Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 953 - 954: Struggling to Survive

Chapter 953: Chapter 954: Struggling to Survive

The plane crashed into the sea. Though the chances of survival in such accidents are indeed higher, many conditions need to be met for that to happen.

First and foremost, the tail section of the plane must touch down before the nose, similar to a landing at the airport. Only then can the nose make contact, allowing the plane to glide across the water surface and create strong cushioning effects.

Otherwise, if the nose dives straight into the water, the plane will crash instantly, and those inside would perish due to the violent impact.

The captain of this plane apparently accomplished this maneuver successfully. The plane landed precisely in this manner.

However, since there were no landing gears for cushioning, the plane as a whole slammed into the water, which failed to produce the usual effects of an airport landing. The immense impact still caused the plane to break into three sections.

Even so, this was enough. Such an impact was not deadly enough for immediate fatalities among the passengers.

Song Xiaodong had already poured powerful True Qi into Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan’s bodies the moment the plane touched the water.

At that critical moment, the first thought in his mind was to protect Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan. They were his women, his family. He couldn’t choose survival for himself and abandon them. Even if it meant sacrificing his life, he was determined to ensure their safety.

When the plane stabilized, Song Xiaodong let out a sigh of relief, knowing that he, Miao Qingqing, and Miao Xuanxuan had escaped death.

"Quick, unbuckle your safety belts! Don’t inflate your life jackets!" Song Xiaodong shouted urgently, his voice directed not only at Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan but also at the other passengers still in the cabin.

Miao Xuanxuan and Miao Qingqing finally came to their senses and hurriedly attempted to unbuckle their safety belts. However, in their panic, they couldn’t manage to unbuckle them quickly enough.

Song Xiaodong rushed to assist them, releasing their safety belts for them.

Their cabin was in the middle section of the plane, both sides of which had already begun taking on water. Within moments, seawater had completely flooded the cabin, and it had begun sinking.

In plane crashes over water, drowning is the primary cause of death. If escape from the cabin isn’t achieved during the best possible window, death by drowning is inevitable.

Furthermore, amidst panic, many passengers instinctively inflate their life jackets. While this is a reflexive action after entering the water, in the current circumstances, it can be fatal.

Inflating the life jacket creates a strong buoyant force, causing one to float upward. However, within the confines of the cabin, this can result in being pushed against the ceiling. Attempting to swim out of the cabin afterward would then become almost impossible.

Despite Song Xiaodong’s earlier warnings, more than half of the passengers had already inflated their life jackets.

At this point, Song Xiaodong couldn’t afford to worry about the others anymore. Grabbing one person with each hand, he swam forward with all his might through the aisle between the seats.

The passageway quickly became crowded with many passengers pushing and shoving. Below the water, several people had lost all sense of direction, unable to determine where they should swim, adding to the chaos.

Song Xiaodong disregarded everything else. His legs unleashed powerful strength, kicking against the seats repeatedly as he chose a direction and pushed past others, charging forward.

Within less than twenty seconds, Song Xiaodong had managed to bring Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan out of the sinking cabin and into the open sea.

The plane had sunk over twenty meters by now. Song Xiaodong quickly guided Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan upward until their heads finally broke the surface of the water.

Song Xiaodong felt incredibly fortunate that the plane had broken apart. Had the plane remained intact, escaping the cabin would have been far more challenging.

Even though Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan had surfaced, they kept their eyes shut and didn’t dare breathe freely.

"Open your eyes. We’re already above water," Song Xiaodong said gently, his tone filled with tenderness.

Hearing Song Xiaodong’s voice, Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan instinctively opened their eyes. Ecstasy filled them as they gasped for air. Moments ago, they hadn’t dared breathe and felt as though they would suffocate.

"Husband! We survived! We’re alive!"

Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan hugged Song Xiaodong tightly in excitement.

Song Xiaodong hugged them back, and when their excitement subsided somewhat, he said, "Alright, we can’t stay in the water forever. We need to find something to climb onto. Otherwise, staying submerged like this is unbearable. Cough..."

Suddenly, Song Xiaodong coughed, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out.

"Ah!" Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan cried out in alarm, their voices uniting in panic.

"I...I’m fine. Don’t worry about me." Song Xiaodong reassured them, though his head had already begun feeling dizzy.

While they seemed lucky to be alive, there had also been misfortune. The plane’s first impact with the water had occurred precisely at Song Xiaodong’s location, a collision of immense force.

By using True Qi to shield himself, Song Xiaodong sustained minimal damage. Yet, he had directed the majority of his True Qi to protect Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan, leaving himself exposed to the brunt of the force.

In their seating area, apart from the three of them, the others had been unable to leave their seats and had sunk to the bottom of the sea along with the cabin.

At the time of impact, Song Xiaodong had suffered severe injuries. His True Qi had dissipated, resulting in extensive internal damage. Despite this, he forced himself to hold on until he brought Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan to the surface. Now, he could hold on no longer, and his injuries caused him to cough up blood and feel faint.

Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan screamed in terror, desperately holding onto Song Xiaodong, though their bodies instinctively started sinking. Earlier, Song Xiaodong had supported them, and neither of them had thought about swimming.

They struggled to resurface, coughing loudly as they did so. Song Xiaodong’s brief choking on seawater brought him back to partial consciousness.

"Quick, let’s climb onto that wing," Song Xiaodong said, pointing at the airplane wing floating nearby.

Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan quickly responded, exerting themselves to swim while dragging Song Xiaodong toward the wing.

Miao Qingqing’s swimming skills were average, while Miao Xuanxuan’s were quite proficient. Song Xiaodong was fighting to keep awake and avoid becoming a burden to them.

The trio finally reached the wing, but climbing onto it proved no easy feat. The slippery surface of the wing offered nothing to grab onto.

Thankfully, the sea was calm with no waves at the moment. After much strenuous effort, the three of them finally managed to climb onto the wing. Song Xiaodong heaved a sigh of relief before losing consciousness.

Today’s update concludes here.