Chapter 1271: Destruction and Courage

President Wilson sighed in disappointment having heard Sheyan’s explanation. He looked as if he had grown several decades older in an instant. He sat down on the cold metallic chair next to him and pressed his fingers against his temples in exhaustion. Because the airships had to float in the air and there might be violent turbulence, all the furniture was fixed in place so as to avoid hurting people. Therefore, it was not very comfortable.

Zi could not help feeling a little sad seeing the respectable President Wilson in this state. Compared to his predecessors President Bush Sr. and Jr., President Clinton, and Watergate President Nixon, Wilson really seemed like a saint. Zi pulled Sally, the president’s secretary, aside and spoke to her. Before long, Sally had fetched some hot water and started getting busy at the cookery at the back.

Soon, President Wilson was re-energised thanks to some hot towels, hot chocolate, and a large sandwich. He should have been extremely tired under the immense psychological and physiological stress, but he still insisted on checking the conditions of the survivors on the airships before he would rest. As a show of respect, Sheyan and his party members accompanied him on the inspection.

The base had obviously made ample preparations beforehand. The airship staff was currently distributing a myriad of supplies and necessities to every passenger in an orderly fashion, including a number plate, a set of hygiene products, and a grey blanket that was big and thick, though the fibers were a bit rough to the touch.

Although the passengers had just lost all their properties, at least they now had a safe place to lie down and rest, and a bed that may not be too comfortable but could keep them warm. But because the number of people rescued had exceeded expectations, some of the passengers could only sleep on a mat in the corridors.

A lot of people were so emotional that they burst into tears when they saw Party Ace and the President. Some even knelt down to thank them. It was obvious how high a reputation they enjoyed among the survivors.

After inspecting two of the giant airships, President Wilson nodded approvingly despite maintaining a critical attitude from the beginning. This was a crucial period, so all the passengers were asked not to leave their cabins. Dinner would be sent to each cabin by a specialised food trolley, and food would only be provided to those who possessed a number plate.

Hunger breeds discontentment, so President Wilson naturally placed a lot of importance on food distribution. When he saw the food trolley, he went over to observe.

Each food trolley contained two large aluminum barrels. The first aluminum barrel contained high-density biscuits compressed into squares. Each person would receive a piece the size of a cigarette box. The biscuits were so hard that they could knock a person’s teeth off. Each aluminum barrel contained enough biscuits to feed more than ten cabins.

The second aluminium barrel contained a very hot soup which had chopped carrots, meat strips, corn kernels and a lot of butter. The supplies provided to each passenger when they boarded included a military canteen and a large lunch box, so each passenger could fill their lunch box full of soup every meal.

President Wilson asked for a set of food to dine together with the people there, so that he could listen to their voices and opinions. For a President, the dinner was certainly not something that could be considered to be tasty, but the high-density compressed biscuits soaked in soup was certainly very filling, more than enough to make a grown man feel full. The soup also contained a lot of butter. Although that made it a bit greasy, it was very helpful in restoring energy and resisting the cold. The President could tell that the organisation had put a lot of thought into the food.

Some incidents had occurred during dinner. Some of the people could not get used to such crude food, so despite the warning signs prohibiting the act of wasting food, they still threw their food away.

This behaviour attracted the attention of the security personnel. They promptly handed out the punishment — the number plates of the people who threw food away were taken from them and would only be returned 36 hours later. They would have to go hungry for at least four meals.

On the whole, President Wilson was very satisfied with the order on the airships.

After some time, an urgent message came from the control room: the tsunami was coming. In order to cope with the imminent bad weather, the airship formation would climb to maximum altitude and seal off all entrances.

Warnings were continuously blared throughout the airships:

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“All passengers are advised to stay in their cabins and hold on to something fixed to steady themselves. Those who are confident in their physique can move to the portholes to say goodbye to the great, beautiful, spectacular, magnificent Washington one last time.”

Huge tides piled up on the horizon like dense clouds and rushed madly over. The tallest wave looked down upon the land from up high, then completely submerged it. All of them stared at the spectacle silently. At the top of the giant wave was an aircraft carrier, the symbol of the most powerful combat force among human forces. The Star-Spangled Banner on it could be clearly seen. It came crashing down together with the tidal wave and crushed the White House!!

Tears silently streaked down President Wilson’s aged cheeks. This city, once the capital of the world’s most powerful nation, disappeared from the face of the Earth, shattered and submerged!

In this instant, this old black man, this President who was brave enough to die together with his people, wept loudly!

His sad mood spread to the whole airship. Sounds of crying rose one after another.

The terrible giant wave swept past the land in an instant, eradicating the architectural heritages built by the painstaking efforts of generations. Everywhere they looked, all they could see was a vast white ocean. It was a scene of hopelessness! In the distance, where the sky met the ocean, dark clouds so dense they looked solid stood like mountains, surging madly with the occasional lightning flashing in them.

Sensing the atmosphere of loss, grief and despair in the air, Sheyan felt that he should say something. He went over to President Wilson’s side and told him earnestly, “Mr. President, Washington may be buried deep under the sea, but why do we weep for this place in the first place? The meaning behind this name, the spirit it represents, is definitely not helplessness and grief! If we miss it, we can just engrave it in our memories so that we never forget it. If we grief over its demise, why not rebuild Washington with our own hands in the future? A new, more magnificent Washington! Don’t forget, before 1789 AD, this place was only a wasteland beside the Potomac River!”

President Wilson raised his head. His eyes were still red and full of tears, but his hands were now clenched into tight fists.

Sheyan continued, “According to the information I received, the flood will only submerge the lands for ten days at most before it recedes. When the time comes, we will face a brand new Earth. Mr. President, I disagree with something you repeatedly emphasised. You keep saying that you’re the last President of the United States, but I believe that as long as there are American citizens who survive, as long as they keep the dream of rebuilding the country in their hearts, the United States of America will not perish!”

Everyone stared at Sheyan in astonishment, even President Wilson. Sally, the President’s secretary, started clapping with tears in her eyes. The rest of the people around them followed her lead. Even President Wilson joined in.

When Sheyan saw them regain their morale, he knew that his speech had worked. He smiled faintly and then shouted at the engine room, “Hey, Sander, we’re rising too slowly! We have to fly higher than those terrible thunderstorm clouds before they get here!”

Sander was a technician personally trained by Dr. Octopus himself. He had already served on the airship for three hundred hours in total.

“That’s what I’m doing! Our altitude now is 3,700 meters. When the thunderstorm clouds arrive, the strong wind they bring will make us rise faster!” he yelled.

In the next half an hour, all the passengers had a good taste of the experience of moving through thunderstorm clouds. It must be very nerve-wracking to know that they were only separated from the lightning and strong gale outside by a thin layer of cabin wall.

Fortunately, Lady Luck seemed to be on their side. Only one of the giant airships was struck by lightning, but it could still fly afterwards, though with some difficulties. Soon, the airships rose to 12 kilometers above sea level as planned. In this mid-latitude area, this height had already reached the top of the troposphere.

They could see the dark cumulonimbus clouds full of water vapour and flashing lightning below them. They were moving rapidly in the strong wind like a boat drifting with the waves. This was also part of the plan. Strong winds could not pose any significant threats to the huge, strong airbags of the airships, just like a turbulent water flow could never make an airtight, hollow can sink underwater.

The airships would now enjoy a relatively stable period. They were expected to drift in the air for more than 72 hours, after which the angry Earth would slowly calm down.

Most of the people in the airships had fallen asleep in fatigue and fear. Sheyan and President Wilson were drinking thick, bitter coffee together. They did not fall asleep, because they still had something more important to do.