Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Distress Signal
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The two- or three-story-high fishing boats looked like giants in front of the diesel boats, but they seemed insignificant in front of the sweeping waves.
An ant or a spider makes no difference to an elephant.
“Boom boom boom… bang!”
The surging waves were raging. The fishing boat, which had finally started and was struggling to keep its balance, was lifted high up by a huge wave and then fell freely at an extremely fast speed, heavily falling onto the sea.
There was another dull bang, and the fishing boat that fell into the water completely lost its balance, with half of it hanging in the air and the other half immersed in the sea water, shaking violently under the impact of the waves.
A large amount of seawater flooded onto the deck, the broken mechanical arm and flagpole broke, and the dark blue waves rushed into the cabin, engine room, and cockpit without reservation, swallowing up everything quickly and brutally.
The fishing boat was in danger, and the vulnerable humans inside were not in a much better situation.
At this moment, Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao were like rolling balls, being kicked here and there by the waves. After finally standing up, they were pushed to the ground again. Their bodies collided and rubbed against the driving platform, as if they were hit by hundreds of clubs.
Liang Zhao hugged Gu Mengran tightly, protecting his head in his arms, but the back of his head and shoulders hit the steering wheel several times.
The cold seawater poured down from their heads, soaking their clothes, and the pain and coldness came at the same time. The two were almost frozen, and their bodies were shaking uncontrollably, but they insisted on moving little by little to the corner of the cockpit, grabbing the handrail fixed on the cabin wall, and barely stabilizing their bodies.
It is difficult to stand up, let alone operate the ship against the wind and waves.
But opportunities often come to those who are prepared. When the power of the waves gradually subsided and the roller coaster reached the top and was about to dive down, Liang Zhao climbed up from the ground using his hands and feet, jumped to the front of the steering platform, and tightly grasped the rudder, which was also the only chance, in his hands.
“Boom boom boom—”
Add gas and turn the rudder!
The propeller spun rapidly, and the fishing boat that had been struggling in the wind and rain began to move again. The bow of the boat swung against the turbulent waves, first to the left and then to the right, in a fast and strange manner.
The "Z"-shaped navigation method was very effective. In a blink of an eye, the submerged deck was suddenly pulled up by a violent force, and the severely tilted hull resurfaced and gradually returned to stability.
It was as if a bright light had lit up in the darkness, and Liang Zhao finally saw hope.
The vague shadows on the sea surface were getting closer and closer, and the waves were coming again. Just as the fishing boat was ready to fight the wind and waves with all its strength, the dim lights above head flickered one after another.
Two seconds later, there was a "click" sound, and all the interior lights went out, including the light on the driving platform.
The sounds of wind, rain and waves were endless, and the suffocating darkness suddenly came from all directions, surrounding the fishing boat tightly.
It was pitch dark in the cab, and the lights suddenly went out, exacerbating the panic. Gu Mengran's hair stood on end. He quickly grabbed the handrail and reached out to the driver's seat, "Hold me, Liang Zhao, quick, I'm here!"
Before he finished speaking, a cool, large hand grasped him.
With his arm acting as a tow rope, Liang Zhao successfully returned to the corner. He grabbed the handrail with one hand and held Gu Mengran tightly with the other, soothing him softly: "Don't be afraid, hold me tight, stand up with me, and slowly move out together. The cabin must be flooded, and the ship has completely lost power. We have to leave, first to the sea surface and then hide back in space."
Fishing boats can sink at any time as they come in and out. If they take refuge in the space on the boat, when they come out after some time, what may be waiting for them is the unknown deep sea.
It is relatively safer to leave the fishing boat immediately and go to the sea surface. Even if the raging waves sweep them away, as long as they hide in space the moment they enter the water, they may still be on the sea surface when they come out.
But the result of doing this...
"No!"
