Chapter 772 Breaking the Ice and Landing
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When he saw the snowflakes flying all over the sky, howling into foggy white walls in the storm, Jiang Chen couldn't help but think of the words of Mr. Jin.
Luck seemed to run out, and the Pathfinder was caught in a polar snowstorm off the coast of George V.
Bean-sized ice slammed on the research ship, but the Pathfinder was originally designed for harsh weather, how could it be thrown into chaos by this level of storm?
Because he was not sure where the eye of the storm was, in order to prevent the Pathfinder from overturning, Captain Marshall directly swung the wide bow of the icebreaker in the direction of the storm, and then anchored and waited for the storm to pass.
Waiting is also waiting, the head of the inspection team simply gathered the inspection team and the crew together, fifty or so people set up five tables, and started a hot pot in the cafeteria. Several Californians who couldn't eat chili were stuck out their tongues, which drew laughter from others.
There is a strong wind blowing outside, and the hot pot is lit inside the house. This feeling is really not ordinary.
Jiang Chen, who hadn't eaten hot pot for a long time, was so spicy for the first time that he ate several bowls of rice in a row. Seeing that the chairman is so close to the people, the members of the inspection team also let go a lot. There is a cute little girl who keeps feeding him. No matter white, black or yellow, everyone here can speak Chinese. Everyone ate meat and drank wine, chatting happily.
But Garrett and the others stubbornly refused to drink.
As soldiers of the "Sea Lion" special forces, protecting Jiang Chen's safety is their top priority. Not to mention not drinking at all, you have to change shifts with strict discipline when eating. Although he felt sorry for these soldiers, Jiang Chen didn't say much.
Discipline is discipline, and to soldiers, discipline is above all else.
Since this is the team brought out by Garrett, he has the final say on everything. Jiang Chen knew very well that if he, the chairman, was to point fingers at random, he would only add to the confusion of others.
In this way, the storm continued until the next morning.
The Pathfinder drew up its anchor chain, adjusted its course, and continued along the George V coast.
...
In the captain's room, Captain Marshall hung a cigar and frowned slightly as he looked at the marked position on the map.
After a while,
He took off his cigar, and turned his questioning gaze to Jiang Chen who was leaning on the side with his arms folded. Just ten minutes ago, the chairman of the group found him and suddenly asked him to change the original login location and deploy the research station at this location on the map.
"Why did you choose to build a research station here? Whether it's climate conditions or supply costs, this place is far inferior to Ross Bay." Marshall asked as he tapped the red circle on the map with two fingers holding a cigar.
"But the nearby waters are rich in combustible ice reservoirs." Jiang Chen shrugged.
It is true that the seafloor is rich in reservoirs of combustible ice, but that is not the deeper reason.
This is the closest to the coordinates on the codebook, which is the real reason why he chose this place. The reason why the news was not disclosed before, and now Captain Marshall is suddenly found, is mainly because there are too many people on board, and the secret may be leaked in advance.
"It's too messy." Marshall shook his head, sighed, and looked at the first officer, "Slow down the ship, the landing place has changed!"
Although he is dissatisfied with the chairman's nonsense, who wants him to be the chairman? The salary he is currently receiving is twice that of his peers, and he can't complain more about this salary alone.
In this way, the Pathfinder turned a corner on the original route and diverted to the hinterland of Cape Goodenough.
There is thick ice on the sea, but it is not difficult for polar research ships with ice-breaking functions. I saw that the wide bow directly hit the thick ice surface, and then used its thousands of tons of tonnage to directly crush the ice surface. Just like a road roller sailing on a glacier, it grinds out a blue path on the frozen sea.
Many members of the inspection team stood on the bow and took out their mobile phones to take pictures. Although some of them have not been to the polar region for the first time, but these researchers don't have many opportunities to see icebreakers breaking ice, and many of them are seeing it with their own eyes for the first time.
Also standing at the bow was Jiang Chen.
This is the first time he has seen how an icebreaker works.
In the past, he always thought that the icebreaker was "cut" by the bow, but he didn't expect that the icebreaker was actually "pressed" by its own weight.
"Fortunately, we didn't encounter a thick ice layer that couldn't be crushed. The explosives we carried were no longer needed. This is the best." Standing in the air-conditioned cabin, Captain Marshall wiped the sweat from his face. , looked at Jiang Chen who was pushing the door and came in, "Close the door quickly, my sweat is about to freeze!"
Jiang Chen smiled friendly, and immediately closed the door behind him, casually hung the winter jacket by the door, and walked to his side.
"How? Based on your experience, is this coast suitable for deployment of research stations?"
"The terrain is not bad, but I'm afraid it will be troublesome to resupply in the future." Marshall glanced at the ice outside the window, picked up a ballpoint pen and drew a line on the map, "To ensure that this place will not be frozen, we must cut the ice here." Make a triangle, and then push it out to the sea... I suggest pushing it out. If it is blown up directly, the international environmental protection organization may find us in trouble."
"You can do whatever is convenient, I trust your skills." Jiang Chen laughed.
Marshall grinned and put the cigar back on his lips.
"give it to me."
...
In the middle of Cape Goodenough, on the sea frozen by ice shelves, Pathfinder made an outward opening along a triangle. Several crew members in winter suits jumped on the triangular ice shelf vigorously, and used long nails to chisel out a dozen stakes on the outer edge of the ice shelf.
The graphene cable was dropped from the boat, and the crew quickly fastened the rope to the nail, and then returned to the boat. These cables are tied to the robotic arm of the polar research ship, which is the strongest part of the whole ship.
Everything was ready, and Marshall, who was smoking a cigar, began to increase the horsepower and drive the boat outward.
The graphene cable gradually tightened, making a creaking sound.
At this time, Jiang Chen was surprised to find that the ice surface of several square kilometers was dragged loose by this tiny research ship!
"Don't look at the scary area of the ice, we just need to give it an acceleration, and it will run out by itself." Marshall said with a smile, pointing out the window, "These cables are really strong, stronger than the ones we used before. It’s a steel wire rope, that thing has too little toughness, not only is it easy to break, it’s also easy to hurt your own people.”
"Graphene material."
"Really? Technology is such a magical thing." Marshall grinned.
The ice outside the window moved slowly, and the cheers of the crew came from the bow. The members of the inspection team have already returned to the cabin, and the Pathfinder is about to land, and it is time for them to go back and pack their luggage. (To be continued.)