Chapter 12 Chapter 12 The big pendulum starts with one button.
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The Fengyi dropped anchor at the port, and no one was left on duty at night.
The three people on the boat went back to their rooms early to rest and recharge their batteries, but early the next morning, they met in the restaurant, each with dark circles under their eyes to varying degrees.
Yes, with volcanoes erupting and earthquakes breaking the ground, who can sleep peacefully?
After a quick breakfast, Meng Gaoyang and Liang Zhao went to the engine room and deck to check the facilities and equipment on the ship, while Gu Mengran was responsible for checking and cleaning the rooms on the first and second floors.
The Wind Wing pendulum is about to start. Furniture and appliances that can be fixed should be fixed as soon as possible, and objects that cannot be fixed and are prone to shaking should be put away as soon as possible.
He put back what he had taken out. After two hours of busy work, the living room and room that Gu Mengran had carefully tidied up were suddenly returned to the state before liberation and became a bare model room again.
Using both the sweeper and the floor scrubber, Gu Mengran cleaned the Feng Yi inside and out.
Doing housework in the summer is so sweaty that Gu Mengran was soaked through by the time he was done. The sticky sweat on his body made him uncomfortable, so he just wanted to take a shower and rest for a while. As soon as he stepped into the bathroom, the intercom rang again.
What a busy day!
Without even having time to go to the toilet, Gu Mengran hurried back to the deck.
Gu Mengran had been wandering around the house today. It was only when he walked from the living room to the stern deck that he realized that the fog today seemed to be so thick that it was a little scary.
The sky was dark, as if a huge rainstorm was brewing. The dark clouds hanging in the sky fell down, covering the river and the deck, bringing with them a depressing and suffocating feeling.
The field of vision is severely obstructed, and it is impossible to distinguish between humans and animals more than three meters away.
As soon as he walked out of the door, a strong smell of sulfur hit his nose. Gu Mengran quickly put on a mask and groped his way towards the stern little by little based on his memory, shouting as he walked: "Grandpa! Liang Zhao!"
"Here, be careful."
"Walk slower, little brat, and don't fall into the river!"
With one call and one response, Gu Mengran followed the sound and found his grandfather and Liang Zhao in the thick fog.
It's convenient to talk about it now. After successfully meeting his grandfather and Liang Zhao, Gu Mengran no longer needs to hide it and took out a huge roll of waterproof tarpaulin from the space on the spot.
The waterproof tarpaulin was tailor-made according to the proportions of the Wind Wing, and when spread out, it could just cover the entire superstructure. It was originally intended to cope with the long rainy season, but Meng Gaoyang was worried that the thick fog and volcanic eruptions would corrode the hull, so he insisted that Gu Mengran send a roll.
They are currently in Shaozhou. Gu Mengran really wants to tell his grandfather that the nearest active volcano is more than a thousand kilometers away from them. At most they will be affected by volcanic ash, so there is no need to worry too much.
But think about it, the old man loves the boat so much, a roll of tarpaulin can make him feel at ease, there are more than ten rolls in the space anyway.
The fog was so thick that there was no difference between day and night, and it was particularly difficult to install the tarpaulin. The old man stayed on the deck to direct the work, while Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao climbed onto the roof one after another, starting from the four corners and fixing it bit by bit.
All preparations were ready and it was noon.
All three of them were sweating, looking disheveled and exhausted. After going back to their rooms to wash up, the three of them met again in the cab.
I was hungry, but Gu Mengran had put away all the pots and pans. I couldn't cook, so I had to eat some fast food, and some leftover braised meat from a few days ago, which made the old man feel disgusted.
The tables, chairs and benches were also put away, leaving only a fixed captain's chair in the huge cab. The three of them ate lunch in front of the console, packed up the garbage, and crawled under the console one after another.
To prevent the Fengyi from being overturned by the river, someone had to be on duty in the wheelhouse to steer the ship to keep it balanced. The other two were worried about leaving either of them alone, so after a brief discussion last night, they decided to stay in the wheelhouse together.
The superstructure of a ship is usually made of steel decks, and the welding technology used means that as long as it is not subjected to severe impact, the superstructure will not necessarily fall apart even if the ship sinks.
Therefore, when avoiding an earthquake in the Wind Wing, there is basically no risk of building collapse, nor is there any worry about being injured by broken walls. It is safer than in a building on land.
The risk will not disappear, it will only be transferred. Once the ship capsizes, the risk factor will increase exponentially.
The operating platform is tall and the area under it is spacious. Three people can hide underneath at the same time without feeling crowded and there is still plenty of room for their hands and feet to move around.
But as Gu Mengran kept taking things out of the space like Doraemon, the spacious cockpit gradually became crowded.
"Come on, come on, each of you get a life jacket, put it on, put it on now. Quilt - come on, grandpa, Liang Zhao, you two move to the side first, the floor is too hard, I'll make the bed and quilt on the floor."
"One gas mask per person, hang it around your neck first, just in case. The self-inflating raft is kept here as a backup. There are also emergency dry food, medicine, and water..."
"Mengran, Gu Mengran!" Meng Gaoyang shouted, interrupting Gu Mengran's chatter.
Gu Mengran stopped and looked up blankly, "What's wrong?"
Something is wrong. Gu Mengran's condition is very abnormal. The seemingly calm lake surface is surging with undercurrents, as if... as if he is arranging his funeral?
The old man frowned, looking at Gu Mengran with a worried look in his eyes, "The people are still here, and they are not separated. Why are you in such a hurry to dig out the family assets? Save it for yourself and take it when you need it."
