Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Temporary Stop
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“Woo woo—”
"Ships in Anchang, all ships in Anchang, please obey the dispatch and go to Anchang anchorage for temporary anchorage! Repeat, heavy fog warning, visibility less than ten meters, all ships in Anchang, please obey the dispatch and go to Anchang anchorage for temporary anchorage!"
At night, the yellow fog shrouding the sky above Huangjiang River was dyed black by the night, like a ball of thick ink that could not be dissolved splashed in front of the windshield, blocking all vision.
The fog was too thick, and ship collisions occurred frequently in many places. In the evening, the maritime department intervened and took measures such as suspending navigation and guiding ships in the basin to dock at nearby ports.
Half of the bow of Fengyi extended into Anchang. The law enforcement boat buzzed, the alarm sounded, and the voices of the law enforcement officers were transmitted to the Fengyi's cabin through the marine high frequency (VHF) with incredible clarity.
In front of the driving seat, the old man sat upright with an extremely serious expression.
Gu Mengran stood beside his grandfather, supporting himself on the steering wheel with both hands, his lips tightly pursed into a straight line.
When the high frequency sounded, Meng Gaoyang and Gu Mengran looked at each other tacitly, and then controlled the rudder to turn the direction, following the guide lights, and headed for the anchorage of Anchang Port.
Gu Mengran was not expecting the ship to temporarily dock due to the yellow fog, but the Fengyi's docking in Anchang was part of Gu Mengran's plan.
An earthquake is approaching, and the seemingly safe river surface is actually full of dangers.
Once the earth begins to tremble, it is often followed by natural disasters such as landslides, mudslides, and even reservoir dam collapses, causing floods.
When the ground breaks, part of the ground will rise or sink violently. At that time, the Huangjiang River will be like a huge pendulum, and the "tourists" on the river will swing left and right, up and down, with the Huangjiang River, as if they were not wearing seat belts.
The unprecedented earthquake could destroy a cargo ship at sea in an instant, let alone a small river boat.
The reason for going to Anchang Port was, firstly, to fasten the safety belt for Fengyi, and secondly, Anchang Port was under the jurisdiction of Shaozhou, a very, very small temporary port with flat terrain, not backed by mountains, not close to reservoir dams, and very few ships coming and going, making it an ideal refuge.
An hour later, Fengyi arrived safely at the anchorage of Anchang Port.
Just like the information Gu Mengran found on the Internet, there are not many ships in the anchorage, and there are large ports in front and behind. Even if they want to anchor temporarily, the experienced captains will choose a large port with better supporting facilities.
There was a lot of water but few boats. After entering the anchorage, the Fengyi deliberately kept a distance from the other scattered boats, like a loner kid, staying alone in a corner.
“Bang, bang, bang—”
As the hinge machine was running, the anchor quickly entered the water with an anchor chain as thick as an arm. Gu Mengran stood on the open deck wearing a mask, looking at the dark river surface, his tense nerves gradually relaxed.
This location is very good, the water level is neither too deep nor too shallow, it is neither too close nor too far from the shore, and there are no other ships around, so there is no need to worry about unnecessary collisions when an earthquake strikes.
The anchor hit the bottom and the hinge machine stopped working. Gu Mengran was just about to return to the cab when he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a red ship signal light suddenly lit up in the pitch-black night fog in front of him on the right.
The lights came from far away and a fully loaded bulk carrier that was a little smaller than the Feng Yi slowly approached.
The approaching ship had no sense of boundaries and started to anchor from the right front. Even though there was such a wide area of water next to it, the captain maintained good anchoring habits and anchored right next to the Fengyi.
Gu Mengran: ...
The small cargo ship was fully loaded, and its deck was almost level with the river surface. Gu Mengran stood on the deck of Feng Yi, with a clear view of the deck and cargo hold of the small cargo ship.
Before the cargo ship came to a complete stop, a tall and thin figure quickly walked out from the stern deck. The other party was obviously here to help with anchoring. Seeing this, Gu Mengran trotted over to the fender, took off his mask and shouted at the man, "Hello, hello, handsome guy!"
