Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Distress Signal
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A two- or three-story-high fishing boat looks like a giant in front of a diesel boat, but it seems insignificant in front of the sweeping waves.
An ant or a spider makes no difference to an elephant.
“Boom boom boom… bang!”
The raging waves wreaked havoc. The fishing boat, which had just started and was struggling to keep its balance, was lifted high up by a huge wave and then fell freely at an extremely fast speed, heavily onto the sea.
There was another dull thud, and the fishing boat that fell into the water completely lost its balance, with half of it hanging in the air and the other half immersed in the sea water, shaking violently under the impact of the waves.
A large amount of seawater poured into the deck, the dilapidated mechanical arm and flagpole broke, and the dark blue waves poured into the cabin, engine room, and cockpit without reservation, swallowing everything quickly and brutally.
The fishing boat was in danger, and the vulnerable humans in the cabin were not much better off.
Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao were like round balls at this moment, being kicked here and there by the waves. They finally stood up but were pushed to the ground again. Their bodies collided and rubbed against the control panel, as if they were hit by hundreds of clubs.
Liang Zhao hugged Gu Mengran tightly, holding his head in his arms, while the back of his head and shoulders hit the dashboard several times.
The cold seawater poured down from their heads, soaking their clothes, and the pain and coldness hit them at the same time. The two were almost frozen, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, but they insisted on moving little by little to the corner of the cabin, grabbing the handrail fixed on the bulkhead, and barely stabilizing their bodies.
It was difficult to stand up, let alone steer the ship against the wind and waves.
But opportunities often come to those who are prepared. When the power of the waves gradually subsided and the roller coaster reached the top and was about to dive down, Liang Zhao climbed up from the ground using his hands and feet, jumped to the front of the control panel, and tightly grasped the rudder, the only chance, in his hands.
“Boom boom boom—”
Add gas and turn the rudder!
The propeller spun rapidly, and the fishing boat that had been struggling in the wind and rain started moving again. The bow of the boat went against the turbulent waves, first to the left and then to the right, swinging in a fast and strange manner.
The "Z"-shaped navigation method was effective. In a blink of an eye, the submerged deck was suddenly pulled up by a brute force, and the severely tilted hull resurfaced and gradually returned to stability.
It was as if a bright light had lit up in the darkness, and Liang Zhao finally saw hope.
The vague shadows on the sea surface were gradually approaching, and the waves were coming again. Just as the fishing boat was ready to fight the wind and waves with all its might, the dim lights above its head flickered one after another.
Two seconds later, there was a "click" sound, and all the interior lights went out, including the light on the cockpit.
The sounds of wind, rain and waves were endless, and suffocating darkness suddenly came from all directions, tightly surrounding the fishing boat.
It was pitch dark in the cab, and the sudden light out heightened the panic. Gu Mengran's hair stood on end. He quickly grabbed the handrail and reached out to the control panel, "Hold me, Liang Zhao, hurry up, I'm here!"
Before he could finish his words, a cold, large hand grasped him.
With his arm acting as a towing rope, Liang Zhao successfully returned to the corner. He grabbed the handrail with one hand and held Gu Mengran tightly with the other hand, gently comforting him: "Don't be afraid, hold me tight, stand up with me, and move out slowly together. The engine room must have been flooded, and the ship has completely lost power. We have to leave, first to the sea surface and then hide back in space."
The fishing boat may sink at any time because of where they enter and exit. If they hide in the boat and take refuge in the space, when they come out from the space after some time, what may be waiting for them is the unknown deep sea.
It is relatively safer to leave the fishing boat immediately and go to the sea surface. Even if the raging waves sweep them away, as long as they hide in space the moment they enter the water, they may still be on the sea surface when they come out.
But the result of doing so...
"No!"
Gu Mengran hugged Liang Zhao back, not only did he not stand up with him, he also pushed him down hard, not letting him get up, and shook his head frantically, "Don't think I don't know what you are thinking. You want to walk out of this door? You have to glue us together!"
Strong winds and huge waves are no joke, and they won't reason with people. Gu Mengran is sure that once they lose the protection of the cabin, the sweeping waves will separate him and Liang Zhao in less than a second.
He had the space in his hand, so he still had a chance of survival, but what about Liang Zhao? Without the protection of the cabin and separated from him, his mortal body would be swept into the sea - it was certain to die.
Gu Mengran held Liang Zhao tightly, his lips trembling violently, whether because of the cold or excitement, and the sound of teeth knocking against each other could be heard faintly. "Just stay here! If you can bear it, then bear it. If you can't, then hide back in space. Even if you sink into the sea with the fishing boat, the worst that can happen is that you can rest and recuperate and then slowly dive up. Anyway, no matter what... don't even think about being separated from me."
"Meng Ran, listen to me, being pushed into the deep sea can be -"
"I won't listen!"
Liang Zhao was about to speak but was interrupted rudely by Gu Mengran.
"You, you promised me." Gu Mengran's trembling voice was choked with sobs, and his eyes were shining with tears hidden in the darkness. "I'm not afraid of anything. It doesn't matter if I die with you, but Liang Zhao, I can't lose you again."
Liang Zhao tightened his arms, wishing he could rub Gu Mengran into his flesh. Even though he knew that the other party couldn't see him, he still nodded heavily and promised solemnly: "I understand. We live and die together, and we will face it together."
The last words were almost spoken and all preparations were complete, but the "storm" that had been brewing for a long time had not yet arrived.
Liang Zhao did see a towering black shadow on the sea through the windshield, and he believed his eyes. But one minute, two minutes... time passed by, the person in his arms couldn't stop trembling, and the waves that should have hit him long ago still didn't come.
Not only that, the surging waves seemed to be slowly receding, the rough sea gradually calmed down, and the violently shaking fishing boat was able to catch its breath. In just a few minutes, the thrilling roller coaster turned into a harmless carousel.
