Chapter 2 Chapter 1 An unexpected discovery

In 1990, through some kind of relationship, I entered the city's Heqiao Construction Company to work. My job was to do underwater testing, mainly to check whether the foundation stone of the stone bridge was installed firmly.This seems to be an exciting job, but it is actually a very peaceful job. Of course, if there was no flood in 1991, maybe my life would go on so smoothly, but fate played a huge joke on me. A sudden event changed my life forever. In the summer of 1991, China encountered a catastrophic flood that never happened in a century. Due to some special reasons, the government decided to blow up the flood control dam in my city to ensure the normal operation of my city at the expense of another ancient city. Of course, the people have long since Made the transfer in advance.Although the area of ​​the ancient city is small, the government will naturally be cautious when it comes to matters involving human life. On the day of the dam explosion, all the comrades in the city's hydrological unit who were on the front line, that is, who can directly enter the water, were mobilized to the scene of the flood peak, together with the armed police officers and soldiers. Search for possible life forms.

The weather that day was not bad, although it was frighteningly gloomy, but the torrential downpour finally stopped temporarily, and the ancient city had already become a vast ocean, and the torrential flood flooded the two-story houses. Seeing the roof, there are only two sounds in the whole city: the roar of kayak engines and the sound of huge water.Our group has a total of four rescue boats, which are responsible for the rescue of an area. Each boat is equipped with three people, one is responsible for steering and shouting, and the other two are responsible for search and rescue. We drove our own kayak forward slowly, scanning the hidden corners where life might appear along the way.However, from morning to noon, no other life forms were found except ourselves, and everyone gradually relaxed, not as nervous as they were at the beginning.

Suddenly, Lao Liang, who was on the same boat, grabbed my arm, shhed, and pointed forward cautiously.I looked in the direction of his finger, and saw a long dead wooden stake floating towards our kayak in the distance. Originally, I was almost going to ridicule Lao Liang, because there are all kinds of sundries in the flooded city. As for a wooden stake, do I care so much about it?But soon I discovered that there was something unusual about this piece of wooden stake, because it floated very slowly. Specifically, it floated much slower than the speed of water flow, which must be abnormal. Old Liang stared at the wooden stake, and said in a low voice, "Turn off the engine."

Among the three of us, Lao Liang is the oldest. He has worked in the hydrological station for more than ten years. We all know that he has rich experience.Xiao Liu, who was in charge of the helm, immediately turned off the engine, and the kayak, without propulsion, receded with the direction of the current. At this moment, the drifting speed of the wooden stake suddenly accelerated, and it drifted towards us at a speed obviously faster than the current.We looked at each other, each clenched the long wooden sticks we used to save people. The other boats were all moving forward, but we were the only ones retreating. This naturally made everyone feel strange, and they all asked us loudly what we meant.Lao Liang waved his hands anxiously, and kept gesticulating to the wooden stake. A boat that was close also noticed that it was drifting at an incorrect speed, and did not hesitate to imitate us and shut down the engine.The three people on the other boat were all our colleagues. They naturally knew how powerful Lao Liang was. Although they didn't understand anything for the time being, they also consciously turned off the engine. Only the armed police officers and soldiers continued to move forward without hesitation.

At this time, our kayak hit something underwater and got stuck with a bang, unable to move. We saw that section of wooden stake getting closer and closer, and finally came head-to-head with our kayak. Lao Liang and I retreated involuntarily into the limited space.But there was no big movement in that section of wooden stake, it was just stuck together with us. Suddenly, the armed police soldiers who were far away from us shouted to us with a loudspeaker: "What's the matter, is your ship malfunctioning?" Lao Liang gestured anxiously, but they didn't understand Lao Liang's meaning at all, and continued to shout: "What's wrong with your ship, do you need support?"

At this time, I clearly saw that the left and right sides of the dead wood pile suddenly opened an eye, the eyeball was as big as a duck egg, and it was a kind of yellowish brown, looking straight at me, and my hair stood on end in fright. , Cold sweat was all over his body, and Lao Liang's body also twitched violently. Then the dead wood pile made a soft rattle, and disappeared into the water, but from the fluctuation of the water pattern, I can be sure that it turned around and went to the armed police. The soldier didn't understand what was going on, and continued to use the loudspeaker to ask loudly, but Lao Liang ignored it and said loudly: "Run, there is something in the water."