Standing on the Wind Wing, you can clearly see the small cargo ship, but looking at the Wind Wing from the perspective of the small cargo ship is like looking at a three or four-story building from the ground, and there is heavy fog blocking the way.
The man was stunned when he heard the noise, then he stretched his neck to look around. After failing to find the location, the man slapped himself hard on the forehead. It was not until Gu Mengran reminded him again that he raised his head in realization.
The man was about the same age as Gu Mengran. He was a handsome, harmless-looking young man.
Their eyes met, and the man quickly waved to Gu Mengran, cupped his hands like trumpets, and responded enthusiastically: "So you are on it. Hello, Wind Wing! Your ship is so cool!"
Gu Mengran smiled happily, "Thank you, yours... Heng Rongsheng is also very handsome."
"Haha, yeah! I think so too. So where are you going from here?"
Gu Mengran answered casually and asked, "Yuntian went to Yinan, how about you?"
That person: "Wow, what a coincidence! We just left from Shaozhou and are also heading to Yinan!"
Sailing for a long time is very lonely, really lonely. When staying on the ship for a long time, there are only a few people coming and going, and it is common not to socialize for several months. Therefore, most of the crew members are sociable and can chat with neighboring ships for a whole night when they temporarily anchor at the anchorage.
But at this time, the other party's friendliness and enthusiasm made Gu Mengran feel awkward.
Business is important! Gu Mengran put away his smile, propped his arms on the fender, and said to the young man in a gentle voice: "Handsome, can I discuss something with you? Can you tell your captain to keep a little distance between our two ships?"
A trace of doubt flashed in the young man's eyes, "Ah? Isn't this a normal parking?"
"That's the handsome guy." Gu Mengran lowered his voice, pretending to share gossip, and said mysteriously: "My relative works in the Geological Bureau. He said that the geological activities in the Shaozhou area have been quite active recently, and there is a high possibility of an earthquake!"
"Earthquake?" The young man shuddered. "Is it true? I didn't see it on the news."
Gu Mengran pursed his lips and chuckled, "It's hearsay, and I can't guarantee its authenticity, but... it's better to believe it than not, right? Regardless of whether the earthquake is big or small, our two ships are so close to each other, if there is a little shaking, it will be quite troublesome, right?"
This statement is half true and half false, leaving room for endless imagination.
The river breeze wrapped in yellow fog blew towards us, and the small cargo ship that had not yet dropped anchor was shaking with it. For a moment, the young man on the deck even imagined the moment when the earthquake came.
Indeed, no matter whether it is a big earthquake or a small earthquake, if it really shakes -
If they stop next to such a huge creature, they will definitely be the first to suffer!
There was no time to chat with Gu Mengran. The young man quickly took out the walkie-talkie, and his lips moved as he muttered something.
Ten minutes later, the small cargo ship set sail again and slowly moved to the side.
"Thanks, buddy!" Gu Mengran was extremely grateful and thanked the young man first.
Heng Rong Sheng started, the young man put away the walkie-talkie and responded to Gu Mengran loudly: "No, no, no, I should thank you! You are right, it is better to believe it than not to believe it. Anyway, our boat has not dropped anchor yet, so it won't hurt to move it."
Gu Mengran smiled with relief.
Fortunately, they met a sensible person who saved them a lot of trouble.
Heng Rongsheng was getting farther and farther away. Gu Mengran waved goodbye to the man on the deck and swept his eyes across the other party's fully loaded cargo hold. His hand froze in mid-air and his brows frowned slightly.
In the surging river, a light dead leaf may drift with the current, but if the dead leaf is carrying a heavy stone, the probability of successfully reaching the shore is almost zero.
A ship is not a leaf that can continue to drift with the waves after shaking off the stones. But once the ship capsizes, there is only one outcome - sinking.
Gu Mengran was not a person who would hesitate. Before the small cargo ship merged into the yellow fog, he held his face with both hands and shouted, "Brother! If an earthquake really comes, saving your life is the most important thing. You must abandon what you need to abandon in time!"
