"Qin Hui, I can swim too. I'll swim with you," Su Shijun said. She knew that a person's stamina was limited, and if Qin Hui couldn't keep going, they would both end up as fish food.
"This isn't a swimming pool. You'd better stay on me," Qin Hui said seriously. One wrong move with this thing could be fatal.
"Hmph, you look down on me, sister?" Angered by Qin Hui's words, Su Shijun immediately let go of him and plunged into the water with a splash, swimming away.
Seeing Su Shijun moving with such agility, Qin Hui breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed this woman had some skills.
"Qin Hui, will we be rescued?" Su Shijun swam to Qin Hui's side and asked earnestly. As capable as they were of staying alive now, if rescue didn't come, it would still be a dead end.
"Don't worry. Follow me. I know where there are deserted islands. Once we reach one, our chances of survival will be much greater."
"Whether rescue comes or not, at least we're alive," Qin Hui encouraged. People needed encouragement the most at times like these.
As expected, Su Shijun's confidence increased significantly after hearing Qin Hui's words.
Thus, they swam forward together. When Su Shijun got tired, she would rest on Qin Hui's body. After resting, she would quickly dive into the sea to lessen Qin Hui's burden.
With their close cooperation, the deserted island was getting closer and closer to them.
The only thing Qin Hui felt fortunate about was Su Shijun's graceful figure. Every time she dove into the water, her clothes would get wet and cling tightly to her body.
Even though it was just a thin layer of fabric, to Qin Hui, it was undoubtedly incredibly alluring.
Su Shijun naturally noticed Qin Hui's gaze, so she warned him several times not to peek. Unfortunately, Su Shijun's warnings were useless. Qin Hui saw everything he wanted to see, and even things he shouldn't have.
In this regard, Su Shijun could do nothing about Qin Hui. After all, his eyes were his own. Moreover, Qin Hui had saved her life, so Su Shijun couldn't adopt a harsh attitude. Most importantly, she couldn't leave Qin Hui.
If she left Qin Hui, she would absolutely not survive alone in this vast ocean.
Two days later, Su Shijun lay on Qin Hui, her face somewhat pale, her limbs clinging tightly to him.
Qin Hui's canned food was long gone, and Su Shijun could only lie on him. This was the only way to maintain minimal energy consumption.
"Qin Hui, can we really find a deserted island?" Su Shijun sounded desperate. It had been two days, and even Qin Hui was showing signs of strain.
"Don't worry, Sister Shijun. Just hold on for one more day, and we'll see the island," Qin Hui said confidently. If he wasn't confident now, what reason would Su Shijun have to believe?
Having gone through all the trouble to save Su Shijun, Qin Hui felt it would be a waste of his efforts if she died halfway.
"Qin Hui, it's my fault. I've become a burden to you. If you hadn't brought me along, you might have made it to the island alive." Thinking of this, Su Shijun felt remorseful.
Although she was a respected and influential mayor in Jianghai City, in this desolate sea, she found herself utterly useless and had become someone else's burden.
"Sister Shijun, you can't say that. You have to persevere. If you don't, then everything I've done will be meaningless," Qin Hui constantly instilled hope for survival into Su Shijun.
"Okay, you said it. Sister will stick with you then." Su Shijun was not one to give up easily; otherwise, she wouldn't have reached her current position.
Listening to Sister Shijun's faint breathing, Qin Hui knew she had fallen asleep again.
...
"Damn it, this godforsaken place doesn't even have a signal! How long will we have to wait for rescue?" The first mate angrily stomped on his iPhone, which had no signal at all.
"First Mate, what should we do next?" a sailor asked.
This morning, they had paddled ashore on this deserted island in a lifeboat. They thought it was a way to survive, but the place was desolate and uninhabited, with no signal.
"First, let's gather everyone's food, especially fresh water. With these, we can survive," the first mate said after some thought. Although he wasn't the best person, he had his wits about him, otherwise, he wouldn't have become a first mate.
"First Mate, our lifeboat is still usable. Why don't we send a few people to scout around the island? Perhaps we can find survivors?" Li Dazhuang spoke up.
"Rescue what? I hate the sea the most right now. If the lifeboat gets damaged, we'll have no hope at all," the first mate flatly refused. He didn't care about others' lives; his own life was what mattered. Besides, the ocean was vast, and even if some people survived, they had probably become fish food. He just wanted to stay put here and wait for rescue. If rescue never came, he would have to rely on his lifeboat. He wouldn't let outsiders easily touch such a vital resource, let alone newcomers like Li Dazhuang.
"First Mate, aren't you being too selfish? I just saw several lifeboats stranded at the edge of the island. If we don't save them, they'll only die!" Li Dazhuang stepped forward to accuse him.
"Those people are rich. Their lives are too valuable. Let God bless them."
"Li Dazhuang, don't forget your place. If you keep defying me like this, you'll regret it!" The first mate said dismissively. Save those rich people? Hah, impossible!
"You bastard, you're too selfish." Li Dazhuang couldn't help but curse.
"Damn it, how dare you curse me? Brothers, beat him up!" The first mate finally lost his temper.
The men hesitated for a moment but held back. They had survived this far and didn't want to stir up any trouble.
Seeing his men disobey, the first mate was helpless. However, he could not tolerate someone challenging him.
"Heh, Li Dazhuang, since you're so bold, you can just wait here alone. Without fresh water or food, let's see how you survive."
"Oh, and don't count on the forest inside. It might be full of all sorts of hunters waiting for you."
"If you tick me off, let's see how you survive." The first mate snorted and led his men away from the beach. He even deflated and took away the two lifeboats. In the first mate's opinion, Li Dazhuang, without survival resources, wouldn't last three days. By then, he would have no choice but to crawl to him and beg.