Chapter 44 Three, dead street adventure

An accident occurred while the USS Idaho was passing through the Pedro Miguel Locks.Before that, let's make a description of the water injection device of the gate. Ordinary steamboats entering the canal from the Atlantic Ocean first enter Gatun Lake.After entering the gate, the gate is closed, the ship is locked in the lock chamber, and the bottom of the water is constantly gushing up, and the water level rises accordingly.When the ship reaches a certain height, it enters the next gate. Let's talk about the water injection device.There are more than one hundred small-diameter water outlets evenly distributed at the bottom of the lock chamber, and there is a large underground channel on the side wall of the lock chamber.In terms of water output, of course there are many underground channels, but if the water output is too large and too fast, a vortex will be formed to make the boat bump.Therefore, the small-diameter water outlet at the bottom of the lock chamber is still used as the main water filling method when entering the water.The large culvert is assisted, and the two adjust each other, so that the water filling speed in the lock chamber is fast and stable.

Let's talk about the accident that happened after the Idaho entered the lock chamber.Someone put red silt into the water inlet, which caused the small diameter water outlet to be blocked.The huge current flowing from the big dark channel formed a terrible vortex, and the four trams pulling the ship were uprooted.The Idaho overturned sideways, and the bow hit the rock wall, turning into an upturned inverted "eight". Americans are most afraid of blockage of the canal.And this incident made them wonder if someone was doing experiments to disrupt the transportation system. After that, the legend of the Panamanian red mud ghost spread.It didn't take long before someone discovered red mud in Gatun Lake.The red silt is rich in iron elements, so it is easy to cause blockage of the small-diameter outlet holes.The military began to suspect that someone had thrown sludge at the water inlet.The Americans secretly arrested Zongji to find out who was doing this kind of thing.

"Don't be distracted, I'm going to check you to death with a car." In the second game, Zhezhu had the upper hand, and a few good moves in succession made the opponent mess up.It seems that this chess is different from shogi, the competition is not patience, but strategy.During the chess game, Zhezhu couldn't help looking at Rivalmore. He suspected that the red mud ghost was actually a conspiracy by the man in front of him. It seemed that he must be given a blow. People like Rivamore are investors at best, but they are actually social pests who disrupt the market by speculating and then reap the rewards.Afterwards, several similar blockage incidents occurred, and the United States took the practice of concealing them.Anyway, the news media in this country has always reported good news but not bad news.As for major criminal incidents, they can be concealed as much as possible, and ordinary people don't need to know that much at all.

But why did Rivamore hire Souji's sister as a secretary?Could it be that after Zong Er was arrested, he knew Zong Er was wronged, so he felt guilty, and planned to take care of his family to obtain spiritual salvation? What is the purpose of him entrusting Zhezhu to go to the Atrato River to find platinum?The Atrato is less than two hundred miles from the canal.There is a magic realm called "Death Sentinel".Perhaps his purpose is not platinum at all, but to find a safe hiding place for those who want to destroy the canal.In short, Platinum was just an excuse, and it was Rivamore who directed the saboteurs to use the mud to attack the canal behind the scenes.

But it is a pity that there is no evidence or means to defend Zong Er.Rivamore's chess situation is strong, and it seems that he is sure to win. "Hey, let's see where you 'Black Bishop' are going? Do you want to escape to Pedro Miguel and become a red mud ghost?" Zhezhu said casually, but the other party's face suddenly became stiff. Rivamore sighed lightly, and asked, "How did Mr. Zhezhu know about the red mud ghost?" "Well, I have many friends who are officials, and I have heard about the incident where the Idaho almost capsized." "That's right. But..." Rivamore hesitated to speak, as if he was thinking about whether he should say it or not.He put down the chess pieces in his hand, lit a cigarette and said to Zhezhu:

"Then did you know that red mud was found in Gatun Lake just before the rainy season?" Panama is one of the few rainy regions in the world, so how to deal with the overflowing rainwater is a very important project.When the amount of water upstream is close to the critical value, the observatory will send a report to the affairs bureau that manages Gatun Lake.Then the bureau immediately ordered the gates to be opened to release the water, and the water level of Gatun Lake immediately dropped.And the red mud that was originally at the bottom of the river also floated to the surface.

I'm afraid this is a good thing you did, right?Stop pretending, your bad behavior will definitely make the authorities very angry.Zhezhu began to think about how to bring Rivamore into the army.He was a little upset at first, but after he came up with a specific countermeasure, he raised his head with a smile, pushed down the pieces on the chessboard and said, "Let's stop here." "why?" "The things you said on the plane can't be false, right? It's about cooperating with you to find platinum. After thinking about it, I decided to agree to your request and go with you to the Atrato River .”

