ebookland Chapter 1074
Chapter 1074
The soldier immediately understood, with a hint of admiration: "So that's how it is! Your family is really amazing. They were able to fight back against the robbers. No wonder they were able to bring back supplies from the deep sea."
With that, he wisely refrained from asking any further questions and turned to attend to his own business.
When others heard this, they simply assumed that the Zhou family was lucky and powerful, and no one thought much of it.
After unloading the supplies, Zhou Shuwan and Qi Mingyu went to complete the handover procedures for the cruise ship.
Watching the officer who took over turn around and board the cruise ship, I felt a little emotional—this ship had accompanied them through tsunamis and ice storms, and had also evaded the pursuit of He Chengshi's men. Now, it had finally completed its mission.
Qi Mingyu took her hand: "Let's go!"
Within a few days, the mothership began to focus on building boiling point alloys.
All the technicians were involved in this work.
The mothership's metal deck was scorching hot under the blazing sun, and the workshops where boiling-point alloys were refined were even hotter.
The technicians wore heavy protective suits, and beads of sweat streamed down their faces, but no one dared to stop what they were doing.
The minerals in the furnace are melting at high temperatures, and the orange-red molten metal slowly flows into the mold through the pipes. After cooling, it can be cast into a hard alloy block.
Tao Zheng had been learning how to repair ships from the maintenance workers and also came to help out.
He was wearing work clothes stained with engine oil, and he was working with the veteran technicians in the maintenance team to adjust the lifting equipment.
He gripped the wrench in one hand and held the alloy pipe with the other, the veins on his arm bulging slightly: "Master, this pipe joint needs to be reinforced, otherwise it will easily loosen when we lift the alloy block later."
The experienced technician patted him on the shoulder approvingly: "Okay, we'll reinforce it in a bit."
Not far away, several naval soldiers were working together to carry the newly cast alloy blocks.
There were simply not enough technicians and maintenance personnel, so many sailors and survivors from the mothership came to help.
The newly cast boiling point alloy still has a warm luster on its surface. Each piece is about half a person's height. Although it is extremely strong, it is relatively light and can be moved by two people.
However, the quantity is enormous, and although there is mechanical assistance, most of the time it still has to be handled manually.
Over time, it can be quite tiring.
The survivors were also busy; some helped clean up the waste around the furnace, while others handed water to the technicians. The entire mothership was immersed in a tense yet orderly flurry of activity.
But everyone knows that these boiling-point alloys are the hope for building a mid-air fortress and the foundation for their survival in the apocalypse.
Therefore, no one complained about being tired or overworked.
The Zhou family had just returned from outside, so they were not included in this casting task.
The Zhou family also had a rare ten-day break, which allowed them to rest and recuperate properly.
Zhou Shuwan stood by the window in the corridor, watching the bustling scene on the deck.
But she knew in her heart that this peace was only temporary, and they had an even more important task to do.
Sure enough, that afternoon, Lieutenant Yun came to see her personally: "Dr. Zhou, is it convenient for you to go to the captain's cabin? Captain Chen has something important to discuss with you."
Zhou Shuwan nodded, tidied herself up, and strode towards the captain's cabin.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Captain Chen standing in front of the map, his brows furrowed, repeatedly circling something on the nautical chart with his pen.
"Dr. Zhou, you've arrived." Captain Chen turned around, his face showing a hint of apology. "I didn't want to disturb your rest, but this is really urgent."
He invited Zhou Shuwan to sit down, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: "As you've probably seen, we're refining more and more boiling-point alloys. So the plan to build the fortress must be implemented as soon as possible. But we need to find a suitable island as soon as possible."
He paused here, his bright eyes fixed on Zhou Shuwan.
Zhou Shuwan had a premonition.
A few days ago, she heard Captain Chen say that he had sent a fleet to find a suitable place to build a mid-air fortress, so she knew that this would be a difficult task.
Sure enough, Captain Chen continued, "I've sent out more than a dozen fleets to search for islands before, but none of them have succeeded. Your navigational skills are our greatest advantage, and I'd like you to lead the fleet to try again."
Zhou Shuwan did not refuse.
However, she also spoke the truth: "Captain Chen, I'm not making excuses. Captain Chen, we've been out here for over half a year, passing through many seas along the way, but in these six months, we haven't encountered a single island! This shows how difficult it is to find a suitable island to live on and build a mid-air fortress in a short period of time!"
Captain Chen sighed, "I know it's difficult, but this is the only way we have!"
He paused for a moment before speaking, "Actually, of the dozen or so fleets I sent out over the past few months, only half have returned. The rest..." Captain Chen didn't finish his sentence.
But Zhou Shuwan understood what he meant. Since the other half of the people hadn't returned, they must have encountered various dangers and sacrificed themselves.
She recalled her previous experiences at sea.
A roaring tsunami surged in, massive walls of water tearing the cruise ship apart like a toy, icy rain pelted the deck like sharp knives, and various other bizarre celestial phenomena occurred...
Every scene is so clear, as if it happened just yesterday.
The helplessness and fear that humanity felt when facing natural disasters still lingers to this day.
They were lucky; no matter what happened, their family returned safely.
However, so many vibrant lives of sailors who went out to search for islands were lost forever in the vast ocean.
She felt a pang of sadness.
Captain Chen's voice was heavy: "But we have no other choice. If we can't find a place to stay, the bottom of the mothership will definitely not be able to withstand the rising sea temperature, and then everyone will suffer."
Captain Chen looked at her solemnly: "Dr. Zhou, I won't force you to agree to this. Here's what you can do: go back and discuss it with your family first. See what they say! Don't feel pressured. If your family doesn't agree, I'll think of another way."
He knew all too well the feelings of the Zhou family.
They would definitely not want Zhou Shuwan to go out on missions alone, just like before. If they agreed to let Zhou Shuwan go out to find the island this time, their whole family would have to find a way to go with her.
With the whole family out on the move, the chances of them returning safely are so low that anyone would have to think about it carefully.
As Zhou Shuwan walked out of the captain's cabin, she gazed at the distant, calm sea.
The sea looks so calm and so vast, like a mother with a broad mind.
However, this mother is furious and volatile, and may take countless lives at any time!
The sea breeze lifted the hem of her clothes, carrying a salty, damp coolness, but it couldn't dispel the heaviness in her heart.