The wind and waves outside the ship grew stronger, and the seawater deepened in color. In the distance, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating half of the sea.
Chen Hao walked to the control panel and stared at the coordinates.
“Since it proactively sent the message,” he said, “it means—someone doesn’t want us to be completely kept in the dark.”
Nana's blue eyes flashed rapidly as she swiped her finger across the screen. She brought up a new data stream, her brow furrowing slightly.
“No,” she said.
“What’s wrong?” Susan asked immediately.
“The signal we just received wasn’t just coordinates,” Nana said calmly. “It also triggered a hidden protocol. I just discovered that this system is linked to the disaster early warning module at the research station.”
“Speak like a human.” Karl looked up from the corner, his arm still resting on his knee.
“We’ve been connected to a global monitoring network,” she said. “Now we can see all active geological anomalies.”
The screen flashed, and a map of the entire sea area unfolded. A dozen red dots bounced on the seabed, three of them particularly bright. One was marked "IS-7," the research station they had just left. Another was "Node b," whose coordinates they had just received. The third… was directly below the base.
"What's that dot?" Chen Hao pointed to the brightest one.
“It’s labeled as a ‘core resonance amplifier,’” Nana said. “The last record showed that the energy output was increasing exponentially.”
“Translate this.” Susan gripped the armrest tightly.
“To put it simply,” Nana said, looking at them, “the underwater fault line has become unstable. An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 or higher will occur within three hours, and the first wave of the resulting tsunami is expected to reach the base in four hours.”
The cabin was silent for a second.
Then Carl laughed, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Great,” he said. “We just finished repairing the ship and hit the road when the Earth sneezed. We’re so lucky, we could win the lottery.”
"Stop talking nonsense." Chen Hao had already walked to the navigation screen. "What's the fastest way back now?"
Susan leaned closer, tracing the course with her finger. "Going straight out to sea is the fastest, but the waves are too big, and the ship can't withstand it. Going along the shore and following the current is a bit longer, but it avoids the main wave zone and can also use the ocean currents to increase speed."
"how long?"
"Two hours and fifty minutes."
"We need to go faster." Chen Hao turned to look at Nana. "Can we shift the engine up another gear?"
“Okay.” Nana nodded. “But the power system has been unstable since the last repair. There is a 37% chance that it will crash if we force it to overclock.”
"That means there's a 63% chance of survival." Chen Hao made the decision. "Let's go."
"Are you really going to gamble with your life?" Carl glared at him.
"It's not gambling," Chen Hao grinned. "It's calculating the probability. Sixty-three to zero is better than drifting at sea waiting for the waves to crash over us."
Susan didn't say anything, but turned and went to the driver's seat. She pushed the control stick all the way down, the boat jolted violently, and the speedometer needle slowly deflected to the right.
Nana began adjusting the engine parameters. She pulled up the emergency manual for old equipment in the knowledge base and gradually increased the output power according to the "step-by-step boost" scheme. Every thirty seconds, she reported the value.
"Voltage is stable. Current is normal. Temperature has risen by two degrees."
The ship began to vibrate more violently, and the overhead lights started to sway. The toolbox rattled back and forth in the corner, making a clattering sound.
"Karl!" Chen Hao shouted, "Secure the cargo box!"
Carl gritted his teeth, stood up, grabbed the rope, and headed towards the cargo hold. His old leg injury still ached, but he didn't stop. He secured each crate tightly, finally using his body to brace against the largest one to make sure it wouldn't slip before letting go.
"All done!" he called back.
“Turn off the lighting,” Nana suddenly said. “Turn the temperature control to the lowest setting. Save twelve percent of energy.”
The cabin lights dimmed by half, and the temperature began to drop. No one complained.
Chen Hao stood at the bow of the ship, his hand gripping the railing. The sea ahead seemed to be cleaved open by the bow, water splashing up and wetting his clothes. He didn't move, his eyes fixed on the distant fog.
"How much longer?" he asked.
"Two hours and twenty minutes," Nana replied. "The tsunami countdown is three hours and forty-two minutes."
"There's still time," Chen Hao said, "as long as nothing unexpected happens."
The fuel alarm went off as soon as he finished speaking.
A sharp beep pierced the air, and a red warning light flashed on the control panel.
"Fuel levels are low." Nana glanced at the fuel tank. "Current reserves only support two hours of sailing."
"Half an hour to go." Susan tightened her grip on the helm.
“We can’t slow down.” Chen Hao shook his head. “If we slow down, the waves will catch up with us. And we won’t be able to reach the base.”