The other party didn't seem to know what Gu Mengran was referring to, but he smiled and replied, "Okay! Goodbye, Feng Yi, I'll contact you later."
The small cargo ship completely disappeared in the dark night fog. Gu Mengran stretched his arms to stretch his muscles, pulled up his mask and walked towards the cab. However, just as he took two steps, another pair of footsteps that did not belong to him suddenly sounded from the front.
"acquaintance?"
A cold and hoarse voice broke the silence. The person who came was Liang Zhao who had just woken up.
He walked out of the darkness, talking to Gu Mengran, but his eyes remained on the river where the small cargo boat disappeared.
Gu Mengran didn't react to what he was asking for a moment. When Liang Zhao came closer, he followed his gaze and smiled, "Oh, eavesdropping at the wall? They're not acquaintances, just strangers."
Liang Zhao said "hmm", put on a mask, looked out at the river, and stopped talking.
…
This guy always has a way of making the situation cool down instantly.
Gu Mengran shrugged helplessly. Just as he was about to find another topic, he heard Liang Zhao ask in a low voice: "You just said that there might be an earthquake in Shaozhou recently?"
The mask covered most of Liang Zhao's face, so his expression could not be seen clearly. Even when the earthquake was mentioned, his lowered eyes showed no emotion and were calm.
Gu Mengran did not answer him immediately. He put his hands back on the fender and stood side by side with Liang Zhao. He was silent for nearly five minutes before he squeezed out an ambiguous answer: "It's not a possibility, it's a certainty, and it's not just Shaozhou."
Liang Zhao didn't understand, "What do you mean?"
"Let's go, let's go back first!" Gu Mengran pushed Liang Zhao back, "The fog is too thick, and it's hard to breathe after wearing the mask for a long time. Let's go in and talk slowly."
"Night shift, I'll take over soon."
"You don't need to be on duty when the anchor drops. Grandpa will hold up the sky if it falls. Let's talk about business first. I would have come to find you even if you didn't come to the deck. I have something very important to tell you."
After pushing and pulling Liang Zhao back to the living room, Gu Mengran took off his mask, sat on the sofa, and took a heavy breath. His mouth was extremely dry, but he did not immediately go to get some water to drink. Instead, he bit his lip, patted the sofa beside him, and motioned Liang Zhao to sit down and talk.
Liang Zhao didn't move, but reached out and pulled the mask down to his chin.
With just a simple move, Gu Mengran's attention was easily drawn away.
The high nose bridge is exposed under the light, echoing the smooth jawline, making the eyes look even deeper. It gives people an inexplicable sense of déjà vu as if they are watching a video. Once the mask is taken off, the aura is fully revealed, and an ordinary man suddenly becomes a tall and cool guy.
There are no shortcuts, just be cool.
Sure enough, a handsome guy wearing a mask is not necessarily a really handsome guy. Instead, a truly handsome guy will have his looks hidden by the mask.
Gu Mengran was immersed in admiring Liang Zhao's superb looks. When he came to his senses, he had a cup of warm water in his hand.
He has a face that looks like someone who doesn't want to be approached by strangers, but his mind is surprisingly meticulous.
What a pity...Gu Mengran smiled self-deprecatingly.
Liang Zhao was a very responsible person. When the night shift came and he was late to take over, he was thinking about the cab. But he didn't rush him. He sat down beside Gu Mengran and waited patiently for him to speak.
Gu Mengran didn't keep the secret any longer. He took a sip of hot water to moisten his lips and started to give a shot of prevention: "Liang Zhao, what I'm going to say next may be very... very unbelievable and beyond cognition. But I have to make it clear in advance that I'm not crazy, I don't drink, and I don't have a family history of hereditary mental illness. Please believe me."
Although his tone was very serious, Liang Zhao was amused by Gu Mengran.
He nodded slightly, his cold eyes flashing a rare softness, "Yes, I believe you."
Gu Mengran took a deep breath and said, "A month ago, I had a dream..."
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