Chapter 66 Determining the Direction

Chapter 66: Chapter 65: Determining the Direction

The situation was terrible, and reality was cruel. But life had to go on.

Han Ning tried his best to suppress the heaviness in his heart. The top priority now was to get the Wind Chaser Sailing Ship truly up and running.

In the time that followed, he protected Xu Ming as they conducted a carpet search of the docks. During their search, they bumped into Biyun Resort’s Awakened squads more than once, who were also engaged in Taobao in the dock area. Whenever these people crossed paths with Han Ning, they chose to retreat without exception. Some reluctantly put down the tools they had just found upon seeing Han Ning approach, while others left immediately with their companions without a word.

Han Ning was a bit surprised. He guessed that Chairman Wu must have given some sort of order.

Time flew by, and an entire day passed.

During this time, monsters in twos and threes tried to approach this area more than once, but they were all beaten to death by everyone’s joint efforts. With the Tuna and Coral Monsters dead, this area was temporarily safe.

It wasn’t just Han Ning and Xu Ming; all the Awakened from Biyun Resort didn’t have time to rest. During this period, some weaker Awakened who had almost just recently awakened came over from the direction of the resort. They grew from over twenty people at the beginning to nearly forty, all throwing themselves into the search for boats and parts at the docks.

After all, Han Ning and Xu Ming were only two people. No matter how much they carried, they couldn’t take all the materials on the docks. Finally, after Han Ning dragged a few sealed barrels of diesel onto the sailboat for the last time, the entire lower space and the deck space were almost packed to the brim.

Most of the deck was stacked with dozens of oil barrels of various sizes, emitting a strong smell of diesel. The engine room was stuffed with various metal part boxes, bundles of cables, spare canvas ropes, water pumps and filter elements dismantled from other ships, and a few intact solar panels. The hooks on the bulkheads were covered with life jackets, fire axes, and emergency lights.

The entire lower cabin was like a bloated and cluttered warehouse. It was almost impossible to find a place to step, leaving only a narrow gap barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through to reach the engine. This method of loading cargo definitely severely violated navigation safety regulations, but the situation was urgent, and there was no other way.

Xu Ming had completed the repairs on the diesel engine not long ago and still had to go outside with Han Ning to find equipment parts. At this moment, he was so exhausted that he leaned against an oil barrel, panting heavily. His face was covered in a black grime mixed with oil stains and sweat. He was an ordinary person, after all, and didn’t possess the robust physique of an Awakened.

Han Ning really wanted to turn him into an Awakened, but at present, aside from constantly nurturing him with Natural Blessing, there seemed to be no other relatively safe method. As for Yu Na, she followed them around the whole time like a little secretary, neither speaking nor leaving.

Three days later.

"Take a break first. Look how tired you are," Han Ning said, taking a clean bottle of mineral water from his waterproof bag and handing it to Xu Ming.

"PANT PANT PANT! Thank you, boss." Xu Ming’s hands trembled as he opened the cap and chugged wildly.

"HOWL!"

Suddenly, snow cake’s low growl came from the deck.

Han Ning and Xu Ming exchanged a glance and immediately stepped out onto the deck. In the thick fog not far away, the vague outlines of many ships, both large and small, appeared. They varied in size and shape. There were monohull sailboats, catamarans, and even a few small fishing boats and speedboats that looked relatively sturdy.

At a rough glance, there were no less than fifteen or sixteen of them. Leading the fleet was the Leopard 40 catamaran that Xu Ming had previously screened out. Chairman Wu was standing at the bow, waving continuously at Han Ning and the others.

"Good heavens... did they loot every usable boat in the entire mooring area?" Xu Ming clicked his tongue. "It looks like they planned this all along, organizing a group of maritime professionals and waiting just for this moment."

"Mr. Han Ning!" Chairman Wu’s voice echoed through the fog. "I wonder which direction you plan to leave from? Could we go together?"

After seeing the Death Coral cluster, Han Ning still decided to detour around the outskirts of the docks in a small loop and enter the city through an underdeveloped area of Bailu City. The Death Coral Sea was a few hundred meters away from here. By sailing within a hundred meters of the docks, they would avoid entering the range of the Coral clusters. Currently, the city hadn’t been completely submerged and still held a massive amount of supplies, so there was no need to leave in a hurry.

Seeing Han Ning stay silent, Chairman Wu continued loudly, "Could you come over here to discuss our departure plan?"

Hearing this, Han Ning told snow cake and Yu Na to protect Xu Ming on the boat. He leaped into the air and whipped out a vine, wrapping it around the catamaran’s guardrail. The vine rapidly retracted, pulling him onto the deck.

Han Ning gave a slight nod. "Chairman Wu, I plan to detour around the outskirts of the docks."

He was unfamiliar with the terrain around Bailu, so he intended to cooperate with Chairman Wu and his people.

"What a coincidence. We just had an internal discussion and also agreed that detouring from the outskirts to enter the city is a viable method. We are preparing to head in from the direction of Dashicun," Chairman Wu smiled. "How about we go together?"

"Sure," Han Ning agreed straightforwardly. "Keep a safe distance. Send a boat to lead the way."

"Great! With you joining us, we have confidence!" Chairman Wu’s voice carried a hint of excitement. "Everyone, attention! Long, your Windbreaker will navigate in front. Destination: Dashicun to the southeast. Maintain formation. Let’s move out!"

As the order was given, the entire fleet seemed to be injected with vitality. The roar of engines, the creaking of sails being hoisted, and the shouts of people suppressing their excitement intertwined, breaking the deathly silent atmosphere of the mooring area.

Han Ning returned to his own boat and said to Xu Ming, "Old Xu, it’s up to you now."

"Understood!" Xu Ming nodded forcefully and strode toward the helm, his hands firmly gripping the cold metal wheel.

"snow cake, go to the bow and keep an eye on the water!" Han Ning ordered through their Spiritual Link.

"ROAR!"

"Yu Na, protect Old Xu."

"Mhm."

"Weigh anchor!" Xu Ming shouted in a deep voice.

Although there were only a few of them on board, the procedure was still meticulous. Han Ning guest-starred as a sailor, stepping forward to pull the hydraulic windlass.

"Hoist the mainsail! And the foresail!" After speaking, Xu Ming ran over himself and slowly pulled up the massive white mainsail and foresail that were folded on the mast.

The weather-beaten canvas flapped fiercely in the strong wind, emitting a muffled billowing sound. Then, Xu Ming hurried back to the pilot’s seat, turning the helm and feeling the changes in the water current and wind pressure.

"Hard to port! Adjust course, 135 degrees southeast!"

The massive hull of the Wind Chaser rotated on the water’s surface, its bow slowly pointing toward the southeast. The murky waves crashed against the bow, easily sliced apart by the sturdy titanium alloy shielding.

"Support power, activated!" Xu Ming pressed a button on the control console.

A dull rumble echoed from the lower engine room.

"Power output is stable!" Xu Ming felt the vibrations coming from beneath his feet. "The mainsail is catching the wind well, and the angle is perfect. Boss, we’re good to go."

Han Ning stood by Xu Ming’s side, his Molten Gold Eyes piercing through the dense fog, locking onto the relatively open waters ahead.