HCB Chapter 900 Traveling with the Senior Once Again
Chapter 900 Traveling with the Senior Once Again
Just as Jiang Xia felt his ankle being grabbed and his body losing control and leaning backward, his two hands came into play almost simultaneously!
A large, calloused, steady, and powerful hand suddenly reached down from above and precisely grabbed Jiang Xia's outstretched wrist, holding it firmly like an iron clamp!
At the same time, Zhao Gang, who was just one or two steps below him, reacted quickly. With a low shout, he used his broad shoulders and a large hand to lift Jiang Xia's buttocks and waist, giving him solid support!
"Hold on tight!" The voice above was steady and powerful.
"Stop!" "Don't panic! I'm here!" Zhao Gang's voice was urgent, and the muscles in his arms were taut.
The combined force from above and below instantly brought Jiang Xia back from the brink of imbalance, pinning him back onto the cold iron ladder.
Jiang Xia was still in shock, his heart pounding as if it would burst out of his chest. He gripped the ladder railing tightly, gasping for breath, and only when he looked up did he see the person who had saved him.
My first impression: So handsome!
Isn't this Comrade Xu Hua?
Comrade Xu Hua had half his body leaning out of the platform, his other hand gripping the railing tightly, and the veins on his forehead were slightly bulging, clearly indicating that he was using considerable strength.
"Thank you... Thank you, Comrade Xuhua, thank you, Brother Zhao!" Jiang Xia's voice was still trembling.
"Come on up first! I'll pull you up, Captain Zhao, you hold on tight!" Comrade Xu Hua gritted his teeth and pulled upwards with all his might.
Zhao Gang worked seamlessly below, supporting Jiang Xia's waist with one hand and his thigh with the other, pushing up the ladder with his knees as if lifting a heavy object, "Push hard on the steps! Don't give way!"
Using the combined force of the two, Jiang Xia used both his hands and feet to push off the slippery steps. His toes slipped several times, but Zhao Gang steadily supported him each time, and he finally climbed onto the platform in a disheveled state.
As soon as he regained his footing, Jiang Xia's legs buckled. Zhao Gang reacted quickly, grabbing his arm to support him and patting him hard on the back a few times to help him catch his breath. He also reached out and touched Jiang Xia's ankle: "How are you? Did you twist it? Where did you hurt yourself?"
Seeing Jiang Xia shake her head, he breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to look at Comrade Xu Hua, his brows furrowed, his tone clearly displeased. He pointed to the tape measure wrapped around Jiang Xia's trouser leg: "Comrade Xu Hua, we won't stop you from taking measurements, but how can you leave this tape measure hanging on the ladder? This ladder is steep and slippery, and it wobbles in the wind. If we had been a step slower, someone would have fallen!"
The feeling of having his feet firmly planted reassured Jiang Xia, and he then looked down at his right ankle, which had just been tripped.
A thin, long measuring tape was somehow wrapped into a slipknot and was loosely hanging on his trouser leg. The other end of the tape extended to the inside of the platform and was wrapped around a small pulley system fixed to the railing, clearly part of some kind of measuring device.
Comrade Xu Hua quickly squatted down and carefully untied the measuring tape from Jiangxia's feet, his face full of annoyance: "Oh, look what this mess has become! We were just measuring the precise perimeter of the cross-sections at different heights of the conning tower, and the measuring tape was hanging down from this pulley to the midships of the boat so that the comrades below could straighten it and take the readings."
I was in a hurry when I packed up the ruler and didn't coil it properly. I guess the sea breeze blew it, and the part that was hanging down coiled up and ended up hanging on your foot...
That was so dangerous! It was our fault for not doing our job properly; we were so focused on the data that we didn't pay attention to environmental safety. Young man, I'm so sorry!
Two young men holding measuring tapes quickly stepped forward, looking somewhat flustered, and said, "We're sorry, Captain Zhao, we're sorry, comrade. We didn't remind you, teacher. Next time we'll definitely check if anyone is below first!"
It's only because of you. If it were anyone else, that idiot would definitely have Zhao Gang, who's all horizontal, argue with him...
Jiang Xia recovered and tugged at Zhao Gang's arm: "Brother Zhao, it's alright, they didn't do it on purpose." He patted his work clothes, "I'm fine, I was just startled."
"Even if there's nothing wrong, we can't let our guard down!" Zhao Gang said, hands on his hips, still a little worried. He turned to the younger men and said, "From now on, before you start working, call out twice to see if anyone's there. Safety first!"
"Yes, yes, we got it!" The young people nodded quickly, rolled up the measuring tape, and moved it away from the escalator.
