In fact, besides tissues, there are some other special consumables that would be of great value to anyone if they could be found.
The team members split up to search. Lu Wuyai first led Su Xi and Gu Yuxin to the vicinity of the driver's cab. Only after confirming that the passage to the driver's cab had not yet been opened did he feel at ease to open the blind box.
It has to be said that there are far too many containers on such a huge cruise ship, not just a thousand, but four or five thousand containers.
Lu Wuyai never imagined that such a large cruise ship would be frozen here.
Then, one by one, they opened the boxes underneath. In one night, they found only materials in a few hundred containers.
These materials and boxes were all recorded in Lu Wuyai's small notebook for future transportation and statistics. This was also the first time they had summarized things in such a formal and detailed manner.
"Put the tissues in the car first, then you can do other things slowly," Lu Wuyai said.
Soon, boxes of tissues were thrown off the cruise ship, along with cans of fish and meat, intended to be stuffed into the gaps in the carriages to make the most of the space.
Lu Wuyai and Song Xiaoyou stayed on the deck for the time being, and while the others were packing up the boxes, they continued to unpack and count the supplies inside.
“Let’s start here.” Lu Wuyai pointed to the tall cabinet in front of him. This kind of box was rare on this cruise ship, because most of the ships were small and tall cabinets.
Lu Wuyai stepped forward and smashed the safety bolt with his gun. The iron gate opened, revealing several wooden crates wrapped in plastic. Inside were two off-road vehicles.
Lu Wuyai and Song Xiaoyou weren't particularly surprised. At least in this season, the mountain off-road vehicle was practically unusable due to the wind.
However, Song Xiaoyou saw the solar panels and wrote a string of words on the form in her hand.
"Proceed to the next unpacking."
An hour later, the team members were ready. Because there were many gaps along the way, Lu Wuyai and Song Xiaoyou carried out extra transport, even throwing away some large "band-aids."
As dawn approached, the convoy left the cruise ship and headed towards the cave amidst the wind and snow.
But before he could walk away, Lu Wuyai suddenly noticed that the car's display showed the outside temperature was dropping rapidly. Within a minute, the temperature had fallen to minus ten degrees Celsius, and it continued to fall.
At the same time, the two gasoline cars suddenly lost their ability to move and broke down.
Lu Wuyai and the others realized something was wrong and quickly got out of the car. Danger made them do the same thing: run towards the cruise ship.
"Hurry up." Lu Wuyai's voice wasn't loud, but it was urgent. He sensed a storm was about to break.
Not far away, there was a vast expanse of white sky, which seemed to be filled with ice crystals gathered together and carried by strong winds, rushing towards the deserted island with overwhelming force.
Ten minutes later, everyone rushed onto the deck and ran towards the cabin.
Three minutes later, Lu Wuyai closed the door on the deck. Everyone had already gathered in the sealed space, but the temperature continued to drop.
"Let's see if the machines inside still work," Lu Wuyai said to Gu Yuxin.
There should have been a backup power source in the cabin. After finding it, everyone discovered that although there was a generator and fuel, the internal machinery appeared to have short-circuited, and the equipment inside had been burned out.
When everyone was frustrated, Gu Yuxin said she could fix it.
"It's true," Lu Wuyai said doubtfully.
"Don't worry, I promise I won't freeze you to death." Gu Yuxin rolled her eyes, her hands continuing their work without stopping, and the temperature dropping second by second.
Feeling the temperature inside the cabin, Lu Wuyai couldn't help but urge Gu Yuxin to hurry up.
"I know, don't make a sound." Gu Yuxin frowned, looking at the pile of almost blackened wires in front of her, and suddenly felt a headache coming on.
After studying it for a while, Gu Yuxin pouted and said, "How about you go to another cabin? I don't think I can do it well."
Lu Wuyai's face darkened. He wanted to complain, but it was too late. Before the ice storm arrived, they needed to prepare for the cold and find plenty of things to keep warm.
Otherwise, when the storm came, they would likely have become the second group of humans to freeze to death in the ship's hold.
Gu Yuxin continued to repair the hut, while the others used the time to search for useful items around the cabin.
