Chapter 161 Speed of Life and Death
5:40 AM, only fifteen minutes after the crisis had subsided.
In the control room, Li Xiao was retrieving all the data from the past ten minutes, trying to find the patterns of the backdoor's activation. Lin Mo stood behind her, staring at the curves slowly scrolling across the screen.
Suddenly, the alarm blared once again.
"Beep, beep, beep—Abnormal pressure in the Cooling Water System!"
"Beep, beep, beep—Pump No. 2 has completely failed!"
"Beep, beep, beep—Temperature rise rate has exceeded the threshold!"
Li Xiao's face turned pale instantly. "Mr. Lin! This is even more intense than before!"
On the screen, the pressure figures plummeted from 0.6 MPa: 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2...
The temperature soared frantically from 32 degrees: 35, 38, 42, 45...
The flow rate dropped from 280 liters per second to 200, 150, 100...
Every curve was deteriorating at twice the speed of the previous incident.
Lin Mo's pupils constricted sharply.
"Teacher Chen!" He grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Can you still hold on at the manual valves?"
Chen Xueming's heavy breathing came through the walkie-talkie, mixed with the harsh noise of metal clashing.
"The valves... they're stuck! That damned backdoor has locked the Electric Actuators, and they won't budge manually either!"
Lin Mo's heart sank to the bottom.
But he didn't panic.
"What about the backup pump? Try it again!"
Li Xiao was already pounding the keyboard frantically. "I tried! It still won't start! The control system isn't responding at all!"
Lin Mo's mind raced.
Three seconds later, he made a decision.
"Teacher Chen, abandon the manual valves! Go to Line 2 and activate the Emergency Backup System!"
Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment. "Line 2? That line hasn't been used in ten years!"
"I know!" Lin Mo's voice was resolute. "But it's our only hope! The valve is at the very back of the Equipment Room; it'll take two people to open it. I'll have Captain Zhao's men go and help you!"
There was a second of silence over the walkie-talkie.
Then Chen Xueming's voice came through, raspy but firm.
"Understood."
5:43 AM, inside the Equipment Room.
Chen Xueming threw down the walkie-talkie and turned to run toward Line 2. Two technicians followed closely behind him.
Line 2 was an old system built ten years ago, originally meant as a backup of backups, and it had never been used. The valve was in the deepest part of the Equipment Room, blocked by a pile of clutter; they had to clear a path first to open it.
When the three of them rushed over and saw the long-sealed valve, their hearts sank.
It was rusted solid.
Chen Xueming grit his teeth. "Crowbar!"
One technician ran to get a crowbar. The other worked with him, using their hands to pick at the rust around the valve's edge. Sharp iron filings sliced their fingers, and blood flowed, but no one cared.
By the time the crowbar was brought over, Captain Zhao's men had also arrived.
Six soldiers, each carrying emergency equipment—backup power supplies, manual hydraulic pumps, and cutting machines.
"Teacher Chen!" shouted the leader, Captain Zhou. "Captain Zhao sent us to take orders from you!"
Chen Xueming took the crowbar and jammed it into the gap between the valve and the pipe. "A few of you, help me pry it!"
Six soldiers plus two technicians—eight people gripped the crowbar, gritting their teeth and using every ounce of their strength.
The valve didn't move an inch.
"Again!" Chen Xueming roared.
The eight people exerted force once more, their faces turning beet red, veins bulging.
"Screech—"
The valve moved.
But it moved less than a centimeter before getting stuck again.
Chen Xueming looked down, and his heart sank halfway—the valve's screw rod was rusted solid; prying alone wouldn't open it.
"Cutting machine!" he roared. "Cut the screw rod!"
5:47 AM, in the control room.
Lin Mo stared at the numbers on the screen; every second felt like a year.
Pressure: 0.15 MPa. Only 0.05 away from the collapse threshold.
Temperature: 52 degrees. The upper limit for normal operation was 40 degrees; it was already 12 degrees over and still rising.
Flow rate: 50 liters per second. Normally 300 liters were needed; it was now at only one-sixth.
Li Xiao's hands were shaking, her voice was trembling, her whole body was trembling.
