Chapter 63: The Windchaser Sailboat

"Let me think, this ship..."

Xu Ming motioned for everyone to gather around while racking his brains to recall. "The hull is made of fiberglass with a high-strength fiber sandwich, and the bottom is fitted with titanium alloy anti-collision plates, capable of withstanding heavy winds and waves."

"The keel has a built-in lead-alloy ballast, making it extremely stable. Even if it capsizes, it can right itself."

"The dual masts are fully rigged with sails, reaching a top speed of 13 knots, and it features an automatic sail-trimming system. There's a wind turbine at the stern for power supply, and the lower cabins can be converted into a cargo hold, hydroponics area, living quarters, or rest area... Boss, this is practically custom-made for us right now. It has a moderate tonnage, strong wave resistance, plenty of space, and it's fuel-efficient."

"Oh? Is it really that impressive..." Seeing Xu Ming's spirited expression, Han Ning felt quite pleased as well. "What are we waiting for, then? Let's go take a look."

Just as they were paddling through the water, preparing to approach the "Wind Chaser," about a dozen figures emerged from the other side of the thick fog, evidently also attracted by this relatively intact sailing boat.

Leading them was the previously injured Vice President Zhao, followed by seven or eight awakened individuals with an aggressive aura.

After receiving treatment, he had recovered some mobility.

"Goodness, Brother Zhao, this is the 'Wind Chaser' sailboat! That's a fine piece of work!"

Beside Vice President Zhao, a dark-skinned man showed an expression of pleasant surprise much like Xu Ming's the moment he laid eyes on the sailboat.

Xu Ming wasn't the only one here who recognized various types of watercraft.

"If we can get this boat, the quality of our future life will improve significantly..."

He rattled off the vessel's specifications to Vice President Zhao.

"Good, very good. Brothers, quick! Take it!" Hearing this, Vice President Zhao's eyes lit up, and he motioned for his subordinates to speed up.

Suddenly, the fog on the left rippled.

Three figures swam out from within, heading toward the deck of the Wind Chaser.

"It's Han Ning..." Recognizing the identity of the newcomers on the opposite side, Vice President Zhao's expression turned extremely ugly.

"Brother Zhao, what should we do?" The subordinates all stopped swimming.

Vice President Zhao's expression twisted. After struggling with himself for a moment, he helplessly twitched the corner of his eye. "We can't afford to cross paths with this guy. Forget it, let's look for another boat."

The subordinates nodded one after another, none of them daring to make a peep.

***

Han Ning had clearly observed the situation on the side.

Seeing that Vice President Zhao did not approach, he paid no further attention to that group.

In the face of absolute strength, any covetous thoughts were futile.

Bingsicle leaped forward first, its sharp paws easily hooking onto the slippery gunwale, and nimbly vaulted up, scanning the deck vigilantly.

Confirming there was no danger, Han Ning and Xu Ming followed closely behind, with Yu Na acting like a little nanny, staying right at Xu Ming's heels.

She wasn't projecting her mental protection every single second; she only acted when Bingsicle wandered too far off, conserving her energy to the maximum.

The three of them stepped onto the deck.

A pungent odor rushed at them, a mixture of rust, decaying seaweed, and an inexplicable fishy stench.

Conditions on deck were a bit worse than they appeared from a distance.

The surface was covered with a thin layer of silt and sporadic waterweeds.

Pitted dents were visible in several areas.

The guide rails of the automatic sail-trimming system were slightly damaged, though the main framework remained intact.

The blades of the small vertical-axis wind turbine at the stern were entangled with seaweed, and its condition was unknown.

"Such a fine thing..." Xu Ming stroked the sturdy gunwale and then stamped hard on the deck. "The structure is very solid. Boss, the bottom of this hull definitely has titanium alloy protective plates, and the keel ballast is definitely there, otherwise it wouldn't be this stable."

"Let's go check the cabin."

Han Ning blocked Xu Ming and carefully pushed open the watertight door leading below deck.

The lighting inside was dim, and the air was even more stagnant.

The lower cabin space was huge; the passenger cabins were largely undamaged, or at least free of flooding.

The engine room, however, was in a less optimistic state, with a layer of standing water on the floor.

Although the main diesel engine body was still present, some pipelines were severely corroded, the critical control panel was shattered, and several transmission components were obviously missing or deformed.

Xu Ming carefully inspected the engine and transmission system, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.

"The damage in these areas is quite severe, and right here at the drive shaft, there are obvious deformations and missing parts."

"Boss, to be honest with you, marine equipment maintenance usually falls under the chief engineer... My knowledge is truly limited. Whether this level of damage can be repaired, how to fix it, and what specific parts are needed—I can't be sure without a maintenance manual."

"For private sailboats like this, when equipment breaks down, the captain usually consults the maintenance manual first for self-inspection. Only when there's truly no other way do they head to a shipyard for repairs."

As Xu Ming spoke, he rummaged around the engine room.

Finally, he found a thick stack of documents inside a sealed box.

"Found it!" Xu Ming's eyes lit up as he pulled out a booklet and flipped through it. "With the maintenance manual, I have a fair degree of confidence I can fix these things."

"Can we sail it out in its current state?" Han Ning asked the question he cared about most.

Xu Ming closed the manual and analyzed it seriously:

"If we insist on sailing it... we could try starting the auxiliary diesel engine."

"But there are two major problems. First, where are we sailing to?"

"If we return the same way, heading deeper into our city toward the Biyun Resort area, the water level along the route is far too shallow."

"Even when empty and carrying nothing, this ship has a draft of about 2 meters."

"Everything along this route is submerged urban ruins, and the underwater is littered with construction debris. If we drive the boat in there, we will run aground one hundred percent, and we might even smash the hull."

"Unless... unless we use heavy transport equipment to haul it across."

"..."

"In the other direction, we head outside the dock, toward the open sea as it originally was."

"I don't know if the water is deep enough out there either. If it's deeper, we could skirt the edges of the submerged city, making a wide loop, and try to re-enter the city from the outer perimeter where building density is relatively low and the terrain is depressed. That would carry much lower navigation risks."

Xu Ming's face was full of worry.

"The biggest problem is, what is the situation in the waters outside the dock right now? Will there be even more terrifying monsters? Will the water stay this deep continuously? If the water level drops suddenly during the voyage, or if we encounter a swarm of monsters we can't fight... those are all extremely tricky matters."

"Or, we leave the boat here and wait until the water level rises high enough before sailing it away."

"Besides, even if we manage to start it now, without thorough overhauling, this ship won't get far and could completely break down at any moment."

"Boss, if we can ensure safety, I think the most pressing task is to immediately go scavenge the engine rooms of other nearby shipwrecks."

"Find usable diesel, replacement transmission parts, control panels, or substitute components."

"If we don't get our hands on these things quickly, they'll soon be looted by others."

"That's true," Han Ning agreed.