American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 361 Squall Line!

Lin Yu'an changed into dry clothes and returned to the deck, carrying a steaming cup of coffee.

"Thank you." Raven took the cup, the warm touch making her feel comfortable in the cool sea breeze.

She glanced at Lin Yu'an but didn't ask him why he didn't go back to sleep.

Raven sat behind the steering wheel, her main job being monitoring. The autopilot faithfully carried out commands, and the North Star steadily cleaved through the waves.

Night voyages are lonely, especially in this world where there is nothing but starlight and the sound of waves.

But tonight, because of that quiet figure in the corner and that faint light, the loneliness seemed less unbearable.

“Well, Mr. Monster,” Raven finally broke the silence, her voice exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

"You should have already read to the last chapter of that PADI textbook that's like a children's book, right?"

Lin Yu'an looked up from the screen and smiled: "The content is very interesting, but I have a few questions for Coach Raven."

"Oh?" Raven raised an eyebrow, an expression of interest on her face. "Tell me about it."

She thought Lin Yu-an would ask beginner-level questions such as "What should I do if I can't equalize my ear pressure?"

"The section on decompression theory in the textbook mentions that the ZHL-16C algorithm model is the basis for most modern dive computers,"

Lin Yu'an spoke slowly, but every word was very precise: "But its default gradient factor setting is rather conservative."

“I did some research, and many technical divers manually adjust the parameters of the high and low gradient factors according to their physical condition and dive plans.”

"For example, adjusting from a conservative 30/70 to a more aggressive 40/85 to achieve a longer stress-free period."

He looked at Raven and asked his first question: "I'd like to know, in the field of recreational diving, especially in an environment like the Blue Hole in the Bahamas that we're about to explore, what experience and advice are there regarding the adjustment of gradient factors?"

The moment the question left her lips, Raven's relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a look of shock and disbelief.

Gradient factor? Technical diver? This is not a question a beginner who has only read a manual for an hour should ask! This is a topic discussed at least by divemasters or even instructors!

She paused for a few seconds before finding her voice, her tone filled with disbelief: "You...you've already been studying gradient factors in just two hours?"

"I just saw the relevant parts and was curious," Lin Yu'an answered calmly, then posed her second question.

"In addition, regarding gas management, the textbook emphasizes the 'one-third rule' (one-third goes, one-third returns, and one-third is left as a reserve)."

"However, in actual shipwreck or cave exploration, if a strong current is encountered, the amount of air consumed on the return trip may far exceed that on the outward trip."

"In this case, does the 'one-third rule' still apply? Or should we adopt the more conservative 'one-quarter rule' or a dynamic calculation based on real-time SAC (surface gas consumption rate) and flow velocity?"

This second question was like a heavy blow, completely shattering Raven's last line of defense. It turned out that there really was a difference between geniuses and ordinary people in this world.

When she first met Lin Yu'an, she was amazed by his talent. She even went to Google to search for the difference between geniuses and ordinary people.

She came across a quote from Chinese scientist Qian Xuesen: "Even if someone is not smart, can't they learn calculus?"
This sentence gave her a vague concept of genius, and Lin Yu'an's performance today has made the concept of genius completely concrete for her.

Because dynamic gas management calculations are already a core part of the course content for confined space diving!
This guy wasn't reading a book at all; he was spending two hours trying to dissect the entire safety system of recreational diving and even technical diving!

Raven took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her heart. "Of course, it's designed for ordinary people all over the world."

Her voice lacked any sense of superiority befitting a professional, only conveying helplessness and admiration for the "monster" before her.

"The real fun lies in the edges of the rules, but only if you have complete mastery of them first. Once you get your certification, I'll take you to do some interesting things, like drift diving."

She found that this was the only way she could maintain her coaching position.

"Sounds good." Lin Yu'an didn't pursue the technical issues any further.

The two chatted casually, but the conversation had shifted from "teaching" to a deeper "discussion".

This purely intellectual resonance caused her feelings for Lin Yu'an to subtly change little by little.

Lin Yu'an's charm made her see him not just as a gifted student, but as someone she could have an equal dialogue with in the professional field, and even someone who could inspire her.

The topic, without us even realizing it, gradually drifted from diving to something much more distant.

Looking at the dazzling starry sky above, devoid of any light pollution, Raven's tone became somewhat complicated, "Honestly, Lin, is this the life you want?"

"Say goodbye to everything on land, and drift at sea forever?"

Lin Yu'an gazed at the dark horizon, his eyes distant. "It's not a farewell, it's a choice."