Lu Wuyai led Gu Yuxin to where the crew members slept. Besides the cold corpses, there were some useless blankets. Although they felt cold to the touch, they offered some insulation.
The two of them threw all the blankets out, then went back to dismantle the wooden bed in preparation for starting a fire.
As for the others, they were also looking for heating equipment.
Song Xiaoyou and Gu Yuxin found a box of warm babies in a corner. There were probably several hundred of them. Each one could last for more than ten hours, but the time might be shortened due to the attack of the ice crystals.
There was some rice wine in the kitchen for cooking. Everyone took a sip, feeling a little tipsy, with a slight warmth rising from their lower abdomen.
"We also have baijiu here, but it should be very strong." Gu Yuxin handed Lu Wuyai a bottle of strong baijiu. After opening it, the aroma of the liquor was overwhelming, and it tasted very refreshing.
"Forget it, getting drunk will only cause trouble." Lu Wuyai waved his hand, but after thinking about it carefully, he still told Gu Yuxin to put it away.
When Gu Yuxin returned with supplies, everyone discovered that the short-circuited switch was still not fixed.
"You guys start a fire first, then I'll go out and find firewood." After that, Lu Wuyai went straight out and braved the cold wind to go to the cockpit first.
It provides shelter from the wind. Lu Wuyai pulled out a notebook from his pocket, which contained information about today's unpacking.
"Wherever there is machinery, wooden crates are used for support, and these crates can be used as fuel."
Lu Wuyai quickly memorized several container numbers, and then began running around on the deck, collecting the timber used for packaging from the containers.
“Gu Yuxin is unreliable.” Lu Wuyai couldn’t help but sigh. He didn’t know how long the wood he had collected would last.
As a result, after making dozens of trips, the amount of timber collected was quite considerable.
"However, it remains to be seen how long this storm will last." Lu Wuyai walked to the stern, glanced at the white ship so close at hand, and hurriedly ran towards the cabin.
A terrifying gale swept past, making Lu Wuyai feel the power of nature once again.
"With a bang."
A loud crash came from the cabin entrance/exit, and ice crystals began to appear in the gaps. Lu Wuyai grabbed a blanket and glued it to a nearby metal plate, temporarily shielding it from the storm.
In the lounge, a campfire slowly burned. Everyone sat around it. Not far away, Gu Yuxin was still playing with the heater inside the cabin, but no one held much hope.
"Do you think these people in the cabin froze to death because of a short circuit in the heating system?" Su Xi asked.
Lu Wuyai sighed: "Perhaps, I hope this storm will pass quickly."
There's plenty of wood next to them. Based on the current rate of fire consumption, it should last until dusk.
But as time went by, the temperature inside the cabin dropped, and everyone had to add more wood to make the fire burn more fiercely, which undoubtedly shortened the lifespan of the wood.
Around noon, Lu Wuyai and the others threw the last piece of wood into the fire.
"I'll go find something to start a fire." Lu Wuyai thought of the kitchen; maybe he could find some charcoal or something.
But in the end, he only found some rotten and frozen food in the kitchen, nothing else.
There was no charcoal, but Lu Wuyai found traces of burnt charcoal nearby, as well as two dead bodies dressed in chef's uniforms.
"It seems these people in the cabin have been trying their best to survive." Lu Wuyai shook his head. Even so, they still died.
On the way back, Lu Wuyai couldn't help but feel discouraged. The campfire was getting weaker and weaker. When he arrived, there was no light at all.
Everyone covered themselves with cold blankets, hugged each other, and hoped the storm would pass quickly.
Time passed second by second, and people's consciousness seemed to be delayed by the cold; death was slowly sucking away everyone's life.
Lu Wuyai pulled a bottle of liquor from his pocket, filled with baijiu (Chinese white liquor). He opened it and took a sip. The burning sensation immediately brought tears to his eyes.
"Have a little, and try your best to hold on." Lu Wuyai tried his best to control his trembling hands so that everyone could have a sip of wine.
And so, they persevered for another half hour, their lips turning purple from the cold and their eyebrows covered in frost.
