Rebirth of a star general |LK|

158-159

158: Underwater

On the canal, thick smoke billowed, and it became a sea of fire.

The miserable screams, panicked shouts of the Wutuo people, and Maka's commands mixed together and eventually fell silent in the roar of the fire as it consumed the ship's wood, emitting a crackling sound.

This east wind arrived late, but it came with fury. It seemed as if the wind itself knew it was tardy and desperately refused to stop. Thousands of Wutuo warships were connected by iron hooks, and the fire raged rapidly. They had no time to escape, and in the blink of an eye, they were all engulfed in the sea of fire. The few clever Wutuo people who managed to get a little farther away worked hard to cut the iron hooks connecting the ships. However, thick smoke obscured their vision, making it impossible to distinguish the direction, and with reefs all around, accidental collisions led to the capsizing of the ships.

At this moment, the small boats of the Jiyang city army unexpectedly had the advantage. These boats were agile and watertight. Even if they couldn't clearly discern the direction, everyone from Jiyang knew their way around water. It was easy for them to navigate and escape. Even when affected by the raging fire, Jiyang's people were skilled swimmers, diving underwater early on and swimming to the shore, most of them unharmed.

The Wutuo warriors were not so fortunate. Many had perished in this fire attack, and those who did survive were few. Even if they did manage to escape, their morale was in chaos, and their military discipline had collapsed. It seemed they would be defeated before they even had a chance to fight.

Underwater, He Lisa and Xiao Jungkook swam toward the shore.

At the moment when they ignited the fire, Xiao Jungkook had already grabbed He Lisa and jumped into the water. The river water, despite the spring season, was still chilly. He Lisa knew how to swim, but as soon as the water reached her eyes and nose, she involuntarily became stiff.

It was as though she had been transported back to her time at the Xu family when she drowned in the pond, trapped and unable to reach the surface. Above her was the open sky, but she remained submerged below, unable to see the light.

At first, she managed to struggle and persevere, but with each passing moment, it became increasingly unbearable. Her body's physical discomfort was something she could endure, but the fear deep in her heart, the shadow left by a past event, was not so easily forgotten.

Gradually, she lagged behind Xiao Jungkook.

Xiao Jungkook, who was in front, seemed to sense something was wrong. He noticed He Lisa falling behind him and was taken aback, showing a rare expression of anguish.

He Lisa had never mentioned in front of Xiao Jungkook whether she could swim, but it was certain that she could. Otherwise, when she had just jumped off the boat, she wouldn't have made it here. However, looking at her now, was she afraid of water?

This was also possible. For instance, people who had been burned by fire in the past would avoid it later. People who had fallen off a horse and been injured would refuse to ride again, even if they had been skilled riders in the past. He Lisa should be able to swim, but she seemed to have a fear of water, just like those people.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw He Lisa's eyes closing, and her expression wasn't quite right.

Xiao Jungkook furrowed his brows slightly. She's not even breathing? She might suffocate like this.

He turned back to He Lisa, approached her, and pressed on her shoulder, trying to wake her up. However, He Lisa seemed to have lost most of her senses and didn't react to his actions.