Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Preparing for a Rainy Day
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The air was filled with a strong stench, and the shadow of death loomed over this winding mother river. The calm river surface seemed to be covered by heavy snow, and everything in sight was a dazzling white.
The Wind Wing was still moving forward, and the number of rotten fish and shrimp pushed to the shore by the waves did not decrease, but increased. Dense schools of fish carcasses were everywhere, and some were chopped into pieces by propellers. The foul smell made the river water even more turbid.
The four of them looked out the window together, and were mesmerized by this bizarre and shocking scene for more than ten minutes.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere in the cab was tense and depressing.
The sun was blazing high overhead, but Zheng Yijie felt an inexplicable chill on his back. He tried to hold it in but couldn't help it. His lips trembled slightly, and he suppressed his fear and broke the long silence: "What on earth is going on? Isn't this too exaggerated? Why are there more and more cases?"
The old man, who had decades of sailing experience, had never seen such a spectacle. He was stunned for a moment, tapped the glass with his knuckles, and frowned, "Is it due to the lack of oxygen caused by the hot weather? There are indeed too many, it's a bit scary."
"Not quite right." Liang Zhao stared at the river and analyzed in a deep voice: "The high temperature has lasted for a long time, it is not just a few days. We didn't find anything abnormal along the way. The oxygen content in this section of the river can't drop precipitously."
"Then, what's going on?" Zheng Yijie was a little panicked.
Meng Gaoyang shook his head, "I don't know, but it should be okay if I don't go into the water, right?"
The three of them were discussing the matter one after another, while Gu Mengran just stared at the river in silence, his lips pressed into a straight line and his brows wrinkled enough to kill a mosquito.
The path of the previous life was not repeated, and the people he met and the things that happened were completely different from the previous life. The unknown was frightening, especially when facing situations that were out of control and unexpected to Gu Mengran.
According to common sense, the death of a large number of fish is either due to lack of oxygen or poisoning caused by harmful substances in the water. As Liang Zhao analyzed, it is most likely the latter, and the Yellow River is polluted.
But what could have contaminated it? Gu Mengran had no idea.
Water flows to the lower reaches. What happened upstream? If it was just the water source that was polluted, it would be fine. Anyway, with space at hand, the Fengyi did not need to use river water. The only thing that Gu Mengran was worried about was a certain virus.
In his previous life, he followed Gu Decheng's family until the water level rose and the city was almost submerged, and he was forced to leave Xinjing. During this period, he also heard some rumors, such as that the foreign survivors were suspected of carrying the virus, had a high fever, and were all rotten.
The reason why it was just a rumor was that it was quickly refuted by the military. The virus that did not cause any waves was forgotten in a moment, and Gu Mengran did not take it too seriously.
Now it seems that the rumors may have some truth. Just because New Beijing, which was taken over by the military, is peaceful, it does not mean that the same is true in other places.
After all, as the old saying goes, after a great disaster comes a great epidemic. Not long ago, we experienced a major earthquake, which caused countless deaths and injuries. The human bodies buried in the rubble have been fermented at high temperatures, and there is a high possibility of an epidemic.
The three people beside him were still discussing fiercely, and Gu Mengran was shocked by his own guess. Whether it was a virus or a plague, the fish in the Huangjiang River died so much, and something big must have happened upstream.
Got to prepare in advance!
Gu Mengran could no longer remain calm, and hurried to the open space behind the driving platform, where he gradually took out some large items.
Zheng Yijie was steering the boat while chatting with his father and Liang Zhao. He didn't notice what Gu Mengran was doing at first. Until a circle of something like wire mesh was piled up at his feet, he turned around and swept it. The floor behind him was already full of it.
His attention shifted instantly. Zheng Yijie stretched out two fingers to twist the barbed wire and asked curiously: "What is this?"
The old man answered casually: "High-voltage pulse power grid, also known as electronic fence, have you ever seen it? Some communities have it installed on their walls."
Zheng Yijie suddenly remembered that he had seen it on the wall. However, he asked again, "What are you going to do with it? Install it on the ship?"
"That's right." The old man nodded. "Electronic fences are rarely installed on river ships. They are basically necessary on sea ships to prevent pirates."
"Oh, if a bad guy gets on board, we're going to electrocute him?"
"Haha! That's what happened."
After saying this, Zheng Yijie let go of the power grid and picked up a water gun from a pile of messy supplies. He looked at it over and over again, "Why does this look like a high-pressure water gun? What is it used for? Washing boats?"
"It's a high-pressure water gun, which has the same function as an electric grid. It's installed on the deck railing to prevent pirates." The old man answered patiently, and finally made a joke based on Zheng Yijie's words: "If a bad guy gets on board, we'll use the water gun to spray him."
Curious Zheng Yijie nodded without even a second's pause, and then asked, "Hey, why are you bringing all this out now? Weren't we just discussing the fish?"
The old man couldn't answer this question and turned his attention to Gu Mengran.
Gu Mengran looked up at the two men and said seriously, "Something may have happened upstream. I'm worried about an epidemic or virus outbreak, so I plan to make some preparations in advance."
"Plague?!" Zheng Yijie's voice suddenly rose several degrees, and he was obviously frightened. His face turned pale. "No way? Plague can infect fish? Then, can that person still survive?"
