Ten minutes ago, the tied-up man had woken up and had been hitting the floor with his head and feet, making noise to alert his companions since he couldn’t speak due to the gag. Yuxi also wanted to see which group his companions belonged to, so she didn’t stop him. Eventually, it was those men from Country Y who came upstairs.
Seeing Yuxi and Yuan Ning with a child, they used their numbers to their advantage, shouting for her to release the man and demanding compensation for their losses.
Yuxi, unwilling to waste words, told Yuan Qi to go back to the room. Once Yuan Qi, holding Yuan Yuan with a worried look, had retreated inside, Yuxi kicked the leading man from Country Y, knocking him to the ground.
The man, angry and surprised, thought he had been unprepared, which was why he fell. But as soon as he got up, Yuxi kicked him again, sending him down the stairs, where he lay at the bottom, groaning in pain.
The other men fell silent, watching the young and beautiful woman in front of them with trepidation.
As Yuan Ning had said, these weren’t hardened criminals but rather panicked individuals during the disaster. Even if they had bad intentions, they only dared to resort to petty theft, targeting easy victims. They hadn’t expected to pick such a tough opponent.
They had planned to talk their way out, but Yuxi’s immediate resort to violence left them at a loss for what to do. The men from Country Y huddled together, deciding that since they already started fighting, they might as well take this chance to rob her.
Confident that Yuxi couldn’t understand their language, they openly discussed their plan: who would distract her, who would pretend to be scared and break into the room to take the child hostage, and who would untie their comrade. Their plan was detailed and clear.
Yuxi’s eyes grew cold. An electric baton slid out from her sleeve, and without a word, she pressed it to the chest of the man planning to take Yuan Yuan hostage.
As he convulsed and fell, Yuxi looked at the remaining two men. She then waved the baton and said, “Why don’t you decide: who gets electrocuted and who gets beaten down the stairs?”
The men were speechless.
When Yuan Ning and Lin Wu hurried to the landing between the third and fourth floors, they saw Yuxi knock the last man down the stairs with a swing of her baton. He rolled down, crashing into his already injured companion at the bottom.
On the upper floor, two men lay twitching on the ground occasionally, while the tied-up man, eyes closed, remained silent, hoping Yuxi would forget about him.
Lin Wu: …
Yuan Ning: …
The rescue team members who followed: …
It seemed like she didn’t need any rescuing.
Originally, Yuan Ning and Yuxi hadn’t planned to provoke further trouble and only intended to hand over the captured man to the rescue team. But since the others caused trouble, they got what they deserved.
The rescue team leader, overwhelmed with work these past few days, had already instructed that anyone causing trouble would be thrown into the temporary detention center, and their supplies would be confiscated.
If they couldn’t behave, then they wouldn’t get the chance.
The rescue team had come with a multi-seater electric vehicle, originally used to transport tourists between hotels. Lin Wu and Yuxi helped tie up the five men securely and placed them in the vehicle.
Two rescue team members then cleared out their room, discovering that they had a significant amount of food and supplies. They couldn’t understand why these men, who had plenty of provisions, would still resort to theft.
The commotion here was noticed by people in other nearby guesthouses. Wrapped in blankets, they either ran out or stood on their balconies to watch the spectacle. The rescue team members made it clear that this was the fate of troublemakers and warned everyone not to harbor selfish thoughts for personal gain, emphasizing the importance of unity during a major disaster.
As the rescue team drove away in the electric vehicle, Yuxi noticed a familiar figure in the crowd, which seemed to be Meng Lu. Meng Lu also saw her, and her gaze lingered on Lin Wu beside Yuxi for a few moments before she decided not to approach.
Half an hour later, a few people were sitting in the living room of the suite discussing their departure.
Lin Wu brought unexpected news, or rather, a pleasant surprise: “We’re not taking a boat; we’re leaving by plane. Pack your things and meet me in the lobby of the Ya’en Hotel tomorrow at noon.”
