Genius Engineer in the Labyrinth - Chapter 57
Only Noblemtl
Episode 57
【Sea Lotus】
As the conversation began, a lively chat broke out on deck.
I didn’t interrupt their conversation, but rather occasionally interrupted them to keep them talking.
Literally, our relationships were important because we were in the same boat.
You need to build trust and understand the other person’s style to achieve teamwork in a critical situation.
I wanted to bring Jungwoo too and have him join the conversation, but he couldn’t join me because he was holding the key.
I guess I’ll have to switch.
I went up to the bridge.
“You must be bored. Go down and rest. I’ll take care of the keys.”
“I have to catch the current soon, so I’ll catch it.”
Jeong-woo answered while looking at the map attached in front of him.
This is a copy of Mujido’s map, a notebook that appears only when soaked in sea water.
The map showed the flow of the currents, and the route of the currents that I had to catch was marked with a red pen.
“Then, I will continue to ask you. First Mate.”
Then he turned on the loudspeaker and said.
“We are about to enter the current. Crew members, please be careful and prepare to enter the current as you have practiced.”
At my command, Bomi and Jinman lowered the sails, and Nurse Jang went down to the cabin.
And just in case, Bomi and Jinman put safety ropes on their bodies.
Jungwoo and I also put safety ropes around our waists.
Because the current was so rough, if you were not careful, you could easily be thrown overboard.
If that happens, rescue will be impossible because of the rough currents.
Jeongwoo slowly entered the Hallasan lake into the murky, gray tide.
Boom! Boom!
There was a loud crashing sound as the bird hit the boat.
Compared to Building 104, where there was a lot of foam, the surface of the water here was calm, but the current under the water was tremendous, like a ferocious beast baring its teeth.
As expected, it was just as it appeared in Ignorance.
In Mujihaedo, not only the flow of the tide but also its strength was indicated.
That is why the Hallasan lake was reinforced considering the strength of the current.
The floor and walls that collide with the birds were made double-layered, and a film of ink was applied to the surface.
The ink film seemed to help with not only waterproofing, but also strength.
Even with this reinforcement, the current was so strong, like a tornado, that some currents were unable to enter.
thud!
There was a loud bang again.
I was worried that something might break, but the reinforcement work seemed to have worked and it settled into the flow of the current without any damage.
There was no more impact noise, but it shook violently, as if a car was driving on a gravel dirt road.
Looking at the deck, Bomi and Jinman were completely seated.
I held onto the railing and looked to the side.
I saw the sea swooshing behind me, and my hair was blowing in the wind.
Wow! That’s really fast.
I don’t know exactly, but I think it was around 20 to 25 knots.
Since 1 knot is about 1.85 km/h, that means it’s going to be about 37-46 km/h. That’s about the speed between a high-speed passenger ship and a rapid passenger ship.
It’s amazing how fast this ship can go without using a single drop of oil, without unfurling a sail, or using an oar.
The shaking is nothing.
At that moment, Bomi and Jinman started vomiting.
There are some side effects.
But Jungwoo and I, who were used to being on a boat, were okay.
“Looking at the speed, I think I’ll have a great time riding the current until tomorrow morning, then I’ll have to pull over to the right.”
I looked at the map and gave instructions to Jeong-woo.
Jungwoo nodded and asked.
“Are you planning to stop by a place called the Sea Lotus Field?”
“Oh. Since we’re on our way to Trash Island anyway, we should stop by. If it’s really him, we’re going to hit the jackpot.”
I smiled with anticipation, like a child waiting for a Christmas present.
The currents were not in a single stream.
It branched out here and there, merged, and was cut off like a dead end.
So if you get on the wrong train, you might end up going somewhere else or going around in circles.
In addition, because there were dangerous currents, we had to get out of the currents and switch to other currents or sail in the normal sea for a while.
“What is Daebak?”
“secret.”
Jungwoo was curious, but I didn’t tell him because there might be a slight problem.
Bomi, Jinman, and Nurse Kim were unable to eat because of their seasickness and were stuck to the cabin floor like seaweed on a rock, unable to move.
It was around lunchtime the next day, when I got out of the water, that I started to come to my senses.
Still feeling the aftereffects, Bomi leaned against the railing, ready to vomit into the sea at any moment.
“Ahh! I thought I was going to throw up my stomach too.”
Even though Jungwoo was watching, Bomi didn’t think about erasing the vomit stain on the corner of her mouth.
It must have been tough.
If it were before, I would have complained.
He became much quieter, either because he had adapted to the underwater world or because he realized that it wasn’t for me.
Bomi, who looked like she was about to collapse at any moment, suddenly got up and pointed to the middle of the sea.
“Hey! Over there, over there. There’s someone.”
As I followed Bomi’s fingers, I saw a shipwreck floating in the middle of the sea.
