Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Huang Jiang Rescue
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"All ships in distress in Anchang Port, all ships in distress in Anchang Port! Fengyi has dispatched two diesel-powered boats for search and rescue. Please inform the coordinates of the people in distress in time, wear life jackets, call for help loudly when the power boat passes by, and abandon the ship and escape if necessary!"
After broadcasting twice in a row on high frequency, Meng Gaoyang put down the high frequency intercom and picked up another portable intercom: "Feng Yi is calling, No. 1, No. 2, what is the situation on the river? Please report in time!"
"Zizizi... Fengyi, Fengyi, this is motorboat No. 2. Motorboat No. 1 and No. 2 have successfully entered the water. The river surface... The waves on the river surface! Are! A! Bit! Big!"
A strong wind suddenly arose, and the surging waves were like a galloping horse, with a huge momentum.
Another wave hit the hull violently, causing the powerboat to shake violently. Gu Mengran lost his balance and his walkie-talkie almost slipped out of his hand and fell into the river.
No, they can't stay here any longer, they have to move as soon as possible, otherwise it is only a matter of time before these two small diesel boats are overturned by the waves.
"Liang Zhao! Is it done?" Stuffing the walkie-talkie into the pocket of his life jacket, Gu Mengran pulled the rope tied to the side of the boat and shouted loudly to the No. 1 motor boat in the thick fog.
The two ships were less than five meters apart, but the fog was so thick that the figures could not be seen clearly.
On the side of motorboat No. 1, Liang Zhao tied the cable thrown by Gu Mengran to the side of the boat and tied a beautiful eyelet knot. At this point, motorboats No. 1 and No. 2 floating on the river were completely connected together.
"Gu Mengran, number 1 is done! We can leave anytime!"
"Ok ok, set off immediately. Countdown three seconds, 3, 2, 1! Boom——"
The two motorboats set off at the same time, moving side by side, towards Heng Rongsheng's direction.
Eight minutes ago, the three men in the cab had drawn up a simple rescue plan.
Two powerboats were launched for rescue, with Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao driving one each. As the fog on the river was too thick, it was not advisable to act separately, so they decided to connect the two powerboats with a cable to prevent them from getting separated.
The old man sat in the cockpit and used radar, satellite navigation and high-frequency distress calls to promptly assess the river conditions. He then used the intercom to inform the two motorboats of the distressed vessel's information and specific location so that they could carry out a rescue operation.
So far, the program has been very successful.
The primary rescue target was Heng Rongsheng, not because Gu Mengran had an acquaintance with the crew member, but simply because Heng Rongsheng was closest to Fengyi.
“Boom boom boom—”
On the foggy river, the diesel boat sailed at a steady speed, braving the wind and waves.
The engine noise was comparable to that of a tractor, but Gu Mengran didn't find it noisy at all. He even felt particularly at ease because of the noise.
Hengrongsheng is not easy to find. Gu Mengran knows the approximate location, but the visibility is too low. It's like running with eyes closed. It feels like running in a straight line, but you'll deviate without realizing it.
The old man in the cab was a great help. The boat made several deviations and adjusted them in time under his guidance. Fortunately, the distance was not too far. It took five minutes for the diesel boat to finally find Heng Rongsheng in the southeast of the anchorage.
The situation was very bad. Heng Rongsheng capsized severely, as if it had been lifted up by a huge force, and lay on its side in the river, with most of the ship swallowed up by the turbulent water.
The bow was slightly better, with the cabin just barely above the water, but the fully loaded cargo hold increased the speed of the ship's sinking, sweeping Heng Rongsheng slowly into the icy river water.
The boat was about to sink, so Gu Mengran naturally thought that no one was on the boat. He and Liang Zhao quickly searched the surrounding waters and circled Heng Rongsheng several times, but they didn't see a single person.
Oh no! Could this person... not have come out yet?
Gu Mengran looked at the dark cab and an ominous premonition came to his mind.
Hengrongsheng was wading in a large area, and the power system was obviously faulty. A diesel boat successfully approached the cab from the side, but the cab was pitch black, and even if it was only one or two meters away, the naked eye could still see nothing.
