A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 901 Here we go again?! ...Supporting the little ahoge's spine.

As soon as Jiang Xia crawled through the hatch at the bottom of the command tower and stepped onto the downward-sloping metal ladder, he felt an aura completely different from the outside world rushing towards him.

It was a unique smell, a mixture of steel, machine oil, damp cables, and a faint, pungent seawater odor.

The air became heavy and stifling, and the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, carrying a chilly, damp feeling.

Where one could borrow some moonlight and distant lights from the outside, here the light was drastically compressed, leaving only a few temporary explosion-proof lights casting a dim and flickering halo, barely dispelling the thick, impenetrable darkness.

The space was even more cramped than imagined. The passageway was so narrow that only one person could pass at a time, and the low ceiling overhead was densely packed with various pipes, valves and cables, as if it could press down at any moment.

On either side were cold, gleaming steel panels, covered with various gauges, switches, and protrusions of unknown purpose. Underfoot was a metal grating with anti-slip texture, which made a hollow sound when walked on.

An invisible, immense sense of oppression enveloped everything from all directions, as if this steel behemoth was slowly shrinking its internal organs, testing the nerves of every intruder.

No wonder even the military police don't dare to mess with the submariners returning from their missions. Ordinary people simply can't stand in this environment!

Jiang Xia's legs were already weak when he climbed the control tower, and now, in this claustrophobic and oppressive environment, his heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably, and his breathing became slightly rapid.

He gripped the cold, slippery handrail, following the steady figure of Teacher Xu Hua ahead, and carefully moved downwards.

The ladder to the next deck was even steeper, almost vertical, and the steps were narrow with equally slippery edges.

Just as Jiang Xia shifted his weight to his feet and prepared to take the crucial step, his still somewhat sore legs finally gave way. His foot slipped on the wet, slippery metal edge, and he instantly lost his balance, letting out a cry as he fell downwards!

The sudden turn of events meant that even though Zhao Gang, who was behind him, reacted quickly, he didn't have enough time to fully rescue him in such a confined space.

However, just as Jiang Xia thought he was about to fall awkwardly, Huang Xuhua, who was walking directly below him, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. The moment he heard the exclamation, he immediately and steadily assumed a horse stance, leaning his body slightly forward. With his shoulders and back, which were not particularly broad but were exceptionally solid and reliable, he precisely supported Jiang Xia's sliding body!

Jiang Xia's weight, more than half of his own, was firmly pressed onto Teacher Xu Hua's shoulders and back.

"Hold on!"

"Don't panic, grab the railing!"

Teacher Xu Hua's calm voice brought Jiang Xia back to her senses, who was drenched in cold sweat. She quickly grabbed the handrail next to her and regained her balance with the precious support provided by Teacher Xu Hua's shoulder.

"Thank you... thank you, Teacher Huang!"

"It's good that you're alright. The path inside is slippery, so stay close to me and make sure you take each step firmly." Teacher Xu Hua straightened up slowly after seeing that he had regained his footing, her tone still calm, as if she had just done something insignificant.

He patted Jiang Xia's arm and continued to lead the way.

Zhao Gang breathed a sigh of relief and grinned silently. Teacher Xu Hua's performance immediately boosted the captain's confidence.

At that moment, Jiang Xia suddenly had a strange realization.

He, and his generation of young people, are just like this now, sometimes feeling weak in the legs, sometimes stumbling on the road ahead, but there will always be seniors like Teacher Xuhua, silently and firmly supporting them with their shoulders, their knowledge, and their experience at the most critical moments, building a ladder for them to climb upwards.

Only by standing on these broad and solid "shoulders" can they see further and move more powerfully toward the unknown road to rejuvenation.

"It feels so good to have someone to lean on!"

Under Teacher Xu Hua's guidance, Jiang Xia and his companion began to slowly and laboriously traverse the steel maze. As they walked, Teacher Xu Hua used his flashlight, fitted with a sunshade, to illuminate the complex environment ahead, occasionally offering quiet reminders:

"Watch your head, this pipe is a ventilation pipe, don't bump it."

"There's a hydraulic valve assembly under your feet. Walk around it; it's oily and slippery."

"The watertight door on the left is blocked now. You can only squeeze through the narrow gap on the right. Be careful not to get your clothes caught."

As they delved deeper, with Zhao Gang's explanation, Jiang Xia could better appreciate the differences between the internal layout of this "Zaochao" class submarine and the mainstream submarines in China at the time. The routing of many equipment and pipelines revealed a different design philosophy.

“We are now passing through the passageway of the third watertight compartment,” Huang Xuhua said, pointing with his flashlight to several obvious welding marks and temporary supports on one side of the compartment.

“Look here, and there, these were all reinforced later. Captain Zhao put in a lot of effort to ‘modify’ this boat in order to control the situation.”

Zhao Gang chuckled from behind, somewhat embarrassed: "There was no other way. We were short-handed at the time, so we had to find a way to lock them in their respective cabins and let them fight their own battles."

Just then, a series of metallic clanging and scraping sounds came from ahead, along with a few hushed conversations.

Rounding a bend, a narrow passage was cleverly blocked at its intersection by several heavy steel beams and a pile of irregularly shaped metal components, completely sealing off the path to the left stern area. Obvious welding marks were visible on the obstruction.

That method was absolutely brutal...

“This is it,” Zhao Gang stepped forward, patted the cold barrier, and said with a hint of helplessness, “Back then, I didn’t understand the structure inside. To prevent the little devils from linking up and attacking the boat, I went all out… Most of that thermite was used in this main passage…”

"Judging from the sound, the comrades on the other side are trying to cut it off!"

Teacher Xu Hua carefully observed the blockage and frowned slightly: "It seems that it will be difficult to clear the blockage from here in a short time."

"Tsk, I should have held back a bit more..."

Zhao Gang grinned, trying to pry it open with his hands, but alas, it was like an ant trying to shake a tree...

Jiangxia reached into his pocket.

"Hehehe, let's go all out then!"