Delta: Who are you saying has suffered a loss of strength?

Chapter 242 Thalassemia

Han Che stood at the gap in the wall and looked out, where a large expanse of deep blue water came into view.

The water was calm with few waves, only tiny ripples gently swaying in the breeze.

The color is very deep, almost blackish blue. Near the shore, you can see the underwater rocks, but further away you can't see anything at all.

The distant dike gleamed with a grayish-white light; it marked the boundary of the Tidal Prison, separating this body of water from the outer ocean.

Everyone looked carefully through the gap, and as Han Che had expected, they did not see any prison guards.

After observing the mountaintop on the left and finding no snipers, Xiaobai withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the group.

"It's almost time, let's go."

Cai Chengfu stood beside the breach, glanced outside, and hesitated. "The evacuation point is in the water? How do we get across this huge expanse of water?"

This was Cai Chengfu's first time visiting Tide Prison, and he was unaware of the situation there.

Xiao Bai pointed to a circular metal platform on the water outside the cave entrance. "If you want to swim, swim over there. There's a zipline on that platform that you can slide to the evacuation point, which is also a metal platform."

Cai Chengfu raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised. "We really have to swim across? Why does this map have so many waterways?"

"After all, it's called Tide Prison," Xiaobai explained casually, then tentatively asked, "You can't swim?"

"I can swim. I trained in the army, but I probably haven't forgotten my skills since I was discharged," Cai Chengfu said modestly.

"That's enough. The swimming section isn't long, and you can use the zipline once you reach the metal platform in the middle," Xiaobai reassured him.

At this moment, Han Che, who was standing at the back of the line, felt someone nudge his arm. He turned around and saw Qi Yuhao at the very end.

When he was observing at the cave entrance, Qi Yuhao didn't move forward and was pushed to the back of the line. He looked embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Han Che asked irritably, clearly still annoyed by what happened in the collection room.

"Brother Han, do we really have to leave from here? Or should we find another place..."

Han Che assumed he was worried about the spaciousness of the place and the vulnerability to NPC attacks, so he sighed and explained, "There are only three ways to escape from this prison. The first is to dive into water dozens of meters deep, but only one person can go at a time. The worst part is that you have to throw away your backpack. Are you willing to do that?"

Qi Yuhao nodded then shook his head, "This... let's forget about this!"

"The second option is to pull one gate each in the most dangerous medical and administrative areas of the prison, then escape to the cells that the warden and Raven both frequent. Do you dare?"

Qi Yuhao swallowed hard and shook his head. "Too dangerous... I'd better not."

"And here's another place. It's close by, and the probability of enemies around is not high. What do you choose?" Han Che raised an eyebrow.

"...But Brother Han, I can't swim," Qi Yuhao said softly with a pained expression.

"Ah..." Han Che realized that he had misunderstood; it turned out that he couldn't swim.

"Can't you swim at all? Or are you just as bad at swimming as Cai Chengfu?"

"No..." Qi Yuhao craned his neck to look at the deep blue water outside, then shrank back and stammered, "No, I haven't tried it."

"Uh." This was something Han Che hadn't expected. He couldn't swim, but going to pull the switch now would be too risky.

Xiao Bai and Lao Zhou, having heard about the situation, came over to find out what was going on.

Old Zhou proposed a plan: "The three of us will swim over first, and Cai Chengfu will set up the guns for us. Once we get to the platform, we'll set up the guns for the two of you."

"Cai Chengfu is helping Young Master Qi. This section of the waterway that requires swimming isn't long, and there are no NPCs interfering yet, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

Cai Chengfu nodded and replied, "No problem."

Han Che looked at Qi Yuhao, "How can this be? Hang in there, it'll be quick."

Qi Yuhao took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and nodded.

Han Che looked at his eyes, sighed, and thought, "What's the point of arguing with a kid?" He continued, "Old Zhou, you and Xiao Bai go ahead first. I'll go with them. Young Master Qi can't swim, so I'll help him out."

Old Zhou hesitated for a moment, glanced at Xiao Bai, and Xiao Bai nodded in agreement, so Old Zhou didn't say anything more. Then Han Che took the gun that Li Hao had left behind from Qi Yuhao, and together with Cai Chengfu, they set up the guns, guarding against any potential dangers.

