12dz Chapter 1128
Chapter 1128
"At this rate of warming, the sea level will drop by at least several meters before long. At that time, large areas of the shallow waters around these five islands will be exposed, and the reefs and plains that were previously submerged will be revealed. We can then sail our ships to the islands!"
Lieutenant Yun listened, becoming excited as well. "That's right! We surveyed the terrain beforehand. Besides the main island with its towering mountains and higher elevation, the surrounding islets are mostly flat plains, with some hills. Although there are many reefs, if we clear a path beforehand and build ramps with alloy, we can allow ships to sail up to the islands. With the islets as a barrier, the seawater temperature won't be as damaging to the ships..."
Of course, there is another problem.
That means that as the sea temperature rises, the ground temperature will also rise.
Once the ship reaches the island, its hull will come into direct contact with the hot ground. Will this accelerate the damage?
“This is indeed a problem.” Old Lin frowned. “Although the steel at the bottom of the ship is heat-resistant, it will still corrode and deform if it is in contact with the ground above 60°C for a long time, plus the sun exposure.”
“This problem is easy to solve,” Captain Ma said. “The semi-aerial fortress we built is eight or nine meters above the ground, which has a cooling effect. The airflow at high altitudes is smoother than at ground level, so the temperature can be at least 5-8 degrees Celsius lower. Moreover, we can build a simple sunshade under the fortress, using alloy steel for the frame and covering it with materials such as canvas and seaweed to cool the ship.”
Engineer Xu suddenly spoke up: "In addition, we can dig shallow trenches around the bottom of the ship to introduce seawater. On the one hand, we can use the evaporation of seawater to cool it down, and on the other hand, we can keep the bottom of the ship moist and slow down corrosion. After the sea level drops, the groundwater on the island will be relatively abundant, and we can extract groundwater to replenish the shallow trenches without relying on seawater."
Captain Chen nodded approvingly: "This plan is feasible. The mothership is too big and has too deep a draft. The terrain of the main island and the adjacent islets is too complicated, making it difficult to sail directly onto them."
Moreover, the main island and the second auxiliary island are currently the main sites for building the aerial fortress.
Because the mountains on the main island are too high, we have to find a way to avoid them.
However, building bases on it and on the adjacent No. 2 sub-island will actually make the foundation of the airborne fortress more stable.
Captain Ma said, "The third auxiliary island next to the main island is flat and large enough that we can set up a dedicated mothership docking area there."
Captain Chen nodded: "The area around the third auxiliary island has the fewest reefs, and after the sea level drops, it will form a wide shoal. We can use the alloy steel on the island to build a slope about 500 meters long, extending from the shoal to the flat area on the island. The slope surface will be covered with anti-slip steel plates and reinforced with steel bars, which should be able to support the weight of the mother ship."
"Alright, let's get started on the preparations," Captain Chen ordered.
"Yes!" The response in the conference room was very clear and orderly, ready to go.
However, the obstacles in reality are far more intractable than imagined.
The sea level drop that Captain Ma predicted has not yet occurred. At this moment, the sea level is 46°C, and the secondary island is still deeply submerged in the sea. To build a ramp leading to the island, we must wait for the seawater to evaporate and the shallows to be exposed.
The construction team could only work on the fortification construction sites on the main island and the second sub-island, while also sending people to monitor changes in sea level day and night, and to clear the reefs that had already emerged along the coast of the third sub-island in preparation for subsequent projects.
The weather grew hotter day by day, and the sun hung in the sky like a giant fireball, pouring down its scorching rays without reservation.
The heat waves on the sea distorted the air, blurring the outlines of distant islands.
The survivors on the fleet had already changed into short sleeves, but even so, if they stayed outside for even a short while, sweat would pour down like beads from a broken string, instantly soaking their clothes.