Chapter 10 Chapter 8 Transparent Ship

Allen had already realized what might be happening behind him, he stared blankly at the crowd, everyone's eyes were full of panic, and they couldn't speak. The tentacles of the water column had already stuck to Allen's shoulders. Allen had seen Johnson being swallowed by an unknown creature, and now he was about to face a catastrophe, following in Johnson's footsteps. Allen felt terrified. Just when everyone thought Allen was dead, suddenly everyone heard a gunshot, and then the water column burst. Alan's eyes were still looking straight ahead. He clearly saw Cao Cang snatch the pistol from Lao Song's hand, and then shot and smashed the strange creature behind him.

The sea water drenched Allen all over.Karin hurried to Alan, helped Alan pick up the tentacles on his body one by one, and then threw them into the sea. Joshua suddenly became aware of something and shouted, "Stop!" Karin didn't react, a silky tentacle suddenly flipped over and entangled Karin's wrist. Karim let out a piercing cry, as if bitten by a snake. That's right, that tentacle, which can bite like a snake, Karin frantically tore off the tentacle on his hand. Joshua yelled, "Wash it with water, don't pull it with your hands." Hearing Joshua's shout, Lao Yang hurriedly used the fire bucket on the boat to splash sea water on Alan's body. After pouring several buckets, all the tentacles on Alan's body were washed away.

While Lao Yang was helping Carlin splash water, Joshua began to tie Alan's elbows tightly with cloth strips.Allen's wrist has turned red, the same color as Johnson's body before he died. Joshua said a few more words to Joseph, and Joseph woke up like a dream, and hurriedly brought the first-aid kit.Joshua took out the syringe and antivenom from the first aid kit and injected Allen. "If you read it right," Joshua said to Lao Yang, "this is a very poisonous jellyfish." Lao Yang asked: "Why do jellyfish rise to the surface of the sea and actively attack humans?"

Joshua replied: "I don't know either. I have studied marine life for so many years, and I have never seen such a situation." "Will Karin get better?" Allen asked. "If that thing is really a jellyfish." Joshua replied affirmatively, "This serum can also save him." Cao Cang has now controlled Lao Song. Lao Song's body was trembling with excitement, and he was still shouting: "Let the Americans take us back...go back..." Cao Cang patted Lao Song's cheek with his hand: "Be sober, don't be so embarrassing, okay, you are a carefully selected person by the country, why are you so fragile."

"I don't want to come..." Lao Song cried, "I just don't want to come, but they insist on forcing me to come, I can't go back now, no matter what, we can't go back." Cao Cang asked curiously: "Since you don't want to come, why did the country choose you?" "This place, this sea area, is not a good place, just like that desert, once you get in, you can't get out! I knew it would be like this... I'm so lucky, from Luo..." "Song Shaocheng!" Lao Yang snapped, "Do you know what you're talking about!" When Lao Song heard Lao Yang's stern scolding, he immediately fell silent and stopped talking.

The Americans all paid attention to Karin's injury, the Chinese all stared at Lao Song, and no one spoke. The wind picked up at sea, and the sea began to make waves again. Lao Yang said to everyone: "We can't stay here now." Everyone raised their heads and listened to Lao Yang's words: "Now we have two ways out, either we stay where we are and wait for the magnetic force to disappear, or we move our position. Maybe this magnetic force field has a range... " After discussing for a while, everyone decided to continue sailing. "I want to remind you." Lao Luo said, "Although we can't see the outside world, and the outside world can't see us, the reefs under the sea, as well as other things, are real and will not be affected by magnetism. shielded from existence."

Lao Yang said, "I'll settle this matter." At this time, Carlin said to Joshua beside him: "I can breathe smoothly now." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.It seems that Joshua was not mistaken. The creature that attacked Johnson was a jellyfish—a giant jellyfish that has never been found in biology.This kind of jellyfish may have always existed, but in ordinary environments, humans cannot find it.It may be the reason of electromagnetic force, which lures them up from the deep sea.The body tissues of this jellyfish are basically water, perhaps because of this special structure, which allows it to adapt to the pressure difference between the deep sea and the air.