"Is there a way to save fuel?" Karl asked Nana.
“Without extra fuel, we can only reduce engine power,” she said. “But that would reduce speed by 30 percent, making it impossible to arrive on time.”
“I remember…” Karl suddenly pulled out his technical notes from his backpack, “There was a biocatalytic synthesis method in the data from the research station. It said that it could use algae and minerals to generate temporary fuel.”
"Can you do it?" Chen Hao looked at him.
“I haven’t tried it,” Carl said honestly. “But the principle is not complicated; it just requires a reaction vessel and a stable heat source.”
Do you have any tools?
“The welding torch can be used as a heater. The sealed container can be converted into a reaction chamber.” Carl quickly flipped through his notes. “The problem is, it will take two hours to produce the first batch of this thing.”
“Let’s start now,” Chen Hao said. “Every minute saved is a bonus.”
Carl got to work immediately. He disassembled the welding torch, turning it into a makeshift heating device, and found a metal can, sealing the joints with insulating tape. Susan took a moment to help him secure the equipment, preventing it from falling apart during the bumps.
Nana continued to monitor the tsunami's progress. Every ten minutes, she updated the countdown.
"Three hours and thirty minutes."
"Three hours and fifteen minutes."
"Three hours and seven minutes."
The boat bobbed in the waves, but its speed didn't decrease. The engine emitted a deep roar, like an old ox that might die at any moment, but it kept pushing forward.
Chen Hao kept an eye on the instrument panel and the sea. His clothes were still damp and clung to his body, making him feel cold, but he didn't go into the cabin. He knew he couldn't let his guard down now.
Susan's hand never left the helm. Her knuckles turned white, and her arm began to ache, but she didn't switch hands. She knew the course couldn't be deviated from, not even by half a degree.
Carl crouched in the corner, holding the modified container in his hands. He heated it while stirring, his eyes fixed on the thermometer. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing was a little rapid, but his movements were steady.
"The first batch is almost ready," he said softly. "Just wait a little longer."
Nana suddenly looked up.
"Increased activity in submarine faults," she said. "Earthquakes may occur earlier."
How far in advance?
"At most twenty minutes."
"Damn it," Chen Hao cursed, "Then let's make it even faster."
He rushed back to the driver's seat and grabbed the walkie-talkie.
"Listen up, everyone! Earthquakes come earlier, and tsunamis come earlier too! We only have less than three hours of flight time left, and enough fuel for just two more hours! Nobody can stop, understand?"
No one responded, but everyone quickened their pace.
Susan steered the ship more steadily, avoiding every possible wave crest.
Carl increased the heating power, and the can began to emit white smoke.
Nana kept updating the data, announcing the latest developments.
"Fuel consumption rate is rising. Remaining support time is 118 minutes."
"Tsunami countdown: 2 hours and 49 minutes."
"Due to changes in ocean current speed, it is recommended to make a slight adjustment to the course by 3.2 degrees."
Chen Hao did as instructed, manually adjusting the direction.
The ship continued forward, like a nail driven into the gray sea.
One hundred minutes later.
“The first batch of fuel is out.” Karl held up a small bottle containing a murky liquid.
"Can it be used?"
“Theoretically, it’s possible,” he said, “but we need to test it first.”
Nana took the bottle and connected it to the detector. A few seconds later, the screen showed that the energy density had reached 68% of the standard value.
“It’s usable,” she said. “Not very efficient, but it can supplement our work.”
“Then let’s add it in,” Chen Hao said. “Every little bit helps.”
Carl opened the engine fuel inlet and carefully poured the liquid in. Nana simultaneously adjusted the combustion parameters to ensure the fuel mixture ignited stably.
The engine sound changed; it became slightly more stable.
"Speed has recovered to five percent," Nana said.
“Not enough.” Chen Hao stared ahead. “We need to go even faster.”
He looked at Karl, "Anything else?"
"The second batch is in progress." Carl had already begun preparing for the next round of reaction, "but we're running out of raw materials, so we have to use them sparingly."
"That's enough," Chen Hao said. "As long as it's there, that's fine."
He returned to the bow of the boat, the wind blowing on his face, carrying a salty, fishy smell.
In the distance, the dark clouds pressed down even lower on the horizon.
Nana's voice came from behind.
"Tsunami countdown: 2 hours and 19 minutes."
"Fuel remaining to last for 103 minutes."
Chen Hao didn't turn around.
He just gripped his hand tighter, his nails digging into his palm.
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