Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Wildfire
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In just a few minutes, the flickering flames turned into a blazing fire. The dazzling orange-red color was like the afterglow of the setting sun, spreading inch by inch, and soon burned half the sky red.
No one appreciated the "gorgeous sunset". Gu Mengran frowned as he looked at the scorching flames leaping between the mountains, realizing that this was another devastating disaster.
Earthquakes and high temperatures followed one after another, and humans were overwhelmed and no one was able to put out the wildfire.
Regardless of the cause of the wildfire, continued high temperatures will add fuel to the fire. Unless all the silkworms in the forest are eaten up, the fire will be difficult to extinguish.
The wind blowing across the mountains stirred up the thick smoke. From the direction of the smoke, it was not difficult to tell that the fire was spreading straight ahead, and it was bound to be with the Wind Wing.
The fire spread upwards, so it would not burn the two banks of the Huangjiang River in a short time. But Miss Gu Mengran was in the sedan chair, and it was the first time she encountered such a situation. She was a little undecided and didn't know what to do.
The old man frowned as he looked at the route map, his expression serious but calm. Gu Mengran looked back at him, then stepped forward shyly, and deliberately cleared his throat, "Grandpa."
"What's up? Are you still playing mahjong?" The old man looked up at him and laughed, "Come on, take out the mahjong."
Gu Mengran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He raised his hand and patted his forehead twice, "Don't tease me, grandpa. Let's talk business. What should we do now? Should we pack up and go ashore or..."
Business was more important. The old man gave up the idea of teasing, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He smacked his lips and analyzed: "We can't go ashore. We can't be sure whether it is a man-made fire or a natural fire."
"If it was a natural fire caused by hot weather, this area is surrounded by mountains, and the ground is full of trees and weeds dried by the sun. Who knows if there will be other fire points? If you go ashore at this time, you won't know where to run if it catches fire."
Zheng Yijie, who had just enjoyed a few good days and didn't want to go ashore at all, closed his notebook and quickly agreed: "I think so too."
“It’s also very risky to follow a wildfire.”
Liang Zhao, who was standing nearby, rested his chin on one hand and said thoughtfully, "The fire may not reach the shore, but the temperature will definitely be affected. It is estimated that in a short time, the temperature around will rise sharply, including the Huangjiang River, whose water level is gradually dropping."
"So once we enter the wildfire area, we will be scorched by the sun above, steamed by the wildfires beside us, and boiled by the river water below. It is hard to say whether a human can bear it, but the Wind Wing will have to carry the heavy load and move forward. This is undoubtedly a huge test for it."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Except for Zheng Yijie, the other three people all knew that a ship was, in plain terms, a mobile metal box. Although it was made of special steel and could withstand a large amount of load and external impact, and was strong and durable, it was actually like a person, with a soft and dirty inside hidden under its strong appearance.
In a continuous high temperature environment, the heat dissipation of the engine is limited, which can easily lead to engine overheating and mechanical failure; the cooling system operates at overload, and components such as the cooling pump are easily damaged, and the service life will be greatly reduced.
Of course, mechanical failures can be repaired and damaged parts can be replaced. These are minor problems. Gu Mengran has a lot of spare parts and ship repair tools in his space.
But the most important thing is that high temperature will accelerate the evaporation of flammable liquids. If the sealing fails, the volatile gas will mix with the air to form an explosive mixture, which will cause a fire and explosion accident.
Thinking of the tons of fuel in the Fengyi's belly, Gu Mengran shuddered suddenly.
We can't go ashore, and it's too risky to follow the wildfire.
What else can they do when all roads are blocked? Stay where they are and wait for the fire to die out? That is not very realistic. After all, heavy rains will come in half a month. Even if they escape the fire, they may still face flash floods and mudslides...
Tsk, what a hassle! Gu Mengran shook his head irritably.
Realizing the seriousness of the problem, the old man's face looked unhappy.
