Chapter 307: Bring The List

Hanchuan took the rope from Jingwei while the others gathered at the mess-room door.

He could still feel the generator through the soles of his shoes, a faint vibration that hadn’t been there when they came upstairs.

Behind him, Zeyu was putting the food away before leaving the galley, reluctant to abandon the first chance he’d had to cook since the tower fell.

"Bring the bucket down with us," Hanchuan told him, checking the rope for damage as he spoke. "Once we’ve seen how much water she’s taken on, we can decide what we’re doing before you start dinner."

Zhiyi reached for the flashlight on the table, but Hanchuan caught her hand before she followed them into the corridor. Her hair was still damp against the borrowed shirt, and the slippers she had found were meant for dry floors.

"You’re staying on the platform with Qinghe," Hanchuan said, brushing his thumb over her fingers. "I don’t want you climbing back into that boat unless we have to leave in it."

"I wasn’t going to," Zhiyi replied, slipping the flashlight into his hand. "I thought you might need this under the seats. It was difficult to see the patch even in daylight."

He kissed her forehead before taking it. She leaned against him for a moment, then followed when he led the way outside.

The wind caught Hanchuan’s shirt as soon as Jingwei opened the deck door.

The rain had eased to a fine spray, but the sea below remained rough enough to slap against the hull. He paused beside the rail, looking across the water while the others came through behind him.

There was nothing nearby but floating debris.

Farther away, a dark shape rose between the waves and disappeared before he could tell whether it was part of a roof or another boat.

He watched until it appeared again, keeping its place on the horizon.

Jingwei followed his gaze, then moved beside him to examine the stairs.

"The lower platform’s wet, but the rail is holding," Jingwei said, testing it before putting his weight on the first step. "Let me get down there before everyone follows."

Hanchuan waited until Jingwei reached the bottom, then brought Zhiyi down ahead of him.

She held the rail with both hands, taking care where the metal had become slippery. At the platform, Qinghe moved beside her while Hanchuan leaned over to look at their boat.

It sat noticeably lower than it had that morning.

Water covered the floor and reached the bottom of the seat supports.

The bucket they had left inside floated near the stern, bumping against the side whenever the boat rose.

One of the lines pulled tight with a creak, and Hanchuan caught the railing as a wave pushed the boat beneath the platform.

Zeyu crouched beside him, his expression changing as he saw how much had collected.

"I should have come down sooner," Zeyu said, reaching for the line. "We were only going to look at the water system, and then we found the generator."

"We all stayed down there," Hanchuan replied, helping him draw the boat within reach. "Put your jacket on before you climb in. Jingwei, keep hold of the line while I follow him."

They worked through another rise and fall before Zeyu lowered himself inside. Hanchuan went after him, landing with cold water over his shoes.

He passed down the second bucket, and they began bailing while Jingwei kept the boat from striking the stairs.

The first few buckets made little visible difference. Hanchuan had to brace a knee against the seat as he lifted, and water splashed down his trousers when the boat shifted beneath him.

After a morning spent walking through dry rooms, he had forgotten how much effort it took simply to remain standing here.

By the time they exposed the floor, Zeyu was breathing through his mouth. He set his bucket down and crouched beside the patch, directing the flashlight beneath the board.

"The lashings have loosened," Zeyu said, pressing against one edge. Water squeezed around his fingers. "We can tighten them again, but the board’s moved. Every time the hull flexes, it works the repair loose."

Hanchuan knelt beside him and held it while Zeyu adjusted the binding. They had done this often enough that neither needed to explain where the other should put his hands.

When they finished, the flow slowed to a seep, but Hanchuan could still see water gathering beneath the edge.

Above them, Shichen leaned over the platform rail.

"There are cranes forward, but I don’t know how to operate them yet," Shichen said. "Even if I did, we’d need a way to support the hull. I’m not lifting her full weight from the fittings we’ve tied those ropes to."

Hanchuan looked around the little boat. They had trusted it because there had been nothing else beneath them. That didn’t mean he could keep trusting it now.

"Then we don’t lift it until we know how," Hanchuan replied. "We’ll keep it afloat tonight, but I want another way off this ship. We passed covered boats on the upper deck. Let’s see what’s there before it gets dark."

They brought up the loose fishing line, the paddles, and the few things still tucked beneath the seats.

Zhiyi accepted each item from Qinghe and set it beyond the wet edge of the platform, checking that nothing could roll back into the sea.

When Hanchuan climbed out, she looked down at his soaked trousers before offering him the towel she had carried from the cabin.

"You’ve only just put those on," Zhiyi said, holding it while he wiped his hands. "There are more in the cupboard, but you should keep these for when you come back down."

Hanchuan smiled at her practical concern and drew her close enough to kiss her temple.

"I’ll make sure Zeyu saves his too," Hanchuan told her. "Apparently we’ve got work clothes now."

They climbed back to the deck together. Shichen led them toward the smaller covered boat they had noticed earlier, carrying the manual he had found in a locker nearby.

It rested above the walkway in a metal cradle, with lifting equipment beside it and a cover secured around its sides.

Jingwei loosened the nearest fastening while Hanchuan held the wet fabric away from him.

Beneath it were clean seats, an outboard motor, and a length of rope coiled in the bow. Zeyu reached past the edge to examine the inside, then looked back at their dripping clothes.

"I’d like to check this before we spend another day trying to save the other one," Zeyu said. "We’ll need fuel, and I want to go through the motor, but at least I can see the floor without a bucket."

Hanchuan helped Jingwei fold the cover back far enough for them to look properly.

A storage compartment sat beneath one seat, secured with a simple catch. Inside, he found sealed packages and a small equipment bag, all strapped in place.

Zhiyi had come to stand beside him. Her fingers closed around his sleeve as she looked into the boat, and he covered her hand without taking his attention from the supplies.

"Bring that list over here, Shichen," Hanchuan said, moving aside so his friend could reach the compartment. "Before we put anything back, I want to know what we’d have if this were the only part of the ship we got to keep."