BXBX NOVEL Chapter 255: 252 Landing ashore
Aboard the fishing boat, Bi Fang was amused and helpless about the brothers’ misunderstanding. It was unbelievable that someone mistook him for a prankster.
Charles and Eric were dumbfounded. They had just been searching through the Discovery Channel, and when they saw themselves and their brother on screen, they had no choice but to believe that Bi Fang had actually survived for twenty days at sea with only a life raft!
Even more so, there was not a single piece of supplies on the life raft, and even the safety rope had been cut, leaving only a short stub of a fixing head.
Incredible!
It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen survivors of sea accidents before; fishing boats met with accidents every year. But to say twenty days—when even two days under the immense psychological pressure could make a person utterly haggard.
Not to mention surviving for a full twenty days without any supplies. Such stories they had only seen in movies, never even heard of in reality.
[Hahaha, these two are just too funny, thinking someone was playing a prank on them.]
[Normal. If I met someone who survived on the sea for twenty days with just a life raft, lively and even catching a boatload of fish, I’d think the same.]
[No need to say anything else, just one word, Master Fang is awesome!]
Admiration filled Eric’s eyes, “You’re incredible! This is the first time I’ve seen such an amazing star!”
Charles nodded as well, impressed by Bi Fang’s feat of surviving alone on a raft at sea for twenty days and immediately wanted to take a photo with him.
“How far are we from shore?”
After the photo, Bi Fang looked at the compass and asked.
“It’s about less than forty kilometers from the shore, a few hours’ sail. But if we head to the port, the route is a bit longer. We probably won’t be able to take you back until tomorrow.”
Charles thought that Bi Fang wanted to board their boat to return. He explained the situation honestly. Encountering such a feat made missing a fishing trip worthwhile.
“No.”
Bi Fang shook his head. He understood what the other meant but felt that since the distance was not far, he might as well continue to the shore by raft. It might even be faster than by boat.
The two brothers were startled, but thinking about how the man before them had survived alone at sea for twenty days, they figured he must have his own aspirations for achievement and didn’t try to persuade him further.
“Then stay on board for lunch before you go.”
Eric, who had tied the raft to the railing, came over and invited Bi Fang.
Bi Fang gladly accepted and couldn’t help but smack his lips. Having survived at sea for twenty days, he truly missed the delicious food of human society. Even if what the two brought out was just canned food, it tasted exceptionally good.
Bi Fang also took out the most delicious European eels and the remaining half a Atlantic salmon from the boat to share.
“This salmon has been out for two days now; it might not be very fresh.”
“How could that be? You have no idea how rare wild salmon is these days. Even if it’s been out for a week, people would be fighting to get it! We’ve been out at sea for three days and haven’t caught any big fish!”
Eric said excitedly, not expecting that he would get to enjoy wild salmon and European eels, both of which are top-notch luxury goods expensive enough to break the bank.
Adding canned sauce to the pot to stew with the eel, the fantastic aroma wafted out. Together with the juice-soaked bread, it was a trip well worth it, indeed!
The three sat around the dining table, feasting and listening to Bi Fang’s amusing stories, especially when the brothers heard that Bi Fang had just seen a blue whale, their eyes lit up.
“A blue whale? You really saw a blue whale?”
“Yes, my raft isn’t very fast. It was probably around north by northwest thirty degrees, over fifty kilometers from here. If you’re lucky, you might catch sight of it too.”
Charles and Eric looked at each other and immediately decided to head in the direction Bi Fang pointed to. It wasn’t just because they wanted to see the Sea Sprite but also because where there are whales there are usually plenty of plankton, krill and other creatures, which in turn means other fish that feed on them are abundant—an assured bountiful catch.
After eating, Bi Fang bid the two farewell, raised the large sail, and set off towards the continent, while Charles and Eric hurriedly rushed toward the sea area Bi Fang had indicated.
Bi Fang faced the sea breeze, feeling the pervasive sense of freedom, experiencing a beautiful feeling of escaping into nature, free and carefree.
Less than forty kilometers, if the wind was strong enough, he might have found the shoreline today.
Indeed, as evening approached, a blurred outline appeared in everyone’s view; with the distance narrowing, the audience finally saw that it was a coastline resembling a towering rock wall, full of cliffs and precipices that were impossible to ascend.
No wonder there was no harbor!
[How are we supposed to get up there?]
[Damn, can we even climb that? It’s got to be at least twenty meters high, right?]
[Finding the coastline is already good, just follow it and we’ll eventually find a place to land]
Bi Fang nodded in agreement, yes, by following the coastline, one would always find a place to ascend; if all else failed, one could just climb up.
By the time he actually approached the rock wall, it was already night.
Darkness enveloped everything, with only the pale moonlight remaining, while the tide shattered into black foam beneath the dark cliffs. A young man touched the towering rock wall, inching along as he tried to find an open space.
The monotonous sound of the tide made an unusual silence.
Climbing up wouldn’t be difficult on its own, but Bi Fang was reluctant to leave behind the bounty of his ship.
In the live stream, some viewers didn’t choose to watch through the night vision camera but looked at the images under normal light.
As clouds parted and the moon shone through, the ocean surface gleamed, the black cliffs plunging into the sea like a fortress descending from the sky avoiding the ocean, dividing the land and sea into two distinct realms.
And beneath the immense cliff, a small figure of a young man carefully moved along, supporting himself against the black rock face, his face half in shadow, half illuminated when the moonlight fell upon him.
[What an aesthetic! The moonlight is incredible!]
[Nature is the best lighting designer]
[Old Fang is handsome no matter what!]
“Everyone must be careful when you are under the cliffs because strong winds could easily knock rocks down from above. A fall from ten or twenty meters could be fatal to humans.”
“So when we hear the sound of falling rocks, we must immediately press ourselves against the cliff face as closely as possible, then crouch down with our hands over our heads. This minimizes the chance of getting hit by falling rocks, or reduces the harm they can cause, and prevents a fatal blow.”
As Bi Fang explained, he kept his focus on the rock face, taking no chances, especially in pitch darkness.
Finally, after feeling the wall for over three hours in the dark, Bi Fang saw a patch of shingle beach gleaming under the moonlight!
Bi Fang paddled towards the shingle beach, being careful of the rocks in the water at all times.
The more perilous the situation, the less one could afford to hurry; he remained vigilant of the tides, knowing that a shift could drag the raft back into the ocean.
The raft drifted slower and slower until, with a wedging jolt as if caught on something, Bi Fang was overjoyed. He wrapped all his bounty in canvas, excitedly moving to one end of the raft.
The black tide, with its white foam, washed over the shingle beach, and occasionally, small crabs with reflective shells scuttled across only to be knocked sideways by the next wave.
The beach was dotted with the reflections of these small creatures.
Splat.
A pair of deep footprints were left in the mud.
Twenty days of survival at sea.
Landing.