RPAGF Chapter 896: All the talents have arrived
Chapter 896: All the talents have arrived
In the dead of night at the Darian shipyard, the sea breeze, carrying a salty, watery vapor, silently passed between the dock and the steel frame of the gantry crane.
A bright moon hung high in the sky, its cool light spilling like mercury, enveloping the entire harbor in a hazy silver veil.
In the distance, the searchlight of the lighthouse periodically pierced the night sky. The huge beam of light first swept across the ink-black sea, breaking into thousands of golden scales on the undulating waves. Then, with undiminished momentum, it swept over the breakwater and finally, like a spotlight on a stage, slowly shone on the deep dry dock of the shipyard.
In the instant the beam of light swept across, the massive outline of a black submarine was illuminated, then vanished into shadow. Like a lurking deep-sea monster, it lay silently in the deepest part of the dock, its streamlined conning tower and slender hull gleaming with a cold, dark metallic luster under the alternating touch of moonlight and lamplight.
Zhao Gang carried Jiang Xia, who was dizzy from the bumpy ride, and carefully made his way to the railing at the edge of the dock by the dim light.
Suddenly, Zhao Gang stopped in his tracks.
The two of them held their breath in unison, stunned by the sight before them.
Once the imposing beam of light from the lighthouse receded, the dry dock returned to its usual dimness. Only a few low-wattage bulbs scattered throughout the vast dry dock swayed slightly in the night breeze, casting patches of dim, shifting light on the cold steel hull of the Hayashio-class submarine. In some critical areas of the submarine, explosion-proof lights with rough wiring were temporarily suspended from above, providing more localized and concentrated illumination.
What's truly captivating are the moving points of light—many workers and technicians wore wicker safety helmets with old-fashioned flashlights cleverly attached to both sides with wire or rope. Countless tiny beams of light, as their heads turned, seemed to come alive, precisely sweeping across every weld, every bolt joint, and every instrument base on the hull, like a swarm of fireflies tirelessly searching for secrets in the darkness.
The entire dock area was thus bathed in dappled, soft light, echoing the sparse lights of the distant city and blending seamlessly into the deep night.
But the deliberately maintained dimness did not diminish the tension and focus on the scene. Around the hull, countless figures moved and worked silently amidst the dappled light and shadow.
They rarely spoke, communicating only through brief gestures and knowing glances. The occasional soft tapping of metal tools against the hull, the faint ticking of pointers inside precision instruments, and the whispered conversations, hushed to the point where only their companions could hear, intertwined to create a peculiar nocturne filled with hidden tension.
Below the bow, someone was using a light mounted on a bracket to repeatedly measure the hull's shape with instruments. Midway, technicians wearing wicker hats with dual flashlights were carefully inspecting the steel plates and welds in front of the hull.
On the conning tower, figures were suspended by safety ropes, using flashlights held in their mouths or tied to their wrists for illumination, carefully tracing the outer outline. Some even had waterproof flashlights attached to their waists, diving into the cold seawater below the stern to conduct inspections.
Without orders, yet with perfect order; in dim light, yet with precision and efficiency. This was clearly a silent technological "dissection" battle, a race against time under the tight cover of night.
Against this busy yet quiet backdrop, a loud voice with a heavy Jiaodong accent rang out somewhat abruptly, breaking the local silence:
"Hey! Isn't this our great hero!..."
The voice belonged to Chief Engineer Zheng, who strode over in his work boots, which were covered in dried mud and sand. He was clutching a roll of blueprints in his hand, with half a pencil tucked between his fingers as was his habit. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, etched with deep wrinkles.
He casually wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile:
"Why aren't you resting in your dorm? What are you doing here? Are you in a hurry to see your 'trophies'? Are you worried that we old bones are too clumsy and you'll break them?"
As Chief Engineer Zheng approached, he could see that Zhao Gang was carrying someone on his shoulder.
He took a closer look under the dim light, a hint of surprise flashing across his face: "Hey! You even brought in a 'little helper' to assist you? What, you don't trust the skills of our factory's veteran craftsmen, so you found a young, sharp-eyed person to help you 'keep an eye on things'?"
