Chapter 244 After the Storm

December 8, 2038.

6:00 AM, Offshore Platform.

Chen Xueming stood in the center of the ruins; he had been standing there for two full hours.

The platform after the typhoon passed looked like a battlefield. The containers in the eastern storage yard were tilted every which way, with over a dozen overturned on the ground, their construction materials scattered everywhere. The unfinished tower crane had its jib twisted into a bizarre S-shape, like a broken arm. A large section of the guardrail on the edge of Pier 3 had been swept away by the giant waves, leaving behind jagged edges.

But what pained him the most were those Carbon Nanotubes spools.

Out of thirty-seven boxes of spools, one had been overturned, and the heavy spools had rolled out, leaving deep dents in the steel plates. Although most were still there, no one knew if there was internal damage—with such precision materials, a violent impact could very likely lead to microstructural destruction.

"Director Chen," Liu Jianguo walked over, his voice weary, "the preliminary inventory is complete."

Chen Xueming turned his head and looked at him.

Liu Jianguo's eyes were sunken, his face was covered in stubble, and his clothes were caked with salt stains and sea mud. Last night, he and Chen Xueming had crawled through the wind and rain for three hours to save those three workers, and he hadn't slept a wink since returning.

"Speak," Chen Xueming's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

"Equipment losses: One tower crane is broken and needs a major overhaul; the gantry crane's motor was soaked in water and might need replacement; one hundred and fifty meters of the guardrail on Pier 3 were destroyed; over at the storage yard..." Liu Jianguo paused, "One box of Carbon Nanotubes spools rolled out. Should we test for internal damage?"

"Test it," Chen Xueming said. "Arrange it immediately."

"Also, the pile-driving ship retreated to the Typhoon Shelter yesterday. We just got in touch; the ship is fine, but several small barges were severely damaged and need to be towed back to the shipyard for repairs."

Chen Xueming remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"The construction schedule..." Liu Jianguo hesitated for a moment, "will be delayed by at least a month."

"A month."

Chen Xueming closed his eyes.

A month ago, the Carbon Nanotubes mass production line had just started production, and the first batch of cables had just been shipped. A month from now, the first cable was supposed to be laid. Now, it was all ruined.

He opened his eyes, looking at the messy storage yard, the broken tower crane, and the marks left by the giant waves.

"What about the people?" he asked.

"Everyone is safe," Liu Jianguo said. "All three hundred and twenty-seven people are accounted for. A few have minor injuries, which the infirmary has treated; it's nothing serious."

Chen Xueming nodded.

This was the only good news.

"Director Chen," Liu Jianguo said softly, "you need to report to Chief Designer Lin."

Chen Xueming pulled out his phone and looked at the screen.

The signal had been restored. There were seventeen missed calls, all from Lin Mo. There were over twenty unread messages from Lin Mo, Li Xiao, Zhao Gang, and Section Chief Wu.

He took a deep breath and dialed Lin Mo's number.

"Xueming!"

Lin Mo's voice came through the receiver, carrying the exhaustion and anxiety of a sleepless night. Chen Xueming could imagine what he looked like now—he must have stayed up all night, waiting by the phone for any news from the platform.

"Old Lin," Chen Xueming spoke, only then realizing his voice was frighteningly hoarse. "I'm calling to report the situation on the platform to you."

"Go ahead."

"Equipment losses..." He listed them one by one: the tower crane, gantry crane, pier, materials, and Carbon Nanotubes spools. With every item he reported, his heart sank a little further.

The person on the other end of the phone listened in silence, without interrupting.

"The schedule," Chen Xueming said at last, his voice dropping, "might be delayed by a month."

After saying this, he fell silent.

The other end of the phone was also silent.

A few seconds later, Lin Mo spoke. His voice was very calm, as if he were discussing something ordinary:

"It's good that the people are safe."

Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment.

"Old Lin..."

"I said, it's good that the people are safe," Lin Mo repeated. "Broken equipment can be repaired, lost materials can be remade, and a delayed schedule can be caught up. But if the people are gone, everything is gone."

Chen Xueming opened his mouth to say something but found he couldn't.

"Xueming," there was a hint of a smile in Lin Mo's voice, "do you know? Last night, Li Xiao sent me a message every hour asking if I had any news of you. She didn't dare ask you directly for fear of disturbing your emergency work, so she kept asking me over and over."

Chen Xueming didn't say anything.

