Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Destination

*

“Boom boom, boom boom—”

"Wake up! Gu Mengran, Liang Zhao, there are guests at home."

"Hush, keep your voice down, who's coming?"

…

Gu Mengran was woken up by the noise. He heard a knock on the door in a half-asleep state, then the voices of Zheng Yijie and Liang Zhao, and finally the two of them whispering to each other for five minutes.

After sleeping for less than four hours, he felt dizzy, his waist was sore, and he felt uncomfortable all over. Gu Mengran held his waist and got out of the warm quilt, squirming little by little, and after struggling for a while, he finally sat down on the head of the bed.

"Did it bother you?"

Just as he sat down, Liang Zhao came back after closing the door. He picked up the cup of water on the bedside table and placed it to Gu Mengran's mouth, "It's warm. Drink some to moisten your throat."

"You have some conscience."

His throat was hairy and his mouth was indeed a little dry. Gu Mengran didn't hesitate at all and grabbed Liang Zhao's hand and gulped down a few big gulps.

After drinking half a cup of warm water, he finally came back to life, but his waist was still very sore.

Gu Mengran got angry when he thought about what happened last night. He turned his gaze to the culprit and glared at him fiercely, "Moderation, moderation, do you know how to write these two words? You didn't feel tired after tossing around all night. I didn't even sleep well."

Gu Mengran became angrier as he spoke and punched him on the arm.

Liang Zhao didn't dodge and was hit hard by the punch.

But there was no regret in his eyes. He said "rub it" and sat on the bed. He put his hand into the quilt and gently rubbed Gu Mengran's waist and abdomen. "If you didn't sleep well, sleep a little longer. It's cold, and you have to get up early in the morning and have nothing to do."

Rubbing and pressing did have some effect. Gu Mengran squinted his eyes comfortably. He was about to fall asleep, but when he heard this, he suddenly opened his eyes and asked hurriedly, "Oh, right, did Zheng Yijie come just now? I heard you talking in a daze."

"Yeah, he came and said there were guests at home." Liang Zhao rubbed Gu Mengran's waist slowly, with a nonchalant tone as if he was talking about what to eat for lunch.

Therefore, Gu Mengran took it too seriously and asked casually, "Who is it? Who is here?"

"Sister Fang, Duan Yueyan, Captain Ding, and Wan Da——"

"What? Then why don't we get out of here right away."

With the arrival of his financial sponsor, Gu Mengran no longer felt sore in his waist or legs. He hurriedly got out of the quilt and jumped onto the ground barefoot.

Liang Zhao grabbed him and said, "Don't worry, they are here to discuss something with Grandpa, not to see you. It's up to you whether you go or not."

"You can't say that," Gu Mengran poked Liang Zhao's forehead, "It's reasonable for us to go and say hello. They have been kind to us and have been taking care of us on the ship. What's more, the Giant is still our pillar of support, so we must hold on tight."

Liang Zhao did not stop him and nodded, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. But you need to take off your shoes first... Never mind, just stay still and I'll find you some clothes."

His eyes swept across the neck intentionally or unintentionally, but Gu Mengran didn't notice anything wrong until he saw a turtleneck sweater placed next to him. He instantly realized something and rushed into the bathroom in his slippers.

Liang Zhao tried to stop him, but failed and watched him slip away.

Ten seconds later, a roar came from the bathroom.

"Liang Zhao, you bastard, what on earth did you do to my neck!"

…

The living room was more lively than ever. The Xu siblings were sitting on the imperial concubine couch, with Xiaodong sandwiched between the three of them. Opposite the tea table, the old man was sitting in the middle, with Sister Fang and Duan Yueyan sitting on his right, and Ding Pengyi and First Mate Wan sitting on his left.

Two colorful world maps, one big and one small, were spread on the coffee table. Five people stretched their necks in unison, pointing and talking from time to time. It was obvious that they were discussing their future destination.

Everyone was sitting, except Zheng Yijie, who was running around with an electric kettle, pouring tea and water for everyone. It was obvious that Xu Xingran wanted to help, but Zheng Yijie was sympathetic to her and decisively refused.

