After a burst of crackling static, the captain finally responded: “Professor Jiang, it seems like something on the sea ex– exploded.”
“And there’s also the smell of gunpowder…”
Exploded… gunpowder…
Jiang Fuyue’s heart suddenly tightened: “From the cockpit, what does it look like outside?”
“Can’t see clearly, it’s all fog.”
But the maritime bureau’s weather forecast had shown calm seas and clear skies today. Even when the temperature was lower before, there hadn’t been fog, now it was almost noon, how could fog suddenly appear?
Maybe it wasn’t fog.
But smoke!
Gunpowder smoke!
“Professor Jiang, what should we do now?”
“Immediately stop sailing and stand by in place.”
“Yes!”
Liu Weihua ran in from outside, his right arm covered in blood.
“Professor Jiang, are you alright?!”
Jiang Fuyue waved her hand: “I’m fine. You’re injured?”
“Got hit against a pillar during the shaking, tore the skin. Looks scary, but no bones are hurt, just a minor issue.”
“What’s the situation in the passenger cabin now?”
“Everyone’s in chaos.”
Jiang Fuyue took out a loudspeaker.
Liu Weihua froze: “This is?”
“I need to figure out what exactly happened before deciding what to do next. I’ll leave those colleagues outside to you, can you calm them down?”
Liu Weihua’s expression sharpened: “I can!”
“Also, have the bodyguards guard the cabin doors. If any strangers board the ship, show no mercy!”
“I understand!”
“Go.”
Liu Weihua took the loudspeaker and turned to leave.
Soon, his firm and powerful voice of reassurance echoed through the passenger cabin. Everyone gradually calmed down, and the screams stopped.
Jiang Fuyue repaired the communication equipment at top speed and redialed the previous number.
The other side seemed to have been waiting and picked up instantly.
“What happened at sea?”
“Are you all okay?”
Both sides spoke at the same time, then both let out a sigh of relief.
Jiang Fuyue: “An explosion occurred on the sea for no apparent reason. The ship experienced severe shaking. We’ve currently stopped sailing. Some people are injured, but there’s no immediate danger to life.”
“Stopping was the right decision. You did very well… The maritime bureau’s radar has now detected your exact position. You’re some distance from the explosion center and won’t be affected for now.”
Jiang Fuyue paused: “…So an explosion really did happen?”
The other side fell silent.
“Was it a natural phenomenon or man-made?”
“Jiang Fuyue, you need to prepare yourself for what I’m about to tell you.” The old leader’s tone suddenly turned heavy. “Half an hour ago, Country A and Country K engaged in a fierce conflict over maritime territorial sovereignty. Both sides are now stationed 30 nautical miles away, intercepting and detaining passing ships by force.”
And the return route had to pass through that area.
“So stopping was the right decision.”
If they had gone another 10 nautical miles forward, they would have been detected by sentries. Once detained, they could very likely become hostages in international negotiations.
If lucky, they might survive. If not, they could be buried at sea, their bodies never found.
Even with Jiang Fuyue’s strong mental resilience, she couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat after hearing this.
“What should we do next?”
“The safest option right now is to return to Duofu.”
“Are you certain the conflict won’t spread to the island?”
The old leader chuckled softly, yet his voice carried the force of thousands of troops: “Duofu is Chinese territory. Those who violate our territory, no matter how far, will be punished!”
Jiang Fuyue nodded: “Understood.”
After ending the call, she immediately issued the order,
“Full speed, return!”
Hearing the announcement, everyone in the passenger cabin was stunned,
“Return? Back to Duofu?”
“Why? What happened?”
“Didn’t we just leave not long ago? Why are we suddenly going back?”
“Weather? Doesn’t seem like it, the sun’s shining outside.”
“Maybe it has something to do with that loud noise and shaking earlier?”
“Feels like something big happened.”
“Don’t scare me, I’m timid, the more I hear, the more nervous I get…”
In the end, Liu Weihua stood up with the loudspeaker: “Everyone, please calm down! Listen to me! Professor Jiang must have her reasons for doing this, I have the same doubts as all of you!”
“But there are priorities. Let’s follow orders first. Whatever questions you have, wait until we return to the island. I’m sure Professor Jiang will give everyone a satisfactory explanation!”
“So I ask everyone to actively cooperate, alright?!”
After shouting, Liu Weihua didn’t even have time to catch his breath, staring intently at the crowd’s reaction.
Fortunately, everyone was reasonable and took his words to heart,
“Doctor Liu is right!”
“We’re willing to cooperate!”
“Let’s support Professor Jiang’s work together!”
…
The sea was calm, blue stretching endlessly to the horizon.