Before the words were finished, water splashed into the sky with a bang, wrapped in a black and thick thing like a telephone pole, and pushed the kayak of the armed police soldiers up, but it quickly retracted its body into the water, and the kayak was in the water. It flipped several times in the air and fell into the water, and the people on it had already fallen into the flood. Old Liang turned pale with shock, and said, "It's broken, hurry up and save people." I was still in shock and said: "There are water monsters there." Old Liang said: "I can't control that much anymore, the most important thing is to save people."

After all, let the helmsman launch the small boat and rush to the armed police who fell into the water. Seeing this, the other two boats also followed up to support.Fortunately, although the unknown creature in the water overturned the kayak, it did not attack the person who fell into the water. The armed police soldiers swam towards us with all their strength and got on the boat without any danger. They became the first batch of rescue targets. There is actually a water monster hidden in the flood peak of the torrential yellow waves. It is really hard to say how I am feeling at this time.Of course, there is only one thing that is most clear in front of us, and that is to leave as soon as possible. Although we have not received an evacuation order at this time, we can't take care of that much.

Just about to turn the kayak around, I suddenly saw a long body floating out less than 20 meters in front of me, similar to a snake, except that there was a row of black barbs on the top of the body, which was abnormal in the flood It was conspicuous, and a fishy smell gushed out of our noses, making everyone want to vomit. It twisted its body in the water, rolled and rolled. It was obviously very long. It took a while for the wide tail to emerge from the water, similar to a huge flipper, and went in the opposite direction to us.With such a huge body, it didn't stir up any splashes in the water, which showed its good water quality.We looked at each other in blank dismay, even the armed police soldiers were stunned.

But it finally left, and our tense heartstrings gradually calmed down. I said, "What kind of thing is this? It must not be a snake or a crocodile." Old Liang panted for a while and said, "I've seen this kind of thing. I've seen it in reservoirs. I guess it might be found in lakes, rivers and seas, but it's rarely found. Before that, I was in the hydrological observation station. I saw it once at work, but it wasn't this big." I said, "This can't be a dragon, can it?" Old Liang said: "In myths and legends, there are two kinds of gods and dragons, and their body shape should be similar to the one we saw just now, but it's okay for us to talk about this conclusion in private, and we must not talk nonsense when we go back, otherwise it is very likely If you cause trouble, this year itself is not peaceful, if you talk about jiao and dragon, you may be charged with spreading rumors."

