dognovel Chapter 1259
Chapter 1259
The process of applying a high-temperature coating to the ship, along with the plans for going to sea, was kept strictly confidential from beginning to end.
Only Captains Chen and Qin knew the whole story.
To avoid leaks, both captains only brought their trusted aides to assist with the operation, and not a word was given to anyone else at the base.
Qi Mingyu also took a few days off.
Lin Wei led the entire research team, a total of eighteen people.
These researchers, who usually bury themselves in the laboratory and deal only with data and materials, are naturally oblivious to the undercurrents at the base.
At this moment, they were completely confused, only knowing that they had been given an urgent task from above, and that they needed to apply a high-temperature coating to something.
The operation was scheduled for 5 a.m., because the sky was gray and the air quality was extremely poor due to the volcanic ash, which also blocked the view of others.
Lieutenant Yun came to fetch the people in person. He was wearing a crisp protective suit and had no expression on his face. He only solemnly instructed, "Bring everything you need. Don't ask too many questions on the way. You'll know when you get there."
Lin Wei nodded and led her team to follow.
The group, carrying heavy instruments and equipment, descended from the mid-air fortress along the alloy walkway.
The metal panels in the stairwell were scorching hot from the relentless high temperatures day and night; you could feel the burning heat even through your shoes.
After descending to the ground of the main island, we turned towards the second auxiliary island.
After walking for about half an hour, Lieutenant Yun suddenly stopped and pointed ahead: "Once you cross this bridge, we'll reach our destination."
Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing and were immediately stunned.
A long bridge suddenly appeared between Sub-Island No. 2 and Sub-Island No. 3.
The two islands are not too far apart, so building a bridge wouldn't require much effort.
However, in this post-apocalyptic world where resources and equipment are extremely scarce, building a bridge is an extremely difficult task.
The bridge is entirely dark silver, gleaming with the cold light characteristic of metal. Even without close inspection, it's clear that it's forged from a boiling point alloy.
The bridge is not wide, just wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side. The alloy plates on the bridge surface are joined together so tightly that not a single gap can be seen.
When was this set up?
Lin Wei was very surprised.
The people at the base have been busy repairing the fortress and reinforcing the foundation these days, and no one has noticed that the fleet has quietly built such a bridge.
Or perhaps it was built even earlier.
However, these people dared not go anywhere except the coastline below the fortress.
So none of them were found.
Lin Wei walked in the middle of the group, her hand tightly gripping the handle of the instrument case.
When she reached the middle of the bridge, she couldn't help but look down and glance at the area below.
Upon looking at it, one feels a wave of heat carrying a salty, fishy vapor rushing towards them.
The seawater under the bridge was no longer its usual blue-green color; it was clearly a pot of boiling water, murky and yellowish, mixed with fragments of rocks eroded by the high temperature.
The waves crashed against the bridge piers, making a loud "boom boom boom" sound.
Each impact sent water splashing several meters high. The splashes landed on the bridge surface and instantly turned into a cloud of white steam, rising upwards.
Looking at the secondary islands on both sides of the strait, the scene is even more shocking.
Sub-islands No. 2 and No. 3, which should have been lush with vegetation, are now just bare rocks.
Over the years, boiling water has eroded the soil and vegetation on the island's surface, revealing the underlying bluish-gray rock layers.
The rock strata were charred black and pitted, as if they had been branded with countless hot irons. Some places even had a dark red glow, which was the residual heat left after the rock was baked by the high temperature.
The island's edge, where the once smooth coastline was carved out with jagged gaps.
The waves crashed against the gap, sending up sprays of water with a pungent sulfur smell that made people dizzy.
The sea was completely silent.
There was only a gray sky and churning boiling water; the world seemed to consist only of this scalding, hopeless chaos.
The wind swept across the sea, carrying a scorching temperature. If you weren't wearing air-conditioned clothing, you'd probably feel like you were swallowing fire just by breathing.
Lin Wei only watched for a few seconds before feeling dizzy and nauseous.
The bridge beneath my feet swayed slightly in the wind, as if it might be swallowed up by the boiling sea at any moment.
"Sister Lin! Watch out!" Xiaoxue, who was behind her, reacted quickly and grabbed her arm. "Don't look down, keep moving forward!"
Lin Wei composed herself, gripped Xiaoxue's hand tightly, and the two supported each other as they quickly crossed the bridge.
As Lin Wei stepped onto the land of the third sub-island, she couldn't help but look back at the bridge.
In the hazy sky, the bridge resembles a slender silver thread, connecting the second and third sub-islands at one end. On the boiling sea, it appears both exceptionally fragile and exceptionally resilient.
She sighed inwardly, thinking that building this bridge must have been no easy task.
Such a long bridge, to be pieced together and fixed on the boiling sea, just resisting those scalding waves and burning hot winds is enough to make one's skin peel off.
I wonder how many days and nights the people at the base worked to build this bridge.
The group followed Lieutenant Yun along the rocky path by the coast.
In the center of the island stood a bare, rocky mountain that blocked the view. Everyone was stunned when they finally rounded the mountain.
There, on the open ground, stood a ship.
The ship was neither too big nor too small, about twenty meters long, with a dark gray hull. It looked somewhat familiar; it was a civilian ship from the base.
The paint on the hull had almost completely peeled off, revealing the steel plates underneath, which still bore the marks of the tsunami, and in some places were even covered in rust.
However, the ship's main structure is still intact, with masts, cabins, and decks all present.
"There are even ships?" someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
After the tsunami, almost all the ships in the base were swept away.
Everyone thought they would never see a ship that could go out to sea again.
Lin Wei was also stunned, but then she realized that this must be their goal for this trip.
She was examining the boat when she caught a glimpse of two people standing beside her out of the corner of her eye.
It was Zhou Shuwan and Qi Mingyu.
Lin Wei's steps subconsciously stopped.
Zhou Shuwan was wearing a white protective suit, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, and she was talking to Qi Mingyu with her head down.
Her profile was soft, and her expression was calm, showing no sign of emotion.
These days, Zhou Shuwan has become increasingly low-key at the base, rarely appearing in public.
This was the first time Lin Wei had seen her on such an occasion since the two fleets last discussed cooperation.
Qi Mingyu stood beside her, tall and straight, wearing the same protective suit as her. His gaze fell on her, carrying a tenderness that Lin Wei had never seen before.