Under the sunlight, the water looked even clearer.
At that moment, five large ships approached from the distance.
Five hours after leaving the island, they had returned again.
People working on the hillsides froze in shock,
“I must be seeing things, right?”
“Closer! Closer! It really is Professor Jiang and them! Th-this… why are they back?”
“Hurry! Go tell the clan leader…”
Soon someone ran to the Fan family’s small bamboo house, shouting at the top of their lungs,
“Clan, Clan leader! Something big has happened! You need to go to the dock quickly!”
“What is it?”
“Pro, Professor Jiang and them are back again!”
Fan Sheng immediately put down his chopsticks and sprinted toward the dock.
“Dad, wait! I’m coming too!”
Fan Ye chased after him, even forgetting to close the door.
By the time the father and daughter arrived at the dock, the ships had already docked smoothly, and Jiang Fuyue led the team off.
Everyone was supporting each other, disheveled, faces dazed.
Fan Sheng immediately sensed something was wrong and went to ask Jiang Fuyue: “What happened?”
She waved her hand tiredly: “First check how everyone is injured. We’ll talk about the rest later.”
“Alright.”
Fan Sheng and Fan Ye began helping immediately.
Since everyone was a doctor, they all possessed basic knowledge for assessing injuries. If someone had trouble treating themselves, colleagues could help bandage wounds and apply medication.
Somehow, Fu Suizhong got wind of the situation and hurried over carrying a medical kit.
After making a quick inspection and asking a few questions, Liu Weihua reported to Jiang Fuyue: “Most of the injuries are superficial. We just need to stop the bleeding and prevent infection. Dr. Xu was hurt the worst, his little finger is fractured. It’s been immobilized already, and he’s in good condition.”
Jiang Fuyue nodded.
“Good work. Keep an eye on Dr. Xu.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
Once people had rested a bit, their minds started functioning again.
“Professor Jiang, can you tell us what exactly happened now?”
“Yeah, why did you suddenly turn the ships around and bring everyone back to the island?”
Jiang Fuyue did not hide anything. She relayed exactly what she had learned from her superiors.
Everyone was stunned.
None of them had expected that something resembling “war” could touch their lives in a time of peace.
But even more than shock, they felt fear.
If Jiang Fuyue had not ordered the ships to stop and turn around, and they had sailed straight into the blockade zone established by Countries A and K…
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
“I’ve got goosebumps.”
“So Death was only one step away from us.”
“Honestly, I’d rather return to the island than be detained.”
“So those things that happen in TV dramas are actually real…”
“…How long are we going to be stuck on the island?”
Jiang Fuyue shook her head.
“There’s no definite timeline.”
Everyone exchanged glances.
Their moods visibly sank.
…
Returning to the prefabricated housing where they had spent nearly four months, everyone felt conflicted.
Worried?
Of course.
They were trapped, unable to return home.
But they were also grateful.
At least they had avoided entering the blockade zone.
Back on Duofu, their safety could still be guaranteed.
Had they fallen into the hands of armed factions, ordinary civilians like them might not have survived.
“So there’s really nothing to complain about. If anything, we should thank Professor Jiang. Her quick decision saved our lives.”
“Since we’re here, we might as well make peace with it.”
“As long as we’re alive, there’s hope.”
“The island’s scenery is pretty nice anyway. We’ve gotten familiar with the locals. Let’s just treat this as an extended vacation after completing our mission.”
“…”
The group gradually comforted one another, and the gloomy atmosphere eased somewhat.
What they didn’t know was that although they had narrowly escaped disaster, other vessels had not been so fortunate.
According to news reports two days later, three fishermen had been taken hostage.
Fortunately, they were eventually rescued unharmed.
Meanwhile, the Maritime Affairs Bureau was actively negotiating with Countries A and K, hoping they would temporarily lift the blockade and allow the five Chinese cargo ships to pass.
Both sides refused.
We already let you ransom your hostages back. What, now you want even more?
As a recipient of both the Lasker Award and the Nobel Prize in biomedical sciences, Jiang Fuyue was important to the nation in many ways.
At the highest level, she was connected to the country’s strategic interests in biotechnology.
At a more personal level, she was an irreplaceable scientific talent.
And then there were all the medical professionals traveling with her.
Their safety was the top priority.
As the saying goes: As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn.
As for when they could finally return home, that depended entirely on the negotiations among the three parties.
Generally speaking, it would not happen quickly.
As bargaining chips, scientists were far more valuable than ordinary fishermen.
“Don’t worry. International negotiations always take time. We just have to be patient and wear them down. Eventually their attitude will soften.”
“Exactly. When has any international negotiation ever succeeded immediately? We need to give our country some time.”
