Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Destination
*
“Boom boom, boom boom—”
"Wake up! Gu Mengran, Liang Zhao, there are guests at home."
"Hush, keep your voice down, who's coming?"
…
Gu Mengran was woken up by the noise. He heard a knock on the door in a half-asleep state, followed by the voices of Zheng Yiji and Liang Zhao, and finally two people whispering for five minutes.
After sleeping for less than four hours, he felt dizzy, his waist was sore, and he felt uncomfortable all over. Gu Mengran held his waist and got out of the warm quilt, squirming little by little, and after a long time, he finally sat down on the head of the bed with difficulty.
"Did it bother you?"
Just as he sat down, Liang Zhao came back after closing the door. He picked up the cup of water on the bedside table and placed it to Gu Mengran's mouth, "It's warm. Drink some to moisten your throat."
"You have some conscience."
His throat was rough and his mouth was a little dry. Gu Mengran didn't hesitate at all. He grabbed Liang Zhao's hand and gulped down a few big gulps.
After drinking half a cup of warm water, he finally came back to life, but his waist was still very sore.
Gu Mengran got angry when he thought about last night. He turned his gaze to the culprit and glared at him fiercely, "Moderation, moderation, do you know how to write these two words? You didn't feel tired after tossing and turning all night. I didn't sleep well at all."
Gu Mengran became angrier as he spoke and punched him on the arm.
Liang Zhao didn't dodge and was hit hard.
But there was no regret in his eyes. He said "rub it" and sat sideways on the bed. He put his hand into the quilt and gently rubbed Gu Mengran's waist and abdomen. "If you didn't sleep well, sleep a little longer. It's cold, and you have nothing to do if you have to get up early in the morning."
Rubbing and pressing did have some effect. Gu Mengran squinted his eyes comfortably. He was about to fall asleep, but when he heard this, he suddenly opened his eyes and asked hurriedly, "Oh, right, was Zheng Yijie here just now? I heard you talking in a daze."
"Yeah, he came and said there were guests at home." Liang Zhao rubbed Gu Mengran's waist slowly, with an indifferent tone as if he was talking about what to eat for lunch.
Therefore, Gu Mengran took it too seriously and asked casually, "Who is it? Who's here?"
"Sister Fang, Duan Yueyan, Captain Ding, and Wanda——"
"What? Then why don't we get out now?"
With the arrival of his financial sponsor, Gu Mengran no longer felt sore in his waist or legs. He hurriedly got out of bed and jumped onto the ground barefoot.
Liang Zhao grabbed him and said, "Don't worry, they are here to discuss something with Grandpa, not to see you. It's up to you whether you go or not."
"You can't say that," Gu Mengran poked Liang Zhao's forehead, "It's reasonable for us to go and say hello. They have been doing us a favor and have been taking care of us on the ship. What's more, the Giant is still our thigh now, so we must hold on tight."
Liang Zhao did not stop him and nodded, saying, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. But you need to take off your shoes first... Never mind, just stay still and I'll find some clothes for you."
His eyes swept across his neck intentionally or unintentionally, but Gu Mengran didn't notice anything wrong until a turtleneck sweater was placed next to him. He instantly realized something and rushed into the bathroom in his slippers.
Liang Zhao tried to stop him, but unfortunately failed and had to watch him slip away.
Ten seconds later, a roar floated out from the bathroom.
"Liang Zhao, you bastard, what on earth did you do to my neck!"
…
The living room was more lively than ever before. The Xu siblings were sitting on the chaise longue, with Xiaodong sandwiched between the three of them. Opposite the coffee table, the old man was sitting in the middle, with Sister Fang and Duan Yueyan sitting on his right, and Ding Pengyi and Deputy Mate Wan sitting on his left.
Two colorful world maps, one large and one small, were spread out on the coffee table. Five people stretched their necks, pointing and talking from time to time. It was obvious that they were discussing their future destination.
Everyone was sitting, except Zheng Yijie, who was running around with an electric kettle, pouring tea and water for everyone. It was obvious that Xu Xingran wanted to help, but Zheng, a gentleman, was sympathetic to women and decisively refused.
