Corrupted Nation

Chapter 411: Sailing Against the Current (Part 1)

By breakfast in the morning, the floods had already entered the urban area. After several days of rainfall, the urban flood discharge capacity was saturated. The sudden flood caused the water level of the already waterlogged city to skyrocket. Diandian Radio reported the situation. It is expected that within 30 hours, most of Houtian City will be submerged in water, and the average water depth will reach five meters. All survivors are asked to stay away from low buildings and avoid going out as much as possible.

Shadow Shelter began to lower the first group of rubber boats. They made a bracket and pulley outside the window, and the electric rope system slowly lowered the rubber boats in groups of two. The rubber boat landed on the water, and the snow egg on the boat shouted stop through the intercom, untied the rope, and hit the waterline.

The originally seemingly calm yellow and muddy river water stirred up. The Daosu hit the wall, and the two rubber boats spun around. Xuedan looked sideways and saw that the two boats were being sucked into the drainage system of the underground parking lot, so he shouted: "Hold the wall."

Su Shi held a drilling gun in his hand, facing a hole in the wall. He rubbed the wall with his fingers and shoulders to slow down the drifting speed of the ship. Su Shi took the expansion screw from his mouth and drove it into the wall, then hung up the net rope. Two rubber boats stopped against the wall.

But the matter was not over yet. When Su Shi and Xuedan were installing the engine propeller, Xiao Dao warned that a cabinet 20 meters away was sucked towards the underground parking lot. Although the suction force was not strong, the cabinet was large and heavy, so it was definitely not safe to be hit. Good thing. Xiaodao and Shanna each took out their homemade hook guns and pressed them against the cabinet, pushing it aside.

Just after this wave of crisis ended, two zombies fell from the sixth floor and hit the water in front of the rubber boat. The zombies floated on the water like rotten wood. They could not move the water or be drowned. They bared their teeth in the direction of the two ships and grabbed humans with their claws in the air. When the hook gun penetrated their bodies, they grabbed the hook gun and snatched it from the humans.

During the robbery, the zombies got closer to the rubber boat. Xuedan took a homemade paddle and lay down beside the boat to hit the zombies on the head. The zombie grabbed the oar and chewed it, and a piece of the shoddy oar was instantly torn off. Shana stabbed the zombie in the calf with her hook gun and pushed it outward. The snow egg was sent along, and the zombie floated half a meter away from their boat. The two immediately went to assist Daosu.

After finishing, the homemade boat dropped from above into the water. Xuedan used the hook gun to pull the homemade boat, and Xiaowen on the boat cooperated with the knotting of ropes. The homemade boat floated to the rear of the group's dinghy.

After the bottom was stabilized, Shitou and Xiaowu's Shiwu, and Lin Wu and Lin Meng's Shuanglin began to lower down. Lin Wu was not in the ship, so he stayed behind to control the motor. When he heard Shitou's voice coming from the intercom, Lin Wu decisively stopped letting go of the rope and slid along the rope from the 51st floor to Shuanglin.

Everyone worked in the rain and connected the second set of rubber dinghies to the homemade boat with ropes. The four ships started the propellers together and raised their arms to indicate that preparations were completed. Shana gave the order, Lin Wu cut the rope, Lin Meng controlled the propeller to the right, and the Shiwu followed. The first group of Daosu and Xuesha took off the net ropes hanging on the wall and went to the left front of the homemade boat. The two groups of rubber boats dragged the homemade boat and headed west in the direction guided by Shana's hook gun. go.

The correct name for a propeller engine is an outboard motor, and the four rubber boats use two-stroke 18-horsepower machines. It can reach up to 5,500 rpm and is equipped with a 15-liter diesel cylinder. Controlling the speed at about 1,000 rpm will result in fuel consumption of 1.2 liters per hour. If the horsepower is fully turned on, the fuel consumption will reach 7 liters per hour.

The water was gentle in the center of the city and most of the cars had sunk into the water. The navigator Shana measured the water depth based on the road conditions. The main thing that causes trouble for the fleet is zombies. Although the zombies have lost their ability to move forward, there are too many zombies, and from time to time it is necessary to use hook guns to fight them with wits and courage.

The second threat comes from the urban drainage system, which generates suction and constant inflow of floodwaters, creating some waves.

The third threat came from underwater. Two groups of boats were sailing forward. They were unaware that there was a signal light pole underwater between the two groups of boats. Fortunately, Xiao Wen on the homemade boat gave a timely warning, and after a few operations, the homemade boat was prevented from being cut. fate.

The main threat is zombies, but the biggest hidden danger is homemade boats. To put it bluntly, a homemade boat is a boat wrapped in a tarpaulin. It has no puncture resistance and will basically break if it is scratched. Even if several layers of cloth are added to the outer layer, the effect is very limited.

The team's food and other main supplies are all on the homemade boat. Once the homemade boat has an accident, they will be basically the same as running without clothes. This is also an important reason why it is necessary to control the speed of the outboard motor.

