Chapter 371: Disaster at Sea, A Massive Whirlpool!

The fleet crossed from the high seas back into the territorial waters of the Huaxia South China Sea.

The moment they entered the South China Sea, the fleet's speed noticeably dropped.

"We're back!"

Liu Ming shouted into the walkie-talkie, and everyone immediately erupted into cheers.

Just being back in Huaxia's territorial waters gave them a profound sense of security.

Ning Fei was deeply moved by the scene.

A strong nation truly was the hard truth; it gave its citizens confidence. In war-torn countries, even basic personal safety couldn't be guaranteed.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Ning Fei soon felt a dampness on his face. Looking closer, he realized the surrounding mist was incredibly thick, and the clouds above hung low and heavy.

"The weather isn't looking good. It seems like it's going to rain!"

Ning Fei said to the viewers in the live broadcast.

"Raining out on the open ocean is extremely dangerous."

"It can easily trigger a storm. If that happens, the waves will become violent and massive. Fishing boats will be tossed up and down, and the slightest mistake could capsize them!"

Hearing his words, the viewers looked closer and found that it was exactly as he said. At this very moment, the waves were already growing exceptionally turbulent.

The Qingfeng Cruise Ship bobbed unsteadily. The little guys on board had never seen a scene like this before and appeared rather frightened.

The ship rocked from side to side. Fortunately, Ning Fei had secured all the items in time.

On a ship, everything had to be firmly tied down, otherwise they would slide back and forth and crash into things.

"Attention all vessels, set a course twenty degrees north by northwest and quickly leave this area."

"It's about to rain!"

The experienced Liu Ming immediately issued the order.

Soon after, the entire fleet began to accelerate.

Encountering heavy rain on the ocean was a bad omen.

For fishermen whose boats were already fully loaded with their catch, running into a storm now drastically increased the chance of danger.

The Qingfeng Cruise Ship followed among them.

The sky darkened rapidly.

The storm arrived with far more ferocity than anyone expected.

Through the live broadcast, the viewers watched as what had been a clear, boundless sky was suddenly swarmed by dark, gathering clouds.

The waves surged, each one taller than the last.

Before long, a torrential downpour unleashed upon them.

'This is bad. I didn't expect to run into weather like this,'

Liu Ming thought grimly aboard his ship, his expression terrible.

'If an accident really happens, I'll be the one to blame!'

There was one thing Liu Ming hadn't mentioned.

Before setting sail, he had prepared to burn incense at home and pray for peace of mind.

But just as he unwrapped the three sticks of incense, one of them broke.

Breaking incense before burning it was an inauspicious omen, and the best response was to simply stop burning it.

Instead, Liu Ming had chosen to swap them out for three new sticks and pray again.

In his eyes, it was just a minor issue, and not wanting to worry everyone, he kept it to himself.

But looking back now, he realized that perhaps there really were some mystical forces in the unseen world—things that couldn't be explained but were terrifyingly accurate.

'It's just a storm, it shouldn't be a big deal. In ten minutes at most, we'll sail right out of it,'

Liu Ming prayed silently in his heart.

The storm wasn't too intense yet, and they were moving at full speed. As long as they kept this up, punching through this stretch of sea wouldn't be an issue at all.

Watching the massive waves crash one after another across the ocean, the viewers in the live broadcast were shocked beyond words.

The Qingfeng Cruise Ship was continuously lifted and dropped by the swells. In the face of the vast ocean, the vessels of the fleet looked like mere toys.

"Good heavens! Just looking at it terrifies me!"

"This is too scary!"

"Mother Nature truly isn't something humans can conquer!"

"My palms are completely sweaty. I really don't know what the people in the fleet are feeling right now."

At this moment, Ning Fei was in the captain's cabin.

He looked at the electronic map.

The intelligent steward had brought up the map, and Ning Fei could see that the storm's area wasn't particularly large. It would only take a dozen minutes or so for everyone to push through.

All the little guys were currently gathered in the captain's cabin, standing obediently to the side and huddled tightly together.

They had never seen such a frightening scene either.

Their bodies swayed up and down with the ocean waves, thoroughly panicked.

At a time like this, staying close to Ning Fei was the only thing that gave them a sense of security.

"It's fine, don't be afraid, everyone. We'll be out of these waters very soon,"

Ning Fei said gently to the little guys.