After standing in the restaurant for a minute, Gu Mengran adjusted the collar of his sweater to make sure that the marks would not be seen by others. He walked into the living room with Liang Zhao and greeted them warmly from a distance: "Uncle Ding, Brother Wan, good morning, when did you get here? Sorry, we overslept today."
"Oh, it's Xiao Meng and Xiao Liang. We just arrived and haven't even sat down yet. It's not too late." Ding Pengyi waved at them, "Come, come sit down and chat."
The first mate looked up at the two of them and joked, "Haha, young people, it's normal to be a little sleepy. When you get to my age, you won't be able to sleep even if you want to."
Gu Mengran: "Really? Then I have to get enough sleep now!"
Children raised by the old man would not be bad in etiquette. After saying this, he turned his gaze to the people on the Yongyue ship, greeted them one by one, and invited them to stay for lunch.
The original intention was to show up, say hello and leave. After all, the captain and the first mate who have been at sea for a long time have more experience in knowing where to go in the future. But Ding Pengyi was overly enthusiastic and insisted on dragging Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao to discuss it together.
You can't hide or escape, so what can you do? Just sit down and listen.
The teacup fell back onto the coffee table. First mate Brother Wan reached out and tapped the map gently, continuing what he had just said: "We are human beings, not fishmen. Can we really live on a boat for the rest of our lives? Considering many aspects, I think we should make some preparations as soon as possible, leave the East China Sea and head higher to the plateau to find a place to live."
"The rain keeps on rising, and the water level keeps rising. The land will only become scarcer. If we go earlier, we might be able to find a place to stay. If we go too late, the little land left will probably be occupied by others."
"That's a good idea. There must be land in the plateau area. My grandson's original plan was to go to the plateau. But," the old man pinched his chin and analyzed in an orderly manner, "You and I can think of it, and others can definitely think of it too. It has been raining for more than a year. Xiao Wan, it's too late now."
"Scarce resources will inevitably lead to competition among various forces. There is no order after the disaster. Whoever has the stronger fist has the final say. After more than a year of settling down, the situation has basically stabilized. If we go there now, we will be outsiders. If we encounter the military or government organizations, we can join them. But if we encounter those ruthless and vicious criminals, our ships may become resources for others."
"In troubled times, wherever there are people, there are conflicts. There are only a few hundred people on our three ships, and there are also many old, weak, women and children. Our weapons are only high-pressure water guns and some tools. Do we have the ability to protect ourselves? Do we have the ability to seize territory from others? Even if there is a ready-made place for us, do we have the ability to hold it?"
The three questions were well-reasoned and made Deputy Mate Wan lose all confidence.
He grabbed a handful of hair in annoyance, and said impatiently and helplessly: "Well, it's too late after all. If we had gone to the plateau earlier, maybe we could have developed our own power."
"That's easy to say, but how are we going to get there? The Giant is lost and we don't need it anymore, so we should carry it over together?" Ding Pengyi patted First Officer Wan on the shoulder, smiled and shook his head, "Don't worry about it. For the Giant, for us, staying in the East China Sea is the wisest choice."
"Nowadays, we have to consider not only housing but also food. The biggest difference between the ocean and the inland is resources. In the ocean, we can still survive on fish, shrimp and shellfish, but the inland has just experienced an unprecedented high temperature. There are no plants or animals. If we go there, we will just eat up all the food."
"Ah!" First Mate Wan frowned and sighed, "What should we do, Old Ding? Are we going to keep going back and forth near the coast like before? But the wind and waves are strong these days. The Giant can withstand it, but the other two river boats may not be able to."
"And if we continue like this for a long time, the fuel will be consumed quickly. If the rain continues, we must use fuel sparingly. We must be prepared to drift on the sea for a lifetime!"
Ding Pengyi was not panicked at all. He took a sip from the teacup and said slowly, "You are right. Fuel must be used economically. We can't do it like before. So we still have to go. Go this way."
After he finished speaking, Ding Pengyi lowered his eyes and looked at the map. His index finger landed on the blue area representing the East China Sea, and then slowly moved towards another larger blue area.
Gu Mengran took a closer look and saw the Pacific Ocean, one of the five oceans on the blue planet.
There were gasps one after another, and everyone who was there was stunned.