On his second day on the mountain, Lin Wu had performed surgery on a rescue team member whose abdomen had been torn open, exposing his intestines. Despite the lack of proper medical facilities, Lin Wu had managed to save the man, earning his trust.
The man was the deputy leader of the rescue team. Lin Wu learned from him that there was a helipad on top of a building behind the five-star hotel on the mountain, and a backup helicopter was stored in a nearby warehouse. This helicopter had been grounded due to a malfunction after its last flight.
Meanwhile, another helicopter had been in use. This helicopter had been rented by a guest before the tsunami and flown to the capital island, but it hadn’t returned.
The deputy leader wanted to repair the grounded helicopter and send someone out to request assistance, or at the very least, bring back urgently needed medical supplies.
The mechanic had told him that in addition to repairs, the helicopter needed internal and external auxiliary fuel tanks installed because all the islands within range had been devastated by the tsunami, making it impossible to refuel mid-journey. The helicopter’s current range was only three to four hundred kilometers, and running out of fuel mid-flight would be even worse than being stranded at sea.
Originally, the mechanic estimated that it would take him at least half a month to fully repair the helicopter and install the fuel tanks by himself. Finding someone knowledgeable in aircraft repair and trustworthy to help was extremely difficult. The deputy leader had confided this information to Lin Wu because he trusted him and hoped he could secretly help find someone.
To his surprise, Lin Wu actually knew how to repair helicopters.
For over a week, Lin Wu had been working in the hospital during the day and helping with the helicopter repairs in the evenings.
A few days ago, when Yuan Ning discussed Yuxi’s plan to leave the island, Lin Wu hadn’t mentioned the helicopter, saying he needed to plan and asked her to wait. Unexpectedly, the waiting brought about this surprise.
“Can we all go together?” Yuan Qi was both happy and worried, concerned about bringing a child and fearing it might be seen as troublesome.
“Yes,” Lin Wu reassured her, “I made sure to discuss this with him before telling you. Simon will also be leaving with us.”
Before leaving, Lin Wu gave them some instructions: first, to keep their belongings as minimal as possible, and second, to keep the helicopter plan a secret to avoid causing chaos.
It wasn’t a matter of selfishness; with only one helicopter, it was impossible to evacuate all survivors. The helicopter’s primary role would be to bring help and supplies before external rescue arrived.
The nearest mainland country to Haiguo was the capital country, and having Lin Wu, a doctor who could also repair helicopters, carry the message was the best choice. The deputy leader agreed to let him take a few friends along.
Things went more smoothly than expected, almost too smoothly, leaving Yuxi feeling uneasy after seeing Lin Wu off.
That unease turned into reality that evening when Yuxi, as usual, checked the surroundings with her binoculars.
The hotel area was slightly higher than the guesthouse area, and some low buildings were obscured by the mountain’s trees. However, taller buildings, especially the Ya’en Hotel, which had the highest elevation, were clearly visible through the binoculars.
Today, from her new room, Yuxi had her first view of the southern buildings from the balcony. She had been curious to see the building with the helipad that Lin Wu mentioned, but she noticed movement on the rooftop.
Thinking she had seen wrong, she adjusted the binoculars’ magnification and confirmed it wasn’t a mistake. The warehouse door by the helipad was open, and a white helicopter was being pushed out. People were busily preparing it for takeoff.
What’s going on? Lin Wu had explicitly stated that the helicopter plan was to be kept secret until noon the next day. If it was supposed to be secret, why was the helicopter being moved out early?
She immediately knocked on the next room’s door. Yuan Ning answered, “What’s wrong?”
Yuxi lowered her voice and handed her the binoculars: “Something seems off with the helicopter.”
Yuan Ning opened the window and checked through the binoculars. Her expression grew serious: “Are they planning to take off early?”
Hearing the commotion, Yuan Qi also came out of the bedroom and quietly asked what was happening.
