dognovel Chapter 1118
Chapter 1118
Subsequently, supplies became scarce again, with fresh water and food dwindling, and the crew's morale began to deteriorate.
Wang Qian and Li Ziling led the fleet on a difficult journey, suffering constant casualties and running out of food.
Just when they were about to despair, the lookout spotted a blue-green area in the distance, which looked like an island covered in vegetation.
Everyone was thrilled, thinking they had finally found hope.
Wang Qian and Li Ziling didn't think much of it, after all, they had been adrift at sea for too long and desperately needed a place to settle down.
So they ordered the fleet to move at full speed toward the blue-green area.
But to their utter surprise, it wasn't an island at all, but a dense clump of blue-green algae.
These blue-green algae extend from the seabed all the way to the surface, layer upon layer, like a thick carpet.
Strange things began to happen after the ship entered the area of blue-green algae.
Those tiny bubbles floating on the sea surface are actually methane gas produced by the decomposition of cyanobacteria.
This gas is colorless and has almost no odor, but it is extremely toxic and rapidly depletes the oxygen in the surrounding air.
Shortly after the ship entered the area, the crew members began to experience dizziness and nausea, and then some of them suffocated and collapsed.
Even more terrifying is that the density of the blue-green algae is extremely high. The ship's propellers are quickly entangled, lose power, and begin to sink rapidly like a stone.
Wang Qian and Li Ziling's ship was the last to enter. Seeing the ships ahead sinking one after another and their crews falling one after another, they realized something was wrong and immediately ordered a turnback.
In the chaos, Li Ziling, in order to cover the evacuation of several crew members, got his legs entangled in blue algae and eventually disappeared into that deadly sea along with the sinking ship.
Wang Qian watched helplessly as his best friend died, and the pain and resentment in his heart erupted instantly.
On the way back, Wang Qian's mindset completely changed.
He blamed the mothership for Li Ziling's death, as well as the casualties among the crew along the way.
He believes that the tragedy was caused by insufficient supplies from the mothership and poor decision-making by Captain Chen.
What he found even more unacceptable was that the fleet had taken in too many ordinary survivors who had no combat ability but consumed a lot of resources, while the soldiers who had risked their lives did not receive the "preferential treatment" they deserved.
"In his view, ordinary survivors are a burden, the root cause of the fleet's collapse," Captain Chen said in a heavy tone. "That's why he fabricated the lie about the new island, wanting to lure the entire fleet into that deadly sea and make everyone perish with Li Ziling."
After listening to Captain Chen's account, Qi Mingyu and Zhou Shuwan both fell silent.
They were shocked by Wang Qian's extreme ideas.
"This is utterly absurd!" The adjutant, Yun, broke the silence first, his voice filled with anger: "Just because his friend died, he wants to drag thousands of people down with him? That's incredibly selfish!"
"In fact, the fleet has always treated its soldiers well. Food, clothing, and supplies are distributed with priority, and they also receive a fixed monthly salary, while ordinary survivors have to work to earn their living expenses."
Wang Qian's dissatisfaction stemmed from his excessive greed; he desired absolute privilege and wanted to possess all resources for himself.
Zhou Shuwan listened silently, her mind filled with countless thoughts.
She could understand Wang Qian's pain at losing his friend, but that should never be a reason for him to harm the innocent.
In the apocalypse, life is difficult for everyone.
Although ordinary survivors have no combat ability, they are also contributing to the fleet in their own ways.
Some were responsible for planting, some for manufacturing, and some for medical care. It was the concerted efforts of these people that enabled the fleet to operate normally.
Captain Chen, who had always been dismissive of Wang Qian's actions, finally spoke up: "Despair is never an excuse to hurt others! Wang Qian is now imprisoned, and all his misled followers have also been detained, awaiting the final trial by the fleet's military court!"
Not executing him outright was already extremely merciful!
But Wang Qian's extreme ideas are by no means an isolated case.
Qi Mingyu seemed to have thought of this as well, and said in a deep voice, "Captain Chen, the fleet has taken in too many survivors over the years, and the allocation of resources between soldiers and ordinary people has always been a sensitive issue. I'm afraid there are quite a few people in the fleet who share the same thoughts as Wang Qian."
His words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.
Captain Chen nodded slowly with a solemn expression: "You're right. During the interrogation, we found that most of those who were misled by Wang Qian held the idea that 'soldiers should enjoy absolute privileges' and 'survivors are a burden.' They forgot that in the apocalypse, no one is born a vassal; everyone is a community that depends on each other for survival."
Zhou Shuwan gazed at the busy figures on the mothership's deck.
Survivors in overalls were carrying boiling-point alloys, repairmen were repairing ships, and children were playing in the open space of the safe zone—everything exuded a rare vitality in the apocalypse.
She always felt that it was their greatest fortune to have met leaders like Captain Chen and Captain Shang.
They always disciplined the army with ironclad discipline and kept the safety of ordinary survivors in mind.
It was this weighty responsibility and commitment that allowed this "Noah's Ark" adrift at sea to save the lives of thousands and preserve the flame of civilization.
At present, although these people have no hope of survival, who can say that after surviving one disaster after another, it will be these ordinary people who will once again ignite the flame of civilization?