"Zhao Gang also called a dozen times, asking if we needed to send people over. Section Chief Wu sent a message in the middle of the night saying that the Carbon Nanotubes side can restock at any time, so we don't have to worry about materials. Master Liu said that once the platform is restored, he'll personally come over and make braised pork for you all for a month."

Chen Xueming's eyes suddenly felt a bit stinging.

"Old Lin..."

"So," Lin Mo interrupted him, "listen. Over on the platform, fix what needs fixing and replace what needs replacing. Whatever resources you need, I'll coordinate them with full effort. If the schedule is delayed by a month, we'll just work harder for a month. Right now, the most important thing is for everyone to get some rest and recover their strength."

Chen Xueming took a deep breath. "I understand."

"Also," Lin Mo paused, "Xueming, I heard about what you did yesterday. You saved those three lives."

Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds, then said, "If it were you, you would have done the same."

A light chuckle came from the other end of the phone.

"Alright, I won't say more. Get some rest quickly. I'll organize a repair plan later and discuss it with you via video call."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Chen Xueming stood where he was, watching the sky slowly brighten.

Liu Jianguo walked over and handed him a bottle of water. "Director Chen, what did Chief Designer Lin say?"

Chen Xueming took the water, took a large gulp, and then said, "He said, it's good that the people are safe."

Liu Jianguo was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"Chief Designer Lin is really..."

"Really what?"

"Really..." Liu Jianguo thought for a moment, "someone people are willing to follow."

Chen Xueming nodded.

Yeah.

Someone people are willing to follow.

At 9:00 AM, Chen Xueming called everyone together for a short meeting.

Over three hundred people crowded into the hall of the living quarters; some stood, some sat, and some leaned against the walls. Everyone was exhausted, but everyone's eyes were fixed on Chen Xueming on the stage.

"I won't waste words," Chen Xueming said, getting straight to the point. "The typhoon has passed. The platform is still here, and everyone is still here. That is our greatest stroke of luck."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Yesterday, three coworkers didn't evacuate in time and were trapped on Pier 3. I took five people to save them. Someone asked me, why take the risk? My answer is—every one of your lives is worth more than that equipment."

Some in the crowd lowered their heads, while others' eyes grew red.

"Chief Designer Lin called just now and said one thing: 'It's good that the people are safe,'" Chen Xueming continued. "He said broken equipment can be repaired, lost materials can be remade, and a delayed schedule can be caught up. But if the people are gone, everything is gone."

He took a deep breath.

"So, from now on, everyone rest. No work today, and no work tomorrow. We'll start when everyone has rested well. That's an order."

Someone in the crowd raised a hand. "Director Chen, what about the schedule?"

Chen Xueming looked at him. "The schedule, we'll catch up together. For a month's delay, we'll do two months' worth of work. We'll make one day count for two. But the prerequisite is that everyone must stay alive, and stay well."

The hall fell silent for a few seconds.

Then someone started to clap.

Then a second person, a third, and more and more.

Applause rang out through the entire hall.

At 2:00 PM, Chen Xueming was lying in his dormitory when there was a knock on the door.

He got up to open it, and three people were standing outside.

They were the three workers he had saved yesterday. The youngest one stood at the front, carrying an insulated container.

"Director Chen," the young worker lowered his head, "Master Liu from the Canteen asked me to bring this. He said you haven't eaten all day."

Chen Xueming looked at the insulated container and then at the three young faces.

"Come in."

The three of them squeezed into the tiny dormitory, standing there awkwardly.

Chen Xueming opened the insulated container; inside were steaming hot braised pork and rice. He sat on the edge of the bed and began to eat heartily.

The young worker watched him eat and suddenly said, "Director Chen, I'm sorry."

Chen Xueming looked up. "Sorry for what?"

"Yesterday... yesterday it was our fault for not listening and not evacuating in time. We made you risk your life to save us." The young worker's voice grew lower and lower. "I will definitely follow orders from now on."

Chen Xueming looked at him for a few seconds, then asked, "What's your name?"

"Wang... Wang Lei."

"Wang Lei, how old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Chen Xueming put down his chopsticks. "Nineteen years old, and you dared to stay behind alone in a typhoon to reinforce equipment. You've got guts."

Wang Lei was stunned, not knowing if this was praise or a scolding.

"But guts alone aren't enough," Chen Xueming continued. "You need to have brains. When a typhoon comes, equipment is important, but life is more important. Do you remember that?"

Wang Lei nodded vigorously. "I remember!"

"Alright, go back. Get some good rest. When work starts in a couple of days, there'll be plenty to do."

