Chapter 16 Despair

Bai Ma Shan knew that two fists couldn’t beat four hands. Jia Wenjun only had two choices: either go down to the dark hold herself, or be thrown in by the others.

Jia Wenjun looked at the crowd eager to attack her. She felt wronged, angry, and humiliated, but she had to suppress the tears welling up. She couldn’t cry in front of these selfish and malicious people.

She was driven down to the dark hold. Bai Ma Shan did his best to get her some medicine to disinfect her wounds, a little less than half a bottle of water, and a small piece of compressed biscuit.

Forced to take those meager supplies and her suitcase, Jia Wenjun walked into the dark hold with Da Huang, still holding her spine straight. But behind her, where no one could see, her tears finally fell.

At that moment, she felt powerless, helpless, and incompetent. And this was only on a ship with a dozen or so people. If she returned to shore and couldn't prove her innocence, what kind of overwhelming despair would she face?

Stepping through the seawater that had already reached her ankles, she slowly piled up the small pieces of carpet, trying to create a platform as high off the ground as possible. She needed to make sure that when she sat on it, her body and injured areas wouldn’t be soaked in the water.

It was pitch black all around, with only a pillar of moonlight shining through the broken hole above her head.

Jia Wenjun's eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. Her phone only had seven percent battery left, and she couldn't bear to waste even a little bit of power. She could only slowly apply the medicine to herself in the dim moonlight.

She thought of her parents back home, and the tears she had just wiped away started flowing again.

They should know she was temporarily safe now, right? She couldn't imagine how worried they must have been when they first learned that the ship she was on was missing. If they knew that their darling daughter had been framed like this, how heartbroken would they be?

Her mood sank to rock bottom, but when she thought of Zhao Di being pushed into the water, she shuddered. She was being framed, isolated, and ostracized, but at least she was still alive.

Jia Wenjun sniffled and wiped away her tears. No, she couldn't sink into despair like this. If she gave up, the hidden mastermind would achieve their goal.

She couldn't let them get their way. No matter how difficult it was, she had to prove her innocence. She had to survive and expose the mastermind who framed her!

The deflated spirit slowly gathered again. She looked through the broken deck, seeing only darkness outside. The moonlight was blocked by dark clouds, and the clouds were moving so fast. It seemed like the wind was picking up.

The clothes she was wearing were quick-drying, but her underwear was still wet, which was uncomfortable.

She opened her suitcase, enduring the pain and inconvenience, and changed out of her wet clothes before sitting back in the highest spot.

The previous wounds were still seeping blood. She endured the pain and smeared anti-inflammatory ointment on them.

After doing all this, she was exhausted and thirsty. She drank three big gulps of water in a row. Although she wanted to drink more, she couldn't bear to finish the last few mouthfuls.

She cupped a handful of water and offered it to the dog, who immediately licked it clean, looking at her with longing. Jia Wenjun shook her head and broke off a piece of compressed biscuit for it. "We have to save it for tomorrow. Tomorrow, we should be rescued."

As she said this, she felt the water level rising significantly, and the ship was also swaying slightly.

The wind seemed a bit strong tonight.

When she returned from the sea earlier, she felt that the waves were larger than yesterday's.

The wind increased the amplitude of the waves. The sea was unpredictable, and in the blink of an eye, it could turn into a storm. If she wasn't mistaken, the rescuers would be able to set sail tomorrow to search for them. But if they encountered a storm, the progress of the search would definitely be affected.

So, seeing such wave amplitude at this time was not a good thing for her at sea.

Jia Wenjun looked up at the night sky, unable to suppress the worry in her heart.

At this time, the others on the deck were dividing the food.

Lili had woken up. Thinking that Lili had spoken to her son on the phone, Teacher Lin sat down next to Lili and asked her in detail what she had said to her son.

Seeing that Hu Si Xiang and the others had gathered around, wanting to know what she had said, Lili finally felt like a "savior." She cleared her throat and said vividly, "When I answered the phone, your son thought I was you. I told him that our ship had hit a reef and that we were trapped at sea, asking him to call the police to help us. He asked me to describe the surrounding situation in detail. But all I could see was seawater, how could I describe it? There wasn't even a reference point."

"What did my son say?" Teacher Lin pressed.

"He didn't have time to say anything before the signal was lost." As she spoke, Lili gestured in the air. "I was waving the phone above my head like this, but the signal search on the screen kept spinning."

"You should have told him that the small island we ran aground on is invisible at high tide and only appears at low tide. Isn't that a characteristic?" Hao Jie Ning complained.

"You're so smart, why didn't you answer the phone then? Oh, I almost forgot, you didn't even get off the ship. You're really a clever clogs after the fair."

Seeing that his wife was about to argue with Lili, Hu Si Xiang interrupted her. "It's okay if she didn't say it. As long as the satellite phone was used, the police can find us by tracking the signal's location. I heard this from a friend in the police department. Even if they can't find the exact location immediately, at least they can determine the general area."

"Does that mean we'll definitely be rescued tomorrow?" Teacher Lin asked excitedly.

Hu Si Xiang looked confident. "It's almost certain. Maybe they've already set off. It might not even take until tomorrow. They might come tonight."

"That's great. We can finally leave this godforsaken place." Lili also became excited.

Anna sat not far away, drinking water silently, not saying a word. Her face was calm, but her heart was a storm.

Tonight? The people coming to pick up the goods hadn't arrived yet. What if the police came first? She couldn't throw all the goods into the sea by herself. What was she going to do?

Sun Jiao Jiao and Gong Da Long, hiding in another room, were also very excited. They were finally going to be rescued and could finally go back.

Gong Da Long's wound was still bleeding, and his face was already very pale. He was extremely weak. If no one came to save them, he might die here. Fortunately, when heavens close all doors, one window will be opened. Tomorrow, he had to hold on until tomorrow no matter what.

Unlike those who were excitedly waiting for rescue, Bai Ma Shan and Wang Laoyezi sat at the bow of the ship. They had also noticed the change in the weather. Neither of them spoke, their hearts heavy with worry.