Chapter 104 - 102: Tomato Flood

The heavy smell of petroleum continued to drift through the air as Dr. Shire tried to lure the giant-toothed sharks with beef bones again.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes... A full ten minutes passed, but the giant-toothed sharks still hadn’t appeared.

The strong smell of petroleum must have been enough to keep them away.

Everyone was ecstatic to see that the giant-toothed sharks hadn’t shown up.

But there was also the fear that the cunning giant-toothed sharks were playing a trick.

The ice was covered in an inky black layer of oil. If they were really lurking beneath the surface, no one would be able to see them.

Dr. Shire said, "Petroleum contains complex organic compounds with various properties that are extremely harmful to marine life. Not only does it form a film on the surface, but it also cuts off dissolved oxygen in the water, causing marine creatures to suffocate and die. The amount of oil we’ve used is enough to severely pollute the ocean within a ten-mile radius. The smell will definitely make the sharks keep their distance. Let’s wait another half hour, and then we’ll have another vote on who goes down."

They continued baiting for half an hour, but the giant-toothed sharks still didn’t appear. Everyone’s tense hearts finally eased a little.

The people who had drawn the red lots quickly got down onto the ice. With proper coordination with those on the ship, the yacht was finally righted.

Dr. Shire led everyone in a cheer, while Mike and the others raced against time, hurrying to load their supplies onto the yacht.

They hoped to get an even larger share of supplies after making it to shore.

Jack urged, "Doctor, quick, tell them to throw the steel cables over!" He was afraid Jiang Si wouldn’t keep her word.

Dr. Shire picked up the megaphone and shouted, "Miss Jiang, we’re ready! We can set off together now."

A strong gust of wind blew past, kicking up a cloud of snow, but there was no movement from the Icebreaker.

Lina’s heart pounded. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yelled anxiously, "Miss Jiang, we need your help!"

The joyful expression on Mike’s face suddenly vanished. ’They’re not going to back out, are they?’

’If they dare to go back on their word,’ he thought, ’I’ll find a way to take them down with us.’

Dr. Shire shook his head. "They’ve waited for us this long. Miss Jiang doesn’t seem like the type to break her promise. Maybe they’re inside the cabin and can’t hear us clearly."

He tried shouting two more times. Just as everyone on the yacht was about to lose it, Jiang Si and the others appeared from the cabin.

Everyone’s eyes immediately reddened. Their previous resentment and suspicion instantly transformed into a tidal wave of gratitude.

Qin Shen moved swiftly. With Jiang Si and Lu Zhifeng’s help, he quickly threw the steel cables toward the yacht.

Once the yacht and the Icebreaker were connected, everyone’s anxious hearts could finally rest.

Saved. Survived. Hopeful. These feelings filled everyone’s hearts.

The Icebreaker slowly began to clear a path forward. After setting the program, they no longer had to stay cooped up in the cabin.

As the ships left the polluted waters, they drank milk tea and started chatting. "I wonder if we’ll run into the giant-toothed sharks again?"

Jiang Si said, "We’ll definitely run into them. As long as the ship doesn’t get capsized, there shouldn’t be a major problem."

Jiang Linhai said, "My god, those teeth are no different from diamonds. I’m honestly scared they’ll bite right through our hull."

Jiang Chengwu’s leg was injured and hadn’t healed, so he couldn’t be of much help and needed others to take care of him. The encounter with the giant-toothed sharks had left him terrified. He said, "Once those foreigners on the yacht are ashore, we should also find a place to dock. If there’s danger, we’ll have two escape options: fleeing by ship or fleeing onto land."

Shen Baoying agreed. "That’s a good point. Otherwise, we don’t have enough fuel to keep driving off these giant-toothed sharks."

Although Jiang Si had a helicopter in her space, it couldn’t fly in extreme weather.

Besides, they had already turned this Icebreaker into a cozy little home. They could even grow crops. Ostensibly, they had plenty of supplies, and if worse came to worst, they could always drill through the ice to fish.

Jiang Chengwu’s idea received unanimous approval. Jiang Si nodded and said, "Okay, we’ll do as Grandpa says."

Perhaps the smell of petroleum clinging to the Icebreaker and the yacht was too strong. Even as the ships passed through layers of oil slicks, there was still no sign of the giant-toothed sharks nearby.

Everyone gradually began to relax. When Jiang Si went back to her room to rest, she took the opportunity to enter her space to pick tomatoes and eggplants.

The tomatoes were as big as fists, bright red and incredibly fresh. She had only planted a dozen or so stalks, but the yield was high.

Jiang Si casually picked one, wiped it with her hand, and popped it into her mouth.

Sweet, tart, and juicy. As expected of a premium seed variety, the taste was exquisite.

’Unfortunately, bringing them out directly would make people suspicious.’

’She had also considered revealing the space to Lu Zhifeng, but her long life in the apocalypse made her unwilling to easily place her complete trust in anyone.’

’Even though Qin Shen knew she had a space, she didn’t dare trust him completely. In her past life, she had been betrayed by team members she trusted.’

’Time tests people, and accidents can happen at any moment.’

’What if they have no intention of taking the space for themselves now, but develop that desire later?’

’Or what if they’re captured and forced to reveal it?’

’The fewer people who knew, the safer it was for her family.’

Because things could grow in the space, the refrigerator inside it was already filled with previously harvested vegetables like peppers, cucumbers, and water spinach.

In just a short while, Jiang Si had picked over ten pounds of tomatoes. If she just stored them, they would definitely spoil. If she made them into tomato sauce, her family wouldn’t be able to finish it for who knows how long.

Shen Baoying had already made a ton of jam. Just from the strawberries Jiang Si had grown, she had made twenty jars of jam alone. Shen Baoying had to get creative, developing strawberry snacks or making freeze-dried strawberries just to use them up.

The refrigerator was already packed, and now there was basically no room left to stuff anything else in.

Besides the tomatoes, the newly ripened eggplants were a glossy, deep purple. She could pick at least several pounds of them too.

Fortunately, the eggplants could be sun-dried. After being processed, they could generally be stored for over half a year.

Jiang Si thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out how to use up all these tomatoes. Giving them away was out of the question.

There was no room in the refrigerator, and tomatoes weren’t the kind of fruit that should be refrigerated.

’Letting them rot for fertilizer seems like such a waste.’

Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration. She had an excuse.

Jiang Si went to Shen Baoying’s room and took out two fresh, plump tomatoes, handing them to her and Jiang Linhai. "A whole new batch of tomatoes has ripened," she said. "Let’s have a tomato feast tonight."

Shen Baoying took a bite and said, her words muffled, "These tomatoes are amazing. But how are we going to explain where they came from?"

Jiang Si said, "Doesn’t this Icebreaker have a greenhouse? The previous crew grew fruits and vegetables too. We’ll just say we found these in a refrigerator in one of the crew’s cabins and that we should eat them while they’re still fresh."

Shen Baoying’s eyes lit up. "That’s a great idea."

Soon after, Shen Baoying brought out a small plate of sliced tomatoes with sugar and suggested to everyone, "How about we have sour fish soup for dinner tonight?"