The man pursed his lips, his expression becoming anxious, as a layer of frost covered his hands. As he spoke, he almost froze the falling raindrops before him into ice crystals, "Pull her back!"
Due to the waves, the ship’s rocking was especially pronounced. Su Mo hung suspended above the sea surface, fearful that the crossbar would break, Jianxiong slowly climbed up the main mast, letting her come down gradually.
The rumbling of thunder in the sky grew louder, and finally, in Su Mo’s eyes, a dazzling bolt of lightning tore through the sky, heading straight for her position.
Reflected in her pupils was the magnificent spectacle of thunder splitting the heavens. She was lucky not to be struck, but the crossbar that had been supporting her and Jianxiong was cleaved in half.
Su Mo, along with the half-section of rope tied around her waist, plummeted down once again.
Lu Chen’s blood seemed to freeze at the sight before him, his body moving faster than his mind as he rushed out, leaping from the deck to grab the severed rope.
The moment Su Mo was about to fall into the sea, she turned over in the man’s grip, and he swung her by the rope back onto the deck.
"Boss!" Jianxiong’s eyes bulged as wide as copper bells as he leaped down from the mast and ran toward the edge of the ship.
Several superpower users seeing this rushed out of the cabin toward the side of the ship.
"Lu Chen!" Su Mo, thrown onto the deck, could barely get up due to the pain in her back. She lay there, staring at the side of the ship surrounded by superpower users, as fear began to spread uncontrollably in her heart.
A lean hand grasped the railing.
With Jianxiong’s voice filled with surprise, the crowd parted, allowing the man to leap back onto the deck.
Seeing that familiar figure, Su Mo bit her lip, and when she fell into his arms again, she teared up, unable to help herself from wrapping her arms around his neck, "You scared me to death!"
She almost thought he had fallen.
Lu Chen held her tightly in his embrace and headed back to the cabin below, his chest rising and falling rapidly, just as representative of the panic of nearly losing her.
The massive wave ultimately did not hit the ship.
Yang Jianguo steered the ship away from danger, and they returned to the right course, finding their direction again.
Su Mo sat on his lap, both of their clothes drenched. The pain in her back begun making her frown, "My back seems to be injured."
"Let me look," Lu Chen turned her around, and Su Mo ended up sitting on his knees with her back to him, leaning slightly forward.
The man lifted her clothes from behind. As expected, the previously smooth and delicate skin on her back was bruising. His phoenix eyes shone with concern as he lowered his head to the injured area and kissed it tenderly.
Feeling her back covered with his numerous kisses, Su Mo admonished him gently. She clutched at his wet trouser legs, her face immediately flushing, "What... what are you doing?"
Having kissed all her injuries, he breathed out with relief, "Fortunately, it’s just a bruise."
Su Mo’s physique, enhanced time and again, had grown strong; otherwise, being flung back from that height would have surely broken a few of her ribs.
She turned to look at him, "Are you hurt?"
Lu Chen shook his head, pulling her back into his arms and covered her back with a layer of frost, pressing gently, "Change your clothes and rest below with some tea."
"Okay," Su Mo drank Biluochun Tea, their clothes soaked through, but she didn’t mind, her hands firmly circling Lu Chen’s sturdy waist like a crab.
Just now, she had truly been scared. The natural terror of that force was not something ordinary people could compare.
When the person in his arms finally fell exhausted into sleep, the man stopped his actions and gently changed her out of her wet clothes into clean ones before tucking her into the bed, changing into clean clothes himself, and then stepping out.
When he returned to the cabin, he heard Jianxiong scolding Yang Jianguo furiously.
The latter, an elderly man with one foot in the grave, didn’t dare utter a word in front of his fierce look, utterly frightened by it. Seeing Lu Chen approach, he quickly explained in a loud voice, "That wave just now was too big, and if we hadn’t made that quick retreat, we would’ve surely been flooded."
Lu Chen didn’t heed his words and instead fixed his gaze on the blueprint, his voice cold, "We’re almost there."
After passing through the thunderstorm area, the surrounding sea had become calmer, and it was unusually quiet around them. Up to now, they hadn’t spotted the trace of Lu Jin’s ship that should have been nearby.
It was very likely that they would be the first to arrive.
"We can get there by tomorrow morning," said Yang Jianguo, steering the boat as he shrank his wrinkled neck and touched his face, the chill emanating from the man beside him almost freezing him solid.
"Notify everyone to rest tonight and prepare to land on Southern Island tomorrow morning," Lu Chen stood up, his gaze fixed intently on the distant seascape.
"Oh," Jianxiong cast a dark glance at Yang Jianguo before walking sullenly into the cabin below to convey the order to the soldiers who were either sitting or standing inside.
Lu Chen returned to the cabin. Having not slept for two days, dark circles were evident under his eyes. He took off his shoes and quietly slipped under the covers, grasping Su Mo’s hand and closing his eyes to sleep.
The ship merged with the night. Su Mo woke up in the middle of the night, roused by hunger.
She lay on the bed and moved her back slightly. The pain had significantly decreased. Just as she was about to move her arm, she felt her hand being held.
She lifted her eyes and met his quiet and slightly weary sleeping face.
His silver hair had taken on a darker hue from the black rain, yet it still looked good on his face.
Su Mo moved closer to him, quietly admiring his sleeping visage.
Perhaps scalded by her intense gaze, the man opened his eyes and pulled her closer to him, "What are you thinking about?"
"I’m hungry," Su Mo said with a giggle.
"Then eat something," he propped himself up, and they both got out of bed, laid out some dishes and rice buns on the small table.
Eating her rice bun, she gazed at the night sky through the small window, "We’re almost there, aren’t we?"
"Yes, sleep a bit more. Once we get to the island, there won’t be any chance," he replied.
She nodded, finished her bun, then propped her head with her hands and watched him eat.
After eating, Su Mo rinsed her mouth and then crawled back under the covers.
Careful not to touch the bruises on her back, the man rubbed his hand over her head and then drew apart a little, his voice magnetic and languid, "Sleep now."
"Okay," Su Mo obediently closed her eyes.
When she woke up again, it was to the sound of Jianxiong knocking on the door.
Wood chips fell as the wooden door was knocked upon.
"Boss, we’re almost there."
Su Mo and Lu Chen both got up, dressed, and then stepped out.
Standing on the gangway filled with the smell of the sea, everyone was fully dressed, and a green archipelago, lush with vegetation, appeared in front of them a few kilometers away.
Before arriving, everyone had a full meal of dry rations.
During special times, keeping things low-key was her principle.
As the ship slowly approached, the green tropical archipelago grew closer still.
Su Mo glanced at the coconut trees towering at least ten meters high and couldn’t help but marvel inwardly, "What kind of person would build a laboratory in this place?"