Chapter 1: Reborn Amid Storm Tides

Lin Xi's eyes snapped open. The briny, salt-heavy wind hit her face like a slap, dragging her back from the abyss of death to the harsh reality of the now. Her fingers brushed against the rough wooden railing of the boat. The scent of aged rot mixed with the sharp tang of rust. The gritty texture confirmed this was no hallucination.

Her consciousness flickered back to the Qingyan Village docks in 1980. The memories of her previous life receded like a tide, replaced by a scarlet holographic map. The Tidal Sea Chart was active. Wind paths, wave heights, and storm trajectories for the next seventy-two hours were projected precisely into her vision. A red warning line cut through her field of view like a blade.

She stared at the churning mass of dark clouds, her heart contracting violently, threatening to crack her ribs. Black Whirlwind. The demon that had devoured her entire fleet in her past life. It was brewing right now in the southeast cloud banks. If the village went out to sea on their usual routine, they would be ground to pieces.

Lin Xi clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms until it hurt. The pain kept her sharp. This time, she wouldn't let anyone get left behind. Even Zhao Shunfa, the village chief who believed every rumor that crossed his path, would be dragged back from the storm.

The dock was in chaos. Wooden pilings clanked against the water with dull thuds. Lin Zhaodi stood with her back to the deathly silent black clouds, her hands gripping the knots of a fishing net so hard her knuckles had turned white. Her timid little sister looked different now; instead of fear, her eyes burned with the frantic desperation of someone who needed results.

She was trying to force her way onto a battered little wooden boat. A few burly men pushed and shoved around her, their voices coarse and urgent, spittle flying in the damp air. Lin Xi’s gaze swept the crowd and landed on Old Captain Chen Haisheng. He stood beneath the mast, his clouded eyes fixed on the horizon, his brow furrowed so deeply it formed the shape of a river delta.

The old man opened his mouth several times, then closed it, letting out a heavy sigh that carried a profound sense of helplessness. The villagers had long since grown numb to his warnings; they trusted Zhao Shunfa’s slogan that "quotas are life" far more than the old sailor’s gut feeling. Lin Xi felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Her sister was standing on the outer edge of the storm eye. A few more minutes, and that boat would capsize.

She didn’t hesitate. Ignoring the thin layers of her clothes billowing in the wind, she sprinted toward the small boat preparing to leave the harbor.

Chen Haisheng finally lost his temper. His raspy voice cut through the din of the crowd: "Stop it all! The signs are wrong. The southeast wind is coming up from hell. If we don’t leave port now, we’ll be feeding the sharks!"

Before he finished, Zhao Shunfa strutted over, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips. Smoke curled around his face, which shifted between irritation and scheming. He shot a look at the old captain, a cold, contemptuous smirk curling his mouth. "Old Chen, who are you trying to scare?"

The upper management is breathing down our necks. If we don’t get this batch of fish up there, your quarterly performance review is toast. I think this weather is a fake out. Strong winds are perfect for pulling the nets."

He turned to the eager men, his volume rising, spittle flying: "Do you hear me on my count! Three, two, one, cast the nets! Anyone who holds us back won't get a single point of work credit this year!"

Lin Xi pushed through the crowd, abandoning all dignity, and threw herself in front of Lin Zhaodi, grabbing her sister’s arm with a death grip. Her strength was terrifying, like restraining a startled beast. Her scream scattered in the wind: "Drop the net! Drop it now! Don’t touch that rickety boat or nobody gets home! You’ll die! We’ll all die!"

Lin Zhaodi collapsed, legs giving way. The fishing net clattered to the ground, wet holes still trapping a few lively little shrimp. She looked up, her eyes wide with fear and confusion, trembling as she whimpered, "Sister... what are you yelling about? Are you acting crazy again?"

Uncle Zhao said this is our last chance. If we miss it, we starve." The surrounding villagers turned to gawk, their whispering buzzing like mosquitoes, filled with disdain for the Lin sisters. Some even wore mocking smiles.

Seeing the scene spiral out of control, Zhao Shunfa, feeling his authority threatened, waved his hand in anger, signaling the militia to restrain Lin Xi. He pointed his finger in her face, spittle spraying: "You’re just a woman! What do you know about weather? You’re only good at causing trouble and disrupting production! If we miss the fishing quota because of you, who’s responsible?"

"Drag her to the side! Don’t let her block the way!" Two burly men stepped forward, grabbing Lin Xi’s shoulders. Their rough hands squeezed until her bones creaked, trying to pull her away. Lin Xi kicked her feet hard into the ground, using the leverage to break free; a plank beneath her cracked under the force. She looked up, meeting Zhao Shunfa’s calculating eyes.

Her voice was no longer ragged. It was terrifyingly calm. Each word hit like a hammer on steel: "Zhao Shunfa, listen closely. The southeast wind will shift to the west in two hours. The waves will hit four meters. When that happens, those boats of yours will disintegrate instantly. Not a single piece of wood will be left."

The onlooking villagers erupted in laughter. Some pointed and snickered, "That girl from the Lin family must be out of her mind. She’s even making up which way the wind blows."

Others looked confused, asking the young men nearby how she could predict the ocean currents so precisely. Amidst the noise, the silent Old Captain Chen Haisheng’s expression changed drastically. He spun around, staring at Lin Xi as if he’d seen a ghost.

