Chapter 63 Chapter 63 One Chance
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"What do you mean? We have a problem with the propeller? How come I didn't know that?"
The pager was put back on the console, and Zheng Yijie, who had been holding it in for a long time, was the first to raise questions.
Liang Zhao didn't have time to deal with him. He quickly adjusted the high frequency to channel 22 and explained the situation to Heng Rongsheng 2 who was following behind him.
His eager eyes shifted to Gu Mengran, who glared at him unhappily, "Aren't you too alert? At that time, you were on guard against Brother Gang like you were on guard against thieves. Why do you believe everything others say now?"
"Ah?" Zheng Yijie was stunned for a moment, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, "That guy is lying to us? No way. His tone and attitude are very good, and he explained the cause and effect very clearly. It doesn't seem like he is lying."
The old man nodded seriously and agreed: "I was a little skeptical at first, but they have no shortage of ships or fuel, and they didn't hesitate when they heard that we were carrying ore. They just wanted some food and medicine. It doesn't seem like they are lying."
"Of course, even if I didn't lie, I wouldn't drive the Wind Wing directly over there. I'm not that stupid. At most, I could drive a diesel boat to deliver some food to them as a favor, and then ask them to get out of the way."
Each one is easier to deceive than the other. Gu Mengran laughed in anger. He pointed at the river where the bodies were floating in front of him and asked in a deep voice: "Can't you see those bodies? In this weather, and soaked in water, how can they remain in this state for seven days?"
"I'm not a forensic doctor, how would I know?" Zheng Yijie muttered softly.
The old man didn't refute after hearing this. He smacked his lips thoughtfully and said, "It seems to be true. From what he said, these people have been dead for at least seven days. But in this kind of weather, they should be highly decomposed in seven days. Hiss, what does he want from us?"
"We don't believe him, and he doesn't believe that our ship is carrying ore. After all, at this time, who would go through the thankless task of carrying two ships of ore around?" Gu Mengran withdrew his gaze from the river and glanced at Liang Zhao out of the corner of his eye.
Meng Gaoyang followed his gaze and looked at Liang Zhao in a daze, "What is Xiao Liang's intention in asking them to help clear the waterway? To lure the snake out of its hole? To lure the tiger away from its mountain?"
Liang Zhao made the decision alone, and Gu Mengran didn't know what he was thinking, but from what he said just now, he could vaguely guess it.
Liang Zhao was holding the pager and still talking to Xu Xingran. Unable to resist the old man's curious eyes, Gu Mengran thought for a moment and said his guess: "There are not so many tricks. It should just be... asking them to take out the key and open a door."
Meng Gaoyang thought for a long time before he reacted. He asked in confusion, "Key, door? Are you saying that you deliberately asked them to clear the channel in order to let them untie the ropes and sail out on their own initiative?"
Gu Mengran said “hmm”.
The old man's brows were knitted tighter and tighter. "Well, what if they don't come out with a boat? You don't have to have a big boat to clear the waterway. Can't we just drive a diesel boat and tow a high-pressure water gun?"
"No, they will definitely sail a big ship." Gu Mengran said firmly, and analyzed with his grandfather: "If the 'chickenpox' is really under control, or they are not infected, then would they dare to get close to these turbid river waters?"
"Let's take a step back and say that if they are already infected, they will not make a move and expose themselves to the diesel boats that are easy to observe when we are almost unprepared and willing to cooperate. Therefore, they can only use large ships."
The analysis completely convinced the old man. His eyes changed when he looked at Liang Zhao. His mouth opened slightly and he said in surprise: "I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful, Xiao Liang."
As he said this, Liang Zhao just put down the pager and looked up to meet the gaze of the old man and Gu Mengran.
He also listened to a few words of the two people's conversation just now, especially Gu Mengran's guess and the old man's praise. But... Liang Zhao pursed his lips and chuckled, saying truthfully: "It's similar to Mengran's guess. He really wants them to drive a boat out to create a gap in the wall, so that we can find an opportunity to break through."
"But I didn't think too much about it. It's just a risky gamble. If we win, it will help us pass quickly. If we lose, it can also distract some of the enemy's manpower. There are only advantages and no disadvantages."
Zheng Yijie, who was standing stupidly by the window, came to his senses and stared at Liang Zhao intently, "So... you opened the door and forced your way in from the beginning?"
Liang Zhao nodded, "If we don't go to Lingjiang, we can only force our way in. We have no choice."
"How could it be!" Zheng Yijie still held on to a glimmer of hope. "What if, what if that group of people really just want some supplies before letting us pass? I'm not saying that we should give them supplies, I just think that between forcing our way in and paying for supplies to pass smoothly, the latter is definitely safer. Taking the Wind Wing and taking risks, I really... Oh!"
Gu Mengran understood his concerns. If he could put Fengyi and Hengrongsheng 2 into the space, he would definitely choose to go ashore immediately instead of taking the risk of using Fengyi.
But with hundreds of tons of diesel, his storage space couldn't even fit a Wind Wing. Unless a large amount of supplies were transferred to the ship to make room for the ship, which would take a long time, and obviously, this condition was not available now.
