Chapter 1: The Prepared Survivor

His body was constantly thrown up and then yanked back into the seat by the safety belt. Looking out the plane window, all he could see was relentless lightning, and all he could hear was the sound of torrential rain pounding the plane's fuselage and thunder. The small plane he was on was a piece of junk at least twenty years old, and all this made Brian Carter regret his decision to come to Africa for the first time.

A rickety plane, caught in deadly weather—Brian Carter felt that his twenty-three-year life might end right here.

Strangely, Brian Carter wasn't all that panicked. He just wanted to figure out where they were, or rather, what part of the world they were flying over. Now he felt that even if he died, he should at least know where he died.

Brian Carter turned his head, wanting to ask the hunting guide sitting next to him if he knew where they were, but Brian Carter immediately dismissed the idea. The guide beside him was desperately making the sign of the cross on his chest, praying at the top of his lungs, so Brian Carter thought it best not to disturb him.

The small plane, which could only seat twenty people, was already in chaos. Everyone had gone mad. The two staff members from the hunting company, who had been comforting everyone at first, were now crying louder than anyone else.

At this moment, Brian Carter was the calmest person in the entire cabin, but his composure didn't last long. Fear, despair, regret—all kinds of emotions hit him at once, especially when he thought of his parents. Finally, Brian Carter couldn't help but break down and cry out loud.

What Brian Carter feared most now was not the impending death, but how his parents would bear the pain of losing him after he was gone.

When death approaches, time seems to slow down, long enough for a person to relive their entire life. At this moment, Brian Carter personally verified this saying. Scenes from his twenty-three years flashed through his mind like a movie.

As Brian Carter recalled his life in regret, the plane's altitude dropped lower and lower, until finally, after a violent jolt, the plane plunged straight down.

When the cabin lights suddenly went out, Brian Carter tried his best to curl himself into a ball, wrapping his hands around the back of his head.

After a terrifying crash, Brian Carter was slammed into the seat in front of him. The impact left him dizzy, his shoulders and abdomen felt as if they were being torn apart by the safety belt, and he almost passed out.

Brian Carter's eyes were closed, but after the sharp pain, the chill that immediately engulfed him made Brian Carter instantly realize he was now in water.

Instinctively, Brian Carter held his breath. After a moment, he realized he wasn't dead yet—the plane had crashed into water. What he needed to do now was get out of the plane and reach the surface.

Brian Carter opened his eyes. It was still very dark, but with the help of lightning, he could vaguely make out the situation underwater.

The plane had already broken into two sections, and the break was right above Brian Carter's head.

Brian Carter's first reaction was to unbuckle his seatbelt, but he couldn't get the buckle open no matter what. As the seconds ticked by and Brian Carter was about to run out of breath, he suddenly remembered that the guide beside him had a hunting knife hanging from his waist.

Brian Carter reached out with his left hand, first feeling the guide's arm, then groping downward until he finally found the knife handle.

He pulled out the knife and cut through the seatbelt restraining him. Suppressing the urge to immediately float up, Brian Carter reached out to feel for the guide beside him, wanting to cut his seatbelt too. But the first thing Brian Carter touched was the guide's half-missing head, and he immediately gave up on rescuing him. He reached under the seat, grabbed a life jacket, kicked off with his feet, and floated to the surface.

Breaking the surface, Brian Carter took a long breath, then immediately put on the life jacket. He pulled the cord, felt the jacket inflate rapidly, and finally let out a sigh of relief.

No one could have expected that a plane flying over land would end up crashing into water, so no one on board had put on a life jacket.

Brian Carter was very grateful that, even at the last moment, he hadn't forgotten to grab a life jacket, and that it was still intact. But as for what to do next, Brian Carter was at a loss.

On the surface, the storm was still raging. Though it was daytime, it was as dark as night. With the rain churning up the water, he couldn't see where the shore was, so even if Brian Carter wanted to pick a direction to swim to land, he had no idea where to go.

Brian Carter started to panic a little and just began swimming desperately in a random direction. But he quickly realized that every time he kicked, his right knee throbbed with excruciating pain, and even with the buoyancy of the life jacket, he didn't have the strength to swim anymore.