The voice of the Captain, Gao Jianwu, echoed across the deck as the ship slowed to a halt, causing a grinding noise. Sensing something amiss, he immediately bellowed, "What's going on? What happened?"
The crew members were bewildered and had no clue what was happening. One of the ship's drivers remarked puzzledly, "Captain, the power system failure signal light is on. It may be that the power system has failed."
Gao Jianwu ordered, "Send someone to investigate immediately. Find out what the problem is."
The crew members sprang into action, and a team of technicians was dispatched to the power cabin to conduct a thorough inspection. After an hour of investigation, they couldn't find any issues except for the fault signal light is on. One of the crew members reported to the Captain, "Captain, things are bizarre. Our power system seems to have no problem, but the fault light is on."
Gao Jianwu pondered for a while, then tried restarting the powertrain. However, the system failed quickly, and they realised the propeller was stuck. One of the crew members informed the Captain, "Captain, our propeller should be stuck."
The revelation was shocking. This was a 120,000-ton ocean-going oil tanker, and the propeller's diameter was higher than that of a two-story building. How could anything block such a large propeller? Gao Jianwu didn't want to accept this fact, but the situation was clear. In desperation, he had to arrange for someone to put on a diving suit and an oxygen cylinder on his back to check.
When the crew member who went down to inspect returned to the deck, he reported, "Captain, the propeller is indeed stuck."
He then described the entanglement of thick iron chains around the propeller, not just three or five times but dozens of times. Gao Jianwu almost lost his mind.
The crew members also needed clarification about how such a thing could have happened suddenly. After a while, Gao Jianwu spoke slowly, "Can the iron chain be removed?"
The crew member who inspected the propeller replied, "It's so entangled that we can't remove it at all. Besides, I noticed that the propeller was severely damaged and deformed. Even if we remove the iron chain, the propeller will no longer work. We need to return to the shipyard for repair."
Gao Jianwu's heart sank. He knew they had no choice but to report the situation to the higher authorities and seek their advice on how to proceed. However, he couldn't help but think about the vast sea surrounding them. How were they going to return to the shipyard for repairs?
With a deep sigh, Gao Jianwu said helplessly, "In this case, we can only report to the higher authorities and let them decide how to deal with it."
The ship had lost all power and was now at the mercy of the sea's currents and winds.
It drifted aimlessly, unable to steer or direct its course, taking them wherever the elements willed.
Meanwhile, their overlord had already swum considerably from the disabled vessel. Using an iron chain, he disabled the ship's ability to sail as instructed by Liu Yong.
The next target was the 200,000-ton ocean-going tanker owned by Risheng Ocean Group, loaded with millions of barrels of crude oil. It was sailing towards the South China Sea of Yanguo, and the overlord intended to take it down.
In the capital city, Luo Maoyuan was in a business suite, answering a phone call when he received some distressing news. One of their ships had lost all power and was adrift in the South China Sea of the Yan Kingdom.
It was supposed to transport crude oil to Yanguo Petroleum Group from the Middle East. However, the ship could only float on the sea due to its current state, and a tugboat was required to tow it back.
Luo Maoyuan's face sank upon hearing this. If Yanguo Petroleum Group found out about the ship's situation, it would undoubtedly create problems for their transportation of crude oil.
Besides, if something like this happens again, Yanguo Petroleum Group may hand over more crude oil transportation to Universal instead of Risheng Ocean Shipping Group. However, towing a 120,000-ton giant ship back thousands of miles would be challenging.
To make matters worse, the tonnage of the tugboat must be a manageable size, not 120,000 tons, but at least tens of thousands of tons.
And, if there was inclement weather, such as a big storm, it could be more dangerous. Luo Maoyuan was at his wits' end, feeling one head, two big ones! The idea of how someone could wrap the propeller of a magnificent ship with iron chains left him feeling angry and perplexed.
Luo Maoyuan suppressed his anger and ordered his subordinates to send a tugboat to return the ship. He also issued a sealing order, requiring the matter to be kept strictly confidential, especially not to let anyone from Yanguo Petroleum Group know.
As one of the top executives at Yanguo Offshore Oil Group, He Jinyou is responsible for overseeing the ocean transportation of crude oil. He is not directly involved in the physical transportation process but entrusts the task to other ocean transportation groups.
One day, He Jinyou received a call from another senior executive in charge of oil refining who informed him that the crude oil reserves at Huahai Oil Refining Base had reached the warning line.
He was told that crude oil must be injected within ten days into the reserve base, or else it may harm the base's daily production. In other words, there could be a shortage of crude oil, leading to a shutdown.
Recognising the severity of the situation, He Jinyou immediately began making inquiries. After several phone calls, he discovered that a 200,000-ton tanker owned by Risheng Group would most likely arrive at Huahai Port within the next ten days.
The tanker carried over one million barrels of crude oil and had already passed through the Strait of Malacca and entered the Pacific Ocean.
Fortunately, judging from the itinerary, the tanker would likely arrive at Huahai City within the ten-day window. However, to ensure the safety of the crude oil supply, He Jinyou personally called Risheng Ocean Shipping Group to inquire about the status of the tanker's journey.
The senior management at Yanguo Offshore Oil Group took the matter seriously, and Risheng Group assured them with complete confidence that the tanker would arrive at the port as scheduled. With this assurance, He Jinyou felt somewhat relieved.
Meanwhile, another development was unfolding in the waters near Yanguo. Bawang, a fast-moving creature better than a vessel capable of achieving 180 knots per hour, was going from the South China Sea towards the Strait of Malacca.
After swimming for several hours without rest, Bawang reached the Strait and continued for over 100 nautical miles.
However, the overlord stopped suddenly at this moment.