"Ding dong— Ding dong— Ding dong—"

Right at that moment, blaring alarms suddenly erupted inside the captain's cabin!

"Captain, a massive ocean whirlpool has been detected ahead. Please alter course."

"A massive ocean whirlpool has been detected ahead. Please alter course!"

The voice of the intelligent steward, Xiaobai, echoed through the cabin.

The viewers also heard the Qingfeng Cruise Ship's alarms.

Everyone instantly grew even more tense.

"An ocean whirlpool? What is that?!"

Hearing the intelligent steward's warning, Ning Fei looked back at the electronic screen.

He saw a red marker blinking ominously at the very front of the fleet, rotating slowly.

Seeing this, Ning Fei immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie and shouted to all the crews, "Attention all vessels! There is an ocean whirlpool ahead! There is an ocean whirlpool ahead!"

"Captain Liu, turn your ship around immediately! Turn around immediately!"

Ning Fei's voice rang out from the walkie-talkies on every ship.

The crews were stunned at first, but soon, a fisherman on every ship rushed to a high vantage point, braving the storm to look ahead.

The drone also flew over immediately.

Then, everyone witnessed a soul-shaking sight.

Directly in front of the fleet, a terrifying ocean whirlpool had appeared!

The vortex was nearly five or six meters in diameter, churning endlessly as if it could swallow everything in existence!

The surrounding seawater spun along with it, unleashing a thunderous, monstrous roar!

Through the live broadcast lens, the viewers could clearly see that the fleet was heading straight into the massive whirlpool.

The situation was incredibly critical!

Liu Ming was also stunned.

His ship had already entered the whirlpool's area of interference.

"Attention all crew, set a course due west and steer clear of this area!"

"Attention all crew, set a course due west and steer clear of this area!"

Leading at the very front, Liu Ming instantly shouted at the top of his lungs!

In an instant, every ship sprang into action!

They frantically changed their headings, their bows slicing through the waves as they pushed against the current, fighting the whirlpool's rotation to charge out of its pull.

The sight was genuinely horrifying.

The viewers watching the broadcast no longer knew what to say.

With their eyes wide, their scalps went numb.

This was a disaster.

This was the live broadcast of a disaster!

A scene like this was vastly more terrifying than any disaster blockbuster!

That ocean whirlpool was like a ferocious monster—a gateway to hell that could effortlessly shred apart everything in the mortal world.

The fleet sailed against the current; this was the best method to escape a whirlpool.

Liu Ming was very experienced in this regard.

If they sailed in the same direction as the vortex's rotation, they would easily be dragged slowly to its center and swallowed whole.

With its powerful engines, the Qingfeng Cruise Ship had the easiest time breaking free.

Under the terrified gaze of the viewers, the other fishing vessels slowly broke free from the ocean whirlpool's pull.

The vortex seemed to possess its own gravity, constantly pulling them back in.

But right then, the viewers noticed that the ship at the very front of the fleet—Liu Ming's ship—was slowly moving backward across the churning sea.

This meant that the engine power of Liu Ming's ship simply couldn't overcome the speed of the whirlpool's rotation.

If this continued, he would undoubtedly be dragged away by the vortex.

The deeper it went, the stronger the whirlpool's pull became.

"That's Captain Liu's ship!"

"He looks like he can't get out!"

"My god, is a shipwreck really going to happen?!"

"Who can save him?!"

The viewers covered their mouths, expressions of absolute horror on their faces.

No one could believe what was happening before their very eyes.

A suffocating dread settled over them, knowing a maritime tragedy was about to unfold.

Regardless of who it was, once swallowed by the vortex, the immense force of the ocean would effortlessly rip everything on board to shreds.

The rest of the fleet had already made it to safety.

Seeing Liu Ming's ship, they all nearly broke down, crying out loud.

"Captain Liu!"

"Old Liu!"

However, just as everyone was lost in panic, a white silhouette abruptly turned its bow and charged straight toward the center of the whirlpool.

Like a white knight upon the sea, it showed no fear of the storm, no fear of the abyss.

Then, a voice that put everyone at ease echoed from the walkie-talkies:

"Captain Liu, dump all the fish immediately!"

"The Qingfeng has enough horsepower. As long as you lighten your load and combine it with your ship's own engine, I can pull you out."

"I'm heading toward you now."

In an instant, every pair of eyes converged on the Qingfeng Cruise Ship.