Time ticked by, and all three were enveloped in fear. The woman, in particular, had turned pale, while the man, though outwardly calm, his trembling body betrayed his inner turmoil. Indeed, who could face death with equanimity?
Li Haochen walked over again, picking up the powerful flashlight to examine the large stone.
"Hmm, this large stone doesn't seem to be completely stuck. It should be movable, just too heavy."
Li Haochen gripped the sides of the boulder with both hands again, planting his feet in a horse stance, holding his breath, and gritting his teeth, "Nngh..."
He exerted the greatest strength he possessed. One second, two seconds... Suddenly, he felt a slight tremor in the stone, but the force of his exertion had passed. Li Haochen had to let go, yet this slight tremor gave the others immense hope.
"It moves, there's still hope."
With hope, Li Haochen was naturally unwilling to give up, especially for a living soul. He rubbed his head vigorously, his eyes glaring at the boulder before him.
The bubbles released by the airflow as the woman administered oxygen to the man gave Li Haochen an idea.
"Oxygen tank..." Li Haochen narrowed his eyes in thought. "If the nozzle were to be hit and broken, with the high pressure inside this tank, the tank would become like a cannonball just fired. This way... there's a high probability, but it would only be for a moment. Whether it succeeds or not... it's up to fate!"
This was a gamble. If it paid off, the man would live out his days and grow old with the woman. If it failed, the woman would still grow old, just without him.
Li Haochen took several deep breaths, his expression serious. He looked at the oxygen level in his own tank and then at the woman's. After demonstrating several times, the couple finally understood.
The man and woman exchanged glances and nodded heavily. With their consent, Li Haochen's expression turned grim. He placed his oxygen tank against the bottom of the boulder, not flush, leaving a fist-sized gap. He found two stones to prop it up temporarily.
To ensure the tank hit the precise spot, Li Haochen had to brace the middle of the cylinder with his left hand. After composing himself, he turned to signal them. They were also extremely nervous; this was their only chance.
The woman wrapped her arms around the man's waist, and the man braced his other foot against another stone for leverage. Seeing that they were ready, Li Haochen took a deep breath of oxygen and held it. He turned off the valve and removed it. Holding the leaking tank in his right hand, he looked at the nozzle and roared internally, "Damn it, I've always had good luck, and this time is no exception."
With that, Li Haochen swung the steel cylinder and smashed it down hard on the nozzle.
"Bang~"
After a loud bang, Li Haochen felt a gust of air rush past his cheek, but his eyes couldn't catch any object. Clearly, the object's speed had surpassed his visual acuity.
Suddenly, a cracking sound echoed not far behind him, and Li Haochen's hair stood on end. He even forgot the man's presence.
Ten seconds later, the panic caused by the lack of oxygen jolted Li Haochen awake. He glanced at the empty space beneath the boulder and a smile appeared on his face. He pushed off the seabed with his feet, propelled himself with his hands, and rapidly ascended.
On the sea surface, seeing no sign of Li Haochen for a long time, the man became extremely anxious. Enduring the intense pain in his leg, he looked down at the seawater, his eyes hardening as if he had made a decision.
He glanced at the woman, his expression calm. "Axue, he saved my life. I must go down, even if..."
"Awei, I don't want you to go, please don't..." Zhao Yingxue lunged at Wu Mingwei, trying to hold him back from diving. But she only managed to grab seawater. Wu Mingwei had already dived into the sea before her.
Watching Wu Mingwei disappear, Zhao Yingxue gritted her teeth and plunged in after him. Ten seconds later, three large bubbles surfaced. Then, like a game of whack-a-mole, three heads popped up: Li Haochen and the couple.
"Ah~ Phew... Ah~ Phew..."
Li Haochen's face was red from holding his breath. As soon as he surfaced, he gasped for air. Of course, this was intentional. Li Haochen had run out of air halfway up and had gone into his space to take a few breaths before continuing.
He hadn't been surfaced for long when he encountered Wu Mingwei and Zhao Yingxue, which led to the scene just moments ago.
Not far away, Wu Mingwei was struggling to swim. Pulled by Zhao Yingxue, he reached Li Haochen. His pale face had no trace of color, but he gritted his teeth and forced out, "Thank you!"
Zhao Yingxue was about to speak when Li Haochen quickly stopped her, shouting with concern, "Don't talk yet, let's get ashore first. Your leg is seriously injured."
Indeed, Wu Mingwei was on the verge of fainting. Zhao Yingxue was so anxious that she was losing her senses, wanting to drag him directly to shore. Li Haochen grabbed her arm and shouted, "No, the currents near the shore are too strong. If we go like this, not only him, but you will be in danger too."
Li Haochen's shout brought Zhao Yingxue back to her senses. She had indeed been too hasty. The fierce waves near the shore... if she dragged Wu Mingwei over, there would likely be two piles of white bones in the sea soon.
"You support him, I'll go ahead and look for a suitable place to land on the island." With that, Li Haochen swam around Luluzhou Island.
A few minutes later, Li Haochen returned swimming, a hint of joy on his face. He supported Wu Mingwei from the other side and said, "Let's go, there's a flat rock ahead where we can get on. The current isn't too strong there either."
Ten minutes later, Li Haochen and Zhao Yingxue, having exerted all their strength, managed to get Wu Mingwei ashore. They found a relatively flat spot and gently laid him down.
Looking at Wu Mingwei's wound, which revealed bone, it was estimated that his foot bone had been shattered. Fortunately, his lower leg was bound with rubber tubing, so the wound wasn't bleeding profusely, though it had already turned a pig-liver color.
Li Haochen loosened the rubber tubing, not daring to tie it too tightly, as that would certainly lead to necrosis and amputation.
As soon as it was loosened, blood plasma spurted from the wound. Fortunately, it was only for a moment, and then it resumed a slow flow.
Zhao Yingxue was also remarkably strong. Seeing Wu Mingwei like this, she didn't shed a single tear, only biting her lip until it was raw and bleeding. "If the bleeding gets faster, tie it tighter. I'll swim back to the boat to get a satellite phone for help."
"Great kindness needs no thanks. I will repay this debt with my life, like an ox or a horse."
"You're too kind. I'll go now."
Seven or eight minutes later, Li Haochen boarded the Starry Night. He immediately contacted the maritime rescue team, then rummaged for the first-aid kit, opened the inflatable boat, installed the propeller, grabbed some chocolate and a few coconuts, and headed towards the island.
The closer they got to the shore, the stronger the waves became, making the inflatable boat's progress extremely difficult. Even slightly larger waves could toss it high into the air. Upon reaching within a few meters of the shore, he stopped the propeller, hooked it up, and jumped into the sea, holding the anchor rope, to swim ashore.