News of the *Hollywood*’s sinking spread quickly across Saint Paul Island.

Although crab fishermen were injured or killed every year, it was rare for an entire vessel to go down. The last time a boat had been lost was over a decade ago with the sinking of the *Yekaterina II*.

Upon hearing the news, town residents, dockworkers, and fishermen all flocked to the shore to pray for the *Hollywood* and its crew.

They hoped for their safe return.

A pickup truck screeched to a halt by the shore. Brook threw open the door and ran onto the docks, shouting to the crowd.

"Latest news! The *Hollywood* sank, but the crew was rescued by the *River Beach*!"

Brook’s shout caused a commotion.

Like a stone tossed into a calm lake, his words sent ripples through the crowd.

People began to whisper amongst themselves, their faces a mixture of surprise and concern.

Some were relieved for the rescued crew members, while others mourned the loss of the *Hollywood*.

"Brook, you said the crew was rescued... do you know if Bo Wen is among them?" a young woman holding a child asked anxiously.

One by one, the families of the *Hollywood*’s crab fishermen began to call out from the crowd.

"Yeah, is Socks on the *River Beach*?"

"Is Cedric still alive?"

"What about Bourne?!"

Facing a sea of anxious, panicked faces, Brook shook his head helplessly. "Sorry, the Coast Guard didn’t release a list of names."

"Did the *River Beach* release a list?" someone else asked.

Brook shook his head again. "No, not them either. The *River Beach* hasn’t made contact with Saint Paul Island yet, but according to radar, she’s on her way back."

With no useful information, the families of the *Hollywood*’s crew could only stare helplessly out toward the bay.

...

「Aboard the River Beach.」

As the ship slowly navigated out of the storm-tossed cold current, the churning waves gradually calmed, and the fierce winds began to subside.

The crew’s frayed nerves finally began to settle. Exhausted, they leaned against the gunwales, gazing back at the gray-shrouded ocean behind them.

The violent waves, the howling wind, and the *Hollywood* crabbing boat that had vanished beneath them—it would all remain an eternal ache in their hearts.

A crab fisherman with a salt-and-pepper beard shook the ice fragments from his waterproof gear and let out a heavy sigh.

"After this year, I’m done. I’m going to retire, buy a sea fishing boat, and never be a crab fisherman again. Fuck!"

"What are you talking about, man? Do you know how much a spot on the *River Beach* crew sells for these days?"

"What good is the money if you end up dead in the Evil Sea? Today it was the *Hollywood*. What about tomorrow?!"

The crew of the *River Beach* looked over at the survivors from the *Hollywood*, who were standing by the ship’s rail in a silent tribute to Captain Old Hughes.

The ship had a crew of ten, including the captain. Only six had been rescued. Four men, Captain Old Hughes among them, were now lost to the Evil Sea forever.

Each life lost left a void of endless worry and longing.

They were husbands, fathers, and sons.

On this vast and merciless Evil Sea, life was so fragile.

「In the wheelhouse.」

Alvin was on the radio with Saint Paul Island, relaying their estimated time of arrival and reporting the names of the rescued crewmen.

Just then, everyone on the *River Beach* saw the crabbing boats of the Crab Alliance emerging from the cold-current storm, approaching one by one.

Although these boats hadn’t met a fate as tragic as the *Hollywood*’s, they hadn’t escaped unscathed. All of them had suffered some degree of damage.

Some had cracked hulls, others had broken cranes, and still others had lost some of their crab traps.

However, these crabbing boats had also spotted the *River Beach*. Having failed to offer aid to the *Hollywood*, they silently adjusted their courses, clearing a path for her.

The damaged crabbing boats sailed past one by one, their hulls listing slightly, scarred by scratches and dents.

Their crews stood on deck, their gazes toward the *River Beach* filled with complex emotions.

Alvin didn’t bother mocking them. He just increased power and left the selfish bastards behind.

「Four hours later.」

The *River Beach* slowly entered the bay, letting out a series of long, mournful blasts from its horn.

Normally, a crabbing boat’s return to port was a joyous occasion. It meant a bountiful harvest and a reunion, a time when loved ones could finally set aside their worries, and a sign that hard work was about to be rewarded.

Now, however, the residents, dockworkers, and fishermen standing on the shore merely watched the *River Beach* in silence.

The usual joy and anticipation in their eyes were replaced by somberness and sorrow.

A gentle sea breeze drifted by, carrying the scent of the ocean, but it couldn’t dispel the gloom that hung heavy in people’s hearts.

The fate of the *Hollywood* was like a heavy hammer, striking a blow to everyone’s heart.

The crew’s families could no longer contain their grief. They stared at the *River Beach*, tears blurring their vision, each drop a testament to their longing and fear for their loved ones.

When the *River Beach* finally docked, the families’ emotions grew even more complicated.

They anxiously scanned the ship, desperate to see their loved ones safe and sound. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The moment the *Hollywood*’s crew appeared at the rail, the entire dock fell silent. All eyes were fixed on them.

A moment later, the dock erupted with the sounds of weeping and words of comfort.

"Thank God! Blair, you’re okay!"

"Gabriel! Holy shit, it’s so good you’re alive!"

"Aubrey, my brother."

"Bo Wen, darling!" The woman holding the child pushed through the crowd to reach Bo Wen, who was walking off the *River Beach* with his arm in a sling.

Bo Wen hugged the woman and child tightly. As he felt his wife’s hand caress his face, tears streamed down his cheeks like a bursting dam.

In that violent, icy water, he had thought countless times of his wife’s gentle touch and his child’s smiling face. Those memories were what had given him the strength to hold on.