ebookland Chapter 1096
Chapter 1096
Zhou Shuwan stood up, gripping the handrail, and glanced at the deck outside the porthole.
The starboard deck, which had just been struck by debris, was in a mess. The railings were broken into several pieces, and several pieces of damaged equipment were overturned on the ground. Seawater was receding rapidly through the deck's drain outlets, revealing the wet steel surface.
Fortunately, the main structure of the ship was intact and there were no signs of leaks.
At this moment, on the sea, there were wrecked ships, various floating supplies, and many survivors who had fallen in!
"Help! Help!"
Captain Chen gave the order urgently.
He looked into the distance, but the submarines that had gone down to rescue people earlier had long since disappeared from sight, swept away by the waves.
His expression was one of deep sorrow.
However, upon seeing the survivors struggling and crying for help on the sea, he did not hesitate at all and ordered them to be rescued immediately!
Zhou Shuwan was no longer in a hurry to collect supplies, but instead focused on rescuing people.
At sea, a passenger cruise ship was hit by a collision, leaving a large hole in its hull. Seawater, like a raging beast, rushed in through the breach.
The ear-piercing sound of metal tearing was mixed with people's screams and cries.
The cruise ship, carrying hundreds of passengers, was sinking at a visible speed. The angle of the ship's tilt was getting larger and larger, and tables, chairs, and suitcases were being swept around by the seawater. Many people were hit by debris and struggled in the murky water.
The cruise ship was brought by Tao Zheng and his group, and most of the survivors on board were also their people.
However, the people who were driving the lifeboats around the area were anxiously pacing back and forth, but they didn't dare to go over at all.
When the cruise ship sank into the sea, it created huge whirlpools on the surrounding waters. Anyone who got too close would be swept to the bottom of the sea.
Captain Chen shouted, "Save people!"
Experienced sailors shouted, "Jump ship now!"
Only a very small number of people were able to react; most were trapped inside the cabin.
Because of the icy rain, all the doors and windows of the fleet had been reinforced with boiling point alloys, and they could not be opened by brute force at this time. The doors of the bulkheads were also stuck there due to the impact.
When the cruise ship sank into the sea, the entire ship tilted at a 45-degree angle, and countless heavy objects pressed down on the doors, making them impossible to open by hand.
Zhou Shuwan could clearly "see" the hundreds of vibrant lives inside the ship's cabin.
Some clung tightly to their loved ones, some frantically pounded on the windows, and others let out weak sobs as the seawater washed over their chests.
But those windows were firmly fixed in place by boiling-point alloys, and even the ship's fire axe could not budge them an inch.
The heavy hatch was firmly held down by tilted steel plates, broken steel beams, and other heavy objects, and no matter how hard the people inside pushed, it wouldn't budge.
The seawater had already flooded the fifth deck, and the icy water was constantly eroding people's body temperature, causing many people's struggles to gradually weaken.
By this time, the entire cruise ship had been submerged in the sea.
Zhou Shuwan gritted her teeth and first aimed at the blocked hatch, slowly pulling the twisted steel and broken furniture into the space.
With each heavy object she carried, a layer of cold sweat would seep from her forehead.
When the last steel beam pressing down on the main hatch was removed, Zhou Shuwan exerted a sudden force, and the heavy hatch was forcibly "pulled" open, creating a gap large enough for one person to pass through.
Seawater instantly rushed into the adjacent empty cabin through the door crack, forming a powerful current.
But some clever survivors had already discovered that there was a way out. They blew bubbles, waved their hands vigorously, and swam out first.
Others who were about to suffocate immediately swarmed over.
Zhou Shuwan followed the same method, opening the blocked auxiliary hatch and obstacles one by one to facilitate the survivors' exit.
Soaked to the bone and shivering, the survivors swam desperately toward the surface of the sea.
This was the first time she had ever tried to save everyone on the cruise ship in this way.
She was already somewhat overexerted, and her vision was starting to blur.
"Wanwan!" Qi Mingyu's voice came from beside her.
He grasped Zhou Shuwan's arm and, seeing her pale face, knew she was trying to save someone again.
He opened his mouth, about to say something, when suddenly a voice came from the side: "What's wrong with Dr. Zhou? He looks so pale. Shouldn't you let a doctor take a look?"
It is before the king!
Looking at Zhou Shuwan's face, Wang Qian asked anxiously, "Dr. Zhou, were you injured just now?"
He rushed to call the doctor: "Doctor! Where's the doctor? Come quickly and see Dr. Zhou!"
Captain Chen heard the commotion and rushed over.
To avoid being hindered from saving the person, she pretended to be exhausted and collapsed into Qi Mingyu's arms.
Qi Mingyu immediately understood and placed her on the cot next to him.
Zhou Shuwan kept her eyes closed; there were still dozens of people on the cruise ship who hadn't come out yet.
She used all her strength to retract the broken pipe behind the last auxiliary hatch into the space.
The doctor arrived quickly.
At this time, there were wounded everywhere, and doctors were in urgent need everywhere.
However, the fact that the doctor was able to arrive at the scene so quickly is enough to show how much Captain Chen values Zhou Shuwan.
After Wang Qian helped call the doctor, he didn't say anything more and stood aside looking at Zhou Shuwan with some concern.
The doctor asked Qi Mingyu, "Did Dr. Zhou hit his head during the big collision?"
Qi Mingyu thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I might have run into it. But it probably wasn't serious."
A pair of warm hands were touching Zhou Shuwan's head, seemingly checking for wounds.
Zhou Shuwan ignored it; all her attention was on the cruise ship underwater.
Finally, the last auxiliary hatch opened completely, and dozens of survivors swam out.
Her tense body finally relaxed slightly.
"I don't think there are any signs of impact," the doctor said, somewhat puzzled, after examining the patient.
Outside, the lifeboats had broken through the edge of the whirlpool, and the soldiers on board stretched out long poles to pull the survivors who were struggling to surface onto the boat.
Those who had just crawled back from the brink of death were either coughing violently while clinging to the edge of the lifeboat, or collapsing on the boat and crying loudly, their clothes soaked through and clinging to their skin, looking extremely disheveled.
"Doctor, you need to examine him more thoroughly. Dr. Zhou's sudden fainting is definitely not just a minor injury!" Wang Qian was very worried.
The doctor nodded and continued to examine Zhou Shuwan's head, neck, and shoulders for any injuries.
Qi Mingyu said, "Doctor, please be gentle. She's in a lot of pain right now."
He sat next to Zhou Shuwan the whole time, watching over her.
The doctor knew he was worried about his wife, so he nodded and continued to press on Zhou Shuwan's back bones.
Zhou Shuwan closed her eyes, trying her best to remain undisturbed.
She had just "seen" a closed dormitory on the cruise ship.
There were two adult women inside, each protecting two children who were about eight or nine years old.
The water had completely flooded the area, and they could only stand on tiptoe to keep the child's mouth and nose above the water as much as possible.