Flashlight, flashlight! Gu Mengran held his breath and searched in the space. Three seconds later, a high-intensity flashlight appeared out of thin air in his hand.
He fumbled for the switch and was about to press it when suddenly - "Bang! Bang, bang, bang", several chaotic muffled sounds suddenly came from the cab.
"Help, help! We are trapped in the cab!"
"The cab is flooded, help us!"
The cries for help were blocked by the PMMA windshield, and only one or two "Help" were heard by Gu Mengran, but he could vaguely hear that the voices were from a man and a woman.
Without having time to think about why the person was still in the cab, Gu Mengran hurriedly pointed the flashlight at the cab and quickly pressed the switch.
The strong flashlight was not enough to see clearly in the thick fog, and it made no difference whether the flashlight was on or not. Gu Mengran was eager to save people, so he moved the diesel boat forward half a meter before he could see the situation inside the boat clearly.
Just like a car that fell into the water, the Hengrongsheng cab was basically a semi-enclosed space. The hatch connecting to the living area was tightly closed, and water was still seeping from the gaps on the edges. The left door of the cab was suspended in the air with the hull, while the right door sank to the bottom of the water.
Gu Mengran was not mistaken. There was indeed a man and a woman in the cab, and one of them was the boy who had met Gu Mengran yesterday.
He and a long-haired girl were completely trapped in the cab. The water level was rising and there was no way out. They beat the windshield with all their might, with only their heads barely above the water.
Seeing the light, the two men became more excited and banged on the glass even harder.
"Don't be anxious! Save your energy. We will think of a way to rescue you immediately!" Worried that the two were exhausted, Gu Mengran shouted towards the cab at the top of his voice.
PMMA glass has such good sound insulation that the other party obviously didn't hear it and became even more excited. Gu Mengran was anxious and turned to look at the No. 1 powerboat parked beside him and asked Liang Zhao for his opinion: "What should we do? Climb up and see if the door can be opened?"
Liang Zhao almost didn't think about it, "No, it's too dangerous."
The hull was tilted at 90 degrees, and the bow deck was suspended in the air, at least three or four meters above the water. Climbing up with bare hands was already very dangerous. Even if they successfully opened the hatch, the vertical height of a floor was too high for them to pull up two adults without a foothold.
Gu Mengran's brain was working rapidly, "Then, what about using a chainsaw to break the windshield?"
Without waiting for Liang Zhao to answer, he quickly rejected the idea: "No, no, once the windshield is broken, all the water outside will pour in. If we are a little slower, they will all be drowned."
Gu Mengran analyzed the situation by himself, but Liang Zhao remained silent. He felt strange and looked up, and saw Liang Zhao looking at the Hengrongsheng cargo hold thoughtfully, wondering what he was thinking about.
Cargo hold, does he want to empty the cargo hold?
By towing it with a diesel boat, exposing the cargo hold to the surface as much as possible, and then emptying the cargo in the hold to reduce the weight, it is indeed possible to get Heng Rongsheng to the surface again.
But here comes the problem.
The diesel boat was not a tugboat, and its power was not enough to pull Heng Rongsheng out of the water in one go. At most, it could slightly bend the severely tilted hull back, but the river water was still pulling it down, and if the cargo was not unloaded in time, the boat would not last long.
Unless... they can unload most of the cargo in a very short time.
Gu Mengran concentrated his attention and searched around in the space. Unfortunately, there was no mechanical device in the space.
Wait, space?
Gu Mengran suddenly had an epiphany and clapped his hands, "Liang Zhao, Liang Zhao, I have an idea!"
“Boom, boom—”
The cable connected Hengrongsheng, the diesel boat increased its horsepower, and a huge roar resounded through the sky.
If one boat was not enough, they added another one. Two small diesel boats continued to tow the ship. Hengrongsheng, which was beyond human control, actually recovered little by little.
It was far from enough. The angle was barely pulled from 90 degrees to 60 degrees. Even though the throttle of the diesel boat was turned to the bottom, Heng Rongsheng did not move at all.