"On land, there are responsibilities I must protect, and on the sea, there are reasons I cannot abandon. I am just trying to find a balance that allows them to coexist."

“Balance…” Raven chewed on the word, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“Sometimes I feel like my life is out of balance. I’m desperately trying to hold onto the ocean because it’s the only thing I can be sure of.”

"But the more I feel this way, the more I feel like a lone boat in the ocean."

This was the first time she had shown vulnerability in front of Lin Yu'an, beyond her strength and composure.

Lin Yu'an was silent for a moment. "Raven, an albatross doesn't need roots; the sky and the sea are its home. You are not a lone boat; you are an albatross."

Albatross... This metaphor, like a warm ocean current, instantly enveloped Raven's somewhat cold and confused heart.

She turned her head and looked deeply at Lin Yu'an. Under the starlight, her blue eyes rippled with a ripple she herself was unaware of.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming somewhat delicate, a rapid and piercing alarm suddenly sounded in the cockpit!
"Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!"

It's a radar-based target collision warning!

"What's going on?!" Raven instantly snapped out of her emotional reverie, her entire being like a fully drawn bowstring, immediately entering battle mode.

Lin Yu'an also rushed to the multi-functional display screen at the same time.

On the radar screen, an unidentified light spot moving at an extremely fast speed was approaching them from their right rear, following a strange "S" shaped trajectory!

"CPA (Closest Point of Encounter) less than 0.1 nautical miles! TCPA (Time to Closest Point of Encounter) less than two minutes!"

Raven rattled off the data quickly, her voice trembling with tension, "Has this guy gone mad? There's no information on AIS (Automatic Identification System), it's a ghost ship!"

"Mike!" Lin Yu'an pressed the intercom button leading to the master bedroom without hesitation. "Deck emergency! Come immediately!"

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Captain Mike rushed onto the deck wearing only a pair of shorts, clearly awakened by the alarm.

"What's going on?!" He glanced at the radar screen, his expression instantly turning extremely grave. "Damn it, is it a 'Go-fast boat'?"

In the dead of night, a vessel traveling at such an irregular high speed without activating AIS is most likely involved in illegal activities.

Their sailboat happened to appear on the other side's "night road".

“He’s noticed us and is slowing down,” Lin Yu’an said calmly, staring intently at the screen. “But his course hasn’t changed; he doesn’t seem to intend to avoid us.”

The three of them stared intently at the dark sea, their hearts pounding in their throats. A tense atmosphere filled the air.

"Listen!" Raven suddenly pointed towards the stern and whispered, "There's a sound!"

The three held their breath, and sure enough, a low and rhythmic "plop" sound came from afar, mixed with the sound of rushing water.

In this highly tense atmosphere, the sound resembled a deliberately suppressed engine noise!
Confirmed by this sound, a blurry black outline close to the sea surface slowly emerged under the starlight.

It stopped about two hundred meters away from the Polaris, like a shark lurking in the darkness, scrutinizing them.

The other party did not turn on its navigation lights, and there was no one on the ship, only silent silhouettes that exuded an ominous aura in the night.

"Don't turn on the spotlight!" Mike immediately stopped Raven from trying to illuminate the other person.

"Don't provoke them! We'll pretend we didn't see them, maintain our course and speed, and let them leave on their own!"

This is the experience of veteran sailors: when encountering such "night travelers" on the high seas, the best approach is to pretend to be deaf and dumb, indicating that you have no intention of interfering and let them leave on their own.

Time passed second by second, and the black silhouette remained suspended there quietly, maintaining a parallel distance from them.

Every second felt like an eternity to the three people on deck.

Lin Yu'an's hands were already moving silently; if the other party made any unusual move, he would immediately reach for the backpack under the cockpit seat.

Using the backpack as cover, the Staccato P inside the space could appear in his hand in two seconds.

In the midst of this tense standoff, a lithe figure suddenly accelerated out of the outline, not rushing towards them, but leaping out of the water!
After tracing a graceful arc in the air, it plunged headfirst into the water, creating a spray of phosphorescent water.

"It's a dolphin!" Raven exclaimed first, her voice filled with the joy of surviving a close call.

That wasn't a speedboat at all, but a large group of dolphins playing and hunting! The rhythmic "splashing" sounds were them surfacing one after another to breathe!

"Oh, damn it..." Captain Mike plopped down on the bench, let out a long sigh, and cursed with a wry smile, "These little bastards almost gave me a heart attack."

The tense atmosphere instantly dissipated, and all three couldn't help but laugh.

"These little guys like to come out and make a ruckus at night because that's when many fish and squid are active."

