Chapter 11: I'm Still Alive
1138 Words
Chapter 11: I'm Still Alive
That day, Jiang Yu indeed received a package containing an encrypted box. The cost to send this package from Earth to the Moon would be five to six million yuan, indicating that the sender was willing to spend a lot of money.
After much thought, Jiang Yu decided to seek help from her organization. She contacted her superior, Wu Peiyuan, using a secure phone line. Wu Peiyuan didn't give an immediate response but reported to the leaders of the Academy of Sciences as quickly as possible.
Soon, instructions came from above:
1. Jiang Yu should not send the document immediately. Instead, she should request confirmation that the child is alive and well.
2. Prepare a simplified version of the "Forbidden Fruit Project," removing most details and blurring key content.
With the organization's support, Jiang Yu felt less distressed. She followed the instructions and sent an email to the provided address, requesting a video call to confirm the child's safety.
Three days later, the other party agreed to connect in a week. This made Jiang Yu suspicious. If her son was fine, why wait a week? Was something wrong with him?
When the time for the video call arrived, the other party indeed connected. However, the image was blurry. Jiang Yu saw a teenage boy whose face resembled her son's but, upon closer examination, did not seem to be him. The call lasted only a few seconds before the other party hung up.
Jiang Yu reported this to Wu Peiyuan, who assembled a team of police experts for analysis. After careful comparison and study of the recorded video, the experts were certain that the child in the video was not Jiang Yuecheng.
They considered three possibilities: the child had escaped, was injured, or had died. The experts believed the first possibility was most likely. They advised Jiang Yu to neither refuse nor actively respond, but to continue delaying.
"Where could the child have run to?" Jiang Yu began to worry endlessly.
...
Jiang Yuecheng heard someone speaking English as he slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes with effort and saw the blue sky and white clouds. Looking around, he saw several ragged foreigners nearby. He tried to sit up but felt pain and weakness throughout his body.
"He's awake!" A middle-aged woman with long hair was the first to notice Jiang Yuecheng's open eyes.
"He's alive! Thank God!" said a bearded man.
Although they spoke North American English, Jiang Yuecheng could understand a bit of their simple conversation. He recalled floating on the sea, near death. Dehydration had left him dazed until he completely lost consciousness. Now, realizing he was saved, he felt a bit relieved.
He tried to speak to thank his rescuers, but his throat was so sore that he couldn't utter a word. He clicked his mouth in frustration.
"Give him some water." The middle-aged woman brought a bottle of water and carefully poured a few drops into his mouth. The sweet water stung his throat but still felt wonderful.
He tried to sit up again, but his body refused to cooperate, and he was in excruciating pain. He noticed that he could lift his right hand, but his entire left arm felt numb and lifeless. Looking at his left arm, he saw it was swollen to the size of a calf and had turned dark purple, hanging limply from his shoulder.
"His left hand might have been bitten by a poisonous fish," the bearded man said.
The next day, Jiang Yuecheng felt a bit better. He realized he was on an island, seemingly a man-made floating island, as there were no mountains and the ground appeared artificial. Most people around were white, with some Asians and a few blacks. They lived in makeshift tents and ragged clothes, with some even sleeping on the streets.
"How are you feeling?" The middle-aged woman approached as Jiang Yuecheng woke up.
"Better, thank you!" Jiang Yuecheng croaked in broken English. He used his right hand to prop himself up and barely managed to sit up, but the world spun around him, and he felt nauseous, so he had to lie down again. He found that his entire left arm still had no sensation.
"Drink some coffee." The middle-aged woman handed him a cup of coffee and propped his head up a bit, feeding him with a spoon. The fragrant coffee tasted like the best drink he'd ever had.
"Where is this, ma'am?" he asked.
"This is Freedom Island, over a thousand kilometers west of Hawaii," she replied.
"Oh..." Jiang Yuecheng nodded.
"My husband was fishing yesterday and found you floating on the sea, so he rescued you," she continued. "This is a man-made floating island."
"Ma'am, is there internet on the island? Or a satellite phone? I want to tell my mom I'm alive!"
"There is, but you need to make an appointment. Once you can walk, I'll take you."
As soon as Jiang Yuecheng heard there was internet, he immediately wanted to stand up to connect with his mother. But as he raised his upper body slightly, he felt dizzy and nauseous.
"Kid, don't rush. You need to rest!"
"Ma'am, can you help me make an appointment? I want to go online tomorrow. I'm worried my mom will be anxious."
"Sure!" The middle-aged woman nodded in agreement, moved by Jiang Yuecheng's concern for his mother. She wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
On the third morning, Jiang Yuecheng tried to stand up and could barely manage it. Despite the pain and discomfort, he followed the middle-aged woman to a small tent.
Inside the tent, a bald man was sleeping on a makeshift bed. "Andy, wake up!" the woman shouted. The bald man lazily turned over and pointed to a phone larger than usual by the bed. Jiang Yuecheng realized it was a satellite communication terminal.
He sat down, picked up the terminal, and saw the satellite message icon on the screen. Using his right hand, he opened the icon and started adding a contact. He entered his mother's number, including the country code, and pressed the send button. After a short delay, the message interface appeared.
Seeing Jiang Yuecheng struggling with one hand, the woman helped him steady the terminal. Touched by her kindness, Jiang Yuecheng felt a lump in his throat.
He wrote in the message to his mother: "Mom, I'm alive on an island near Hawaii. It's called Freedom Island, about a thousand kilometers east of Hawaii." After pressing "send," he felt a weight lifted from his heart.
Back at his temporary residence, after eating a bit, he felt a bit stronger. Although his left arm was still numb, the rest of his body didn't feel as bad.
"It seems my left arm is useless now!"
- Writer
