Chapter 312: Rescue at Sea

The people on the Humpback Whale’s back watched everything Yun Jiao did, their jaws practically on the floor.

"Ooh, and there’s a metal boat, too."

Yun Jiao grinned from ear to ear.

’If I take it back and no one claims it, my family can have it. If someone does claim it, they’ll have to give us a reward.’

"Is that a ship over there?"

Suddenly, Wu Yi stood up, pointing at a black dot in the distance.

His voice was dry and hoarse, and his lips were pale and chapped.

In truth, everyone but Yun Jiao was in a similar state.

They hadn’t had a drop of water since falling into the ocean.

As for food, Yun Jiao had managed to get them some edible sea urchins and fish, but with no way to make a fire, they had to eat everything raw.

Yun Jiao tasked a few killer whales with pushing the metal boat back, then patted the Humpback Whale’s head.

"Let’s go check it out."

It was indeed a ship, and a very large one at that.

Wu Yi and the other soldiers immediately broke into joyful cheers.

"It’s one of our unit’s ships."

The iconic five-starred red flag was even painted on the side of its hull.

This vessel was worlds more impressive than those little metal fishing boats.

"Over here! We’re over here!"

The men stood up, waving their arms and shouting.

Meanwhile, on the ship, Vice Commander Lin looked through his binoculars, suspecting he was seeing things. He lowered them, rubbed his eyes, and took another look.

"Over there! Quick, have the ship steered toward our three o’clock."

When he got a clear view through the binoculars of what his soldiers were standing on, he sucked in a sharp breath.

’This scene... why does it seem so familiar?’

In his entire life, he’d only ever seen one person who could control a Humpback Whale.

He looked closer and, sure enough, saw a tiny figure sitting calmly, cross-legged on the Humpback Whale’s head, munching on something.

Vice Commander Lin suddenly laughed. "Haha, it really must be fate."

Seeing that the four soldiers under his command were not only alive but well, the weight on his heart was finally lifted.

Converging from both directions, the ship and the Humpback Whale soon met.

"Vice Commander Lin!"

Aside from Vice Commander Lin and the few others who had met Yun Jiao before, everyone on the ship stared with wide eyes.

"Wu Yi, what’s your situation?"

"Is that a Humpback Whale? You were rescued by it?"

They lowered a rope and first brought the villager and his father’s body aboard the ship.

The sight of the body dampened the initial excitement of the reunion, casting a somber mood over everyone.

Still, the fact that so many had survived was the greatest fortune of all.

"Little Yun Jiao, do you want to come aboard?"

Yun Jiao was quite curious about the big ship. It was much larger than her godfather’s yacht and looked incredibly impressive.

So, she nodded.

"Alright, hold on tight."

After securing a rope around Yun Jiao, the crew pulled her up onto the deck.

The four men then climbed up one by one, gripping the rope.

"Do you remember me, little one?"

Vice Commander Lin crouched down, looking at Yun Jiao with a wide smile.

Yun Jiao nodded. "Uncle Lin."

"Heh, such a good girl."

The four men Yun Jiao had rescued were surprised; they hadn’t expected Little Yun Jiao to know their Vice Commander.

"You four, head below deck and get some proper rest."

"Yes, sir!"

After the four men left, Vice Commander Lin had someone bring Yun Jiao a glass of water and asked why she was out at sea.

"The sea is so dangerous today. Where’s your family?"

’What kind of parenting is this? Letting a child wander around on a dangerous sea.’

Yun Jiao took a sip of water. "Our village lost a lot of boats, and Uncle Tao was swept away by a wave. I came out to look for people and our boats."

"The big fish are my friends. It’s not dangerous."

Thinking about Yun Jiao’s skill, which could only be described as Beast Taming, Vice Commander Lin’s interest was intensely piqued.

"Little Yun Jiao, would you like to come visit our island?"

Yun Jiao blinked. "Huh? Am I allowed to? Dad and my brother said strangers aren’t allowed on that island."

The island was a military zone. Apart from a small population of native islanders, it was inhabited almost exclusively by soldiers and their families.

"It’s okay if I’m the one who takes you."

Yun Jiao replied, "I want to, but I have to go home. Otherwise, Dad and my brother will worry."

"Hahaha, alright. Then you can go home first."

Suddenly, Yun Jiao’s ears twitched, and she spoke to Vice Commander Lin.

"A killer whale says it found someone."

Instantly, Vice Commander Lin’s expression grew serious.

"Where?"

They had come out here precisely to search for people.

The ocean was vast, making the chances of finding anyone slim, but they refused to give up hope.

Fortunately, someone had already saved the lives of the men he just found.

Otherwise, who knew if they would still be alive by the time the ship arrived.

The ship headed in the direction Yun Jiao indicated.

Sure enough, they spotted a person being carried by a dolphin, but the situation looked dire.

Two sharks were circling nearby, and a lone killer whale was fighting them off.

The person appeared to have been bitten, as a cloud of red blood stained the surrounding water.

Vice Commander Lin’s expression changed drastically. "Quick, save him!"

Several soldiers immediately geared up and slid down ropes into the sea.

Yun Jiao didn’t bother with a rope; she jumped straight in.

Vice Commander Lin’s eyelid twitched. ’Good grief, I looked away for one second and she was in the water.’

He was worried, but he had to remain on the ship to command the operation.

The moment she hit the water, Yun Jiao shot toward the sharks. She landed a kick on one shark’s belly, sending it flying several meters.

The little girl was ferocious. She pummeled both sharks with her fists and feet. When they tried to flee, she hopped onto the killer whale and chased them for a good distance before leisurely returning.

Yun Jiao gently stroked the bite marks on the killer whale’s body, her heart aching for it.

"You rotten jerks! I went too easy on you!"

’Picking on a lone killer whale, are we? If you’ve got any guts, why don’t you wait for the others to show up for a real brawl!’

"WHIMPER~~~"

It hurts.

The killer whale complained, sounding utterly wronged.

Yun Jiao soothed it, "There, there, Little Eighteen. I’ll put some medicine on you when we get back."

This was the same young killer whale that had been stranded on the beach before; it wasn’t even an adult yet.

’Those two shameless, stinking sharks! Ganging up on a juvenile, the nerve!’

Muttering curses, Yun Jiao rode the killer whale back toward the ship. The injured person had already been brought aboard.

He was still breathing; he wasn’t dead.

Yun Jiao was about to say her goodbyes to Vice Commander Lin and head home when she suddenly received another message.

"Uncle Lin, they found two more people. I’m going to go check it out."

Vice Commander Lin watched the child on the killer whale’s back, his eyes shining. ’This kid... she has a limitless future!’

’So it’s not just the Humpback Whale. Killer whales and dolphins are close to her too.’

It wasn’t long before a killer whale and a sea turtle arrived, carrying two people.

A woman and a child.

Yun Jiao quickly took the child from them.

Both were unconscious. She learned from the killer whale that the child had been placed in a wooden basin, while the woman had been clinging to it, half-submerged in the water.

The woman’s condition was much more serious.

She quickly handed them over to the people on the ship.

’My job is just to find them. I can’t do anything about the actual rescue part.’

There were military medics on the ship.

"Yun Jiao, I need to ask you for a favor."

Once she was back on the ship, Vice Commander Lin spoke in a tone so earnest and serious that Yun Jiao unconsciously straightened her small back, her eyes questioning him.

’What is it?’