Chapter 238: They Are in a Life-and-Death Race Against Time, While Liang He Enjoys a Peaceful Life?

Chapter 238: Chapter 238: They Are in a Life-and-Death Race Against Time, While Liang He Enjoys a Peaceful Life?

Liang He put on a specially made life jacket and boarded a small boat alone. She piloted the vessel until it was a hundred meters away from the Sea Ship, then brought it to a halt.

"Will the Killer Whales approach from a hundred meters away?" Leila asked. She wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about animal habits. However, according to Liang He, communicating with the Killer Whales alone meant she inevitably had to distance herself from the Sea Ship.

"Ideally, she should be much further away, but this is just a test to see if Lanton can successfully bring her back," someone explained. "To him, there’s no difference between a hundred meters and a kilometer."

As an SSS-level Beastman, Lanton’s strength was not to be underestimated, even during his Evolutionary Stage. Therefore, the group simply wanted to verify the feasibility of Liang He’s proposed plan through this trial; they didn’t need to perfectly replicate the exact conditions.

"The divers have already entered the water," Goring noted, looking extremely tense. "They’ll simulate the state of a Killer Whale attack. Now, it all depends on how well Liang He and Lanton cooperate."

As the acting director of the Skalan Star Reserve, Goring bore a heavy responsibility. Especially after Huo An’s stern words the previous night, if anything were to happen to Liang He under his watch, he would never be able to absolve himself of the blame.

"Why haven’t they made a move yet?" Lick asked, his eyes burning as he stared fixedly in Liang He’s direction.

During the Snow Festival, Liang He and Lanton had live-streamed a similar rescue stunt. As a die-hard fan, Lick naturally hadn’t missed a second of it. Being able to watch it live now filled him with indescribable excitement.

"These divers are all veterans. They’re probably waiting to catch her off guard," Ao Ke explained. "After all, if Killer Whales were actually attacking Liang He’s boat, they wouldn’t give her an advance warning."

Ao Ke had specifically recruited experienced divers to play the role of the Killer Whales. This way, if Lanton failed to rescue Liang He and she was knocked into the water by the "attack," the divers would be there to ensure her safety.

"Makes sense." Hearing his explanation, the others nodded in agreement. They kept their eyes glued to Liang He, terrified that they might miss a crucial moment if they blinked.

However, as the minutes ticked by, there was still no movement around Liang He’s small boat. Instead, an ominous feeling of an impending storm seemed to be brewing around the Sea Ship itself.

"Wait! Look over there!" the sharp-eyed Leila cried out. She quickly pointed at the water surrounding the Sea Ship. Beneath the sparkling surface, violent undercurrents were surging and churning.

"Oh no! It’s the Killer Whales!" As the captain of the Guard Team, Ao Ke frequently participated in patrol missions. He instantly recognized the massive shadows lurking beneath the waves. And there was more than one!

"Help! Help us!"

Just as everyone was struck dumb with shock, a chorus of frantic cries for help echoed from below. It was the divers who had been arranged to "cause trouble"!

"Quick! Get them out of the water!" Ao Ke was the first to react, shouting orders to the other sailors to commence an immediate rescue.

Fortunately, although the Killer Whales had arrived swiftly and fiercely, they didn’t actually intend to hurt anyone—at most, they just wanted to give the divers a good scare.

"This is bad. Liang He is still on that boat. What do we do now?" President Lucas pointed in Liang He’s direction. Seeing her drifting all alone on the sea filled him with immense worry.

"I’ll go get her," Huo An said, his expression equally grim. He never expected that what was supposed to be a simple trial would suddenly turn into a real crisis. But talking was useless now; the most urgent priority was getting Liang He safely back to the Sea Ship.

"No! The Killer Whales have completely surrounded the Sea Ship. There’s no way to break through!" Goring was the first to stop Huo An. Even if Huo An had the skills to breach the Killer Whales’ encirclement, how would they make it back afterward? Wouldn’t they just be walking straight into a trap?