First Mate Wan narrowed his eyes and looked at Ding Pengyi without any mercy, "Old Ding, are you still sleepy or is your brain stuck in the door? Running to the Pacific Ocean at this time, do you think it is not dangerous enough or what? You are farting in your belly button - what are you thinking?"
"Hey, is there anyone like you who is so rude to his own captain?"
"That's because you're not trustworthy."
Ding Pengyi was unhappy and frowned, "Why are you unreliable? You haven't even been there, so how do you know it's dangerous?"
"I--"
"Listen to me, listen to me first." Ding Pengyi waved his hand, his expression gradually became serious, and he analyzed seriously: "Rivers flow into rivers, rivers flow into seas, and seas flow into oceans. This is a truth that we all understand, right?"
"But that was in the past. Now the environment has changed. There is water everywhere. The rivers and land have become oceans. Water will not flow to just one side. Of course, the water level will rise a little, but it doesn't matter. It's big enough."
At this point, Ding Pengyi paused, picked up the electric kettle on the coffee table, pointed the water outlet at his teacup, and slowly poured out the hot water. "A kettle of water cannot fit into a teacup. It will overflow when it is full. But what about a kettle of water poured into a river? Not even a wave can be created. It has a very, very weak impact."
"The same is true for the Pacific Ocean, which is the largest and deepest of the five oceans. Even if a large amount of rainwater flows into it after a disaster, its water level will not rise sharply. At most, it will rise by a few meters, tens of meters, or hundreds of meters, which is like scratching an itch."
As a captain who has been drifting on the sea for decades, Ding Pengyi can be said to have a considerable understanding of the ocean. Although it is just a guess, he is very confident, as if he has seen it with his own eyes.
Deputy Chief Wan seemed convinced and did not refute.
The old man who was sitting next to him studying the map raised his head, held his chin up thoughtfully, smacked his lips and said, "Even if the situation in the Pacific Ocean is the same as your guess, there is a high probability that those islands will be submerged. We ran all the way there... and then drifted somewhere else?"
"It's hard to drift anywhere, why not try your luck, old captain?" Ding Pengyi patted the old man's shoulder, and suddenly seemed to think of something, smiled, and said mysteriously: "And I know that there is an island that will never be submerged."
The old man was stunned and asked hurriedly: "What island?"
As if deliberately keeping people in suspense, Ding Pengyi smiled and said nothing, which made First Officer Wan scratch his head anxiously and elbow him, "No, tell me quickly."
An elbow hit his waist, and Ding Pengyi gasped in pain. He glared at First Officer Wan, "Isn't it obvious enough? Changshan!"
After he finished speaking, the living room fell silent.
There was no hope, nor any surprise. Everyone frowned at the same time.
Changshan, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, between the Heard Islands, is an active volcano second only to Yellowstone and Mawson. Its altitude is about 4,000 meters, but it stands in the Pacific Ocean, and most of the mountain is hidden in the sea. The total height from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the sea is more than 1,000 meters higher than the highest peak in the world.
After two minutes of silence, First Officer Wan sneered and glared at Ding Pengyi unhappily, "I think you are really sick. You call this an island?"
Ding Pengyi: "Of course it's not counted, it's also counted in the Heard Islands!"
Brother Wan: "Volcano, volcano, it's still alive, what do you know——"
"Don't argue yet, I think this is feasible."
The old man knocked on the table, interrupting their argument.
First Officer Wan looked incredulous, "Captain, that's an active volcano, the largest active volcano in the Pacific Ocean. It could erupt at any time."
"What are you spraying? Do you have such a bad memory?" The old man looked around and then set his sights on Deputy Wan again. "Before the earthquake, many volcanoes erupted on a large scale. Changshan is definitely no exception. Although the eruption cycle cannot be predicted, the water gun still needs to be refilled after spraying. Don't you need to rest for a while after spraying so much magma?"
"The old captain still understands me!"
Ding Pengyi smiled proudly, and then turned to the crowd and said, "Is it decided so happily?"
"Isn't it a bit hasty?" Deputy Chief Wan was undecided.
The old man decisively stood beside Ding Pengyi and slapped his thigh. "It's okay. I have to go there sooner or later. What if? This is one of the few opportunities."
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