The three of them quickly decided that Yuxi and Yuan Ning would go to check on the situation, while Yuan Qi stayed at the guesthouse to await news.
That day, the rescue team had just taken away some troublemakers, so it was unlikely anyone else would dare to cause trouble at the guesthouse. Yuan Ning instructed Yuan Qi to lock the door and not open it for anyone, then hurried downstairs with Yuxi.
The walk from the guesthouse area to the hotel area was quite a distance. Yuxi took out two packs of instant noodles and exchanged them with the guesthouse owner for the use of a tricycle, then quickly headed towards the hotel area with Yuan Ning.
The nighttime temperature was much colder than during the day. Yuxi’s breath turned into white mist. To keep a low profile, she hadn’t changed her thin down jacket for a thicker one, but she was wearing thermal underwear and fleece clothes underneath, yet she still felt cold.
Ten minutes later, Yuxi and Yuan Ning met up with Lin Wu and Simon. Since Yuan Ning’s injury hadn’t fully healed, she stayed outside the hotel to watch over the vehicle, while the other three jogged towards the hotel building with the helipad.
“Could they be checking the helicopter for tomorrow’s flight?” Yuxi asked.
Lin Wu’s face was stern. “Impossible. The rescue team has been very careful to keep the helicopter a secret. Even if they were checking it, they would do so inside the warehouse.”
The helipad was on the fifteenth floor. Ximan, struggling to keep up with the steady pace of Lin Wu and Yuxi, started to fall behind by the eighth floor. Lin Wu and Yuxi exchanged glances. “You’re in good shape,” Yuxi remarked.
“So are you,” Lin Wu replied. The more Yuxi got to know him, the more she realized how capable he was—not only a doctor but also skilled in helicopter repair and physically fit.
They didn’t talk further, saving their energy for the climb. Soon, they reached the top floor.
Outside the emergency door, they heard the telltale sound of a helicopter preparing for takeoff. Lin Wu forcefully pushed open the heavy door, and cold wind rushed in, almost making it impossible to move forward due to the rotor’s downdraft.
They were too late. On the helipad, the white helicopter was already lifting off. Someone was running away from it, and Lin Wu grabbed him. “What’s going on? Why are they taking off now?”
The man wrapped his clothes tighter, shivering in the cold, and his voice was almost drowned out by the rotor noise. “I had no choice. The captain personally came with some people, saying there was an important person who needed to leave urgently… They came in such a hurry, I couldn’t notify the deputy or you in time!”
While Lin Wu was questioning the mechanic, Yuxi stepped forward and looked at the last row of seats in the helicopter. Illuminated by the yellow lights around the helipad, she saw a familiar face pressed against the glass.
It was Meng Lu!
Meng Lu had already seen her. Upon realizing Yuxi recognized her, she showed a smug and relieved expression, waved gently, and mouthed “bye-bye.”
Lin Wu, battling the wind, walked up to Yuxi and sensed something was wrong. “Who did you see?”
“The last row, it’s Meng Lu.”
“Meng Lu?” Lin Wu looked up at the helicopter. “Those seats were removed to install additional fuel tanks. If she’s in the last row, she must have sneaked on.”
Yuxi frowned. “How did she know?” She suddenly remembered Meng Lu’s scrutinizing gaze at Lin Wu earlier. “After you left our place this morning, did you come back here?”
“Yes, I came to check on the helicopter, but I didn’t think anyone was following me.”
He understood Yuxi’s implication. “The helipad isn’t exactly a secret, but it’s not common knowledge either. If she was determined and knew the right people, it wouldn’t be hard to find out what I was doing here. But why would she target me?”
“She was probably targeting me,” Yuxi recalled Meng Lu’s earlier suspicion. Even though it seemed absurd at the time, once the thought arose, it wouldn’t go away easily.
Lin Wu patted her shoulder. “The helicopter leaving early has nothing to do with her targeting you. She just caught a lucky break.”
