Echo took a deep breath, and as soon as she broke free from Michael, she was pulled back into the chair. She was still tied to Ryan’s chair, but with the force pulling down, it was hard to lean forward, though staying level was still fine.
She quickly spun around in the chair, reached out underwater, and felt around until she found where Ryan’s nose and mouth were. Without hesitation, she leaned down and kissed him.
Ryan seemed a little startled at first but quickly reacted. He let go of one hand that had been holding the equipment and pulled Echo to him, fiercely sucking in the air she was giving him.
Their lips pressed tightly together, and through the cold seawater, the intensity of their kiss was like fire.
Suddenly, just when Echo felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore, the ship jolted violently. There was a loud crash, and all at once, the pressure on her chest lifted, allowing her to breathe. The air, which normally felt nothing special, was now life-saving-so timely and precious.
Ryan immediately pulled away from her, his eyes snapping open as he looked ahead. He quickly patted Echo and then got back to managing the ship.
Echo didn’t waste any time, nor did she hesitate. She was now balanced in the chair, glanced ahead, and noticed there were no more signs of the massive waves. They had passed the worst of it, but the sea was still rough and treacherous. They couldn’t afford to relax just yet. She turned around and grabbed onto whatever floated nearby.
Michael gave Echo a glance but didn’t say anything unnecessary. He rushed over to the door, opened it, and the two of them began scooping water out of the ship.
“Boss, Boss, you guys… are…” Tiger’s anxious voice suddenly came through the communicator, but after two words, it cut off and became garbled.
“We’re… damn it, we don’t even know where we are,” Bill quickly replied.
They’d initially headed southwest, but with the way the waves had tossed them around, who knew where they had ended up now? The radar was almost useless, and they couldn’t determine their position.
Bill slammed his fist on the equipment, his brow furrowing in frustration.
“Boss…” Tiger’s voice broke through again, but before he could finish, the signal completely cut off.
Bill checked the equipment and saw that the communication system was fried.
“Focus on what’s in front of us,” Ryan said without even changing his expression, his voice low and firm.
Hawk nodded and said, “With this weather, even if Tiger knew where we were, they wouldn’t be able to find us. You really think a plane can fly out in this mess and rescue us?”
Bill fell silent, realizing the hopelessness of the situation. He’d thought there might still be a chance when he heard Tiger’s voice, but now, with this hellish weather, no plane would be able to get through to help. It felt less likely than divine intervention, and for a moment, he’d lost his clarity.
“Focus on what’s in front of us,” Ryan repeated, and with that, Cobra and the others fell silent, concentrating on the task at hand. They knew that instead of waiting for someone else, it was better to rely on themselves.
“What’s that?” Michael, who had been scooping water at the door, suddenly noticed a dark line in the distance. Even though the sea was nearly black and the sky so dim that it was hard to make out anything far off, that dark line stood out clearly to him.
Without the radar, all Ryan and the others could see was the front. They couldn’t make out anything on the sides.
When Michael’s voice, full of excitement and shock, rang out, Cobra immediately rushed over. He glanced in the direction Michael was pointing and, after just a quick look, shouted, “It’s land! Turn 85 degrees to the right, it’s about five miles away, hurry!” As he spoke, he darted off back to the others.
Cobra’s judgment was spot-on. Ryan immediately spun the control stick, and without needing any orders, Hawk, Bill, and the others steered the ship toward the land.
Five miles away wasn’t far, and even if there were massive waves ahead, they’d swim if they had to.
“Notify everyone. Prepare to abandon ship,” Ryan ordered coldly.
As soon as Michael heard that, he didn’t waste a second. He untied his ropes and headed toward the aft of the ship. Ryan’s words were clear-if it came down to it, they needed to be ready to abandon ship. They couldn’t stay tethered to the vessel any longer; staying aboard could mean sinking with the ship.
The waves kept coming, one after another, towering higher and higher, some reaching over 100 meters. The ship wasn’t concerned with whether it was facing them or avoiding them; it just charged straight toward the land.
Boom!
The ship suddenly jolted with a massive tremor. It hit a reef just off the shore. The force of the collision was so strong that the ship couldn’t move at all.
Ryan glanced at the land, now only a few meters away, and shouted, “Abandon ship!” He quickly unbuckled his safety harness, tore Echo’s straps off, and jumped into the water with her in his arms.
At the same time, the Dark family members, who had been notified by Michael, jumped off the ship as soon as they saw Ryan leap.
The land was right in front of them, and the storm was closing in from behind. Moving forward meant survival; retreating meant death.
No one hesitated-survival instinct drove them all.
Reefs, land, shallow waters-the island wasn’t surrounded by deep reefs. After a few moments of struggling through the waves, Ryan had already made it to shore with Echo. He glanced around at the others from the Dark family who had made it to land, then shouted, “Follow me!”
He held Echo tightly and sprinted forward. The storm wasn’t over yet, and the coast wasn’t safe. They couldn’t stop now; he had to ensure they were truly safe.
Cobra and the others didn’t hesitate for a moment, their footsteps following Ryan’s closely.
Perhaps it was the sheer will to survive that pushed them all forward. Even the research team that Michael had brought, who usually only focused on their studies, were right behind, their survival instincts kicking in.
When life was threatened, the human body’s power to push forward was incredible.
They passed over rocks, through trees, and across a chaotic beach.
This island was deserted, with no sign of human life.
Ryan led the way into the woods, not stopping in the wind-swept trees. He pushed through the small forest and headed deeper into the island.
They passed through a rocky area, where the rocks were deeply embedded in the earth. Not far off, a large rock wall jutted out, offering shelter from the wind and rain.
Ryan immediately sprinted toward it, found a spot on the rocks, and sat down with Echo.
As the others finally reached safety, they all exhaled in relief. Some lay down, others sat, and some were still catching their breath. The sounds of excitement, exhaustion, and pain mixed in the storm, creating a different kind of symphony.
Ryan held Echo in his arms, and only then did he look down at her. Echo had her arms tightly wrapped around his waist, and when she saw Ryan glance down at her, she forced a raspy smile and said, “I’m okay.”
“I know,” Ryan replied coldly, but his eyes, as they looked at Echo, betrayed a hint of a smile.
Suddenly, a panicked voice cut through the moment.
“What is that? A snake! A snake, ah-!” One of the researchers, who had been hiding at the back, screamed out.
Ryan’s sharp eyes immediately scanned the area, and he saw that the researcher had a brightly colored little snake biting his leg. Ryan’s expression changed instantly; this snake was venomous. The nearest Dark family member, quick on his feet, shot it dead before the researcher could even react.
But just as they thought things had calmed down, more shouts rang out.
“Snakes!”
“There are snakes here!”
“Oh my god, so many of them!”
The air was filled with panicked voices as the sight of snakes overwhelmed them.