Read Novel Full Chapter 572: Rong Sanshao’s Ambition
Chapter 572: Rong Sanshao’s Ambition
Jiang Ning didn’t say anything, but she had other thoughts in her heart.
It should be good, right? The higher-ups in Huacheng are still sending people out to find survivors, which shows their original intention hasn’t changed. But how should she put it?
The leaders have too many things to handle and can’t focus on the lower ranks. They definitely wouldn’t intentionally push people out, but for children without a father’s protection, it’s hard to say they won’t feel wronged.
The soldiers who originally belonged to the southern military base were assigned to different teams. The ones without “fathers” naturally felt sensitive, and even mothers with children had their own priorities.
Especially at the lower levels, this kind of behavior becomes more obvious. Over time, it leads to conflicts.
With limited resources, if your position isn’t big enough, you won’t even be able to compete for what’s available.
Coming from the same base, they shared a natural sense of familiarity. They asked Huang Mao and the others, “How’s everything going for you?”
“It was really tough in the beginning. We only had transport ships, warships, and submarines. If the land hadn’t risen in time, we honestly don’t know how much longer we could’ve lasted.
There’s only a little over ten thousand of us, but the land where Fengcheng is located is really vast. We’ve already found several Fire Seed Containers, and we’ve been working together to gather supplies. We’ve managed to burn paper, bricks, lime, and even found coal mines…”
Huang Mao painted a picture of their progress and then asked, “Are there many Fire Seed submarines that made it to Huacheng?”
“There are quite a few, hundreds actually, but only some of them brought Fire Seed Containers with them. Still, a good amount of the materials is usable.”
Hundreds of submarines?
Zhang Li and the others gasped in surprise.
They might be real brothers, but they still felt jealous and envious.
Jiang Ning’s heart skipped a beat, “So many Fire Seed submarines have arrived. Do you know Zhang Chao, Lu Yu, Zheng Weili, and Ding Qi?”
The others thought for a moment and shook their heads. “We were split up and assigned to different platforms, so we don’t know many people. It’s not easy to meet up, and we haven’t heard of those names.”
Jiang Ning felt disappointed. Less than a fifth of the 3,000 submarines had been found. Where had they all gone?
The others were just as troubled. “A good number of Huacheng’s submarines are still out there. We’ve already found… dozens of wrecks.”
Everyone fell silent. They hadn’t expected the natural disaster to be this brutal.
Even the specially made submarines…
These were all Fire Seed members from the Southern Military Base—physically and mentally the best of the best.
But reality was cruel and bloody. Natural disasters didn’t leave anyone a chance.
After a moment, Huang Mao asked, “What about your submarines? Did you bring Fire Seed Containers with you?”
“No, most of them were separated.”
He followed up, “Where did they end up?”
And surprisingly, they answered.
How to say it? Meeting Xu Kaitai and the others felt like meeting family. When you’re with family, there’s nothing you can’t say.
Anyway, Huacheng Base couldn’t salvage them, so letting them stay at the bottom of the sea was just a waste.
So, they gave a few more coordinates.
After spending some time together, it was finally time to part ways.
The others seemed like they had something to say but never voiced it, standing on the submarine and watching the nuclear submarine sail farther away, lost in thought.
Huang Mao jotted the coordinates down in his notebook. “Captain Xu, do you think they wanted to come with us?”
Xu Kaitai replied calmly, “No matter if it’s Huacheng or Fengcheng, we’re all Chinese.”
Everyone understood. The choice was theirs, and it wasn’t about right or wrong.
Whether Xu Kaitai chose Fengcheng or they chose Huacheng, as long as they felt at peace, that was enough.
***
When Jiang Ning woke up, she found the submarine was in a suspended state. “What happened?”
Everyone was eager to go home, but now, they weren’t rushing.
Huo Yishen’s expression was a bit solemn. “Anning, we found a sunken submarine, along with the Fire Seed Container.”
Jiang Ning was stunned. How did they end up finding it?
When she heard about it, she felt regretful, but actually encountering it herself…
Everyone’s mood turned heavy.
The water was over 300 meters deep, and it was impossible to salvage by hand.
