Dawn was slowly sliding over the sea's surface when the wooden boat made its first movement.The fog was heavy, like a gray blanket stretching all the way to the horizon.No one spoke.Even Jaro, who had lived with the sea for decades, was uncomfortably silent.
Yuki sat near the front, pulling her arms tightly around her chest.Jack sat behind her, watching the water as if seeing it for the first time in his life… which was actually true.
Jaro waved his hand and said in a low voice:"Listen carefully… we speak only when we must!"No one argued.
After two hours of moving forward, the sound of heavy engines began cutting through the fog.Jaro froze in place, then immediately turned off the engine.The boat started drifting silently.The fog around them felt like a closed room, every sound bouncing clearly inside it.The sound of the government ship was getting closer… and closer…They could feel the vibration in the wooden planks under them.A faint light appeared through the fog, moving very slowly.The light passed over the surface of the water… then across the fog above their heads.
Yuki held her breath.Jack closed his eyes.
The ship took only one minute to pass… but it felt longer.And when the sound finally faded, Jaro said without turning around:"We were one step away from everything ending."
After hours of slow movement, Jaro stopped and dropped a small anchor."Five minutes only…"He gave them a bottle of water.Yuki looked at the map, thinking they had come far.But Jaro said coldly:"We've only covered fifteen percent. And don't celebrate… the hard part hasn't started."
The Black Passage , The passage ran between two sea mountains, narrow and gloomy.Jaro turned off the engine and told them to row slowly.
The waves inside the passage hit the rocks, creating echoes that made it impossible to know where sounds were coming from.Jack was confused, his hand unsteady on the oar.Yuki followed Jaro closely despite her shaking arms.
Then they heard an engine, close and heavy.Jaro whispered:"Hide… those are gangs…"
He used the rocks as cover.The gang's boat passed extremely slowly.They passed only two meters away from their boat… then turned away.No one moved until the boat was completely gone.
They reached the open horizon again and took their first deep breath.Yuki asked:"Who were they?"Jaro replied:"People with no purpose… except money, or blood."
The waves grew higher, crashing one after another as if the sea was testing their ability to endure.Jack felt dizzy and sick.Yuki tried to hold herself together.Jaro said in a bored tone:"If you throw up, throw up outside."
A dot appeared on the horizon, growing slowly.Jaro recognized it immediately:"A different kind of patrol… sit down."
He turned off the engine and let the boat drift.The light passed over the surface of the water, then over their bodies…Paused for a moment…Then moved away.
The first big wave appeared… Jaro began reading the sea's rhythm…He lifted his head, looked at the dark clouds, and said with a frown:"Get ready… don't move from your places… hold tightly."
He barely finished speaking when a huge wave slammed against the side of the boat, lifting its front sharply.Yuki screamed as she held onto the edge.Jack slipped across the wet floor.
The wind picked up at an incredible speed.Rain poured suddenly, as if the sky had opened all at once.The boat kept rising… and falling violently, as if it were about to flip over.Jaro shouted:"Down!… heads down!"
Another wave hit…The boat rose again…Then dropped with such force it felt like the boat itself screamed… and a crack opened on the side.
Jack lost balance and hit his shoulder against the wall.Yuki grabbed onto him, shouting in fear:"We're going to flip!"Jaro answered angrily:"We won't flip if you don't move!"
The next wave was the biggest.It lifted the boat almost vertically, and for a moment Jack could see the sky directly above his head.Then they fell again, and water flooded half the boat.
The rain was so heavy that visibility disappeared completely.Even the air felt hard to breathe…And the engine Jaro tried to start kept choking under the storm.
The storm lasted many long minutes… but felt like a full hour of struggle.
Then it began to weaken…And weaken…Until only light drops remained.
Jaro sat, exhausted, holding the rudder.He said in a hoarse voice:"If we survived this… then the sea allowed us to pass."
Yuki breathed heavily.Jack sat up slowly, his face pale, but still holding the edge tightly.
When the sea calmed, Jaro turned to them.He pointed north.
"Here ends our problem with Japan… and a new problem begins."
The plan for the remaining steps…
1 — The approach pointWe must reach a specific coordinate a few hours from here.At that point, a Russian fishing ship passes every two days.Tonight, the ship will be on the agreed route.
2 — The contact methodI will use a small light and flash it three times toward the ship.If it responds with one long signal… that means approval.If it doesn't respond… we run immediately because it might be the wrong ship.
3 — Docking with the shipWe will move to its right side where the deck cameras do not cover the area.We will get close until the boat touches the ship.Then we tie the boat with a hook so the waves don't flip it.
4 — ClimbingOne of the crew will throw down a small iron ladder.Jack climbs first because he's the lightest.Yuki second.I am the last.
5 — Hiding inside the shipWe will be taken to a dry storage room near the engine chamber.It's cramped and dark, but safe.Try not to make any noise, because the whole crew is not "cooperative."
The sea trip will take nearly a full night.When we arrive, we will be dropped secretly near a small bay with no guards.From there… your new life begins.
When he finished, he said:"If any one of us makes one mistake… we disappear into the sea."Jack swallowed hard.Yuki only gave a small nod.
By the afternoon and as sunset approached, the sea became calmer and kept getting calmer.But exhaustion was clear on their faces.Jack could barely stay conscious.Yuki kept him from falling.Jaro watched the horizon nonstop.
Then… a black dot appeared.
A large fishing ship approachedIts lights appeared…
End of Chapter.