On the deck, Feng Mountain and the crew were busy hauling in the Crab Traps, emptying out the Emperor Crabs, refilling the traps with bait, and casting them back into the sea.

However, on the other side of the sea, the scene was entirely different.

The waves, like a pack of ferocious beasts, constantly battered the ships, letting out a deafening roar.

Each impact made the hulls rock violently, as if they could be swallowed by the furious force at any moment.

The howling sea wind roared in their ears like the bellowing of demons, striking fear into their hearts.

Fear was written all over the crewmen’s faces as they desperately clung to safety lines while frantically using tools to smash the thick layer of ice off their ship’s hull.

Among them, the Crabbing Boat *Hollywood* was in the most perilous situation.

Due to its advanced age, the ship’s hull was already old and dilapidated.

In the surging waves, the entire fishing boat was like a helpless fallen leaf, a tiny skiff tossed about at the mercy of the violent sea.

What was especially worrying was that the *Hollywood*’s hull was listing severely.

Icy waves continuously washed over the deck, furiously scouring everything. Various items were knocked over and scattered about in the chaos.

The ship’s engineer discovered, to his horror, a leak in the wall of the port-side ballast tank. Seawater was flooding into the compartment like a burst dam.

The crewmen’s hearts sank instantly as they threw themselves into the frantic repair work.

On top of that, a thick layer of ice had formed on the deck, significantly increasing the ship’s weight while drastically reducing its stability.

The hard ice was like a heavy shackle on the hull, making it even harder for the *Hollywood* to navigate the waves.

This series of problems caused the entire hull to list to 15 degrees. From a distance, it looked as if the *Hollywood* could be mercilessly capsized by the sea at any moment.

At this life-or-death moment, with despair and fear on their faces, the crewmen battled the waves, trying to save the doomed *Hollywood*.

The engineer raced against time, using sealant to plug the leak, while another group of crewmen worked to clear the ice from the deck.

Wielding shovels, hammers, and other tools, they vigorously hammered at the ice, trying to remove the solid blocks from the deck.

But in the face of the raging waves and violent winds, their efforts seemed so insignificant.

The surging waves relentlessly pounded the hull, and the gales howled wantonly, as if mocking their powerlessness.

Despite the crew’s tremendous efforts, they still couldn’t stop the ship from listing further.

The angle of the list was still slowly increasing, becoming terrifyingly, frighteningly steep.

At this very moment, the *Hollywood* was struggling on the brink of life and death, every minute filled with danger and uncertainty.

"Mayday, mayday! My ship is sinking!" Captain Hughes yelled into his radio, calling out to the Crab Alliance. His urgent cries sounded so helpless amidst the crackling static.

However, in these atrocious sea conditions, every ship was struggling just to survive.

The wind howled, and waves rose like small mountains, tossing the boats up and down.

The other Crabbing Boats could barely fend for themselves; no one was in a position to offer help.

A moment later, a captain’s helpless reply came over the radio.

His voice, hoarse and weary through the noisy static, was filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Sorry, Old Hughes, these waves are just too big. My ship is barely holding on as it is. You should call the Coast Guard!"

"If it comes to it, abandon ship. You might survive until the Coast Guard arrives," another voice came through, tinged with concern.

"My ship’s tonnage is too low. I can’t get close," another captain’s voice said, full of apology.

From the remaining Crabbing Boats, there was only a merciless silence, as if their voices had been swallowed by the raging sea.

The enthusiasm from when they had just set sail from Saint Paul Island had now vanished without a trace.

When Captain Old Hughes heard only three captains respond on the radio channel, he looked out at the churning waves in despair.

He immediately made a distress call to the Coast Guard, then began organizing his crew to abandon ship.

Just then, a captain’s suggestion suddenly came over the radio.

"Old Hughes, try calling the *River Beach* for help. She’s the closest to you, and her tonnage is big enough."

’Ask the *River Beach* for help?’

’How can you have the nerve to say something like that?’

’Right now, the *River Beach* probably wishes we’d all sink and feed the Emperor Crabs.’

’There’s no way they’d help us.’

Another captain chimed in.

"That’s right, Old Hughes. I think you should give it a try. It’ll take at least two hours for the Coast Guard to get here. Do you think your Crabbing Boat can last two hours? Even in a lifeboat, the chances of survival in a storm this big are close to zero."

’What should I do?’

Old Hughes was caught in a dilemma.

Then he looked at the crew struggling to survive on the tilting deck. They had families, wives, and children.

’Should I let them lose their lives for the sake of my own ridiculous pride?’

Old Hughes took a deep breath. Having made his decision, he immediately grabbed the radio and switched to the public channel.

"*River Beach*, *River Beach*, this is the *Hollywood*. My ship is about to sink! Requesting assistance, requesting assistance!"

After speaking, he stared intently at the radio, waiting for a response.

Aboard the *River Beach*, the crewmen were methodically retrieving the Crab Traps, their faces beaming with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

In the wheelhouse, Alvin sipped a delicious, steaming hot drink, mentally calculating how many tons of Emperor Crabs he would haul in by the end of this run.

A satisfied smile was already on his face as he imagined the rich rewards to come.

「Just then.」