Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Wildfire
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In just a few minutes, the flickering flames turned into a blazing fire. The dazzling orange-red color was like the afterglow of the setting sun, spreading inch by inch, and soon burned half the sky red.
No one appreciated the "gorgeous sunset". Gu Mengran frowned as he looked at the scorching flames jumping between the mountains, realizing that this was another devastating disaster.
Earthquakes and high temperatures followed one after another, and humans were unable to take care of themselves. No one could come to put out the wildfire.
No matter what causes the wildfire, the continued high temperature will add fuel to the fire. Unless all the forests and wilderness are devoured, the fire will be difficult to extinguish.
The wind blowing across the mountains stirred up the thick smoke. From the direction of the smoke, it was not difficult to tell that the fire was spreading straight ahead and was bound to be accompanied by the Wind Wing.
The fire spreads upwards, so it won't burn the banks of the Huangjiang River in a short time. But this was the first time that Miss Gu Mengran encountered such a situation when she was getting married, and she was a little undecided and didn't know what to do.
The old man frowned as he looked at the route map, his expression serious but still calm. Gu Mengran looked back at him, walked forward shyly, and deliberately cleared his throat, "Grandpa."
"What's up? Are you still playing mahjong?" The old man looked up and glanced at him, then laughed and said, "Come on, take out the mahjong."
Gu Mengran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He raised his hand and patted his forehead twice. "Don't tease me, grandpa. Let's talk business. What should we do now? Should we pack up and go ashore or..."
Business was more important. The old man gave up the idea of teasing people, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He smacked his lips and analyzed: "We can't go ashore. We can't be sure whether it is a man-made fire or a natural fire."
"If it was a natural fire caused by the hot weather, this area is surrounded by mountains, and the ground is full of trees and weeds dried by the sun. Who knows if there will be other fire points? If you rashly go ashore at this time, you won't know where to run if it catches fire."
Zheng Yijie, who had just enjoyed a few days of good life and didn't want to go ashore at all, closed his little notebook and quickly agreed: "I think so too."
"It's also very risky to follow a wildfire."
Liang Zhao, who was standing nearby, held his chin with one hand and said thoughtfully, "The fire may not reach the shore, but the temperature will definitely be affected. It is estimated that in a short time, the surrounding temperature will rise sharply, including the Huangjiang River whose water level is gradually dropping."
"So once we enter the wildfire area, we will be scorched by the sun above, steamed by the wildfires beside us, and boiled by the river water below. It is hard to say whether humans can bear it, but the Wind Wing will have to move forward with a heavy load, which is undoubtedly a huge test for it."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Except for Zheng Yijie, the other three people all knew that a ship was, in plain terms, a movable iron box. Although it was made of special steel and could withstand a large amount of load and external impact, and was strong and durable, it was actually like a person, with a soft internal organ hidden under its strong appearance.
In a continuous high temperature environment, the engine's heat dissipation is limited, which can easily lead to engine overheating and mechanical failure; the cooling system is overloaded, and components such as the cooling pump are easily damaged, and their lifespan will be greatly reduced.
Of course, mechanical failures can be repaired and damaged parts can be replaced. These are minor problems. Gu Mengran has a lot of spare parts and ship repair tools in his space.
But the most important thing is that high temperature will accelerate the evaporation of flammable liquids. If the sealing fails, the volatile gas will mix with the air to form an explosive mixture, which will cause a fire and explosion accident.
Thinking of the tons of fuel in the Fengyi's belly, Gu Mengran shuddered suddenly.
We can't go ashore, and it's too risky to follow the wildfire.
What else can they do if all roads are blocked? Stay where they are and wait for the fire to die out? That is not very realistic. After all, heavy rains will come in half a month. After avoiding the fire, they may face flash floods and mudslides...
Tsk, what trouble! Gu Mengran scratched his head irritably.
Realizing the seriousness of the problem, the old man's face looked unhappy.
