Chapter 71: Flying Over
These Beijingers, like them, also came to inquire about air tickets, but they were inquiring about international charter flights. They knew that all long-distance passenger flights had been cancelled, and in the current situation, they could not do nothing and only rely on Beijing.
Beijing was now spending a huge amount of manpower, material resources and financial resources to build air-raid shelters throughout the region, and had decided to allow all Beijingers to live a normal life in the newly built and renovated air-raid shelters before the third predicted day. Of course, rescue was also being planned and arranged at the same time, but they just had to wait.
In this case, no matter how much they wanted to go back, they could not do moral blackmail and ask the country to immediately save them regardless of the cost of money, material resources and manpower.
M country is so big, and Beijing people are scattered in various districts. With inconvenient transportation, it is impossible to bring back all those who want to go back safely. More importantly, the disaster situation has not yet stabilized. What if the plan is not well planned and the plane encounters a meteorite during a long-distance flight?
Moreover, not all of them have retained their Beijing nationality... It
was they who decided to come to M country to work and settle down. They traveled across the ocean to M country in order to get a better life. It was all personal behavior. How could they immediately rely on Beijing country because of the disaster?
Now the disaster is planet-wide. In fact, the situation in W city is not bad, and they are living well. It’s just that if there is a chance, they just want to try it.
So after discussing, they came up with the idea of chartering a plane. Unfortunately, after waiting, the charter application was also rejected.
They were all very frustrated that they couldn't even think of spending their own money. Now, seeing You Xi and her group, who were also from Beijing, and seeing them asking about tickets to the north, they couldn't help but feel strange, so they went up to them and chatted with them while they were waiting for the results of their inquiry.
You Qi and her group didn't hide anything, and simply told them about their plans to return home.
**
"What? You plan to go north along the East Coast and then cross the strait?" Several Beijingers were shocked. With such a circuitous route, they didn't know how many unexpected troubles they would encounter along the way.
You Xi and the other two naturally knew why they were shocked.
Returning home this way would be okay before crossing the strait, because there are port cities all the way north along the East Coast from here. If taking a boat doesn't work, you can take a train. If that doesn't work, you can drive yourself. If you're lucky, you can buy a short-distance ticket. It will take some time to reach Peninsula A.
Crossing the strait is not difficult. The strait is about 50 kilometers away, and it takes more than half an hour to an hour by boat.
Moreover, the scenery of the strait is magnificent. Peninsula A launched a strait transit tour project a few years ago. You just need to sign up for a tour group at a travel agency, and the visa will be issued quickly.
Youqi had called the local travel agency on Peninsula A before. The meteorite disaster was equivalent to a devastating blow to the tourism industry, but everyone still had to support their families, so now the tourism was cancelled, but it was still possible to apply for a visa and take a boat across the strait, but the fee was very high because Country E was also blocking the flow of people entering the country.
But problems that can be solved with money are not problems.
In the minds of several Beijingers, the real problem lies in the second half of the journey after crossing the strait. Country E is vast, and across the strait is Country E's K Peninsula. There is a large uninhabited area in the past of the peninsula. There is no railway in this area, and only roads have been opened. The
airport, which was originally the only way to quickly cross the uninhabited area, was destroyed when the first meteorite rain came.
The K Peninsula is now in a semi-closed state of self-sufficiency and self-help. There are even many people from Country E scrambling to apply for visas to cross the strait to the A Peninsula.
Now that they have gone to the K Peninsula, how are they going to go south?
You Xi said, "There are two ways. One is to travel by land along the coastline, and the other is to go to H City on the K Peninsula and take a passenger cruise. By crossing the bay, you can save a lot of distance, and then think of a way to travel by land."
The other party looked her up and down, with sympathy in his eyes: "Little girl, you are too naive. Beyond the K Peninsula is a no-man's land. Do you think walking along the coastline is not a no-man's land? Also, although the overall situation in E country is much better than that in M country, it is really hard to say what the situation is like for such long-distance passenger cruises. A friend of mine was in H City on the K Peninsula before the first meteorite rain. He originally thought he could leave before the second predicted day. , but now they are still there..."
The other party shook his head and directly denied these two routes, and then went on to say, "They have more than ten people in their group. They have thought about driving through the large uninhabited area... But this area will take at least ten days to drive, and there is nothing along the way except the road.
