Is There Really a Solution?

"You've all worked hard. Go rest now. If anyone asks, just say you encountered pirates," Ignatius couldn't think of a better solution for the time being, so he agreed with Hurley's suggestion to suppress the matter.

Once Finnegan and the others left, only Hurley and Alice remained in the office.

Ignatius sighed dejectedly, shaking his head. "Is there really a solution?"

"No," Hurley didn't want to demoralize him further, "The area of seawater contamination is too extensive, and it didn't happen just recently. If I'm not mistaken, it's been going on for some time."

Ignatius's face turned red with anger. "Those R country people are despicable! They've polluted our water resources and now they want to seize our territory. No wonder they're so impatient."

Just mentioning the R country people made Ignatius seethe with anger now.

Alice listened silently to their conversation without interjecting.

"We can't rely on water resources anymore. We'll have to find a way to grow crops and raise poultry. Let's focus on getting through each day for now," Hurley sympathetically glanced at Ignatius.

Being in charge of the base was no easy task, especially for someone with a sense of responsibility like the Base Commander who worked for the welfare of the people. If Ignatius were as selfish as some of the managers at Base M, he wouldn't have to worry at all.

"That's all we can do for now," Ignatius sighed. There was no point in thinking about purifying the seawater. He wasn't a leader at the top; he was just a Base Commander of a small base with no capability to handle such matters. He could only try to develop the surrounding land.

Back in the courtyard, Alice's family was surprised to see her return. "Alice, why are you back?" Arnold asked, getting nervous.

"It's not because of pirates," Alice explained what had happened, and then she reminded them, "If anyone tries to sell fish or dried fish recently, don't buy or eat it."

Since they didn't know when the water resources were contaminated, they couldn't distinguish between safe and contaminated fish. So, the safest option was not to eat any.Blanche patted her chest. "Luckily, I haven't bought any fish recently."

Three days later, the base issued a message about the contamination of seawater resources.

Upon seeing this news, everyone was stunned.

"No wonder they suddenly came back three days ago without catching any fish. So, this is the reason."

"I heard that shortly after they returned, the base sent another ship out. My cousin is in the Coast Guard, and I heard they were going to extract water for testing. They found out that there were too many radioactive elements, which are harmful to the body."

"I knew about this news earlier. My uncle is a fisherman. That night when he came back, he gathered the whole family for a meeting, warning us not to eat fish."

"Does this mean we can never eat any seafood again? Can we go fishing in other areas?"

"Forget about it. The entire area has been contaminated. Soon, all the world's seawater will be contaminated, and no one will be able to eat seafood."

At that moment, panic spread among the people in the base. Some believed that without aquatic resources, the base would soon run out of food.

That very day, many people lined up to leave the base.

Ignatius stood upstairs watching them leave, feeling helpless and sighing.He was bewildered about the future of the base.Some had advised him not to care about the people in the base and just take care of himself, but he always felt it was his responsibility. Since he had taken on the role of Base Commander, he had to live up to that position.

"If it's so troublesome, then resign from the position of Base Commander," Hurley's voice sounded from behind him.

Ignatius turned around, feeling annoyed. "It's not as easy as you make it sound. Besides, this base was built by me. I won't give up on it."

When Ignatius first became Base Commander, there weren't many tall buildings. Everything was built from scratch under his command.

Just when everyone was living more comfortably, and life was getting better, this happened.

"If you're not willing to give up, then let's work hard to keep it going. If others see you, the Base Commander, sighing like this, wouldn't they feel even more hopeless?" Hurley handed him a cigarette. "Smoke."

Ignatius hesitated for a moment, but eventually took it. "You think the natural disasters will pass soon?"

"I don't know," Hurley replied nonchalantly.

Ignatius was surprised by his calm demeanor. "No, why aren't you worried at all? If there's a shortage of food in the base, you'll be affected too."

"I'm alone. I'll eat as much as I need, and I'll make do with less," Hurley responded. Besides, he had plenty of things stored in his space. During this time, he had stocked up the space again.

Looking at Ignatius, Hurley kindly said, "Since you're my old uncle's nephew, I'll take care of you."

Ignatius chuckled at his words and patted Hurley's shoulder. "My old uncle didn't raise you in vain. Having you say this is enough."

Hurley didn't joke; he meant it. He didn't have much in his space, but he could afford to support one more person. Besides, with his abilities, he could find a way to make a living in any base.

"Alright, go figure out how to keep people here. If everyone in the base leaves, who's going to defend against the pirates when they attack?" Hurley was being pragmatic.

During times of internal and external turmoil, population was crucial.

Feeling he couldn't just sit idly by, Ignatius turned and walked away.

Not long after, the gates of the base were closed.Inside the base, many people began to stir.

"Why won't they let us leave? Where we go is our freedom."

"What's the Base Commander up to? Logically, if the water resources are contaminated and the supplies won't last long, why won't they let us leave?"

"Forget it, let's all break out together. When things go awry, there must be something fishy. The Base Commander must have some conspiracy."

"That's right, whether it's a conspiracy or not, the more they try to stop me from leaving, the more I want to go. I'm all about defiance."

A large group of people were about to rush out, and the base guards could barely hold them back.

"Everyone, calm down and step back."

"The Base Commander has his considerations. Everyone, don't panic or act recklessly."

At that moment, someone shouted, "The Base Commander is here, make way."

The scene instantly quieted down. Ignatius walked up to the people who were clamoring to leave, and asked expressionlessly, "Have you all thought it through? Are you sure you want to leave?"

A man raised his voice, "When we all came to Base Y initially, it was to be close to the seaside, where we could grow food and not starve. Now that the sea is contaminated, we have to think about ourselves."

"Yeah, since we can't eat fish from the sea anymore, of course we have to go elsewhere. I've already decided to go to a base up north. What's the point of not letting us out?"

"The base won't keep people by doing this. If they won't let us leave today, we'll find a way out."

Seeing the crowd's righteous indignation, Ignatius didn't get angry or try to force them to stay. "You're free to leave. But from now on, Base Y won't welcome you back."

What he needed were people who were willing to help build the base. If they chose to leave, he respected their decision. But they wouldn't be allowed to return in the future.

"Open the gates and let them go."