Chapter 101: Chapter 99: Giant-Toothed Shark
The Icebreaker had just smashed through the ice, but before it could set off, a blizzard materialized out of nowhere and descended upon them once again.
The world turned into a vast expanse of white, making it impossible to see in any direction. Moments later, the ship began to rock violently.
In the extreme cold of this apocalypse, a wind strong enough to capsize ships and tear down buildings was called "killer wind." Seeing the ship lurching more and more violently on the sea, Jiang Si hurriedly shouted to everyone, "Get back in your seats and buckle your seatbelts!"
Everyone scrambled into their seats and quickly fastened their seatbelts. A CREAKING and GROANING sound came from overhead, as if the ship was about to fall apart.
Jiang Linhai stared at the roaring blizzard outside the cabin. It was like hell had opened its giant maw, ready to devour them in the next second. His heart pounded in terror as he said, "This blizzard is getting stronger by the day. Can this ship hold up?"
Everyone felt like they were on a tilting balance ball; the slightest imbalance could cause the Icebreaker to capsize.
They had just broken through this patch of ice. If the ship flipped, they would all sink to the bottom of the sea.
Jiang Si said, "This is an Icebreaker. Have a little faith in it. The temperature is so low that the broken ice will freeze over again quickly. Even if we do flip, it won’t be a huge disaster."
"Since we can’t leave, we should just stay put and wait it out."
Lu Zhifeng nodded. "At any rate, the cruise ship isn’t going anywhere."
After they all exchanged a few words, some of the unease in their hearts dissipated.
BOOM—
With a tremendous crash, the yacht behind them was flipped by the blizzard.
Even Jiang Si was shocked. She hadn’t expected it to capsize so quickly.
A steel cable connected the two vessels. When the yacht flipped, it yanked the Icebreaker high into the air. Everyone was thrown from their seats as if on a seesaw, their hearts leaping into their throats before crashing back down.
The instant the steel cable snapped, the yacht was flung by the blizzard, smashing heavily against the cruise ship.
The colossal impact made everyone’s blood run cold, terrified that the Icebreaker would be next.
Fortunately, the Icebreaker didn’t disappoint, managing to weather the ordeal.
When the blizzard abated slightly, Jiang Si unbuckled her safety harness and went to the stern of the Icebreaker, peering through an observation window to check on the yacht.
But the glass was plastered with a thick layer of ice and snow, and Jiang Si couldn’t see clearly. Wary that another wave of the blizzard might hit, she only dared to open the hatch after the snow had stopped completely.
The snow had nearly sealed the hatch shut. She had no idea if the yacht’s engine was still functional after the impact.
If it wasn’t, many people inside wouldn’t be able to get heat in time and might die.
Jiang Linhai and Lu Zhifeng shoveled the snow away. Jiang Si stood on the deck and looked out. Many people from the yacht were now outside.
The experienced crew members were trying to right the listing yacht from various angles.
Others were repairing the damaged hull.
Dr. Shire ran toward the Icebreaker. Upon seeing Jiang Si, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted desperately, "Miss Jiang, could you please wait for us? It won’t take us long to follow you! I’m begging you!"
Everyone on the yacht was afraid that Jiang Si would simply take off in the Icebreaker and abandon them.
Jiang Si nodded and gave him an "OK" sign. Dr. Shire bowed gratefully. "Thank you! Thank you, Miss Jiang."
The yacht was less damaged than Jiang Si had expected. The experienced crew had probably used some clever techniques and also had the cruise ship to break the impact. Jiang Si had only been on deck for a short while before she watched them patch up the hull with practiced ease.
Watching their technique, Jiang Linhai clicked his tongue in amazement. "True professionals."
Jiang Si smiled. "They really are."
’Anyone chosen for the national scientific research team has to have some real skills.’
Just as the teetering hull was about to be righted, Jiang Si suddenly spotted a group of massive dark shapes beneath the ice.
Her heart leaped in alarm, and then she heard Qin Shen say, "Giant-toothed sharks."
Jiang Linhai’s eyes widened. "Giant-toothed sharks?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the school of giant-toothed sharks smashed against the ice from below with lightning speed, bursting out of the water.
In an instant, their cavernous, blood-red maws snapped shut around several crew members.
The screams and the sheer horror of the scene nearly sent Jiang Linhai collapsing to the ground.
Lu Zhifeng and Shen Baoying both clapped their hands over their mouths.
The first giant-toothed shark had tasted blood, and a second, then a third, followed suit, viciously smashing through the ice. Some went straight for the bodies that had previously sunk into the sea, fighting and tearing at the corpses.
A crew member, bitten in half, faintly twitched his fingers, silently pleading for help from those still on the yacht. But no one paid him any mind; they were all scrambling to set up a ladder to the cruise ship and climb to safety.
They were terrified that the man-eating sharks would smash the yacht to pieces, and they too would become a tragic meal.
Shen Baoying asked, trembling, "Sisi, what should we do?"
Jiang Linhai also asked, "This ship of ours is sturdy, right?"
No sooner had he spoken than—THUD! THUD! THUD!
Giant-toothed sharks began ramming the Icebreaker again and again, striking it violently with their fins and backs.
Jiang Linhai felt a distinct tremor under his feet. He quickly grabbed Shen Baoying and said, "Quick, quick, quick! Get back inside the cabin!"
Everyone retreated into the cabin. After a while, the tremors gradually faded. The giant-toothed sharks had likely finished eating the bodies around the Icebreaker and dispersed.
Everyone was still shaken when Dr. Shire’s voice boomed from a loudspeaker. "Miss Jiang, I’m begging you, can you let us on board? Our yacht can’t move anymore."
With man-eating sharks below, they didn’t dare go down onto the shattered ice to right the yacht.
There had originally been another boat behind the yacht, but without the cruise ship to block the wind, it had been quickly swept away by the blizzard.
Dr. Shire’s only hope now rested with Jiang Si and her group.
Jiang Linhai furrowed his brow and asked, "Sisi, are we going to save them?"
Shen Baoying’s face was cold as she said, "Save them? Why? Some of those people on their ship wanted to kill us at first! If they come on board, we’ll have to live in constant fear. Aren’t you tired of that, Sisi? Isn’t everyone? If there’s even one slip-up, we’ll be the ones who die."
’Besides, Sisi has her spatial ability. What would happen if it were exposed?’
Shen Baoying didn’t want her daughter to take even the slightest risk.
Jiang Si glanced at the ice, then at the weather.
She said to the others, "We definitely can’t let them on our ship. But if they can get their own boat moving and follow us, we’ll let them. The giant-toothed sharks should have swum off by now, right?"
’If they don’t have the guts to get their yacht working, then they can’t blame me for being heartless.’
Everyone understood her unspoken meaning.
Soon after, Qin Shen went to convey their decision to Dr. Shire.
Dr. Shire looked at the bottomless holes in the ice, and a wave of terror washed over him as he pictured the giant-toothed sharks that could leap out at any moment and devour them.
But if they didn’t get the boat working, they would truly have no chance of leaving this place.
Dr. Shire turned to the crowd behind him. "Should we... go down and right the boat?"
Everyone scrambled backward in terror. "No! We’ll be eaten by the sharks!"