At this time, Lao Yang has become the actual leader of the scientific research ship.Because the Americans, except for the injured Karin, dispersed into their respective cabins.After a while, the engine started to roar, and the boat began to drive slowly on the sea, heading towards the setting sun. According to Lao Yang and Joseph's calculations, at this speed, they should be able to reach the coast of Florida before dark tomorrow. Now, this is a completely transparent ship to the outside world.No one knows when the hull will appear in the eyes of outsiders again. Lao Yang was in the captain's room, directing the direction of the ship with Joseph.

On the deck of the hull, five Chinese stood together, doing nothing. "Old Song," Ximei finally spoke, "Where is the desert you mentioned just now?" This sentence was what Cao Cang wanted to ask but didn't ask. Lao Song didn't answer, his face was gloomy, probably recalling the process of escaping from death. "How did you get out?" Ximei asked again. Lao Song said viciously to Xi Mei: "Actually, you, like me, know where we are." "Where are we?" Sister Zhou shook Ximei's shoulder desperately, "You little girl, why didn't you tell me."

Ximei pointed to Lao Song and said, "Well, you should ask him if the place he went to is the same as our current environment." What Lao Song just said was the desert, how could it be exactly the same as the ocean environment, these are completely opposite extreme environments.Cao Cang was thinking, and suddenly his heart was shocked. He remembered the words that Lao Song was interrupted by Lao Yang, which mentioned an unfinished place name. "Is it Lop Nur?" Cao Cang asked. Lao Song looked at the captain's room, he was still afraid of Lao Yang, but he couldn't bear the fear in his heart, and began to say: "Yes, that's right there."

