Chapter 121 Chapter 121 Floating Oil Tank
*
Some expressed their gratitude, some apologized, some exchanged greetings, but most people were curious about how they survived the explosion, how they escaped from the sea of fire, and how they arrived in the East China Sea safely.
We can talk about other things, but how can we tell the truth about this?
Fortunately, Gu Mengran had known Zheng Yijie for a long time and had some knowledge of him. Using the limited information he had, he improvised a story that he thought was exciting and logical.
Gu Mengran didn't know whether others believed it or not, but Xiaodong listened with great interest and believed it without a doubt.
He was at the other end of the dining table, looking at Gu Mengran with admiration, his eyes particularly bright, "You guys are amazing! Not only did you not get hurt after falling from such a high place, you even held your breath and dived into the water to avoid the burning flames, and swam to the foot of the mountain before the explosion, where you happened to encounter a landslide. A large amount of soil fell and helped you put out the fire, and also mitigated the impact of the explosion..."
"Oh my god, this is so exciting! One thing leads to another, just like reading a novel."
It's based on a novel, how can it not look like a novel...
Gu Mengran touched the tip of his nose and said calmly, "It's just luck. We are able to survive thanks to a lot of luck. Maybe this is just not our destiny."
"What happened next?" Xiaodong asked impatiently, "We stayed at the lake for several days. Didn't you see us after you went up the mountain?"
Without waiting for Gu Mengran to answer, Zheng Yijie, who was sitting next to Xiaodong, knocked on the table and said, "Smoke! The smoke is so thick that it's eight feet high. It's impossible to see it. And the fire is so big. What can we do if we can see it? They don't have a boat or a high-frequency radio. They can't contact us unless we see them."
"That's right!" Xiaodong nodded, then sighed, "Oh, we should have paid more attention to our surroundings at that time, which caused them to stay in the mountains for several days and be hungry for several days."
"Thanks to my good luck, I found a fishing boat with plenty of fuel and food. Otherwise, let alone meeting here, I would have starved to death on the mountain."
Gu Mengran smiled dryly, "Yeah, I'm really lucky."
Although the story is rough and casual, as long as the overall framework does not have too serious bugs, the listeners will naturally fill in the details in their minds.
Some people might think something is a little strange, like Zhou Jing who was silent and frowned, but they couldn't tell what was wrong. After all, they were just chatting about the escape process, so there was no need for them to lie.
Lies always have a way of being exposed. We can't continue this topic.
Seeing Xiaodong's lips slightly open, about to ask another question, Gu Mengran quickly cleared his throat and said, "There's nothing special about the rest. We drove a fishing boat to the East China Sea and everything went smoothly. Then one night more than a month ago, we encountered a storm at sea and were rescued by the Giant."
After briefly explaining the second half of the journey, Gu Mengran raised his chin and looked at Xiaodong with interest, "Let's talk about you. Heng Rongsheng is gone, and there should not be enough fuel. How did you get to Donghai smoothly?"
Xiaodong was distracted by these two sentences. He forgot what he was going to say just now. He answered Gu Mengran's question excitedly: "This is also an oolong. We thought we were out of fuel at first. We were worried about what to do when we get to the East China Sea."
"Later, we accidentally discovered that the group of people had hidden some diesel on the boat. You don't know how well it was hidden. Zhou Jing and his team stayed on the boat for so long and didn't know about it. They only found it bit by bit during the cleanup."
As if worried that Gu Mengran might think there was fuel and not come back to look for them, Xiaodong hurriedly added: "When we found the fuel during the sweep, we had been walking for more than a week, and we really didn't have much fuel. You can check the tank, it's almost empty. If we hadn't run out of fuel, we wouldn't have lost the Decheng before."
"I understand, I know." Gu Mengran smiled and waved his hands.
The villagers were excited when he heard this. It seemed that the fact that he had left them behind was still a thorn in their hearts. Not knowing how to remove this thorn, Gu Mengran could only chat with them about trivial matters and try to avoid this issue.
The method was quite effective, as they chatted about some unimportant topics, and both parties were relaxed and happy. However, Gu Mengran had a problem, and sometimes his mouth was faster than his brain, and he accidentally asked a question that ruined the atmosphere.
But he was really curious about how the crew members handled the situation in the end.
On the day of seizing the Everleap, there was a fierce battle and countless casualties on both sides, but the vast majority of villagers could not bring themselves to kill, so there were probably more injured survivors than those who were beaten to death with clubs.
In this chaotic world, it is easy to deal with corpses. Just throw them into the water and be done with it. But what about those who are still alive? Should we kill them directly to avenge our companions? Or should we be magnanimous and let them live?
The atmosphere suddenly became extremely solemn. No one spoke and the air seemed to be frozen.
After a minute-long silence, the last person to stand up was Duan Yueyan.
He met Gu Mengran's gaze, shrugged his shoulders indifferently, and chuckled, "Do you need to ask? Of course we let him go. We are good citizens, not vicious criminals. We would not do such things as murder and arson."
Released? Really released? Gu Mengran was stunned and frowned unconsciously. Just as he was about to speak, Duan Yueyan's calm voice sounded again: "When will the revenge last? I sent them off the ship, personally, along with the corpses, from the deck."
The words were like a tongue twister, and Gu Mengran didn't react for a moment, until he caught a glimpse of the cunning flash in Duan Yueyan's eyes, and then he understood the meaning of his words.
The so-called "send" means throwing the seriously injured crew members off the deck.
