Chapter 2 – disaster

After taking a moment to calm his nerves, Su Lifeng suddenly pushed back his chair. He hurried toward the exit, calling back to Jiang Yushi, “Stay here. Don’t go anywhere until I get back.”

Jiang Yushi was left bewildered. Recalling Su Lifeng’s strange behavior just moments ago, she chased after him and asked with concern, “Did something happen?”

“I need to confirm a few things. You stay here…” Su Lifeng said. His mind was racing, but the rationality he had forged through years of studying various disasters told him exactly what he needed to do.

He had to find a crew member and find out if anything had changed. Thinking about it now, there had to be a connection between the loss of signal and the visions of disaster he had foreseen…

But as he rushed onto the deck, a figure suddenly blocked his path.

Clad only in a pair of swim trunks and clutching a water volleyball, the man jumped in front of him. “Yo, if it isn’t our dear Su, the one who loves distancing himself from the masses?”

Su Lifeng, completely preoccupied with his thoughts and oblivious to his surroundings, didn’t see him at all. The two collided head-on.

The other man stumbled back, immediately cursing in annoyance, “Damn it, watch where you’re going!”

Su Lifeng finally snapped back to reality. He spared the man a single glance but didn’t bother engaging. He muttered a quick “Sorry” and continued walking.

The guy in the trunks was Ma Chonghao. He was tall and well-built, taking great pride in the six-pack abs he had sculpted at the gym. Combined with his deep pockets, he was quite popular with the girls. Su Lifeng wasn’t well-acquainted with him; Ma Chonghao had only jumped out to “tease” Su Lifeng because he had seen Jiang Yushi following close behind.

He hadn’t expected to be bumped into, nor did he expect Su Lifeng to ignore him and keep moving as if he were in a life-or-death rush.

“Freak…” Ma Chonghao grumbled under his breath, glaring at Su Lifeng’s retreating back.

This “Field Experience Trip” had been organized by the students themselves during their vacation, open to anyone who wanted to join. In Su Lifeng’s words, it was essentially just a group vacation.

Ma Chonghao hadn’t originally been interested in “marine biology.” He had only come because he saw Jiang Yushi’s name on the flyer. To his frustration, he hadn’t had a single chance to talk to her since they arrived. Instead, this refined-looking, seemingly weak pretty boy was the one on good terms with her… He had even heard that Su Lifeng only came because Jiang Yushi had personally invited him.

However, he didn’t want to look petty in front of Jiang Yushi, so after his initial complaint, he stopped looking at Su Lifeng.

Su Lifeng didn’t give the minor incident a second thought-he wasn’t in the mood. But to his surprise, he was blocked again after only a few steps.

A male student wearing glasses grabbed his arm. “Su, you bumped into Ma Chonghao. Why didn’t you apologize properly?”

It was Zhang Hai, a fellow graduate student from the School of Life Sciences.

Zhang Hai had entered the program a year before Su Lifeng under the same supervisor. He was a very rigid person and had always been resentful of Su Lifeng’s title as the “Most Promising Graduate Student.”

Su Lifeng shook him off irritably. “I already apologized. I’m busy. If there’s something else, we can talk later.”

Zhang Hai’s expression stiffened, and he refused to let it go. “What kind of attitude is that? That’s no way to apologize. As your senior… Hey! Su Lifeng!”

Su Lifeng had no time for his nonsense. Scanning the crowd, he quickly spotted a crew member and walked straight toward him.

Seeing the other students watching, Zhang Hai felt like he had lost face in public. He stomped after him. “I’ll see for myself just what’s so important…”

Ma Chonghao turned to Jiang Yushi, forcing a smile to strike up a conversation, only to find that she was following Su Lifeng as well. He felt a wave of frustration. He looked back, thought for a moment, then tossed his volleyball aside and followed them too.

The crew member was stationed near the swimming pool. To ensure passenger safety, the crew had people patrolling the area and checking the deck facilities at all times.

While these crew members weren’t service staff, they inevitably ended up in that role, often handling passenger inquiries or even requests for photos. However, it was rare for a young man to approach with such a grim expression and hurried pace, followed by two other men and a woman.

