Swallowing the Seas (吞海)

Chapter 1

The collapse of his lungs restricted his breathing; he was delirious, his veins bulged, and blood poured profusely from his chest to his abdomen and down his limbs. Even the nurse who was desperately trying to hold him down was dyed in a brilliant red.

The female reporter watched on helplessly, forgetting even to struggle. This truly tragic scene made her mind go blank.

The man in the clutches of Death appeared to be very youthful and unexpectedly, extremely good-looking. He looked incredibly different from the heroic images commonly displayed in the various propaganda released by the media. Perhaps owing to his appearance, he even seemed somewhat gentle and pretty. In any event, he didn't seem to be at the age where he could just be sacrificed at gunpoint.

"Heart rate at 140 beats per minute, blood pressure 75/45..."

"Blood oxygen saturation has dropped to 75%!"

The shout of the Director of the Department of Vascular Surgery penetrated the clamour: "Prepare the emergency blood transfusion STAT!!"

　　......　　

*

Bang!

Bang!

Bang—

Each heartbeat resembled the steadily approaching steps of a behemoth within the deep sea, relentlessly growing more and more hurried and clearer; it violently stimulated the eardrums, encompassing the ceaseless wails of the policemen and the frantic shouts of the doctors.

In reality, it was a presage to imminent cardiac arrest.

But in the moments before the tip of Death's scythe was about to caress his throat, his mind was unusually clear. If he had just a little more strength, then he would even cry out his heart's most fervent desire: Please let it all end, it really hurts.

It was really too painful.

At last, this long and endless journey had arrived at the most opportune time for its conclusion—

*

The rhythm on the heart monitor was abnormally elevated and dense. Then, as if a thin steel wire had been thrown toward the sky to suddenly vanish from everyone's sight, the monitor flatlined, the screams of the alarm accompanied by red lights!

—Cardiac arrest!

The young man closed his eyes, his body falling limply onto the stretcher as he immediately succumbed to the dark and freezing cold depths of the deep sea.

*

The world was submerged by tide, which whirled past him to somewhere far beyond. The cries, screams, and shouts of countless people intermingled, distorting into abstract fragments before dissipating to evanesce into oblivion.

In this world of absolute silence, he caught sight of that person once more.

*

That shining white shadow passed through frozen time and crowd, drifting toward the stretcher until it finally arrived and lowered its head to gaze down at him. He couldn't recall such a scene happening before in his memory... but perhaps the scene before his eyes was the true reality because every detail was incredibly vivid - even the reflections in the other's eyes seemed to be within reach.

...Have you really come? He thought muddled-headedly.

His critically injured body that lingered on the precipice of death suddenly became very relaxed; all the pain had alleviated and disappeared without a trace. He slowly sat up from his ruined body and, feeling both calm and eager, reached out toward the flickering white shadow.