Long Zhan’s brow furrowed. "Do they really have that much diesel?"
Ji Yizhi was silent for a moment before speaking. "Perhaps they just prepared a large supply in advance, specifically to shake us off their tail."
Wang Jun nodded. He was inclined to agree with Ji Yizhi’s assessment.
After all, in the current situation, it was unlikely anyone had much diesel on hand.
"Since we can’t keep up, let’s call off the pursuit," Wang Jun suggested. "I’m sure they’ll come back to the Aircraft Carrier Base eventually. If we still want to find their main base then, we can just track them again."
Although Ji Yizhi was reluctant to give up, he knew they truly couldn’t keep up this time.
The other party was clearly toying with them, leading them farther and farther away from the Aircraft Carrier Base. Even if they arranged for a dedicated speedboat to deliver fuel, the pursuing craft would likely run out of diesel before the resupply could arrive.
"The micro-drone we deployed can automatically identify and track the target. Let’s have the speedboat hold its position for three hours. The drone will automatically return after that," Ji Yizhi said, making one last effort. "Even though the pursuit has failed, I still want to see just how long they plan on leading us around!"
Transmitting the drone’s live footage consumed a massive amount of power. Since the speedboat couldn’t follow anymore, he would let the drone continue tracking on its own, just without the real-time video feed.
"Alright," Wang Jun agreed, and ordered the speedboat that was tracking Qin Haonan to hold its position.
Meanwhile, Qin Haonan was on a video call with Ren Yuanyang.
"Boss, I’ve been on the move for over four hours. Can I head back now?" Qin Haonan asked, piloting his speedboat toward the nearest Second-level Wind Sea Region.
"Not yet," Ren Yuanyang replied, glancing at the time. "Head back to our position at 5 PM. You should make it back in time for dinner."
"Got it!" Qin Haonan responded. "I’ll cruise around the nearby Second-level Wind Sea Region a bit more. The survivors I ran into earlier were all too poor; not a single one had managed to get any plants."
"Even if they had found any plants, they probably ate them to stave off hunger," Ren Yuanyang said with a slight shake of his head. "But after you made your announcement, they’ll probably start deliberately collecting them."
"I’m just worried they won’t believe me," Qin Haonan said, concerned.
"Whether they believe you or not, they’ll still try it," Ren Yuanyang replied with a smile. "After all, collecting plants is a simple enough task. And even if they can’t trade them for food, many can be eaten to fill their stomachs."
"That’s true," Qin Haonan nodded. "Alright, I’m off to cruise around some more!"
Ren Yuanyang shook his head and ended the call.
At that point, Wang Jun’s team could no longer monitor Qin Haonan’s speedboat in real time.
"Let’s get back to discussing the public agricultural development for the Aircraft Carrier Base," Wang Jun said, decisively changing the subject.
Each of the three carrier fleets had its own dedicated agricultural zones, but since they had decided to form a unified Aircraft Carrier Base, they needed to make full use of the communal areas within it.
They had used the ships from their fleets to enclose a section of this Second-level Wind Sea Region. Any survivors seeking refuge could live within this enclosed area, provided they followed their rules.
When they took in these survivors, they certainly weren’t going to let them remain idle. Developing agriculture in the communal areas would keep them busy while also producing food.
"The main factor limiting external agriculture right now is the lack of light," Ji Yizhi said, frowning. "We’ll need to use the lighting equipment from the ships, which brings up issues of energy and power."
"If we could build some wind turbines, they would be a huge help," Long Zhan added. "After all, the wind is already picking up."
"Exactly. Have the lab prioritize the development of wind turbines," Wang Jun agreed.
Ji Yizhi nodded. "In that case, we’ll need to establish the Aircraft Carrier Base near a sea region with stronger winds."
"The only problem is, we can’t be sure if the information displayed on the map will remain accurate," Long Zhan said with a frown.
"Accurate or not, we have to build the wind turbines first," Wang Jun continued. "Right now, the most convenient and accessible energy source we have is wind power."
The other two men nodded.
"Once we reach the new base location, everyone can start the preliminary work for planting," Wang Jun said, his brow furrowed. "After all, growing things on the water’s surface will require some kind of support structure."
Although the water contained more than enough nutrients for all sorts of plants, the tricky part was figuring out how to make them stand upright.
"Yes, we’ve already started collecting floating debris for that purpose. We’re planning to drill holes in it for planting," Ji Yizhi added.
"It’s the only way for now," Long Zhan said with a helpless shrug.
"Alright, let’s proceed with that plan. I’ll send the new base coordinates to the regional channel. We’ll relocate first, and then we’ll regroup after Captain Ji’s drone gets back," Wang Jun said, ending the three-way video call.
Because they needed to harness wind power, Wang Jun and the others relocated their base to an area closer to a region with a higher wind level.
The wind levels shown on the map weren’t sequential. This meant a Second-level Wind Sea Region wasn’t necessarily adjacent to a Level 3 wind region; it could jump to a Level 4, or even a Level 5.
It was strange, but the survivors who had made it this far had grown used to such oddities.
Wang Jun and his group found a spot within their Second-level Wind Sea Region that bordered a Level 5 wind region, and the three carrier fleets came to a stop there.
By the time the three carrier fleets had formed the perimeter of the new base, the drone Ji Yizhi had dispatched had already returned and transmitted its recorded footage.
The three men watched the transmitted video on fast-forward and saw that Qin Haonan had simply been cruising in circles, heading farther and farther away.
"Don’t tell me they wasted all their diesel just for this trade?" Long Zhan found it hard to believe.
"It’s a good thing we didn’t have our speedboat follow them the whole way, or we’d really be kicking ourselves over the wasted fuel," Wang Jun remarked.
"They must have stockpiled a significant amount of diesel before the flood," Ji Yizhi speculated, his brow slightly furrowed.
"They probably don’t have much left after this," Wang Jun said with a smile. "Next time we meet, we’ll be able to stay on his tail."
The other two nodded in firm agreement.
Qin Haonan, who was still cruising around, glanced at the time. It was almost five o’clock.
’Just need to sweep this last patch of the Second-level Wind Sea Region, and then I can head back home!’
Qin Haonan muttered to himself and floored the accelerator, surging forward.
Soon, a dozen or so floating objects appeared before him, but it looked like a fight had broken out among them.
He immediately slowed down, stopping more than a hundred meters away.
Qin Haonan had no intention of getting involved in the survivors’ squabble. He would wait for them to finish, make his announcement about buying plants, and then head straight back.
However, the survivors on the floating objects saw him too. They stopped fighting in unison and turned to look in his direction.

Comments

Loading...