It made sense. They lost too much in the fight to seize the Ever Leap. It was no exaggeration to say that they were stepping on the corpses of their companions. How could they just let those murderers go so easily?
Killing someone to pay for his life, that group of people are cruel and ruthless, and they will be a disaster if they are kept.
Leaving someone off the boat is undoubtedly the best option. After all, we are all ordinary people. If we really have to kill someone, I am afraid that few people can do it. Leaving someone off the boat seems to be leaving it to fate, but in fact the escape route has been blocked.
If they don't die from the fall, they still have to face the propellers. Even if they are lucky enough to avoid the propellers, without food or boats, how long can they last in this endless water?
There is no chance of survival.
The chat lasted until noon. Gu Mengran was hungry and sleepy, and his eyelids could hardly close. Finally, he could not sit still anymore and asked to return to the Fengyi.
Zheng Yijie was very positive. He immediately moved his stool and stood up when he heard this. He hurried to Gu Mengran's side and pulled his sleeve. "Come on, come on. It's been a long time since I went home. It's time to go back and take a look."
"What's wrong with you, Zheng Yijie? Why are you urging them to go back?"
Sister Fang stood up and glared at Zheng Yijie with dissatisfaction, then turned her gaze to Gu Mengran and said with a smile: "Xiao Meng, the Fengyi is out of oil, the lights can't be turned on, and there is no place to stay in this cold weather. I'll let Xiaodong prepare two rooms for you next to Master Meng, and you can live here with peace of mind from now on."
"Got it! I'll go right away." Xiaodong stood up and ran away.
"No need, Xiaodong, wait a minute."
Gu Mengran called out to Xiaodong who was making a lot of noise, then turned back and nodded to Sister Fang, saying, "I appreciate your kindness, Sister Fang. We have a boat, so we still have to go back home. As for the fuel—"
"How are you going to live? The tin house is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. There is no oil, no electricity, no water, and no air conditioning. Won't you freeze to death when you go back?" Zhou Jing suddenly interrupted.
"That's right, Brother Gu. We still have enough fuel to last for a while."
"Don't be embarrassed. We took this ship together. You have a share."
"There's everything on board, including food, clothing, and shelter. Let's just stay here."
…
The others followed suit, and Gu Mengran couldn't even open his mouth after hearing what they said.
Finally, Sister Fang realized that he had something to say, so she waved her hand for everyone to be quiet.
It was not easy to say something. Gu Mengran cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Don't worry about the fuel. Not only our Feng Yi, but also your Yong Yue's fuel will be guaranteed in the future. We can even say that we basically don't have to worry about fuel anymore."
Halfway through his speech, he deliberately whetted people's appetite.
Everyone looked at each other and asked questions one after another:
"What's going on, Brother Gu? No need to worry about fuel?"
"I don't understand Chinese at all."
"Could it be possible that... you found an offshore oil platform this time?"
“Is this true or false?”
"How is it possible that non-professionals can understand the oil platform?"
"That's right, and the oil platforms also pump out crude oil."
"Don't keep me in suspense, Gu Mengran, just say something." Xiaodong was so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks.
The emotions are aroused, almost there.
Gu Mengran moved the stool away, stood up, and walked slowly to the dining table next to him.
Under the gaze of the crowd, he stood beside Ding Pengyi, spread his arms and solemnly introduced him to everyone: "This is Captain Ding, the supreme commander of the Giant. You can call him Uncle Ding like us."
Although no one knew what this had to do with fuel, everyone was very obedient. As soon as Gu Mengran finished speaking, a clear and loud "Uncle Ding" echoed throughout the cabin.
"Hello, Uncle Ding!"
"Uncle Ding."
…
"Hey, ok, ok, ok, everyone."
Young people who know how to behave are liked by others. Ding Pengyi responded with a smile. At the same time, he understood Gu Mengran's intention and turned to everyone and said, "We are all friends from now on. Since you didn't bring any gifts when we first met, Uncle Ding will be responsible for your fuel from now on."
The arrogant speech stunned everyone for a moment. Some people were still hesitant, but the smart Duan Yueyan had already quickly come to Ding Pengyi's side and asked him indirectly, "Uncle, our Everlasting Leap consumes a lot of fuel. We will take care of it from now on... No matter how much fuel you have, you can't afford it."
"Haha, you are quite a thief." Ding Pengyi heard the hidden meaning, patted Duan Yueyan's arm, and said cheerfully: "Don't worry, Uncle Ding is not the kind of person who only knows how to brag. Uncle Ding keeps his word."
He was seen through in one sentence. As expected of a wandering man, Duan Yueyan smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry, Uncle Ding. I didn't mean anything else. Fuel is scarce now, and I just want to have some peace of mind."
You must be vigilant at all times when you go out. If someone asks you about this, Ding Pengyi will definitely not reveal anything. But he just talked with the old captain for a long time and knew that this group of people are grateful and not sinister and treacherous.
We may become neighbors in the future. Ding Pengyi thought about it and said frankly, "Our Giant is a supertanker. People who work on ships should understand what this means. The ship is carrying heavy oil, which can be used by Ever Leap and Wind Wing, but the oil tank needs to be cleaned."
"I won't tell you the exact amount, but I can reveal a little bit to you. If we stay still and only fly the auxiliary plane to maintain our daily life, it will take more than ten years. If we move and sail for a long time, five or six years will not be a problem. Don't question it, and don't disbelieve it. Do you know what the nickname of our Giant is?"
Without waiting for others to ask, Ding Pengyi smiled confidently:
"——Floating oil storage tank at sea."