16.7 per cent for option I, 5.6 per cent for option two, 61.1 per cent for option three and 16.7 per cent for option IV.

……

[Option 3]

【Student Wang】

[Skills: Marine Biology, Handling, Rugby]

……

People who are good at doing things can always get twice the result with half the effort. Mr. Wang, who had the best physical strength among the people, didn't feel tired of knocking rust, so he thought he would do it faster.

"Can I ask you to do it?"

After Zheng Zhuo expressed his lack of expertise, everyone finally decided that classmate Wang would be responsible for knocking out the rust.

"Yes. There is less wind in the stern, so it is more comfortable to stand there. ”

The parties readily agreed.

……

Next.

The deck group changed from three to two. Today, Mr. Wang took the place of the sailor to knock the rust and went to the stern of the ship early. Zheng Zhuo recorded the flying fish jumping out of the water on the deck, and he could see the waterline of the high-pressure water cannon splashing off the deck and falling into the sea from time to time at the stern.

Rust knocking is much more leisurely than the inspection, recording and confirmation of the deck – just a water cannon is wielded. However, the working hours are a little longer. Mr. Wang went earlier than the deck group, but at four o'clock in the afternoon, when the two members of the deck team returned from work, he still had a small piece that he had not finished.

That would look like it would take another twenty or thirty minutes. Zheng Zhuo and the others greeted him, and then went back to the cabin to eat.

While trying to deal with those canned shrimp, peas and yellow peaches day after day, Zheng Zhuo met Chu Huairen again.

"Zheng Zhuo, you're here too."

He greeted Zheng Zhuo.

"How's deck today?"

"How's that...... The same old way. ”

Zheng Zhuo said.

"It's just that there are a lot of birds."

It's a cloudy day. Probably due to the weakening of the light, flocks of pelagic birds can be seen hovering in the distance from time to time in the morning.

Zheng Zhuo confirmed with the [Identification] skill that the flock of birds was full of Atlantic puffins, round-tailed shearwaters and skuas whose [aggressiveness] floated between 10~30.

From a distance, the birds were little more than small flocks. However, there are quite a few of them.

"It's basically a long way from the ship." Zheng Zhuo said to Chu Huairen, "They occasionally fly towards the [Beautiful Future]. I was also hit by a flying puffin once in the morning. ”

"The radar charts also show that there are more birds in the activity." Chu Huairen scooped up a spoonful of yellow peaches, "For this season, it's still quite abnormal." Professor Lin Wen said that it may be due to the increase in the number of ocean currents in recent years. ”

"That's ......"

Zheng Zhuo looked out the window.

Under the dark clouds, the flocks of birds are gathering.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but he feels that the birds seem to be closer to the [Beautiful Future] than they were a few hours ago. The seabirds were circling, and many of them were already close to the boats. Some of them rested on deck, others flew low over the portholes of the ship's buildings.

"Wow. It feels like they're going to fly in. ”

The sailor, who was sitting at the table in front of him, muttered, got up and closed the window next to him.

They're a little too close. Zheng Zhuo also reached out to close the window.

That's when it happened.

“……？”

He heard a "buzz" from the back of the ship. Immediately afterward, the surroundings became quiet for a moment.

He didn't understand what was going on at first. After a few seconds, he heard the shouts of people.

"Hey—"

It was Wang, who was responsible for knocking rust at the stern. Zheng Zhuo got up and walked quickly to the stern. He pushed open the porthole and saw Wang waving below.

"Yes - Ska - stuck in the high-pressure water cannon pump——!! Which part are you going to tear down—is there anyone going to help me?"

It turned out that the surroundings became quiet, and the high-pressure water cannon stopped!

"Neither will I! I'll help you ask—"

Zheng Zhuo shouted in the sea breeze, he turned his head, and was about to find a suitable crew, but he saw that the black and suppressed birds were approaching the research ship at an unusual speed.

"Birds—"

……

【Identification】

【Atlantic puffin, round-tailed shearwater and skuas】

[Aggression: 100]

……

Brush la-la-la-la!

In an instant.

Thousands of seabirds pounced on the Beautiful Future, submerging the thousand-ton ocean-going research vessel in feathers and beaks.

"What's going on - there are birds! A bird is coming! ”

"Close the window!"