However, he was not as hesitant and entangled as Gu Mengran. After a brief thought, he gently tapped the control panel and made a decision: "Let's go. We have to keep going even if the risk is great. There are wolves in front and tigers behind. We can't afford to waste time."
"There is no other way." Liang Zhao nodded in agreement. "Then from now on, we will save energy and reduce consumption. Turn off all equipment except the main unit to reduce the pressure on the cooling system as much as possible."
The old man hummed, and continued, "Also, from now on, open flames are prohibited on board. Gu Mengran, you go down to the deck and get some steel plates to cover the deck, especially the refueling port and the anchor chain locker. Block them tightly to prevent sparks from the mountain from falling into the cabin."
"Then..." Meng Gaoyang turned his gaze to Liang Zhao and said in a deep voice: "Liang Zhao, go to the engine room and check it carefully. Pay special attention to the engine and fuel tank seals. Add some coolant to the cooling pump."
Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao said "OK" and turned around and walked out of the cab together.
Zheng Yijie, who had nothing to do, looked at the old man, "What about me?"
The old man looked back at Zheng Yijie and raised his chin. "Go get two quilts and ask Gu Mengran to get two mats. We can't live in the bedroom these days, so we'll sleep on the floor in the cab."
"Why can't we go back to the bedroom?" Zheng Yijie blinked blankly. "I know about energy conservation and consumption reduction, and we can't turn on the air conditioner, but even if there are two of us working in a shift, traveling day and night, we can't go back to the room during rest time?"
The old man wanted to explain that everyone lived together so that they could hide in the space in time if they encountered danger. But he changed his mind and thought that Zheng Yijie didn't know that the space had this function, so he decided not to mention it for now.
So he gave Zheng Yijie a stern look and said seriously, "Go if I tell you to."
"Oh oh." Zheng Yijie stood up obediently.
…
An hour later, the Wind Wing set sail again in the dark.
When he came back from the deck, Gu Mengran was sweating profusely, as if he had just jumped into the Huangjiang River for a swim. There was not a single dry spot on his body, not even his underwear was spared.
The extremely horrible heat made sweat pour down even if I stood outside and did nothing. The unbearable heat wave was like an invisible hand, strangling my throat, making me feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing.
All the air conditioners were turned off and the temperature was rising little by little. Fortunately, there was still some coolness in the room. He went back to the room, took a quick shower, changed his clothes, and Gu Mengran finally came back to life.
From heaven to hell...it's that simple.
Except for the main engine system that supplies the ship's navigation, all other auxiliary equipment has been shut down, including the lights. Coming out of the bedroom in the dark, Gu Mengran went to the kitchen to put the refrigerator back into the space, and walked to the cab panting.
It was pitch black everywhere, except for the cab where the light on the center console was no longer dim. It was surrounded by hot and bright flames, just like a bright day with sunshine.
The floor was ready and the cool mat was spread next to the cockpit. Grandpa and Zheng Yijie had even laid down, and the person sitting on the captain's chair became Liang Zhao with wet hair.
It's hot! The temperature has risen, and the air quality in the cab has deteriorated. Gu Mengran always feels stuffy in his chest. He quickly walks to the driving platform and sits on Zheng Yijie's small stool.
"How was it arranged?"
After calming down his rapid breathing, Gu Mengran lowered his eyes to look at his grandfather and Zheng Yijie, "Liang Zhao and I will open at night? Grandpa, are you guys opening during the day?"
The fire was getting bigger and bigger, and Gu Mengran agreed to leave two people on duty, one to drive and one to observe the surrounding situation to avoid any unexpected situations being discovered in time.
Before the old man could speak, Liang Zhao said, "I can come tonight. We are all very tired today. You go to sleep first and we can work together tomorrow night."
"Aren't you tired after a day?" Gu Mengran raised his eyebrows and looked at Liang Zhao with a smile, "There's no one to talk to. What if you fall asleep in the middle of the night?"
Liang Zhao chuckled, "I am clear-headed and won't fall asleep."