Despair spread in everyone's heart.
This sudden ice storm is about to take their lives.
But the next second, the orange light flashed past everyone's eyes like a bomb, then dimmed and quickly stabilized.
In this sudden turn of events, Lu Wuyai was the first to react. He looked up at the figure that had fallen not far away. It was Gu Yuxin.
"Electricity."
"The power is on."
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. As they thought this, Lu Wuyai, dragging his frozen legs, stumbled toward Gu Yuxin.
"This woman."
Previously, Gu Yuxin had been playing with the electric switch, and even Lu Wuyai had forgotten about her. After the power was turned on, the temperature inside the cabin began to rise steadily, and everyone felt like they had narrowly escaped death.
Lu Wuyai bared his teeth; his knees were aching from the cold. By the time he reached Gu Yuxin, he had already fallen at least ten times.
However, seeing Gu Yuxin's condition, Lu Wuyai breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking back, he said to the others, "It's nothing, I was just asleep."
Gu Yuxin was indeed asleep; his face was as white as ice, and his lips were purple. If it weren't for his panting, Lu Wuyai would have thought he was dead.
Soon, Lu Wuyai carried Gu Yuxin back to everyone's side. Looking at the sleeping woman, everyone's eyes were filled with gratitude.
"Finally, I don't have to die." Gu Yuxin's eyes reddened, and she covered her face with her hands, feeling very excited.
In fact, it wasn't just her; everyone else was the same. If it weren't for Gu Yuxin, everyone here would have died.
And so, Lu Wuyai held Gu Yuxin in his arms, not letting go for even a second, until she woke up.
Half an hour later, he felt the body in his arms slowly soften. Lu Wuyai saw Gu Yuxin's eyelashes trembling and realized that she had woken up.
"How about it? It's best not to." Lu Wuyai said in a low voice, as many people nearby were already asleep.
Hearing the sound, Gu Yuxin opened her eyes. After her eyes adjusted to the light, she asked, "Are we dead?"
Lu Wuyai shook his head and said, "You saved us when we were about to die."
He could clearly feel that Gu Yuxin's body had relaxed, was no longer tense, and was more supple than before.
Lu Wuyai felt like he was holding cotton in his arms; he could feel his body moving like a spring.
"Thanks to you this time." Lu Wuyai took a breath and sighed. If it weren't for Gu Yuxin, everyone might have been frozen in the cabin just now.
Gu Yuxin smiled, her face showing extreme fatigue. After a brief exchange, she drifted off to sleep again.
Lu Wuyai gently placed Gu Yuxin on the ground. Upon seeing this, Gu Yuxin took out a dry cotton quilt and handed it to him to cover the woman.
The cabin was warm. Lu Wuyai nodded to Gu Yuxin and said in a low voice, "I'll go out and take care of them."
Gu Yuxin said, "Okay."
Soon, Lu Wuyai stood up. He went to the entrance of the cabin, tore off the blankets that had been stuck together, revealing a passage. Because the iron plate had been overturned by the strong wind, the outside environment was clearly visible.
"It's so cold." Lu Wuyai shrank his neck. He quickly pulled down the overturned iron plate, closed the door, and stopped the strong wind from blowing in.
After the blanket was hung up again, Lu Wuyai went to the electrical switch, glanced at it, and then walked to the heater.
The heating system inside the cabin is some kind of large machine with a clearly marked fuel level. At this moment, it indicates that there is still half a tank of fuel remaining, enough to last a long time.
With no worries about the future, Lu Wuyai returned to the open space and found that Ouyang Qing was also asleep, with one hand supporting his chin and drooling all over him.
"Why?" Lu Wuyai smiled helplessly.
Ten minutes later, Lu Wuyai got dressed and prepared to go out and bring back some food.
“These ice crystals won’t disappear anytime soon.” Lu Wuyai was a little worried about the women living in the cave, wondering if anything might happen to them.
Soon, Lu Wuyai opened the iron gate, held his breath, and walked out.
As a result, Lu Wuyai regretted it within a second. The temperature outside was too cold.
