Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 959 - 960: Landing

Chapter 959: Chapter 960: Landing

We all know that saying—man triumphs over nature!

But when nature truly unleashes its fury, you’ll realize how insignificant humans really are. The so-called triumph over nature seems like an utterly impossible thing.

The life raft was thrown into the sky by the waves one moment, then slammed to the bottom of the trough the next. If it weren’t for everyone being tied to the raft, they would have been flung out long ago.

Even if you’ve ridden the most dangerous roller coasters or played the most thrilling games, nothing compares to the terror of this moment. At least with those activities, you know you’re safe, that nothing will go wrong. But here, if you get thrown off the raft, there’s absolutely no way to survive amidst these waves.

People didn’t even have the chance to scream. If they opened their mouths, a mouthful of salty seawater would surge in. They had to seize the moments when they were lifted above the water’s surface to take deep breaths, often swallowing rainwater in the process.

No one knew how much time had passed. Many people had already lost the will to survive, yearning instead for relief from this torment.

Finally, the rain stopped, the wind calmed, and the sea returned to tranquility.

Everyone closed their eyes in exhaustion, unsure if they were asleep or unconscious.

Song Xiaodong was the first to wake up. Overcome with joy, he immediately shouted, "Land, we’ve reached land! Wake up, everyone!"

At Song Xiaodong’s call, the others gradually woke up. They saw land just a hundred or so meters away and erupted into cheers.

At this moment, no one needed to be instructed. They immediately began paddling with their hands, and the life raft quickly reached the shore. They scrambled onto the land one by one.

"Husband! We’re still alive." Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan lay on the beach, clinging to Song Xiaodong from both sides. Tears of elation streamed from their eyes. Only after enduring such a life-and-death ordeal could one truly understand the terror of death and the profound joy of being alive.

"Yes! We’re alive." Song Xiaodong, filled with relief, held the two tightly. Then, as his eyes shut, he fainted on the spot.

During this time, he had been clutching tightly to Miao Xuanxuan and Miao Qingqing. His True Qi, already incredibly depleted, was now entirely drained. The limits of his physical endurance had once again been pushed to the extreme. At this point, he was weaker than an average adult male.

After resting for a good while, everyone started to get up one by one.

Miao Xuanxuan’s stomach growled audibly. She grimaced and said, "Husband, I’m so hungry."

It had been more than a day and a night since any of them had eaten. How could they not be hungry?

Song Xiaodong sat up and looked around, saying, "Let’s go find something to eat."

The three of them ventured to the edge of the beach. By then, the tide had receded. Spotting a small hole, Song Xiaodong began digging into the sand. Before long, he pulled out something the length of a hand—a type of shellfish with visibly thick meat in the middle.

"It’s huge!" Miao Xuanxuan exclaimed in delight.

"These are delicious," said Song Xiaodong. "We’ll roast them later and have a feast."

"Fantastic!" Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan nodded eagerly. They quickly began imitating Song Xiaodong, digging into the sand themselves while calling for others to join.

Though everyone was weak, the prospect of food motivated them. Soon enough, they unearthed a decent amount of shellfish.

They had food now, but no way to start a fire. A lively discussion ensued about starting a fire by friction, with some people even trying it out quite convincingly.

Song Xiaodong couldn’t help but sigh and said, "It’s true that you can start a fire by rubbing sticks together, but it requires extreme speed. With just your hands, your skin won’t even hold up. Let me handle it."

He instructed everyone to gather some dry branches and grass. He shredded the dry wood into fibers, tied two sticks together in a cross with rope, and added a branch to create something resembling a bow. Then, with the rope, he fashioned a makeshift fire-starting tool.

Once assembled, Song Xiaodong began the process. The stick in the middle spun rapidly, relying primarily on the tension from the rope to maintain high-speed rotation, while his hands hardly moved.

"Wow, husband, you’re amazing!" Miao Xuanxuan exclaimed excitedly.

"Absolutely brilliant! This method is genius," Miao Qingqing chimed in.

The others joined in with their praises.

Before long, sparks flew from the wood, igniting the shredded fibers. Slowly, the flames spread to the dry grass, then leapt to the larger branches.

A wave of cheers erupted from the group as they divided the fire into three piles, preparing to roast the seafood they had just gathered.

As everyone was about to begin their meal, another life raft drifted ashore. It carried none other than Cao Heyang, Li Fangding, and their group, who had also managed to survive.

This group was met with universal disdain from the others, who all ignored them.

"You’ve got food!" The smell of the roasting seafood lured Cao Heyang’s group like starving wolves, and they rushed over immediately.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Wu Xiaoya shouted in protest.

"We’re taking food!" Cao Heyang unceremoniously shoved Wu Xiaoya aside, snatching up the food and stuffing it into his mouth, unfazed by its heat.

Following Cao Heyang’s lead, the rest of his burly crew aggressively seized all of the group’s food, even dragging Li Fangding, the deputy mayor, into the scuffle.

Their actions enraged Song Xiaodong as well as Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan, whose food was also stolen.

"What? Got a problem? Kid, you’d better behave, or don’t blame me if I get rough!" snarled one of the men who had taken Song Xiaodong’s food, glaring at him fiercely.

Miao Xuanxuan snapped, "You... fine! Go ahead and steal our food. There’ll come a day when you regret this!"

"Regret? Us? Not a chance! Damn, look at these twins—they’re gorgeous. Once I’ve eaten my fill, I’ll be sure to have some fun with them," the man taunted, his wolfish gaze sweeping over Miao Xuanxuan and Miao Qingqing, sending chills up their spines.

In moments of dire crisis, Cao Heyang’s group had unleashed not the best of human nature, but the worst—becoming more and more unrestrained, more and more depraved.

Song Xiaodong’s expression darkened. He pulled Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan away. At this point, he truly lacked the strength to oppose them.

"You lot, go find more food! This isn’t nearly enough," Cao Heyang barked arrogantly, treating the earlier arrivals as little more than servants.