Then Xiaobai and Lao Zhou jumped into the water from the cave entrance.

While Han Che and the others were setting up their guns, Qi Shao slowly approached the edge of the cave entrance, turned his body to the side, shifted his weight to his back foot, and tentatively extended his front foot forward. Then he slowly looked down over the edge of the cave entrance.

The cave entrance is five or six meters below the water surface, where the seawater is surging and turns from blue to black.

One glance was enough to make Qi Shao's hair stand on end, and he quickly pulled his foot back, his head covered in sweat.

Han Che happened to notice this scene and asked, "Young Master Qi, are you afraid of water?"

When Cai Chengfu heard Han Che's words, his gaze was still on helping to prop up the gun, but his attention had already shifted to this side.

Qi Shao nodded sheepishly, "Um... thalassophobia. This kind of deep, black seawater is terrifying." As he spoke, he shivered again.

Cai Chengfu, without changing his posture or gaze, said, "It's alright. Han Che and I will protect you together in a bit. Just relax, and I'll pull you across."

Qi Shao nodded obediently, but Han Che and Cai Chengfu both knew that this kind of thing was not something that could be taken lightly, and it was just a pity that they didn't have any life jackets or life rings on hand.

Xiao Bai and Lao Zhou swam quite fast and soon reached the middle platform. They climbed onto the platform and waved to each other.

Han Che and Cai Chengfu exchanged a glance, preparing to go into the water. Cai Chengfu said, "Young Master Qi, it's our turn. Let's go, it'll be quick!"

Qi Shao slowly moved to the edge of the cave entrance, staring down at the water's surface, which reflected the light. He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. "Brother... there won't be... anything in this water, will there...?"

Han Che patted his chest and assured him, "This isn't the real ocean; none of the creatures you're afraid of are here."

As he spoke, Han Che pointed to the distance, where a gray-white concrete dam marked the boundary of this tidal prison. "Look further ahead, there's a wall that encloses this area of ​​water. There's nothing in the water, so don't worry!"

With that, Han Che jumped into the water, floated on the surface, treading water, and waved to Qi Shao, "Come on! See, it's safe. Your Brother Cai and I are here to protect you!"

Qi Shao hesitated for a moment, looking at the others waiting for him, then gritted his teeth, finally made up his mind, closed his eyes, and plunged headfirst into the water.

Cai Chengfu followed closely behind and jumped in with a splash. He made a couple of strokes in the water, found his way, and swam towards Qi Shao.

Han Che had already supported Qi Shao's head, lifting it above the water so he could breathe, while using his other hand to steady his body.

Cai Chengfu swam over, grabbed the backpack strap on Qi Shao's back, and pulled him forward with all his might.

"Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! Relax, we'll carry you across," Han Che comforted him.

Qi Shao's face was deathly pale, and his face was covered with water droplets that were indistinguishable between seawater and sweat.

He tilted his head back, chin held high, neck tense, his voice trembling, "Okay..."

Although Qi Shao had never learned to swim and had a fear of deep seas, he was obedient and didn't thrash around. His limbs were a bit stiff, and he clung tightly to Han Che's arm, holding it upright.

Anyone who can swim knows that the more you lie face down in the water, the easier it is to float. But people who can't swim, because they are afraid of their heads touching the water, usually stand upright, which makes them sink faster.

However, this is already quite good. You should know that drowning people who are afraid of water will struggle desperately in the water with several times more strength than they would on land, and may even drag their rescuers into the water, which is the most dangerous thing.

But Qi Shao, terrified yet not thrashing about, remaining obediently still, is a rare breed. This alone is enough to make Han Che look at Qi Shao with higher regard.

Han Che then supported Qi Shao with both hands, lifting him towards the water's surface to prevent him from drowning, while simultaneously using his feet to tread water for buoyancy.

Cai Chengfu swam in front, using one hand to paddle and the other to hold onto the backpack straps of the two of them, providing them with propulsion.

Although the three of them moved slowly and somewhat awkwardly, they were at least making slow progress toward the central platform.