"Door, door!"

In the restaurant, quite a few crew members are eating. The sudden attack of the flock of birds immediately blew up the pot. Everyone scrambled to block everything they could, to block the feathered bombs.

"The birds are attacking us!" Zheng Zhuo pressed against the porthole and shouted loudly down, "Xiao Wang! There are so many birds! Are you alright? Come back! ”

"I- I'm fine——! But, but—"

The voice of Wang's intersection came from below. He covers his head and face with one hand and points upwards with the other.

"They're rambling! The dish antenna and transceiver tower on the roof of the ship will be broken! ”

"You're going to-"

A gust of wind with the smell of birds overshadowed Zheng Zhuo's words. More seabirds pounced on the ship. Zheng Zhuo saw that classmate Wang dropped the high-pressure water gun in his hand and grabbed it in the air. After several failed attempts, he managed to catch a skua gull.

Wang threw the ska upwards vigorously, apparently trying to stop the birds from attacking the antenna. But alas, it's too high there! He couldn't even throw the bird to half the height.

At this moment, the sound of other crew members running quickly behind him was heard.

"Here comes the tarp! Let's go out and cover the important stuff! ”

Many sailors wearing helmets and goggles dragged heavy tarps through the corridors. Zheng Zhuo hurriedly followed. He stepped onto the deck with his front and back feet, and his eyes were full of flying seabirds, and the sky was obscured by them.

"You're here!"

Wang was standing by the cable at the stern of the boat. He covers his face with one hand and wavs a petrel in the air in the other, dispersing birds that try to get close to the cable. His head, body, and hands were covered in cuts from his beak and claws, but he was strong and the injuries didn't seem to make much of a difference.

"Get into the cabin!"

The sailors ran past him and covered the cables. Once secured, they began to climb the ladder again, covering the tarps over the dish antennas and the transceiver tower. A sailor took advantage of the gap to fix the high-pressure water cannon and activate it, but this time, the water cannon was also ineffective against the fanatical seabirds.

Everyone had to retreat indoors and close the ship's windows and doors. The antenna was obscured, and the satellite image became a snowflake spot. All you can do is wait.

The riot brought about by the bird weather continued for another hour. As night fell, the seabirds finally stopped. They scattered and disappeared into the fading cobalt blue sky.

……

"We need to speed up the process."

After the sailors took advantage of the night to remove the tarp, the first mate said.

He looked at the main console. Satellite imagery recovered a little. It flickered incessantly, showing snowflake dots and band lines, only to return to normal in a few seconds only occasionally.

"The satellite dish was broken by those birds. Fortunately, it hasn't completely lost its functionality. We need to get to our destinations as soon as possible and give them a complete overhaul. Depending on the boat and fuel situation, I think we could have arrived a day earlier - the day after tomorrow. ”

He asked the captain to give the order to increase the speed. However, the second mate had a different opinion from him.

"That's too dangerous. The professor's miniature deep-sea probe is broken and cannot be explored for conditions at the bottom of the sea. It can only be repaired the day after tomorrow at the earliest: that is the day we expect to arrive on the island. If we had arrived a day earlier, we wouldn't have had time to release the detector earlier. The current situation in the area where the island is located is relatively complicated, and there have been no records of other large ships docking in the past. If we go straight to the shore without surveying in advance, there will be a great danger. ”

"But! If we delay one more day, we can't guarantee that the crazy birds won't come back! If they completely break the antenna, the ship will become a drifting coffin! ”

"Can't we fix it directly?"

"Do you want to get those birds out during the breeding season?"

……

The first mate and the second mate insisted on their own words, and the scene was at an impasse for a while. The captain furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought. The sailors and classmates whispered, and some supported the first mate's statement: arrive as soon as possible, so as not to have too many dreams at night; Some people support the second mate's statement that life is at stake, and caution is needed.

At the moment, it seems that the proponents of both options are about the same.

Which one should be supported?

Zheng Zhuo touched his chin and opened the [Subconscious Voting].

……

【Voting】

[Attacked by seabirds!] What's next? 】

[Option 1]

[Protect the antenna and arrive as soon as possible]

[Option 2]

[Pay attention to the seabed situation and arrive as planned]