“Honestly, staying on the island isn’t so bad. We have food and water. It’s not much different from being outside.”
“But my son misses me…”
The moment those words were spoken, silence fell.
Because no matter how wonderful Duofu was, their loved ones were not here.
The stress and fear everyone had been suppressing for days finally exploded.
Someone began sobbing quietly.
Others burst into loud tears.
Soon the entire building was filled with crying.
Standing outside, Jiang Fuyue watched the scene through the doorway.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Liu Weihua sighed.
“Don’t blame them. They’ve been holding themselves together for the past two days. Maybe crying is a good thing.”
“I know.”
With that, Jiang Fuyue turned and walked away.
Truthfully, she herself had fallen into an inexplicable depression.
She couldn’t sleep.
Food tasted bland.
Nothing seemed to interest her.
The feeling had appeared suddenly and made no logical sense.
For a while, she even wondered whether she had developed some serious illness.
Returning to her room, she locked the door behind her.
Then she took out her phone and dialed Xie Dingyuan’s number.
The screen flashed twice.
A red X appeared.
The call disconnected automatically.
Of course.
There was no cellular signal on the island.
The call could never connect.
Jiang Fuyue knew that.
Yet she still wanted to dial the number.
The ship’s radio communication equipment could technically be used.
But it was official equipment, not for private use.
There were regulations.
Besides, every transmission was recorded.
If she used it to contact Xie Dingyuan, every word would be documented and reviewed by higher authorities afterward.
Too troublesome.
And Xie Dingyuan was still in Africa.
Even if she managed to send a message, it would pass through countless intermediaries before reaching him.
There was no way she could contact him directly.
Reluctantly, she abandoned the idea.
Although phone calls were impossible, at least they had internet access and could still communicate with the outside world.
Until last night.
For some unknown reason, the network signal had been disrupted.
Now it was completely unusable.
Their phones had become decorations.
And they themselves had become birds trapped in a cage.
Cut off from the outside world.
That was why everyone felt so anxious and frightened that they lost control of their emotions.
With a sigh, Jiang Fuyue tossed aside her phone and lay down.
Soon she drifted off to sleep.
She dreamed of two little piglets.
They wiggled their bottoms at her before trotting over and nudging her calves with their soft snouts.
Finding them adorable, she casually grabbed them by the scruffs of their necks and lifted them into the air.
The piglets snorted indignantly, as if protesting.
The more she looked at them, the cuter they seemed.
She reached out and touched their curly tails.
All four little hooves kicked wildly in midair.
They were so unbelievably adorable she could hardly stand it.
When Jiang Fuyue woke up, a smile still lingered on her lips.
Just then, the cook came to ask what should be served for dinner.
Without thinking, she blurted out:
“Pig tails.”
The cook blinked.
“Huh?”
“Braised pig tails.”
“…Oh! Okay!”
That evening, everyone ate braised pig tails.
The rich aroma danced across their tongues.
It was pure enjoyment.
The emotional storm from the afternoon had come and gone quickly.
At this point, all they could do was wait patiently and survive one day at a time.
What they didn’t know was that outside the island, Jiang Fuyue’s parents were nearly frantic.
They had received news that she was on her way home, yet day after day passed without her arrival.
Neither Jiang Da nor Han Yunru had connections or special privileges.
They had no way of obtaining information.
“It’s been five whole days. Why isn’t she back yet?”
“There’s definitely something wrong,” Han Yunru said firmly. “No. We need to find another way.”
Five seconds later, she turned to Jiang Da.
“Call both grandfathers right now! They have connections and influence. They’ll definitely be able to find out something!”
Jiang Da nodded immediately.
“Okay! I’ll call them right now!”
That afternoon, after learning the news, Han Qishan and Xie Zhendong began using their networks to investigate Jiang Fuyue’s situation.
By evening, they finally learned what had happened and how she had become stranded on Duofu.
The couple were both shocked and frightened.
“How could something like this happen?”
“Thank goodness… thank goodness Yueyue reacted quickly and wasn’t detained…”
Just yesterday, the news had been reporting on the three fishermen.
Although they were eventually rescued, they had suffered severe psychological and physical trauma and would require long-term treatment.
“So Yueyue is safe right now, correct? Amitabha!”
“As long as she’s alive and well, that’s all that matters!”
“Did they say when she’ll be coming home?”
At that question, Han Qishan and Xie Zhendong exchanged a glance.
A trace of gravity crossed both their faces.
Suddenly, Fu Wanxiu spoke:
“Should we tell Ah Yuan?”
Jiang Fuyue: I’m back on the island again. Bet you didn’t see that coming. 😏
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