"Then I'm also worried." Gu Mengran muttered softly.
"That--"
Liang Zhao was about to speak when the old man lying on the mat groaned and said impatiently, "What's there to worry about? Xiao Liang will start the first half of the night, Gu Mengran, you go to sleep first, and set an alarm to start the second half of the night."
This is a good idea, Gu Mengran nodded in agreement.
After running around outside, he felt dizzy. To prevent heatstroke, Gu Mengran took out a box of Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid from the space, drank one himself, and gave one to others.
Zheng Yiji and Liang Zhao drank it without saying a word, but the old man had a gloomy face and hesitated for a long time before he could drink it.
Gu Mengran glared at him, "I'm watching you, don't even think about sleeping if you don't drink."
The old man sighed helplessly, tilted his head back and drank the Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid in one gulp.
Leaving some instant food, dry food and mineral water, Gu Mengran set the alarm for the early morning, lay down next to his grandfather, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Before the alarm clock rang, Gu Mengran was awakened by the heat.
Being very sleepy, he wiped the sweat off his forehead in a daze, turned over and prepared to continue sleeping. Suddenly he regained consciousness for a moment and raised his hand to check the time.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t look at it. Just with this one glance, Gu Mengran instantly sat up from the bed.
"Are you awake? Are you hungry? Come and eat something."
Just as he sat up, a cold and low voice came from beside him. Gu Meng's back stiffened and he lowered his head guiltily, not daring to even look up.
It was seven o'clock, and we agreed to take turns driving, but I ended up sleeping until dawn.
Gu Mengran slapped his forehead hard, and glanced at his sleeping grandfather and Zheng Yiji, feeling a little relieved.
After a few deep breaths, Gu Mengran slowly and stiffly raised his head and smiled dryly at Liang Zhao, "I'm sorry, Liang Zhao, I overslept. I clearly set the alarm, but it didn't..."
“I turned it off.”
"Ring." Gu Mengran uttered the last word and blinked blankly, "Huh? You turned off my alarm?"
Liang Zhao held the biscuit in his hand and said "hmm" softly.
"Okay, I was wondering why it didn't go off, it turns out you did it! Why did you turn off my alarm for no reason? Did you know that staying up all night can lead to sudden death? Go away, go to sleep."
The feeling of being in the wrong turned into being justified. Gu Mengran put on his slippers and walked to Liang Zhao's side, poking Liang Zhao's arm and urging him on.
Liang Zhao smiled, his tired eyes glowed softly, and he said softly, "I know, at least wait until I fill my stomach, okay?"
Looking at the biscuits in his hand, Gu Mengran asked, "Would you like some buns?"
"No, I ate a little too much yesterday."
Gu Mengran didn't say anything else, nor did he rush to wash up. He walked to the window in his slippers.
Last night, I was far away and could not see the flowers clearly through the fog. Now the sky was bright and the raging wildfire was very close. The blazing flames spread wildly, destroying weeds and trees in an instant, and the billowing smoke went straight into the sky, turning everything into ashes.
Suddenly, Gu Mengran felt the fear of being dominated by the yellow fog again. The orange and black smoke covered half the sky. The air was turbid and hot, and the pungent smell of burning spread with the wind.
"We're about to enter a wildfire area." Gu Mengran looked up into the distance, his fingers rubbing unconsciously on the glass.
Liang Zhao noticed his nervousness, put down the half-eaten biscuit, and comforted him softly: "Don't worry, Grandpa Meng is an old captain. If he dares to go, there must be no problem. Besides, the Fengyi has no cargo and is very fast. I looked at the navigation chart. If everything goes well, it should be over in one day."
Comforting had some effect, but not much. Gu Mengran sighed and said in a low voice, "The temperature is getting higher and higher, Liang Zhao. I went to the deck last night and took a test. It was almost 50℃."
"I am not only worried about this section of the waterway, but also about the next half month. The road ahead will not be so easy."
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