In the morning, the sky was still covered with dark clouds, but the raindrops had lessened considerably.
Just now, Xi Xi successfully completed a thrilling lane change maneuver. The vehicle weaved between the bridge piers, drawing an arc on the sea surface, and steadily drove towards the new fork in the road.
The weather seemed to offer people a brief respite, and the brief stop in the rain made the world quiet and mysterious.
Since that was the case, Xi Xi and Chu Zhiqin did not choose to return to the bridge, but instead drove slowly under the bridge along its extension.
These massive bridge piers stand like silent giants on the water, arranged closely together to form a unique passage. With her keen observation of the terrain, Xi Xi skillfully navigates among the piers, accurately determining her direction based on their distribution.
Although driving under the bridge effectively avoids the onslaught of strong winds and torrential rain, the light here is exceptionally dim. The already gloomy sky appears even darker due to the shadows cast by the bridge, making even midday look like dusk.
Chu Zhiqin was very worried about the bridge collapsing, and she would look up from time to time. Every slight tremor or rustling of the wind made her heart race, but she couldn't resist Xi Xi's determination to find the last piece of seaweed and insisted on taking the waterway under the bridge.
Xi Xi had originally envisioned a perfect scenario. She thought that a solid object like a bridge pier standing in the sea would be surrounded by seaweed and mussels, but the reality was quite different from what she had expected.
The bridge piers were designed to be exceptionally sturdy and smooth, seemingly to deliberately avoid the attachment of marine life.
She touched the bridge pier and felt that it had a very special texture, as if it had been treated with special anti-corrosion materials and coatings to enhance its durability.
Indeed, the attachment of marine life can affect the overall stability of a building, just as a building covered in ivy is prone to collapse. It's not surprising that a survival game like East Dawn would pay attention to such details...
Xi Xi looked up thoughtfully at the bridge above. If even such a detail was considered, would the bridge really collapse if an undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami...?
Xi Xi shook her head and cleared her mind again. In the end, she did not come away empty-handed, because she discovered that the waters near the bridge were much more abundant with fish on rainy days than on the open sea due to the slow current. It had become a gathering place for sea fish!
Without hesitation, Xi Xi pressed the extension button for the terrace. With a soft hum of machinery, the terrace slowly extended upwards, gradually revealing a three-story courtyard.
Then, she went to the parking space and suddenly threw down the fishing net.
Xi Xi silently prayed that she could get some seaweed... and that the matter of the Sea Town Soul Pearl could be resolved today.
She had even spent ages searching the trading hall for wakame seaweed, but couldn't find even semi-processed seaweed. There were plenty of vendors selling vegetable packets that came with instant noodles, but she certainly didn't need any nori seaweed...
The rain intensified again. The downpour pounded against the triple-layered tempered glass, producing a muffled, chiming sound, and the spray of salt mixed with the smell of gasoline filled the air.
Although the courtyard is specially designed and not directly exposed to rain, some fine raindrops still occasionally drift in on the sea breeze.
Softened glass has good breathability, which should be an advantage, but at this moment the unique smell brought by the humid sea breeze is clearly audible, making people feel uncomfortable.
Chu Zhiqin, already feeling the violent shaking around her from the surging waves, gradually became dizzy amidst the mixed smells. This undoubtedly became the final straw that broke the camel's back, and her stomach began to churn more and more violently.
Oh no, she got carsick...
"My God, this is the first time I've ever been seasick... no, carsick." Chu Zhiqin squatted by the back of the car, leaning against the bay window, panting heavily, trying to calm the nausea churning in her stomach.
"Don't stare at the waves! It'll only make you more dizzy." Xi Xi said, pulling on the cable as she handed an orange to her pale-faced mother. "Smell the orange, it'll help. Oh, and try pressing your thumb and forefinger against your diaphragm!" Orange peel is said to be effective in relieving motion sickness, hopefully the orange will too.
The sea on a rainy day is completely different from usual.
The waves grew wilder, crashing against the vehicle with an irresistible force. Xi Xi thought her current Tier 5 motorhome was already quite large, but in the vast ocean, it was still just a drop in the ocean.
Even though the car chassis was already too high, Xi Xi didn't dare to open the first-floor windows at all, for fear that the waves would flood into the car and damage the furniture.
She glanced at the leaden-gray sea. Three strings of glass floats were bobbing wildly in the rain, leaving jagged trails in their wake.
“This is probably a school of catfish. It’s said that they love to swim along warm currents when it rains.” She picked up her hook and pointed southeast. Xi Xi vaguely remembered hearing about this kind of fish from old fishermen in her previous life.
Upon hearing this, Chu Zhiqin couldn't help but look into the distance, and then, despite her discomfort, she helped Xi Xi pull the net together.
"When pulling in the net, you have to cut the waves at an angle, otherwise the fish's swim bladder will burst."
Chu Zhiqin chewed on a tangerine, the sweet and sour taste temporarily suppressing the unpleasant dizziness.
When the fishing net was pulled up, the silvery-blue fish spines gleamed coldly through the mesh.
Unfortunately, there was no wakame seaweed.
Xi Xi was somewhat disappointed. She knew that wakame seaweed mostly grew in warm temperate waters with relatively calm waves and fertile waters, but her requirements weren't high. She didn't expect a large quantity of seaweed; just one strip would be enough.
"How could there be none at all..." Xi Xi sighed, then threw all the fish she had caught onto the ground.
Seawater splashed everywhere, but fortunately the third-floor terrace was very waterproof. Chu Zhiqin pinched the gill cover of a catfish and skillfully pressed her thumb into the fish's brain: "The fish blood is thick on rainy days, so it has to be released now."
Dark red streaks of blood seeped into the sea through the bay window drain, attracting several red-footed boobies to swoop down and peck at them.
"Quack quack—" The little white duck suddenly appeared, quacking loudly at the gannets like a fearless fool, its hoarse voice echoing through the sky.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