“Is there something I can help you with?” the crew member asked with a smile, knowing this was a student group.

But Su Lifeng’s reaction was urgent, and the question he asked caught the crew member completely off guard: “What’s going on with the signal on the ship? It just cut out completely. What happened?”

“That… there’s no need to worry. While this situation is rare, it can happen. Please wait patiently; I’m sure it will be restored soon,” the crew member replied, thinking to himself that even for an internet addict, there was no need to be this desperate.

Su Lifeng was not satisfied with this cookie-cutter response. He frowned and was about to press further when he suddenly saw a Precognitive Vision: the crew member, who currently wore a practiced, professional smile, was suddenly covered in blood and wailing in agony, a walkie-talkie lying on the floor beside him…

Once the Precognitive Vision faded, Su Lifeng steadied himself and looked directly at the man’s waist. “Your walkie-talkie is a professional maritime model, right? Could it have signal issues? Like right now?”

The crew member was even more bewildered but remained patient. “Under normal circumstances, no. We are equipped with the most professional gear. These radio walkie-talkies can still be used even after being soaked in water for a while. Besides, radio is highly stable-“

“Could you please turn it on for a moment?” Su Lifeng tried to make his request sound less strange by asking in a calm tone. “I’m quite interested in this kind of equipment.”

But at that moment, a harsh voice rang out again: “Su Lifeng, is this the ‘important matter’ you were talking about? Making such a ridiculous request to a crew member, interrupting someone’s work, and causing trouble for others…”

Zhang Hai sneered, his mind racing to find more “crimes” he could pin on Su Lifeng. Ma Chonghao stood by, chuckling inwardly. He had already taken a dislike to the kid because Jiang Yushi was always taking the initiative to talk to him, and that collision earlier had only made it worse…

Although Jiang Yushi was also confused, she frowned at Zhang Hai after hearing his comments. Just as she was about to speak up for Su Lifeng, she heard him roar without even turning his head: “Shut up!”

“…You!” Zhang Hai was nearly driven mad with rage.

“If you don’t want to die in a disaster in a few minutes, then shut up!” Su Lifeng was incredibly annoyed. Normally, he would have a hundred ways to deal with Zhang Hai’s harassment, but right now, he had absolutely no desire or energy to entertain him!

At the mention of a “disaster,” Zhang Hai and the others were stunned for a moment before they began to laugh out of sheer anger. “Su Lifeng, have you lost your mind? Saying things like that at sea… are you just trying to grandstand and get attention?”

“Yeah, what disaster? The weather is great. You didn’t have a nightmare and take it for reality, did you?” Ma Chonghao finally couldn’t help chiming in, thinking himself quite humorous.

However, Jiang Yushi’s reaction was different. Her expression changed instantly, and her heart sank into a state of panic. This time, she was the one who interrupted them: “That’s enough!”

Jiang Yushi usually had a very mild temperament. Her sudden sharp tone made both Zhang Hai and Ma Chonghao freeze in surprise. Then, Ma Chonghao’s face darkened…

The crew member was also dumbfounded. “Student, you shouldn’t say things like that lightly. If it causes an unnecessary misunderstanding…”

“Please, just turn on the walkie-talkie. You don’t have to believe me, but I can tell you that when you turn it on now, there will definitely be no signal. We might as well verify it,” Su Lifeng said, staring intently at him as he repeated his request.

The crew member opened his mouth, completely disbelieving Su Lifeng’s words, but eventually pulled out the walkie-talkie with a sigh and flipped the switch. “Student, the situation you’re describing is impossible. Once you see that, you can finally go back and relax. The Cruise Ship docks tomorrow; there’s no need to be so tense. You should really go back and get some sleep…”

However, he was unable to finish his sentence.

The moment the walkie-talkie turned on, a sharp, piercing burst of static erupted from it.

The crew member looked stunned. He hurriedly pressed a few buttons, but it didn’t solve the problem.

“That’s… that’s strange. What’s going on?”

As he listened to that shrill noise, Su Lifeng’s expression froze completely.

In the Precognitive Vision he had just seen of the crew member, that walkie-talkie had been on, and the sound coming from it was exactly this noise.

