CHAPTER 302: CHAPTER 3: JUST A PISS-SIMPLE MATTER (PART 2)

He particularly emphasized that after the "Ford" finished maintenance this time, it would rejoin the powerful Pacific Fleet,

forming a strong military pressure on "Dongda" along with the other two "Nimitz"-class carriers to effectively deter any adventurous actions in the Western Pacific region.

Shanni was obviously uninterested in these military topics, yawning without any disguise.

In contrast, Xiao Jinlang listened intently, secretly thinking: "Indeed, finding the right platform is much more effective than struggling blindly. As long as you have the right identity, frontline intelligence is within reach!"

The lieutenant colonel’s aide also noticed that Zhou Qingfeng was not very enthusiastic about the bustling gathering. After a moment’s thought, he enthusiastically suggested:

"Mr. Harden, would you like to take a tour inside the carrier? The ’Ford’ has no less than twenty-five decks, and its internal structure is extremely complex and sophisticated, definitely worth seeing."

Zhou Qingfeng agreed.

The group then took the large hangar elevator and slowly descended.

Below the hangar were the ’Combat Command Center’, ’Power Systems and Engine Room’, ’Living and Residential Area’...

As for touring the carrier, Zhou Qingfeng and Xiao Jinlang were quite intrigued, but when they arrived at the "Living and Residential Area", they found it more like a busy construction site.

More than a dozen workers in paint- and dust-covered overalls were lazily busy.

The corridors and cabins were piled with cardboard, plasterboard, various renovation materials, and household appliances, with dismantled cabin partitions and pipe waste stacked haphazardly.

The lieutenant colonel’s aide glanced over the group of workers and immediately became furious, yelling with a livid face:

"Hey! You guys! Who allowed you to work like this in violation of regulations?! These waste materials are absolutely not allowed to pile up in the corridors and elevator entrances; they must be cleaned up immediately!

Where is your foreman? I want to see him immediately! Damn it, why is the fire system turned off?! If a fire breaks out, you will all be burned to cinders!"

Before finishing, the lieutenant colonel’s aide left Zhou Qingfeng and Xiao Jinlang on the spot and began scolding the bewildered workers, simultaneously ordering them to stop working immediately.

The lower deck space was originally narrow, and the cabin structure was complex. As soon as the lieutenant colonel’s aide left, he quickly disappeared into the crisscrossing passages.

As for the workers he scolded, they all stopped their work and were driven elsewhere.

What was once a lively area was left with only Zhou Qingfeng, Xiao Jinlang, and an impatient Shanni.

Shanni let out a long yawn, shaking her head, "It’s too stuffy here, there’s dust and noise everywhere, it’s nothing like what I imagined inside a carrier.

I’ll head back to the party upstairs; you guys can come find me when you’re done."

With that, the young nurse turned without hesitation and pressed the up button on the hangar elevator.

Once Shanni left, Zhou Qingfeng and Xiao Jinlang looked at each other.

"What should we... do now?" Old Xiao scratched the back of his head, looking a bit clueless, his eyes curiously scanning around, sometimes excited, sometimes sighing.

"This is the core of the ’Ford’ carrier, but it seems like we can’t do anything.

If I’d known it was such a great opportunity, I should have reported ahead, maybe come up with some plan..."

"No, no, no, there’s no way we can have any plan. Those at the top will definitely tell us to do nothing, not to stir up trouble or take risks; being safe and sound beats everything."

"But coming here just once, could we really leave empty-handed? Ah, I should have thought of this earlier, how did I not prepare?"

Old Xiao muttered to himself for a long time, yet the furious lieutenant colonel’s aide had not returned.

The various thoughts in his mind were like wildly growing weeds, but were soon burned clean by the flame of reason.

He cautiously took a few steps, wanting to see the surrounding situation, but apart from dense pipes and scattered renovation materials, he found nothing special, let alone people.

This was really just an ordinary living and residential area inside the carrier.

"Oh dear, Xiaozhou, what should we do? Do you have... What the hell! What are you doing?!" Xiao Jinlang turned around, suddenly widening his eyes.

He saw Zhou Qingfeng carelessly unzipping and peeing, directing a stream at the pile of renovation materials in the corner.

