Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Episode 022 Drowning
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7 min read
The sun shone brightly, the sea and sky gleamed blue, and seagulls soared above.
Sea breeze blew over, carrying a warm and lazy air, stirring ripples on the placid water surface.
"Pull in your leg, turn your foot, kick and cup."
Above the silent sea, besides the howling sea wind, a man’s deep and resonant voice echoed.
The sea wind carried the voice into the ears, each word was exceptionally clear, but every time he spoke, Flossie Wright’s face darkened a bit.
This damn man dragged her to this secluded place and didn’t immediately snatch her tag. Instead, he seemed to enjoy teaching her to swim at a leisurely distance, forcibly teaching her to backstroke without her consent.
Flossie Wright attempted a few times to dive and "escape", but each time she barely entered the water, he used his physical superiority to catch up with her at the fastest speed, then grabbed her directly, and carried on teaching her like nothing had happened.
Taken aback by these thoughts, Flossie Wright’s face was shrouded in gloom, turning dark as night.
"Pay attention to your arm movements."
Seeing Flossie Wright starting to sink as she swam, Glenn Hutchinson reluctantly raised an eyebrow, lazily reminding her from the side.
Unquestionably, all he received was a cold stare from Flossie Wright.
After a long period in the water, Flossie Wright’s physical energy had not yet recovered. If she were to learn these simple moves normally, she could definitely master them easily. But now, her energy was depleting too rapidly, and even with her strong will there was insufficient power to perform them properly, slowing her reaction time significantly.
Feeling the struggle in each movement, Flossie Wright was just about to rest when waves of agonizing pain shot through her calf. Anticipating the turmoil, she instinctively took a deep breath, then tried hard to let her body float upward. But after exhausting nearly all by her energy, maintaining her buoyancy with a calf cramp was severely challenging, with no extra stamina to save herself.
Unable to control the sinking of her body, thoughts of the annoying man sitting idly by came to Flossie Wright. Just as she was about to call out for help, her sinking body was suddenly held by two hands. Strong arms enveloped her waist, and, hoisted from the seabed, she glimpsed the familiar deep green camouflage. Water splashed into her eyes, blurring her eyesight. As it cleared, she made out the handsome and determined face. His side profile, illuminated by the light, seemed to be bathed in a halo. The brooding calm that he exuded inexplicably calmed her.
"Where’s the cramp?"
Glenn Hutchinson asked calmly, as if not taken aback by the situation. Indeed, judging from his assessment of Flossie Wright’s physical strength, her cramp was a predictable event, merely a matter of sooner or later.
"Left leg." Flossie grimaced with pain. She furrowed her brows and answered him tersely.
Glenn Hutchinson helped her to float on her back, then dived down to grab her left leg, rolled up obstructive trouser legs, and skillfully massaged and stretched the cramping portion with both hands. His actions were so adept and efficient that in no time, Flossie Wright’s calf cramp had gotten much better.
Only after Glenn Hutchinson stopped, and Flossie Wright’s cramp had completely subsided, did she glance at him, drew back her legs, and thanked him reluctantly.
"They should be coming to look for you now."
Glenn Hutchinson had no intention to carry on with swimming lessons. He swept his gaze over the nearby sea surface, speaking unhurriedly, with a hint of reminder in his voice.
Given the new soldiers’ speed, they should have completed the one thousand meters by now. If Flossie Wright’s presence was strong enough, they would have begun to look for her.
Hearing Glenn Hutchinson’s lackadaisical words, the darkness on Flossie Wright’s face deepened. After wasting so much time, if she did not turn up now, Abram Phillips and the rest would surely suspect something. If she did not hurry back, and appeared leisurely after Abram Phillips and the rest had almost lost their minds searching for her...
The punishment she would face would be extraordinarily severe.
"We have no more time," uttered Glenn Hutchinson nonchalantly, then leisurely swam towards the shore, casually tossing back the words, "You can choose to follow me."
Flossie Wright lingered for a moment. Her clothes, soaked and heavy after being immersed in water, along with her waning strength, made swimming far impossible. She estimated the distance between this position and the destination versus the distance to the riverbank, then watched Glenn Hutchinson, who never paused, and finally chose the shortest route to the riverbank.
Watching Glenn Hutchinson’s actions, Flossie Wright had the impression that he was confident. Therefore, it came as no surprise that after spotting the people waiting on the riverbank, Glenn Hutchinson paused to wait for her.
"Come on, drown."
𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Glenn Hutchinson beckoned her, saying the words "drown" in an incredibly casual manner, as if asking Flossie Wright to drown was as simple as diving.
"I can’t."
Flossie Wright glanced at him dismissively, couldn’t be bothered with him.
However, her underwater speed was no match for Glenn Hutchinson’s, much less her speed on the surface. There was absolutely no time for Flossie Wright to resist. She was pulled beside him, and without further ado, he reached his hand under her arm from behind, and, with a most typical ’rescue’ action, carried Flossie Wright ashore.
Completely exhausted from being in the water, Flossie Wright had no energy left to escape. After a twitch of her eyebrowis, she gave up struggling, letting him carry her like a "drowned person" ’rescued’ onto the beach.
At this time, quite a few people were standing on the beach, including the squad leader, Drake Easton who did not go out to sea, Rowdy Brightill who had rushed over to inquire, Janice Wood who had dashed back to report, as well as several female soldiers who were staying on the beach because of their menstrual period.
Since finding out Flossie Wright was missing, the atmosphere amongst them had been tense. Not until they sighted Flossie Wright and Glenn Hutchinson did they finally breathe a sigh of relief, their hanging hearts settling.
"She’s okay."
Ever since he spotted the figures of Glenn Hutchinson and Flossie Wright, Drake Easton had subconsciously turned his gaze to Rowdy Brightill whose face had turned exceptionally grim. Seeing his concern turning to severity, he couldn’t help but console him.
Flossie Wright was Rowdy Brightill’s fiancée. Now that Glenn Hutchinson had saved Flossie Wright, even if he was harboring resentment towards Glenn Hutchinson, he ought to soften his attitude.
"I know." Rowdy Brightill still kept a straight face, his mood not getting any better.
Drake Easton thought he didn’t want to see Glenn Hutchinson. Little did he know what truly angered him was Glenn Hutchinson’s subtly. Last time, Glenn Hutchinson openly expressed his interest in Flossie Wright. Now, not only did he show off his influence but also saved Flossie Wright...
Truly damned cunning!
— End of Chapter 42 —