The route Shana chose was basically a highway. Even so, there were constant troubles. The large amount of debris on the water surface was easy to deal with, but she was most afraid of encountering big guys. High-rise buildings with heavy weight are more stable in floods, while buildings such as villas are basically destroyed by floods on one side.

The water comes from Xicheng, which is an industrial area and a slum area. A large number of privately built houses here have been turned into garbage. Some of the garbage has sunk into the water, and some of the garbage has drifted with the waves.

"Stop the boat." Shanna ordered via the intercom.

When the fleet stopped, Lin Wu and Xiao Dao jumped into the water and swam more than ten meters away. They worked together to push aside a large wooden pillar connected to the door. Returning to their respective ships, the two of them spent a lot of energy on such a task.

After two hours of sailing, we traveled 10 kilometers and were about to leave Zhongcheng. We were still 35 kilometers away from our destination, Xicheng Southwest Railway Station Distribution Center.

The ship was stopped and a drone was used for reconnaissance. The drone operator Shana picked up the intercom and said: "Everyone is here. We are in big trouble." There was obvious irregular turbulence on the water surface, causing whirlpools to be seen everywhere. Although the vortex is not large, the generation of the vortex indicates that two or more opposing currents interfere with each other.

This is the overpass part of the urban viaduct. Half of the overpass is exposed on the water and half of the overpass is hidden in the water. The deepest water depth here is expected to reach seven meters. The fleet needs to pass through a two-kilometer open area to enter the Xicheng urban area. The open space lacks the protection and buffering of buildings and has become a gathering place for water flow. It is unknown how many streams of water flow gather here.

Houtian City is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. The closer to the southwest, the shallower the water becomes and the faster the water flow becomes. This viaduct is like a low-lying area, not only flooded from the southwest, but also undercurrents from the bottom of the water. It can be seen from the scattered garbage that their floating directions are irregular, and there are even cases where two wooden boards are floating in opposite directions within ten meters. Because of this, there are waves one meter high from time to time due to the impact of water flow.

Lin Wu picked up the walkie-talkie: "Let's do it."

Shana had no other choice, so she stretched out her hook gun and pointed at a building two kilometers away: "Start, sail the boat."

As soon as the two groups of boats entered the area, they clearly felt that the boats were affected by the current. Shana shouted: "Maximum horsepower, rush over."

After all, Shana was not Maya, and her practical ability was weak, and this order brought serious consequences. The two groups of boats had different loads, which initially did not have much impact. However, due to water currents and other reasons, the two groups of rubber boats pulled the homemade boat to death, and the homemade boat immediately deflected to the right. The self-made boat itself had no power and kept wandering to the right while being dragged forward by the two groups of boats.

In this way, the self-made ship passively tightened the first group of ships, and the first group of ships was pulled in the opposite direction and began to rotate in a circle. At this time, the two helmsmen of the first group of ships made two different moves. The Dosu immediately stopped to follow the trend and avoid confrontation. The Xuesha hoped to stabilize the hull and turn the rudder with all its strength. The back and forth caused too much tension, and one of the four wooden bars connecting the two ships broke, then the second, and the third...

After the wooden strips were torn and broken, the two ships in Group 1 collided and separated left and right.

The Xuesha was the main ship and was connected to the homemade ship, so it was immediately towed away by the homemade ship and away from the Dosu. Shana tried to extend her hook gun, but it was too late. The Daosu was more than 30 meters away from the Xuesha. The key is that the Xuesha and the 2nd group of ships cannot stop, and there is no chance to reconnect the ships here.

Blessings are unparalleled, but misfortunes never come alone. A huge wave less than two meters high appeared. Because the two groups of boats were connected together, the boats successfully passed after shaking for a while. However, both boats in group 1 were capsized by the surge.

This will upset everyone. Continue to go? Xuesha could only hold on to the ship's net rope and follow the movement, and the Daosu was completely abandoned. Stop the boat? If I don't move, the homemade boat will drift away, and it will pull the two groups of boats to drift with the current.

Lin Wu picked up the walkie-talkie and said decisively: "Swim in the reverse direction."

Shitou: "What is reverse swimming?"

"You follow."

The so-called reverse swimming is to circle around the accident site, reduce the speed to a minimum, control the self-made boat, and give one group of boats time to save themselves.

The first person to be rescued was the Xuesha. Shana cut the rope connecting the Xuesha to the homemade boat, worked with Xue Dan to turn the rubber boat over, and then climbed onto the rubber boat. Xuedan controlled the outboard motor and moved closer to the Shiwu in line with Lin Wu's speed.

Xiaowu hooked the Xuesha, and Xuedan and Shana used spare materials to connect the Xuesha to the Shiwu. After the three ships merged into one, the Daosu returned to normal, and then the four ships merged into one.

There are two disadvantages to four boats in one. One disadvantage is that they pull against each other during travel. Even if the four helmsmen could maintain the same direction, the current would not let them do so. In addition, there are other reasons such as different output pulling forces. The second disadvantage is that it requires a relatively open water surface, which limits the helmsman's operation and greatly reduces the flexibility of the fleet.

