Chapter 193: Country Seething with Excitement (2)
Chapter 193 – Country Seething with Excitement (2)
Pshhh!
White mist escaped from the gaps as the side door slowly opened.
Seeing this, the middle-aged team leader and soldier briefly exchanged looks with each other before leading everyone through the door.
Boom!
When the last person had crossed the first seal, the metal door instantly closed shut, isolating the last ray of light from the outside world.
However, because the maglev train parked in the middle of the pipeline had its own lighting system, the visibility inside the seal was actually much better than outside.
“Incredible.” The soldier slowed down his gait as he reached out to touch the train’s cold, smooth, and silver body. “It dug through nearly two thousand kilometers of dirt and rock, yet there’s actually not a scratch on this thing… If this alloy can be used as armor…”
“It’ll be difficult to a.n.a.lyze the alloy used for the train’s body,” the middle-aged team leader said, shaking his head. He then pointed at the ceiling and continued, “However, we already have the alloy composition for the pipeline.”
“The team at Shanghai kept a record?” the soldier asked in surprise.
“Of course. They recorded every bit of metal that went into the train. It won’t be long before the lab can reproduce a roughly similar alloy. Of course, it won’t be an exact replica.”
“Give it to the military first!”
“Apply with the higher-ups. It wouldn’t matter even if we discuss it…”
Amidst their discussion, the two quickly covered the train’s 1,000-meter body and arrived before the first carriage.
At this point, the first carriage’s door was already open, and Little Peach in her eunuch uniform currently stood guard by the door.
“h.e.l.lo, Madam. I am the person in charge. It is an honor to meet you. May I know how I should address you?” the middle-aged team leader asked with a polite smile.
“Just call me Gonggong,” Little Peach answered. When she saw the middle-aged team leader, she couldn’t help but find him to be familiar. However, as she was too lazy to dig through her database, she simply scanned everyone with her eyes. She then pointed at an engineer and said, “You cannot bring your leather bag aboard.”
“T-This?” The engineer in question raised his bag in shock. “I-Is there a problem?”
“There are radioactive materials inside. You cannot bring it aboard.”
Hearing this, the middle-aged team leader’s eyes instantly sharpened as he looked at the engineer behind him. “What is it?”
“I-It’s a measuring tool,” the engineer said as he hurriedly opened his bag and showed the item in question to the team leader.
“Set it aside.”
“Yes, sir.”
An agent took the bag from the engineer and promptly split from the crowd.
“Gonggong, are there any other abnormalities?” the team leader asked Little Peach with a smile.
“None. Everyone may come up,” Little Peach said as she stepped aside. “Turn right once you’re on board, and don’t make any noise.”
“Understood.”
After signaling everyone with a wave, the middle-aged team leader took the lead and boarded the first carriage.
After stepping on the soft carpet, the team leader raised his head and looked at the words “Produced by the China Railway Construction Corporation.” He then took a deep breath before walking toward the cab.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
The corridor leading to the cab was extremely narrow. With everyone remaining silent, their footsteps sounded incredibly loud.
Half a minute later, the middle-aged team leader arrived at the end of the corridor and reached out to grab the door handle. After briefly preparing himself mentally, he gritted his teeth and entered the cab.
The instant he walked through the door, he straightened his back, and the initially sober and anxious look on his face transformed into a strong and confident one.
The inside of the cab was far more s.p.a.cious than the camera portrayed it to be. Rather than call it a control room, it would be more apt to call it a control hall.
Upon entering the hall, the team leader immediately saw Chen Yu’s figure. Currently, the youth was portraying the image of someone who was in deep thought.
The middle-aged team leader had long since familiarize himself with this high school student’s personality. Suppressing his urge to chuckle, he indifferently stepped forward and greeted, “Greetings, Mr. King.”
“h.e.l.lo there.” Chen Yu shook his dragon clothes, and elegantly turned around. When he saw the middle-aged team leader’s familiar face, he could not help but be taken aback. However, he quickly recovered and stretched out his hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Me too.”
