Free Web NovelChapter 94: Chapter 90: A Condition
This icebreaker was even larger than their yacht, and its flag bore the emblem of the Antarctic Expedition Team.
Jiang Si and Qin Shen hurried back from the cruise ship to the yacht. No one else had noticed the icebreaker yet.
Jiang Linhai asked Jiang Si, "Did you find any icebreaking machinery?"
Jiang Si shook her head. "No, but we did find some more guns and ammunition. It’s enough to last us for quite a while, which was a pleasant surprise."
Before Jiang Linhai could even feel happy, he saw Jiang Si’s expression turn grim. "An icebreaker is here," she said. "Everyone, be on high alert. If things go south, we’ll take the helicopter and get out of here, even if it means flying into a blizzard."
Startled, Jiang Linhai went to the cockpit. Through the glass, he could indeed see a ship, still just a sesame seed-sized speck, appear on the horizon.
Everyone had just managed to get the cruise ship into a semblance of order, only to face danger again. The happy atmosphere from the hot pot dinner instantly evaporated, replaced by a somber mood.
The days were long and the nights short now, but the sky was gradually darkening.
But the distant icebreaker didn’t seem to have moved at all.
Jiang Linhai guessed, "It’s getting dark. Why isn’t that ship moving? Did it break down?"
The words had barely left his mouth when Jiang Si, looking through her binoculars, saw the icebreaker’s faint lights flicker out completely. A moment later, a ladder was lowered from the ship. Several people climbed down and began trudging toward them through the wind and snow, shuffling like penguins.
Jiang Si guessed, "That icebreaker is probably out of fuel. Everyone stay vigilant."
"Right."
The eight little black dots on the sea ice walked for a full hour before they grew from the size of sesame seeds to the size of rice grains.
With no vehicles that could operate on the ice, traversing it was even harder than they had imagined.
They kept their binoculars trained on the figures, not daring to look away for even a moment.
The approaching group consisted of blond, blue-eyed foreigners. They all looked exhausted and weak.
Fearing a hostile reception, they continually waved the flag of the Northern Country Research Group.
Lu Zhifeng furrowed his brow. "Should we go rescue them?"
These people, they don’t look like bad guys. free𝑤ebnovel.com
Jiang Si shook her head. "Be wary of a trick. They don’t have much farther to go. Let them come to us."
The strangers were indeed extremely weak—it didn’t seem like an act. They walked in fits and starts, and halfway through, one of them collapsed and had to be dragged forward by his companions.
But Jiang Si said, "An icebreaker isn’t like a normal ship. It needs a crew of at least fifty. And one from the Northern Country’s Antarctic Research Team would also carry tourists to see the sights in Antarctica, bringing the total to over two hundred people. If only these few survived, they are definitely not to be trifled with."
’She had experienced the depths of human evil to the fullest in her past life. Every ounce of compassion she showed could mean an ounce more risk for her family.’
The eight men supported each other until they were almost in front of the cruise ship. Only then did they dare to pull out a megaphone they had tucked into their coats. "Help! Help! Is anyone there?"
They were yelling in English. Jiang Linhai asked, "What are they saying?"
Jiang Si said, "They’re yelling for help."
No matter how much they shouted, Jiang Si’s heart didn’t soften.
Only when they had walked onto the ice in front of the yacht did Jiang Si raise her gun, aim it at them, and ask coldly, "Who are you?"
Upon seeing the guns in their hands, the eight men were so frightened they instantly threw up their hands and hurriedly explained, "We’re staff and crew from the Antarctic Research Team! We’ve run into trouble and have come to ask for help."
Judging by their tone, they seemed unaware of the apocalypse.
Jiang Si asked with a grim face, "When did you begin your return voyage from Antarctica?"
The tallest of them, a handsome blond, blue-eyed man, quickly explained, "One day, seven months ago, we suddenly lost contact with the research institute. We couldn’t abandon our research midway, so we assumed it was just a signal failure. But when our supply shipment never arrived, we started for home a month ago. It was only on our way back that we discovered the world had frozen over. Our supplies are completely gone. Please, help us. We’ll repay you."
’A certain day seven months ago... that lines up with the sudden disappearance of the electromagnetic field and the global blackout.’
Convinced they were indeed researchers unaware of the apocalypse, Jiang Si had Jiang Linhai bring them hot congee. "Drink some of this first. Once you’ve got your strength back, you can go to the cruise ship and move supplies yourselves."
The hot congee, carried in a thermos, turned cold the instant it was opened.
Before the congee could freeze solid, the eight men quickly drank it down. As strength returned to their bodies, their wariness toward Jiang Si and her group lessened.
The blond, blue-eyed man, Jack, spoke again. "Thank you. But do you have a doctor? Many people on our ship are sick."
As soon as he finished speaking, the smallest, thinnest of the men collapsed to the ground.
Jack said urgently, "It’s pulmonary edema! But we’re out of medicine and oxygen."
Pulmonary edema was one of the most common ailments among personnel at the Antarctic research station.
Pulmonary edema doesn’t require surgery. A doctor needs to make a professional assessment and administer diuretics and vasodilators to the patient to reduce cardiac preload and afterload, as well as pulmonary capillary pressure, thereby alleviating the condition.
Antibiotics are often used for pulmonary edema to effectively control infection, and steroids can also suppress the inflammatory response and help the swelling subside.
Qin Shen was a doctor. Even if he wasn’t a specialist, he knew the basics.
Having lived in an extremely cold region for two years in her past life, Jiang Si also knew something about pulmonary edema. She immediately took out a first-aid kit and watched as Qin Shen gave Jack’s crewmate a shot of antibiotics.
A short while after the antibiotic was injected, the man’s labored breathing gradually steadied.
Jack and the others were thrilled. "Thank God! Thank you!" Then, pushing his luck, he added, "Could we trouble this doctor to come with us to the ship? We have many more crew members who need treatment."
He could tell from Qin Shen’s deft and efficient movements that he was a skilled doctor.
On the ship, besides patients with pulmonary edema, many others were suffering from hypotension and had fallen into comas due to the low temperatures. To conserve fuel for the ship’s operation, they hadn’t been able to run the heating in the cabins sufficiently.
Their team originally had two doctors, but both of them were now unconscious.
Jack’s wife had also developed organ inflammation.
They were in truly desperate need of help.
The appearance of Jiang Si and her group was, without a doubt, a lifeline.
As for going to the ship to save people, Qin Shen’s gaze fell on Jiang Si’s face. His deep eyes quietly conveyed a single message: if Jiang Si wanted him to go, he would go.
Jiang Si’s heart skipped a beat. She sharply averted her gaze, staring at the icebreaker for a full minute before saying, "We can go and help you save your people, but I have one condition."
Jack replied without hesitation, "My God, if you can save them, I’ll agree to anything."
Jiang Si looked at him. "Can you speak for everyone?"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Jack’s face before he asked, "What do you want us to do?"
Jiang Si pointed at the icebreaker. "I don’t want you to do anything. I want your icebreaker."
At these words, it wasn’t just Jack and his men who were startled—even Jiang Linhai and the others were astonished.
With an icebreaker, even if the helicopter couldn’t take off, they could still break through the ice and travel across the ocean.