In addition, with the impact of the meteorite, it is unknown whether the towns that could have been used to replenish supplies and refuel are still there... The degree of damage to the road is even more difficult to say. We are unfamiliar with the place, and we can save water and supplies if we lack them. We can endure it, but if the car is out of gas, it will be a dead end..."
When the other party was analyzing, Youxi and the others did not respond.
In fact, compared to taking a long-distance passenger cruise across the Gulf on the K Peninsula of E Country, they prefer this route.
Just like what the other party said, they have to wait for the boat tickets, which may take more than ten days. The longer they delay on the road, the more unsafe it will be.
And they haven't got the boat yet. If they are really unlucky and get stuck in the middle of the sea and encounter an early meteorite rain, it will be a dead end.
Even if the meteorite does not hit the cruise ship, it is easy to cause a tsunami.
But there is no such concern when driving through the uninhabited area. Country E has a large area and many places are uninhabited, so there are no train lines in many areas, but many roads are built and paved very deep.
There are no rest stops along these roads, but they may pass through a small town every few days. There will be supermarkets and gas stations in the town to provide supplies for people who travel long distances.
In this situation, what others are most worried about is that they will drive for a few days and see a town that has been hit by a meteorite, and they will not be able to replenish supplies and gasoline in time.
But this is the least worrying thing for Youxi and the other three, because the supplies in their space are enough for them to use for several years, and the same goes for gasoline. With more than 10,000 liters of gasoline, they can drive anywhere they want.
Just study the route well and make sure not to get lost.
Of course, they couldn't explain these words to each other, and could only say that they planned to see the situation after arriving in Country E. At present, they had to think of a way to reach Peninsula A first to shorten the time of the first half of the journey, so as to ensure the safety of the second half of the journey.
"Then you have to hurry up. There are still 86 days until the next forecast date. It sounds like a long time, but it may be earlier. So the shorter the journey, the better."
"Yes, that's why we came to ask about the air tickets. The boat tickets are already fully booked."
At this time, the ticket seller gave them the results of their inquiry. There were two empty seats to S City in J Country in two days. Do they want them?
There were only two tickets, and they were flying east. Of course, they couldn't take them.
Tang Yatong comforted Youqi: "Let's ask again tomorrow. If it really doesn't work, we can go by land and see if there is any way to cross the border. Anyway, we won't stay in Country J. I also have friends in Country J. I'll call him and ask later."
The three of them said hello to a few Beijingers and were about to leave, but the other party stopped them and said they could exchange phone numbers.
"Although your plan is crazy and we have poured a lot of cold water on you just now, we still admire your determination to return home. We met by chance in a foreign country, please leave us your phone number. If you can really complete this plan and return to Beijing, let us know so that we can be happy for you."
Tang Yatong smiled and exchanged her phone number with the person who spoke. At the same time, she also comforted the other party: "Don't worry, now is the early stage of the disaster, and all the countries on the planet are caught off guard. As long as we survive this period, the country will be There will be rescue, and passenger flights may be restored, but... it may take some time."
The other party smiled and said, "We are fine. We have houses, jobs, families and children here. As long as the city we are in is safe, it doesn't matter whether we go back or not. It's just an idea... There are some international students who didn't plan to stay here for a long time. After the disaster, the school was suspended, and now they have problems with food and accommodation. Now they rely on us for help..."
Tang Yatong thought for a while and asked the other party how many international students there were.
"Except for those whose friends and relatives have left to seek refuge, there are still two or three hundred people left. There are also many Beijingers in W City, but not all of them are willing to help. It's okay for now, but in the long run, alas..."
Applications and requests for help from all sides are also being made, but in the current situation, everything is difficult.
You Qi and Tang Yatong looked at each other, and they understood each other's thoughts. They whispered a few words, and then Tang Yatong asked them to wait for a while, and then she went to the side to make a phone call.
After the call ended, she told them that they could also do their part. She was a shareholder of a company, with a branch in L City and the head office in X City not far from here.
She had already contacted the people in the company, and they could also provide some help there, and they could take in about 20 people. As long as the company was not hit by the meteorite and did not go bankrupt, this promise of help would always be valid.
This is also the reason why she dared to max out her credit card before. She is a shareholder. Even if she does not go back to work, she will have money in her bank account in the middle and end of the year. Whether this part of the money can be transferred back after she returns to China is another matter. It is also a good choice to provide help to compatriots now.
