55 Coastal Floating Bridge-Day 6
◎Rescue NPC◎
Yan Lan looked around and after confirming that there was no potential danger around, she walked cautiously towards the stranded fishing boat.
The huge body of the ship is particularly eye-catching on the shallows. The part of the deck exposed above the water looks empty and silent, with only a few lonely iron cages lying alone.
Yan Lan speculated that the NPC was likely trapped inside the ship's cabin. These fishing vessels, often used at sea, were equipped with various living facilities for the crew, and their structures were quite complex.
So, she decided to start her search from the captain's cabin, carefully searching every corner while shouting loudly: "Is anyone there? Please answer if you hear me!"
Her voice echoed on the boat, carrying a hint of expectation. She called out several times but no one answered.
The further down they go, the closer they are to the sea surface. Yan Lan thought, they won’t be trapped in the water.
Sure enough, just as she worried, when she reached the door of the last room, she vaguely heard a faint response.
"Someone, we are here."
"Please save us."
There was a mixture of despair and hope in her voice. They were truly trapped. She carefully surveyed her surroundings, guessing it might be a restaurant, as broken plates and miscellaneous cutlery were scattered everywhere. At the very bottom of the boat, she would only need one step forward to plunge into the sea.
The door of the restaurant was pressed down tightly by various heavy objects. Because of the tilt of the ship, these heavy objects were like a small mountain pressing down the door. No wonder the people inside were unable to save themselves.
"Are the people inside okay? How many people are there in total?" Yan Lan shouted from outside.
"There are five of us here, all still alive, but the situation is not good. Please save us."
A hoarse and heavy male voice replied. It was obviously the voice of a middle-aged man, revealing a sense of weak fatigue.
Yan Lan didn't act immediately. Instead, she asked a few more cautious questions, trying to learn more information: "How did you get here? Where is your home? Who are your family members? What do your family members do for a living?"
"We were king crab fishermen, but we encountered a severe storm on the way. Our boat was severely damaged and was eventually blown here."
The middle-aged man recalled the past with difficulty, but his voice began to choke when he talked about his family situation.
"Home is...home is far away..."
"Is there...someone at home?"
Yan Lan nodded secretly in her heart. Her judgment was correct. These people did fit the common NPC settings in the game. They were simple and direct. Just asking a few more questions would reveal that they were not real people.
"Don't worry, I'll come and get you out right away." She comforted him in a nonchalant manner.
Yan Lan looked around and had an idea in her mind.
The door was blocked by a heavy steel cage, which she could not move. However, she could use the grid of her backpack to sweep the heavy objects into the grid of her backpack, and then cleverly throw them into the sea one by one through the hole in the cabin.
Soon, the door that was originally blocked tightly by heavy objects became unobstructed.
Yan Lan took a deep breath and pulled the door outward suddenly. The door burst open and a beam of light penetrated the darkness, illuminating everything inside.
Behind the door was a group of NPCs, gathered at the entrance, their faces filled with the despair of waiting for so long. Now, seeing the door open, they all looked up, their eyes gleaming with joy and gratitude for having survived.
Inside the restaurant, the sea water was almost flooding, the water level was approaching their necks, and the group had to soak in the freezing water.
The man at the head was obviously the leader of the group - he had a thick beard and a rugged face, and was wearing a striking yellow waterproof overalls and a hat with the words "Captain Jack" printed on it.
The moment he saw Yan Lan, Captain Jack's eyes lit up and he immediately expressed his gratitude in fluent Chinese: "Thank you so much, benefactor, for saving our lives."
Captain Jack, a white man, could speak fluent Chinese. Yan Lan felt strange, but she still responded with a smile: "You're welcome. This is what I should do. Now you are safe. Come up quickly and don't stay in the water too long."
Jack nimbly climbed out of the water first, then turned around and extended a helping hand to his companions who were still in the water, pulling them to safety one by one.
After a while, the five-member team stood neatly at the door of the restaurant, their clothes soaked.
Captain Jack looked around, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. "Huh? That's strange. Why is the heavy object at the door gone? We tried our best to push it away before, but we couldn't."
Yan Lan stood beside him and said lightly, "Oh, that, I just pushed it into the sea."
Upon hearing this, Captain Jack's gaze stayed on Yan Lan for a moment, but then shifted away, as if he had no objection to her explanation.
Yan Lan took the opportunity to observe the crew members carefully. She saw that they looked normal and did not show any surprise at how a seemingly weak woman like her could move heavy objects with ease. Even the strange-looking and eye-catching elf "Snowball" on her shoulder failed to attract their attention.
Since most of the fishing boat had sunk and it was not advisable to stay there for long, they decided to go to the coconut grove in the center of the island.
In the coconut grove, tall coconut trees stand tall, bringing a touch of green and coolness to this land.
