A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 899 Damn it!

Yes, Professor Shi Lu is truly exceptional.

Teacher Shi Lu is a legend.

After that well-known incident, four-year-old Teacher Shi Lu began to live in hiding. He was arrested and imprisoned at the age of eight.

At the age of fifteen, I joined the famous Dongjiang Column. It wasn't until I was almost twenty that I contracted tuberculosis and was transferred from my position as a hospital nurse to study at the Natural Science Academy in the old revolutionary base area.

A clueless 20-year-old who didn't even understand trigonometric functions, with his tenacity of "I'll learn even if I have to," managed to earn the title of outstanding chemical machinery engineer in Russia. Finally, when his motherland called, he plunged headfirst into the pile of books on nuclear power.

What is a life like this if not a legend?

Unaware that Teacher Shi Lu had entertained such an absurd idea, the silly boy inwardly marveled at his senior's magnificent life while looking up and truly feeling the heavy oppressive feeling brought by the steel behemoth in front of him.

"Damn it! How can a submarine be such a huge blob! When it's sailing at sea, it looks so tiny..."

All his attention had been drawn to Teacher Shi Lu's struggle underwater; he was so focused that he had no time to think about anything else.

Coming to my senses, standing at the foot of this Hayashio-class submarine, I suddenly realized that even though it was only a small to medium-sized submarine with a displacement of about 800 tons, when it was lying still in the dry dock, it was still such a daunting behemoth.

The hull was dark, and its streamlined shape transitioned smoothly from a blunt bow to a tapering stern, gleaming with a cold, hard, and moist sheen in the dim moonlight and the scattered lights in the dock.

Like a steel cliff that suddenly rose up, it cut off Jiang Xia's view.

When at sea, most of its body is hidden underwater, with only a few upper structures such as the command tower visible, making it appear low and concealed.

But at this moment, its complete spindle-shaped body is fully exposed. Its nearly sixty-meter length and several-meter-high freeboard create a silent yet powerful presence, like a prehistoric behemoth that has temporarily restrained its claws but still exudes primal power.

The intricate mooring bollards, elevator hatches, and various protrusions on the deck further enhance the complexity of its structure and the cold, industrial feel of its construction.

What terrified Jiang Xia the most was the command tower standing on the back of the ship!

This thing, which only had its head sticking out of the sea, was actually on the deck when you got closer. It was three meters wide and ten meters high, with a metal ladder winding from the deck to the top of the tower. The rusty steps seemed to sway slightly in the wind, making it look like a ladder to heaven suspended in mid-air.

"Brother Zhao, isn't there any way to get in from the bottom?" Jiang Xia asked, clinging to his last glimmer of hope.

"Yes! But I welded it shut! I got a new gadget from my railway comrades, wow, it can even catch fire in water! Sparks and lightning all the way, it's quite a sight!"

"What was it called... a heat-generating agent again?"

Jiang Xia covered her face, "Thermite...you guys really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve..."

"Hahaha... People who go out to sea need to prepare a few odds and ends, you never know when you might need them!" Zhao Gang chuckled and pointed to the soft ladder hanging down from the side of the boat.

"Climb up this upper deck first. The conning tower ladder is in the middle of the deck. I'll follow behind you, don't worry!"

The rope ladder was installed by the shipyard workers; it was made by wrapping thick wooden planks with hemp rope. Constantly exposed to the sea breeze, it emitted a strong, salty smell, and the edges of the planks were damp and warped, feeling sticky to the touch.

Jiang Xia took a deep breath, suppressing the slight dizziness caused by the huge contrast in scale, and found the handrail and narrow footholds of the rope ladder, climbing upwards using both hands and feet.

The soft ladder swayed gently with his movements. Below was the dark dock floor. With each step he took, he couldn't help but glance down, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Don't look down! Look forward! Hold your head high and stride forward!"

Hey, these two lines are good: Look ahead, don't look back, there's light ahead, there are lights from thousands of homes, isn't there?

Jiang Xia muttered these words to herself as she encouraged herself.

I finally managed to climb onto the deck with weak hands and feet. As soon as I stood up, my legs started to tremble. When I looked up at the eight-meter-high vertical ladder of the command tower, I gasped in shock.

He turned to Zhao Gang, who had leaped onto the deck with a somersault, and said with a mournful face, "Brother Zhao, I've changed my mind. Do we still have thermite? Let's just make a hole in the control tower and crawl in..."

"Uh... that's such a pity, it still needs fixing." Zhao Gang scratched his head. "How about I carry you up?"

"Just kidding..." Jiang Xia waved his hand, knowing that climbing the command tower was unavoidable.

He took another deep breath, walked to the vertical metal staircase of the control tower, reached out and touched it. The icy touch instantly came from his fingertips. There were still fine water droplets on the steps, making them slippery.

Jiang Xia wasn't physically strong to begin with, and he had already exhausted himself following Zhao Gang's journey. Now, looking at the straight escalator, he felt his scalp tingle.

But thinking of the unknown sonar equipment in the watertight compartment and the thrill of ripping off Junichiro, Jiang Xia gritted his teeth, gripped the cold handrails tightly, and stepped onto the first step.

Even if it's a scam, you still have to put in the effort!

……

The escalator was steeper than he had imagined, almost vertical, and he had to use his arms to pull himself up with all his might to keep his body steady with each step.

The sea breeze swept past the sides of the boat, bringing a soft, whistling sound and adding to the dampness.

Halfway up the ladder, Jiang Xia's arms began to ache and tremble, and he almost slipped several times. He was so scared that he quickly pulled his legs together and pressed himself against the escalator, his heart pounding wildly.

The small flashlight in his mouth swayed gently with his breathing, its beam flickering on the steel wall and inadvertently brushing against the rivets on the hull.

"Huh? Something's interesting! They're using countersunk rivets!"

"No wonder the noise level is low, they even cut the rivets so meticulously..."

Jiang Xia mumbled something vaguely, secretly noting down this detail in his mind.

"Xiao Jiang, climb slowly, don't rush!"

"Got it, Brother Zhao!" Jiang Xia replied vaguely, his mouth full of something and his speech unclear. He refocused his attention on the steps above, not daring to be distracted again.

Finally, the platform at the top was within reach. Jiang Xia was overjoyed, took a deep breath, and reached out to grab the railing at the edge of the platform.

Just then, Jiang Xia's foot was suddenly caught by something, causing him to lose his balance and tilt violently outwards!

The small flashlight slipped out of his mouth with a "thud" and rolled down the slippery steps, its beam of light swaying wildly on the steel surface, producing a series of crisp, ear-piercing metallic clanging sounds!

Jiang Xia's pupils contracted sharply. He instinctively reached for the handrail, but his palms were covered in cold sweat, and his fingers slipped, causing him to grasp nothing!

"Fuck!"