Chapter 18: Crossing the Strait on a Homemade Raft (2)

  Tianhu and Longfanglan immediately ran to the hospital again.

  At this time, the sky was already very dark, with no stars in sight. The surroundings were pitch black, making it seem eerie and frightening. The sea breeze blowing from afar made people feel even more terrified.

  However, Tianhu and Longfanglan were excited because they had thought of a plan. Relying on their memories of the route from daytime, they quickly brought the necessary items from the temporary hospital in the war zone to the abandoned British gasoline depot. They swiftly tied up the "small sailboat" made with oil drums as the base and set off towards Johor.

  The Johor Strait was a small strait between Singapore and Johor Bahru in Malaysia, not very wide. Even by car, it would only take half an hour to reach the other side. However, Tianhu and Longfanglan faced not only the slow drifting speed of the oil drums but also the unpredictable changes in the sea winds and had to avoid the searchlights on Japanese warships.

  Tianhu knew that if they were discovered by a Japanese warship at sea, there would be no chance of survival.

  Tianhu wasn't worried about himself; he was more concerned about Longfanglan.

  With the sail up, the wind on the sea wasn't small either. Tianhu and Longfanglan's "small sailboat" actually sailed very quickly across the sea.

  The two of them lay down side by side on the "boat," trying to rest for a while.

  "What are you thinking about?" Tianhu asked, seeing Longfanglan gazing up at the sky without speaking for a long time.

  "I'm wondering if I would have met you if there wasn't this war."

  Tianhu didn't respond; he just looked at Longfanglan with his face turned sideways.

  "Why are you staring at me like that?" Longfanglan asked, seeing Tianhu hadn't responded after a long time. She turned her head to look at him and saw Tianhu staring at her with wide eyes.

  "If there wasn't this war, you would definitely have lived a happy life. But even though we have this cruel war, I feel happy because I have you by my side." Tianhu spoke in a moving tone, like a poet.

  Longfanglan didn't respond immediately; she remained silent for a while before suddenly smiling and saying to Tianhu, "You told me that your naivety in front of me is just an act. Listening to your war stories and following you on these adventures, I always feel that your amnesia is also an act. Is that true?"

  "If only it were an act, but unfortunately, I don't have any memories of anything before meeting you."

  "You can't even remember how you got injured?" Longfanglan asked.

  "I didn't get injured; I just lost my memory," Tianhu replied.

  "But why did Lin Jiangshi, the team leader, and your comrades Fan Bing and Lin Donghai all say they saw you get injured with their own eyes? Especially Fan Bing, who said he even tore his white shirt to bandage your wound. Why is that?"

  "I've also found it strange, but I don't remember anything before this. So, it's strange, but there's nothing I can do about it."

  Just then, a faint sound of fabric tearing reached Longfanglan's ears.

  "Tianhu, listen, is that the sound of fabric tearing?" Longfanglan asked, nudging Tianhu.

  Tianhu quickly turned his ear to listen and indeed heard the continuous "ripping" sound coming from below.

  "It's the sound of fabric tearing."

  "What should we do? It seems like the fabric strips can't hold on much longer." Tianhu and Longfanglan sat up together.

  They saw that their "small sailboat" had already lost sight of the Singapore coastline, but they could clearly see the lights on Japanese warships in the Johor Strait.

  "It looks like we're going too fast. After all, it's just fabric strips holding the oil drums together; if we go too fast, the strips will break." Tianhu said, "Don't worry, I'll lower the sail, and maybe that will help."

  Tianhu started to lower the sail, but the sound of fabric tearing continued.

  Moreover, a searchlight from a warship suddenly shone on them.