Chapter 216 - 214: Blue Whale
Jiao Chunzi stared intently at the ice, terrified that a giant octopus would suddenly burst out and grab Jiang Linhai.
Jiang Linhai was just as tense. Every hair on his body stood on end.
’If I die,’ he thought, ’Jiang Si will be devastated when she wakes up.’
’And I still have to find Shen Baoying.’
Suddenly, a massive tentacle shot out from beneath his feet, trying to wrap around him and Little Chun.
But Little Chun’s claws were sharp. It hacked at the appendage twice, and the tentacle snapped back as if stung.
Immediately after, two more massive tentacles erupted from behind them.
Jiao Chunzi fired, scaring the octopus off again. Seizing the opportunity, Xiaoqiu grabbed Little Chun while Jiao Chunzi leaned down and extended a hand to Jiang Linhai.
Jiang Linhai tossed his gun aside and quickly grabbed her hand. He was just about to climb onto Xiaoqiu’s back.
"SQUIRT—"
The octopus spat a huge glob of ink, landing it squarely in Xiaoqiu’s eyes.
Blinded, Xiaoqiu momentarily lost its bearings and banked sharply. Unsecured by a saddle, Jiang Linhai immediately slipped off its back.
In an instant, before Jiao Chunzi could even cry out, Jiang Linhai was ensnared by all eight of the octopus’s tentacles and dragged down into the depths.
Jiao Chunzi gritted her teeth and ordered Xiaoqiu, "Take Little Chun and go back to the others!"
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she dove into the sea.
She kept her eyes open, searching for the octopus, but the vast, dark ocean offered no sense of direction.
Jiao Chunzi pulled herself back onto the ice. Her eyes lit up when she suddenly spotted the locator watch on her wrist, but when she activated it, Jiang Linhai’s signal was gone.
Disappointed, she stood up and picked up the gun Jiang Linhai had tossed aside. Her only option was to find Shen Baoying, who was nearby, and hope she was still safe.
Shen Baoying’s legs were trapped in an ice fissure, and it felt like she had broken two ribs.
Xiao Xia had tried to pull her out by force, but that had nearly been the end of her.
She and Xiao Xia had tried using tools and its claws to chip away the ice, but she was wedged in too tightly.
After a long while, they had only managed to clear a few centimeters from the surface.
The surface of the sea might look calm, but she knew venomous sea snakes and fearsome giant-toothed sharks lurked in the depths. The thought made Shen Baoying redouble her efforts to chip away the ice.
Suddenly, she saw a dark figure looming in the distance.
Worried it might be a zombie shambling toward her, Shen Baoying had a sudden idea: she could try shooting the ice with her pistol.
She aimed at the ice around her and fired. CRACK! The ice fractured.
Shen Baoying felt the pressure on her legs ease slightly, so she quickly fired again.
CRACK! The fissure extended several meters, widening the gap.
Shen Baoying scrambled to clear the shattered ice. Ignoring the searing pain in her chest, she pulled with all her might, first wrenching her left leg free. Then, she grabbed onto Xiao Xia’s talons for leverage and pulled her right leg out.
Free at last.
Overjoyed, Shen Baoying was about to climb onto Xiao Xia’s back when she took a closer look at the figure in the distance. It seemed familiar.
As she squinted, Jiao Chunzi’s voice reached her. "Aunt Shen! Aunt Shen! It’s me, Chunzi!"
A look of joy washed over Shen Baoying’s face. She mounted Xiao Xia and flew to Jiao Chunzi’s side.
Noticing Xiaoqiu was missing, she frowned. "Where’s Xiaoqiu?"
"Xiaoqiu took the injured Little Chun back," Jiao Chunzi said. She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Uncle Jiang... he was dragged into the sea by the octopus. I jumped in after him, but I couldn’t find him. His locator isn’t showing a signal, either."
In that instant, all the color drained from Shen Baoying’s face.
’In just two days, her daughter had fallen unconscious, her son-in-law was in a coma, and now her husband was missing, presumed dead. How... how could she possibly bear such a devastating blow?’
Shen Baoying seized Jiao Chunzi’s hand. "Quick! Take me to him!"
Jiao Chunzi had marked the spot on the ice and saved the coordinates in her locator watch. But just as she nodded, Shen Baoying suddenly collapsed. Fortunately, Jiao Chunzi was there to catch her.
In her condition, Shen Baoying was in no shape to search for Jiang Linhai. Jiao Chunzi immediately secured her onto Xiao Xia’s back, climbed on behind her, and commanded the Vulture, "Go back."
As Xiao Xia flew toward the Icebreaker, back on board, the crew had already been alerted to a problem. Xiaoqiu had returned moments earlier with the injured Little Chun.
Jiang Chengwu examined Little Chun’s injuries, fitting it with a more comfortable brace. He then took out a locator, preparing to search for Shen Baoying, Jiang Linhai, and Jiao Chunzi.
But none of them had ever ridden the Vultures before and had no idea how to control them. Just as Jiang Chengwu was steeling himself to try anyway, Zhang Qingfang suddenly cried out in delight, "They’re back! They’re back, look!"