Chapter 97 Typhoon Blows to Offshore Drilling Platform! Unexpected Wealth Falls From the Sky
On the big screen in the Central Control Room, the outline of the massive offshore oil drilling rig, blown in by the gale, was so clear it was heart-stopping.
Lin Xingwan's eyes lit up with startling intensity. How could this be scrap metal? This was clearly an endless source of energy delivered to her doorstep by the heavens!
"Good grief… if this thing can be blown over, how strong must the wind be?" Lu Ting stared at the screen, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.
An oil drilling rig. These steel behemoths weighed hundreds of thousands of tons each, like mobile cities on the sea.
Normally, let alone a typhoon, even a tsunami wouldn't be able to shake one by even a fraction. Yet now, it had actually been uprooted entirely, blown from the deep sea hundreds of kilometers away to the shallow waters right at their doorstep. It was simply a fantasy!
"Boss, Sister-in-law, what's the use of this thing? It's just a pile of scrap metal, and you can't eat it." A subordinate nearby scratched his head, his face full of confusion.
"You don't know jack!" Lu Ting slapped the back of his head, his face flushed with excitement.
"Hidden in the belly of this thing is enough 'black gold' to last us the rest of our lives!" The lower levels of an oil drilling rig surely stored thousands of tons of crude oil that hadn't been transported away yet!
In The Apocalypse, this stuff was ten thousand times more valuable than gold!
Although Xingchen Base had achieved energy self-sufficiency relying on solar power and anthracite, as the scale of the Underground City continued to expand, energy consumption was also increasing exponentially.
If they could get their hands on all the crude oil beneath this platform, Xingchen Base's energy reserves would definitely increase tenfold! By then, not to mention running the air conditioning, even drifting armored vehicles through the base every day would be sustainable!
"Duoduo, calculate the time the typhoon eye will pass through!" Lin Xingwan's eyes burned with a determined fire.
With such a super hurricane, there was often a brief period of calm in the center of the eye. This was their only chance.
Qian Duoduo's fingers flew across the keyboard, leaving afterimages, while the data on the screen scrolled frantically.
"Calculated it, Boss! Based on the cyclone's movement speed and air pressure changes, the typhoon eye will pass over us in an hour!" He looked up, his face covered in cold sweat.
"But… the calm period will only last for half an hour at most! After half an hour, the wind wall on the other side of the typhoon will crush over, and the wind force will be twice as strong as it is now!"
Half an hour! To land against the gale, find the oil storage tanks, and collect hundreds of thousands of tons of crude oil within half an hour—this was simply racing against death!
"It's too risky, Sister-in-law!" Lu Ting stomped his feet in anxiety. "The internal structure of an offshore drilling rig is extremely complex, just like a labyrinth. Half an hour is nowhere near enough for us to find the oil storage area!"
"And with the wind so strong outside right now, let alone landing, the helicopter would be blown to pieces as soon as it took off!"
Huo Yuan didn't speak. He just watched Lin Xingwan quietly. He knew this woman too well. As long as it was something she had her sights on, even if it meant facing a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, she would absolutely get her hands on it.
Sure enough, Lin Xingwan just sneered. "The greater the risk, the greater the reward."
She turned her head to look at Huo Yuan, her eyes flashing with a crazy light. "Do you dare to pull this job off with me?"
Huo Yuan smiled. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "Crazy woman."
His voice was deep, yet it carried extreme doting. Huo Yuan didn't say another word. He turned around and strode toward the elevator leading to the underground helipad. His tall, upright figure carried an unquestionable determination.
"I'll fly the helicopter." The moment the elevator doors closed, his cold, firm voice came through. "Everyone, gather at the helipad in ten minutes."
"Boss!" Lu Ting panicked and quickly chased after him. "This is too dangerous! You can't go!"
"Shut up." Huo Yuan's voice came through the elevator door, carrying an unquestionable pressure. "If my woman wants to go to the sky, I will accompany her, even if I have to punch a hole through it."
Lin Xingwan watched the slowly descending elevator numbers, a stunning curve forming on her lips. This man was so damn much to her liking.
Ten minutes later. On the sixth underground floor, the massive military helipad. A heavy-duty armed helicopter, pitch-black all over with an extremely ferocious design, was parked quietly in the center of the lift platform.
This was a top-tier piece of equipment that Lin Xingwan had previously obtained through a black-on-black heist from an overseas arms dealer. It was not only equipped with bulletproof armor, but even the propellers were made of a special alloy.
Huo Yuan was already sitting in the pilot's seat, skillfully adjusting the various instruments. Lin Xingwan, meanwhile, led Lu Ting and a few other core members to quickly change into top-tier pressure-resistant, windproof gear.
"Sister-in-law, are we really going?" Lu Ting buckled his seatbelt, his face twisted in misery. "Why do I feel like we're going to deliver our heads to the King of Hell this time?"
"If you're afraid of dying, get out." Lin Xingwan glanced at him coldly and tucked a flare gun into her waistband.
"Who's afraid of dying!" Lu Ting stiffened his neck and patted his chest. "To be able to go crazy with the Boss and Sister-in-law, it's worth it even if I die!"
Lin Xingwan nodded with satisfaction. She pulled open the co-pilot's door, sat in with agility, and fastened her seatbelt.
"Ready?" Huo Yuan turned his head, his wolf-like eyes hidden beneath his tactical helmet shining with startling intensity. "Ready anytime." Lin Xingwan gave him an OK gesture.
Huo Yuan took a deep breath and pressed the red button on the main console. "Xingchen One, requesting takeoff."
"Request approved." Qian Duoduo replied over the intercom. "The roof armor door is opening. Wish you… good luck."
Directly above the helipad, the half-meter-thick titanium alloy armored roof emitted a dull mechanical roar as it slowly slid open to both sides. A black hurricane, violent to the extreme, instantly poured in!
"Whoo—!" The piercing sound of the wind was like the shrieking of vengeful ghosts, blowing debris in the hangar everywhere. Lin Xingwan gripped the handle tightly, watching the violent, apocalyptic sky above.
Huo Yuan's gaze was focused as he slammed the control stick to the floor. "Hold on tight!"
Accompanied by the deafening roar of the propellers, the black armed helicopter, like a black behemoth swimming against the current, surged into the sky with a roar!
"Are we… really going up into the sky?" Lu Ting pressed against the porthole, watching the helicopter get further and further from the ground, his voice trembling. "Why do I feel like the wind is moving faster than us?!"