Reality is cruel. Gu Mengran glanced at Zheng Yijie and ruthlessly pierced his fantasy. "Don't think about it. Who would be so kind as to block the road in the chaos? Their excuse doesn't make sense at all. The high frequency is not for show. If they can contact us, how can they not contact the boat coming from upstream?"
Zheng Yijie was speechless and lowered his head unconsciously, his expression unable to hide his disappointment.
He used to think too badly of people's hearts, and now he thinks too well of people's hearts. It turns out that he has no judgment at all. He is the kind of person who will be fooled into buying health products when he gets old.
Ten minutes later, at the other end of the Lingjiang Bridge, the ships lined up in a line released their cables, and then a medium-to-large bulk carrier in the middle began to move slowly, sailing straight ahead.
Two men walked out of the open deck under the scorching sun. They were wrapped very tightly, wearing long sleeves and long pants, hats and masks, with only a pair of eyes exposed, and even their hands were covered with rubber gloves.
The bulk carrier sailed steadily with its propeller spinning rapidly, drawing the rotten fish, shrimp and carcasses floating on the river surface little by little into the bottom of the ship, mincing them and spitting them out, leaving only a pool of turbid sewage.
It was a very simple and rough way of cleaning. They would just wind it all the way over. If there were any large floating corpses that could not be rolled in, the two men standing on the deck would use high-pressure water guns to push them away.
It took about ten minutes for the silvery-white Yellow River to split into a path in the middle. The slightly swaying water waves were turbid, and at a glance one could see a lot of unknown black and white pieces of meat.
The bulk carrier was quite cautious and only cleared about seven or eight hundred meters of the one thousand meter channel. It turned around and stopped in the middle of the water, keeping a distance from the Feng Yi, facing each other across the river.
“—Zizizizi, Wind Wing, Wind Wing.”
The high frequency sounded again, and Liang Zhao immediately picked up the pager and answered, "Got it, please go ahead."
It was the same man's voice as before, and he said directly: "The channel has been cleared. Please start the ship, maintain a speed of 4 knots, and follow the Xiangyang!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a deep whistle sounded throughout the entire river basin.
“——Woo woo!”
After honking the whistle at the ship, Liang Zhao's hand holding the pager trembled slightly, and he said with gritted teeth: "Got it, got it."
There was a change of plan. It was originally agreed that the lead boat would sail all the way to the water service area and wait for them there. Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly changed their mind and asked the Wind Wing to sail with them.
It would be fine if you just follow the Xiangyang. You have to dock to go to the water service area anyway, instead of going in a straight line. You can just speed up and rush over when the other party turns.
The only thing to be afraid of is that the other party has even changed the "transaction location", followed them to their lair, and then quickly blocked the gap, and then the Fengyi would be unable to escape.
Of course, Gu Mengran was not the only one who realized this. The atmosphere in the cab, which was not relaxed to begin with, suddenly became extremely solemn.
There is only one chance. Negotiating conditions at this time will only make the other party more vigilant.
Gu Mengran gritted his teeth, spoke a few words to his grandfather, and quickly took out three sets of protective clothing and three pairs of wired headphones from the space.
As the whistle sounded again, the path-breaking boat began to move slowly. The old man took Liang Zhao's place in the captain's chair, and without saying a word, he controlled the Wind Wing to follow slowly.
At the same time, Gu Mengran, Liang Zhao and Zheng Yiji in the cab quickly put on the headphones connected to the walkie-talkie, then put on a set of fully enclosed chemical protective clothing over their clothes, and put on a thick protective mask on their heads.
Then the three of them hurried down to the first floor and stood at the door leading to the deck waiting patiently.
Three engines were running at the same time, and the noisy humming sound hovered over the Huangjiang River. The three ships, one in front and two behind, kept a safe distance and maintained a delicate stability, slowly sailing towards the Lingjiang Bridge.
Breaking the stability requires courage and opportunity. The moment the bow of the Xiangyang passed the broken bridge, the Fengyi, which was originally moving slowly, turned and accelerated in one go, and went straight to sideways in an instant, like a runaway truck, rushing towards the shore at a very fast speed.
Before the observers on the Xiangyang could even react, the Fengyi turned into a bumper car again. At the moment when the bow was about to touch the shore, it suddenly bounced back, causing a gust of wind and huge waves, and rushed forward by brushing against the mud on the shore.
The lead ship was replaced, and the Xiangyang was in an uproar. The crew tried to turn the rudder to stop it, but at this moment, Hengrongsheng 2 followed closely behind, almost replicating the Fengyi's dangerous driving, and overtook the Xiangyang like a loach.
"Fuck! These bastards are quite cunning, they found out!"
"Catch up with them, don't let them get away!"
"I finally caught this fat sheep. Do you know how to drive a boat? I let two of them get away. Go chase them! Hurry up and chase them!"
There was chaos in the cab of the Xiangyang. Four or five men were scolding the driver, but their eyes were fixed on the windshield in front of them. The only eyes exposed to the air were flashing with viciousness and frustration.
The man standing next to the control panel was an exception. He seemed not to be panicked at all. He slowly adjusted the high-frequency channel and picked up the pager:
"The fish is in the net, get ready to close it."
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