"When you entered Lop Nur, did you encounter a situation similar to now?" "Yes, the unexplainable environment, which is different from the general world. Inexplicable creatures attack us... This is not the scariest thing. The scariest thing is that my teammates and I can't see each other. At first, we just interacted with each other. I can't see it, everyone seems to have become transparent, but we can still hold each other's hands together, we hold hands, and walk towards the direction of the sun setting together... But after a while, their hands gradually disappeared, and in my palm, There's nothing left...but we can still hear each other." Lao Song's body was shaking. "Yes, we can't see each other, and we can't touch each other, but we can hear each other's voice. The captain told us not to panic and not to run around. But gradually, the captain's voice became smaller and smaller, and the teammates' voices I couldn't hear the shouts, and then there was silence, and they all disappeared. Maybe everyone didn't disappear, but we couldn't see each other. We were isolated from each other by some kind of force..." Everyone felt Lao Song's fear and helplessness at that time, and their vests began to feel cold. "Damn! Damn!" Lao Song cried, "Just like us now!" Everyone was stunned, Sister Zhou hugged Sister Xi tightly, and Lao Luo involuntarily took the arms of Cao Cang and Lao Song. "It's useless!" Lao Song pushed Lao Luo away, "That's what we did at the time, but in the end, the voices of my teammates calling me became farther and farther away. I shouted desperately to tell them to come back, but they Can't hear it." Lao Song shouted wildly: "Do you know this feeling!" "That's how you came out?" Cao Cang asked. "How do I know!" Lao Song pointed at Cao Cang, "How do I know? You tell me the answer, why I escaped from that kind of place! You tell me why the leader wants me to participate in this exactly the same thing. Experiment! Because I'm the only one of my teammates to come back? I know I can't go back, I won't be this lucky forever..." Lao Song began to go crazy: "Just wait and see, we will eventually lose sight of each other, we will all disappear in this place. No one will ever remember us, just like my teammates, no one will mention us again... we Abandoned!" Everyone was silent when they heard about Lao Song's experience of participating in similar experiments in the past. Cao Cang knew that the selection of these five people by the country was definitely not done by random drawing of lots from the crowd.Even a fragile person like Lao Song has a strong background. He participated in the national investigation in Lop Nur, which is why he was selected to come to the sea again. As for Lao Yang, it is certain that he is a captain who has sailed all his life.Judging from his style, it is most likely that he is the leader of a certain warship of the navy.Lao Luo is the main person who participated in a certain geomagnetic experiment at XX University.They are not ordinary people. Now only the identities of Sister Zhou and Ximei are left, and they have not yet revealed themselves.However, Cao Cang knew the origins of these two women, and it would definitely not be simple. Cao Cang thought: "Just like the Chinese side, the Americans are not as simple as they usually appear. They are definitely not the official crew members who operate this scientific research ship. Operating the ship is just their basic skills." "However, the state sent me to replace Cao Cang. What exactly do I need to do?" Cao Cang was very puzzled. Expose your true identity." Cao Cang adjusted his emotions. The boat continued on the ocean.Sure enough, everyone couldn't see any ships on the sea.In the evening of the next day, a few hours before Lao Yang promised everyone to reach the coast, Cao Cang already knew that it was impossible for the boat to reach the coast.Because Cao Cang couldn't see any seabirds, not even one.It stands to reason that if there is a coast ahead, then this area should be a place where seabirds are densely active, but now there is not a single seabird. Cao Cang and several other Chinese people walked to the captain's cabin and saw Lao Yang staring at the front persistently.Cao Cang judged from Lao Yang's inadvertent expression that Lao Yang must now know that he would not be able to reach the coast tonight. At twelve o'clock in the evening, there was still no sign of land.Around the ship, there is still the boundless ocean. "Maybe our calculation is wrong, and the orientation is off." Lao Yang and Joshua each explained to their own countrymen. Everyone is not convinced by their excuses.The ship has been heading west.Moving from the direction of Bermuda to the direction where the sun sets, even if the azimuth deviates, you will not miss the mainland.This is the most basic geography common sense. The next day, the ship was still at sea. The food on board is just compressed biscuits and that unpalatable paste, and everyone will never eat a bite until they are hungry. On the third day, it was still the sea, the vast sea. The fourth day, the fifth day... At this time, neither the Chinese