However, he was not as hesitant as Gu Mengran. After a brief thought, he tapped the steering wheel lightly and made a decision: "Let's go. Even if it's risky, we have to keep going. There are wolves in front and tigers behind. We can't afford to waste time."
"There is no other way." Liang Zhao nodded in agreement. "Then from now on, save energy and reduce consumption. Turn off all equipment except the host computer to reduce the pressure on the cooling system as much as possible."
The old man hummed, and then added: "Also, from now on, it is forbidden to use open flames on board. Gu Mengran, you go down to the deck and get some steel plates to cover the deck, especially the refueling port, anchor chain cabin, etc., to prevent sparks from the mountain from falling into the cabin."
"Then..." Meng Gaoyang turned his gaze to Liang Zhao and said in a deep voice: "Liang Zhao, go to the cabin and check it carefully. Pay special attention to the engine and fuel tank seals. Add some coolant to the cooling pump."
Gu Mengran and Liang Zhao said "OK" and turned around and walked out of the driver's seat.
Zheng Yijie, who had nothing to do, looked at his old man and asked, "What about me?"
The old man looked back at Zheng Yijie and raised his chin. "Go get two quilts and ask Gu Mengran to get two cool mats. We can't live in the bedroom these days. We'll sleep on the floor in the driver's room."
"Why can't we go back to the bedroom?" Zheng Yijie blinked blankly. "I know we should save energy and reduce consumption, so we can't turn on the air conditioner. But even if we work in the same shift and travel day and night, we can't go back to the room during rest time?"
The old man wanted to explain that if everyone lived together, they could hide in the space in time if they encountered danger. But he changed his mind and thought that Zheng Yijie didn't know that the space had this function, so he decided not to mention it for the time being.
So he gave Zheng Yijie a stern look and said seriously, "Go if I tell you to."
"Oh oh." Zheng Yijie stood up obediently.
…
An hour later, the Wind Wing, in the dark, set sail again.
After returning from the deck, Gu Mengran was sweating profusely, as if he had jumped into the Huangjiang River for a swim. There was not a dry spot on his body, not even his underwear was spared.
The temperature was so high that even if I stood outside and did nothing, I would still sweat profusely. The unbearable heat wave was like an invisible hand, strangling my throat, making me feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing.
All the air conditioners were turned off and the temperature was rising slightly. Fortunately, there was still some coolness indoors. He returned to his room, took a quick shower, changed his clothes, and Gu Mengran finally came back to life.
From heaven to hell...it's that simple.
Except for the main engine system that supports the ship's navigation, all other auxiliary equipment has been shut down, including the lights. Gu Mengran came out of the bedroom in the dark, went to the kitchen to put the refrigerator back into the space, and walked to the driver's room breathlessly.
It was pitch black everywhere, except for the cockpit with the light on at the center console. It was no longer dark, but surrounded by hot and bright flames, like a bright sunny day.
The floor was paved and a cool mat was laid out next to the cockpit. Grandpa and Zheng Yijie had even laid down, and the person sitting in the captain's chair became Liang Zhao, whose hair was soaked.
It's hot! The temperature has risen, and the air quality in the cab has deteriorated. Gu Mengran always feels stuffy in his chest. He quickly walks to the driver's seat and sits on Zheng Yijie's pony.
"How was it arranged?"
After calming down his rapid breathing, Gu Mengran lowered his eyes and looked at his grandfather and Zheng Yijie, "Liang Zhao and I are open at night? Grandpa, are you open during the day?"
As the fire grew bigger, Gu Mengran tacitly left two people on duty, one to drive and one to observe the surrounding situation to avoid any unexpected situations that could be discovered in time.
Before the old man could speak, Liang Zhao said, "I can come tonight. We are all very tired today. You go to sleep first and we can work together tomorrow night."
"Aren't you tired after a day?" Gu Mengran raised his eyebrows and looked at Liang Zhao with a smile, "There's no one to talk to. What if you fall asleep in the middle of the night?"
