Church's Diary, Part 15:
The four missing sailors have been found. They had been washed ashore two miles from the ship. We searched for them for a long time before finding them. Thank God they are all safe and sound.
During the search at sea, we also found three strangers, floating naked on the surface. At first, we thought we had encountered floating corpses, but then we realized that didn't make sense. Unless a ship or plane had crashed, where would floating corpses come from?
It wasn't until we pulled them out of the water that we realized they were all still alive, though they seemed to have suffered severe injuries. Two of the white men remained unconscious, while the other, a handsome-looking Asian man, was still conscious. He said thank you after boarding the boat, and then he too passed out. I saw a tenacious spirit within him that he had held on until the moment he was rescued, which then relaxed.
I don't know who they are, why they are here, or whether they are related to the tsunami that resembled a nuclear explosion.
Their condition was unstable; they were sometimes awake and sometimes unconscious. Without medical equipment, we couldn't perform any further examinations on them, so we could only let them rest in the cabin.
That Asian man left a deep impression on me. He was very handsome, and even after being soaked in seawater for so long, completely naked, his captivating good looks were still undeniable. Especially when he was pulled out of the water, he should have been disheveled, but he remarkably maintained a gentlemanly elegance and confidence, like a prince returning victorious from the battlefield.
To be honest, I didn't really appreciate the beauty of Eastern people in the past, such as China and Japan. Perhaps the petite and charming nature of Eastern women has a unique appeal, but their men tend to be soft, rarely having prominent muscles or sharp lines, as if the edges of their bones have been meticulously polished, and their appearance always exudes an omnipresent smoothness and worldliness.
However, this man completely changed my perception of Asians. I must admit, he was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen. Of course, I'm not sure if he was a pure Asian; perhaps he had some Goths and Balkans ancestry, or maybe he was of mixed Māori and East Asia descent—otherwise, why would he be in the South Pacific?
I think the people on the ship share my opinion. You see, while he was unconscious, Miss Alice volunteered to take care of him. I think she was captivated by his looks, judging from her dreamy eyes and anxious demeanor!
Alice was Mrs. Larry's assistant, so she had to do whatever Mrs. Larry said. Although Mrs. Larry still had that look on her face as if everyone owed her money, she was clearly full of curiosity about the unconscious stranger, looking at him as if he were an archaeological artifact. She agreed with Alice's idea, and Alice busied herself like a happy bird taking care of the unconscious prince lying on the bed.
The men on the ship must have felt somewhat saddened by this, after all, Alice was the only lovely girl on board. However, Alice didn't just take care of him; she also diligently looked after Pardik. After all, he was injured because of her.
In addition, Alice would occasionally go to Anderson to ask if he needed any help. Anderson hadn't been fishing these past few days, instead focusing entirely on repairing the ship. The Discovery had suffered a major overhaul, creating many new safety hazards. Alice couldn't offer much help, so she would just chat with him for a while. They talked very loudly, as if announcing to the whole world not to disturb them.
We were unable to repair the ship's electronic equipment, obtain GPS coordinates, or establish contact with the ground. I was very worried, not knowing how long we would have to drift at sea like this. If we couldn't return to land soon, the wounded on board would not receive proper medical treatment and would certainly suffer long-term effects, and it was not impossible for their conditions to worsen further.
Robbins suggested continuing the old route northward, arguing that with the Discovery's food, medicine, and fuel reserves, they should be able to hold out until they find land. He also analyzed that the previous strange events and the final tsunami were likely caused by an undersea earthquake, and there might be aftershocks, or even a larger earthquake, so they had to leave the area as soon as possible.
I agree with him. So we are heading north, hoping not to encounter anything strange again. Although the phenomenon of two days occurring simultaneously is shocking and unforgettable, I would rather it not happen to me.
Church's Diary, Part Sixteen:
Of the three people we rescued, the two white men woke up first and seemed to be alright. From them, we learned that they were Russia, one named Ivan and the other Boris, while the Asian man was of unknown descent, either Chinese or Japanese; all we knew was his English name, Arthur Stone.
Boris seemed like a funny guy; as soon as he woke up, he started yelling Helem's name, saying he wanted to see Helem and told everyone else to get lost.
I initially thought Helem was the name of his companion or relative, but later I realized he was calling for Hel —the Norse god of death who rules the Underworld. He thought he was dead and that this was hell, so he desperately shouted to see Hades and even challenged Hel to a duel.
However, his Slavic accent was so strong that I wondered if, if he really went to the Underworld, the god of death Hel, would be able to understand him.
When Boris realized he wasn't dead, he immediately called out another name— Ivan. This time his accent was much more normal, clearly because he was lucid. We told him Ivan was next door, eating. He immediately became unhappy, cursing, "Damn Ivan, he didn't even call me when he was eating!" He didn't seem to realize that he had been unconscious the whole time; how could he have come to call him to eat?
He then asked about Mr. Stone, and we learned that the Easterner's name was Arthur Stone. Stone was still unconscious at that time. We brought Boris food, and when we asked him about other things, he became very cautious and stopped talking, only saying that he couldn't remember anything and told us to ask Ivan.
Ivan seemed like a steady and capable man. I saw a bit of my respected old captain in him; I guessed he must have spent many years sailing at sea.
He spoke with a touch of Robbins's mannerisms, like a perfect gentleman. However, he was equally cautious, only saying that their ship had wrecked and refusing to say anything else. Furthermore, he insisted on seeing Mr. Stone, declaring that he would not say anything until Mr. Stone awoke. It seemed this Easterner held a high position in their hearts and was greatly respected.
However, the gentleman still hadn't woken up. I had a strange feeling that the three of them survived entirely because Mr. Stone had used some kind of magical means, and that after protecting his companion and ensuring his survival, he finally collapsed from exhaustion.
I don't know when he'll wake up. Although they can give him IV fluids on the ship, it's still easy for something to go wrong if he's unconscious for too long.
God bless him.