Chapter Forty-Five: A Grand Adventure, Part One

At times Zhao Li could not help admiring these men, who were said to be the military’s most notorious prisoners. They were indeed the cream of the crop. With a matter so bound up with life and death before them, not one of them was nervous enough to barrage him with questions. Even Kang Hongyuan, Professor Hans, and Ban Yanchan, the three who did not seem to belong to the military at all, remained quiet throughout, and that was even more impressive.

“You really made a stupid choice.” Ban Yanchan’s voice came softly from beside him, still as calm and serene as ever, without the slightest trace of panic over the news, as though they were once again sitting side by side and watching the sea.

“From the standpoint of human instinct and self-preservation, your choice is absolutely contrary to the natural choice of living beings. It is a most unreasonable course of action.” Professor Hans spoke in his polished, scholarly manner. He was sunning himself not far away; hearing Ban Yanchan, he added his own remark.

For some reason, Zhao Li always felt that when Professor Hans looked at Ban Yanchan, there seemed to be a trace of hatred in his eyes. Yet when he looked again, that feeling was gone. Ban Yanchan, for her part, had behaved entirely normally all along, only smiling at him.

“If you were a politician, boy, you’d already have been wiped out without a trace.” Though Kang Hongyuan had never practiced any martial arts, he had trained in basic physical conditioning exercises. At his age, his hearing and eyesight were still keen; he seemed as if he could live another few decades. Hearing Professor Hans’s words, he added, “These days, there aren’t many fools like you who don’t even know how to protect themselves.”

With three remarks in a row, they had reduced Zhao Li to a madman, a fool, and a simpleton. That left him feeling deeply wronged. Had he not come back to save them? Why should they think so of him? Could it be that, while they were indifferent to the lives of others, they were just as indifferent to their own?

“I—” Zhao Li wanted nothing more than to explain himself, but Ban Yanchan stopped him with a smile. “You don’t need to say anything. We all understand.” When he turned again to look at Professor Hans and Kang Hongyuan, he found that they had already joined the crowd gathered in discussion.

Twenty minutes to solve the problem of transporting dozens of people, and under these conditions at that—it seemed an impossible task. Yet even so, none of those hardened criminals appeared hysterical in the least. It was as if the one facing such a predicament were someone else, while they were merely discussing a rescue plan, so calm that it was frightening.

No wonder Jiang Hao and the others had always said these people were extremely dangerous. Judging by their present conduct alone, that assessment was not the least exaggerated. Such men, cold and composed beyond all measure, men who did not even spare a thought for their own lives—letting any one of them out into the world would be an extreme crime against society. How could such people be described with the simple word dangerous? They were dangerous to the very limit.

“What model is the single-person flyer?” James suddenly asked.

Zhao Li froze for a moment, then recalled it and answered, “NT-ZY-3. It has enough energy to fly back to Six Land.”

“How many inflatable rafts?” Kang Hongyuan asked as well, without the slightest hint of tension.

“Four. If we crowd a bit, they can hold everyone.” Zhao Li hurriedly answered. Now, as long as there was a way, even if it was risky, he would accept it. They needed information to make a plan, and naturally he would not conceal anything.

“The NT-ZY-3 flyer can only carry one hundred and twenty kilograms. With communications out, even if we remove the communication module, that only adds at most thirty kilograms of payload. Or else, only two people can go. But with two people onboard, the speed will be very slow; the engine’s power is not enough to sustain it. If we had enough time, we could make a hot air balloon using the flyer’s engine as the power source, but time is too short now.” James calmly analyzed the situation before them, his eyes drifting, almost unconsciously, over Zhao Li and Ban Yanchan. He had probably already realized that if only two people could leave, then it would likely be Zhao Li and Ban Yanchan.

“The rafts can’t withstand the tsunami, and there’s no way to row them all the way to Six Land!” someone nearby said, shaking his head. “Could we fill the rafts with hydrogen and hang them beneath the flyer?” As soon as he voiced the idea, he immediately shot it down himself. “No. There are too many people. Three or five might work, but over forty people? Impossible!”

More than forty people—how could they be moved? Everyone was plagued by that question. But James’s calculation of the engine’s power and the idea of inflating the rafts and towing them had suddenly sparked something in Zhao Li’s mind, and a bold, insane notion rose abruptly within him.

Forcing down his excitement, Zhao Li tried to appear as normal as possible. “I have an idea. I just don’t know if it’ll work.”

“Spit it out, and stop wasting time!” Kang Hongyuan somehow became the de facto chairman of the meeting, and he barked at Zhao Li with obvious impatience. As soon as he spoke, everyone else’s gaze, tinged with a hint of reproach, also settled on Zhao Li.

Zhao Li understood their mood and did not take offense. “What if we remove every detachable module from the single-person flyer and preserve as much power as possible? Everyone rides in the inflatable rafts, and the flyer tows them. We make this a one-thousand-kilometer water-skiing run.” After a pause, he added, “It is somewhat dangerous, though. If the four rafts go together, their speed might be affected. I don’t know whether we can outrun the tsunami. What do you think?”

Everyone stared at him for a moment, then began to consider the feasibility of the plan. It had to be said that these men all seemed to have adventured for a living. In just a few seconds, they were exchanging glances, and then every one of them nodded heavily.

It was a genius idea, and also a damned reckless one. A single-person flyer dragging four inflatable rafts packed with people, while still keeping enough speed to outrun the waves—this was not something ordinary people could accomplish. Setting aside whether the flyer’s power was sufficient to sustain such a towing speed, one small mistake under high-speed motion could overturn everything. And out there it would be the boundless open sea, with the pursuing tsunami right behind them; there would be no chance of rescue.

“If we fasten the four rafts together, that should reduce a lot of the shock. The larger the hull, the less it vibrates, which can effectively increase the safety margin,” someone immediately added, refining the plan.

“James, is the flyer’s power enough?” Kang Hongyuan turned at once to the flight expert. James’s mind raced, and then he gave a heavy nod. “A bit tight, but it should work.”

“Good. Then let’s start preparing.” With a wave of Kang Hongyuan’s hand, the mad plan was decided without a single vote.

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