The mechanic, who had run back to the warehouse, returned with a walkie-talkie and handed it to Lin Wu. “Just repaired this today and charged it. Use this to stay in touch.”
Simon finally reached the top floor, gasping for breath, only to see the tail of the departing helicopter. Ever optimistic, he tried to comfort them after hearing the situation. “The helicopter will come back. We just can’t leave on the first trip. It can’t just fly away and not return, right?”
Yuxi: …
Don’t jinx it…
In the cold, windy night, the three of them watched the helicopter leave. A snowflake fell on Yuxi’s face, followed by a second and a third. Soon, the snow grew heavier, falling like cotton.
At first, Simon was excited to see snow for the first time, but his excitement quickly turned to worry and fear as they stepped outside and the snow and wind lashed against them.
Lin Wu frowned. “The snow is really heavy…”
“And the wind feels like a typhoon!” Simon looked nervously at the dark sky. The helicopter was already out of sight. “Flying in this weather isn’t safe. Should we call them back?”
Lin Wu paused, then used the walkie-talkie to contact the mechanic, asking if there was any way to reach the helicopter. “The snow is too heavy. If you can contact them, tell them to come back.”
While waiting for news, the three of them stayed in the building’s lobby, which had several barrels burning for warmth. Many survivors lacking cold-weather gear had chosen to sleep here.
Everyone’s attention was on the storm outside. Almost no one spoke; they just silently watched the snow with fear.
After a while, the mechanic responded, saying the signal was poor, possibly due to the weather. He could barely hear the helicopter’s response.
“Keep trying. The snow is too heavy.” He knew the condition of the helicopter. It was old, and the parts were worn. The recent repairs hadn’t been comprehensive due to limited resources, and the additional fuel tanks increased the load. Flying in extreme weather was risky.
Before the mechanic could respond again, a tree in front of the hotel was caught in the fierce wind, breaking its branches. A large branch, along with leaves and snow, was slammed against the glass door by the wind, causing a startling cracking sound.
As chaos and exclamations erupted in the lobby, Yuxi suddenly stood up and walked quickly to the glass wall on the other side. This lobby was about four or five meters high, and the right side wall was made entirely of large glass panels, providing a clear view of the outside.
In the distant, dark sky, there seemed to be a few flickering lights. After a few flashes, there was a sudden explosion, and the brief burst of light revealed a white aircraft plummeting straight down.
Finally, with a loud boom, a red fireball erupted on the distant sea.
“It’s the helicopter!” Simon’s voice was filled with fear.
The helicopter had crashed.
That night, almost everyone on the island couldn’t sleep well.
The fierce wind, along with heavy snow and broken branches, relentlessly battered the windows and glass panes. Many windows on the lower floors developed cracks, and some ground floor windows were shattered.
Many people were awakened from their sleep. In the north, such heavy snow would be considered beautiful, but on this tropical island, where temperatures had never dropped below 20°C, this blizzard was terrifying.
“Oh my God, is this the end of the world?”
“Stop talking and get the blankets to block the cracks!”
“Mom, I’m cold…”
“Go find the rescue team, we can’t stay here. Ask them to find us another room!”
“I want to go home, why did I come to this island! Boo hoo…”
Yuxi woke up from the cold. The wooden structure and large glass windows of the guesthouse offered poor insulation. She took another blanket from the cupboard, and only then did she feel a bit warmer.
She checked the time; it was six in the morning. Since she couldn’t go back to sleep, she quietly got up and readjusted her warm clothing.
Over her thermal underwear, she put on a thicker fleece top and replaced her sports pants with windproof, waterproof fleece pants. On top, she still wore the lightweight, long black down jacket. She also put on wool socks and waterproof boots, which helped keep her warm.
The blizzard had raged for a day and a night. Although the wind had stopped, the snow hadn’t. It continued intermittently for another two days.