nor the Americans could hold their breath.Everyone gathered in the captain's room to discuss again. The topic, of course, revolved around the position of the ship. "According to the speed and direction of the boat," Joy said, "we should be in the desert of New Mexico now. But..." Everyone couldn't help looking at the sea—a sea that was so calm and wide that it was suffocating. "Can you give me an explanation?" Allen asked. Americans all looked at Lao Luo.Lao Yang translated the question into Chinese. Lao Luo kept scratching his head, and said after a while: "Perhaps, this magnetic shield is far beyond my imagination, and even the land has disappeared within our range." "Then how to explain this ocean?" Lao Luo was stunned, and he was speechless. "What we can do is continue to drive west." Lao Yang said. "Direction!" Sister Zhou said suddenly, "Is it possible that our direction perception is completely reversed because of the influence of magnetic shielding?" This guess is very reasonable.It is highly probable that the earth's magnetism, which hangs over the ship and the ocean, is so great that it distorts the direction completely. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. This ordinary law of nature may have completely changed for scientific research ships. According to this inference, the scientific research ship should now be in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between the American and African continents. "Then let's keep driving." Lao Yang said, "If our direction is reversed, we will see the African continent sooner or later." The Americans also seemed a little shocked when they heard this unbelievable speculation from Lao Yang. "There is a very real problem." Carlin said, "Our food can last for a long time, but fresh water is running out." "How long can it last?" "According to the current consumption, it can last for six days. If it is rationed, it can last for three more days." The injury on Karin's hand has healed a lot, and a layer of dark skin has faded away. But so far, we can only move on.Maybe tomorrow we will be able to see the mainland, or the magnetic shield will disappear, and we will be able to contact nearby ships. From the seventh day of participating in the experiment, what Lao Song was worried about finally began to happen. On the morning of the seventh day, the Americans were operating the scientific research ship in rotation.The Chinese gathered on the deck as usual. Like the previous two days, everyone kept looking at the sea level, hoping to see the horizon. After everyone watched for a while, Lao Luo suddenly asked, "Where's that little girl?" Only then did everyone notice that Ximei didn't come. "Are you still sleeping?" Lao Luo asked Sister Zhou. Sister Zhou didn't speak for a while, but her face began to turn pale. "Where did Ximei go?" Lao Song asked. "She got up with me." Sister Zhou stammered, "She...she...she obviously came here with me..." "Lao Yang! Lao Yang!" Old Song Fei ran to the captain's room, "Sister Xi is gone." "What are you talking about?" Lao Yang asked calmly, "Have you looked for her yet?" The other four Chinese began to look for Ximei on the boat separately. After a while, the Americans also joined in the search for Ximei. The scientific research ship is not big, and Americans are also very familiar with scientific research ships.But everyone searched every corner, but still couldn't find Ximei. "Did she fall into the water?" Lao Yang asked. "No!" Lao Song yelled wildly, "She must have disappeared, just like when I was in Lop Nur!" "Mr. Yang, what is he talking about?" Joshua asked. Lao Yang couldn't translate Lao Song's words. "Next, it's us." Lao Song's voice became softer, but it sounded more desperate, "We will disappear one by one..." Cao Cang said, "Who was the leader you investigated back then?" Lao Song said: "I can't say." "Did he bring you to that place? Apart from the disappearance of your teammates, is there any other weird incident?" "My captain, looks too much like you..." Lao Yang shouted at Lao Song: "What are you talking about!" The others looked at Lao Yang with distrust in their eyes.He interrupted Lao Song just now to prove that he knew a little more than the others, but he deliberately concealed it. Lao Yang turned around and pointed at Cao Cang, "What did he tell you?" Cao Cang said: "He told us that this experiment is not only done by the Americans. That's all." Lao Yang looked at Cao Cang closely and asked, "You are good at marksmanship." Cao Cang was speechless, and the other four suddenly remembered that Cao Cang was the candidate appointed by the Americans.Lao Yang successfully transferred the hostility of the crowd to Cao Cang. Cao Cang walked away silently and continued to look for Ximei on the deck.The remaining Chinese were silent, and each of the few Chinese had a grudge, but the relationship was not as harmonious as that of the Americans. "If it's okay," Lao Yang ordered, "I think everyone should go back and rest." "Now a person has disappeared!" Lao Luo shouted to Lao Yang, "It's our companion." "She fell into the water, it's as simple as that." Lao Yang said, "I've