After that, she took out a pen and paper from her travel bag (space), wrote a handwritten letter, and handed it to the other party as a voucher for international students to ask for help in the future. The
other party did not expect that he could get help after going around the airline. Twenty people are not a small number!
**
After returning that night, the three people from Youxi held a small meeting and prepared to stay in W City for another three days to check if there are suitable seats. At the same time, they contacted Tang Yatong’s friends in J country to see if they can find other ways to enter the country.
After three days, there were still no seats available, and immigration was not resolved, so they tried to get a small boat with a cabin and head north along the coast. Of course, this was a last resort backup plan. However
, the next night, Tang Yatong received a call from a fellow countryman from Beijing whom she met yesterday.
The other party asked her if there were only three of them in their group, or if there were other people.
"Only the three of us."
"Okay, if there are only three of you who want to go north, I know a friend here who flies a small plane that can only take three passengers at most. The longest flight distance of this plane is about 1,900 to 2,000 kilometers. As long as the price is right, he can take you directly to Peninsula A."
Tang Yatong: ...! !
This news was even better than the airlines having seats to U City in Country J, because even if they went to U City, they would have to find a way to continue north, usually by driving themselves, and then find a boat to Peninsula A.
But now, a small plane can fly directly over these areas and take them to Peninsula A!
The pilot of the small plane was a countryman. Later, Youxi and the other three found out that the daughter of this countryman was a student at the same school as the group of international students that Tang Yatong helped.
When flights, ships and trains were all full, the short-distance small plane business like his was very, very good, and the reservations for the past month were all full. If it weren't for his daughter's request, he would not have set aside a day to take over the business of Youxi and the other three.
This incident not only made the three people in Youxi sigh, but even Tang Yatong's friends, the Feynman couple, were extremely moved. If it weren't for Tang Yatong's kindness and willingness to help her compatriots, even if the other party told them about the small plane, it would probably take a month to schedule.
They definitely couldn't wait.
They helped others and helped themselves at the same time.
The departure date was set for two days later.
In these two days, the three people were busy preparing for the subsequent journey.
First, they went to the repair shop to check and repair their modified and reinforced SUV again, replaced the tires, bought a lot of engine oil, repair parts, bought several spare tires, etc.
Afterwards, because the space in Youxi was not full, they continued to go shopping in the supermarket. The disaster situation near W City was not so bad, so the supply of major supermarkets was sufficient for the time being.
They restocked 40 boxes of 5 gallons x 4 barrels of water and 10 boxes of 24 bottles of water.
Then, considering the temperature of Peninsula A and Country E in this season, they restocked cold-proof clothes for three people.
Of all the cash, they set aside part for the cost of crossing the strait and applying for visas, and kept part to exchange for Country E currency after they got there.
They exchanged the rest for food supplies. This time, they bought several boxes of instant food, canned meat and canned fruit; they went to several cafes and packed a total of 200 cups of coffee; they replenished several boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables...
On the day of leaving, Tang Yatong left a box of supplies for the Ximan family, which included flashlights, lighters, candles, bottled water, some canned food, instant noodles, some medicines, and nutritional supplements and milk powder for the children.
She didn't tell them in advance, but only left a note and put the box in their storage room to express her gratitude for their shelter and help over the past few days.
Afterwards, the three of them drove all the way to the airport where the small plane was located, found a forest without surveillance, took out three backpacks and thick clothes that had been prepared long ago, put away the SUV, and drove straight to the airport.
An hour later, the three were already in the air.
The plane was really small, with four seats in the cabin, including the pilot. The three were nervous when it took off, but the pilot drove very steadily and the plane performed very well.
The pilot told them that at the current speed, they would reach Peninsula A by noon.
He said that he had made a lot of money recently with this plane, but he had a principle to only fly during relatively safe periods.
"Relative safety period?"
The other party nodded, indicating that this was a calculation method recently provided by some experts. Combined with the predicted date, a relatively safe period between meteorite landings can be calculated.
He felt that scientists were very smart. He believed that in time, someone would definitely calculate the absolute safety period. By then, everyone would be able to accurately avoid every meteorite attack.
You Xi hummed and turned his head to look down from the airplane window.
The plane was flying over a meteorite-stricken area.
From such a height, the traces of meteorite invasion on the ground looked particularly obvious, like a person's injured skin. The originally flat ground became bumpy.
In those places, buildings collapsed, bridges were destroyed, people lost their homes and fled everywhere...
For this world, the end of the world has just begun.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