If we say that the old comrades have rich social experience, we never mentioned this matter after we went back. When the superiors asked us, they only said that the kayak was scratched by the steel wire in the flood, which hindered the rescue work. On the way back, I said, "If you can get one of these things, how much will it cost?" Old Liang said: "You are crazy about money. The temperament of aquatic creatures is very violent. We had to keep safe just now because we didn't disturb it. But you have seen what happened to the armed police comrades, but they shouted loudly. Just a few words, you were knocked over by it, and you still want to catch it, are you out of your mind?" I said: "No one is rich without a windfall. The main reason is that we don't have enough equipment to do this, otherwise we can do it." Old Liang smiled and said, "I'm afraid you really think you are great. Have you ever heard the story of the Atlantic monster?" We all cheered up immediately, and the helmsman also said: "Uncle Liang, you have the most stories, tell us two." Old Liang said: "What I'm talking about is not a story, but a true story. We who often go into the water should not listen to these strange things as stories. We should be vigilant enough. This may save your life." I said: "I have been taught, please tell us, I am so anxious to death." Old Liang said: "This is a very old story. According to the calculation of the calendar by foreigners, it was in 1860 A.D., more than 100 years ago, there was a Brazilian fisherman who owned a boat and brought it with him during the fishing season. He set out to go fishing. Once he caught a net and found a small squid in the fish pile, which was probably strayed into the net. Fishermen are very superstitious, especially this fisherman, he always thinks that he is fishing. It is already very unkind. For other sea creatures that strayed into the fishing net, he never slaughtered them, and released them all. However, this little squid seemed to be dying because it was squeezed for too long, so he put this A small squid raised up. "After staying at sea for a few days, he raised the squid for a few days. He didn't release the recovered squid back into the sea until he returned to the sea. After 25 years, he changed from a small fisherman to an old fisherman. Perhaps it was because of his exceptional luck that he rarely encountered storms and waves. For the next ten years or so, every time he went to sea, as long as he cast a net, he caught more fish than others, until he went to sea for the last time in his life. "As the saying goes: Who can walk along the river without getting their shoes wet? This time, an old fisherman encountered a huge storm in the Atlantic Ocean. The fishing boat is a small fishing boat, but the storm is a big storm. His boat can be smashed by a single wave. However, what surprised the fisherman was that although the water on the sea seemed to be boiling, his boat was relatively calm. Although some waves rushed to the sky and covered the boat, the boat would not capsize, as if It was as if something had fixed the boat, but the storm was so strong that the old fisherman dared not go out of the barn to observe. "Do you think this is a very strange phenomenon, the sea is crazy, but the old fisherman's boat is standing firmly on the ground!" I said, "Needless to say, it must be related to that squid." Lao Liang nodded and said: "You are right. Although the old fisherman has never seen the squid from the beginning to the end, after returning, he found that the iron hull was covered with marks like whips, like a squid. As if it had been embedded by something, he immediately thought of that squid. But think about what kind of squid can firmly hold a ship in a storm, and even a storm can’t make it succumb. The power of this creature should be How big is it? It has been following the old fisherman’s boat for so many years, and the fish are actually thanks to it. This kind of wisdom is amazing enough. If you think about it carefully, the old fisherman is kind to it. But what if you offend it? What will be the consequences? So Xiao Zou, if you offend anyone, don’t offend the things in the water. You can’t survive in that kind of place if you are not smart. Our desert with the most extreme climate is comparable to the deep sea. Bi, that is the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss." I said, "Don't scare me, I'm timid." Old Liang said: "So don't think that we are the only ones. If there is an animal on earth that can surpass God, it must be the one that grows in the water, not us. Do you know the nickname of the Atlantic Ocean?" I said, "I don't know." Old Liang patted me on the shoulder and said, "Remember, it's called the Hell Aquarium. 80% of the world's strange things that happen in the sea are in the Atlantic Ocean. It's the sacred place for all explorers in the world. If you really have For the idea of ​​catching a monster in the water, I suggest that you try your luck in the Atlantic Ocean in the future, and now scientists can testify to you that there are many giant creatures living in the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.” I said: "If there is such a day, I will definitely ask you to be a consultant." Lao Liang said to me very seriously: "Whether you are joking or not, I can tell you very clearly right now that I will never do it, no matter how much it costs." I laughed and said, "Just kidding, I don't want to compete with this kind of creature. Besides, if I really catch it, who else can I sell it to besides handing it over to the country for free?" Old Liang said: "Let's just do our jobs well. You are still young, and there are plenty of opportunities to make money." After experiencing this incident, we participated in several rescue operations. Later, the flood receded naturally, so from the central government to the local government, we began to reward those who contributed to the flood fighting and rescue. First, the outstanding heroes and warriors, and then leaders, After that, we are the group of people who have been mixed once. Anyway, no one is missing, no matter material or spiritual, everyone has a share. Afterwards, perhaps due to fate, Lao Liang and I were actually transferred to the same team, or else everything was dominated by God's will somewhere.Without this transfer of mine, there would be no subsequent series of events. What is the "butterfly effect" is what I am. That was when we were performing an underwater mission together, an accident happened suddenly. The stone pillars of the river bridge that had been built collapsed for some reason, and fell in the direction where the old beam was. We were all wearing heavy diving gear. If I rely on myself alone, I will definitely not be able to dodge. Needless to say, I don’t need to say what will be the consequences of the tens of tons of bridge pillars