After standing in the restaurant for a minute, Gu Mengran adjusted the collar of his sweater to make sure that the marks would not be seen by others. He and Liang Zhao walked into the living room together. Lao Yuan greeted them warmly: "Uncle Ding, Brother Wan, good morning. When did you come? Sorry, we overslept today."

"Hey, it's Xiao Meng and Xiao Liang. We just arrived and haven't even sat down yet. It's not too late." Ding Pengyi waved at the two of them, "Come, sit down and chat."

The first mate looked up at the two of them and joked, "Haha, it's normal for young people to be a little sleepy. When you reach my age, you won't be able to sleep even if you want to."

Gu Mengran: "Really? Then I have to get enough sleep now!"

Children brought up by an old man are not bad in manners. After saying this, he turned his gaze to the Ever Leap crew, greeted them one by one, and invited them to stay for lunch.

The original intention was to show up, say hello and leave. After all, where they were going in the future would be decided by the captain and the first mate who had been at sea for a long time. However, Ding Pengyi was overly enthusiastic and insisted on dragging Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao along to discuss it.

You can't hide or escape, so what can you do? Just sit down and listen.

The teacup fell back onto the tea table. First mate Wange reached out and tapped the map, continuing what he had just said: "We are human beings, not fishmen. Can we really live on a boat for the rest of our lives? Considering many aspects, I think we should make some preparations as soon as possible, leave the East China Sea and head higher to the plateau to find a place to live."

"The rain keeps on coming, the water keeps rising, and the land is only going to get scarcer. If you go early, you might be able to find a place to stay. If you go too late, the little land left will probably be occupied by others."

"You're right. There must be land in the plateau. My grandson's original plan was to go to the plateau. But," the old man pinched his chin and analyzed in an orderly manner, "You and I can think of it, and others can definitely think of it too. It has been raining for more than a year. Xiao Wan, it's too late now."

"Scarce resources will inevitably lead to competition among various forces. There is no order after the disaster. Whoever has the stronger fist has the final say. After more than a year of settling down, the situation has basically stabilized. If we go there now, we will be outsiders. If we encounter the military or government organizations, we can join them. But if we encounter those vicious and evil people who occupy the mountains, our ships will probably become other people's resources."

"In troubled times, wherever there are people, there are disputes. There are only a few hundred people on our three ships, including many old, weak, women and children. The only weapons we have are high-pressure water guns and some tools. Do we have the ability to protect ourselves? Do we have the ability to seize territory from others? Even if there is a ready-made place for us, do we have the ability to hold it?"

The three well-reasoned questions made Deputy Wan Da lose all his confidence.

He grabbed a handful of hair irritably, and said impatiently and helplessly: "Well, it's too late after all. If we had gone to the plateau earlier, maybe we could have developed our own power."

"That's easy to say, but how are we going to go? The Giant is lost and we don't need it anymore, so we should carry it over together?" Ding Pengyi patted First Officer Wan's shoulder, smiled and shook his head, "Don't dwell on it. For the Giant, for us, staying in the East China Sea is the wisest choice."

"Nowadays, we have to consider not only housing but also food. The biggest difference between the ocean and the inland is resources. In the ocean, we can still survive on fish, shrimp and shellfish, but the inland has just experienced an unprecedented high temperature. There are no plants or animals. If we go there, we will just eat up all the food."

"Ah!" First Mate Wan frowned and sighed, "What should we do, Old Ding? Are we going to circle back and forth near the coast as before? But the wind and waves are strong these days. The Giant can withstand it, but the other two river boats may not be able to."

"And if this continues for a long time, the fuel will be consumed quickly. If the rain continues, we must use fuel sparingly. We must be prepared to drift on the sea for a lifetime!"

Ding Pengyisi was not in a hurry. He took a sip from the teacup and said slowly, "You are right. Fuel must be used sparingly. We can't do it like before. So we still have to go. Go this way."

After saying this, Ding Pengyi lowered his eyes and looked at the map. His index finger landed on the blue area representing the East China Sea, and then slowly moved to another larger blue area.

Gu Mengran took a closer look and saw the Pacific Ocean, one of the five oceans on the blue planet.

The sound of inhaling gasps came one after another, and everyone who was gathered in the excitement was stunned.