On the fourth day after the blizzard, she opened the curtains to find that the snow had finally stopped, but the entire balcony was covered in snow about ten centimeters thick. It took considerable effort to open the sliding glass door. The snow had frozen into ice crystals, hard and cold, making it impossible to break through.
She fetched a basin of warm water from her Star House storage and poured it over the center, clearing a small area to step out onto the balcony.
It was even colder outside. The island was covered in a layer of white, with broken branches and leaves scattered everywhere from the wind, creating a chaotic scene. The buildings standing in the water below were also blanketed with snow, and even the debris floating in the gray-black water had a thin layer of white.
The day after the helicopter crash, the rescue team had ventured out in the snow to search for survivors, but as expected, there were no survivors.
Yesterday morning, Lin Wu and Simon came to meet them at the guesthouse. Everyone was heavy-hearted but had to replan their departure.
Without the helicopter, their only hope was the boat. After an hour-long discussion, they came up with a rough plan. Lin Wu then took out a walkie-talkie, saying he had acquired a second one, so they could each have one for easy communication.
Yesterday afternoon, after the snow stopped completely, Lin Wu contacted them and brought tools to clear the snow from the boats and check their functions. They made repairs and maintenance to ensure the boats were ready to use at any time.
Today’s plan was to search for fuel.
Yuxi returned inside, closed the sliding door, and after a simple wash, she took out a portion of century egg and lean meat congee and a stuffed pancake from her Star House storage.
Opening the lid, the food’s warmth and aroma, as if freshly made, brought some comfort to her cold and heavy heart.
Before leaving the room, she took out a thick, high-neck cashmere sweater from her Star House storage. The sweater was form-fitting and not very large, but it would fit a child if the sleeves were folded and the hem reached his knees. The high neck could cover the neck and cheeks snugly, providing extra warmth under the down jacket.
She knew Yuan Qi had brought winter clothes for the three of them, but due to limited backpack space, only Yuan Yuan’s down jacket and pants were included, without any sweaters or fleece clothes. Yuan Ning and Yuan Qi each had only one down jacket.
The previous days’ temperatures had been bearable with just the down jacket and pants, but today’s cold was too much, especially for the child.
Yuxi knocked on Yuan Ning’s door. Because of the cold, they had lit a fire in a cooking pot in the room. The living room wall was stacked with branches of various sizes, and Yuan Qi was peeling off the damp outer layers and placing them by the fire to dry.
Yuan Ning took off the wet blanket she’d used to carry branches, draped it over a chair to dry, and crouched by the fire.
“The temperature dropped too fast. Let’s set out early today and get as much fuel as we can,” Yuan Ning said, packing her backpack as she warmed up. Ever since the helicopter crash, she had been anxious.
The low temperatures made the survivors on the mountain nervous, and Yuan Ning had a feeling the temperature would drop even further.
“Does Lin Wu know?” Yuxi asked.
“Yes, we’ve been in contact. We’ll meet directly at the docking area,” Yuan Ning replied.
The docking area Yuan Ning mentioned was where the rescue boats were anchored. It was a different location from where they had previously docked, with better terrain. The natural hollow at the base of the slope allowed the rescue boats to dock directly, eliminating the need for inflatable boats.
Yuan Ning’s mid-sized speedboat had already been moved to this area under Lin Wu’s arrangements, guarded by the rescue team, making it inaccessible to the general public.
After Yuan Ning prepared her backpack, she reminded Yuan Qi not to go out, to lock the door, and block it afterward, and not to open it for anyone.
Yuxi then took an electric baton from her backpack (Star House storage) and, along with the cashmere sweater, handed it to Yuan Qi: “The sweater is for Yuan Yuan, and the baton is for you. If anyone tries to break in, don’t hesitate to use it.”
“Got it!” Yuan Qi gripped the baton tightly and handed two thermoses to her and Yuan Ning. “There’s hot water inside. Be careful, and come back immediately if the weather changes.”
“Understood.”
