Under the moonlight, on the glittering sea, four lifeboats ca to a halt. Onboard, under Luo Zheng's direction, the fishing nets woven by Vine were slowly lowered, as carefully as laying down their own hopes, fearing any mistake. Minutes later, the net was fully extended, spanning so ten ters in the middle of the lifeboats, with each corner tied to a boat, forming a square shape.
On the survival boats, everyone lit torches, shining light into the square, illuminating the sea as they patiently waited. Fish are drawn to light, and soon, they saw fish swimming towards the net, just above it, which filled them with great joy and a renewed sense of vigor. After a while, even more fish had gathered.
Seeing that the spare torches were almost burnt out, Luo Zheng signaled to haul in the net. Without the torches, they would not only struggle to see their surroundings, but the fish would also leave. Understanding the gesture, Mountain Eagle, Snow Leopard, and Ghost Hand on another boat nodded in agreent. They imdiately untied the main rope of the net from their boat and began to lift it slowly, pulling up the net from beneath the ocean, and enclosing the fish above.
Aboard the lifeboats, everyone watched the nets being pulled up, barely containing their excitent, all while silently continuing to draw the net, careful not to make a sound and scare the fish away.
Once the net was entirely above the water surface, Luo Zheng began to draw in the main rope of the outer circle of the net, reducing the mouth of the net. The crew on the survival boats also began to close in. Before long, the fish grew alert, but it was too late. They thrashed about in panic, unable to break through the resilient Vine-made net.
Luo Zheng watched as the fish inside the net frantically splashed and jumped, so landing on the lifeboats, weighing three or four jin each. He was thrilled and ceased hauling in the net, allowing sufficient space for the fish, and signaled for everyone to slowly row towards the island.
The guards, seeing such a bountiful catch, followed Luo Zheng's commands without question and imdiately sprang into action. Ten or so minutes later, as the lifeboats neared the shore, Luo Zheng told everyone to stop. The fish couldn't be consud all at once; they needed to be kept in the sea. Being too close to the shore was not conducive to the survival of the fish in the net.
Once the lifeboats were steady, Luo Zheng looked at the fish in the net and finally breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. This haul brought in several hundred, each weighing three to five jin, enough to feed a few hundred people for two als. Without needing instructions from Luo Zheng, the guards swung their clubs and knocked out the fish, tossing them onto the shore where the free people took over. They washed the fish hastily, skewered them on sticks, and began roasting them over the campfire that had been prepared earlier.
Famished from an entire day without food, everyone couldn't wait to eat. With food at hand, no instructions were needed; they knew what to do. The scene was noisy yet orderly. After about half an hour, half of the fish from the net were already on the fire, being grilled.
Luo Zheng, and others chose a few fish and went to their own campfire. During their ti at sea fishing, others had tended to the fire, and it had not gone out. Luo Zheng and the others, grateful for everyone's efforts, contributed so firewood to stoke the flas, doing whatever they could to help.
The fish were quickly placed on the fire, and as Luo Zheng glanced around, he saw smiles beginning to appear on the faces of several hundred people, filling him with a sense of satisfaction and a surge of pride. As a soldier serving the country and the people, seeking no reward but only to be without guilt, was honorable.
Soon, the aroma of fish drifted over the island, and everyone's conversation beca more lively. From ti to ti, they glanced at Luo Zheng and his group, who stayed apart. Although they didn't understand why Luo Zheng and his group kept their distance, it didn't diminish the respect and fondness they felt for them.
Starving, everyone found the unseasoned sea fish delicious. With food in their bellies and a campfire by their side, their panicked hearts completely settled. The previous gloom in the group slowly dissipated. Luo Zheng ate while keeping an eye on his surroundings and seeing the laughter among the people, he too relaxed.
"You've brought so much hope to everyone; I believe they are all very grateful to you," Lan Xue said softly.
"It was a group effort; I just thought of a thod," Luo Zheng replied modestly, smiling. Then his expression turned serious as he looked into the deep, hazy sea and said with so worry, "A whole day has passed, and the SOS signal has been sent out early on, yet there's been no sign of any ship coming to the rescue. It seems that the situation is not very optimistic."
"This is the Public Sea, rescue ships may need two or three days to arrive, and it's not easy for planes to fly over here either. Let's wait and see tomorrow, continue to release thick smoke as an SOS signal at dawn," Lan Xue spoke in a low voice, her face contemplative and a trace of concern flashing in her eyes, as she continued, "What I'm worried about are the two assassins if we don't root them out, they could deliver a fatal blow to us at any mont."
Everyone fell silent, continuing to eat the fish in their hands as the night grew darker. The sea breeze picked up, and Luo Zheng raised his head to observe the sky, saying with a grim expression, "It looks like the weather might change in the next couple of days. If we don't get rescued within three days and a storm hits, at least half of the people here will go down."
"Do you have any solutions?" Lan Xue asked softly.
"Without tools, dicine, or support, we have practically nothing; I'm out of ideas," Luo Zheng said with a wry smile. Having co this far was already the limit; whether they could survive depended on each person's fate, and there was nothing more he could do.
The night darkened, and everyone sat around the campfire to sleep. Luo Zheng calmly glanced around, arranged shifts for keeping watch, then sat beside the campfire to rest with his eyes closed. No one knew what the future held; all they could do was conserve energy and wait for help. Ghost Hand took the first watch, calmly surveying the surroundings, on alert for assassins who might infiltrate.
On this deserted island devoid of any life, the greatest and most dangerous enemy was the assassin. One couldn't afford to be careless. Yet, after waiting over two hours without seeing anyone approach and a whole day passing, offering plenty of opportunities for an assassination, it was puzzling why the assassin had not made a move. He woke Mountain Eagle to take over the shift and then went to sleep himself.
Luo Zheng woke groggily at five in the morning. The sky was dimly lit, and he saw everyone around him dozing off, whether they were truly asleep was unclear. Tourists were also dozing in the distance, all was silent except for the "crackle and pop" of the campfire; no one was moving.
After waiting a while, a streak of light erged along the coastline—it was sunlight. Accompanying the sunlight was the sight of a ship, still at so distance. Luo Zheng was overjoyed at the sight; a ship ant rescue. He quickly woke Lan Xue and the others, and as the ship drew nearer, everyone's faces lit up with joy. So of the tourists also noticed the ship; the news spread fast, and everyone woke up, watching the approaching vessel with excitent.
Not long after, Luo Zheng sensed sothing fishy about the ship; it looked like an ard vessel. He couldn't help but startle, his face growing grim as he turned to Lan Xue and found her expression was just as serious.
Note: Recomnding the new work "Chaos Emperor" by the fantasy master "Mouse Marrying a Cat"—it's worth the wait. Fans of fantasy might want to check it out.
User Comments
0 comments from readers