Capítulo 11: Lone Swimmer
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Suburban park, man-made lake.
This winter has been the coldest in recent decades.
The man-made lake in the park was frozen.
Its surface was covered with thick ice.
Since it was the weekend, many people were there.
They played and skated on the ice.
There were even people who drilled small holes in the ice to fish.
"Grandpa, let's go over there. I want to skate."
It was a five or six-year-old boy.
He held his grandfather's hand and happily ran to the center of the artificial lake.
"When I was young, I was on the provincial skating team," said a young man proudly as he walked with a girl.
"However, I injured my foot before a match. So, I quit the team. I'll show you how to skate later! You'll get to see the provincial team's ice-skating prince in action!"
The young man continued to speak arrogantly. Meanwhile, the girl just smiled silently.
"Ice-skating! The entrance fee is only eight dollars! Kid, do you want to go ice-skating? It's really fun!"
The purpose of Su Chen's visit was very simple. He wanted to sign in and obtain a water-related skill.
"Ding dong! You have successfully checked in and obtained a top-notch swimming skill!"
The system's reward came just in time.
Su Chen immediately turned around after signing in. He had no plans to stay for long.
"The surface of the ice has cracked! Someone, save me!"
As Su Chen was about to leave, he heard someone calling for help.
Originally, the surface of the ice was smooth like a mirror but now, it had cracked into seven or eight pieces.
The large pieces of ice were still floating, but there was quite a gap between them.
Some citizens were stranded on the ice pieces. Most of them were children.
The children were so scared that they began crying loudly.
It was really odd because the ice was at least forty inches thick.
Even if it was a weekend and there were more people, it should not be enough to cause the ice to crack.
The rest of the people were panicking.
They did not know what to do.
Some people took ropes while others grabbed poles. It was all an attempt to rescue those who were stranded.
There were also people on the cracked ice who managed to stay calm. They lie down to reduce the pressure, ensuring the ice around them would not break.
Regardless, most of them were crying.
"Call the police! Call the fire department!"
There were still people who were clear-headed enough to call for proper help.
Su Chen looked around. There was nothing he could use to rescue the victims.
The only thing he could find was a small abandoned boat.
He was unsure if it was damaged or if it could still row.
Basically, it was no good.
'Got it!'
Su Chen thought of an idea and began to take off his clothes.
"Young man, are you going to swim there and save them? It's too dangerous!"
An old man who saw Su Chen taking off his clothes immediately tried to dissuade him.
"The water temperature is about -20 degrees. You won't be able to stand it!"
"That's right. This is an extreme situation."
"Even if you managed to reach them, how are you going to bring them to safety?"
A middle-aged woman also tried to dissuade Su Chen.
"Brother, you're a good person but this is too reckless. Take care of yourself first!"
A man who was about the same age as Su Chen also chimed in.
Once Su Chen reduced the number of clothes on his body, he plunged into the ice-cold lake and disappeared without a trace.
While underwater, Su Chen saw a water snake that was about eight hundred inches long.
The dimension of the snake was almost as thick as a car tire.
'I knew it!
'This was the reason the ice surface cracked.'
The water snake was way too big to be in such a small artificial lake. It was already considered fortunate that no accidents happened before this.
"Goodness gracious, don't you think this will cause more trouble? You insisted on going even though the situation is very risky. Now, you will also need saving."
The old man who had advised Su Chen earlier was stomping his feet anxiously.
Not long after, a head emerged from the water next to the nearest ice floe. It was Su Chen!
Su Chen said calmly, "Don't move. I'll use this ice floe to push you to safety."
Just like that, the ice floe was used as a boat.
Su Chen slowly pushed it to shore.
Then, the people on the ice floe got off.
The cycle repeated. Soon, everyone was rescued by Su Chen.
"Incredible! He actually did it!" said a nearby person as he took out his phone to shoot the incredible scene.
Not only him, but the rest of the people began taking videos as well. They were all posted online.
"Young man, you are really amazing! Quick, dry yourself up with this towel. You must be freezing!"
An anxious-looking woman handed a towel to Su Chen.
"Drink some hot water."
A middle-aged man gave Su Chen a cup of hot water.
Just then, the fire department arrived. However, everyone was already saved.
There were also reporters from television stations who rushed over. Upon hearing what happened, they wanted to interview Su Chen.
After putting on his clothes, Su Chen quickly left. He managed to do so because everyone's attention was still on the victims.
A video titled "The hero that pushed the ice floes" exploded on the internet.
The content was obvious.
"Who is this person? I want to give him a reward! He was so brave!"
"Saving a life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda. Good job, young man."
"Wow, he's so handsome. Look at the muscles on his body. I'm drooling!"
"How did he manage to stay so long in the freezing water? It made no sense!"
"He probably did not feel it because he was too focused on saving the people. What a hero!"
"Bro, I'll compose a song for you titled 'Lone Swimmer'. You're the man!"
...
Su Chen did not care about the praises he received on the internet.
When he returned home, he immediately went online and booked a plane ticket.
He wanted to go to Boyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the country.
This lake was also known as Devil's Lake because ships had frequently sunk here.
"I'll set off to Devil's Lake tomorrow!"
-- Presente
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