The crew members were obviously exhausted and found a few coconut trees to rest under, their faces filled with relaxation after surviving the disaster.
Yan Lan and Xueqiu tacitly chose a seat not far away to sit down, trying not to disturb the crew's rest.
She gently stroked Snowball's soft fur, and Snowball seemed to sense his owner's mood and snuggled quietly beside her.
Just as Yan Lan was thinking about how to stay at home tonight with a stranger here, Captain Jack slowly walked over with a look of embarrassment and apology on his face.
"Benefactor, we have been adrift at sea for many days and have run out of food. I wonder if you could be so generous as to share some food with us? We would be extremely grateful."
Yan Lan's eyes involuntarily passed over Captain Jack and landed on the crew behind him. They all had dry, cracked mouths and pale faces, and it was obvious that they had not eaten for a long time.
After a brief moment of deliberation, she decided to lend a hand. After all, her supplies were still plentiful, so giving them a little wouldn't make a big difference. Furthermore, the quest hadn't been completed yet, and she had a vague feeling that to complete this unknown quest, she might need to follow the NPC's wishes.
"Okay, no problem."
Yan Lan smiled in response. Just as she was about to take food from her backpack, she suddenly realized something—these people probably didn't know players like her existed. To avoid further incidents, she couldn't show her backpack directly to the NPCs. If they mistook her for someone else, it would be disastrous. This was her trump card, so she shouldn't show it to strangers.
So, she raised her hand and paused slightly in the air, then scratched her head to hide the embarrassment at the moment.
"However," she continued calmly, "my supplies are stored on a raft on the other side of the island, and I'll need to go get them. Please wait a moment, I'll be back soon."
Captain Jack did not feel anything wrong when he heard this. He nodded quickly to express his gratitude and signaled the crew to wait patiently.
The edge of the coconut grove is only a few minutes away from the raft.
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but every time Yan Lan took a step, she could feel the sharp gaze behind her, as if afraid that she would disappear without a trace if she turned around.
She looked back and saw Captain Jack looking at her with a warm smile and waving to her. He looked both friendly and harmless.
Yan Lan secretly laughed inwardly, thinking that perhaps she was overthinking it. After all, these were just NPCs cooperating with the mission, so how could they have any bad intentions?
So she quickened her pace, walked through the coconut grove, and came to the shallows.
After the figures of the crew members were hidden by the trees, she acted quickly, released the raft, and pretended to search on the raft, but in fact she was taking out the supplies that had been prepared long ago from her backpack system.
Yan Lan had a bulging backpack on her back, which was filled with dry food, fresh fruits, drinking water and some daily necessities.
When she stepped into the coconut grove again and distributed the food in her hands to the crew members one by one, they ate it almost voraciously, obviously they were really hungry.
She stole a glance at the game panel and saw that the mission was complete.
After distributing the food, Yan Lan exchanged a brief greeting with Captain Jack before returning to the raft on the beach with Snowball to rest. The mission was complete, the points were earned, so there was no need to engage in excessive communication with the NPCs, lest any unnecessary complications arise.
"Well, go ahead."
Captain Jack didn't even raise his head after hearing Yan Lan's words, but continued to gnaw on the steamed bun in his hand. The other crew members were also wolfing down their food, with no time to pay attention to anything else.
Yan Lan curled her lips and did not stay any longer. Instead, she turned and left the coconut grove and headed for the raft on the other side of the island with Snowball.
She carefully selected a safe and comfortable location to anchor, which was at a safe distance from the coconut grove while avoiding the invasion of shallow waves. The waves gently lapped the shore but did not disturb her tranquility.
This small island seems to be a treasure carefully carved by nature, forming a sharp contrast with the turbulent sea outside. It has a pleasant climate and picturesque scenery.
Yan Lan decided to rest here for a while and enjoy a few days of rare peace.
However, even on this seemingly isolated island, she did not completely let down her guard. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but the gazes of those NPCs always seemed to hide something.
So, she used the resources at hand to set up a series of simple warning devices around the raft, with bells ringing softly and traps hidden in the dark, so that she could immediately detect any movement.
As night fell, there was still no unusual sound coming from the coconut grove. It seemed that the NPC crew members were really staying where they were as she wished, which made Yan Lan feel a little relieved.
Before going to bed, Yan Lan and Xueqiu visited the coconut grove again, only to find that the place where they had rested was empty. They must have returned to the ship.
Although she felt that the boat was not as comfortable as the island, what did that have to do with her? So Yan Lan returned to the raft with a relieved mood.
Lying on the soft bed, there is no roaring sea, no raging typhoon, only peace and tranquility.
Yan Lan closed her eyes and enjoyed this rare peace.
【Author’s words】
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2024-08-10 17:20:08 and 2024-08-11 10:44:42~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 5 bottles; 1 bottle of Paper Snow;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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