"Chasing moving things is in their nature, whether it's prey... or something else."

"Alright, it's nothing, just a false alarm." Mike waved his hand. After confirming there was no danger, he yawned and walked back to the cabin.

Once again, only Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen remained on the deck. Having just experienced that minor crisis, the atmosphere between the two had become closer, as if they had fought side by side together.

Raven stared at the clear dot of light on the radar screen, which was still moving irregularly, and her smile slowly turned into confusion.

“That’s not right… Lin, look,” she pointed to the screen.

"The echo of a pod of dolphins on radar should be a blurry and unstable clutter, so why does our radar lock onto it as such a clear and stable target?"

Lin Yu'an didn't answer immediately, his brow furrowed as he pondered this illogical phenomenon. The dolphins had already gone far away, but the signal of the light spot remained, only now moving more slowly.

He pulled up the detailed data of the radar signal, looked at its radar cross-section (RCS), and quickly compared various possibilities in his mind.

“Corner reflector.” A few seconds later, Lin Yu’an slowly uttered a word.

"A corner reflector?" Raven paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "You mean there's something with a corner reflector mixed in with the dolphin pod? That's why the radar signal is so strong?"

“That’s right,” Lin Yu’an nodded, pointing to the strange “S”-shaped historical trajectory of the light spot on the screen, and continued to explain in detail, combining the dolphin’s habits with the scene in front of him.

"Dolphins are not only active during the day. On the contrary, nighttime is an important hunting time for them because many of the fish and squid they love to eat are nocturnal."

"So, what we encountered was not accidental, but rather we stumbled upon their active mealtime."

"That strange 'S'-shaped high-speed flight path is, for dolphins, highly social predators, a form of hunting rehearsal for play."

“Chasing, butting, quickly passing an object between companions… these behaviors precisely mimic all the skills they need to hunt highly mobile prey.”

He drew a final conclusion, piecing together all the fragments into a complete picture: "Therefore, everything that just happened makes perfect sense."

"A group of dolphins hunting at night found the perfect training partner: a buoy with a corner reflector."

"They treated it like a tough, big fish, and engaged in a thrilling chase."

"That buoy provided us with a clear radar signal, so the signal source would change direction at high speed and have a deceptive S-shaped trajectory."

This explanation made everything fall into place. Raven imagined the dolphins playing wildly in the dark sea with buoys on their heads, and finally couldn't help but burst into laughter again. "Mr. Monster," she teased with a smile, "for a moment, I thought we were about to witness a modern-day pirate counterattack. Your expression was as cool as a movie protagonist."

“Likewise, Captain Raven.” Lin Yu’an also relaxed. “Your reaction when the alarm went off was faster than the ship’s systems.”

The two looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.

However, the ocean's jokes seem to have only just begun.

Just when they thought they would spend the night in this tranquility, the previously calm sea conditions changed again without warning.

The ship suddenly lurched to port, only to be violently pushed back by a force!

The sails made a "puffing" sound, and the autopilot beeped an alarm because its speed of correcting the rudder angle could no longer keep up with the changes in the waves.

"What's going on now?" Raven instantly stopped smiling, switched to manual driving mode, and glanced quickly at the anemometer.

The numbers on the instrument panel were jumping wildly, 20 knots... 25 knots... and instantly soared to 30 knots! The starlight in the sky had been obscured by a fast-moving dark cloud.

"Lin!" she shouted.

Almost as soon as she shouted, Lin Yu'an put down her iPad and instantly entered battle mode.

He didn't even ask what happened; he just glanced at the anemometer and radar screen and immediately made a judgment.

“It’s a squall line!” His voice was calm and firm. “It’s not showing up on the radar; it’s a rapidly generated, independent weather system! It’s right there in that cloud!”

Squall lines—to seafarers, this term is synonymous with an ambush at sea. It is not a slowly moving cloud, but a high-speed battle line composed entirely of thunderstorms.

It often appears without warning on macro weather maps, but can be generated rapidly under specific conditions in local sea areas.

It swept across the calm sea, bringing fierce winds, torrential rain, and chaotic waves. For unprepared ships, it was a sudden disaster.

And now, this disaster is already upon us!

Within seconds of them speaking, a torrential downpour seemed to have been poured down from the sky by God, instantly soaking the deck and them completely!

The icy rain mixed with the gale reduced visibility to less than ten meters.

"The wind is getting stronger!" Raven gripped the helm tightly, struggling against the immense force that was trying to twist the bow to one side. "The wind pressure on the mainsail is too high; we need to lower it immediately!"

This was the first time she had faced such terrible sea conditions alone, and her father was not by her side.