The advantage is of course stability.

Four-in-one is plan B, and the second step of plan B is to connect all the boats to the homebrew. Should we pass through this water area and then connect, or should we stop the boat on the spot and connect? This question was not a problem. While Shana was thinking about it, Lin Wu had already made a decision. He said hello, jumped off the boat with Xue Dan, who had the best water quality, and took the rope and swam to the homemade boat more than ten meters away.

With Xiaowen's help, each of the four rubber dinghies has a rope connected to the homemade boat.

During this process, Shana finally took on all the command tasks. She used a walkie-talkie to loudly issue detailed orders in the heavy rain. Under the leadership of Shana, the fleet safely passed the overpass area and arrived at a five-story building that was almost completely submerged.

Su Shi and Xue Dan used an electric drill to drill holes in the wall, drove in expansion screws, and then fixed the five boats on the expansion screws. Everyone disembarked and went to the rooftop to rest temporarily.

The stone can be opened to fit into a simple tent for four adults. Xiaowen took out the waterproof box from the waterproof bag. Inside were nine large rice balls wrapped with some bacon and pickles. Everyone was soaked to the skin, but no one complained. Many people lay on the ground, stretched their upper bodies into the tent, picked up rice balls and started eating.

Shanna wore a sun hat to ensure that the rainwater flowing down from her head would not soak her eyes. She and Lin Wu sat on the ground beside the tent. Lin Wu opened an umbrella, and Shana controlled the drone to explore the way forward.

"The water flow starts to become faster and the water level becomes shallow here, but the problem is not big." Shana said: "Lin Wu, I decided to reach point G within today." The so-called point G is a few kilometers away from the southwest distribution warehouse. A church five kilometers away is also the tallest building in the surrounding area. They will wait at point G until the flood subsides, and then walk to the southwest distribution warehouse.

Lin Wu said: "There are still 35 kilometers, which is quite difficult from all aspects." First of all, there is no guarantee that the fuel can support the ship to reach point G. Secondly, it is also a question of whether everyone's physical strength can bear the load. After all, they are constantly soaking in water, the core temperature of the body is kept at a low level, and they are constantly fighting zombies, and they have to keep their minds clear and calm. The last problem is that with the complex terrain and shallow and fast water in the southwest, it is impossible to effectively protect the homemade boat.

Shana made a bold suggestion: "Break it into parts and leave three boats, with three people in each boat. The extra people lie sideways in the middle, with their heads and feet sticking out of the boat. The small boat adjusts the position of the people on its own. Three boats The boats no longer move together, the first boat takes the lead and connects the No. 2 boat with a rope, and the No. 2 boat connects to the No. 3 boat, with a distance of 15 meters between the two boats."

Shana said: "This solves all the problems. Some people rest, some work, and rotation can be carried out. The 4 ships become 3 ships, and there is enough diesel for us to reach the G point. After the No. 1 ship scouts the front, it can be the first The time is notified to the rear through the intercom, and you can even go through the streets and alleys instead of taking the avenue.”

"It's not a big problem to add one person to a boat." For example, the helmsman can sit directly on the air cushion at the stern of the boat instead of sitting in the boat, and he can also put one foot on the air cushion. The person on the bow can lie on his side, hug the air cushion on the outer wall, and use the hook gun to push away obstacles. In this way, there will be a lot of space in the middle, not only for a person to lie flat, but also to turn over freely. Lin Wu said: "But we have to abandon a lot of supplies."

There are a lot of survival supplies on the homemade boat.

Shana said: "I have already thought about it. It will definitely rain tomorrow. We can abandon all fresh water...carry basic survival items, such as small diesel generators, solar panels, a small amount of food, and all weapons and ammunition."

Lin Wu said: "A desperate move? Arrive at point G before tonight, repair and wait for the flood to recede, and arrive at the southwest warehouse to establish a shelter as soon as possible. But now we have no idea how much supplies are in the warehouse, or even whether there is a warehouse."

Shana said: "There is no turning back. If the warehouse does not have enough supplies for us to survive, we will definitely die. Even if there are other ways, we will only die slower."

Lin Wu said: "This is not like your style."

Shana said: "There is a plague after the catastrophe. In addition to zombies, we also see many animal and human corpses that have begun to rot. After the flood recedes, this city will not be suitable for human habitation in the short term. This wave of floods is equivalent to destroying the southwest The area was flushed clean and the dirt was washed all over the city.”

Shana said: "I believe that no survivors will be able to return to the Southwest District in a short period of time. This is an opportunity for us. If we don't abandon the supplies, we will have to rest in wet clothes tonight and may be hungry. Tomorrow morning If we continue to set off, more problems may arise in the huge fleet along the way."

Shana said: "It's not that I want to gamble, but I have to gamble."

Shana's words convinced Lin Wu, and Lin Wu nodded: "I support your plan."

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