It's reached its limit, the engine is emitting thick black smoke, the cables are stretched to the limit, and they don't have much time left.
Gu Mengran decisively handed the two small boats to Liang Zhao to control, and quickly took out another small boat from the space, a sharp machete, and hurriedly went to the other side of the cargo hold.
The tarpaulin on the cargo hold was well wrapped, and the hull was tilted 90 degrees, so not much cargo leaked out. Gu Mengran drove the boat closer, and with a machete he chopped it down, only to find that the cargo hold was actually loaded with wheat.
The tarpaulin was torn, and the river water, carrying the wheat, flowed towards the Huangjiang River as if it was free.
Gu Mengran didn't have time to feel sad. He rowed the boat over and cut the entire tarpaulin in half.
Suddenly, a wheat rain began to fall on the river. The full-grained wheat floated on the surface of the river, absorbed the river water, and quickly sank to the bottom.
The speed was still too slow. In just a few tens of seconds, the ship sank a lot deeper into the water. Gu Mengran no longer hesitated and decisively reached into the wheat and put the wheat in the cargo hold into the space.
With these two measures, the wheat in the cargo hold was reduced at a visible speed. In less than a minute, the bulging tarpaulin deflated. Seeing that the time was almost right, Gu Mengran turned the bow in time and opened up a distance of more than ten meters from Hengrongsheng in a few minutes.
Without even having time to catch his breath, Gu Mengran quickly took out the intercom: "Liang Zhao, Liang Zhao, the mission is completed, you can start now!"
A response came from the other side quickly: "Got it, please stay away for now."
"Don't worry, I'm already more than ten meters away." Gu Mengran advised: "You should also be careful and pay attention to safety."
"Ok, start the countdown, 3, 2, 1!"
“Boom—”
The distance was too far, and Gu Mengran could not see anything in front of him. He could hear the continuous roar of the diesel boat, like the wail of an engine before it died, and then - "Bang!"
A loud bang drowned out all the noise, and the river water splashed everywhere. Gu Mengran, who was more than ten meters away, was splashed with water.
It sounded like a success. Gu Mengran shook off the water droplets on his head and drove the diesel boat into the thick fog again.
Following the source of the sound, he met Liang Zhao. As expected, the engine of the No. 1 motorboat had been completely scrapped. Without time to feel distressed, Gu Mengran quickly put the No. 1 motorboat into the space, let Liang Zhao drive the No. 2 motorboat, and hurried to the bow of Hengrongsheng to rescue people.
The sacrifice of the engine was worth it. Heng Rongsheng maintained its balance and resurfaced. The cab filled with water was draining water.
After a lot of effort to get on the deck, Gu Mengran was exhausted and panting. Without even taking a breath, he followed Liang Zhaolian to climb three floors and finally successfully reached the door of the cabin.
Visibility continued to decline, and even with the glass pressed against it, it was still difficult to see what was happening in the cab. Liang Zhao tried to open the door but failed. Gu Mengran took out a portable chainsaw and handed it to him, "How about we just -"
Before he could finish his words, the tightly closed door of the cab was suddenly opened from the inside.
As if the floodgates had been opened, the accumulated water in the room suddenly rushed out of the door. With no way to retreat, Liang Zhao grabbed Gu Mengran's arm and blocked him, and he was drenched by the sudden flow of river water.
"Help, help, save my brother..."
A faint female voice came from the room. Liang Zhao wiped the water off his face and groped his way into the cab. The hand holding his arm still did not let go. Gu Mengran followed Liang Zhao's steps and took out a strong flashlight to illuminate the dim cab.
As soon as the door was opened, most of the river water in the room was drained out, leaving only a small amount of water on the ground.
The long-haired girl who called for help was slumped by the door, with one hand hanging in the air, keeping the door open and breathing in big gulps of fresh air.
After soaking in the water for too long, her exposed skin was full of wrinkles and her face was as pale as paper, without a trace of blood.
Beside her, the young man who had been chatting with Gu Mengran last night was lying flat on the ground, already unconscious. The water covered half of his body, and his hair was tightly grasped by the girl's hand, so his head was above the water.
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