The two shook hands and maintained a delicate distance with each other.
“Mr. King, thank you very much for your outstanding contributions to the railway industry, scientific and technological progress, and civilization development. On behalf of-”
“Don’t speak on behalf of anyone first. For now, let’s get straight to business.”
Personally, Chen Yu did not dislike polite exchanges, especially when these exchanges included praise for him.
However, as an evaluation ent.i.ty for the public, he couldn’t let his audience watch these meaningless things.
“Today’s review has gone on long enough. Let’s speed things up and go through with the authorization.” After waiting for everyone to enter the control room, Chen Yu asked, “First, we’ll set the Deputy Chief Conductor’s authority. Which one of you will be taking the position?”
At Chen Yu’s question, everyone in the room simultaneously turned toward a youth wearing a mask and thick clothing.
Seeing this, realization dawned upon Chen Yu. He then turned off the livestream’s audio and shifted the camera’s focus elsewhere.
“I’ve cut off the audio and moved you out of the picture.”
In response, the young man stepped forward and bowed to Chen Yu. He then played a recorded line on his phone, “Thank you for the trouble, Mr. King.”
The young man wasn’t a staff member of the railway department. In fact, his work unit wasn’t even related to railways in any way. However, it was precisely because of this reason that he was chosen to have the highest authority over the train.
“Your concealment is actually comparable to mine,” Chen Yu commented. “However, you have to pay more attention to the details. You can’t just stop at the surface.”
“Yes, sir!”
The middle-aged team leader: “…”
“Come with me then.” Leading the youth to the crystal ball, Chen Yu said, “Put your hands on it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Reaching out, the young man placed both his hands on the crystal ball.
“Dimwit, set his authority as the Deputy Chief Conductor.”
“Operator-level—Deputy Chief Conductor’s authority. Please confirm.”
“Confirm.”
“Please open your eyes and let Dimwit collect your iris data.”
The youth bent over and opened the lens on his mask, revealing a pair of brown pupils.
“Registration complete. Welcome, Deputy Chief Conductor.”
“Okay.” Waving his hand, Chen Yu said, “The binding is complete. Next up will be the operator level’s conductors.”
At these words, the dozen or so pre-designated individuals stepped forward and formed a queue.
Meanwhile, a thousand meters away from the train, the 1,000 civilian pa.s.sengers’ ticket inspection was also completed. Under the instruction of the police officers, they were currently entering the pipeline one after another.
“The slope is very steep. Everyone, please pay attention to safety. Stay in the queue and avoid stepping on others…”
“The slope is very steep. Everyone, please pay attention to safety…”
Amidst the excitement and discussion, over a thousand people arrived before the first seal.
Psh…
White mist filled the area as the side door opened.
Immediately, four police officers stepped forward and stood on both sides of the door. They then conducted a second ticket inspection on the pa.s.sengers.
“c.r.a.p!”
“It’s so long…”
“Dammit, there’s no net underground.”
“I don’t see any windows. Is the train fully sealed?”
“It must be sealed completely.”
The pa.s.sengers were divided into groups of 100, and they anxiously waited before the pa.s.senger carriages.
Squeak—
Squeak—
Squeak—
The crowd did not have to wait long before the doors of the pa.s.senger compartments opened simultaneously.
Without waiting to listen to the staff members’ instructions, the crowd promptly charged through the doors and observed their surroundings in awe and shock.
The inside of every pa.s.senger car was equipped with high-end leather sofas, dining tables, sinks, and small refrigerators. The carriages did not give off a cramped feeling at all. The walls and ceiling were also equipped with high-definition screens that simulated environmental sceneries.
Also, the simulated environment of each car was unique to one another.
Some simulated the rural countryside.
Some simulated futuristic cities.
Some simulated underwater reefs.
Some simulated the starry universe…
This was a riding experience that was utterly beyond modern human imagination.
Most of the pa.s.sengers had their hearts overwhelmed with emotions. Eventually, they only managed to utter one word out of their throats—
“c.r.a.p…”