seen this kind of thing a lot." Cao Cang was on the back deck of the ship, looking at the spray from the propeller of the scientific research ship, and thought: "Perhaps Ximei was crying for help desperately in the spray when she fell, but no one heard her." Allen quietly walked up to Cao Cang, and said in broken Chinese mixed with English: "Cao, is it that girl who disappeared out of thin air?" "Who told you?" Cao Cang asked in the simplest English. "Your Song, he kept gesturing to us just now. He waved his hand to the sea, meaning that the girl didn't fall into the sea." Allen continued, "I don't know if you can understand." Cao Cang made an expression of not understanding.Allen patted Cao Cang on the shoulder and walked away. Lao Song continued to scare people on board, and Lao Yang couldn't stop him. Lao Song even said with gestures: "Each of us will disappear, and we will lose sight of each other. This is what I have experienced. It was also in this environment at that time. There was a strong wind for no reason. After the wind and sand, everything changed... ..." Carlin and Joey were also moved by Lao Song's narration. Although they could not understand Lao Song's language, they could understand his meaning from his rich gestures. "What story are you telling?" Ximei asked behind Lao Song. "What are you listening to?" Lao Song didn't react for a moment, and said without turning his head, "We will all disappear..." Lao Song stopped talking and turned his head slowly. He saw Ximei as if he saw a ghost. "You, you, you..." Lao Song pointed at Ximei and said. The rest of the people were also very shocked. "Where have you been?" Sister Zhou asked. "I didn't go anywhere." Ximei replied, "I was watching the sea from the back of the boat just now, and I told you that when I walked over." "Have you been there all this time?" Sister Zhou asked. "Yes." Ximei said, "Cao Cang is also there, ask him if you don't believe me." Everyone ran to the stern, and Cao Cang really stood there. Cao Cang also saw Ximei.Xi Mei said to Cao Cang: "We were standing here just now, Ai Lun was also here." Cao Cang stared at Ximei, not knowing how to answer. Cao Cang and Ximei looked at each other.I watched it for a long time again. "Yes." Cao Cang said to everyone, "She was here just now, she was sitting in this corner." Allen understood Cao Cang's meaning from Cao Cang's tone. "Cao," Allen said, "why didn't I see her?" Cao Cang waited for Lao Yang to translate and said, "I saw her only after you left." This explanation is very far-fetched, but everyone can't pursue it further, after all, Ximei is standing among the crowd now. Everyone dispersed, but Cao Cang still stood still.He can't return to his compatriots now, Lao Yang has already made his identity so absolute.He can't get too close to the Americans, otherwise it will be even more unexplainable. Cao Cang knew that if he wanted to continue his mission, he had to face this kind of hostility. Ximei circled around on the boat and returned to Cao Cang's side. "thanks." Cao Cang refused to accept Ximei's thanks, and said to Ximei, "Who are you?" "A person who knows your identity." Ximei's tone was definitely not that of a teenage girl, calm and serious. Cao Cang was shocked, but he tried not to show it. Cao Cang and Ximei confront each other on the deck, and the atmosphere is tense. "Look! Look!" Joseph shouted from the port side of the ship, and everyone ran to the port side. Everyone has seen that two kilometers away from the scientific research ship, a silver-white water line moves in an S shape on the sea surface, rushing towards the scientific research ship. When the waterline was several hundred meters away from the scientific research ship, Cao Cang could see clearly that the waterline was one meter wide and tens of meters long, and it was a long object that moved rapidly under the sea surface to cause waves. "Is it related to you?" Cao Cang asked Ximei. "Absolutely not." Ximei said, "It's here, do you know what it's used to do?" "Is it a sea snake?" "yes." Just as he was talking, the huge sea snake raised its head high, sticking out to a height of seven or eight meters above the sea, higher than the scientific research ship.The white scales on the abdomen of sea snakes are distinct.Cao Cang couldn't hide the fear in his heart, and like everyone else, he couldn't help shouting: "How can there be such a big sea snake!" The sea snake raised its head high, and there were waves on the surface of the sea. Suddenly, the sea snake sank below the sea surface, leaving a string of white foam on the sea surface. The people on the boat were frightened by the huge sea snake, and before they recovered from the shock, they heard Joey shouting again from the starboard side: "This side, this side, it's here!" Everyone ran to the starboard side again, and the sea snake poked its head out from under the sea surface more than ten meters away from the starboard side of the scientific research ship, still staring blankly at the scientific research ship as before. Ximei said beside Cao Cang: "It will sink again. When it emerges from the sea again, it will come