After some discussion, Jiang Ning decided to use the same tactic again: hook the submarine first and then bring it up.
When they reached the seabed, they realized the submarine was in a tragic state. It had been torn apart at the rivets, with the submarine and the Fire Seed Container now several dozen meters apart.
The sea was calm now, but at that time, only a massive tsunami could have torn the submarine apart like that.
The water was too deep, making salvage difficult. The team had to swap in and out several times before finally managing to recover both the submarine and the Fire Seed Container.
The transport ship had no room for the Container, so Jiang Ning just brought the other submarine out.
Even though it was made of special materials, it was still badly damaged by the natural disaster.
The hull was cracked, with some parts even caved in.
The team worked hard to open the hatch, only to find 15 bodies in military uniforms, decayed to the point where only the skeletons remained. The cramped space was filled only with empty food bags and a notebook that had been soaked with water, making it impossible to open.
Huang Mao’s eyes were red, and he turned his face away, his voice pleading, “Sister Ning, let’s bring them home.”
Take them to their new home in China, so their souls can return to their homeland.
Jiang Ning’s throat felt tight, “Mm.”
She took out some body bags, and with the help of Zhang Li and others, carefully separated and packed the remains.
It was heavy, solemn, and a moment of remembrance.
Xu Kaitai remained silent, but his expression was one of deep sorrow.
If he wasn’t mistaken, these Fire Seed Planners were not just his students but also his beloved disciples.
For the next few days, everyone’s mood was weighed down by this.
It wasn’t until they saw the Fengcheng port that the joy of coming home began to ease the sadness.
The whole trip took nearly two months.
As always, Rong Sanshao came to greet them, still shivering despite being wrapped in a military coat.
The morning had been bright and sunny at sea, but by the time they arrived at Fengcheng in the evening, it was snowing heavily.
Huang Mao and the others were used to the unpredictable weather, so they quickly found their winter clothes and put them on.
Rong Sanshao pulled Jiang Ning aside. “Sister, you were injured and unconscious after going out to sea. You should rest on the ship for a few days.”
Jiang Ning paused. “What’s going on now?”
“It’s snowing in June. A high-ranking officer’s son caught a chill and now has a persistent high fever that turned into pneumonia.”
Rong Sanshao hinted, “Word’s already spread around the base that you cured Father’s pneumonia last time. Now everyone knows not only are your medical skills top-notch, but you also have life-saving medicine. They’re all looking for you now, hoping you’ll help.”
Jiang Ning thought for a moment. “Did my father send you?”
“No, but a few days ago, father hurt his back while exercising. I went over yesterday to help out, and that person came to ask for help. The hospital didn’t have the medicine, and they were at a loss.”
Jiang Ning understood what he was implying. “Commander Xiao?”
Rong Sanshao nodded.
Jiang Ning had studied the five second-in-command figures at the base, and she knew Commander Xiao had both a son and several adopted sons.
Though he hadn’t publicly acknowledged his adopted sons, everyone who knew the situation understood.
On the surface, the leadership worked as one, but Commander Xiao had a strong thirst for power. He hadn’t said anything outright, but his actions showed he already considered himself the successor to Gu Tinglin.
Every time Gu Tinglin fell seriously ill, he was the one jumping around the most. His adopted sons had already been placed in various key departments, and his influence was vast.
After their last mission, he’d even tried to insert people into the special salvage team, but Yu Changzheng had found a reason to block it.
As her older brother, Rong Sanshao spoke frankly. “Sister, Commander Xiao has big ambitions. He’ll be a roadblock for you and Brother-in-law in the future. He’s been secretly making things difficult for father. Now, his son’s sick, and he’s sending people to look for you—he really has no shame.”
“You should rest for a few days on the ship. By the time his son kicks the bucket, you’ll be awake, and then you can take care of him without even lifting a finger.”
With constant disasters and deaths, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. This was just the natural course of things.
Jiang Ning frowned. “You’ve got the military’s tangled relationships all figured out.”
“Sister, we’re family. We’re in the same boat. How could I not think about you and Brother-in-law?”