novelsite Chapter 33 The stronger the shield, the greater everyone's chance of survival!
Chapter 33 The stronger the shield, the greater everyone's chance of survival!
Zhou Hai and Zhao Ze piloted an inflatable assault boat, cutting through the waves, and soon plunged into the huge fleet of dozens of simple rafts behind them.
Their appearance immediately caused a minor commotion.
The survivors peered out from their makeshift "boats" cobbled together from trash, their gazes a complex mix of awe, gratitude, and wariness as they looked at the two men who seemed as powerful as gods.
"Team Leader Zhou, Brother Zhao!"
"The Flame Fleet has arrived!"
Zhou Hai parked the assault boat in the center of the fleet. Without saying a word, he stood up, looked around at the pale, sallow faces with numb eyes, and his loud voice echoed across the sea.
"Everyone! I, Zhou Hai, am here today to recruit people!"
"If you understand mechanics, electrical circuits, can sail, can weld, or have any other skill, the Blaze welcomes you to join us!"
He paused, raised his voice eight octaves, and dropped a bombshell.
"Your ship can stay close to the Blaze; we'll guarantee your safety! And, as long as you work on the Blaze, we'll provide meals!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in uproar.
Meals included?!
In this post-apocalyptic world where everyone is starving and would fight tooth and nail for half a biscuit, those two words are more tempting than gold!
However, after the brief commotion, they were met with an eerie silence.
Most people subconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to meet Zhou Hai's gaze, their eyes flickering, and quietly pulling on the people around them who were interested.
Zhou Hai frowned, about to lash out.
An elderly man, with gray hair and greasy hands, who looked to be about sixty years old, stood up shakily from a raft made of old car tires tied together.
He adjusted his glasses, the temples of which were taped to his nose, and a sharp glint, incongruous with his age, flashed in his cloudy eyes.
"Captain Zhou," the old man spoke, his voice hoarse but exceptionally clear, "I used to be a ship engineer at Jiangnan Shipyard, my surname is Liu, I know everything you've mentioned."
Zhou Hai's eyes lit up: "That's great! Engineer Liu, I..."
"Captain Zhou, let me finish speaking first." Engineer Liu waved his hand, interrupting him.
He sighed deeply, met Zhou Hai's gaze, mustered his courage, and asked a question that all the survivors wanted to ask but dared not.
"We'll modify your ships to be faster and sturdier, so the next time you encounter a horde of zombies or face danger... you can just floor the gas and drive off, leaving us, these dilapidated rafts following behind, as nothing more than bait you can casually discard."
These words hit the nail on the head.
In the apocalypse, the human heart is more terrifying than sea monsters.
Betrayal and abandonment play out every day in this man-eating sea.
They don't want to be pawns that can be discarded at any time by others.
They wanted to live too!
On the assault boat, Zhao Ze's expression changed slightly. He wanted to explain, but Zhou Hai stopped him with a look.
Faced with everyone's doubts and distrust, Zhou Hai, a man who usually explodes at the slightest provocation, surprisingly did not get angry.
He stood on the swaying inflatable assault boat, his tall figure like a mountain, meeting everyone's gaze, his chest heaving violently.
He took a deep breath, and his voice was no longer a roar, but carried an unprecedented sincerity.
"Gentlemen, do you have no idea who I, Zhou Hai, am after following you for so long?"
"I, Zhou Hai, also climbed my way up from a dilapidated raft like yours to where I am today!"
His voice echoed in the sea breeze, striking a chord in everyone's heart.
"The Blaze is our flagship, that's true! But it's also the shield of our entire fleet!"
"The stronger the shield, the greater our chances of survival!"
"I, Zhou Hai, am making this clear today!" He pounded his chest with a loud thud, like the beating of a war drum. "As long as I stand, as long as the Blazing Flame can still operate, I will never abandon anyone who chooses to believe in us!"
"If we truly reach the end of our rope, I, Zhou Hai, will definitely be the last to die!"
Zhou Hai's words were resounding and powerful!
The entire fleet was deathly silent.
Everyone was stunned by Zhou Hai's heartfelt vow.
They saw no hypocrisy or scheming in this man's eyes, only a burning sincerity!
The old man named Liu Gong's cloudy eyes gradually welled up with tears. He looked at Zhou Hai as if he saw the most precious thing in the end times—hope.
He remained silent for a long time, and finally let out a long sigh and nodded heavily.
"good!"
"This old man of mine will trust you this once!"
Under his influence, a few young and middle-aged men in the crowd who knew about circuits and soldering finally stepped forward hesitantly.
"Captain Zhou, count me in!"
"And me!"
……
On the deck of the Blaze.
Lu Sheng was taking stock of the massive amount of resources in the system space and planning how to use them.
He glanced at his system panel.
[Energy Points: 133]
We're still a long way from the 500 points needed to unlock new features.
His gaze lingered on the [Furnace of All Things] option for a moment.
[Furnace of All Things]: (Can melt the corpses of sea beasts to extract spiritual source crystals, which can be absorbed by those with spiritual sources, greatly increasing cultivation speed. Unlocked with 500 energy points.)
While there is no shortage of supplies in the short term, strength is the foundation for survival.
This feature must be unlocked as soon as possible.
Just as he was deep in thought, a cold and aloof figure silently walked up to his side.
The sea breeze tousled Su Li's long, black hair, brushing against her sharply defined profile.
She looked at Lu Sheng, her usually calm eyes now holding a hint of inquiry.
She suddenly asked a question.
A question that makes the air freeze.
"Is your talent sequence truly Heaven-level?"