The ripples on the water spread out in circles. Chen Hao stared at the ripple, but before he could speak, the boat suddenly jolted.
The wind is blowing.
It wasn't just a little wind; it was the kind that rolls in directly from the distant sea. The boat swayed from side to side, and the wooden planks beneath his feet creaked. He lost his balance and had to brace himself against the side of the boat to avoid falling.
"It's getting windy!" he shouted, his voice scattering in the wind.
Nana stood in the middle of the boat, her eyes brightening. She didn't look up at the sky or reach for anything; she simply turned around and pointed forward: "Thirty degrees to the right front, avoid the head-on waves."
Chen Hao didn't bother asking how she knew; he turned and lunged at the helm. Just as he grabbed the bar, a gust of wind slammed against his back, nearly sending him tumbling into the cabin.
Carl climbed up from the stern and wiped the water from his face: "This wind is weird!"
"Nonsense!" Chen Hao gritted his teeth and turned the helm. "What's the use of saying this now! Where's the compass?"
Karl pulled out a small wooden box, opened the lid, and glanced inside: "It's off by five degrees. Move it a little more to the right!"
Chen Hao pushed the helm with all his might, his arms trembling. This job wasn't supposed to be his, but he was the only one who could steer. Fat as he was, he had to step up now.
Susan crouched beside the crate and saw the top supply bag start to slide. She reached out to stop it, but the bag was too heavy and pulled her down. She rolled over and sat down against the deck, catching her breath.
"A rope!" she shouted, "Bring me a rope!"
Carl tossed her a roll of rope. Susan caught it and immediately tied a tight knot around the two boxes. But the wind was too strong, and the knot kept loosening, so she simply untied her belt, tied the rope to her belt, and tightened it securely.
"Cover it with the tarpaulin!" she shouted back, turning around. "The food mustn't get wet!"
No one answered, but the next second, a thick tarpaulin was lifted and placed over the pile of supplies. It was Karl; he used his knee to hold down one corner, while his other hand was still gripping the buoyancy bucket's fasteners.
“This thing is about to loosen!” he yelled.
"Never mind that for now!" Chen Hao's voice came from the bow of the ship. "First, stabilize the people and the cargo!"
Before the words were even finished, a wave crashed over, causing the boat to capsize and half of its hull to sink into the water. Seawater rushed in, soaking everyone's trousers.
Nana didn't move, her hands were placed on both sides of the hull, and she quickly recited numbers: "Port pressure 3.2, starboard pressure 4.1... joint displacement 0.5 centimeters."
"What did you say?" Carl asked while wiping his face.
"The boat can hold up," she said, "as long as it doesn't hit the waves head-on."
"Then you should have said so earlier!" Chen Hao cursed, but his hands didn't stop; he continued to adjust the direction.
The wind grew stronger, dark clouds pressed down from the sky, and the sea changed color, turning from blue-green to dark gray. In the distance, a white line could be seen—a wall of waves—pushing towards them.
“The next wave will be bigger.” Nana looked up. “Prepare to tilt and avoid it.”
"I've been preparing all along!" Chen Hao roared.
The boat rocked again, this time more violently. Susan almost let go of the suitcase, her nails digging into the cracks in the planks to steady herself. She looked down at her hands; they hurt a little, but she didn't care.
Carl climbed to the stern and inspected the connection of the buoyancy tank. The rope was frayed, so he tore off a strip of cloth from his clothes, wrapped it around the rope, and tied a knot.
"I can only hold on for a little while," he muttered to himself.
"It'll be enough in a minute." Susan leaned over and reinforced the other bucket as well.
How do you know if it's enough?
“I don’t know,” she said, “but someone has to believe it can work.”
The boat was lifted again, this time almost tilted on the water. Chen Hao clung tightly to the helm, feeling as if his internal organs were about to shift. When the boat finally came to a stop, he heard a loud "thud."
"Which box?" he asked.
“The second one from the right!” Susan replied, “The freshwater bag is showing!”
She rushed over and found that the bag had a hole in it, and water was seeping out. She took off her coat and wrapped it around the leaking area, then bit a thin rope with her teeth and tied a knot with her hands to seal the tear.
"It still works," she told herself. "Don't panic."
Carl heard this, turned to look at her, and said, "You're pretty steady."
