dognovel Chapter 1136
Chapter 1136
Inside the cabin, Zhou Shuwan heard the conversation outside clearly.
After thinking for a moment, she sent a soldier to deliver a message: "Go and tell Captain Ma to find out how He Chengshi was able to accurately track our ship in such a remote sea area."
The man responded and left, quickly relaying Zhou Shuwan's words to Captain Ma.
Captain Ma's gaze toward He Chengshi became even more serious: "He Chengshi, right? I'm asking you, how did you manage to track the Zhou family's ships? In this vast ocean, accurately tracking a ship is no easy task. You must tell me the truth."
He Chengshi's expression changed slightly, and his eyes flickered.
He stammered, "This... we just discovered it by chance, there was no special method, we were just lucky..."
"Is that so?" Captain Ma's tone instantly turned cold, his eyes filled with unquestionable authority. "Mr. He, you should know that our fleet cannot accept a team of unknown origin who also possesses unknown tracking methods."
This is a huge hidden danger for all of us. If you refuse to address this crucial issue, then you can forget about joining the fleet.
He Chengshi's face turned even uglier, and he clenched his fists tightly.
This tracking secret is a crucial factor in their team's survival at sea.
He absolutely did not want to reveal this secret to the public easily.
But if they don't tell the fleet, they won't be accepted, and they'll have no choice but to wait for their doom.
After much deliberation, He Cheng finally spoke slowly: "Sir, this secret concerns our team's core survival strategy, and it's indeed inconvenient to reveal it in public. If you are willing to accept us, I can report to you in detail privately, guaranteeing that there will be no concealment whatsoever."
Upon hearing this, Captain Ma pondered for a moment.
He also knew that in the apocalypse, each team might have its own unique survival skills, and some secrets were indeed not suitable to be publicized.
After careful consideration, he said to He Chengshi, "Alright, I can leave that aside for now. But I can't make the decision about accepting you. I need to send someone to report to Captain Chen and wait for the higher-ups to make a decision."
Upon hearing this, He Chengshi's face immediately lit up with joy, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! We can wait, we can wait as long as it takes!"
Captain Ma nodded, then turned to the first mate beside him and instructed, "You go back in a small boat immediately and tell Captain Chen everything about the situation here, including what He Chengshi said, the condition of their ships, and Dr. Zhou's questions, so that he can give instructions as soon as possible."
"Yes, Captain!" the first mate replied respectfully and immediately turned to go down and prepare.
The rest of the fleet remained firmly stationed in the center of the sea, forming a semi-circular encirclement.
The vanguard soldiers were all on high alert, their weapons ready to be used at any moment, their eyes fixed on He Chengshi and his men's dilapidated ship. They would launch an attack immediately if the enemy made any unusual moves.
On the other side, the first mate steered a small boat at breakneck speed, cutting through the waves as he rushed back to the fortress.
Upon meeting Captain Chen, he immediately gave a detailed report on the situation at sea.
As Zhou Shuwan had predicted, Captain Chen hesitated after hearing the story.
He had already learned a lot about He Chengshi from Zhou Shuwan and Qi Mingyu.
Recruiting such a group of people into the fleet would inevitably cause great trouble for internal management, and might even disrupt the style of the entire fleet, undermining the existing order and unity.
However, if he did not accept them, and watched the unarmed elderly, women and children on their ship starve or drown, it would go against his conscience as a soldier and violate the fleet's mission to protect survivors.
After pondering for a long time, Captain Chen finally spoke: "Go back and tell Captain Ma to first confiscate all of their guns and weapons, then take over their ships as well. Then, give them our two abandoned ships and let them stay temporarily in the waters some distance from the island. We'll observe their behavior later to see if they can be integrated into the fleet."
The reason for seizing the ships was the fear that the enemy might feign surrender but hide weapons or explosives on board, waiting to launch an attack when the fortress was off guard.
That would be a catastrophe!
"Yes, Captain Chen!" The first mate immediately accepted the order.
After receiving Captain Chen's order, Captain Ma nodded to himself, feeling that the arrangement was very prudent.
They were soldiers, shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting survivors, and could not possibly annihilate those who came to surrender.
Bringing the enemy under control and under observation in this way is undoubtedly the best option at present, as it can save the lives of innocent people and ensure the safety of the fleet and fortress to the greatest extent.
He immediately informed He Chengshi of Captain Chen's decision.
When He Chengshi heard that weapons and ships were to be confiscated, just like Xue Wuwen's group, a clear look of hesitation and reluctance flashed across his face.
Weapons and ships are essential for their survival in the apocalypse. Once they are confiscated, they completely lose the ability to resist and can only be manipulated by others.
But when he glanced at his dilapidated ship, which could sink at any moment, and thought of the three days' worth of rations left on board, and the men who were staring at him expectantly, he finally gritted his teeth and nodded: "Okay, we agree! As long as it lets us live, we are willing to cooperate!"
Thus, the work proceeded in an orderly manner.
The fleet's soldiers split into several groups and boarded He Chengshi's wrecked ship in batches in small boats, carefully collecting all the weapons—rifles, pistols, machetes, grenades, and heavy weapons.
He Chengshi and his men had fought a battle with the Zhou family, and suffered heavy losses, with few weapons left.
These weapons were all inventoried and stored by the fleet.
Although He Chengshi's men were somewhat unwilling and their eyes were filled with resentment, they ultimately dared not resist under He Chengshi's stern rebuke and the intimidation of the fleet soldiers.