"Mr. Lin... the Divertor temperature has already started to rise... in two more minutes, it will exceed the safety threshold..."
Lin Mo didn't answer.
He stared unblinkingly at the icon on the screen representing Line 2.
Faster.
Just a bit faster.
5:48 AM, in the Equipment Room.
Sparks from the cutting machine flew everywhere, illuminating Chen Xueming's sweat-drenched face. His eyes were fixed on the rusted screw rod, muttering under his breath:
"Come on... come on... come on..."
Captain Zhou and his soldiers waited nearby, each ready with hydraulic pumps and backup power. As soon as the valve opened, they would rush in to connect the emergency system.
"Snap!"
The screw rod broke.
Chen Xueming shoved the cutting machine aside and grabbed the valve's handwheel. "Help me!"
Several soldiers rushed forward, grabbing the handwheel with him.
"One, two, three—turn!"
The handwheel moved.
One inch, two inches, three inches...
The valve slowly opened.
"It's open!" Chen Xueming roared. "Captain Zhou, go!"
Captain Zhou led his men inside and began connecting the emergency system.
5:50 AM, in the control room.
On the screen, the Line 2 icon suddenly lit up.
Immediately after, the pressure readings stopped falling.
0.12 MPa.
Then, it began to rise.
0.13, 0.14, 0.15...
The temperature also stopped at 58 degrees.
Then, it slowly began to drop.
57, 56, 55...
Li Xiao stared at those numbers, and tears suddenly gushed out.
"Mr. Lin... it's okay... it's okay..."
Lin Mo didn't say a word.
He stared at the screen until the pressure returned to 0.4 MPa, the temperature dropped to 45 degrees, and the flow rate returned to 200 liters per second.
Then, he let out a long breath and leaned back against his chair.
He looked as if he had just been pulled out of water; the sweat on his back had completely soaked through his clothes.
5:55 AM, in the Equipment Room.
Chen Xueming sat on the ground, leaning against the valve he had just opened, gasping for air. His hands were covered in blood, and it was impossible to tell if it was his own or someone else's. His soaked work uniform clung to his body, and his hair looked as if it had been washed, with sweat streaming down his cheeks.
Captain Zhou and several soldiers also slumped on the ground, looking at each other, none of them able to speak.
A young soldier suddenly let out a laugh:
"Damn, that was more intense than actual combat."
Another soldier laughed along. "Combat isn't even this exhausting."
Captain Zhou laughed too. As he laughed, he suddenly stood up, walked over to Chen Xueming, and held out his hand.
"Teacher Chen, you're the real deal."
Chen Xueming took his hand and used it to pull himself up. His legs were a bit weak, and he wobbled for a moment before steadying himself.
He looked at the soldiers, then at the two technicians who were also slumped on the ground, and suddenly said:
"Thank you."
Captain Zhou shook his head. "No need to thank us. We're all working for the country."
Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment, then he smiled.
Right.
We're all working for the country.
6:00 AM, in the control room.
Lin Mo stood by the window, watching the sky outside gradually brighten.
Li Xiao was slumped over the desk, already asleep, with tear stains still on her face. Several other technicians were also leaning haphazardly in their chairs, snoring softly.
The door was pushed open, and Chen Xueming walked in.
He was covered in sweat, and his hands were wrapped in makeshift cloth bandages, but his eyes were incredibly bright.
He walked over to Lin Mo, and the two of them stood side by side, neither speaking.
After a long time, Chen Xueming suddenly said:
"Mr. Lin, those ten minutes just now were the longest ten minutes of my life."
Lin Mo nodded.
"Mine too."
Chen Xueming turned to look at him.
"Next time something like this happens, could you give me a heads-up in advance?"
Lin Mo also turned to look at him, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"There won't be a next time."
Chen Xueming was taken aback. "You're that sure?"
Lin Mo looked at the massive device outside the window, his voice calm but firm.
"This time was an emergency response; next time will be prevention. I'm going to root out that backdoor no matter what."
Chen Xueming looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"Alright, I believe you."
Outside, the sun had finally fully risen.
Golden sunlight spilled across the Gobi Desert, bathing the device that had just survived a life-or-death crisis.
A new day had begun.