This indicated that the time remaining before the disaster occurred was definitely short. However, Su Lifeng still held a sliver of hope in his heart, wishing it would give him just a little more time!

Before the crew member could recover from his shock, Su Lifeng took a deep breath and said to him, “Now you have to believe me. Please notify the captain. We are about to encounter a maritime disaster. Tell him to sound the alarm immediately and make all necessary preparations. I don’t know what kind of disaster it will be, but please, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Prepare as much as you can.”

After speaking, Su Lifeng ignored the crew member’s stunned expression and turned to Jiang Yushi. “There are life jackets in our rooms. Come with me to get them, then tell everyone else to do the same.”

Jiang Yushi’s mind was a mess. For a moment, she didn’t know which of her many questions to ask first, so she simply blurted out, “But… what if they don’t believe us?”

Su Lifeng glanced at Zhang Hai and Ma Chonghao. Both men were still caught in a state of shock and lingering disbelief after hearing the static over the radio. “Then we’re just doing our final duty as classmates.”

Everything had to happen fast!

…

There are five main types of marine disasters, four of which could threaten this ship: hazardous waves, sea ice, tsunamis, and storm surges. Additionally, there were atmospheric threats like typhoons.

Su Lifeng recalled what he knew about marine disasters while racing against time to prepare.

To his disappointment-though not entirely to his surprise-no alarms had been raised. Life on the ship continued as usual. He didn’t waste time trying to find the captain himself. Firstly, he would likely be stopped, and secondly, he simply couldn’t afford to lose any more time…

Every disaster he had predicted so far was inevitable. Spending all his time trying to prevent it would likely lead to a hopeless outcome. Moreover, rather than trying to persuade others, Su Lifeng preferred to seize as much initiative as possible for himself, instead of pinning all his hopes on an uncontrollable entity like the fleet.

Most of his classmates reacted exactly as he expected. Some couldn’t help but burst into laughter halfway through his warning, while others silently shook their heads, seemingly unable to understand why Su Lifeng had suddenly gone mad-or how he had managed to trick a Girl who was so popular throughout the school into joining his madness.

However, some chose to believe Su Lifeng despite their doubts. Yu Yihang, who had been on decent terms with him lately, was one of them.

“Lifeng, what gave you this idea?” Yu Yihang was an extrovert who enjoyed music and was generally well-liked. He followed Su Lifeng not necessarily because he truly believed him, but because he thought it seemed interesting.

“Speaking of which, how do you even put this life jacket on? I remember they taught us when we first boarded, but who actually remembers that… Oh, by the way, Lifeng, if no disaster happens, you’re going to be so embarrassed. I just heard Zhang Hai say that for spreading terrifying misinformation, the crew might call the police and have you detained. How about I go say a few good words for you and see if he’ll let it slide…”

Yu Yihang kept babbling while fumbling with his life jacket. Most of the others were also chatting idly. After getting their life jackets, they followed Su Lifeng’s instructions to a lounge area that was relatively uncrowded and close to the deck. This area also featured large floor-to-ceiling windows, providing a clear view of the calm sea outside. Given the peaceful scenery, many began to think that Su Lifeng was indeed just being delusional…

Only Jiang Yushi stayed close to Su Lifeng’s side. Her expression was one of dazed anxiety, while his was exceptionally grim.

He had just seen a vision of Yu Yihang covered in blood… Many of the people present were going to die!

Yet, he still couldn’t tell what the lighting was like in his vision, making it impossible to determine the exact timing from the images alone…

“Hey, I’m going to the dining hall to buy some crackers. Does anyone want water?”

“Should I find some playing cards?”

“Actually, sitting together like this is pretty fun. I saw something similar once called ‘Death Countdown.’ Everyone pretends they’re about to die and says their last words…”

“What a crappy game. If it were me, my last words would be: you’re a total idiot.”

“Oh, so that’s how you wear it…” Yu Yihang said happily.

But at that moment, the ship suddenly gave a violent, unannounced lurch!

It was here!

Su Lifeng lunged for a nearby railing and grabbed Jiang Yushi!

…