bestfiction Chapter 1138
Chapter 1138
"He spends most of his life at sea and has a very keen sense of direction in the ocean."
He could accurately determine direction just by smelling the seawater; we've relied on him for navigation all these years on our sea voyages.
"Oh? You have such talent?" A hint of surprise flashed in Captain Chen's eyes.
He scrutinized Chang Zhile, trying to discern something from him.
But the child just kept his head down, looking very timid.
She doesn't look much like Dr. Zhou.
Speaking of which, Dr. Zhou's keen sense of direction, and that amazing...
Is it also a talent that developed for some reason?
"Zhi Le, lift your head, don't be afraid." Captain Chen softened his tone, trying to make his voice sound more amiable: "I'm asking you, can you really determine your direction by smelling the seawater?"
Chang Zhile hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised her head, looking timidly at Captain Chen.
His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time; his voice was hesitant and unclear.
Captain Chen waited patiently without urging him.
He Chengshi watched from the side, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.
He worried that Captain Chen would take this gifted child for himself.
After all, such navigational talent is incredibly valuable at sea.
He quickly stepped forward, breaking the silence between the two: "Captain Chen, this child has been undisciplined since childhood, so he is rather introverted and not very good at speaking. Please don't take offense."
Captain Chen looked at He Chengshi, his tone instantly turning serious: "He Chengshi, since you've taken him in, you should take good care of him, teach him to speak, and teach him how to be a person. Look at him, he's eleven years old and can't even say a complete sentence. Is this acceptable?"
He Chengshi blushed deeply after Captain Chen's words and stammered, "Captain Chen, you don't understand. In this world, it's already good enough to have enough to eat. We really don't have many other demands. I'm willing but unable to do so."
Captain Chen looked at him without saying a word.
He understands the hardships of the apocalypse, but that cannot be a reason to ignore a child's growth.
Actually, he wanted the child to stay in the fortress, receive a proper education, and be properly nurtured.
Let them grow up normally, just like the other children in the fleet!
But then he thought again that it was still uncertain whether He Chengshi and his group were friends or foes, and it might not be a good thing to leave Chang Zhile behind rashly.
After thinking for a moment, Captain Chen handed Chang Zhile a few compressed biscuits and patted him on the shoulder: "Here, have some."
He then said to He Chengshi, "Alright, take him back first. Treat him well from now on."
Upon hearing this, He Chengshi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, I will definitely treat him well."
Then, as if remembering something, he tentatively said to Captain Chen, "Captain Chen, actually... we have a few small requests."
Captain Chen looked up at him.
“Well…” He Chengshi rubbed his hands together. “The ship we’re staying on is so stuffy. Could you add more air conditioning? Also, could you make the food a little more varied? It’s really unbearable to eat only smoked dried fish. In addition, you see we’re at sea every day, and it’s so hot. Could you give us a few sets of air-conditioned clothing?”
Just then, the office door was pushed open, and Deputy Officer Yun walked in.
He was taken aback when he saw He Chengshi there, then saluted Captain Chen: "Captain Chen, you wanted to see me?"
Captain Chen nodded and looked at He Chengshi: "I understand your request. You can go back now, I'll consider it."
Seeing this, He Chengshi knew that saying anything more would be useless, so he could only nod and say, "Then thank you very much, Captain Chen. We'll take our leave now."
After saying that, he turned and left the office with Chang Zhile.
Deputy Yun gave Chang Zhile a curious look.
After they left, he asked, "Captain Chen, what did he say to you just now?"
Captain Chen leaned back in his chair and sneered, "What else can I say? All I want is more air conditioning, more food, and air-conditioned suits."
"That's all?" Deputy Commander Yun was somewhat surprised.
"Otherwise, what else do you think he could ask for?" Captain Chen smiled faintly. "Do you think I don't see through his little scheme? He's just trying to test our bottom line."
Lieutenant Yun nodded and then asked, "So, are you planning to agree to his request?"
"Agree?" Captain Chen shook his head: "Let's leave him alone for now. He's the one who needs our help right now; he's the one in a hurry, not us. We can consider these things when he's truly settled down."
“Yes, you’re right,” Deputy Commander Yun agreed.
Captain Chen stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the distant sea.
How could he not know what He Chengshi was thinking?
However, he wanted to use Chang Zhile's talent to get better treatment, and at the same time, he wanted to test the fleet's bottom line.
This is a wild horse; it needs to be tamed properly!
Zhou Shuwan knew that Captain Chen had already met with He Chengshi's people, so she made a special trip.
"Captain Chen, how exactly did He Chengshi track them?"
Captain Chen recounted Chang Zhile's story in general terms, and then asked, "Dr. Zhou, have you seen anyone similar since the apocalypse?"
Zhou Shuwan shook her head: "Perhaps, this child's body has evolved for some reason."
She wasn't making baseless accusations.
Before the apocalypse, there existed a special ethnic group in human society: the Bajau people.
They have lived at sea for generations, never going ashore, and making a living by fishing and maritime trade.
Through generations of accumulation, the physical condition of their entire ethnic group has undergone some subtle changes.
Their lungs are larger than those of ordinary people, allowing them to dive to deeper depths and hold their breath for far longer than the average person.
The eyes have also undergone special evolution; the retina can change color underwater to improve contrast and clarity.
This is the natural evolution that occurs in the body after long-term adaptation to the environment.
This child, Chang Zhile, had been adrift at sea since childhood, even having to spend his days and nights catching fish to make a living.
Perhaps it was this extreme living environment that caused his body to undergo similar evolution, only in a different direction.
While others are skilled at diving, he can navigate by the smell of seawater.
Although it sounds incredible, it's not entirely incomprehensible.
After all, they have seen quite a few examples of evolution since the apocalypse.
For example, chicken and duck eggs from a few years after the apocalypse were much smaller than before, but their nutritional density was much higher.
The ordinary survivors are now much more resilient than before.
Just like the high temperature of over 50 degrees Celsius outside now, before the apocalypse, people would have suffered from heatstroke long ago, but now, although everyone feels uncomfortable, they can all get through it.