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This storage box should be the first batch of plants to be planted, a total of ten. Tao Sai looked around it and found that two boxes had sprouted.
The green sprouts were still so tender and thin that Lan Xiaojia, an agronomy major, couldn't identify their variety. Tao Sai guessed they were lettuce or bok choy, as carrots and potatoes took much longer to germinate.
Lan Xiaojia squatted in front of the storage box and took notes in her notebook. She had actually been taking notes these past few days. She put a sticky note on each box, noting the sowing time and watering and fertilizing records. Only the ten boxes that Tao Sai had planted at the beginning did not have sticky notes on them.
Everyone on board took turns going up on deck to see the sprouts, their faces lit with joy. Although they were still only in the bud stage, still a long way from being ready for picking and eating, these tiny, tender green leaves instilled confidence and hope.
This kind of hope is precisely the scarcest thing in the apocalypse.
In the afternoon, Tao Sai received more than 20 text messages reminding her to pick up her packages. She waited until 6:30 p.m. to pick them up with An Nan and the others, because Tao Sai had paid special attention to the fact that the express delivery station closed at 7 p.m.
On the way back, Tao Sai saw a lot of people gathered in a small square on the side of the road. Many fishermen on the fishing boats walked onto the deck to look over here, and some even jumped directly onto the shore to squeeze into the crowd.
In the middle of the crowd, someone was shouting with a loudspeaker.
The accent was tinged with dialect, something Tao Sai couldn't understand, but the tone sounded like he was preaching something. Tao Sai stepped on a stone block and peered inside. The middle-aged man speaking looked like a grassroots cadre, wearing a red vest and a red armband. She vaguely caught the idiom, "When one side is in trouble, all sides come to its aid."
From this, Tao Sai judged that it must be the local grassroots government agencies mobilizing fishermen to participate in the rescue.
In her "previous life", private fishing boats were also an important part of the rescue force. In the face of natural disasters, fishermen either contributed their own boats for survival or drove their boats to participate in the rescue, transferring countless survivors to the sea base.
Sure enough, after hearing the whole situation, many fishermen withdrew from the crowd and waved their hands as they retreated.
"What do I think? They're sending us to our deaths. I won't go. My life was given to me by my parents. That's all I have to do. I still have to be filial to them."
"Old Liu, you're wrong to say that. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."
"I won't do that with an eight-story pagoda either. Didn't you see the video on your phone? I'll show you right away. That thing really eats people! It won't even spit out the bones!"
"Isn't it said that bugs are afraid of water? You're hiding on the boat and not getting out of the ground. Nothing's wrong with you! I think you're just a coward."
"I'm a coward, so what? Go ahead and do it. You're so brave! I'm afraid you'll be dead without a hair left."
…
"Fellow villagers, following Director Qian's words, let me say a few words." At this time, another young man in a red vest in the crowd took the loudspeaker and spoke in standard and fluent Mandarin, "I hope everyone will actively respond to the call of the Emergency Command Center. The front lines of disaster relief need your strong support. Our fellow countrymen are also waiting for your help. Perhaps if you can add a minute, or send another ship, you can save hundreds of more people. Think about it, everyone. In times of war, tens of millions of heroic sons and daughters were able to unite to drive out the invaders. In times of peace, we must also inherit the legacy of our ancestors and unite to overcome this difficult time!"
The young man's words resonated with a small circle of people, and many fishermen were persuaded to come forward and sign their names on the registration form.
"It's the fishing moratorium now, and I have nothing to do. I might as well take a break. I'd like to go and see how weird this bug is." said an old barefoot fisherman. He had never been to school and couldn't write, so he asked the staff to help him register.
"I'll go catch a few to open your eyes. What kind of bugs are they? Let's roast them and have some with our wine."
Another skinny, dark-skinned fisherman joked with his old acquaintances around him, making everyone laugh.
"I'm a bachelor with a miserable life, but I'm signing up!" A bald-headed, nonchalant-looking young man pushed through the crowd and walked up.
He bent down, one hand on the table, half of his buttocks exposed through his jeans, and signed the paper in a flamboyant manner.
Gradually more and more people signed up. Of course, some people left quietly because they were concerned about their own safety and their families, but more fishermen jumped ashore after hearing the news and rushed here nimbly.
Tao Sai silently looked at these honest fishermen with admiration.
She inquired with passersby and learned that registration for this mobilization was entirely voluntary. The government would provide a 10,000 yuan subsidy to anyone who loaned a boat, with compensation for any damage. Those who sailed to the disaster relief front would receive a 30,000 yuan subsidy, and if any accidents occurred during the rescue effort, their immediate family would be fully supported by the government. But in the face of a natural disaster of this magnitude, would they really care about a few tens of thousands of yuan? Probably not.
Registration continued in the small square until ten o'clock in the evening.
Tao Sai looked through the telescope in the cockpit and found that the enthusiasm of the fishermen had not diminished at all. At this point, at least half of the boats in the entire fishing dock had signed up.
At this time, An Nan climbed the stairs to the cockpit and returned the phone to Tao Sai. They had just borrowed the phone to talk to their families.
