Early in the morning, after putting Grandma Ling and Lan Qiaoqiao into the space, Lan Jin and the others went to their assigned large boat on time.
Once the crew numbers were checked, the small boats departed first, followed by the large boats slowly moving in the same direction.
The small boats could carry about 8-10 people. Large boats were like ferries, with no real limit on people. It was unclear how they were assigned. It seemed the bases were not grouped together.
The small boats went first for a simple reason. They were faster and could reach the cities first to rescue people. Then, when the large boat caught up, the rescued people would be transferred to it. This saved the large boat from being stuck in a place where it could not turn around.
Compared to walking on ice in extreme cold, the extreme heat made the water surface harder to endure. The survivors outside had no equipment to enter the water, so they could not search for food.
This rescue pulled many survivors from residential buildings. Most of these survivors were mutants. When they learned that staying on the boat meant meals, accommodation, and contribution points, they agreed immediately. Living was already a luxury.
What they did not know was that the route ahead would take them deeper into danger.
…
After a busy morning, the total rescued came to 23 people.
For the base, this number was satisfactory.
The sun outside was merciless, stuck at 70 degrees. Even Lan Jin's temperature-regulating suit could not fully save her, but wearing it was better than nothing. With a full set of ice-silk sun-protective clothing, she was far better equipped than others.
Lan Jin could not share her temperature-regulating suit with the other three, but she did have a few spare ice-silk suits in her space. They were not perfect, but better than nothing.
With their 'luxury' equipment, the four of them once again became the target of Pei Xin's snide remarks.
Lan Jin and the others ignored her completely. Pei Xin grew more irritated after failing to get a reaction and finally, realizing her effort was wasted, walked off.
Watching Pei Xin retreat, Lan Jin said, "Honestly, who provoked her? So annoying. Her mouth never stops. Doesn't she get tired?"
Ling Jiang said, "Who offended her? Just jealous, I guess."
"She is from the professor team. Her grandfather is Professor Pei. Being jealous doesn't affect you," Shen Zhiyan replied from a distance. "Her words targeted you four before, but actually, she has gone after all of us. Compared to you four, others were slightly spared. I think it's just her nature."
Lao Gao squinted at the bright sun and put on sunglasses. "So her character is like a firecracker. Just light it, it explodes. Does it go off at everyone?" He drank a sip of ice water from his thermos. The water was refreshing, but the heat was overwhelming.
Huang Jinghe said, "Don't dwell on her. She is irrelevant. Besides, she is Grandpa Pei's granddaughter. No use offending her. Just ignore her."
"True. A few words and no one responds, she leaves. But if this lasts long, it might escalate. If it leads to fighting, that would be bad," Lao Gao said after thinking.
"Fight? She can't beat us even if she tried," Shen Zhiyan said lazily, glancing around. The wind was calm.
"But she can come from behind, catching you off guard. We still need to be careful. Watch each other. I didn't want to be on the same boat with her, but here we are," Lan Jin said, rolling her eyes in irritation.
…
Because of the perpetual daylight, the sun burned the water surface 24 hours a day. With no night, there was no need to stop the boat. After dinner, regardless of the sky, it was time to rotate shifts and rest.
First came the captain, the driver, and the co-pilot. Then it was their turn. After tedious handovers, Lan Jin and the others prepared to sleep in the cabin when the loudspeaker on the boat screamed.
"Request support, request support. North 500 meters ahead, a large school of fish is blocking the way. Three small boats, 24 people trapped. Request support. Supporters, please be careful. The fish are very unusual."
The announcement ended, and Captain Zhang came out of the cabin. Holding the walkie-talkie, he said, "North 500 meters. Boat number 5 is closest. Go immediately for rescue."
Boat number 5? That was the boat Lan Jin and her group were on.
Captain Zhang set the walkie-talkie down and called them back. "No rest for now. Rescue the people first."
Following the order, the ship's bow was turned north.
Five hundred meters was not far for either small or large boats. But since the ferry was in the city center, the high buildings not submerged blocked their view. Once the bow was turned, they soon saw the three small boats calling for help.
What met their eyes was strange. The three small boats were lined up in a straight row, surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands, of small fish swimming in a circle. The swirling fish had even formed a small vortex. Luckily, a large boat came. If it had been a small boat, the vortex might have capsized it.
Captain Zhang was puzzled but ordered the ship forward slowly. Even as they approached, the fish continued circling the boats, showing no sign of moving away. The sight was so bizarre that the driver dared not get too close. The ship stopped mid-way.
Captain Zhang looked down from the bow, unsure what to do. Finally, he said, "Move slowly and break the vortex formed by the fish."
Following instructions, the driver moved the boat forward. But when approaching the fish and the vortex, the boat suddenly slammed as if hitting something, forcing the bow in another direction. Captain Zhang at the bow almost fell into the water.
This situation was very strange. What had the boat just hit? There was clearly nothing visible on the water.