Chief Engineer Zheng turned his gaze to Jiang Xia, who was trying to get off Zhao Gang's shoulder, and said in a cheerful tone, "Hello, young comrade! What a coincidence that we meet again!"
Zhao Gang grinned and gave Chief Engineer Zheng a hearty hug.
"So you've already met Comrade Jiang Xia! Perfect timing, we have some urgent business here and need to take a look inside the command tower." He paused, a hint of urgency in his voice, "By the way, you haven't touched anything inside, have you?"
"Move?" Upon hearing this, Chief Engineer Zheng's mottled eyebrows twitched.
Then, half-complaining and half-jokingly, he patted Zhao Gang's arm:
"Hey, Zhao, how dare you ask such a question!"
Tell me, how did you manage to bring this iron thing back in the first place? You blocked all those passages inside with all sorts of random stuff!
Iron plates, sandbags, and iron shells that looked like they were taken from somewhere! Good heavens, it's like a maze!
We've been working on this for most of the day, with workers taking turns, and we still haven't completely broken through! We can't even get into the core compartment!
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang scratched the back of his head sheepishly, a simple yet sly smile spreading across his face.
"Engineer Zheng, you've misunderstood me. The situation was just unusual back then!"
Think about it, our '418' boat only has a full complement of about forty people, and we have to leave half of them behind to make sure our boat doesn't sink.
There were only about ten people who could actually be sent to guard these prisoners with notebooks.
We've been assigned to various sealed compartments, and the number of people is so small you can count them on your fingers. I'm genuinely afraid these guys will fight like cornered beasts, and if pushed to the limit, they might 'die in a desperate act,' taking us all down with them. Then all this hard-won 'treasure' will be lost.
There was no other way but to resort to this drastic measure: block off the main passageways to prevent communication between their various compartments, thus dividing and conquering them. Only in this way could they control the situation!
Upon hearing this, Chief Engineer Zheng's expression turned serious, and he nodded: "Hmm, now that you mention it, it's a last resort. You're doing the right thing, safety first!" He then turned and waved towards the submarine: "Alright, come with me. There's a group of people trying to clear the entrance under the command tower right now."
As he spoke, he led Zhao Gang and Jiang Xia, who had already stood firm, and they walked, one step at a time, into the shadows of the enormous creature.
The pier floor was uneven and covered with wet mud from the seawater. It creaked underfoot, making it more strenuous than running on the beach.
As he walked, Jiang Xia casually glanced at the figures busily working around the boat.
The beams of flashlights on the wicker helmets swayed back and forth, casting dappled light on the steel hull of the boat. Everyone kept their heads down, not even having time to look up.
As soon as I reached the bow, I saw a middle-aged man in light gray overalls hunched over, holding a brass thickness gauge in his hand, sliding it repeatedly against the steel plate of the hull. In his other hand, he held half a piece of chalk, drawing dense small circles on the steel plate. Next to him was an oilcloth with three stacks of blueprints on it, each page filled with red and black data.
“Huh…who is this…” Jiang Xia looked at the familiar profile and vaguely felt that he had seen it in some book.
Chief Engineer Zheng tilted his head, carefully examined the badge on Jiang Xia's chest, and then spoke:
"Oh! This is Brother Sanrui!"
"He works on overall structure and acoustic properties. I haven't seen this guy for years; I thought he was in seclusion at Harbin Military Engineering Institute teaching!"
This time, things got really interesting. As soon as this iron thing docked at the pier, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere! He got there even faster than me!
I wanted to invite him for a cup of hot tea, but as soon as we arrived at the dock, his eyes lit up when he saw the Early Tide, and he immediately docked, clutching the blueprints, without even taking the enamel mug I offered him!
Jiang Xia couldn't help but laugh. This kind of enthusiasm for technology was exactly the same as when he was disassembling equipment.
Hmm! The father of China's submarines, a kind of dorky brat!