Chapter 279: Body Hits a Rock, Forced to Stop! Human Shield

The three nodded vigorously. There was no room left for fear now. With danger in front and behind, even if there were a cliff ahead, they’d still jump. Anything but waiting for death.

“Now, follow my lead. When I count to one, hold hands and let go of the reeds. Three! Two! One!”

Splash!

All four let go of the riverbank reeds simultaneously. Their bodies floated freely in the rushing water. 

The current was intense!

They were like small boats without sails, rushing straight ahead. Thankfully, they held hands tightly. They stayed connected. Their combined size and weight slowed them down slightly. It allowed them to avoid some obstacles like rocks.

The freezing river water slapped against their faces. Waves crashed over their heads so frequently that they barely had time to catch their breath. Wang Yun took the lead at the front, steering and adjusting their direction. Brother Hu brought up the rear, forming a straight line of four.

“There’s a drop ahead@ Hold your breath and be careful!” Wang Yun shouted back at the three. 

As one, they all lifted their bodies and took deep breaths as their heads broke the surface. They then plunged back into the water.

Splash!

They felt a sudden freefall before crashing back into the water. The river enveloped them from all sides. Water rushed into their noses, ears, eyes, and mouths. 

It was everywhere!

With no solid footing beneath them, they were left completely suspended in the water. At that moment, Wang Zi, stunned by the rapid descent, started to lose consciousness. The hand that had been gripping so tightly began to loosen. 

Wang Yun immediately sensed something was wrong and looked back. Wang Zi’s eyes were shut tight.

Holding onto Wang Zi, Xiao Gang realized something was wrong too. But it was too late for him to shout. As soon as he opened his mouth, he got a mouthful of river water.

“Wang Zi!” Wang Yun leaped up, forcefully pulling Wang Zi and yanking him over to his side.

Now, Wang Yun’s left arm was holding Wang Zi, and his right hand was pulling Xiao Gang.

“Brother Hu, grab onto something! We need to stop!” Wang Yun shouted.

Brother Hu, battered by the rushing water, barely managed to open his eyes and nod. But by now, they had drifted to the center of the river. It was at least eight meters away from either bank. 

The riverbanks were lined with only tangled water plants. With their current speed, grabbing onto anything seemed almost impossible.

The flow was too fast, and their combined weight was too heavy. The chances of stopping their bodies were very slim. However, if they didn’t stop soon, with Wang Zi unconscious, he would surely drown as water kept filling his lungs.

No matter what it took, they had to stop!

Wang Yun quickly scanned his surroundings, his eyes bloodshot from the river water that had been painfully washing into them. He had no time to care about that. He forced his eyes open, searching the area.

The river’s surface was smooth, without any obstacles in sight. Meanwhile, Wang Yun’s left arm was struggling to keep Wang Zi afloat. Xiao Gang’s hands were being gripped by both Brother Hu and Wang Yun, leaving him unable to help. If anyone let go, one of them would definitely be swept away by the current.

All he could do was hold on as tightly as possible, trying to keep them all connected.

“Up ahead! There’s a rock right in front of us!” 

Wang Yun suddenly spotted a large boulder in their path while the group frantically searched for something to hold onto.

The rock was big enough for the four of them to climb on and take a break.

“But how do we stop? Damn it!” Brother Hu yelled out. 

Sure, there was a rock, but there were no water plants around it to grab onto. Rocks in the water were the slipperiest, and with their wet hands, there was no way to get a firm grip.

Their hands were soaked and had no friction at all.

“We can stop! I just need to change our direction!” 

Wang Yun gritted his teeth and used every ounce of his strength to shift his body toward the rock.

“What are you doing, boss?!” Xiao Gang immediately realized what Wang Yun intended, shouting in alarm.

“I’ll use my back to hit the rock and stop us. You guys… step on me and… glub… climb up!”

Wang Yun barely got the words out before taking in a mouthful of water. The icy water burned as it shot up into his head, like needles stabbing into his brain.

“No way!” Brother Hu shouted in panic. 

Using his body to hit the rock and force a stop? That was suicide!

At the speed they were drifting, it was like a car going 20 miles per hour. Sure, it didn’t sound that fast, but under these circumstances, slamming flesh into a hard surface would tear him apart. It would be like smashing an egg against a rock. He’d be left bloodied and broken.

Wang Yun didn’t have time to think about it anymore.

Ten meters.

Seven meters.

Three meters.

“Boss!”

One meter.

BAM!

“Ah!”

A dull thud echoed as Wang Yun’s body slammed into the center of the rock. His face twisted in pain, his brows furrowed, and he let out a low growl.

“Hurry up!!!” he shouted, enduring the excruciating pain radiating from his back as his body slammed into the rock. 

At the same time, he yanked Xiao Gang with all his might.

The force of the current caused Xiao Gang and Brother Hu to drift past the rock, but Wang Yun held onto them tightly. His right arm, bent at a sharp 35-degree angle, clung to the edge of the rock’s curve. 

“Hurry, I can’t hold on much longer!”

Wang Yun screamed again, his body trembling uncontrollably from the searing pain in his back and the wrenching agony in his arm. The veins in his neck and arms bulged as if they were about to burst. 

Despite it all, his left hand gripped Wang Zi tightly, making sure to keep his head above water.

“Boss!”

Xiao Gang’s eyes reddened with emotion. He roared, summoning all his strength to throw Brother Hu towards the rock’s edge.

Brother Hu seized the moment. He grabbed onto the rock and swung himself up. His upper body slammed onto the surface of the stone with a thud.

Gritting his teeth, Brother Hu pressed his knees against the slippery surface, trying to gain enough friction to pull himself up. Climbing out of the rushing water onto the slick rock was anything but easy.

Brother Hu’s fingernails dug into the rock with such force that blood instantly seeped from beneath them. His knees also showed faint traces of red.

“Ah! Boss, give me your hand!” 

Brother Hu managed to climb up and immediately grabbed Wang Yun, while his other hand reached out to take Wang Zi. Xiao Gang had climbed up as well and quickly joined in to help.

Together, they grabbed Wang Yun by the back of his neck and pulled him up onto the rock.

“Boss, are you alright?” 

Once they got him up, they didn’t even have time to catch their breath before anxiously supporting Wang Yun, their faces filled with worry. They barely glanced at the unconscious Wang Zi, figuring as long as he was breathing, he’d be okay. He had just swallowed too much water for now.

Cough, cough!

Wang Yun coughed forcefully a few times, and with each cough, the searing pain in his back became more noticeable.

“I’m fine. Check on Wang Zi!”