Chapter 138 The Drowning Person

Chapter 138: Chapter 137: The Drowning Person

At the same time, the thick carapace on Snow Cake’s back faintly glowed with an earthy-yellow halo as a peculiar Energy spread throughout its body.

"Let’s go!" Han Ning shouted in a low voice. Aided by the gravity-cushioning effect of the Earth Element, they pushed the heavy Wind Chaser Sailing Ship, breaking through the oncoming waves and slowly starting to move forward. Under the combined protection of Han Ning and Snow Cake, the hull became exceptionally steady. No matter how the wind and waves battered it, the ship only swayed slightly as its speed grew faster and faster. Seeing that his own vessel was in good condition, Han Ning spared a moment to observe the other ships.

The catamaran captained by Long was the only ship that could barely keep up. He stood at the bow, his palms facing downward and pressing lightly over the water. Faint blue ripples expanded from his palms, desperately trying to smooth out the churning waves around his sailboat. Although the hull swayed slightly, its speed was not slow.

The other sailboats and slightly larger fishing boats were not as fortunate. Earlier, some ships belonging to the Biyun Awakened Association had been secretly smeared with the Black Snake King’s Blood by Sun Wuyan’s men. Now, only eight ships had managed to transfer over. They rocked from side to side, constantly pushed off course by the strong crosswinds. One small sailboat was even tossed high into the air by a wave before crashing heavily back down onto the water, splashing a massive spray of muddy water. The people on board were like fallen leaves in a storm, exuding an overwhelming sense of despair.

"If strong winds of this magnitude blow every day from now on, it will be very difficult for ordinary sailboats to navigate the waters," Han Ning thought, his heart sinking slightly. "Snow Cake, go help them."

"HOWL!"

Snow Cake swam directly underneath the violently pitching sailboat. The Crystal Scale on its forehead flashed with light.

BUZZ!

An invisible fluctuation expanded. The originally turbulent currents beneath the ship were seemingly stirred by an invisible giant hand. Muddy water quickly gathered, forming a relatively gentle mud slope behind the ship’s bottom. Then, a soft thrust emanated from the mud slope, firmly supporting the sailboat’s stern. This helped offset some of the impact from the wind and waves, stabilizing the hull once again.

"Steady the course! Follow me!" Long’s voice pierced through the stormy weather. He clearly understood Han Ning and Snow Cake’s intentions. While struggling to maintain his own ship’s stability, he manipulated the water to form a weak current tow, trying to pull the other ships back to a relatively safe course.

Snow Cake cooperated with him, its body darting nimbly underwater. Sometimes it appeared next to a ship, manipulating the mud to form a temporary barrier against the oncoming waves from the side. Other times, it swam to the front of another sailboat’s bow, using its body or a mud wall to temporarily prop up the bow, helping it better break through the surging waves ahead.

Thanks to Snow Cake’s Earth Element Manipulation and Long’s water current guidance, the ships that were initially on the verge of losing control were not completely scattered by the storm. Like a pod of injured whales huddling together in the violent ocean, the fleet struggled to follow the Wind Chaser Sailing Ship led by Han Ning. The journey of a few kilometers passed in a flash. Everyone successfully sailed their ships to the base of the office building. They dropped their anchors and moored in an area less likely to be struck by floating debris.

On the third day, the wind’s intensity reached its peak.

WHOOSH!

The howling of the gale echoed relentlessly outside the building. Massive amounts of floodwater were swept up, forming sweeping waves five to ten meters high that ferociously surged in all directions. The entire building trembled violently, groaning under the unbearable impact. The water level was already approaching the third floor.

Inside the building, even though the people had gathered on the relatively higher floors, the freezing cold still seeped in everywhere. Thick white frost condensed on the interior walls, and even their breaths carried Ice Crystals.

"Dad, Yinyin is so cold..." Xu Yinyin’s small face was blue from the cold as she curled up tightly in the arms of her father, Xu Ming. Many ordinary survivors with weaker constitutions were showing symptoms of hypothermia, shivering uncontrollably with purple lips.

"This can’t go on!" Professor Ye looked at the apocalyptic scene outside the window, his usually calm face now filled with anxiety. "The wind shows no signs of weakening, the temperature is still dropping, and we don’t even know how much longer the building can hold up."

Han Ning remained silent. After mulling it over, he realized the only way out was to consult nature. He was just about to find a quiet place to cast his Communication with Nature Skill.

Just then, a short, terrified scream pierced through the howling gale, coming from somewhere outside the building.

"Help!"

"What was that sound?!" The people inside the building were startled and hurried to the windows.

Vice President Zhao tilted his ear to listen, his expression shifting slightly. "It’s not one of ours. There’s someone outside!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. About dozens of survivors, wearing various types of clothing, were desperately clinging to doors, broken beams, and even empty oil drums—anything that could float—bobbing up and down in the raging floodwaters. Like fallen leaves in a storm, they were scattered in all directions and could be swallowed by the surging flood at any moment.

"They’re other survivors! They were washed over by the flood," someone exclaimed.

"Old Wu, do we save them?" Vice President Zhao turned his head to look at Chairman Wu.

"So many people?!" Chairman Wu was somewhat hesitant. He fell silent for half a second before speaking, "With this weather and water level, we’re hard-pressed to even save ourselves...

"Our situation is already difficult. The water level is still rising, and both food and space are limited.

"But we have too few people right now; we need some manpower replenishment. We can save them... but it must be done under the premise of absolutely ensuring our own safety.

"Those with the ability can judge for themselves whether to launch a rescue depending on the situation. Prioritize targets that are close by and have a high chance of being saved. Don’t force it."

The survivors of the Biyun Resort were already struggling to survive; recklessly trying to save others might get themselves killed. While they were talking, a surging undercurrent, carrying several massive pieces of debris, forcefully changed the direction of five people clinging to tattered floats. It pushed them straight toward the office building where the group was stationed.

"Ahhh!" The despairing screams grew even more shrill.

It looked as if the five people were about to smash brutally against the solid wall one after another, their bodies crushed to pieces. However, the floating debris narrowly scraped past the edge of the wall. The massive impact shattered the objects instantly. In the nick of time, the five individuals reacted differently.

Three of them struggled desperately, but their strength was too weak. After losing their grip on their floats, they were directly swept away by the floodwaters. Seeing this, the other two displayed astonishing explosive power. The instant their floats shattered, they barely managed to grab onto the protruding edge of the third-floor architecture. Holding onto the building’s edge with one hand, they reached into the water with the other and each grabbed one of their fallen companions.

A young man wearing a soaked long-sleeved shirt noticed the crowd standing behind the windows. His despairing expression shifted to joy, and he roared at the top of his lungs toward them, "Save us! I have important information to tell you!"

Working hard on writing...