In that instant, Lu Zhe's mind went completely blank!
If you say that you can still remain calm at this moment, then you clearly do not understand the sheer terror of this whirlpool!
Once you are captured by its power, and you have no reliable counter-force to pull against, is there still a chance to escape?
It's too difficult.
In the next two minutes, maybe only one minute remains!
You will spin around in large circles.
At this time, if your boat was a speedboat, or a fishing vessel, going full speed against the direction of the whirlpool, there might be a chance to break free.
When all you have is a tiny bamboo raft, and two rough oars that simply can't provide enough power for the raft, what can you do?
If you fail to escape, next, your spinning will accelerate, getting closer and closer to the center of the whirlpool!
Finally, you can only watch helplessly as you and your boat get sucked into the whirlpool, taking a ride on the magical power of love as you spin like a top, plunging with your boat to the bottom of the sea, sucked into an unknown place.
Perhaps with my strong constitution and swimming skill I might survive, but Jiang Yao would surely perish in this catastrophe.
Lu Zhe tried his best to calm himself down. He suddenly pointed his hand forward:
"Keep paddling, that way!"
That was not against the direction of the whirlpool, but straight ahead, following the tangent line of the large rotating circle.
Jiang Yao understood - Lu Zhe wanted to use centrifugal force to break free of the whirlpool.
Lu Zhe added 20 more potential points to his strength stat. The two of them kept paddling with great effort, but soon, the most worrying thing happened.
Lu Zhe had used too much strength - the oar broke!
There was no other choice; the simple oars made in a rush clearly couldn't withstand such heavy loads. And Jiang Yao's oar was also badly damaged.
Jiang Yao knew Lu Zhe was much stronger than her. She quickly handed her oar to Lu Zhe.
Lu Zhe took the oar, but did not keep paddling. Instead, he sat down.
Was he giving up?
No! He looked somewhat disheveled, but his eyes were exceptionally calm.
At this moment, his brain was spinning rapidly as he considered their last chance of escape!
He understood that simply paddling was useless. To survive they had to think of another method:
Consider - what causes whirlpools?
First: There is a powerful swirling force in the water, dragging the surrounding seawater to spin along with it.
Like stirring water in a bowl with a spoon!
But could such a force exist naturally?
No!
Second:
It's caused by differences in gravity, with water flowing to a low point. If there's a hole underneath, it would create this kind of situation.
Like a pool filled with water - once the drain plug is pulled, the water flows down in a swirling vortex.
But that's not the case here either.
We're in the tropics now, not far from the equator. The Coriolis effect should be minimal. Even if a whirlpool formed it should be very small!
The one in front of us now is dozens of times bigger than the Naruto whirlpool!
Third:
Two currents converge and interact,
spinning like the Taiji diagram, forming a whirlpool at the point where they meet!
And when we passed through that archway, the sudden temperature change indicates two ocean currents with different temperatures colliding here.
Lu Zhe realized -
"So that's why!"
"Little Zhe, we're going to die..." said Jiang Yao, her voice tinged with crying.
The bamboo raft was getting closer and closer to the center, only 20-30 meters left. The speed of the raft grew faster and faster.
"Yao Yao, throw away the life preserver!"
"Why...?" She asked why, but had already started doing as Lu Zhe said.
Lu Zhe didn't answer her. Instead he swiftly put on the backpack, tightening the straps over his shoulders. Then he held Jiang Yao tightly.
"When I say jump, we'll jump into the water together and dive as deep as we can! Before hitting the water, try to exhale all the air from your lungs!"
Jiang Yao didn't understand why Lu Zhe wanted to do this, she just nodded.
Suddenly, she wasn't afraid anymore!
Embracing her beloved as they died - it was also very romantic!
"Wait until we get close..."
"Okay..."
The bamboo raft edged nearer and nearer to the whirlpool!
Five meters left!
Lu Zhe shouted "Jump!"
The two of them plunged into the water!
A huge pressure assaulted them. Jiang Yao only felt she was about to faint any second. That awful sensation was indescribable.
At this moment, she would have given twenty years of her lifespan for a single breath of fresh air!
Just then, Lu Zhe brought his mouth to hers, exhaling a breath into her like a deep kiss.
Her chest immediately felt much more comfortable.
She instinctively held Lu Zhe tightly.
Should they float up?
But Lu Zhe had said to keep diving deeper.
They were just about to be sucked into the whirlpool's center, when suddenly an intense current of water rushed at them!
That current propelled the two of them far away.
Jiang Yao didn't dare open her eyes or lift her head. Underwater, they exchanged the meager air in their mouths.
After training together for two months, an indescribable tacit understanding had developed between them.
After over ten seconds they broke the surface, coughing. To their surprise, they were already very far from the whirlpool!
Jiang Yao coughed a few times then asked: "Wha...What happened?"
"The currents converge and meet at the whirlpool, then combine and blend together, flowing out in other directions. We're now in the outflow where the blended currents surge forth."
"What do we do?"
Lu Zhe looked around: "I remember there's a small island around here. Let's head to land first before figuring things out!"
"Okay!"
Jiang Yao also looked all around, but where was any island?
Other than the increasingly distant volcanic island, the other three directions were endless, vast ocean!
"We're going to die!"
"Don't lose hope. Relax your body and conserve strength. Watch our surroundings carefully - if an island appears, we need strength left to swim there!"
"Okay!" Jiang Yao responded, but seeing the volcanic island recede farther and farther, her heart still swelled with despair.
Lu Zhe thought of something.
"Our view is too low with just our heads above water. Here, stand on me, then use buoyancy to jump up higher and look around!"
"We never practiced a pose like that before!"
"Let's call it new territory, like with those fancy swimming strokes!"
"Alright, I'll try!"
The first time, Jiang Yao lost her balance and splashed right back into the water.
The second try, her foot slipped and she failed again.
"Don't rush Yao Yao. Think of it as challenging a new difficulty level!"
Jiang Yao nodded.
The third time, stepping on Lu Zhe's shoulders, she leapt upwards with all her might. Then she saw it - just 400-500 meters ahead, she truly spotted a small island!
Jiang Yao cried out joyfully, "It's over there!"