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墨書 Inktalez
"What’s going on?" Song Jiu followed the two into the cockpit. The cabin was filled with smoke, and the ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts. At this rate, their supply of mental sustenance would soon run out.
Cao Zheng, with a cigarette in his mouth, had bloodshot eyes from the smoke. He opened the porthole to let in some fresh air and led a few people over to the control panel, pointing at a square instrument embedded in the composite hull.
This device was a navigation radar system, commonly equipped on luxury yachts or fishing boats. Its functions were essentially the same, and the radio equipment was all civilian-grade, readily available on the market. The radar display was quite ordinary and not as high-tech as depicted in many movies. A grayish plastic casing surrounded a fluorescent screen about the size of a shoebox. The information detected by the screen included various data such as target location, movement parameters, feature parameters, and surrounding environmental conditions. Since it was a civilian radar, the displayed content was not complex, so there were only two monitors used in conjunction.
The fan-shaped light spot scanned in circles, and there was a flickering dot at the edge of the image. Without needing further explanation from Cao Zheng, Song Jiu and Wu Wentao understood that this flickering dot was likely what Qianqian referred to as "movement."
Cao Zheng didn’t bother explaining any technical details; he simply circled his finger around the flickering position and said, "Our speed has been very slow. This is what we just detected. Old Dai and I checked the nearby sea area images, and there shouldn’t be any islands or reefs at this location." He hesitated for a moment, looking up at the two with uncertainty in his tone. "So we think it might be a ship."
"A ship?" The two exclaimed in surprise, immediately grasping Cao Zheng's hesitation.
They had traveled from the ancient city to the coastal city over ten days and had only encountered Leather Jacket Man and his group of Survivors at their destination. This didn’t mean there were no survivors along the way; it was just that under current circumstances, the chances of encountering another Survivor team were slim. Even in densely populated cities, it was rare; let alone on the vast ocean where they had just set sail not long ago. They hadn’t ventured far into the Yellow Sea yet. If there were Survivors piloting a ship nearby, it implied much more.
Leather Jacket Man had mentioned that only his group remained in the city, encountering very few Living Persons throughout the year—let alone other Survivor teams. Therefore, the light spot appearing on the radar became highly suspicious. A glance at each other's expressions revealed that both Song Jiu and Wu Wentao simultaneously thought of the persistent Blonde Woman.
However, this was just a fleeting thought; upon further reflection, it seemed unlikely. They had been safe for over ten days now, and during their stay in the city, they had stirred up quite a bit of activity. If she had been following them, she would have made her move long ago. Moreover, it was impossible for Blonde Woman to know they were going out to sea today—let alone predict that there would be heavy fog and wait for them several dozen nautical miles away.
"Could it be something else?" Song Jiu wanted to help analyze but felt clueless about maritime matters. His speculations could only run wild as he whispered, "Like a reef or something?"
"Not likely," Cao Zheng replied firmly this time.
"Why not?"
"Reefs don’t move." Cao Zheng shrugged and glanced back at the fluorescent screen. The two followed his gaze; indeed, that flickering light spot was moving at an extremely slow pace as if it intended to leave the radar detection range.
Song Jiu couldn’t help but feel anxious as images of fluttering skull flags flashed through his mind. He muttered, "Do you think they’ve noticed us?"
"Not quite," Dai Wei said, stroking his stubble in confusion. "We've noticed it for a while now, but it didn't seem to move before."
"It did move, but not backward," Qianqian corrected, her eyes glued to the radar image. "The movement is erratic."
Song Jiu regretted not having brought a warship. If they were on a military vessel, there would be no need for speculation; they could simply launch a torpedo and resolve the issue.
"There's only a light spot and no other information," Wu Wentao frowned in silence for a moment before asking, "What about a detailed analysis of the image?"
"There isn't one. This is a civilian ship; it doesn't have those facilities. The light spot only indicates a moving target. Shouldn't we save time instead of wasting it?"
Wu Wentao replied, "What if it's something dangerous? Shouldn't we take a look?"
Ten minutes later, the card game on the aft deck came to an end, and everyone took their positions. Those who could stand firmly armed themselves and gathered on the bow deck, waiting for orders.
Song Jiu briefly informed everyone about the radar findings. Since their main purpose was to observe, he specifically warned the armed personnel not to act impulsively. After all, they weren't on land; bullets don't discriminate, and causing problems with the ship would only backfire.
Yang Xiaomeng rushed back to the cockpit with a plastic bag full of gambling stakes, reminding Qianqian to keep an eye on things and not let Song Jiu sneak back any lost cigarettes. After being scolded by Cao Zheng and Dai Wei, she joined the militia with a crossbow in hand.