No, it looked more like a large plank than a shipwreck, perhaps the roof of a wooden house.
“Please save me! Please save me! There’s someone here!”
The people sitting on the roof must have noticed us, because they got up, waved, and shouted.
Some people even took off the T-shirts they were wearing and waved them around.
The white T-shirt had SOS written in red.
“Let’s go quickly and save him. Change direction, oppa.”
I raised my hand to stop Jeongwoo from turning the key.
“Wait a minute. Jungwoo, wait a minute.”
“Hey, mister. Are you still suffering from the occupational disease of ‘suspicion first’? How can you just stand by and watch while people are dying like that? No, look. Do you think those people could attack us?”
As Bomi said, people looked like they were going to die at any moment, like refugees in a Unix commercial, with their bones touching each other.
“Brother. As Bomi said, those people seem to be in serious condition. Let’s go and save them. We still have enough food and water, so I think we can take care of that number of people.”
“There are enough medical supplies. I will take care of those in urgent need.”
Jin Man-i and Nurse Jang also agreed with Bomi’s words.
But their naked and hungry appearance seemed staged to me.
And they seemed to be terrified of something, not of being lost.
I smell something fishy.
Despite the people’s screams, Jeong-woo didn’t turn his head while keeping an eye on me.
Perhaps because he had attended the Maritime Academy, Jeong-Woo seemed to know how important it was to follow the chain of command on a ship.
What a special guy. I give him my special permission to be Bomi’s boyfriend.
“But we still need to check what needs to be checked. In a world submerged in water, even a small mistake can mean the difference between life and death. And Bomi and Jinman, Nurse Jang. I am the captain of this ship. You can offer your opinions, but I make the decisions.”
As I spoke with force in my eyes, Jinman shouted while bending his back at a 90 degree angle.
“Yes. I will keep that in mind, brother.”
Next, Nurse Jang, Bomi, and Jeongwoo answered.
“Yes, I understand, Detective Kim.”
“Okay, sir.”
“Old story, Captain.”
“Then I’ll go into the water and check if there are any hazards. Then I’ll decide on a rescue.”
I went to the back and jumped into the water without the refugees noticing.
And I dived to the bottom of Hallasan Lake and looked towards the refugees.
Although it was a bit far away, I was able to look around without much difficulty.
Now that I think about it, I guess I should call it water vision. It seemed like my eyesight in the water was getting better and better.
Is it because of the ring that is said to be related to mermaids?
But since I couldn’t take the ring off, I couldn’t compare it and couldn’t confirm it.
As I expected, the entire roof of the wooden building had been torn off and was floating in the water.
But what is that?
People’s feet were visible under the roof.
They sat down at the back of the roof, as if trying not to be seen by us, and floated in the water with only their heads above the surface.
If my water eyes hadn’t improved, I would never have discovered it.
Why are you doing that?
I squinted my eyes and glared at them.
Then, the water acts as a lens and the view becomes clearer.
They’re holding something in their hands.
Hey! It’s a weapon.
He was carrying an iron pipe, a knife, a bent skewer, and something that could not be identified as a harpoon or a gun.
These kids must have set a trap and tried to rob us.
There were about fifteen people in the water.
We don’t know how many people we have, and I feel like that number of people is a bit too small to attack a ship as big as the Hallasan.
The size of the Hallasan Lake can accommodate at least twenty and up to a hundred people.
But I deliberately brought only the essential personnel.
Once oars disappeared, there was no need for many people, and for long-distance voyages, having fewer people was advantageous in terms of resources such as food and water.
And more than anything, I wanted to be with someone I could trust and rely on.
Surely there must be more workers.
As I turned my head around, I saw something submerged in water in the distance.
Several plastic surfaces, like the bottom of a ship, were visible.
They seem a bit small to be called fishing boats, but are they lifeboats?
Oh! It looks like there are some big ones too.
Because they were far away to avoid being detected by us, no matter how sharp our eyesight was, we could not accurately identify them.
If you hit the guys hiding behind the roof, they’ll show up on their own.
I climbed up to Hallasan Lake.
Our crew was just waiting for me to come up.
“What do you think? Are you a refugee?”
In response to Nurse Jang’s question, I shook my head and explained what I saw.
“This, if I had just gone to help, I might have been in trouble.”
“As expected! Brother!”
Nurse Kang let out a sigh of relief, and Jin Man gave a thumbs up.
Bomi said, glancing at Jeongwoo’s expression.
“That’s why, even if my opinion is different, if you say no to me, I will endure it and step aside. I would like to cure your doubts, but I have been able to live up to this point thanks to them. But among faith, hope, and love, the greatest is faith.”
Bomi, the most important thing is love.
I wanted to say something, but I held back because of Bomi’s boyfriend.
Jungwoo asked.
“Then what should we do?”
“My plan is… … .”
I explained the operation.