Liang Zhao chuckled, "I am clear-headed and won't fall asleep."
"Then I'm also worried." Gu Mengran muttered softly.
"That--"
Liang Zhao was about to speak when the old man lying on the cool mat groaned and said impatiently, "What's the point of arguing? Xiao Liang will work for the first half of the night, Gu Mengran, you go to sleep first, set an alarm and work for the second half of the night."
This is a good idea, Gu Mengran nodded in agreement.
After running around outside, he felt dizzy. To prevent heatstroke, Gu Mengran took out a box of Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid from the space, drank one himself, and gave one to others.
Zheng Yijie and Liang Zhao drank it without saying a word, but the old man had a gloomy face and hesitated for a long time before getting the drink into his mouth.
Gu Mengran glared at him, "I'm watching you, don't even think about sleeping if you don't drink."
The old man sighed helplessly, tilted his head back and drank the Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid in one gulp.
Leaving some instant food, dry food and mineral water, Gu Mengran set the alarm for the early morning, lay down next to his grandfather, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Before the alarm rang, Gu Mengran was awakened by the heat.
Feeling very sleepy, he wiped the sweat off his forehead in a daze, turned over and prepared to continue sleeping. Suddenly he regained consciousness for a moment and raised his hand to check the time.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t look. Just with this one glance, Gu Mengran instantly sat up from the bed.
"Are you awake? Are you hungry? Come and eat something."
Just as he sat up, a cold and low voice came from beside him. Gu Mengran's back stiffened and he lowered his head guiltily, not daring to even look up.
It was seven o'clock, and we agreed to take turns driving, but I ended up sleeping until dawn.
Gu Mengran slapped his forehead hard, and glanced at his sleeping grandfather and Zheng Yijie, feeling a little relieved.
After taking a few deep breaths, Gu Mengran slowly and stiffly raised his head and gave Liang Zhao a dry smile, "Sorry, Liang Zhao, I overslept. I clearly set the alarm, but it didn't..."
“I turned it off.”
"Ring." Gu Mengran uttered the last word and blinked blankly, "Huh? You turned off my alarm?"
Liang Zhao held the biscuit in his hand and hummed softly.
"Okay, I was wondering why the alarm didn't ring, it turns out it was you! Why did you set the alarm for no reason? Did you know that staying up all night can cause sudden death? Go away, go to bed quickly."
The injustice turned into righteousness. Gu Mengran put on his slippers and walked to Liang Zhao, poking Liang Zhao's arm and urging him.
Liang Zhao smiled, his tired eyes glowed softly, and he said softly, "I understand. At least wait until I'm full, okay?"
Looking at the biscuits in his hand, Gu Mengran asked, "Would you like some buns?"
"No, I ate a little too much yesterday."
Gu Mengran didn't say anything else, nor did he rush to wash up. He walked to the window in his slippers.
Last night, I was too far away to see the flowers clearly through the fog, but now the sky is bright and the raging wildfire is very close. The hot flames spread wildly, destroying the grass and trees in an instant, and the thick smoke billowed into the sky, turning everything into ashes.
Suddenly, Gu Mengran felt the fear of being dominated by the yellow fog again. The orange and black fog covered half the sky. The air was turbid and hot, and the pungent smell of burning spread with the wind.
"We're about to enter a wildfire area." Gu Mengran looked up into the distance, his fingers rubbing unconsciously on the glass.
Liang Zhao sensed his nervousness, put down the half-eaten biscuit, and comforted him softly, "Don't worry, Master Meng is an old captain. If he dares to go, there must be no problem. Besides, the Fengyi has no cargo and is very fast. I looked at the navigation map, and if everything goes well, it should be across in one day."
Comforting him had some effect, but not much. Gu Mengran sighed and said in a low voice, "The temperature is getting higher and higher, Liang Zhao. I went to the deck last night and took a test. It was almost 50℃."
"I'm not just worried about this section of the route, I'm also worried about the next half month. The road ahead won't be easy."
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