Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1092 - 1085: Lingering Fear

Chapter 1092: Chapter 1085: Lingering Fear

The sea had calmed by then, no longer raging as it had been, as if someone had soothed the ocean, quieting it down.

The sunlight shone on the water’s surface, bathing Luo’er in warm rays that felt like soaking in a hot spring. The seawater, previously bone-chillingly cold, was now gradually warming up.

Had it not been for the scattered wreckage of the ships and the sailors struggling for survival, Luo’er would hardly have believed that they had just experienced a life-or-death disaster.

"Luo’er, give me your hand!" Tangmo reached out to Luo’er as the dinghy pulled up beside him.

Luo’er grabbed her hand, and with the help of everyone on board, was hauled onto the dinghy. After getting on, Luo’er struggled to remove the life-saving balloon attached to his wrist, and then adjusted the rifle on his back. It was these things that had caused him to keep sinking.

The dinghy seated members of the Advance Team, along with Talis and a sailor rowing the boat. Seeing everyone was safe, Luo’er finally let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling puzzled about how they all ended up together.

Talis knelt at the bow of the boat, her hands clasped together in prayer, murmuring what seemed to be a prayer.

Hu Daoke saw her and got irritated, saying gruffly, "Hey, we’ve worked hard to pull you out of the sea, and now, you turn around to thank your god. So it was your god who saved you, huh?"

Talis’s pointed ears twitched, ignoring Hu Daoke, and continued to pray. After a while, she finished her prayer, turned around, and said earnestly, "Without Sir Xiapei Kam, we would all be dead today. She stopped the disaster and rescued us from suffering."

"Where is she then? I can’t see her anywhere. Do you have any proof that she helped us?" Hu Daoke challenged her.

His questions left Talis speechless, unable to come up with an answer. Just when Hu Daoke was about to press his advantage, Cheng Ziang pulled at him, gesturing for him to stop.

"What, you too believe that it was this Xiapei Kam who saved us?" Hu Daoke asked, staring at him in disbelief.

In response to his skepticism, Cheng Ziang didn’t speak but instead pointed behind them. Everyone turned to look and saw that the sky behind them was still covered in dark clouds, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. In contrast, their current location was clear and sunny, a stark contrast to that terrifying scene.

"Don’t use Earth’s scientific history to analyze matters of the Otherworld; remember, gods are real here. If not for Tana, how could we have faced such a disaster? So we have no reason not to believe in the existence of Xiapei Kam," Cheng Ziang said finally.

"It looks like we’ve entered Xiapei Kam’s domain; if those reports are right, Tana no longer has a chance to mess with Luo’er," Baiyue commented.

"Does that mean we’re saved?" Hu Daoke asked, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It’s too early to say since we still have to deal with the problem of the Night Elves," Cheng Ziang remarked.

In the distance, Wadulan, with the help of the first mate, struggled to climb into the dinghy. Despite his portly appearance, his swimming was quite good, moving through the water like an expert and even managing to save a few sailors.

After getting into the dinghy with difficulty, Wadulan stood at the bow looking around, and as soon as he saw the members of the Advance Team, his eyes lit up. Waving his hands and with a joyful expression, he shouted, "Captain Luo’er, Captain Luo’er, I’m so glad you’re all okay, I was worried about you."

"We’re fine, Captain Wadulan, seeing you safe is such a relief," Luo’er replied with a smile, releasing his breath.

"Hahaha, falling into the water is nothing for me, I was born in the sea, I’ve been used to this kind of scene for a long time!" Wadulan was remarkably open-minded, his ship had sunk and all his cargo was lost, but he didn’t seem too heartbroken.

However, although there were lifeboats, the disaster still resulted in the loss of nearly two-thirds of the crew on the Surf Breaker, leaving only one-third surviving. Among these, many were rendered unconscious by the blast of the explosion and then drowned after falling into the water, unable to struggle at all, naturally, there was no way to rescue them.

The few remaining lifeboats carried the survivors as they continued toward Xia Yue Island. These sailors were also calm, seeming to have grown accustomed to these incidents, and without the large ship, they just continued paddling the small boats toward the shore.

The distance from this stretch of sea to Xia Yue Island was not short, and after several hours of rowing, they could barely make out the outline of the island on the horizon. Then, after taking turns rowing for about six more hours, and with the help of ocean currents, they finally reached the shore before the sky turned completely dark.

Climbing onto the beach, everyone felt their feet firmly on the ground and were no longer so anxious. Luo’er turned back to look at the boundless ocean and couldn’t help but sigh deeply, then looked at Wadulan with an apologetic face and said, "I’m sorry, Captain Wadulan, it’s all because of us that..."

"Eh," Wadulan waved his hand magnanimously and shook his head, "you Earth people have a saying, what is it, ’a blessing in disguise.’ Seems like I’ve been too comfortable for too long, and disaster was bound to strike, but, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing."

"I’m sorry, that Leviathan, and the storm, they were all targeting us..." Luo’er pursed his lips.

"Looking at it this way, the person you’ve offended must be quite powerful, eh..." Wadulan looked at him, and couldn’t help clicking his tongue in wonder.

"Oh, it’s a long story... In any case, we bear a significant responsibility for this disaster, and it’s necessary to give you some compensation..." Luo’er said.

"What are you talking about, Captain Luo’er? We are friends, friends, friend! Isn’t it right to help you? Am I the kind of person who pursues profit?" Wadulan frowned, speaking righteously.

"I don’t think you’re right about that." Luo’er gently shook his head.

"What’s wrong?" Wadulan, startled, then asked.

"We are brothers in arms now, aren’t we?" Luo’er asked with a smile while looking at him.

"Eh, ah, yes, yes, yes," hearing Luo’er’s words, Wadulan first blinked in bewilderment, then suddenly his face lit up with joy, and he said excitedly, "That’s right, having survived such a great ordeal, we can certainly be called brothers in arms!"

"Since we are brothers in arms, I should be straightforward with you," Luo’er said calmly, "You are a businessman, and what you value most is the ratio between investment and return, commonly known as profit. So, I don’t doubt that you would endure hardships for your brother’s sake, but I know that many times you still consider profit. If we just let this incident pass, I would feel uneasy, and I guess you won’t feel any connection to us anymore. Therefore, to ensure our friendship endures, we need to talk about compensation where it’s due."

"You also know that our backers are an organization from Earth, so in many ways, we can still be of help. You have paid such a heavy price for us, and it wouldn’t be right not to compensate you. Not only would it trouble our conscience, but it also isn’t the style of our organization. So, once this matter is over, go to our headquarters for your compensation. I will report everything that happened here in detail, and you will definitely not be treated unfairly," Luo’er said.

"This..." Luo’er had laid bare his inner misgivings, leaving Wadulan momentarily at a loss for words. He stammered for a while before scratching his head and saying sheepishly, "How can I accept this..."

"There’s nothing embarrassing about it, clear accounts make good friends," Luo’er said with a wave of his hand, "besides, I’m not the one paying, so why be so polite?"

"Hehe, then, I shall accept your offer with respect..." Wadulan chuckled sheepishly.

Originally he had been grieved by the sinking of the merchant ship and the loss of personnel, but Luo’er’s words not only soothed his heartache, they also injected him with a shot of adrenaline, turning his sorrow into joy, and sweeping away the gloom to become excited.