King of the Wilderness

Chapter 794: Chapter 360: Squall Line

Lin Yu’an changed into dry clothes and then returned to the deck with a steaming cup of coffee in hand.

”Thank you.” Riven took the cup, the warm touch making her feel a sense of comfort amidst the cool sea breeze.

She glanced at Lin Yu’an without asking why he didn’t go back to sleep.

Riven sat behind the helm, primarily monitoring. The autopilot dutifully carried out commands, and Polaris advanced steadily through the waves.

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

But tonight, because of the quiet figure in the corner and that bit of glimmer, this loneliness seemed less unbearable.

”How’s it going, Mr. Monster,” Riven finally broke the silence, her voice particularly clear in the tranquil night.

”That PADI manual which is like a children’s book, you should have read the last Chapter by now, right?”

Lin Yu’an looked up from the screen and smiled: ”The content is interesting, but I have a few questions I’d like to ask Coach Riven.”

”Oh?” Riven raised her eyebrows, showing an interested expression on her face, ”Let’s hear them.”

She thought Lin Yu’an would ask beginner questions like ”What if ear equalization doesn’t work?”

”The section about decompression theory mentions the ZHL-16C algorithm model as the basis for most modern dive computers,”

Lin Yu’an spoke calmly, but each word was precise, ”but its default gradient factor settings are relatively conservative.”

”I found that many technical divers manually adjust the high and low gradient factors according to their physical condition and dive plans.”

”For instance, adjusting from a conservative 30/70 to a more aggressive 40/85 to gain longer no-decompression limits.”

He looked at Riven and posed the first question: ”I’d like to know, in the realm of recreational diving, especially in environments like the Bahamas Blue Hole that we’re about to explore, what experiences and advice are there for adjusting gradient factors?”

As soon as this question was asked, the relaxed expression on Riven’s face instantly disappeared, replaced by a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Gradient factors? Technical divers? These are hardly questions a beginner who just looked at a manual for an hour could ask! They are topics for dive masters or even instructors!

She was stunned for a few seconds, before rediscovering her voice, filled with incredulity: ”You... you researched gradient factors in just two hours?”

”I just saw the relevant part, only got curious.” Lin Yu’an calmly answered, before tossing out a second question.

”Also, regarding gas management. The manual emphasizes the ’Rule of Thirds’ (one-third for going, one-third for returning, leaving one-third as backup).”

”But in actual shipwreck or cave exploration, if you encounter a strong countercurrent, the gas consumed on the return trip can far exceed the way out.”

”In such cases, does the ’Rule of Thirds’ still apply? Or should a more conservative ’Rule of Quarters’ or a dynamic calculation based on real-time SAC (Surface Air Consumption) and flow rate be used?”

This second question, like a punch, completely shattered the last barrier of Riven’s understanding. It turned out, in this world, there really exists a difference between genius and the ordinary.

When she first met Lin Yu’an, she was shocked by his talent and even Googled the difference between genius and ordinary people.

She saw a quote from Chinese scientist Qian Xuesen, can anyone be too dull to learn calculus?

This sentence gave her a vague concept of genius, but today Lin Yu’an’s performance made her fully visualize the concept.

Because, dynamic gas management calculations are already core curriculum content for confined space diving!

This guy wasn’t just reading the book, he was using two hours to try to deconstruct the entire safety system of recreational and even technical diving!

Riven took a deep breath, forcibly calming her inner turmoil, ”Of course, they’re designed for ordinary people around the world.”

In her voice, there was no longer any superiority of a professional, only resignation and admiration for this ”monster” in front of her.

”True fun is hidden at the boundaries of rules, but first, you must fully master the rules. Once you get your certificate, I’ll take you to experience something interesting, like drift diving.”

She found she could only maintain her identity as a coach through this approach.

”Sounds good.” Lin Yu’an did not continue to pursue technical issues.

The two chatted on and off, but the content of their conversation had transformed from ”teaching” to a deeper level of ”discussion.”

This pure intellectual resonance slowly changed how she felt about Lin Yu’an, little by little.

Lin Yu’an’s charisma made her view him not just as a talented student, but more like a peer who could converse equally in the professional realm and even inspire her.

Unknowingly, the topic drifted from diving to farther places.

Riven looked at the dazzling starry sky overhead without any light pollution, her tone became somewhat complex, ”Honestly, Lin, is this the life you want?”

”Saying goodbye to everything on land and always drifting at sea?”

Lin Yu’an looked toward the dark sea horizon, his gaze distant, ”It’s not farewell, but a choice.”

”On land, there are responsibilities I must fulfill, and on the sea, there are reasons I can’t give up. I’m just striving to find a balance where they can coexist.”