it was only for a second. If it had lasted longer, she’d have definitely drowned.
She shook her head and said, “I’m fine,” before turning her head to look toward Ryan.
She saw that Ryan and the others were almost completely submerged in water. The captain’s room was more solid than other parts of the ship, so there weren’t many leaks, but that meant Michael was the only one still scooping water. The door that Michael had opened with such force had now slammed shut, trapping the water inside. Even if it leaked out through the small holes, Echo couldn’t imagine how long Ryan and the others could hold their breath.
“Ryan, Ryan!” Echo’s face immediately changed, and she reached out toward the direction where Ryan was.
Michael, feeling Echo stir, almost lost his grip on her and quickly said, “Don’t move! They’re fine. If they can handle a ship like this, they can hold their breath for a bit. They’ll be okay.”
Echo looked around, seeing the water level was higher now because of all the equipment in the front. Ryan and the others were out of sight, and with Ryan driving the ship and strapped in, there was no way he could let go. She glanced at the vast ocean outside and couldn’t help wondering how long this descent would take. If… if things went wrong…
She remembered once when she’d seen Ryan powerless, a memory that terrified her. The pyramid incident had made her realize that Ryan wasn’t invincible, and that even the strongest people have weaknesses. She knew Ryan could sail a ship, but she had never heard if he could swim. What if he couldn’t?
The thought hit her hard. She couldn’t stay still anymore.
She twisted her body, saying, “Let go of me!”
“What are you doing? Don’t move!” Michael, startled by her sudden struggle, nearly lost his grip and almost dropped her into the water. He shouted.
Seeing that the water still hadn’t gone down, and with no idea how long they’d have to wait, Echo couldn’t bear the worry and fear any longer. She hated the thought of seeing this strong man feel helpless.
Suddenly, it clicked. Echo understood. She realized the feeling wasn’t just a subordinate’s loyalty to their boss. At that moment, she truly understood.
She turned to Michael, looked him in the eyes, and said, each word heavy with resolve, “Ryan said I can only die by his hand. I promised him I’d be with him for life. I never thought about regretting it, running away, or choosing anything else. I’m with him for life.”
Michael was taken aback by her sudden words. He paused, then said in a low voice, “So?”
“So, I won’t let him break that promise in front of me,” Echo said, taking a deep breath.
She pulled with all her strength, forcing Michael to lose his grip. She was immediately plunged back into the water.
Michael, stunned, stared at the silhouette sinking down below the surface, disbelief written all over his face.