Chapter 2300 - 2203: Perilous Situation
Due to the wind direction, during Gu Xu’s descent with the parachute, he was blown off course quite a long distance away. By the time he fell into the sea, he was already twenty to thirty nautical miles away from where the plane exploded and crashed.
However, Gu Xu was well aware that this time he and Falcon had destroyed a major force of Country F, not only blowing up the base but also resulting in the deaths of several high-ranking commanders and officers of Country F. With such significant losses, Country F would definitely not let this go easily.
Even if that plane just crashed, Country F would still search thoroughly, turning every stone until they found out everything.
Therefore, even though he was thirty nautical miles from the crash site, he wasn’t necessarily safe.
Most likely, Country F’s search patrol has already reached this part of the sea, possibly searching for any survivors, setting a net in wait for him.
Gu Xu remained vigilant, not daring to lower his guard.
His plan was to first reach the island ahead to replenish his strength, examine the island’s terrain, as he was alone, and with his scouting abilities, finding a hiding spot to evade the enemy’s search shouldn’t be too difficult.
However, this plan did not materialize. While he was quickly swimming toward the refuge island, on the verge of reaching the island’s beach, a patrol yacht suddenly sailed from the other side of the island. In the dark of night, the lights on the yacht were particularly conspicuous.
Gu Xu’s heart sank, a bad feeling arising, realizing the island was likely already being watched by Country F’s people.
The plane crash happened less than half an hour ago; there’s no way Hua Country could have dispatched personnel to support him so quickly. Although it was too far to see which side the yacht belonged to, based on Gu Xu’s intuition and experience, there was an eight or nine out of ten chance that the people on that boat were not his own.
On one hand, Gu Xu cursed the dire situation, while on the other, feeling somewhat fortunate that he wasn’t swimming fast and hadn’t reached the island yet. If he had been faster, he might have run directly into the people on the yacht. Meeting these people just as he was reaching the shore would have been truly disastrous.
The thought of having nowhere to hide gave Gu Xu chills, and he instinctively clutched tightly to his backpack.
As the searchlight beams from the yacht swept hurriedly, approaching in his direction, Gu Xu grew anxious and quickly started swimming in the opposite direction.
However, he had already been struggling in the sea for almost half an hour, and his strength was starting to wane. Being in the sea is not like being on land; no matter how skillful a Falcon ace he was, he was stuck, and could only try to submerge when the yacht’s lights swept over, attempting to avoid detection by the patrol personnel.
But clearly, this wasn’t a long-term solution, Gu Xu realized. At most, he could manage for another hour or two in the sea. Beyond that, there was only one outcome: death.
Even if he could keep struggling in the sea, it was only under the cover of night that he could barely avoid the enemy’s pursuit.
But knowing the ruthlessness of Country F’s people, they weren’t going to retreat anytime soon. Once daylight broke, no matter how skilled he was, he wouldn’t be able to evade detection in the open sea, and then he would just be caught.
While hiding in the sea, Gu Xu pondered a way to flee; while holding his breath underwater, he occasionally surfaced to breathe some fresh air.
However, before he could come up with a useful plan, disaster struck.
As he submerged again to dodge the searchlights, upon surfacing to take a deep breath, he suddenly felt a cold rain striking his face. It took him a moment to realize that heavy rain had started to fall over the vast sea.
The sky crackled with thunder and lightning, and the wind that had pushed him didn’t abate but intensified. Thunder rolled through the clouds above like it was right next to him, and the large raindrops hitting his face pained him.
A lightning bolt struck the sea surface, leaving Gu Xu dizzy, feeling that he should have checked his horoscope before setting out, wondering why every misfortune was happening at once. He couldn’t help but give a bitter smile, a deep sense of helplessness washing over him.
As Gu Xu anticipated, the patrol yacht, having not found anyone, didn’t leave. Instead, it expanded its search area, clearly headed in Gu Xu’s direction.
Battered by the torrential rain and waves, Gu Xu was becoming dizzy and exhausted, and he could no longer struggle; he could only hope for heaven’s mercy that would help him evade the enemy’s search.
But it seemed his prayers were unanswered. Just as Gu Xu was lifted by another wave, the light beam on the other side happened to fall on his life jacket, illuminating its reflective stripes.
The life jacket was specially made, with reflective stripes crafted from special materials to assist rescue teams in spotting targets. Initially a scientific design, it now posed a fatal flaw for Gu Xu.
The reflective stripes, when hit by the beam, immediately flashed a glaring light, alerting the people on the yacht. They shouted and quickly sailed over to him.
Gu Xu’s heart sank, realizing that escape seemed impossible this time. Taking a deep breath, and with almost no hesitation, he drew a knife he had prepared in advance from his side belt.
He knew well what kind of humiliation and torture awaited him if he fell into the hands of Country F’s military. He would not allow such a thing to happen; he could only take his own life before the enemy could capture him, to at least maintain some dignity, avoid putting the country in a difficult position, and not dishonor the Gu Family.
Yet, thinking of Huo Sining and the daughter he had never met, Gu Xu felt a sharp pain in his heart, his eyes involuntarily reddening. This soldier king, who hadn’t shed a tear in over thirty years, began to cry.
He released the precious egg from his backpack, instinctively patting his son’s backside with a bitter smile, saying, "Son, this time it seems your dad’s fate is sealed, better to hide you now."
"Bringing you along this time was probably a mistake. Try to find a way to hide; the sea is your domain. Surely, you can keep yourself safe. With your mom’s skills, she will definitely be able to find you."
"Without your dad, your mom and your little sister will have to rely on you. You have to take care of the old Gu Family, and don’t let them be bullied!"