pdf-ebookys Chapter 1205
Chapter 1205
Just as she was about to push the door open, a cold voice suddenly came from behind her, startling her so much that she froze.
"Xiaoxue, where have you been? I haven't seen you for ages."
Xiaoxue suddenly turned around and saw Lin Wei standing not far away, dressed neatly in a white coat, her face expressionless, her brows tightly furrowed, and her eyes fixed on her.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she forced a smile, saying guiltily, "Sister Lin Wei, I... I went back to see my dad. He wasn't feeling well, so I went back to give him some instructions."
Lin Wei walked over slowly, her gaze sweeping over the woman's face, her eyes full of suspicion: "Really? These past few days, you've been running around every day, going back to see your dad?"
There was obvious dissatisfaction in his tone.
Xiaoxue felt flustered and subconsciously lowered her head.
Lin Wei stared at her silent expression, her face softening slightly, but her tone remained serious: "There's already a lot going on at the research institute. You're always running around, leaving your work piling up. Who's going to take responsibility if you fall behind schedule?"
"From now on, try not to go out unnecessarily. If you really need to go out, tell me in advance so that people don't have to look for you everywhere."
Xiaoxue nodded quickly, her voice soft: "I understand, Sister Lin Wei, I won't do it again."
Lin Wei hummed in agreement, then, as if suddenly remembering something, changed the subject: "By the way, does your dad still have any asthma medication? If it's almost used up, I'll apply for another batch from the higher-ups."
This kind of chronic medication is hard to find, so it's good to have as much as you can; it will be useful eventually.
Xiaoxue quickly looked up and gave Lin Wei a grateful smile: "Thank you so much, Sister Lin Wei, thank you for your help."
"It was nothing, don't mention it." Lin Wei nodded and waved her hand. "Go inside and get busy. I still have a report to finish this afternoon."
"Okay, I'll go get it right away." Xiaoxue quickly agreed and strode into the assistant's office.
Only after closing the door did I quietly breathe a sigh of relief; a thin layer of sweat had already broken out on my back.
Lin Wei stood still, staring at the closed office door, her gaze darkening.
The next morning, a sharp alarm suddenly shattered the tranquility of the fortress, coming from the direction of the breeding area on the west side.
The patrol team rushed over upon hearing the sound.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching most of the fortress in the blink of an eye.
As soon as Xiaoxue sat down, the researcher at the next workstation came over.
"Something's happened. Half of the hot spring fish in the aquaculture facility died overnight."
Xiaoxue was taken aback.
She joined the Kunlun ship late, so she didn't know many things before.
However, she also heard that the hot spring fish were brought back from the seabed by Zhou Shuwan and her team after going through great hardships.
Because this fish can grow in boiling water of over 300 degrees Celsius, it can not only be used as food, but also contains special trace elements. In the apocalypse, it is more precious than grain, and everyone in the base has always protected it like the apple of their eye.
These days, since they settled on the island, the researchers and aquaculture workers responsible for breeding hydrothermal vent fish have been working together to try to raise hydrothermal vent fish in the nearby waters.
However, the nearby seawater temperature is too low. Hydrothermal vent fish are used to deep-sea water temperatures of over 300 degrees Celsius, but the highest temperature in shallow water is only 68 degrees Celsius, so they cannot live there at all.
They tried laying heating pipes, but the heat was all carried away by the seawater, so it didn't work.
Despite the construction of an insulated shed, the fish fry still died in batches after two heat waves.
We tried open-air farming several times, but all attempts failed.
Fortunately, everyone remained calm. There was a dedicated breeding base inside the fortress, with temperature-controlled tanks simulating the deep-sea environment. The water temperature and quality were precisely controlled, and most of the hydrothermal vent fish were kept there and thrived.
Moreover, the base currently has enough food. As long as nothing goes wrong here, there is plenty of time to try things out slowly. Once the sea level temperature rises, success will eventually be achieved.
No one expected that the safest place would run into trouble first.
Three days ago, when the fish farm workers were inspecting the water, they found several hot spring fish floating on the surface of the water, no longer breathing.
At the time, we thought it was just that some fish were weak. After cleaning up the dead fish and strengthening water quality monitoring, we didn't take it too seriously.
But the next day, the number of dead fish suddenly increased, with more than a dozen dying at once.
Researchers quickly took samples for testing, checking the water quality and equipment. The water temperature was normal, and the mineral content was within the standard range. No problems were found.
Upon learning the news, Captain Chen immediately rushed to the aquaculture base, watching the staff repeatedly check the circuits, equipment, and water tank seals, but still found no clues.
But the deaths of the hot spring fish didn't stop; instead, they became increasingly violent.
This morning, the farmer pushed open the gate of the breeding base and was immediately terrified.
A large number of dead fish floated in the tank, a white expanse; of the fish that were once lively, half of them were now dead.
The remaining fish were listless, sinking to the bottom of the tank and swimming slowly.
Captain Chen was holding a patrol deployment meeting when he heard the news. He slammed his fist on the table and rushed to the aquaculture base without even finishing the meeting.
Upon entering, a pungent fishy smell hits you, and dead fish piled up in the corner of the tank are particularly jarring to look at.
Team leader Hou of the hot spring fish breeding base squatted by the water tank, his eyes bloodshot, having not slept all night, and looking extremely haggard.
"I've checked it five times already. The water quality, water temperature, and equipment are all fine, and there's no short circuit in the circuit. I don't know what's going on."
Captain Chen walked to the water tank, bent down and stared at the remaining fish in the water, his brows furrowed.
The fish had slightly swollen bellies, drooping fins, and wobbly movements, which looked very strange.
"Investigate further. Send the fish samples to the research institute and have the two research team leaders conduct thorough testing. Examine everything, from the internal organs to the scales." Captain Chen's tone was alarmingly heavy, carrying an unquestionable command.
"Yes!"
Captain Chen's gaze swept over the row of drainage tanks, his expression grave.
There are only so many hot spring fish. If one dies, there will be one less. If they all die, there will be no chance to find them again.
Soon, Lin Wei arrived with the research institute's staff, carrying testing equipment and looking serious.
She is the deputy leader of the research group, while the leader is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit for malaria.
Lin Wei squatted by the water tank, used a tool to scoop up a dead fish, examined it from all angles, and then took a sample and put it into a test tube, her movements swift and efficient.
"First check the fish's internal organs and gills, then test the microorganisms in the tank to rule out the possibility of contamination," she instructed the researcher beside her, her tone decisive.
Everyone immediately got to work, taking samples, testing, and recording data. The only sound in the base was the buzzing of the instruments.
Xiaoxue also came over to help, and felt a pang of regret looking at the dead fish in the tank.
But when the results came out, Lin Wei stared at the various data, her brows furrowing more and more tightly.
The water quality was fine, the microorganisms were normal, and the test results for the fish's internal organs showed no abnormalities.
They've investigated everything they could, but still can't find the cause of death.
Team Leader Hou stood to the side, pacing anxiously back and forth: "There can't be no problem, the fish can't just die for no reason!"
Captain Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his face serious, and spoke decisively: "Investigate further!"