The speed of the speedboat, the distance between the vessels, the resistance of the wind and waves, and the precise location where Irene plunged into the sea—these were all critical factors determining her fate.

Every hair on Wang Zhuo’s body stood on end. If he had long hair, every strand would surely be standing straight up. It was likely the occupants of this speedboat, and the other boat that had witnessed Irene falling, were experiencing the exact same sensation!

His X-ray vision snapped fully open. In that instant, the world seemed to freeze. Wang Zhuo’s perspective shifted without hesitation to the seabed, offering a view from below that was more direct and accurate.

Irene had only just submerged. Wang Zhuo didn't even have time to assess if she could swim, and more critically, she was encased in the thick naval wool coat provided by the Ministry of Defense. Even if she could swim, she wouldn't be able to move effectively. And the most immediate danger: the speedboat behind her was only twenty meters away; striking her was a matter of moments!

Making an instant calculation, Wang Zhuo flung his phone into Kang Yangqiu’s arms, sprang up, and violently tore at the buttons on the front of his coat. He slammed one foot against the gunwale, and even while airborne, he shrugged off the heavy coat. With his second foot, he pushed off the railing at the stern with all his strength. He didn't even bother taking off his suit jacket as he speared into the sea like a barracuda!

He was gambling: betting the driver of the trailing speedboat would turn in time, betting Irene would miraculously survive the initial crisis after falling, and betting he could reach her before the second following boat crashed into her!

The moment his fingertips brushed the frigid seawater, MacTavish’s shout echoed from behind him: “Irene can’t swim!”

But this news didn't alter Wang Zhuo’s judgment. “Irene can’t swim” was merely an old man’s anxious reminder. In reality, she simply couldn't swim in the ocean; she could probably execute a proficient breaststroke in a swimming pool. As Wang Zhuo launched himself into the air, he had already used his X-ray vision to observe her desperate, flailing attempts to surface.

Wang Zhuo’s entry point wasn't far from Irene’s. The passage of the speedboat created backwash, pushing her involuntarily forward, which would have a similar effect on Wang Zhuo. Bridging this short distance would not be easy.

To the confusion of those on the first speedboat, Wang Zhuo’s entry posture was perfectly vertical, meaning he dove very deep.

Indeed, Wang Zhuo’s gamble paid off. The first boat executed an emergency sharp turn, skimming past only a few meters ahead of Irene and turning sideways, the spray flipping her over just as she adjusted her posture to surface, terrifying her nearly out of her wits.

At that moment, Wang Zhuo had submerged directly beneath Irene. He tucked and flipped into an upward trajectory, his arms pulling hard through the water. His X-ray vision glanced back toward the second speedboat; its pilot was staring blankly at his companion’s sideways maneuver ahead, completely bewildered.

Clearly, he was unaware anyone had fallen overboard.

Time did not allow Wang Zhuo to perform a safer evasive move. He shot beneath Irene, grabbed one of her ankles, and dragged her down with desperate force.

“Glug, glug…”

Feeling suddenly ‘bitten’ by a deep-sea monster, Irene shrieked, swallowing several mouthfuls of bitter, salty seawater. She struggled desperately to swim up but lacked the strength. She tried to kick away the monstrous mouth, but even exerting her utmost power achieved nothing.

The force was immense. Despite summoning the breakthrough strength of imminent death, she couldn't resist it. Watching her distance from the surface shrink—one meter, one and a half, two meters…

It was over. She was going to die… The young girl’s feelings plummeted like a stone dropped into a lake. She hadn't experienced the vibrancy of youth, hadn't fallen in love, hadn't done so many, many things—and now it was ending.

“Vvvmm—”

The high-frequency, low thrum of an engine suddenly sounded directly overhead, and the shadow of a speedboat sped across the shimmering surface.

Irene’s heart leaped; the grip on her ankle seemed to loosen!

The dizziness from asphyxiation was clouding her judgment. She frantically kicked upwards, but her body was seized again. She twisted her head in terror and immediately choked down another large gulp of seawater.

Beside her, in the time it took to process, was Wang Zhuo, his cheeks puffed out like a frog’s, holding a huge pocket of air!

Westerners were known for their high noses and deep-set eyes, but at that moment, Irene’s eyes were wide as saucers. She saw Wang Zhuo rapidly point one direction upward with his finger, then another direction to the side, before reaching out to tear at her coat.

Irene was utterly confused by his gestures. Just then, another speedboat roared overhead, the resulting current pulling both their bodies in the direction it was traveling.

So, surfacing meant being crushed! Irene instantly understood the meaning of Wang Zhuo’s pointing. By then, Wang Zhuo had already ripped open the buttons on her coat front, and the two of them clumsily struggled free of the heavy garment.

Wang Zhuo then pointed his left hand at the girl, and his right finger at his own distended cheeks. This was what they did in underwater rescue movies; he didn't know if it would work, but he followed the procedure.

Irene surged forward urgently. If she held her breath any longer, she would pass out. She had to take that mouthful of air first!

