369: Chapter 367: Pursuit on the Angry Sea 369: Chapter 367: Pursuit on the Angry Sea The so-called Antarctic Ocean, or the Southern Ocean, refers collectively to the vast expanse of sea surrounding the continent of Antarctica, composed of parts of the South Pacific Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, and the South Indian Ocean, as well as the surrounding seas like the Weddell Sea, Ross Sea, Amundsen Sea, and Bellingshausen Sea.
The South Pacific Ocean from south of 60 degrees latitude up to the continent of Antarctica is the Southern Ocean.
Although now we can roughly determine the active area of the Nisshin Maru, the whaling fleet keeps moving, and the Southern Ocean covers several million square kilometers.
Finding a few ships in such a vast area is truly like finding a needle in a haystack.
With a ship and torpedoes on hand, the only thing left is to find the Nisshin Maru.
The area where Yelena and others encountered trouble was near the Amundsen Sea, but by the time the Avenger set sail, the Nisshin Maru was long gone to an unknown location.
Moreover, the confrontation between Bob Barker and the whaling fleet drew wide attention.
The whaling fleet temporarily suspended its operations and shifted its hunting grounds.
Although the Japanese whaling fleet has habitual areas of activity, the zone is too large.
Relying solely on the Avenger to find them was unrealistic.
Fortunately, Gao Yang had natural allies, which were Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Although the Bob Barker was forced to terminate its anti-whaling operation after colliding with the whaling ships, one of Greenpeace’s vessels, the Arctic Sunrise, joined the action to stop the Nisshin Maru from whaling and has been following the whaling fleet closely, engaging in non-violent protection activities.
Greenpeace made the Nisshin Maru’s location public, attracting other conservation vessels to join.
Like a shark that had caught the scent of blood, the Avenger also pounced straight towards the Nisshin Maru.
Grand Ivan had taken on Gao Yang’s commission; hence, in addition to preparing the hardware, Grand Ivan was also responsible for part of the intelligence work.
Through various channels, information obtained was promptly sent to the Avenger every day.
Even if the Nisshin Maru changed its position, Gao Yang and his team would always be notified in time.
Gao Yang had spent a considerable time at sea, but compared to the rough conditions of the Southern Ocean, the calm waters of the Gulf of Aden were like a bathtub.
From the first day of sailing, Gao Yang began to feel seasick.
During four days at sea, there were three and a half days of strong winds, and the sea conditions were very rough.
Amidst the stormy waves, Gao Yang vomited relentlessly every day.
His legs were so weak he couldn’t even stand, but he wasn’t the only one seasick.
In fact, most of the Avenger’s crew were suffering from seasickness, albeit to varying degrees.
Gao Yang was still doing relatively well; Uriyangko was the one who suffered the most, lying in his bed, unable to move.
And Bruce, who came from a naval background, wasn’t faring much better than Gao Yang.
The crew operating the Avenger were all found by Grand Ivan, fifteen people in total.
Although all spoke Russian, they were not all Russians.
These crew members didn’t all know each other beforehand.
While they had all served in the Russian Navy, they didn’t come from the same ship.
In fact, the crew was composed of members from all four major Russian fleets without exception: Pacific Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, Northern Fleet, and the Baltic Fleet.
They were assembled on the tiny Avenger, and it was a mystery how Grand Ivan had managed to gather them all together.
Gao Yang lay in his bed, dry heaving from time to time, feeling the worst discomfort when there was nothing left to vomit.
Initially, he managed to resist the misery of seasickness by sleeping through his fatigue after setting sail, but now, he couldn’t even get a moment’s sleep.
The enthusiasm he had at the outset of the journey had long since disappeared without a trace.
Now, Gao Yang just wanted to end this hellish sea voyage as soon as possible.
He didn’t dare think about how much longer it would take to find the Nisshin Maru, let alone how much longer before he could return to land.
Cui Bo kept groaning and moaning, while Li Jinfang had vomited to the point where he didn’t even have the strength to moan.
Gao Yang worried that if the sea conditions didn’t improve, he might die of seasickness on this ship.
In the midst of agony, Gao suddenly heard a burst of garbled Russian from the ship’s loudspeaker—it was the captain broadcasting again.
Eagerly, Gao pricked up his ears, waiting for Glolov’s translation.
“Good news.”
Listening to Glolov announce good news, Gao Yang thought they had already found the trace of the Nisshin Maru, but he felt no excitement at all.
However, after waiting for Glolov to finish speaking weakly, Gao Yang really became excited, even happier than if they had found the trace of the Nisshin Maru.
“Good news, the captain says the weather is improving, and the waves are getting smaller.
If we’re lucky, in another four or five hours, the sea might become calm, and according to the satellite cloud images, the good weather might last for quite a long time.”
Gao Yang was too exhausted to cheer but he still raised his arm weakly and said, “Glolov, this is the first good news you’ve translated for us in days.”
With hope in his heart, Gao Yang drifted in and out of sleep, enduring a tough period, and then, he noticed the rocking of the ship was becoming less and less until it finally calmed down.
Gao Yang drifted into a real sleep, not the kind where you’re half asleep and restless, unable to sleep but constantly feeling drowsy.
When Gao Yang finally woke up, although he still felt weak and strengthless in every muscle, his head wasn’t spinning anymore, and the ship was very stable.
For the first time since he came aboard, he felt like he had his feet solidly on the ground.
Li Jinfang was still sleeping, snoring loudly.
It was the first time Gao Yang had seen Li Jinfang truly asleep since they had started these days.
Other than Li Jinfang, everyone else was gone; they must have already gone outside.
Gao Yang didn’t wake Li Jinfang.
Suppressing his discomfort and weakness, he rolled out of bed without making any noise and, leaning against the wall, slowly made his way out of the cabin.
Although it was summer in Antarctica, the sea breeze over the Southern Ocean was still very cold.
Gao Yang was dressed rather thinly, but when he came out of the cramped and stuffy cabin and slowly walked onto the deck, he felt a chill on his body with the breeze, which invigorated his spirit.
The wind had been persisting at force seven or eight in the previous days, but now, although there was still wind, it was only at two or three, with only slight waves on the sea.
Gao Yang was finally able to walk steadily on the deck.
Gao Yang slowly made his way to the foredeck, and there he found that almost everyone, except those crew members who couldn’t leave their posts, had come up to the deck, as the continuous days of strong wind had been hard on everyone.
Uriyangko was helped onto the deck to enjoy some fresh air.
These past few days, Uriyangko had been vomiting so much that he had become somewhat dehydrated, and he couldn’t even keep down saliva, so he had been relying on IV drips to prevent severe dehydration.
Finally, no longer needing an IV drip, a weak Uriyangko waved at Gao Yang and then said with a faint voice, “Hey, just got the news, we’re not far from the Nisshin Maru.” (To be continued.
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