Yuan Ning left the walkie-talkie with Yuan Qi, shouldered her backpack, and said, “Let’s go.”
The fuel left in the mid-sized speedboat was about one-third full. There was also half a barrel of diesel, about twenty-five liters, hidden and locked by Ximan in the cabin. This amount of diesel would allow the boat to run for over two hours.
Given the limited fuel, they couldn’t search everywhere for diesel and had to ensure a high probability of finding it. Yesterday’s meeting aimed to confirm a location where the chance of finding diesel was at least 80%.
Yuxi’s L Island tourist guide had a map showing the island’s districts. Lin Wu marked the areas already searched by the rescue team, and Ximan identified suitable locations outside these areas.
They finally chose a small gas station from three potential targets.
This gas station was remote and hidden, far from the city center, with almost no nearby residences. Importantly, it was on a slope, away from the coast, and had natural barriers, making it unlikely to have been washed away.
Moreover, the slope’s height meant the gas station would be submerged but not deeply. Anyone familiar with swimming would have a good chance of getting fuel.
The rescue team didn’t have many members, as they had been busy rescuing survivors and retrieving food, water, and winter supplies. Since Wanghaishan had two gas stations, these had been managed by the rescue team from the start and were not considered urgent supplies.
However, the longer the island remained isolated, the scarcer supplies would become, and eventually, the rescue team would search any place with potential supplies.
Yuan Ning drove the speedboat while Simon navigated.
Because the freezing point of fresh water and seawater differs, even though Sea view mountain’s snow had turned to ice crystals, the water below hadn’t frozen, allowing safe passage for the speedboat.
Over half a month, the once vibrant island city in the water had turned gray and desolate. Yuxi, looking through the binoculars, saw all the buildings were empty with no sign of survivors.
Simon was nervous throughout the journey, relying on his memory to navigate and fearing both getting lost and finding no fuel.
Thankfully, after an hour and a half, Yuxi spotted the gas station’s convenience store sign through the binoculars.
As they had expected, the gas station was not deeply submerged due to the slope. The convenience store was a single-story flat-roofed building, higher than a typical one-story house. From a distance, it seemed like the roof was already submerged.
To avoid running aground, the speedboat circled around and approached the gas station from behind.
The gas station was rectangular, with the convenience store in the back center. Tall trees flanked the sides, preventing the speedboat from circling to the front where the pumps were, so they stopped at the back of the store’s roof.
Fortunately, the roof was about ten centimeters above the water, allowing them to access the front of the store and reduce their time underwater.
Yuan Ning stopped the speedboat, and Lin Wu told her to stay on the boat while he and Yuxi carefully climbed onto the roof. Simon began removing his coat and pants, revealing a full-body wetsuit underneath.
In the freezing temperature, Simon did warm-up exercises on the roof while Lin Wu gave some detailed instructions.
They had two large diesel barrels and two portable fuel cans on the speedboat. If they found the fuel pump, they would need to transport the barrels to the front of the convenience store for refueling. They had a rubber dinghy, which could facilitate this.
A moment later, the three of them moved to the front of the convenience store roof. Simon handed his overcoat to Lin Wu, put on his snorkeling mask, and slowly entered the water.
The icy water was bone-chilling. He adjusted for a moment, then dove underwater.
Yuxi was tense, mainly worried about Simon. The cold temperature and the low visibility made finding the fuel pump challenging.
Lin Wu noticed her anxiety. “Don’t worry. Simon is an excellent swimmer. I told him to come up immediately if he couldn’t manage. He won’t push himself.”
“Okay.”
After about a minute, Simon resurfaced, took off his mask, wiped his face, shivering but excited, and spoke in the local language: “There are portable diesel cans inside the store, 50 liters and 30 liters. We don’t need to look for the fuel pump!”
Simon’s excitement was due not only to the ease of transport but also to the safety of these portable fuel cans. They were fire-resistant, making them much safer than regular diesel barrels on the speedboat.