"How can that be possible?" Gu Mengran immediately retorted: "Once an earthquake strikes, it is not up to us to decide whether to separate or not. What if the Wind Wing accidentally flips over and we are forced to separate? What if I faint? No, you must bring more -"
"Okay, Gu Mengran."
The old man patted Gu Mengran on the shoulder and whispered softly, "Don't be too nervous. We are well prepared, and the Wind Wing is not that fragile. Nothing will happen."
"But--"
Gu Mengran was about to argue with his grandfather when his wrist was suddenly wrapped in warmth.
This time it was Liang Zhao who interrupted him. Liang Zhao gently grasped his wrist, his firm eyes shone with gentle comfort, "Grandpa Meng is right, don't be too nervous, we will never separate as long as we hold hands, don't we still have space?"
Liang Zhao's eyebrows moved slightly, and he blinked at him calmly.
Space... yes, there is still space!
Liang Zhao's words were like a spring breeze, easily blowing away Gu Mengran's panic. The brain fog dissipated, the chaotic brain began to work, and Gu Mengran gradually woke up and calmed down.
Unlike the previous life, they had a boat, plenty of supplies, and space as the last resort for survival. He would not lose his grandfather or Liang Zhao again. He had the ability to protect the people he wanted to protect and live with them in peace and security.
In this life, the ending will definitely be different.
Time passed by minute by minute, but the disaster did not happen.
All I know is that it will be this afternoon, but I don’t know the exact time. There is nothing I can do except wait.
Snoring sounds gradually began to rise in the quiet cab. Meng Gaoyang was curled up on a quilt wearing a life jacket, half of his head resting on Gu Mengran's thigh, happily meeting Zhou Gong.
Gu Mengran didn’t sleep well last night, and as soon as he relaxed, he felt sleepy.
He and Liang Zhao leaned side by side at the other end of the dashboard, their hands clasped together and their chins nodding.
His eyelids were becoming heavier and heavier. Liang Zhao whispered in his ear, "Go to sleep, I'll watch you." Gu Mengran closed his eyes peacefully, and his consciousness gradually faded.
“Boom boom—”
A deafening roar broke through the sky, the river water trembled, and the Wind Wing shook continuously.
Meng Gaoyang was suddenly awakened from his sleep. He sat up suddenly, completely forgetting that he was still curled up under the dashboard. His head made direct contact with the dashboard, making a loud "clang".
"Grandpa, are you okay?" Gu Mengran was awake all of a sudden. He quickly took his grandfather's hand and asked with concern.
"It's not a big deal." The old man rubbed his dizzy head and looked around vigilantly, "Was that... an earthquake just now? Did it start?"
The deafening roar was like a muffled thunder, echoing in the ears for a long time, but the Fengyi stopped shaking and the river surface gradually calmed down.
The roar brought inevitable panic, and the atmosphere was more or less tense. At this time, Liang Zhao, who was frowning and thinking, shook his head and said softly: "It should be just a volcanic eruption."
"Volcano?" The old man frowned. "Didn't Meng Ran say that the nearest volcano is more than a thousand kilometers away? How could it be so loud?"
Moreover, the nearest active volcano is just a small, unknown volcano, so its power should not be so great.
Gu Mengran had experienced it once personally and already had the answer in his mind.
He became nervous at a speed visible to the naked eye. He tightened his hands with Grandpa and Liang Zhao, and his lips trembled slightly: "It's Mawson. The Mawson volcano has erupted."
Mawson is located in the western part of China, about 2,500 kilometers from Shaozhou. It is as famous as the Yellowstone volcano and is one of the largest existing super volcanoes in the world.
The roar can be heard 2,500 kilometers away, so you can imagine how powerful it is.
It was this loud noise that, at this moment, magma with a temperature of up to 1000 degrees Celsius was gushing out from the crater of the Mawson volcano. The flames and magma turned into high-speed rotating bullets, spraying from all directions, ruthlessly destroying the surrounding cities and villages.
The air was filled with smoke and dust, and a large amount of toxic gas mixed with volcanic ash rose straight into the sky.
Hundreds of thousands of people will die in this disaster. The energy released by a super volcano is equivalent to 200 million tons of TNT, which is no less than a small meteorite hitting the blue planet.
After thousands of years of preparation, the eruption burned out all its lifespan, and its enormous power directly razed the entire volcano to the ground. It was unwilling to die alone, and before dying, it let out a mournful cry, and was bound to drag humans to perish together.
Someone gently scratched his palm, and Gu Mengran gasped, pulling himself out of the nightmare-like memories. Seeing Liang Zhao looking at him worriedly, his heart warmed, and he responded by scratching the back of Liang Zhao's hand with his index finger.
Ten minutes later, the river surface returned to complete calm, without a single ripple, as if the huge roar just now was just a collective hallucination.
The tense and heavy atmosphere in the cab eased a little. The old man yawned continuously, leaned weakly against the inner partition, and almost fell asleep again in a daze.
"You have such a big heart." Gu Mengran complained in a low voice and shook his grandfather's arm hard, trying to wake him up.
But just as he raised his hand and shook it, suddenly, a short and rhythmic "buzzing" sound came from the quiet cab.
"Whose phone is ringing?" Meng Gaoyang said casually before he fell asleep.
On the ground, the gas masks placed in front of the people bounced and collided on the floor, making a sound very similar to the vibration of a mobile phone. Gu Mengran frowned tightly, and before he could speak, the sky and the earth shook, and the pendulum started with one click.
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