First Officer Wan narrowed his eyes and looked at Ding Pengyi without any mercy. "Old Ding, are you still sleepy or is your brain stuck in the door? Running to the Pacific Ocean at this time, is it not dangerous enough or what? What are you thinking?"

"Hey, how dare you be so mean to your own captain?"

"That's because you're unreliable."

Ding Pengyi was unhappy and frowned, "Why are you unreliable? You haven't even been there, so how do you know about the danger?"

"I--"

"Listen to me, listen to me first." Ding Pengyi waved his hands, his expression gradually became serious, and he analyzed seriously: "Rivers flow into rivers, rivers flow into seas, and seas flow into oceans. This is a principle that we all understand, right?"

"But that was in the past. Now it's a different time. The environment has changed. There is water everywhere. The rivers and land have become oceans. Water doesn't just flow in one direction. Of course the water level will rise a little, but it doesn't matter. It's big enough."

At this point, Ding Pengyi paused, picked up the electric kettle on the tea table, pointed the water outlet at his teacup, and poured out the hot water slowly. "A pot of water cannot fit into a teacup. If it is full, it will overflow. But what if a pot of water is poured into a river? Not even a wave will appear. It will only have a very slight effect."

"The same is true for the Pacific Ocean, which is the largest and deepest of the five oceans. Even if a large amount of rainwater enters after a disaster, its water level will not rise sharply. At most, it will rise by a few meters, tens of meters, or hundreds of meters, just like itching."

As a captain who has been drifting on the sea for decades, Ding Pengyi can be said to have a very good understanding of the ocean. Although it is just a guess, he is very confident, as if he has seen it with his own eyes.

Deputy Officer Wan seemed convinced and did not say anything in rebuttal.

The old man who was sitting next to them studying the map raised his head, held his chin up thoughtfully, smacked his lips and said, "Even if the situation in the Pacific Ocean is the same as your guess, there is a high probability that those islands will be submerged. We have come all the way there... and then continue drifting somewhere else?"

"It's no use drifting anywhere, why not try your luck, old captain?" Ding Pengyi patted the old man's shoulder, and suddenly seemed to think of something, smiled, and said mysteriously: "And I know there is an island that will never be submerged."

The old man was stunned and asked hurriedly, "What island?"

As if deliberately keeping people in suspense, Ding Pengyi smiled and said nothing, which made Mate Wan so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks and elbowed him, "No, hurry up and tell me."

Ding Pengyi gasped in pain when his elbow hit his waist. He glared at First Officer Wan and said, "Isn't it obvious enough, Changshan?"

After he finished speaking, the living room fell silent.

There was no hope, let alone surprise, and everyone frowned at the same time.

Changshan, located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, between the Heard Islands, is an active volcano second only to Yellowstone and Mawson. It is about 4,000 meters above sea level, but it stands in the Pacific Ocean, with most of the mountain hidden in the sea. The total height from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the sea is more than 1,000 meters higher than the highest peak in the world.

After two minutes of silence, First Officer Wan sneered and glared at Ding Pengyi unhappily, "I think you are really crazy. You call this an island?"

Ding Pengyi: "Of course it's not counted, it's also counted as part of the Heard Islands!"

Brother Wan: "Volcano, volcano, it's still alive, what do you know——"

"Don't argue yet, I think this is feasible."

The old man knocked on the table to interrupt the argument between the two.

First Officer Wan looked incredulous, "Captain, that's an active volcano, the largest active volcano in the Pacific Ocean. It could erupt at any time."

"What are you spraying? Do you have such a bad memory?" The old man looked around and then returned his gaze to Deputy Wan. "Before the earthquake, many volcanoes erupted on a large scale. Changshan must be no exception. Although the eruption cycle cannot be predicted, the water guns have to be refilled after spraying. Don't you need to rest for a while after spraying so much magma?"

"The old captain still understands me!"

Ding Pengyi smiled proudly, and then turned to everyone and said, "Is it decided so happily?"

"Isn't it a bit hasty?" Deputy Director Wan was undecided.

The old man decisively stood beside Ding Pengyi and slapped his thigh, "It's okay, we have to go sooner or later, just in case, this is one of the few opportunities."