Read Novel Full Chapter 559: Three Major Dialects
Chapter 559: Three Major Dialects
Seeing the storm clouds quickly expanding, lightning flashing more frequently, and the strong winds from the sea sweeping in, Huang Mao anxiously shouted, “Captain, the thunderstorm is coming, we need to land and take shelter.”
The fierce winds hit, whipping up countless dust and sand from the wasteland, and visibility grew increasingly blurred.
If they continued flying, the helicopter could easily be struck by lightning, or the sand could get inside the parts, causing a malfunction or crash.
Neither the lives of the crew nor the helicopter could be replaced.
Huo Yishen quickly gave the order, “Find a nearby place to land.”
The helicopter descended slowly, cutting through the dust storm.
Not far away, there were larger sand dunes, which seemed like a good spot to shelter from the wind.
After landing the helicopter, the four of them ran toward the dune, fighting against the sand and wind.
The weather was so unpredictable. Just a moment ago, the sun was shining brightly, but now it was as dark as night, with the thunderstorm raging in the sky.
Putting on their goggles, Jiang Ning climbed the dune and pulled out her binoculars to survey the area. In the distance, the ocean roared continuously, with waves towering up to several meters, rushing toward them with a destructive force.
The land here wasn’t very high, and at this rate, the coastline would undoubtedly be submerged.
Huang Mao was stunned by the scene and worriedly asked, “What about our submarine?”
Jiang Ning was about to reply, but decided it was better to focus on the present crisis first.
The waves were growing higher, and the four were only a few kilometers from the shore.
Jiang Ning took out an escape pod. “Get in quickly.”
Huang Mao had seen plenty of disasters, but this was the first time he’d encountered something so surreal.
His mind went blank, and the only word he could manage to say was, “Holy shit.”
The four of them climbed into the escape pod, and just as they secured their seat belts, they were thrown out by the overwhelming waves that crashed down on them.
The gimbal spun wildly, and the escape pod was swallowed by the waves, tossing them around until everything became disorienting.
The sea carried large amounts of dirt and sand from the wasteland, turning the water murky and making it hard to see.
After several impacts, it felt like they had been tossed around for twenty minutes, but things finally began to settle down.
Peering through the glass, Jiang Ning wondered how they had ended up in the sea.
However, the escape pod was stable.
What greeted their eyes was water, with distant sand dunes visible. It seemed they had been swept into an inland sea.
The escape pod was not far from the shore, so the group decided to land.
As Xu Kaitai stepped out, he nearly had his leg bitten off.
Fortunately, Huo Yishen was quick to react and pulled him back just in time.
Sharks!
There were sharks in the lake!
This wasn’t a freshwater lake—it was a saltwater lake formed when the land rose, and many sea creatures had been trapped in it.
The terrain was low and not far from the shore, so tsunamis were probably a regular occurrence here.
There wasn’t just one shark, and the tsunami had stirred up their bad temper. They kept attacking the bright orange escape pod.
Xu Kaitai, who had almost lost his leg, was left speechless.
The lake was huge, spanning hundreds or even thousands of acres. It could easily be considered a large reservoir.
After the tsunami, the water was far from calm, and with the sharks continuing their attacks, the escape pod was slowly pushed toward the shore.
Having failed to catch the pod, the sharks finally turned their attention to the fish and shrimp that were tumbling in the water, no longer bothering with the escape pod.
Once they confirmed it was safe, the group hurried to climb ashore.
Walking along the shore, they found signs of human habitation: a broken wooden boat, blackened ashes that hadn’t been washed away by the seawater, and a destroyed vegetable plot with a few stunted wheat shoots barely growing.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, the group didn’t rush to take the helicopter but quickened their pace to leave.
Less than half an hour later, distant cries for help suddenly reached their ears. “Help! Help!”
Not only was it a call for help, but it was in Chinese.
The group was surprised and stopped in their tracks.
The noise grew louder, and it seemed like more than one person was involved, with an intense argument breaking out.
Xu Kaitai suggested. “How about we go take a look?”
After crossing the ocean and traveling thousands of miles, hearing the same hometown accent made excitement inevitable.
Huo Yishen spoke up, “We can, but we shouldn’t act without understanding the full picture first.”
The accent was unmistakable, but after more than a decade of natural disasters, there were always people with hidden motives. It was crucial to stay focused on the mission and ensure the team’s safety.
Xu Kaitai and Huang Mao understood and had a pretty good sense of the situation.
The four of them quietly made their way to the scene.
After crossing two sand dunes, they saw two groups facing off.
Both groups were in tattered clothes, their hair disheveled. The Chinese group was smaller in number and was clearly at a disadvantage.
A young boy, barely in his teens, was hit in the forehead, and blood poured from the wound.
The two groups yelled at each other in their dialects, then rushed at each other to fight.
Jiang Ning’s ears rang as she heard three major Cantonese dialects flying back and forth, all while shouting and fighting.
The two groups had settled by a lake. The other side held a higher position, while the Chinese group was lower but closer to the water source. Despite their difficult position, the Chinese group was resourceful, surviving by fishing and farming.
The other group wasn’t skilled at planting but preferred to steal. They had been eyeing the Chinese group’s resources for some time.
Taking advantage of the recent tsunami, they figured the Chinese might be too distracted by their own disaster to defend themselves. Many of the young men had gone out to search for supplies, so they decided to raid.
The attackers were tall and strong, and they showed no mercy to the elderly or the sick. However, the Chinese people fought back fiercely, protecting what they had at all costs.
The grudge between the two sides was long-standing, and the attackers showed no mercy.
A rusted axe was raised high, aiming for the head of the young boy.
Jiang Ning pulled out her gun and shot him in the head.
The sudden gunshot and the spray of blood stunned both groups, freezing them in place.
If they were going to act, they’d go all the way.
Jiang Ning fired a few more shots, killing the leaders of the attackers.
Only then did the others snap out of it and quickly flee.
Huo Yishen turned to Xu Kaitai and Huang Mao. “You two go investigate. If they still have some humanity left, let them know the coordinates for Huacheng Base or Fengcheng. They can choose to stay or go.”
“Our mission is to find the Fire Seed Containers. Zhang Li and the others are still by the sea; we don’t know what’s happened to them. We need to head back immediately.”
The two agreed and set off with their weapons.
Jiang Ning reminded them, “Be careful.”
The two headed toward the crowd while Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen found a place to observe from the shadows.
As expected, when the locals saw familiar faces, their eyes filled with tears.
Especially when they saw that they were soldiers, many of them gathered around, their eyes shining with hope.
The two were surrounded, and after about twenty minutes of conversation, Xu Kaitai had said everything he needed to. However, they were stopped from leaving.
“Comrades, you can’t leave. If you leave, take us with you.”
Xu Kaitai, who was being forcibly held back, felt a headache coming on. “Sister, we have an urgent mission to carry out. You can choose any of the bases to live in.”
“No, you got here, and your conditions are much better than ours.”
“Yes, we’re all Chinese. We need to be kind-hearted.”
Everyone began demanding that the two take them along. It seemed like they wouldn’t let anyone leave unless their request was granted.
This wasn’t a joke. There were over a hundred people in the camp, and another fifty to sixty were out looking for supplies.
But the two of them were trapped, and they wouldn’t let them go.
This was also why Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen were staying hidden.
It wasn’t that these people didn’t know how to show gratitude. It was just that they’d been stuck in the dark for so long, and now that they finally saw a light, they weren’t about to let it go.
Huo Yishen warned, “Someone’s coming.”