He had drunk quite a bit at the hangar party, and now he had an urgent and large urge to pee, making a loud splashing noise against the cabin’s corner walls.

This guy wasn’t satisfied just with peeing; he shook off any excess and said defiantly, "All I need now is a pen."

"What do you need a pen for?" Xiao Jinlang was completely speechless.

"To write ’Zhou Qingfeng was here’."

Old Xiao was exasperated to the point of laughing, "Do you think you’re the Monkey King?"

"Why don’t you take a whizz too? This is a historically significant pee."

"No way, there’s no historical significance in this, and I’m not doing what you did." Old Xiao quickly waved his hand, looking disgusted.

Not only did he not want to do it, but he also had to carefully keep watch for Zhou Qingfeng, warily looking around, fearing the furious lieutenant colonel’s aide might suddenly return and catch them in the act, which would truly be embarrassing.

To cover up the evidence, Old Xiao hurriedly found some scattered renovation waste and haphazardly covered the urine stain on the corner wall—afraid the pungent smell would spread.

It took a good ten minutes before the lieutenant colonel’s aide returned, still looking unpleasant, with exhaustion and apology saying:

"Sorry, Mr. Harden, those workers are really difficult to manage. I have to constantly monitor them, or they will definitely cause all sorts of trouble."

The lieutenant colonel’s aide also sniffed, catching a foul smell, which made him even angrier, "Are those workers from India? They often urinate anywhere. I must dock their pay."

Zhou Qingfeng and Xiao Jinlang looked awkward and lost their interest in the tour, so they simply left, returning to the bustling hangar party.

Shortly after they left, sparks of short circuits emerged from the pile of waste that had been peed on, as a copper wire exposed due to renovation short-circuited.

And the workers originally working there never returned.

-----------------

Zhou Qingfeng spent over two hours back and forth on the ’Ford’, meeting almost all the people present but remembering none of them.

As they departed, Admiral Alvin came to see them off and mentioned that there would be an even more private party in a few days, hoping Mr. ’Harden’ could attend.

Zhou Qingfeng did not refuse and agreed verbally before taking Shanni and Xiao Jinlang to board the helicopter, taking off from the carrier’s deck to return to Washington D.C.

In the cabin, Shanni leaned lazily on Zhou Qingfeng’s shoulder, sighing, "If only all this were real."

"What do you mean? The party?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.

"Power, wine, compliments, wonders, everything tonight made me dizzy," Shanni rolled her eyes at the man, "This is what I dream of; I’m very worried I might get addicted to it."

"If you don’t want to take risks with me, I can give you some money and arrange a comfortable place for you to live a peaceful life," Zhou Qingfeng suggested.

Shanni remained silent, but her eyes showed a slight temptation.

The helicopter was supposed to return in about an hour, but less than half an hour into the flight, the cabin’s red lights suddenly lit up, accompanied by a rapid buzzing.

The pilot with earmuffs suddenly shouted into the cabin: "Sir, the helicopter has encountered some trouble; the hydraulic control system isn’t working, I must make an emergency landing."

Zhou Qingfeng was startled and quickly rushed into the cockpit. He watched the instrument panel beeping erratically, asking urgently: "What’s our current altitude?"

"Altitude six hundred..." The pilot’s forehead seeped with large beads of sweat, his tightly gripped control stick became weak and powerless.

This was almost certainly the fatal consequence of the hydraulic system completely failing, with hydraulic fluid leaking out.

A fall from an altitude of six hundred meters, the massive impact would be enough to turn a steel structure into a heap of twisted scrap metal.

The pilot was doing his best to save the situation but had no way to stop the helicopter from losing control—it was falling at a rate of over ten meters per second, and accelerating, like a plummeting lead weight.

In the cabin, Shanni was already pale, and Xiao Jinlang was helpless.

The wailing of the rotor blades became increasingly shrill, and the cold tide of death swept into the cabin.

A few minutes later, Admiral Alvin, still on the carrier, received a message from his subordinate: "The helicopter carrying Harden has crashed. This is what happens when one becomes a minister without any backing. No one guarantees even your life."