pressing on it. In the end, at this critical moment, I pulled Lao Liang to my side with all my strength. , but an unfortunate thing happened, that is, one of Lao Liang's legs was crushed alive. Our diving suit is similar to that of a small submarine. People actually stay inside instead of wearing it on the body. Through mechanical bionics, the joints and limbs are moved by the machine. In fact, it is more appropriate to describe the equipment on our body with a submersible .One of Lao Liang's legs was broken, which means that his submersible had a water inlet point, and the water rushed in immediately. Our oxygen supply is injected into the submersible through external equipment. , the man must have drowned. Lao Liang had already fainted from the pain, so I immediately sounded the alarm, and the crane wheel on the river shrunk and dragged the two of us out of the water. Fortunately, there was no delay, otherwise Lao Liang would definitely be drowned.As soon as the company saw the big accident, it sent people to rescue it. At the same time, it announced to investigate the ins and outs of the whole incident. Why did this happen to the bridge pier at the bottom of the river?Which department is responsible? As Lao Liang's partner, I went to visit him immediately. I had already received news that Lao Liang's broken leg could not be repaired and had to be amputated. But his family members saw me, including Lao Liang. Thank you so much, I was very embarrassed. Before leaving, I deliberately gave Lao Liang 1,000 yuan. After all, he had such a big incident. I was also underwater at the time, so it was Lao Liang who helped me. Stopped the disaster. That afternoon, all the superior leaders in the unit also came here, but their treatment was much worse than mine.Lao Liang's daughter-in-law is simply chasing and scolding, and this cannot be blamed on her. First of all, her husband lost a leg in this accident, and secondly, her younger brother is the top leader of the government department in charge of our unit. Something big happened to such a person The consequences are hard to predict. It's really hard to be a leader these days. I left the hospital with emotion, and suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness in my heart, because I was worried that maybe one day, the bad luck of Lao Liang would also befall me. If so, I would achieve nothing, be completely disabled or even die , so what is the meaning of my life? Thinking of this, I sighed secretly, and went home dejectedly.However, the result of the development of the matter was beyond everyone's expectations. I think this incident can really be described with a poem like "the willows are dark and the flowers are bright in another village".Lao Liang, who had a broken leg, somehow became the deputy of our unit, and his deputy was not a replacement, but a new department set up by the unit, which is mainly responsible for external business. Of course, the external business of Heqiao Company is There are many, but what he is in charge of is not the company's main business, but the company's special investment to start a secondary industry, and Lao Liang is in charge of this. The good things are not over yet. Lao Liang has only been in office for two years and has not made any outstanding achievements during his tenure. He was suddenly promoted to the top leader. The original top leader retired early due to illness. This has also become a mystery in the unit. one.Of course, we all know that it must have something to do with the bridge pier collapse accident, because the unit has not given any results so far, and Lao Liang has not asked for an investigation. Now it seems that they have already discussed it behind their backs.As for why Lao Liang is not allowed to be in place in one step, one is that he needs a transition period, otherwise it is unreasonable to rise from the frontline workers to the sky in one step. Agreement, because the top leader also undertook several large-scale projects before retiring. In short, Lao Liang is now the top leader, and he is an absolute real power faction.A few days after I took office, I received a call from him asking me out for dinner.My heart felt hot, and I faintly felt that maybe my luck was about to change. After all, I saved the life of this leader, and he had no reason not to take care of me. This time the meeting was not at a restaurant, but at his house. I bought two bottles of Zhonghua and two bottles of Moutai, because I am a junior in terms of age, status, and seniority, and it is absolutely okay to put on a low profile.To say that I do have a certain potential for speculation, because I always have a very accurate identification of the situation, and when to do what, I am indeed clearer than people of the same age. I knocked on the door and saw Lao Liang, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room. I respectfully said, "Hello, Manager Liang." Old Liang didn't mean to take people, he was really inconvenient, he sat and pointed to the sofa beside him and said, "Don't be so polite, come on, sit down quickly." I put the things I bought on the coffee table in front of him, and said, "I came in a hurry, I didn't have time to choose, so I can only express my heart." Old Liang said: "Why are you so polite, kid, who asked you to buy these things, and I need such a stupid brain?" I laughed and said, "Anyway, I brought it with me. If you don't want it, just throw it away. You can't let me take it back!" It could be seen that Lao Liang was very satisfied with my performance, and he took a sip of wine and said, "Little Zou, we won't hide from you and me, let's get straight to the point." My heart jumped wildly, but there was no expression on my face, I continued to munch on the chicken legs and said, "Say, I'm listening." Old Liang said: "Although you don't like to hear it, I still want to say that Chinese people should pay attention to gratitude and repayment. You saved my life. Aunt Ma has been nagging me about this matter. Of course, the main reason is that you This child has a good character and is a person who does things. At that time, I had no power and could not help, but now I can, so I thought of two ways for you. One is to pull you to the position of dispatching team leader, Then you slowly climb up. As long as I am in position, I will definitely find a way to get you in. But you also know the establishment of our unit, not to mention whether you can get in my position, even if you are old, I am afraid that you will not be young. , and to be honest, it’s not a big deal.” Old Liang paused at this point, stared at me and said, "The other thing is that you resign yourself from the unit and form an engineering team, and I can let you undertake many bridge construction projects. Reasonable, I will sign the construction contract, you do it, and I will check and accept it for you, okay?"