"If I'm not stable, who is?" she gasped. "You men are all talk and no action."
Chen Hao's situation wasn't good. His hand, which was rubbing against the rough wooden handle, was raw and bleeding, the blood mixed with seawater, making it sticky. He wanted to switch hands, but there was no one to take his place.
"Nana!" he called out, "Can you still calculate more accurately?"
“Okay.” She walked to his side, placed her palm on the deck, and a few seconds later, a glowing line appeared on the ground, like a drawn route map.
“Follow this line,” she said, “and you can avoid the main wave three seconds from now.”
Chen Hao stared at the light, stunned for a moment: "You can do this?"
“The database contains a maritime navigation projection system,” she said calmly. “It was temporarily used.”
Why didn't you say so earlier!
"You didn't ask."
Chen Hao rolled his eyes, but still steered in the direction of the line. The boat traced an arc, narrowly avoiding the impact of the giant wave. The wave grazed the side, causing the boat to rock violently, but it didn't capsize.
"Wow, awesome!" Carl shouted from behind. "The robot is awesome!"
"Stop talking nonsense!" Chen Hao could barely lift his hand. "Help me keep an eye on the angle!"
Nana stood beside him, counting off: "Two degrees to the left, hold... now five degrees to the right... slow down."
Her voice was as steady as a machine, without any inflection or tension. As Chen Hao listened, he actually felt calmer.
After dealing with the leaky bag, Susan began checking the other boxes. One tool box had opened, and screws were scattered all over the floor. She knelt down and picked them up one by one, cutting her fingers in the process.
“Keep it,” Carl said. “We’ll pack it up when we get back.”
“No,” she said. “If we’re missing a part, we’ll have more trouble later.”
She collected all the nails into a small tin can, closed the lid, and tucked it into her bosom.
The wind gradually subsided, and the waves weren't as high as before. The boat was still rocking, but it was now able to stand up and walk.
Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the rudder, panting. His palms burned with pain; he looked down and saw that the skin was all scraped off, leaving a red patch underneath.
"Still alive?" he grinned.
Carl walked over and slapped him on the shoulder: "Stronger than you thought."
Susan stood up and brushed the water off her pants: "We did it."
Nana looked ahead: "The current course is stable, we can continue."
Chen Hao nodded, about to say something, when suddenly a muffled thud came from the bottom of the boat.
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
"What's that sound?" Susan asked.
"Bottom impact?" Carl crouched down to listen.
Nana closed her eyes and pressed against the ship's plank. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes and said, "There are tiny cracks at the keel joints, but they don't affect the structure at the moment."
“Even a tiny crack is a crack.” Chen Hao frowned.
"The repair materials are on the third layer of the supply box," she said. "I suggest you get them as soon as possible."
"Then let's fix it." Chen Hao flexed his wrists. "Anyway, the wind has died down."
Susan opened the box and rummaged through it, taking out a small can of resin and a few thin pieces of wood. Carl took the tools and squatted down at the bottom of the boat to begin cleaning the cracks.
"Have you ever repaired boats before?" she asked.
“I haven’t fixed it, but I’ve seen it,” he said. “It’s something similar.”
The resin is applied, a wooden chip is pressed on, and then it's tightly wrapped with cloth strips. The whole process takes less than ten minutes.
"How long should it dry?" Chen Hao asked.
“No need to let it dry.” Carl clapped his hands. “Just move it around; the water pressure will make it stick even better.”
Chen Hao looked up at the sky. A crack appeared in the dark clouds, letting in sunlight that shone onto the wet deck.
“Let’s go,” he said.
The boat glided forward again, gradually picking up speed. The sea returned to some calm, and a few scattered waves could still be seen in the distance.
Nana stood in the center of the ship, her eyes still flashing, the data stream continuing.
Susan sat down against the box, placed her hand on her chest, and felt her heartbeat finally calm down.
Carl walked to the stern, rechecked the buoyancy device, and nodded to Chen Hao after confirming that there were no problems.
Chen Hao gripped the helm, gazing at the increasingly expansive sea ahead.
The wind picked up again, not strong, and gently pushed the boat forward.
He raised his injured hand and looked at the bloodstains on his palm.
"This is for tomorrow," he muttered, taking the compressed biscuit out of his pocket and taking a bite.
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