The coast guard boat had reached the impact site, divers already gearing up to go down, but Mu Yunchen knew, with the terrible, absolute certainty of someone watching their world end, that they were too late.
No one survived an underwater explosion at that depth.
No one held their breath for five minutes after the kind of shockwave that had sent debris fifty feet into the air.
No one.
"We need to pull back, Master Mu," Li Feng was saying, his hand on Mu Yunchen's shoulder, his voice thick with something that sounded like grief. "Let the professionals...."
"Don't touch me."
The words came out quiet, almost conversational, but something in them made Li Feng's hand drop away immediately.
Mu Yunchen was still kneeling on the rocks, still staring at the water, but something had changed in his posture. His shoulders had gone rigid, his spine absolutely straight. His hands had unclenched from their bloody fists and now hung loose at his sides.
He looked almost peaceful.
