The morning glow painted the sky with crimson hues, as if setting the azure sea ablaze. Waves shimmering with golden light danced gently with the sea breeze. Upon this radiant expanse of water, a small yacht floated serenely. Onboard, a group of teenagers, full of youthful energy, were joyfully playing and joking on the deck. Some had spread a tablecloth and were setting out breakfast, preparing to start their morning meal.
A few boys were exercising on the deck when one of them suddenly shouted in surprise, “Hey, Jak! Look over there—what’s floating ahead? Could it be a person?”
Hearing this exclamation, everyone rushed to the deck, straining their eyes toward the horizon. One boy grabbed a pair of binoculars and scanned the sea carefully. After a moment, he called out excitedly, “Yes! It really is a person! Pierre, steer the boat over there quickly. Let’s see if this person still has a chance of survival!”
The other teenagers eagerly jostled for the binoculars. In their young lives, they had never encountered anything like this before. Perhaps they were about to save a real, living human being. Each one was eager to catch the first glimpse of the person in the water.
These were a group of teenagers from the small French town of Lorient, celebrating the end of their high school years with a trip out to sea on a family yacht.
Lorient was a quiet coastal town with a population of just over 50,000. Its residents had traditionally relied on fishing, but with economic development, nearshore fish stocks had nearly vanished. The town had gradually shifted its focus to manufacturing fishing gear, with fishing itself becoming a secondary industry. The children of Lorient had grown up by the sea, and as a result, most were strong swimmers. As they grew older, however, many left the town for bigger cities in pursuit of their own dreams, causing the population of Lorient to steadily decline.
As the boat drew closer, the floating figure came into clear view. Now they could see without binoculars—it was definitely a person. He clung tightly to a lifebuoy, his head resting limply on it, giving no sign of life.
Without hesitation, a few brave boys dove into the sea. Growing up by the coast, they had often seen the bodies of drowning victims wash ashore. Rescuing people at sea had become a tradition passed down through generations, because no one could ever be sure when they themselves might be the next ones in need. When encountering a drowning victim, they always checked for any sign of life. As long as there was the slightest hope, they would do everything possible to save the person.
Soon, the boys reached the figure. Lifting his head, they saw a typical young Asian face. With practiced hands, one of them placed his fingers near the man’s nose and quickly detected faint breathing. Together, they supported him and swam back toward the yacht.
“It’s a boy! He’s still alive!” one of the boys shouted joyfully to the others on the boat.
“He’s injured! Quick, get some bandages, medicine, and some alcohol!” another shouted, clearly experienced in such rescues. The others on the yacht immediately sprang into action.
Before long, they pulled the man aboard. He was a young Asian male, his clothes reduced to tattered rags. Across his chest and abdomen were several shallow wounds, already bleached pale by the seawater. His body was stiff from prolonged exposure to the cold sea, and if not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, he would have seemed no different from a corpse.
Quickly, the teenagers tore off his ruined clothes. Luckily, his underwear was still intact—otherwise, he would surely have died of embarrassment upon waking up naked in front of a group of girls.
The girls on the boat showed no sign of shyness. They began gently cleaning his body, then applied medicine and bandaged his wounds. They wrapped him in thick blankets and gave him some sweet wine to help warm his body.
After drinking the wine, the man slipped into a deep sleep.
As they cleaned his belongings, the teens found no identification on him. He carried no documents to reveal who he was. His lean, well-defined muscles indicated excellent physical condition. The Giorgio Armani Polo label on his clothing and the high-quality fabric suggested he came from a wealthy background. Other than that, all they knew was that he was a young Asian man. No further information could be found.
“He’s just unconscious,” the teens understood. It was a normal reaction after receiving treatment. Without knowing the full extent of his injuries or whether his wounds might become infected, they needed a proper medical examination. Looking at the young face before them, so similar to their own, they said nothing more and immediately turned the boat around, heading back toward the town.
Soon, the yacht approached the harbor of Lorient. The town hospital had already been alerted by the teens’ radio distress call, and an ambulance was waiting at the dock.
Lorient was a small, quiet town where news traveled fast. The teens’ outing to sea to celebrate the end of high school had already been a major event in the town. Now, learning that they had rescued a drowning victim, the townspeople felt both proud and sorry that the teens had lost their chance for a carefree outing.
As a result, besides the ambulance and two officers from the police station, the parents of the teens had also gathered at the dock.
While the townspeople felt a sense of joy and pride at the teenagers’ actions, they couldn’t help but wonder about the identity of the rescued man. After all, there had been no recent storms at sea, nor any reports of distress signals from ships. This area, located along the central western coast of France, had never been known for pirate activity or any kind of maritime robbery.
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