Gu Mengran hugged Liang Zhao back and not only did he not stand up with him, he also pushed him down hard and did not let him get up. He shook his head frantically and said, "Don't think I don't know what you are thinking. You want to walk out of this door? You have to glue us together!"
The strong winds and huge waves are no joke, and they won't listen to reason. Gu Mengran is sure that once he loses the protection of the cabin, the sweeping waves will separate him and Liang Zhao in less than a second.
He had the space in his hands, so he still had a glimmer of hope, but what about Liang Zhao? Without the protection of the cabin and separated from him, his mortal body would be swept into the sea - it was certain to die.
Gu Mengran held Liang Zhao tightly, his lips trembling violently, whether from the cold or excitement, and the sound of his teeth knocking against each other could be heard faintly. "Just stay here! If you can bear it, then bear it. If you can't, then hide back in space. Even if you sink into the sea with the fishing boat, the worst that can happen is that you can rest and recuperate before slowly diving up. Anyway, no matter what... don't even think about separating from me."
"Meng Ran, listen to me, being pushed into the deep sea can be -"
"I won't listen!"
Liang Zhao was about to speak when he was interrupted rudely by Gu Mengran.
"You, you promised me." Gu Mengran's trembling voice was choked with sobs, and his eyes were shining with tears hidden in the darkness. "I'm not afraid of anything. It doesn't matter if I die with you, but Liang Zhao, I can't lose you again."
Liang Zhao tightened his arms, wishing he could rub Gu Mengran into his flesh and blood. Even though he knew that the other party couldn't see, he still nodded heavily and promised solemnly: "I understand. We live and die together. We will face it together."
The will was almost ready and sufficient preparations had been made, but the "storm" that had been brewing for a long time had not yet arrived.
Liang Zhao did see a tall black shadow on the sea through the windshield, and he believed his eyes. But one minute, two minutes... time passed by, and the person in his arms couldn't stop trembling, and the waves that should have hit him long ago still didn't come.
Not only that, the surging waves seemed to be slowly receding, the turbulent sea surface gradually returned to calm, and the violently shaking fishing boat was able to catch its breath. In just a few minutes, the thrilling roller coaster turned into a harmless merry-go-round.
"Has the wave receded?"
The noisy sound of the waves gradually weakened. Liang Zhao and Gu Mengran looked at each other in the darkness, let go of each other tacitly, and stood up holding the railing inside the cabin.
My eyes have completely adapted to the darkness, and through the broken windshield, I can see the sea shrouded in darkness. There are no tall shadows, no raging winds and waves, but gentle and harmless waves rising and falling, as if the crisis just now was just an illusion.
This was not the side of the black shadow that Liang Zhao saw just now. He did not take it lightly. He hurriedly pulled Gu Mengran from the side window to the front of the driving platform, staring straight ahead.
Seeing that his expression was unusually solemn, Gu Mengran immediately looked over.
Under the cover of night, the sea surface looks like a pool of thick ink, calm but full of mystery. At the end of the overlapping waves, a tall black shadow rises from the sea, like a giant beast crawling out of the abyss. Even the vague outline carries a palpitating sense of oppression.
What the hell is this? Lang?
Goosebumps and hairs all over his body stood up, and Gu Mengran's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Liang Zhao's arm and pulled it hard, saying anxiously: "Hurry, run!"
"Wait." Liang Zhao didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. He pulled Gu Mengran, who was trying to take him away, and said in a deep voice, "It doesn't look like a wave. It was in the same position just now and it hasn't moved."
Gu Mengran was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then gradually calmed down. He immediately took out a ship telescope from the space and looked at the dark and gloomy sea again.
Visibility was too low, and the naked eye could only see a blurry outline, and at a glance it was clearly a huge wave. But when the telescope was raised, the "tremendous wave" in the distance was magnified several times, and its true form was immediately revealed.
The smooth bulbous bow, the high stern, the endless...
That is——
"Boat!"
Gu Mengran exclaimed, his hands shaking with excitement.