The next second, Lu Wuyai ran back and closed the door. His entire clothes were covered with clusters of ice crystals.
Stomping his feet and shaking his legs to shake off the ice crystals, Lu Wuyai glanced at the down jackets the women had already taken off. He used these down jackets to re-arm himself before leaving the cabin.
This time, because he was wearing three layers of clothing, and two more layers over his pants, he was still able to block some of the ice crystals.
Wearing a gas mask, Lu Wuyai's vision became blurry. He immediately rushed to the cockpit, closed the hatch, and finally removed the mask.
With a whoosh.
Panting, Lu Wuyai watched as large amounts of ice crystals whistled past the glass, and fear gripped him once again.
"How can people survive in such a natural environment?"
A thick layer of frost had formed on the glass door of the cockpit. Lu Wuyai looked at the containers opposite him. He knew that, from the furthest angle, the containers contained all sorts of canned goods.
Half an hour later, Lu Wuyai returned to the hut, trembling. He closed the iron gate, slowly squatted down, and took out the aluminum cans one by one from his clothes.
The sound of the can falling to the ground probably woke Gu Yuxin up immediately. Seeing Lu Wuyai's appearance, she quickly walked away.
"Why did you go out?" Gu Yuxin removed Lu Wuyai's mask and found that the filter was covered with ice crystals.
It's too cold.
Lu Wuyai swallowed hard, his throat feeling like it was being cut by a knife, filled with the taste of blood.
Of course, he was happy to have the canned meat and fish.
"Let's eat first," Lu Wuyai said to Gu Yuxin. After being tormented by the cold for so long, it was time to eat something to replenish their warmth.
The two men opened a can of meat, which contained wild boar meat and tasted very delicious.
After they finished eating, Gu Yuxin suggested that Lu Wuyai rest for a while. Lu Wuyai didn't refuse. He had spent too much energy struggling in the storm outside.
Eight hours later, the sleeping people gradually woke up.
Gu Yuxin checked the light switch to make sure there was no danger of a power outage, then he and the others sat on the ground, eating canned food and chatting.
As for Gu Yuxin, who was on night watch, he rested to the side, and everyone's voices remained on a low frequency line.
Lu Wuyai was also sleeping, occasionally snoring, seemingly quite absorbed in his sleep.
"We don't know how long the storm will last," Gu Yuxin couldn't help but worry.
“It won’t be long,” Gu Yuxin said. “Don’t worry, there’s food and drink here. As for the fuel in the heater, it should last at least three months.”
"Hopefully it won't be that long, but what about the car?" Everyone started worrying about the vehicle again.
They were short on time, so they only put a car cover on the vehicle. Under such a terrifying ice storm, even the strongest car probably wouldn't be able to drive.
This is a problem, but there's no way to solve it. Everyone just hopes that at least one of these cars will be drivable.
......
Time flew by, and the ice storm appeared the next day.
Lu Wuyai woke up very early and walked around the cabin twice, discovering a passage near the cockpit that led directly there.
He pushed open the iron gate and walked straight out, soon standing in the cockpit.
The wind and snow were still heavy, and ice crystals raged in the air, hitting the containers from time to time with a metallic sound.
With the canned goods gone, he and the other women had to find a way to harvest some more.
Although the container was right there, the inevitable disaster that would occur during this process was something Lu Wuyai really didn't want to experience a second time.
Soon, several women also came out. They didn't close the iron door, which allowed some heat to enter the cockpit.
"I'll go out right away, you close the door." Lu Wuyai encouraged himself and began to put on the women's down jacket.
Five minutes later, the "bloated" Lu Wuyai left the cockpit.
By the time he returned, a full twenty minutes had passed.
This time, Lu Wuyai returned carrying a black backpack.
There were many large backpacks, where the crew slept. When Lu Wuyai left, he took two with him, along with more than 200 boxes of canned food, enough to feed them for several days.
"Besides food, there's water too," Song Xiaoyou said, though the water container was a bit far from the cockpit. To be precise, it was at the other end of the deck.
Lu Wuyai was so cold that his whole body turned purple. He shook his head and said, "I can't go. If I leave, I really won't be able to come back."
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