A tremendous pressure descended upon her, but when she saw the calm gaze of the man beside her, the panic in her heart miraculously subsided.

She is also Raven Montgomery, the girl who chose to grow up at sea!

"Square line! Prepare for first-level sail reduction!" Raven's voice rang out in the gale, without the slightest hesitation, but rather with a kind of ignited fighting spirit and strong professional confidence.

She instantly transformed from an ordinary watch sailor into an experienced ASA instructor!

"Lin! Listen to my command!" she shouted, taking complete control of the command at that moment.

"Understood, Coach!" Lin Yu'an responded immediately. He was happy to follow her orders, as this was her battlefield.

While keeping the helm steady, Raven quickly gave instructions: "I need to turn the bow towards the wind, about 30 degrees upwind, and turn the mainsail into a flag to relieve the wind pressure!"

"Go to the mainmast immediately and prepare to operate the sail hoisting ropes!"

"Understood!" Lin Yu'an quickly fastened the safety rope and rushed towards the main mast without hesitation.

"Wait a minute!" Just as Lin Yu'an was about to start operating, Raven called out again, her eyes as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the waves blurred by the rain.

"No! The waves are too rough! If we go completely into the wind, the bow will lose speed and be slammed by the cross waves, the boat will rock violently, and you won't be able to stand up at all!"

This is something you can't learn from books; it's real-world experience that you can only gain through hands-on practice!
“Keep course! We’ll use the compressed sail!” She immediately made a more advanced and skill-intensive decision.

Lin Yu'an immediately understood her intention: to use a compressed sail, meaning not completely against the wind, so that the sail surface could still bear some of the wind force.

The sail-lowering operation must be performed while maintaining a certain speed and stability. This requires an extremely high level of strength and timing from the operator.

"Lin! Loosen the mainsail footline! Loosen it until the mainsail is almost touching the sidestay, so that the sail 'feathers' and minimizes wind pressure!" Raven shouted the command.

Lin Yu'an immediately did as instructed, and the huge mainsail shook violently, like a wild beast trying to break free of its reins.

"Now, listen to my command!" Raven kept her eyes fixed on the anemometer and the ship's posture.

"The wind speed is fluctuating. Wait for the next gust to pass, for a gap when the wind weakens! Three...two...one...now! Shake!"

Lin Yu'an unleashed all his strength almost at the same time she shouted "Twist!"

He abandoned the electric button, pulled out the hand crank, and frantically turned the manual winch of the sail-making machine like a piston in an engine!

"Crunch - crunch -"

The metal winch groaned in pain under immense pressure, Lin Yu'an's arm muscles bulged, and rainwater mixed with seawater streamed down his forehead.

"Not enough! Faster!" Raven shouted from behind, bracing the helm with her body as she fought against the gale and waves. "The next gust is coming!"

Just then, Lin Yu'an's calm voice came from ahead: "Raven! This is too slow! The friction of the sail ropes is too great!"

Even during extreme maneuvers, his brain was still working at high speed, instantly analyzing the key to the problem.

"Listen to me!" His voice pierced through the wind and rain. "Tighten the mainsail rigging! About ten centimeters! Use lift to reduce friction!"

"By utilizing the Bernoulli effect, a small lift is created in the lower part of the sail, 'lifting' the canvas upwards slightly! This reduces the friction between the canvas and the sail flute!"

This suggestion was like a bolt of lightning, instantly shattering Raven's preconceived notions!

Using aerodynamics to assist in mechanical operation? That's an absolutely ingenious idea!
Without the slightest hesitation, she did as instructed. As she precisely tightened the ten-centimeter cord, a miracle occurred!

Lin Yu'an immediately felt the resistance on the manual winch suddenly lessen! He roared and instantly doubled the rotation speed!
Before the next, even stronger gust of wind arrived, the mainsail was successfully incorporated into the position of the first stage retractor!

"Lock up the sail ropes!" Raven shouted.

"Locked up!" Lin Yu'an deftly completed the last action.

The ship's tilt angle was immediately relieved, and the enormous force that almost capsized the ship disappeared.

The Polaris regained its stability, like a tamed wild horse, still tossed about in the waves, but now completely under control.

This sudden sea storm came quickly and went quickly.

In less than twenty minutes, the wind speed dropped back to below 20 knots, and the rain stopped.

The dark clouds in the sky were blown away, revealing the dazzling Milky Way once again, as if everything just now was only a dream.

"Phew..." Raven let out a long breath. She released the steering wheel, which was almost embedded in her flesh, and felt her arms trembling uncontrollably.