The three of them backed out of the dormitory and gently closed the door.

Chen Xueming sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the bowl of unfinished braised pork, and suddenly smiled.

"These kids."

At 7:00 PM, the video conference began on time.

On the other side of the screen, Lin Mo sat at his desk in the Chief Engineers Office, with Li Xiao beside him. Zhao Gang was also online, with the security command center as his background.

"Xueming, you go first and tell us about the losses on the platform," Lin Mo said.

Chen Xueming faced the camera and reported item by item. It was more detailed than in the morning, with data, photos, and a preliminary repair plan.

Lin Mo listened while taking notes in a notebook. He asked a few questions occasionally and nodded from time to time.

After the report, Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Section Chief Wu's side will send another batch of Carbon Nanotubes spools tomorrow. For the existing ones, use what can be used and send the rest back for testing. You don't need to worry about quality issues; he'll handle that."

Chen Xueming nodded.

"As for the tower crane repair, I've contacted the manufacturer; they'll send an engineer over the day after tomorrow. The parts for the gantry crane motor are already on the way," Lin Mo continued. "Regarding the pier guardrail, Zhao Gang has some in stock; they'll be loaded onto a ship and sent over tomorrow."

Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment. "So fast?"

Lin Mo looked up at him. "Did you think I was idle all day?"

Chen Xueming smiled.

Li Xiao chimed in from the side, "Senior Brother Chen, Master Liu asked me to ask you, did you receive the braised pork?"

Chen Xueming nodded. "I received it. Thank Master Liu for me."

"No need to thank him. He said that once the platform is restored, he'll personally come over and make braised pork for you for a month."

Chen Xueming remembered that Liu Jianguo had said the same thing and smiled. "Then I'll have to stay alive and well to wait and eat it."

Zhao Gang added from the side, "Staying alive is a must. But you have to fix the platform first, otherwise Master Liu won't have a place to cook when he gets there."

Several of them laughed at the same time.

After laughing, Lin Mo said seriously, "Xueming, for the next month, your side is the focus. The repair plan has been sent to your email; take a look and see if anything else needs to be added."

Chen Xueming opened his email and quickly browsed through it.

The plan was very detailed, covering everything from equipment repair to material replenishment, from personnel allocation to schedule arrangements, with a clear person in charge and time node for each item. There were even some details he hadn't thought of himself.

"Old Lin," he looked up, "you... put this all together today?"

Lin Mo didn't say anything, just nodded.

Chen Xueming looked at him, seeing the bloodshot eyes that hadn't faded yet, and suddenly didn't know what to say.

Li Xiao whispered from the side, "Senior Brother didn't leave the office all day today. Even his lunch was brought in by Master Liu."

Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Old Lin, you also need to make sure to rest."

Lin Mo smiled slightly. "I know. Once your side is fixed, I'll rest."

These words were spoken casually, but Chen Xueming heard the underlying meaning—if you don't fix it, I won't rest.

He took a deep breath. "Alright. Then on my side, I guarantee the task will be completed in one month."

"It's not about a month," Lin Mo looked at him. "It's the sooner the better. But the prerequisite is that nothing happens to the people."

Chen Xueming nodded. "Understood."

At 11:00 PM, Chen Xueming stood at the edge of the platform again.

The daytime clamor had subsided, and the workers were all asleep. Only a few people on duty were still patrolling, the beams of searchlights moving slowly through the night.

The sea surface was very calm, like a giant mirror. At this time yesterday, it had been a world of howling winds and giant waves, like another world entirely.

He pulled out his phone and looked at the photo of the insulated container Wang Lei and the others had brought in the afternoon—Li Xiao had sent it, saying Master Liu had specifically requested it as a souvenir.

Below the photo was a line of text:

"Senior Brother Chen, you were really handsome yesterday."

Chen Xueming looked at the line of text and smiled.

He replied:

"Handsome? I almost got swept away by the waves."

Li Xiao replied instantly:

"Then you're even more handsome. A hero saving a beauty."

Chen Xueming sent a "knock on the head" emoji.

Putting away his phone, he continued to look at the calm sea.

The moon had risen, laying out a path of silver on the sea. In the distance, the lights of the platform were reflected in the water, swaying gently with the ripples.

He thought of Lin Mo's words.

"It's good that the people are safe."

Yeah.

It's good that the people are safe.

The platform can be repaired, the schedule can be caught up, and equipment can be remade.

As long as the people are there, the Sky Ladder remains.

He turned and walked back.

Tomorrow would be a new day.