"Sister Sai, my brother and his family have already arrived at the airport. Xiaojia and Yanyan's families are also on their way to the airport. They are on a flight that will arrive at Donghai Yuxiang Airport tomorrow morning. The flight will land at around 11 o'clock." An Nan said.
Tao Sai nodded and took the phone. "Okay, I'll rent two cars tomorrow and we'll go to the airport to pick them up."
"Okay." An Nan said good night and prepared to go back, but suddenly stopped. She turned around and said, "Sister Sai, thank you so much."
This made Tao Sai a little confused.
"Thanks to you, Sister Sai, my brother and his friends booked this last flight. After this one, all flights from my home to Donghai will be discontinued. All tickets for the day after that will be sold out. We really caught the last train." An Nan still felt a little scared. She said with mixed emotions, "If they hadn't bought the tickets, I don't dare to think about the consequences."
"Thank God." Tao Sai said, she felt lucky for An Nan and the others.
Yuxiang Airport was nearly 30 kilometers away from the fishing boat pier, and there was no direct airport shuttle. Tao Sai and An Nan set off early in the morning, renting two cars from a car dealership to pick them up at the airport.
The group to be picked up included An Nan's brother and sister-in-law, their eight-month-old child, Lin Yan's parents, Lan Xiaojia's parents, grandmother, and younger brother—nine people in total. Two cars could barely fit them.
They arrived at the airport an hour earlier than expected, parked the car, and waited at the pick-up gate in advance.
The airport was full of passengers rushing around, most of whom were mainland residents who had flown to Donghai City to seek refuge.
In fact, ever since the insects' fear of water became public knowledge, a large number of inland residents have begun to flock to island cities by road, rail, water, and air. Some uninhabited islands on the edge of the continental shelf are even showing signs of overcrowding.
Tao Sai handed the cell phone to An Nan so that they could contact him by phone if he arrived.
She leaned against the wall silently, staring intently at the world channel in the corner of her vision, because she found that someone new had just spoken on it.
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: No way, this is really an online game? There's also a world channel, I'm going to
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: Is anyone there?
In less than a minute, someone responded.
[Only Love Song Without Memory (Lv4)]: Yes, yes
[Only Love Song Without Memory (Lv4)]: I am *^o^*
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: Does that mean everyone has a system? Awesome!
Tao Sai quickly enlarged the small world channel frame in the corner of his vision and focused on their conversation messages.
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: Am I leveling up too slowly? How come you’re already level 4?
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: Do you have any tips or strategies? Share them with me, brother.
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: Let's share resources.
[Only Love Song Wuyi (Lv4)]: There is no trick, just one word, just work hard and you’ll be done!
[Only Love Song Without Memory (Lv4)]: Do you want to team up? I'm teaming up with another player to kill monsters, and there are bonuses.
[No Crossing (Lv3)]: Really?! Team up and go!
[Budu (Lv3)]: I'm telling you, I saw over 20 insects spawning in one place on my refuge ship. There were so many bugs, it was like a volcanic eruption.
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: But I’m scared and don’t dare to go over. Are you interested in joining us for a try?
[Only Love Song I Have No Memory (Lv4)]: Wow wow wow!
[Only Love Qu Wu Yi (Lv4)]: Send me the coordinates, I'll come find you right away! ! ! Bug, here I come! [Craving.jpg]
Seeing this, Tao Sai could no longer sit still. She focused her eyes on the input box and quickly spoke to the world.
[cx330 (Lv3)]: Don't send him the coordinates.
[Budu (Lv3)]: Why? What happened?
[cx330 (Lv3)]: Remember my words, don't post your coordinates in the world channel. If you expose your coordinates, he will kill you.
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: What? What are you talking about? Players can still attack other players?
[cx330 (Lvt3)]: Yes, when a player kills another player, they gain their experience points. He was able to reach level 4 in such a short time, it's impossible that he did it by grinding.
After Tao Sai's message was released, there was silence in the world channel for a long time, and no one spoke.
[Only Love Qu Wu Yi (Lv4)]: @(cx330) If what you said is true, how did you know?
[Only Love Qu Wu Yi (Lv4)]: You have killed other players before, right?
The moment she saw these two lines of words, Tao Sai's face twitched slightly. She was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to speak. She tried to find sufficient evidence to clear herself of suspicion.
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: @(cx330), I'm not saying you're funny, buddy. You can't help but throw mud at others because you can't stand seeing them team up, right?
[Budu (Lv3)]: You can come up with such a statement.
Tao Sai felt quite powerless.
[cx330 (Lv3)]: Anyway, trust me once, don't send the coordinates
[Bu Du (Lv3)]: Okay, I believe you
[Not Crossing (Lv3)]: @(I Only Love Song Without Remembering), I'm at Feisha Crossing on the Wolong River. Come over and team up to kill monsters.
[cx330 (Lv3)]: ...
[Only Love Qu Wu Yi (Lv4)]: I'll come find you right away! Let's kill monsters and level up together to defeat the insect swarm! Go!
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