to attack the ship." Cao Cang asked, "How do you know what it will do next?" Ximei didn't answer, but ran to Lao Yang in the middle of the boat, and quickly shouted to him, "Pour gasoline on the deck at the bow." Lao Yang asked Ximei, "What are you going to do?" "This thing, if it comes up again, it will bite the bow of the ship with its mouth." "Even if it's huge, it's impossible to bite the boat." Lao Yang responded to Ximei. Ximei said: "You must listen to me, it will sink again soon." As soon as Ximei finished speaking, the sea snake dived into the sea again.The sea was calm for a long time. Now everyone is more nervous than before. Although the sea snake is invisible now, everyone can sense the threat from the sea snake.Which direction the sea snake will emerge from next is anyone's guess. Cao Cang ran to Alan's side, gestured for a while, and pulled Alan into the back cabin of the ship, which is the warehouse where the scientific research ship stacks fuel.Allen pointed to an oil drum marked "GAS".Cao Cang frantically unscrewed the lid of the oil drum, then pointed to a nearby water bucket.Alan understood, and brought a bucket, Cao Cang tilted the oil bucket, and poured gasoline into the bucket. Allen saw that Cao Cang could tilt the oil barrel by himself and keep it from falling, and he admired Cao Cang's arm strength very much. The bucket was filled up quickly, and Cao Cang couldn't hold it anymore. The oil bucket fell into the cabin, and the gasoline flowed out. Cao Cang and Allen didn't care about so much, and ran to the bow quickly.The two stood on the deck of the bow, trembling with fright at the sight of the bow.The sea snake is now on the bow. The top of the scientific research ship has touched the mouth of the sea snake.At this time, the sea snake opened its mouth wide, and everyone on the boat could clearly see the sea snake's upper jaw——the pink flesh, and the long teeth were completely exposed to the air as the upper jaw opened and closed. The bucket in Allen's hand fell to the deck with a bang, and Cao Cang quickly swept it away with his foot, and the gasoline in the bucket was spread on the deck at the front of the hull. The sea snake finally bit down and engulfed the front end of the scientific research ship.The hull tilted sharply forward, the rear of the hull lifted out of the sea. Lao Yang understood the purpose of Cao Cang and Ai Lun's actions. He took out the lighter from his arms, lit it, and threw it to the front of the deck. The gasoline started to burn, and the flames burned deep into the sea snake's throat.The sea snake convulsively released its mouth, and its head fell into the sea. The sea snake did not leave, and was still cruising in the sea not far from the scientific research ship.The swimming trajectory is still S-shaped.Everyone on the boat stood still, waiting for the sea snake's next attack.However, the sea snake's IQ is not high, and it did not continue to attack the scientific research ship with its huge body.The sea snake swam for a long time, and finally swam far away.After swimming for a long time, the S-shaped trace disappeared on the sea. "How did you know to use this method?" Lao Yang said to Ximei. "My grandfather told me." Ximei said, "After this thing's mouth is burned, it will not attack humans again. Its mouth is very afraid of pain." "Has your grandfather seen this?" "I don't know," Ximei said, "Maybe my grandfather also heard what the elders said." "What does your family do?" Lao Yang asked, "Why do you know about this creature?" Those who can participate in this experiment, of course, have backgrounds.Ximei's identity is the same as that of Lao Yang, and she should have lived at sea for a long time.But Ximei and Lao Yang's understanding of the ocean is obviously biased. Ximei didn't answer Lao Yang's words, and Lao Yang didn't ask any more questions. The boat continued on its way.Everyone tried not to mention sea snakes and jellyfish.These giant creatures that cannot be explained by biology have left a shadow in everyone's heart. The scientific research ship floats on the sea like a leaf.I don't know how many terrifying creatures there are under this deep sea, looking up at the scientific research ship, ready to move.They don't know when they will attack.And the next attack to be faced is launched by some kind of strange-shaped creature?These questions make everyone shudder. However, in the next few days, the scientific research ship never encountered any strange creatures, not even a storm.But there were no islands, nor any sign of land. Karin gathered everyone together, and carefully distributed a small cup of fresh water to everyone, and the distribution was very even. Everyone looked at the pitifully small amount of fresh water in the cup and knew that it could only last for another two to three days at most. "Let's pray to God to give us a rain." Joseph said. Everyone was very nervous, only Lao Song looked relaxed.Cao Cang secretly discovered that Lao Song had been collecting his own urine since yesterday.Cao Cang knew that Lao Song would be able to support him to the end, just like he was in the desert back then.