"That's how it is with water routes," Earl Field said. "It looks close, but when you actually travel, it's a long, exhausting journey."
On land, you can easily estimate the distance just by looking.
But once you're out at sea, reference points are useless, and you can't figure out the distance between anything.
So, Cecilia Gu and Earl Field rowed with all their might for over three hours. Just when they were about to collapse from exhaustion, they finally got close to the island.
As soon as they landed, Cecilia Gu and Earl Field relived what Rona Muir and Miles Gu had experienced before—they were surrounded by crocodiles too.
Cecilia Gu had barely caught her breath when she saw a few crocodiles slowly crawling up the beach not far away.
"Oh my god!" Cecilia Gu screamed, "There are crocodiles here!"
Earl Field reacted quickly, grabbing Cecilia Gu's arm. "Run up the mountain! These saltwater crocs move slowly on land—if we hurry, they won't catch us!"
Hearing that, Cecilia Gu ran for her life, sprinting with everything she had.
Earl Field led the way, while Cecilia Gu blindly followed, running like a headless chicken.
Cecilia Gu kept running until she was gasping for breath and couldn't even speak. Only then did Earl Field finally stop.
Cecilia Gu patted her chest and said, "You run way too fast..."
Man, I've never climbed a mountain this fast in my life.
Sure enough, when danger strikes, people can really tap into hidden potential.
Compared to Cecilia Gu, Earl Field was doing much better—he was only slightly sweating.
He glanced at Cecilia Gu, who was leaning against a tree, panting hard, and couldn't help but smile.
"Last time I saw smoke, it was right ahead on that cliff. If we pass through here, we'll reach it before dark," Earl Field said, pointing at the bare cliff. "Even if we don't find them there, we can rest. We still have some solid fuel, and now that the rain has stopped, camping won't be a problem."
Cecilia Gu nodded. Once she caught her breath, she said, "Alright, let's do that!"
If Rona Muir and Miles Gu were really on this island, that would be amazing!
These past few days, Cecilia Gu couldn't sleep at night. Whenever she did, she'd dream of Miles Gu, and every time she woke up, it was nearly impossible to fall back asleep.
As Cecilia Gu and Earl Field struggled up the mountain, Jiro Hirayama at the summit called out to Rona Muir, who was helping him move: "Go easy on me, I'm an injured man."
Rona Muir gritted her teeth. "You dare play the injured card now?"
Jiro Hirayama retorted confidently, "Look, my ribs are broken—how am I not injured? I only got hurt searching for you! Can't I at least get some sunshine now?"
Sunshine, my ass!
It’s only stopped raining—where’s the sun?
Miles Gu stood off to the side with his arms crossed, pretending to ignore the scene unfolding before him.
Since yesterday, Aunt Rona and Uncle Jiro have been bickering nonstop. Are they ever going to get it together?
Still, Uncle Jiro is amazing. Holding my hand, he taught me all about the human body's organs.
If Aunt Rona hadn’t stopped him—afraid Uncle Jiro would turn me into another biochemist—he probably would’ve started tutoring me in chemistry, too.
Watching Aunt Rona and Uncle Jiro act all lovey-dovey like nothing’s wrong, Miles Gu decided he’d better go out for some fresh air.
Miles Gu stepped out of the cave and watched as the clouds overhead quickly broke apart. After days of gloom, his mood finally started to clear up too.
The weather at sea is unpredictable—storms come fast and leave just as quickly.
In just an hour or so, the once overcast sky was now completely clear.
Looks like tonight, they might actually see some stars.
Just as Miles Gu stretched and started looking for a place to light a rescue fire, he spotted two figures on the hillside.
Miles Gu might be young, but his eyesight was sharp.
Of course, the clear air in Fiji helped—the visibility was amazing.
If this were in the big city, even with good eyesight, you’d barely see anything beyond a short distance.
Miles Gu stared hard at Cecilia Gu’s silhouette. When she looked up and he saw her face, he screamed with excitement, "Mom! Mom, I’m here! Mom, Mom…"
Miles Gu couldn’t care less about Rona Muir and Jiro Hirayama back in the cave—he took off running straight toward Cecilia Gu.