……
Standing on the narrow platform at the top of the command tower, still shaken, Jiang Xia finally had a chance to take a closer look at Comrade Xu Hua, who was so close to him.
The night breeze ruffled his slightly messy but still stylish hair. Despite wearing ordinary work clothes and possibly being stained with oil, his focused and bright eyes, straight nose, and the calm and resolute technical expert aura between his brows made him look exceptionally...handsome in the dim light.
"They're almost as good as me!" Jiang Xia thought to himself, as the unruly tuft of hair on his head swayed.
Of course, Jiang Xia's respect for this person was not solely based on appearance.
This senior's achievements and sense of responsibility are already legendary in the industry. Everyone knows his contributions, so there's no need to elaborate.
What Jiang Xia admired most, and even found somewhat "cool," was that Professor Xu Hua was a truly ruthless person who dared to turn his submarine design from blueprints into reality and personally accompanied the submarine on deep-sea diving tests!
He dared to sit in the "Big Black Fish," which he designed and helped build, and dive into the unpredictable deep sea, staying there for ten days or half a month at a time, sharing the fate of the boat, and using his actions to verify the reliability of the design.
This spirit of practice, which perfectly combines theory with courage, responsibility with commitment, is a unique phenomenon and source of confidence in our country.
Ok?
Not unique?
Ah……
Then let me ask you, that guy Masak who some big colonists are praising, go ask him if he dares to take a ride on his own firecracker-like spaceship.
While the silly boy was lost in thought, he was unaware that this made Teacher Xu Hua feel even more guilty.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. If I had experienced what happened to me, I probably wouldn't have fared much better. Besides, this young man was a stranger, and climbing the escalator so late at night—could he have been given an urgent mission by his superiors?
Oh dear, this is a really big mistake!
The young comrade seems distracted; I'm afraid he won't be able to complete the task well!
So, Comrade Xu Hua couldn't help but ask with concern, "Young comrade, how are you feeling right now? Can you still work normally? If you're really not feeling well, take a break first, don't push yourself."
"It's alright, Teacher Huang, I was just startled."
As he spoke, Jiang Xia asked Zhao Gang to help him up and prepared to go down into the submarine.
only……
It's hard to get up here, and it's not easy to get down either!
The little guy's legs are really weak right now!
"You can't say no to that task, maybe I can help!"
"Oh, it's nothing serious. There's an unknown device inside this big black fish. I've come over to investigate! According to the prisoners, it should be related to the sound of water!"
"Oh? A sonar system?" Upon hearing this, Professor Xu Hua's eyes flashed with the keen interest of a technical expert. He had already taken note of the submarine's sonar system, but he had been busy with overall structural and hull-line measurements and hadn't had time to examine it in detail.
Hearing Jiang Xia mention it now, my curiosity was immediately piqued.
At the same time, seeing that the young man in front of him had almost gotten into trouble because of his team's negligence, Huang Xuhua felt even more apologetic and responsible. He felt obligated to ensure the young man's safety, which would also make up for the accident.
“I know that location. The passage should be passable, but the lighting inside is poor and there are many components.” Teacher Xu Hua said, and then made a decision naturally. “How about this, I’ll go down with you. First, I’m also very interested in that sonar; second, it’s still being cleaned up inside, and there are some places we need to be careful of. If I take you there, we can avoid some risks.”
He spoke sincerely, partly out of a desire for professional inquiry, and partly...
Teacher Xu Hua's gaze swept over the tuft of hair on Jiang Xia's head that stubbornly stuck up in the night wind, and the worry in her heart that "this kid is a bit slow, I hope he doesn't get hurt in there again" resurfaced.
I'm still shaken by the incident where I tripped over the measuring tape; I can't let him get into trouble under my nose again.
"Great! With Teacher Huang leading the way, we'll definitely achieve twice the results with half the effort!" The silly boy was particularly interested in traveling with his senior.
With this expert's guidance, you'll not only be able to find your target smoothly, but you might also be able to ask him a lot of questions.
As for keeping it a secret...
Let me tell you a secret: back in 58, he had already joined the HE submarine overall design team. Professor Xu Hua's authority in the naval submarine field is in no way inferior to that of the "idiot kid."
Teacher Xu Hua nodded, said no more, turned around neatly, and took the lead in going through the not-so-spacious entrance of the command tower, along the vertical metal ladder, and leaned into the deeper darkness inside the submarine.
Jiang Xia took a deep breath, suppressing the last lingering fear of the height, as well as the tension and excitement of about to enter the steel behemoth's internal organs, and followed closely behind.
Zhao Gang, like a reliable guardian, silently followed at the back and also went inside.
"No way... why is it so narrow! Is this a custom-made version based on the size of a notebook?"