Raven leaned against the helmsman's seat, her back already soaked through, indistinguishable between rain and cold sweat.

She looked at Lin Yu'an, who was also soaking wet and carefully inspecting every rigging to make sure there was no damage, with a very complicated expression in her eyes.

There was a sense of relief at surviving a disaster, a shock at his brilliant advice, but even more so, an unprecedented sense of trust that allowed me to completely entrust my back to him.

“Thanks, Lin,” she said sincerely. This time, she didn’t call him “Captain” or “Monster” again.

“Your suggestion about the Bernoulli effect is a brilliant idea! My father never taught me that,” Raven said sincerely, her voice full of admiration.

“We’re a team.” Lin Yu’an walked back to the cockpit, took two dry towels from the storage compartment, and handed one to Raven. “Go change your clothes. I’ll watch over things here for now.”

Raven took the towel, nodded, and without saying anything more, turned and went into the cabin.

Just as Lin Yu'an was about to wipe her soaking wet hair, a soft round of applause suddenly came from below the steps leading to the cabin.

Captain Mack, dressed in his pajamas and holding a glass of whiskey, was leaning against the shadows of the cabin door. He had clearly been awakened for a while but hadn't come up to intervene.

"A truly brilliant team effort."

Mike downed his whiskey in one gulp, slowly walked onto the deck, his voice slightly hoarse, but more so filled with heartfelt approval.

"Lin, to be honest, even I wouldn't have thought of your idea of ​​using lift to reduce friction in that situation. You're using the mindset of piloting an airplane to pilot a sailboat."

He then turned his gaze to Raven, who had just opened the hatch and was about to change her clothes.

“And you, Raven, my sweetheart.” His tone became incredibly proud and gratified.

"Your decisions were decisive and accurate. From judging the squall line to deciding to bring the compression sail, every instruction was impeccable."

“My daughter, you… have grown up and are now a captain who can stand on your own.”

This was the first time Mike had acknowledged his daughter's growth in such a serious tone.

Raven stood at the cabin door, stunned. She hadn't expected her father to have been watching all along. A warm feeling welled up in her heart, and her eyes became slightly hot.

"I just...did what I was supposed to do." Her voice was a little hoarse.

“No,” Mike shook his head, a relaxed smile spreading across his face, “you did a much better job than ‘should have’ done.”

"Lin, Raven, this is a very good lesson. That's how it is at sea; the weather is unpredictable. Never just trust the weather chart; rely more on experience to avoid risks."

“I was down there, ready to come up and take over at any moment. But your performance has made me realize that this ship is safe in your hands.”

He glanced at his watch; it was nearly 3 a.m.

"Alright, it's about time." He stretched and said to Raven, "Your shift is over. Go change into some dry clothes and get a good night's sleep. I, this old man, will take over the next shift, Dawn."

Then, he turned to Lin Yu'an, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a half-joking, half-serious tone:
"As for you, Captain, go and rest as well. Don't think I don't know you were reading down there. It's good that young people have plenty of energy, but a long voyage is a marathon, not a sprint. Now, this is an order."

After saying that, he walked to the helm and naturally took control of the ship, leaving the starry sky, which had just weathered the storm, to himself.

On deck, only Lin Yu'an and Ruiwen remained, preparing to return to their cabin. Mike's sudden approval and command made the atmosphere between the two somewhat awkward.

Looking at her father's broad and reliable back, and then at Lin Yu'an beside her who was also soaking wet, Raven blushed slightly.

She cleared her throat, forcibly breaking the silence: "Ahem... Well... goodnight."

After saying that, she turned and went into her cabin.

Lin Yu'an smiled, said "Goodnight, Captain" to Mike, and then returned to his cabin.

However, five minutes later, just as Raven had changed into her dry pajamas and was about to lie down, there was a gentle knock on the cabin door.

Lin Yu'an was standing outside the door, holding two steaming cups of herbal tea that emitted a faint fragrance.

“Have something warm before bed,” he said softly, handing her one of the cups. “This is chamomile and peppermint tea; it helps relax your nerves.”

“…Thank you.” Raven took the warm teacup. The subtle sweetness of chamomile and the refreshing scent of mint completely relaxed her tense nerves after experiencing a storm.

The two didn't say anything more, but simply drank tea quietly in the narrow passageway through the cabin door.

Without the sea breeze and starry sky on the deck, the atmosphere inside the warm but slightly cramped cabin has an inexplicable sense of intimacy.

Everything that happened tonight, and this last cup of hot tea late at night, are like invisible threads that quietly connect two souls.

(End of this chapter)