"Has the wave receded?"
The noisy sound of the waves gradually faded. Liang Zhao and Gu Mengran looked at each other in the darkness, tacitly let go of each other, and stood up holding the railings in the cabin.
My eyes have completely adapted to the darkness, and through the broken windshield, I can see the dark sea at a glance. There are no towering shadows, no raging winds and waves, but gentle and harmless waves rising and falling, as if the crisis just now was just an illusion.
The black shadow he saw just now was not from this side. Liang Zhao did not take it lightly. He hurriedly took Gu Mengran's hand and moved him from the side window to the front of the driving seat, staring straight ahead.
Seeing that his expression was extremely solemn, Gu Mengran immediately looked over.
Under the cover of night, the sea surface is like a pool of thick ink, calm but full of mystery. At the end of the layers of waves, a towering black shadow rises from the sea, like a giant beast crawling out of the abyss, and the vague outline alone brings a palpitating sense of oppression.
What the hell is this?
Goosebumps and hair all over his body stood up. Gu Mengran's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Liang Zhao's arm and pulled it hard, saying anxiously: "Hurry, run!"
"Wait." Liang Zhao didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. He pulled Gu Mengran, who was trying to take him away, and said in a deep voice, "It doesn't look like a wave. It was in the same position just now and it hasn't moved."
Gu Mengran was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then gradually calmed down. He immediately took out a ship-mounted telescope from the space and looked at the dark and gloomy sea again.
The visibility was too low, and the naked eye could only see a vague outline, and at a glance it was clearly a huge wave. But when the telescope was raised, the "rough sea" in the distance was magnified several times, and its true form was immediately revealed.
The smooth bulbous bow, the towering stern, the endless...
That is——
"Boat!"
Gu Mengran exclaimed, his hands shaking with excitement.
Afraid that he would be frozen silly and have hallucinations, he quickly stuffed the telescope into Liang Zhao's hands and said hastily, "What a big ship! Look quickly, I can see the stern and bulbous bow. It should be a super tanker!"
Liang Zhao held the telescope and looked ahead for only thirty seconds before putting it down. His frown slowly relaxed and he turned to Gu Mengran and said, "Yes, it is a ship."
As if he had come up with an idea, Liang Zhao patted Gu Mengran on the shoulder and analyzed solemnly: "The calm is only temporary. We are in the sea and may encounter stronger waves at any time. Mengran, this is an opportunity. We should ask for help from a large ship. With a safer means of transportation, we can find grandpa and others faster."
"That's right. I think so too." Gu Mengran agreed immediately. After he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong and looked at Liang Zhao in confusion. "You are... trying to persuade me?"
Liang Zhao rubbed his wet head and said, "Yongyue has brought you too much unhappiness. I'm afraid—"
"What are you thinking about?" Gu Mengran laughed. "I'm not a willful child. I know what's going on. The risk of sailing on a diesel boat is too great. We just got together. I haven't lived enough. I still want to see grandpa."
"I will."
Liang Zhao smiled and nodded to him, then raised the telescope to look at the sea again. "The distance is a bit far. We have to hurry and attract the attention of the tankers first to see if they will take the initiative to help us."
"Ok, easy!"
The pitch-black sea made it difficult for an elephant to see the ants under its feet, but it was not difficult for Gu Mengran who had control over the space.
The high-power, high-intensity searchlight was connected to the outdoor power supply. When the switch was pressed, a strong beam of light shot straight out through the windshield. In just a moment, half the sky was illuminated.
Gu Mengran held the lamp and repeatedly adjusted the angle. After a while, the strong light was aimed at the direction of the oil tanker, passed through the thick night fog and swept across the sea, and began to flash in a frequency of three short, three long, and three short.
SOS distress signal.
The light beam has extremely strong penetrating power. Although it cannot hit the hull directly, as long as there is someone on the ship and looking in this direction, they will definitely be discovered.
The soaked clothes stuck to my body, and it was really cold. Fortunately, the freezing point of the sea water was low, otherwise I would have frozen. Gu Mengran was shivering with cold, gritted his teeth and flashed the beam repeatedly, and five minutes later, Liang Zhao frowned, put down the telescope, and slowly shook his head.
No response...
Didn't see it? No one on the ship. Did we really encounter a ghost ship? Or did the other party just not want to respond?
It was too cold to wait any longer in either case.
Gu Mengran decisively turned off the searchlight, put the light and the outdoor power supply back into the space, and then took out two brand new military coats and handed one to Liang Zhao, "How about taking a gamble and sailing over there?"
Liang Zhao wrapped his coat around himself without taking off his wet clothes. He nodded and said, "Okay, we have to change boats anyway, so let's go over and give it a try. But such a big boat can't be ownerless. We must be cautious and run away immediately if something goes wrong."
In this cruel apocalypse, good people willing to lend a helping hand are a scarce commodity.
Being rejected when approaching is considered a relatively good outcome. At most, it would be a wasted trip. The worst thing to be afraid of is not getting to eat mutton, but getting covered in mutton smell. After all, during the most difficult time in the previous life, you were included in the human diet.
Gu Mengran also understood this logic. He put on his clothes, took Liang Zhao's hand again, and walked out of the cab with him one after another.
The deck is a certain height above the sea surface, and Gu Mengran must go down the escape ladder and place the diesel boat directly on the water.
All preparations had been made. Gu Mengran climbed over the guardrail, holding the ladder tightly with both hands. Just as he moved down, suddenly, a dull and deep whistle sound came from the depths of darkness.
“Woo-woo, woo-woo!”
One sound is long and then short, then another sound is long and then short.
A compulsory course for seafarers, a long and short whistle means:
Agree to the other party's request.
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