What she said matched perfectly with the "Black Whirlwind precursors" recorded in his family’s generations of sea-watching lore. Not a single detail was off. This intuitive resonance sent a shiver down his spine, and a strong premonition surged in his heart. He ignored Zhao Shunfa and used his raspy, broken voice to shout toward the harbor: "All vessels that can hear me! Turn around and enter the harbor immediately!"

"Shelter from the storm! This is an order!"

Some of the fishing boats, following the advice, struggled to turn their bows, rocking unsteadily as they headed toward the safe harbor. Zhao Shunfa scoffed, dismissing Chen Haisheng as a senile fool and Lin Xi as a madwoman. He personally jumped onto the largest motorized boat, ordering the remaining three ships to head out, determined to catch one last net before the storm fully formed.

As soon as they cleared the shallows, the dark clouds on the horizon spread like spilled ink. Gale-force winds instantly tore the calm sea apart, waves slamming against the hulls with violent impact. Zhao Shunfa stood at the bow, watching the wooden planks beneath his feet shake violently. His cigarette clattered to the deck, extinguished instantly by the rain.

He grabbed the railing in a panic, nails digging into the wood, finally realizing the terrifying accuracy of Lin Xi’s prediction. Cold sweat soaked his back, dripping from his hair.

Black Whirlwind arrived on schedule. The sea rose in towering waves, as if giant hands were churning the abyss. The boat Zhao Shunfa was on tossed wildly on the crests, nearly overturned. The violent impacts of the hull against the water sent dread through the crew. He screamed into the storm, his voice shredded by the gale, unheard by anyone.

Meanwhile, in the harbor, the boats huddled together, creaking and groaning. The villagers curled up in the dry cabins, listening to the apocalyptic storm outside, praying the timber would hold.

Lin Xi barred the door and shielded Lin Zhaodi, her hand covering her sister’s trembling shoulder. She confirmed that all the boats in the harbor and the remaining personnel were safe. Her heart settled slightly, but she remained on edge. Every thunderous crash outside kept her nerves frayed.

The storm passed, and morning light began to seep through. Zhao Shunfa sat in his waterlogged house, shaking uncontrollably. In his hand, he held a small notebook, pages covered in crooked writing documenting the disaster’s losses. He looked out the window, his eyes icy: "Lin Xi... what on earth is she?"

Zhao Shunfa didn’t rush to check his own damaged fishing boats. Instead, he sneaked out of the house like a ghost. The morning fog hadn’t lifted; the damp, fishy sea wind slapped his face. Using the fog for cover, he hunched over, slipping through the muddy village paths, finally stopping in the shadow of the Lin family’s closed wooden door, three meters away.

He stared fixedly at the gap in the door, the notebook in his hand damp with rain, but he didn't care. He was focused on recalling Lin Xi’s performance last night.

"At three a.m., she suddenly ran out screaming that the wind would turn east... At five thirty, she forced Zhaodi to pull the nets, even the village chief couldn’t stop her..."

Zhao Shunfa lowered his voice, fingers flying across the notebook, his handwriting messy and jagged from trembling. "How did she know the waves would hit the eastern sandbar? That place is usually calm. Only the old captain mentioned there was a hidden eddy there, but the old man kept his mouth shut."

He crouched outside for a long time, until he heard Lin Xi soothing Zhaodi inside. Her tone was calm, almost cold, as if she already knew how everything would end. If this kind of foresight could be used for fishing, why worry about food? If it could be used for other things... Greed and malice flashed in Zhao Shunfa’s eyes. He quickly closed the notebook and stuffed it into his inner pocket.

He stood up, wiping the rain from his face. A twisted smile curled his lip. He turned and disappeared into the gray alley.

At the same time, Lin Xi pushed open the window. The fresh sea breeze cleared the dampness inside. She looked toward where Zhao Shunfa had vanished, her brow furrowed.

The side effects of Tidal Forecast were starting to show. A sharp headache pierced her head like needles. The images in her mind blurred, leaving only one stark warning: The storm has passed, but the aftermath is not over. At tomorrow’s low tide, North Reef’s hidden sands will expose a new gap.

She looked back at Zhaodi, who was still sleeping, and felt a complex sense of powerlessness. Being reborn, she could change the storm’s casualties, but she couldn’t seem to stop the darkness growing in people’s hearts. Zhao Shunfa was a man who loved calculation. In a fishing village, he always fawned over the strong but held deep suspicion and hostility toward outcasts.

Now that he had been proven wrong, this cognitive dissonance might make him dangerous.

Outside, seagulls began to circle the broken masts, crying in mournful cries. Lin Xi took a deep breath, forcing down the intense pain in her brain. She grabbed the ship’s lantern and stepped out the door. She had to reach North Reef before the tide went out. Not only was there a new channel she had foresight of, but also another plot point from her previous life that had led to the village’s destruction—a rusted iron anchor hidden beneath the storm-washed seabed.

It was the only clue to her father’s disappearance.

The sky lightened, the sea surface shimmering with faint light. Lin Xi held her lantern, stepping onto the slippery reefs toward the deeper water. Behind her, not far away, a pair of cold eyes peered through the gaps between fingers in a rock crevice, staring fixedly at her slender, resolute back. In his hand, a pen quietly wrote the last line on the back of the notebook: "She is going to North Reef. Something is waiting for her there."