379: Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven: Is the Whale a Fish?
379: Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven: Is the Whale a Fish?
Gao Yang and his team first arrived in New Zealand.
Although it was just a brief stop in New Zealand, it was not until after their arrival that Gao Yang and his team realized the magnitude of the sensation their actions had caused.
Even though five days had passed since the incident, the events that took place in the Southern Ocean continued to heat up.
News about the attacks on the whaling ships didn’t fade away; on the contrary, they gained more and more attention.
However, the main focus was no longer on the sinking of the whaling ships themselves, but rather on Gao Yang’s declaration, which had stirred a great controversy worldwide.
After an initial wave of condemnation, the voices on the internet began to emerge, turning the Green Terror Organization into the focal point of attention.
In Huaxia, there was nationwide jubilation.
The fact that all the victims were Japanese was enough for them.
Unlike Huaxia’s cheers, other countries fell into a big debate.
On television news programs, guests with opposing views engaged in heated arguments.
Considering that ninety-nine Japanese crew members had died, the guests who thought those Japanese deserved to die still had to watch their language.
Online, however, it was different.
Opinions on the existence of the Green Terror Organization were almost evenly divided; some believed such an organization should exist, while others thought it shouldn’t.
Yet, regarding the incident of the Green Terror Organization wiping out a whaling fleet, over ninety percent supported the Green Terror Organization.
Gao Yang even managed to drag organizations like Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd into this ordeal.
Although they vehemently denied any association with the Green Terror Organization and disclaimed any future violent actions, all environmental organizations received unprecedented attention.
As for Gao Yang, it didn’t matter how the outside world was abuzz with noise.
Four Japanese whaling ships had been sent to the bottom of the ocean along with almost all their crew.
Arctic Sunrise had only recovered a dozen or so bodies riddled with holes or incomplete.
If the Japanese wanted to salvage the ships and bodies, they would have to dive to a depth of three thousand meters.
The Avenger had also sunk into the Southeast Pacific Basin, where the water depth ranged from three thousand to five thousand meters.
Even if no one knew about the whereabouts of the Avenger, it didn’t matter; let the Japanese retrieve the sunken ship as evidence if they wanted to.
After only half a day in New Zealand, Gao Yang and Glolov boarded a plane to Chile, while Cui Bo and Uriyangko went their separate ways.
Cui Bo headed to the Gulf of Aden, and Uriyangko needed to send off the crew members like Pavlovich in batches before heading to South Africa.
Yelena had completely recovered, but Catherine was still in the hospital in Punta Arenas.
Her organ failure was severe, and although she had woken up ten days ago, she was still not out of danger.
For safety reasons, she could not return to the United States for treatment, so Catherine stayed in Punta Arenas, along with Yelena and Adele.
By this time, not a single reporter could be seen at Yelena’s hospital.
With the Nisshin Maru already sunk, the news value of Yelena and the others had drastically decreased.
When the news first broke, the reporters enquired about Yelena’s feelings regarding the sinking of the Nisshin Maru, then scattered from Punta Arenas.
Avoiding the reporters’ interviews was impossible, so Yelena, who accepted interviews on television, graciously forgave the crew of the Nisshin Maru.
Even if she was slow to catch on, she now understood why Gao Yang had left hurriedly instead of staying by her side – her boyfriend had sent those Japanese to the bottom of the ocean.
Now that the Japanese were dead, Yelena could forgive them.
No one connected the sinking of the Nisshin Maru to Yelena and the others.
The reason was simple; after learning about the backgrounds of Yelena and Catherine, no one thought they had anything to do with the sinking.
Yelena had been discharged and settled in a hotel near the hospital with Natalia.
Nevertheless, she and Natalia visited Catherine every day for a chat.
With the reporters no longer crowding the entrance, Gao Yang and the others could enter the hospital openly upon their return to Punta Arenas.
Catherine had been moved to the general ward.
Gao Yang and Glolov, each holding a large bouquet of flowers, found Catherine’s room and knocked on the door.
Filmore opened the door and upon seeing Gao Yang and Glolov, immediately smiled and gestured a warm welcome.
Catherine had awakened and the most dangerous phase was over.
Although it was still uncertain if there would be any complications, her life was no longer at risk.
Both of Catherine’s parents, Yelena and her daughter, and Adele were in the room.
However, unlike the last time Gao Yang visited, now everyone’s face was adorned with smiles.
Seeing that Gao Yang had returned, Yelena immediately ran up and hugged him tightly, then buried her head in his chest.