Jin Bo was in great spirits. After drifting at sea for several years, he had grown accustomed to flaunting himself against the salty sea breeze. However, Fang Fei had insisted he wear this shirt that felt uncomfortable. His old t-shirt had been tossed into the sea by Fang Fei; after all, as their leader, he needed to maintain some semblance of an image before returning to the island. Looking disheveled would undermine his authority. Although Jin Bo appeared goofy when with Song Yao and the others, he was an absolute leader on his island—commanding respect from everyone regardless of age or gender.
Not used to wearing a dress shirt, Jin Bo took advantage of Fang Fei's absence on deck to roll up his sleeves and unbutton it. The sea breeze caught Fang Fei's carefully chosen striped shirt, making it flutter dramatically as his well-defined abs glistened like stone, exuding a strong masculine aura.
Fang Fei was in the cockpit discussing radar issues with Cao Zheng and others when he stole a glance at Jin Bo and sighed helplessly. Deep down, Fang Fei preferred the current version of Jin Bo; the island leader was too cold. While Jin Bo had leadership qualities, he lacked warmth.
Song Yao exchanged smiles with Luci, recognizing the same sentiment in each other's eyes. They noticed Fang Fei's expression; if one were to say it was merely the gaze of close comrades, that would be somewhat self-deceptive.
The yacht increased its speed, no longer lazily drifting with the current. The bow sliced through the waves, and the engine roared steadily as it swiftly headed toward the radar blip.
Cao Zheng was at the helm, while Qianqian kept an eye on the radar. Dai Wei leaned against the porthole, holding a telescope in an attempt to glean information through the thick fog. The atmosphere in the cockpit grew tense. Beyond curiosity, there was a sense of worry about what lay beyond the fog. Song Jiu, however, seemed unconcerned. The sea surface limited individual maneuverability, and in his view, as long as it wasn't a warship on the other side, there was no problem. If worse came to worst, they could just run; if their pursuers dared to chase them into Jin Bo's territory, they would regain the initiative.
After glancing around, Song Jiu voiced his confusion and tapped Luo Yu, who was standing at the cabin door. He whispered, "Where did Ziqian go?"
Luo Yu smiled slightly, casting a glance toward the cabin and gently shaking his head.
Song Jiu paused for a moment before realizing what had happened. He couldn't help but chuckle; after all, he and his brother shared the same style of doing things. He recalled when their camp was besieged by zombies, and Luo Yu along with Jiao Ziqian went out to confront them while he and Dream Fan sneaked away for some fun. History seemed to be repeating itself, only with different protagonists.
Suddenly thinking of Dream Fan made Song Jiu feel a pang of nostalgia; if only she were still here.
" Jiu Jiu, didn't you go check on Natalia?" Luci suddenly approached and asked without preamble.
"Ah," Song Jiu was taken aback for a moment; her overly precise pronunciation caught him off guard. He shook his head and replied, "I didn't have time."
"You should go see her. That girl is alone in the cabin; you ought to take care of her," Luci said with a hint of meaning in her eyes. "We're here; if anything happens, we'll call you. Go on."
Song Jiu was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say. Just as he had thought of Dream Fan, Luci unexpectedly mentioned the blonde woman again, causing the silhouettes of both girls to blur together in his mind.
While they were still chatting, Qianqian, observing the radar image, suddenly spoke up: "We're getting close; slow down."
Cao Zheng immediately adjusted his controls upon hearing this. The yacht's speed dropped sharply, perhaps too abruptly, causing the entire vessel to shudder.
As if fate had orchestrated it perfectly, just as the yacht stabilized after its sudden deceleration, a gust of sea wind swept through and dispersed the thick fog that had lingered just moments before, revealing a clear view ahead.
Meanwhile, exclamations rose and fell.
It was a ship, a massive Engineering Ship, suddenly appearing in the southwest direction of the yacht.
“Damn,” the male idol Dai Wei exclaimed, surprisingly letting out a curse, puzzled as he said, “This is quite a big fellow.”
Without him saying it, anyone with eyes could see that the ship's length of sixty to seventy meters was no joke. Their yacht was only twenty-seven meters long, making it look like a tiny dot next to the Engineering Ship.
Song Jiu swallowed hard, his eyes sparkling with envy as he excitedly said, “This thing is no worse than a warship. Lao Cao, Old Dai, can you two handle it?”
The people in the cabin turned their heads at the sound, their expressions varied. Song the Official's question carried an obvious underlying meaning: I want this ship.
“This is a Concrete Mixer Ship; we can't operate it, and it consumes too much fuel. Don't even think about it,” Cao Zheng doused Song Jiu's newly ignited flame with a bucket of cold water.
Dai Wei lowered his binoculars, his expression suddenly becoming serious as he said, “There are people on board.”
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