Afraid that he might be frozen stupid and hallucinate, he quickly stuffed the telescope into Liang Zhao's hand and said hastily, "What a big ship! Look quickly, I can see the stern and bulbous bow. It should be a super tanker!"
Liang Zhao held the telescope and looked ahead for only 30 seconds before putting it down. His frown slowly relaxed and he turned to Gu Mengran and said, "Yes, it is indeed a ship."
As if he had come up with an idea, Liang Zhao patted Gu Mengran on the shoulder and analyzed with a serious expression: "The calm is only temporary. We are in the sea and may encounter stronger waves at any time. Mengran, this is an opportunity. We should ask for help from a large ship. With a safer means of transportation, we can find grandpa and others faster."
"That's right. I think so too." Gu Mengran agreed immediately. After he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong and looked at Liang Zhao in confusion. "Are you... trying to persuade me?"
Liang Zhao rubbed his wet head and said, "Ever Leap has brought you too much unhappiness. I'm afraid—"
"What are you thinking about?" Gu Mengran laughed. "I'm not a willful child. I know what's going on. The risk of sailing on a diesel boat is too great. We just got together. I haven't lived enough. I still want to see my grandfather."
"I will."
Liang Zhao smiled and nodded to him, then raised the telescope and looked at the sea again. "The distance is a bit far. We have to hurry and attract the attention of the tanker first to see if they will take the initiative to help."
"OK, easy!"
The pitch-black sea made it difficult for an elephant to see the ants under its feet, but it was not difficult for Gu Mengran who had the space.
The high-power strong-intensity searchlight was connected to an outdoor power source. With the push of a switch, a strong beam of light shot straight out through the windshield. In just a moment, half the sky was illuminated.
Gu Mengran held the flashlight and repeatedly adjusted the angle. After a while, the strong light was aimed at the direction of the oil tanker, passed through the thick night fog and swept across the sea surface, and began to flash at a frequency of three short, three long, and three short.
SOS distress signal.
The light beam has extremely strong penetrating power. Although it cannot hit the hull directly, as long as there is someone on the ship and looking in this direction, it will be discovered.
The soaked clothes and pants stuck to his body, and he felt really cold. Thanks to the low freezing point of the sea water, he would have been frozen. Gu Mengran was shivering with cold, gritted his teeth and flashed the beam repeatedly. Five minutes later, Liang Zhao frowned, put down the telescope, and shook his head slowly.
No response...
Didn't see it? No one was on the boat. Did we really encounter a ghost ship? Or did the other party just not want to respond?
It's too cold to wait any longer in any case.
Gu Mengran decisively turned off the searchlight, put the light and the outdoor power supply back into the space, and then took out two brand new military coats and gave one to Liang Zhao. "How about taking a gamble and sailing over there?"
Liang Zhao wrapped his military coat around himself without taking off his wet clothes. He nodded and said, "Okay, we have to change boats anyway, so let's go over and give it a try. But such a big boat can't be ownerless. We must be careful and run away immediately if something goes wrong."
In this cruel apocalypse, good people willing to lend a helping hand are a scarce commodity.
In the past, being rejected was considered a relatively good outcome. At most, it would be a wasted trip. The worst thing was that you didn't get to eat mutton, but ended up smelling like mutton. After all, at the most difficult moment of your life, you were put on the human diet.
Gu Mengran also understood this logic. He put on his clothes, took Liang Zhao's hand again, and walked out of the driver's room with him one after another.
The deck is a certain height above the sea surface, and Gu Mengran must step down the escape ladder and place the diesel boat directly on the water.
All preparations had been made. Gu Mengran climbed over the guardrail, holding the ladder tightly with both hands. Just as he spread his legs and moved down, suddenly, a dull and rich whistle sound came from the depths of darkness.
"Woo-woo, woo-woo!"
One sound is long and one is short, then another sound is long and one is short.
A compulsory course for seamen, the long and short whistles represent:
Agree to the other party's request.