After Yuxi translated, Lin Wu asked, “How much is there?”
“A lot! The store has an entire wall of them!”
“Good! Come up and warm yourself. We’ll figure out how to get the barrels up here.”
They quickly devised a plan, thanks to the speedboat Yuan Ning had brought back, which was designed for water parachuting. The boat had a rope reel at the back, long and strong enough to connect and support parachutists.
Simon went back into the water, threading the rope through the handles on top of the barrels, and then activated the reel. Using the buoyancy of the water, they lifted the barrels onto the roof and then transferred them onto the speedboat.
They needed approximately 1500 liters of fuel. This was just a calculated amount, considering all factors of the journey. They took all the 50-liter portable barrels, a total of 25, and 12 of the 30-liter barrels.
It was relatively easy to pull the portable barrels from the water to the roof, but transporting them to the speedboat was a bit more challenging. The 50-liter barrels weighed over 80 pounds each, and the 30-liter barrels weighed over 40 pounds.
However, this was just a minor inconvenience, mainly physically demanding. Shortly after, they encountered a significant problem.
Simon had just finished his task and was in the cabin, drying off and changing into warm clothes. Yuan Ning was reeling in the rope and refueling the boat with the portable barrels. Lin Wu and Yuxi continued to transfer the remaining barrels from the roof to the boat.
As Yuxi reached for the next barrel, Lin Wu suddenly shouted, “Watch out!” and quickly grabbed her, pulling her aside.
Yuxi reacted swiftly, grabbing the convenience store’s sign to avoid falling into the icy water.
She looked back to see a spear gun’s harpoon embedded in the roof where she had been standing, bouncing off the surface.
Lin Wu pulled her down behind the sign for cover. Through a gap, Yuxi saw two wooden boats approaching from the front of the gas station. They couldn’t get close due to the roof over the fueling area, but they were close enough.
The man on the lead boat reloaded his spear gun and shouted, “All the fuel and supplies here belong to us! Get lost!”
The man handing him the spear gun added, “Boss, they can’t leave. We want their boat too!”
The leader hit him on the head. “You think I don’t know that? Listen up, leave the boat and supplies, or—” he pointed his spear gun, “you can try your luck.”
Yuxi and Lin Wu stayed hidden behind the sign, their bodies mostly covered.
Yuxi quickly translated the men’s words for Lin Wu. He frowned. “We can’t give them the fuel or the boat, but we can leave the remaining barrels and supplies in the store. You negotiate and stall them while I come up with a plan.”
Yuxi nodded and peeked out, trying to communicate in English, “I don’t understand what you’re saying. We are tourists from Beijing.”
The translation gum she had only worked when she spoke her native language. Using English, it came out as English.
The spear gun leader looked confused. The man next to him translated, “Boss, she says they’re tourists from Beijing and don’t understand you!”
The leader smacked him again. “Then you talk to her!”
The man repeated the message in English. Yuxi began negotiating, saying they could take the remaining portable barrels and sealed supplies from the store, but the intruders wanted everything, including their boat.
Although they had only one spear gun, it was enough to pose a threat at such close range. If Yuxi and Lin Wu tried to retreat, they would be exposed.
On the boat, Yuan Ning and Simon noticed the situation. Yuan Ning tried to get off the boat, but Lin Wu signaled her to stay put. He squatted, thinking rapidly, and his eyes fell on a nearby 30-liter barrel, close enough to reach.
He whispered to Yuxi, “Do you have a lighter?” He didn’t expect much, knowing she likely didn’t smoke.
“No lighter, but if you want to start a fire, I have something.”
“You have an ignition device?”
Yuxi thought of the high-temperature perfume in her Star House storage. “Yes.”
“Good. Keep stalling them and be ready to use it in about two minutes.”
Lin Wu moved two steps towards the barrel, using the sign for cover, and began to reach for it.