Glolov had opened his arms to hug her, but to his surprise, Yelena rushed into Gao Yang’s embrace, leaving Glolov with a complex expression on his face.
Watching Glolov’s crestfallen face, Gao Yang helplessly conveyed an apologetic expression.
Fortunately, Natalia stepped forward and embraced Glolov, ensuring he didn’t open his arms in vain.
Natalia and Glolov, being an old married couple, only held each other briefly before letting go.
With a helpless shrug, Glolov placed the fresh flowers by Catherine’s bedside, and then said to her with a grave voice, while she smiled, “Thank you.
As a father, I appreciate everything you’ve done for Yelena.
Thank you.”
As much as Glolov loved his daughter, that’s how grateful he was to Catherine.
But Catherine was still too weak, so after setting down the flowers, Glolov exchanged only a few words with her before stepping aside.
Finally, Yelena, blushing, let go of Gao Yang and rushed to hug Glolov.
Meanwhile, Gao Yang, holding fresh flowers, stood in front of Catherine’s hospital bed for a long time, not knowing what to say.
In the end, he just said softly, “Thank you, Catherine.”
Catherine smiled faintly and whispered, “Why are you thanking me?
It should be me thanking you for visiting me.
Besides, I was the one who invited Yelena.
I should be the one saying sorry, right?”
Gao Yang shook his head and said, “Yelena told me everything.
I don’t know what to say.
I’m very, um, very grateful to you.”
Catherine gave Yelena a reproachful look, and Yelena stuck out her tongue before responding to Catherine with a smile.
Gao Yang immediately realized he had said something wrong, becoming even more embarrassed.
He and Catherine looked at each other, not knowing what to say next, falling into an awkward silence.
Catherine’s mother stepped forward, laughing as she took the flowers from Gao Yang’s hand, and said, “Thank you for the flowers.
Catherine is much better now.
In a couple of days, we’ll be heading back to America.
The doctor said she should not have any complications.”
With Catherine’s mother breaking the ice, Gao Yang quickly said, “That’s wonderful, really wonderful.
Catherine, I just knew you would be fine.
Um, I wish you a speedy recovery.”
After making some small talk, the room fell silent again.
Just then, Adele, who had been standing by silently, suddenly asked, “Gao, it was you who sank the Nisshin Maru, wasn’t it?”
Gao Yang and Glolov were both stunned, and Catherine’s parents looked even more shocked.
Gao Yang looked at Yelena, only to see her shaking her head almost imperceptibly, indicating she had not said anything.
“How could…
How could you think we did it?
Please, I don’t have that ability, haha.
We’re all friends here, but you can’t just say anything you like, watch out or I’ll sue you for defamation.”
In his surprise, Gao Yang almost blurted out ‘how do you know that,’ but he quickly recovered and did not reveal anything, instead turning the situation into a joke with a classic line.
Adele, looking resolute, said, “Yelena was still in the hospital, Catherine had just woken up, and you rushed off in a hurry.
I know you would never just leave them behind.
Your departure clearly meant you had something extremely important to do.
It’s been eleven days since we were admitted, and on the fifth day after you left, the Nisshin Maru was attacked.
Then, after another five and a half days, you returned.
The timing seems to suggest it was you guys.
I’m not very familiar with the Southern Ocean, but I do know you quite well, so even though I don’t have evidence, I’m sure it was you, wasn’t it?”
Gao Yang smiled and said, “You have a wild imagination.”
Adele no longer questioned whether it was Gao Yang who did it; instead, she stated with conviction, “Gao, ninety-nine Japanese crew members, ninety-nine lives went down with the ship.
What were you thinking?”
Gao Yang would never admit it was him who took out the Nisshin Maru, especially with Catherine’s parents and Adele in the room, but he was exceedingly annoyed by Adele’s tone.
So this time, without denying it, he directly asked, “Tell me, is a whale a fish?”
After a moment’s hesitation followed by a shrug, Adele replied, “Of course, whales aren’t fish.
They are mammals.
Anyone with a bit of common sense knows that, right?”
Gao Yang nodded and said, “Alright, it seems you know the answer to this very simple academic question.
So then, are Japanese people human?”
Adele was taken aback.
After a moment’s pause, she broke into a smile and jubilantly said, “It must have been you!
I just knew it!”
Having said this joyfully, Adele immediately stepped forward and threw her arms around Gao Yang’s shoulder, planting a kiss on his face and then excitedly punching him in the chest with a smile, saying, “You did an excellent job, pal.
I love you for this.
And to answer your academic question, just like whales are not fish, Japanese people of course are not human.” (To be continued.
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