The old man was also a little surprised, but not as much as Zheng Yijie. He frowned slightly and held his chin and said, "It's not right. Aren't we supposed to be well protected against plague or virus? Why did you take out the power grid and water gun?"
Questions came one after another. Gu Mengran had no choice but to stop what he was doing and continue answering their questions: "I'm not sure if it's a plague, but what I can be sure of is that the water source is polluted, and the upstream must be unsafe."
"Grandpa, you've probably noticed as we've walked along this path, that the area that was hit by the flood was probably above Shancheng and below Xinjing. We walked past that area on the shore, and now the Huangjiang River is getting calmer and calmer."
"Isn't it better to be quiet?" Zheng Yijie asked.
Gu Mengran shook his head. "Peace is good, but too much peace is bad. We will probably pass Lingjiang Port the day after tomorrow. If it is not affected by the flood and the river is calm, what is the probability that we will encounter a ship there?"
Zheng Yijie froze, a crack appeared on his face, "Very big!"
Where there are boats, there are people, possibly quite a few of them. The anomaly in this section of the river basin was most likely caused by Lingjiang Port.
"No one knows exactly what happened. We have to focus on both epidemic prevention and defense." Gu Mengran stood up with his knees propped up, pointing to the two portions of supplies on the ground. "Send one portion to Xu Xinghe and the others in the evening, and remind them as well."
The miscellaneous supplies were divided into two parts, including high-voltage pulse power grid, high-pressure water guns, water pipes; alcohol, disinfectant, disposable medical masks, N95 masks, hand sanitizer...
Gu Mengran was extremely fortunate that he had made sufficient preparations before the disaster.
Gu Mengran, who was on "vacation" and felt dizzy, didn't want to worry much. He would talk about the evening's affairs in the evening. After explaining the important matters, he rubbed his swollen temples, lifted his feet and walked back.
However, before he left the cab, the old man who had vowed last night not to worry about Meng Ran suddenly stopped him and asked uncertainly, "Then, will the deal for tonight go ahead?"
Gu Mengran paused and smiled, "Go on. The waterline of the Juqing 5 is too low. Help them share some of the burden. I'm afraid that there will be dead fish floating on their deck. Oh, yes, contact Zheng Yijie on the high frequency and ask them to quickly turn off the sprinkler system."
"Ok, no problem."
At one o'clock in the morning, Fengyi and Juqing 5 successfully docked in the relatively wide channel.
Hearing the noise coming from the deck through the window, Gu Mengran put on his slippers, put on a mask, walked out the door, went down the stairs to the first floor, and slowly climbed onto the stern deck.
It was late at night, and the steaming deck was brightly lit. Grandpa and Liang Zhao stood beside the mooring cabin and fender respectively, one coordinating with the cockpit to lower the anchor, and the other tying the cable thrown over by the J-5.
The two ships were moored side by side, and the nearly fully loaded Juqing 5 was much shorter than the Fengyi. Gu Mengran stood by the fender and could clearly see the other side's deck, watching Xu Xingran and the girl named Xu Yue busy filling the empty barrels with oil.
After roughly counting the oil drums on the other side's deck, he estimated that they would be busy until morning. Gu Mengran stretched his back and was about to help with the work when Xu Xingran, who was below, noticed something and suddenly raised his head, "Xiao Gu, thank you!"
The same mask was already put on, so it was self-evident what she was thanking him for. Gu Mengran stopped and replied with a smile: "You're welcome, Sister Xu. Compared with your fuel, this little thing is nothing."
"That's different. What you sent here is life-saving." Xu Xingran said a few polite words. Not wanting to waste too much time, he hesitated for a moment and asked directly: "Grandpa Meng said that something might have happened upstream. Is it really a plague or something?"
Gu Mengran shook his head. "It's just a guess. Don't panic. We'll be prepared in advance and take good protection. It won't go wrong."
Xu Xingran was obviously relieved and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, it's time to prepare in advance. We will install the power grid and high-pressure water cannons after we transport the oil drums."
It's easy to communicate with people who listen to advice. Gu Mengran waved at her and walked quickly to the crane.
They rolled up their sleeves and prepared to work, but the old man came up behind them and slapped Gu Mengran on the shoulder. "What are you doing? What are you doing here, a sick man?"
Gu Mengran was patted on the shoulder without any warning. He shivered with fear. He turned around and saw that it was his old man. He glared at him helplessly and said, "You suddenly jumped out and scared me. What else can you do? Of course you are here to help with the work."
"Go, go, go back to your room. I don't need your help." The old man pinched Gu Mengran's shoulders and pulled him back with a little force.
Gu Mengran staggered back a few steps, grabbed his grandfather's arm and tried to persuade him, "Grandpa, I'm much better now. I can help you. Otherwise, you two will be busy until morning."
"Hurry back and don't dawdle."
The old man pushed him again with a tough attitude.
Gu Mengran pursed his lips reluctantly, and wanted to fight for it again, but the next moment, the old man suddenly shouted at the top of his voice: "Liang Zhao! Take care of your Gu——"
"Don't bother grandpa, I have something else to do. I'm leaving now!"
Gu Mengran turned around and left, almost fleeing in panic.