Chapter 149

Jia Wenjun held up the torch, illuminating the scene before him. Though the visibility wasn't great, the sound of the rushing rapids alone was enough to inspire awe.

Neither Bai Ma Shan nor Jia Wenjun could get close to Lili. Bai Ma Shan thought for a moment, then tied the remaining wooden planks from the used torch to one end of the rope. Like throwing a javelin, he hurled it with all his might, hoping to land the wood and rope near Lili. With the rope, he could pull her to safety even if she slipped and fell into the water.

"Grab the plank!" Bai Ma Shan shouted to Lili.

Lili understood his intention, and after several tries, the plank finally landed accurately beside her.

"Tie the rope to the reef, then wedge the plank with the rope into the crevice of the reef to secure it. I'll come to rescue you," Bai Ma Shan instructed Lili, who was five meters away and frantically fumbling with the rope.

Amidst the roaring waves, he had to yell at the top of his lungs, afraid that his instructions wouldn't be clear.

Using the limited light from the torch, Lili desperately wrapped the rope around the rocks several times, as Bai Ma Shan had instructed. A sharp pain shot through her hand. Then, illuminated by the torchlight that Bai Ma Shan tilted towards her, she looked down and saw that her hand was covered in blood.

Her face changed drastically. This must have been from when she slipped and fell earlier, scraping her palm. She had always been squeamish about blood. On the ship, whether it was Gong Da Long's injury or those of Li Mao Wang and Anna, she always avoided any bandaging or medical assistance, afraid that the sight of blood would make her weak in the knees.

Now, looking at her own blood, she felt dizzy, panicked, and short of breath, collapsing softly onto the rocks.

Lili's sudden collapse, when she had been fine just moments before, baffled the two men a few meters away.

"Lili, what are you doing? Get up!" Jia Wenjun shouted at her.

Bai Ma Shan didn't understand what had happened either, but there was no time to waste. He said to Jia Wenjun, who was not far from him, "She might be exhausted. I'll go rescue her. You hold the rope tight."

After saying that, he tugged on the rope, confirming that it could withstand the pulling force. He then threaded one end of the rope through his lifebuoy and turned to wrap the other end around a rock behind him twice.

Bai Ma Shan's intention was to use the lifebuoy as a fixed rope around his body, using it as a connector between himself and the rope, securing himself to the rope to wade across.

Jia Wenjun understood his intention and slowly walked towards him, changing direction.

Bai Ma Shan stuck the torch into a crevice in the nearby rock and handed all his belongings to Jia Wenjun, who was groping his way over. He put on the lifebuoy and the remaining rope and plunged into the icy sea.

"Big Brother Bai, be careful!" Jia Wenjun's voice was swallowed by the rushing waves, turning into the sound of the relentless crashing of the sea.

Anna, who was not far away, didn't come closer. She just watched Bai Ma Shan rescue Lili from a few meters away. Her hand was still bleeding, and she tried to raise it, keeping the wound and the torch head away from the seawater, her eyes fixed on Lili on the reef.

The current was rapid, and Bai Ma Shan felt unsteady, unable to exert any force with his legs. He held the rope tightly against his chest, using the buoyancy of the lifebuoy to support his body, and pulled himself towards the reef where Lili was. A person in the sea was like an ant, tiny and helpless. A large wave would bury the ant without a sound.

At this moment, the waves were like playing a relay game. One wave crashed between the two reefs, and after passing the two reefs, its speed increased again. It unexpectedly slammed into Bai Ma Shan's chest, and then the vortex swirled downwards, forcing Bai Ma Shan to sink rapidly. However, the wave didn't let him go, and with a sudden U-turn, it almost catapulted Bai Ma Shan onto the reef where Lili was.

"Big Brother Bai!" Jia Wenjun shouted in alarm.

The seawater pulled Bai Ma Shan down again. Bai Ma Shan held onto the rope tightly with both hands. Jia Wenjun was also shaken by the wave just now, and the weight on the rope suddenly increased. Jia Wenjun gritted his teeth and braced himself, like in a tug-of-war. His feet rubbed against the vines on the rocks, making a "creaking" sound.

Bai Ma Shan held on desperately, grabbing the rope with both hands, and forcefully kicking against the side of the reef with both feet. The waves roared beneath his feet, opening their black mouths, ready to bite Bai Ma Shan off the reef.

When the wave rushed up again, it had already reached Bai Ma Shan's neck. If it happened again, he might be knocked over, fall into the water, and be swept away by the waves.

Just in the gap before the second wave came, Bai Ma Shan, taking advantage of the rising momentum of the wave, suddenly stepped on something solid with his flailing feet. He seized the opportunity to exert force, finally breaking free from the shackles of the wave and climbing onto the reef.

Jia Wenjun, who had been worried about him, breathed a sigh of relief.

Lili was lying on the reef. Bai Ma Shan, soaked to the bone, stepped forward and shook her, "Lili! What's wrong with you?!"

Lili was drowsy and confused, "I... I'm squeamish about blood."

Bai Ma Shan helped her up with force, "I'll help you wash the blood off your hand. Just hang on a little longer."

Bai Ma Shan saw that she was as limp as a noodle and couldn't stand up at all, so he had to find a way to pick her up.

At this moment, the phone in her pocket fell directly onto the reef as she swayed.

Bai Ma Shan reached out to pick it up, but Lili grabbed the phone in her hand before he could.

"Big Brother Bai... let's go quickly," Lili said with difficulty, but she was still trying to stand up.

After the intense dizziness just now, she had recovered now.

"Big Brother Bai, hurry up, the tide is up to my waist," Jia Wenjun shouted to the two of them from not far away.

"Can you stand up on your own now?" Bai Ma Shan asked Lili.

Lili tried hard, but she was still a little dizzy.

At this time, Anna finally slowly approached Lili and Bai Ma Shan from the side where the water flow was relatively gentle.

She reached out her hand below, "Lili, come down quickly, I'll pull you."

Lili was grateful that Anna had also come to rescue her. She squatted down, just about to come down, when the phone in her pocket fell out again.

Her coat pockets were too shallow. Apart from her coat pockets, she had nowhere else to put her phone.

"That's the tri-proof phone, right? Let me take it. I have a fanny pack. I can definitely get the phone back to the boat safely," Anna said.

Lili didn't suspect Anna. She was a well-known benefactor in the community. Although she had a bad temper, she had at least come to rescue her in person. Before, Jia Wenjun had accused Anna of taking and hiding drugs on the boat, and even went into the hidden compartment to look for evidence, but couldn't find anything at all. So, Lili felt that Jia Wenjun was just desperate and framing her.

Seeing Lili was really going to give the phone to Anna, Jia Wenjun's eyelids twitched, and he shouted urgently, "Don't give it to her!"