"Then what do we do? We can’t just stand here and wait!" Though Leila hadn’t bluntly offered to mount a rescue like Huo An, her agitated movements clearly showed how desperate she was to bring Liang He back immediately.

"Lanton! Have Lanton bring Liang He back!" President Lucas said, recalling their original plan. Even though the situation had changed, the plan could still be executed.

"Right! Since Liang He was so confident earlier, it will definitely work now!" Lick had witnessed their flawless coordination before, so he remained absolutely confident in Liang He’s abilities.

"Alright, I’ll contact Liang He right away!"

Because she was so far out, they had given Liang He a waterproof walkie-talkie with a built-in GPS tracker to facilitate communication, precisely to prepare for any unexpected situations. Huo An grabbed his radio and began trying to reach her.

Meanwhile, on the small boat, Liang He—who should have been the most severely affected—was surrounded by an eerie calm. She tilted her head in confusion as she watched the distant Sea Ship swaying unsteadily.

"What’s going on?" she muttered.

When the pod of Killer Whales first appeared, they had swum up from the depths of the ocean floor, which was why the divers had noticed them before she did.

"Liang He? Liang He! Can you hear me?"

Liang He had just been wondering why the divers were taking so long to make a move while the Sea Ship seemed to be dealing with an emergency. Hearing Huo An’s voice over the radio finally reminded her that she had a walkie-talkie by her side. Picking it up, she looked toward the Sea Ship with a thoroughly perplexed expression.

"I’m here, Brother Hao. Did something happen over there?"

Hearing Liang He’s response, Huo An and the others felt both relieved and bewildered. Was she completely unaware of the Killer Whales’ presence?

"A pod of Killer Whales suddenly appeared around the Sea Ship and surrounded us. Do you not feel anything on your end?"

Feel anything? Feel what?

Logically speaking, a massive pod of Killer Whales surfacing would whip up huge waves, and a small boat like Liang He’s could easily be capsized. Yet, Liang He felt her boat was as stable as solid ground.

"No... I feel pretty good actually," she replied.

Having finally managed to pull all the divers out of the water, Ao Ke hadn’t even had time to catch his breath when he heard Liang He’s outrageous reply. He nearly choked on air.

Seriously? They were fighting for their lives in a race against time, while Liang He was enjoying a peaceful, picturesque afternoon? How did that make any sense?

"Why would these Killer Whales suddenly attack the Sea Ship but spare Liang He?"

Seeing that Liang He seemed even safer than they were, President Lucas was no longer in a panic. He was especially reassured when he looked up and saw the Canglan Hunting Eagle circling peacefully in the sky without making any sudden moves. Knowing Lanton, if Liang He were in any danger, he definitely wouldn’t be this calm.

"It’s not really an attack," Ao Ke said, trying to step closer to the railing. He carefully poked his head over the side to observe the Killer Whales’ movements. "Generally speaking, Killer Whales don’t mobilize on such a massive scale."

At least, in all his years of service, Ao Ke had never seen a spectacle like this on Skalan Star.

"And while Killer Whales do have bad tempers, they wouldn’t inexplicably attack a Sea Ship. They aren’t stupid."

A Killer Whale’s intelligence was roughly equivalent to that of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old human—higher than a chimpanzee’s. They were highly social creatures that excelled at teamwork, even known to fake strandings as a hunting strategy. More importantly, humans were not on their menu.

"Then who can explain what’s going on right now?"

Ao Ke’s explanation was basically useless; it did nothing to explain the Killer Whales’ abnormal behavior. While the sturdy Sea Ship wouldn’t be destroyed by the Killer Whales, the relentless rocking was going to be unbearable for everyone on board. This was especially true for President Lucas, who was elderly and already somewhat prone to seasickness. He wouldn’t last much longer.

"Perhaps... we could have Liang He ask them?"