usatvline Chapter 1123
Chapter 1123
Even a one in ten thousand chance is enough to ignite the dying flame in everyone's heart.
Zhong Tiyun leaned on the railing, gazing at the horizon where the water met the sky.
"Wanwan, do you think we can really find the island?" Zhong Tiyun's voice trembled slightly.
These days of wandering and setbacks made her both yearn for and fear hope.
Zhou Shuwan gently patted her mother's hand, her tone resolute: "Mom, I will."
The so-called "mirage" seen by the family was all fabricated; Zhong Tiyun and the others had no idea whether there really was such an island ahead.
However, Zhou Shuwan believed what she "saw".
Captain Chen stayed in the bridge command room almost the entire time, his eyes fixed on the sea ahead. The white hair at his temples seemed less glaring because of the unwavering belief that sustained him.
The adjutant reported on the voyage every few hours, and his tone gradually changed from solemn to lighthearted.
"Captain, we have sailed 300 nautical miles and there is no abnormal feedback yet."
"Captain, 500 nautical miles away, the sea environment is stable, and no abnormalities have been detected."
"Captain, 700 nautical miles! We should reach the target area in less than ten hours!"
As the distance closed, the atmosphere in the command center grew increasingly tense. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the sea ahead.
Captain Chen stood up, walked to the observation window, and his binoculars were almost never put down.
Time passed by, second by second, as if it were being stretched out infinitely.
The people on the deck gradually quieted down, and everyone looked towards the northeast. Even the howling of the sea breeze seemed to weaken.
"Look! What is that?"
Someone shouted first, their voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Instantly, everyone's eyes were focused on it.
In the distance, where the water meets the sky, a faint black shadow appears, no longer a monotonous blue, but with a heavy outline. As the ship approaches, the outline becomes clearer and larger.
"It's land! It really is land!"
Cheers erupted instantly, shattering the long-standing tension.
Some people were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes, and they hugged each other; some waved vigorously at the dark figure, as if welcoming long-lost relatives; and some people who had experienced disappointment many times also had tears in their eyes, unable to believe that the scene in front of them was real.
Inside the bridge, Captain Chen's binoculars swayed slightly.
He stared at the gradually clearer outline of the island, his throat bobbing a few times, and his eyes blazing with intense light.
Lieutenant Yun was so excited that his voice changed: "Captain! It's an island! It really is an island group!"
As the mothership continued to approach, the entire landmass was finally revealed to everyone.
It wasn't an isolated island, but a group of islands!
Five islands of varying sizes are scattered across the island, with the central main island being the largest, resembling a giant beast lurking in the sea. Its top is topped by towering mountains, which are now bare and grayish-white, with no vegetation.
The main island should have been surrounded by flat plains, but it has been submerged by seawater, leaving only a few traces of land visible near the foot of the mountain.
The four surrounding islets are distributed around the main island, and none of them are far from the main island.
Two of the smaller islands are separated from the main island only by a dense group of reefs. At high tide, the reefs are covered by seawater, but at low tide, the connecting path can be vaguely seen, almost like a semi-connected state.
"My God, what a huge area!" Adjutant Yun exclaimed, his hands trembling with excitement as he held the binoculars. "These five islands combined could easily accommodate more than seven thousand people, let alone more than double that number!"
The mothership slowly sailed into the outer waters of the island group and anchored.
Captain Chen made a decisive decision and ordered three reconnaissance boats to conduct preliminary surveys of the five islands, focusing on confirming the islands' geological stability and potential dangers.