"Beth, don't worry about me, go now, leave immediately..."
Owen shouted angrily. The remaining half of the staircase was still swaying dangerously, and Beth could fall off at any moment.
"Beth, go, I'll find a way to save myself... Chen, take her!!!"
This time, Owen shouted at Chen Mike. Beth staying here would be useless and would only delay any chance of saving himself.
"I'm sorry, Owen."
From above, Chen Mike nodded guiltily, then struck Beth's neck with a knifehand strike. As she lost consciousness, he slung her over his shoulder and turned to leave.
"I can't... I can't hold on... thank you, tell my family, I..."
One of the prisoners had exhausted his strength from constantly treading water. He wanted to leave a few last words, but had no energy left. His whole body slowly sank below the surface.
"I... I don't want to die... save me... save me..."
Another prisoner apparently suffered a complete mental breakdown and suddenly clung to Owen hysterically. He hoped Owen could save him, but in reality, he was dragging Owen down with him toward death.
"Shit... glug..."
Owen struggled desperately, but couldn't stop being pulled underwater. Caught off guard, he gulped down two mouthfuls of water. He tried hard to break free, but the strength of a person near death was terrifying. Several attempts in a row failed.
"Glug... let go... glug..."
Owen swallowed several more mouthfuls of water, constantly reminding himself to stay calm, to stay calm. But the man had wrapped his arms tightly around Owen's waist, and his strength was unnaturally strong. If this continued, he'd be dragged to death.
Underwater, Owen felt he was running out of air.
Suddenly, he saw someone swimming toward him—Attar. Owen waved to signal for help. Attar swam directly to his side and punched behind him, then threw another punch.
Owen suddenly felt a release—his attacker had let go. He quickly floated to the surface, greedily gasping for air. With a splash, Attar's head surfaced beside him, but the man who had held onto Owen didn't appear.
"Cough... th-thanks..." Owen coughed violently.
"It's nothing. What do we do now? I know you must have a plan..."
Attar looked at Owen with hope in his eyes. Owen had been leading them in finding a way out—he was the most likely to make it out alive. Saving Owen meant saving himself.
"Let me think... uh, do you still have that C4?"
"Of course."
Attar handed Owen a pack.
"We can only get out with an air explosion. Whether it works is up to fate. But first, we have to swim back..."
Attar felt a sliver of hope. Without Owen, he'd definitely be dead. With Owen, maybe there was still a chance. Owen had said the air explosion was very dangerous, but under these circumstances, they had to take the risk.
But swimming back—Attar looked down at the dark water—it wouldn't be easy. The distance they had covered in minutes running before would now be a major ordeal to swim through. He wasn't sure he could do it, but he had to try.
Having made up their minds, the two each grabbed a waterproof flashlight, took a deep breath, and dove back into the water, heading toward the path they had come from.
What had taken only a few minutes to run now took tremendous effort to swim back.
Owen was doing fine—he had spent a lot of time in the water back in Colorado, and had done similar training many times. But Attar was struggling. He swam slower and slower. Owen looked back and saw the panic in his eyes, the way his neck twisted desperately—he had clearly reached his limit.
But they were underwater now, and the entire tunnel was submerged. There was no place to breathe.
Attar felt like he was done for. His chest grew tighter, his breath was about to run out, and he couldn't resist the urge to breathe through his nose.
Suddenly Owen swam back and shoved something into his mouth. Attar instinctively inhaled—and to his surprise, drew in precious air.
After a few deep breaths, the deadly suffocation began to ease, and Attar narrowly pulled back from the edge of death.
Only when Owen saw the panic fade from Attar's face did he gesture for them to keep going. The two continued swimming along the way they came. What Owen had given Attar was a small device the CIA had provided during a previous mission at Lake Jobel. It could provide ten minutes of oxygen underwater.
Owen hadn't used it then and thought it was a great tool. Since it could be reused, he secretly kept it—and now it had come in handy.
Honestly, if it weren't for that device, even with his SEAL-level breath-holding skills, he wouldn't have been able to swim this far. It was just too long.
All the way, the two coordinated closely. The device was small and the stored air limited. Neither of them dared waste any. They followed a pattern—Attar inhaled three times, Owen inhaled twice. Together, they swam back to the tunnel and entered the upper-level ventilation duct through a previous breach.
Once inside, they no longer had to conserve air—they could finally breathe deeply. By now, the entire tunnel had been filled with river water, and the air that used to occupy it had been compressed into this upper layer.
Even though it was just a thin layer of space, it was enough for them to breathe.
After catching their breath, Owen selected a suitable piece of C4 from the bag. Because the tunnel ceiling had undergone special treatment, the amount of explosives had to be just right—too little and it wouldn't blow open, too much and they'd die instantly.
Owen's explosive training from his SEAL days came in handy. He chose the right amount, assembled the detonator, and installed everything.
Once all was ready, the two took a deep breath and submerged again. They found a vehicle and held on tightly. The explosion would generate a massive shockwave, and anchoring themselves could reduce injuries.
Owen and Attar exchanged glances, ready to detonate. Attar was smart—the detonator was wrapped in multiple layers of plastic. Life or death hinged on this moment. Either they'd escape alive or rot at the bottom of the water.
Through the plastic, Owen pressed the detonation button hard.
A muffled boom rang out overhead. Pieces of concrete broke free from the ceiling and floated down slowly. But before they even hit the bottom, a powerful suction force came from above. Owen, Attar, the surrounding muddy river water—all were sucked upward in one surge.
The air explosion had worked!
The C4 successfully blasted a hole in the tunnel ceiling, and the compressed air finally had a way out. Since air is lighter than water, it naturally floated upward. Coupled with the force of the explosion, everything nearby was dragged upward like it was flying.
...
At dawn, the calm waters at the bottom of the Hudson River suddenly erupted with a loud bang. Then, a massive hole appeared, and all sorts of debris shot out like a fountain.
Owen and Attar were among the things ejected.
They were thrust out of the tunnel by the suction force, pushed from the riverbed to the surface, and finally launched more than a meter into the air before crashing back down. Owen's head was spinning, but by SEAL habit, he instinctively started treading water.
After a while, his mind cleared, but he couldn't find Attar. He clearly remembered coming up to the surface with him.
Looking around, under the rising sun, he seemed to see a figure swimming into the distance.
About twenty minutes later, a police boat arrived. A life ring was thrown nearby. Owen slipped it over himself, suddenly feeling utterly exhausted. At last, he was saved.
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]