What? Definitely not. Irene’s sharp, forceful collision nearly made Wang Zhuo lose his breath and waste the precious air. Her mouth was perfectly sized, yet she clamped down hard on his lips, opening her own as wide as possible, completely engulfing his mouth. Wang Zhuo hurriedly pushed air out, simultaneously driving his arms upward to push them both down, decreasing their vertical position.

By now, he was nearing the limit of his breath-hold. Simply holding his breath, holding it for a minute or two would be easy, but performing strenuous activity while holding air meant his body, especially his brain, desperately craved oxygen. Furthermore, he was simultaneously maintaining control through his X-ray vision, which required even more fresh air.

One breath was a mere drop in the ocean for Irene. Dragged by Wang Zhuo, she thrashed desperately toward the side-front. After only a few splashes, she swallowed several more large mouthfuls of water, coughing violently, even sucking seawater into her lungs through her nose.

Wang Zhuo remained calm despite the shock. While guiding her arm to position her to face away from him—preventing her from clinging to him like a lifeline in a panic and drowning them both—he cast one last glance behind him with his X-ray vision.

The speedboat they were on was the third in the formation. The first two were far ahead, and theirs had just stopped. The one behind must have received the news via radio, as it was now decelerating and maneuvering to avoid collision. He couldn’t tell how many boats had passed overhead. During their sideways swim, they finally evaded the last potentially fatal passing vessel!

They could surface now!

Irene’s thrashing grew weaker. Wang Zhuo desperately wanted to take a deep breath but couldn't yet. He held his lungs, which felt close to bursting, grabbed Irene’s long, golden hair that floated in the seawater like soft seaweed, pushed off the water with his legs and one arm, and began exhaling the stale air steadily through his nostrils, ascending rapidly toward the surface.

“Splash!” “Splash!” “Splash!”

Several men who could swim jumped into the water to begin the search. Life rings were also unfastened and tossed in, though they remained some distance from Wang Zhuo and Irene.

“Splash!”

Wang Zhuo finally broke the surface. It was the same blue sky and azure sea. The biting cold wind felt incredibly sweet at that moment. He sucked in a huge gulp of fresh air and yelled: “Here!”

As nearby shouts erupted, Wang Zhuo pulled Irene up to the surface. He squeezed her chest hard, and Irene, on the verge of losing consciousness, coughed out a mouthful of water and then… fell unconscious.

The nearest speedboat was still over ten meters away. It immediately began slowing as it approached. A middle-aged man, evidently a strong swimmer, reached Wang Zhuo first, pushed a life ring toward him, and helped support Irene’s body.

Wang Zhuo floated onto the life ring, his legs finally no longer needing to tread water to maintain his height. Though he felt no triumphant surge of survival, he was genuinely proud to have saved a life.

However, the others didn’t know how long Irene had been unconscious; they were terrified. As the speedboat drew near, the people aboard scrambled to haul Irene aboard. Some yelled about artificial respiration, others were clearing seats—it was chaos.

“I’ll save her!”

Wang Zhuo shouted urgently, putting every ounce of strength he had into climbing onto the boat. What a joke! He had risked his life to save her; he wasn’t going to let these guys take credit! If artificial respiration was needed, he would be the one to do it!

But there were plenty of men eager to get close to Irene. Although Wang Zhuo had just demonstrated extraordinary lifesaving capability, the French and Australian men on board weren't impressed. Who couldn't perform CPR? Did they think their university lifesaving courses were for show, unlike in China?

“I said I will do it!”

He forcefully shoved aside a big-nosed man who was about to pinch Irene’s nose and begin, glaring at him with a fierce look that belied his exhaustion. The man immediately remembered Wang Zhuo’s earlier display of power on the warship when he’d sent the American flying into the sea, obediently backed away, and shrugged innocently.

Seeing everyone staring at him like an alien, Wang Zhuo felt exasperated. In this situation, if he performed CPR, he would obviously look suspicious and indecent. Forget it. Since Irene had already ‘kissed’ him underwater, it didn’t matter!

With a slight huff, he adopted an expression conveying, I am not the degenerate you think I am, reached out, and turned Irene onto her stomach across his thighs. He formed his hand into a blade and delivered several light but firm chops to her back.

A Frenchman quickly stated, “We already helped her expel water.”

Wang Zhuo shot him a look. He inserted the index and middle fingers of his left hand into Irene’s mouth to press down her tongue, and then delivered a short, sharp slap to her back with his right hand.

With the assistance of his X-ray vision, even those few initial chops had moved the accumulated water in Irene’s lungs to a position where it could flow out more easily. That rapid slap forced the water out of her mouth with a rush. Irene gave a few retching coughs, and amidst the violent spasms, she resumed breathing.

This little mouth… it really was soft and tender… Wang Zhuo reluctantly withdrew his fingers, feeling the pleasant sensation of the girl’s soft chest against his legs, and finally, completely relaxed.