Yuxi soon smelled diesel and heard faint noises, realizing what Lin Wu was planning. It was risky in a gas station, but he seemed confident. “Don’t worry,” he said quietly, “it’s just a threat. They won’t dare to act rashly with wooden boats.”
The intruders grew impatient, wanting all the supplies and the boat.
“You think hiding will save you? You can’t leave either!”
The spear gun man couldn’t understand English, and the constant chatter of his underlings gave him a headache. He slapped another underling and ordered, “Find a way to get over there and drag them out!”
The underling was bewildered. “Boss, the boat is stuck and can’t go through. Do you want me to swim over? It’s too cold for that…”
“Idiot! Can’t you get the other boat to go around the side of the roof?”
“Boss, the sides are full of trees. If we could go through, we would have already…”
The spear gun man grew increasingly frustrated with the constant objections. “Nothing works for you! How did you even get the boat to the front in the first place? How come others know to go around to the back?”
“Boss, we can still circle around to the back and block them…”
Hearing this, Yuxi realized that if they circled around, it would take some time, but once they got to the back, they could directly climb onto the roof and block the speedboat’s path. She quickly urged Lin Wu, who immediately responded, “Alright, give me the fire starter.”
Yuxi took a pair of disposable chopsticks from her pocket and sprayed them with high-temperature perfume. The chopsticks instantly ignited, releasing a subtle, alluring fragrance into the air.
Yuxi: …
This really is high-temperature perfume!
She handed the chopsticks to Lin Wu. “Here you go.”
Lin Wu: …
“This fire starter is a bit complicated, but this is safer,” she said, lying through her teeth.
Lin Wu didn’t care about the details at this point. As long as there was fire, he was satisfied. He threw the empty oil barrel into the water and raised the flaming chopsticks for the others to see. “If you don’t want to get burned, back off immediately.”
The flat-headed man was no fool. He dipped his hand in the water and found it greasy with fuel. “Boss, they poured diesel into the water!”
Diesel floats on water, and with this amount, a single spark could ignite the surface. With wooden boats, they wouldn’t stand a chance, and the gas station below could cause an even bigger explosion.
“Are you crazy?” the spear gun man shouted in anger.
Lin Wu slowly stood up, holding the chopsticks aloft. “We’re taking the fuel and the boat is non-negotiable. There are plenty of supplies in the convenience store that you can take. No need to risk everyone’s lives over this. Remember, you only have one spear gun, and it can only hit one of us. But if I make one move, you all won’t survive! We’re on the roof and can escape just the same.”
The tip of the chopsticks flickered with an orange flame, and with the chopsticks being long, it burned slowly. As long as the spear gun man made any move, Lin Wu could ignite the diesel on the water.
The flat-headed man translated Lin Wu’s words to the spear gun man, whose face contorted with rage. He knew Lin Wu was right; they had lost their leverage.
Yuxi noted the changing expressions on their faces and signaled Yuan Ning and Simon to come down from the roof and help move the remaining barrels onto the boat.
There were still eight 50-liter diesel barrels and two 30-liter barrels on the roof. Ximan gritted his teeth and carried two 50-liter barrels to the boat, while Yuan Ning quickly carried two 30-liter barrels.
“You go too. I’m not as strong as you!” Yuxi took the chopsticks from Lin Wu.
Given the situation, they couldn’t ensure all the barrels would be loaded onto the boat, so they took as many as possible. Lin Wu grabbed two 50-liter barrels and said, “Be careful!”
After Lin Wu left with the barrels, Yuxi stepped out from behind the sign, raising the chopsticks. “Throw the spear gun into the water and back off!”
This time, she switched to her native language, which naturally came out as the local language.
“You—” the spear gun man finally realized he had been tricked. “You bitch! Keep dreaming!”
Yuxi remained silent, taking out the high-temperature perfume. She pressed it, releasing a blue flame far more intimidating than the small flame from the chopsticks.
“You have no choice!” Yuxi aimed the high-temperature perfume at the water beneath their boats.
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