Under Zhezhu's arrangement, the expedition team set out for the Atrato River on a large barge one month later.The banks of the long river are covered with mangrove roots like octopus tentacles.At the mouth of the sea, they saw the big river pouring thick yellow water into the sea, and the hot sun above their heads was emitting dazzling light.The weather is not bad, but everyone has been wandering around the river mouth for about three days, and they still haven't found a way to enter the river mouth. "Boss, where is this ship going?" The sailor seemed very strange about the destination of Zhezhu and his party, "We filled the cabin with salt according to your instructions. Hahaha, you must be a speculator, right? At the new port, the salt will be unloaded and replaced with a new cargo. But can you tell us where exactly we are going?"

"Why ask so much? Do you still want to grab the goods? In short, just listen to me, and you won't lose a penny." "Okay, listen to you." The sailors turned back to work.In fact, they are not without reason to worry.Zhezhu stood on the deck and watched, and found that there was a fort near the mouth of the river.That's it, it seems that the ban is not to scare people, the other party is really ready.In this case, only extreme means can be used to enter the estuary.They had been waiting for the high tide for the past three days, and when the time was right and the moon was covered by clouds, they could sneak across the mouth of the river by themselves.Everything is ready, all that is owed is a dark night.

Before the sun set, Zhezhu did something that left all the sailors speechless.He ordered the sailors to transfer to other boats, then pulled the anchor himself, and sailed to the mouth of the river while the tide was high. "Even if I cheated Rivamore, I don't feel guilty. It is my duty to save Souji. I feel that this is not an obligation but my duty as a Japanese. Go forward! For the sake of your compatriots, you must step out of the devil's realm ! I have put my personal life and death aside, and I must find out the real body of the red mud ghost!" Fireflies fluttered around the bow of the boat, and the hull creaked from time to time, just like a dying old man moaning in pain.It was a horrible sound to hear on the way to death.What exactly did Zhezhu think of?Why did he suddenly change his mind during the game against Rivamore?And what is the purpose of going to the Atrato River under siege?What kind of belief does he hold in this regard?

If you ask Zhezhu these questions, he will definitely tell you: "Only God knows." The searchlights are strafing frequently on the river, and the ghosts believe that such strict guards are only made to guard against gold diggers. The river crossing went smoothly, and Zhezhu was not found.On the river, only the crocodile stared at the huge monster with its big eyes and slipped by quietly... On both sides of the river, only the branches of wild bluegrass and fern grass made a slight rustling sound.Sudden!A white light fell from the sky and shone on the broad river.bad luck!The boat was found!In an instant, the alarms on both sides of the strait sounded together, the bullets staggered, and the gunshots in the bunker came and went, and the gunfire flickered on and off, like lightning in the clouds.Soon, the barge driven by Zhezhu was shrouded in a burst of mist. The barge was hit in the side by a shell and soon sank to the muddy river bottom.In this river full of crocodiles, no matter how good your swimming skills are, you may be swallowed by a huge crocodile in a short time.Folding bamboo endured the stench from the river, his feet trampled on the soft mud with all his might.It's over, it seems that the great explorer Zhezhu is about to die at the entrance of the Demon Realm. At this time, a miracle suddenly appeared.Just 500 meters ahead, the barge that had just sunk surfaced again.Half of the ship's side is exposed above the water like a person lying on his side.Zhezhu hurriedly swam over with paddling, climbed over the railing outside the ship's side and got into the cabin. Miracle? !No, it is no accident that such a thing happened.The mountains of salt in the cargo hold melted and increased the buoyancy of the river, so the sunken barge would float again.Of course, all of this is under Zhezhu's control. "That's safe." Zhezhu exhaled. The few minutes in the water just now consumed most of his physical strength. Although it is temporarily safe, the cabin is very small and will be submerged in water immediately.There are man-eating crocodiles outside, and they will suffocate to death if they stay here. It seems that they can only fight. The smell of fermented mud made Zhezhu almost faint, and he held his breath and swam towards the river bank.After a few minutes he finally swam to the banks of the Atrato. After landing, he hurriedly got into the woods, and ran to the depths like a headless chicken.After running a few hundred meters, the front suddenly became clear, and he saw a carriage parked on the road.It was too late to hide, Zhezhu's heart was beating like a drum, and he was waiting for the opponent's reaction.But what the coachman said next surprised Zhezhu. "Oh? You're Pensy? But I heard you died of yellow fever?" The dark-skinned Zhezhu looks like a mixed race of blacks and yellows.Do I look like the Pensey the coachman said?Zhezhu feels puzzled, but the current situation does not allow him to think about it.In that case, I'll pretend to be Peng Sai. "Hmm, from the sound, you should be Campos, right? If not Ahmad?" Zhezhu casually mentioned a few common local names, hoping to get away with it. "Campos and Ahmad are already dead. Campos was buried alive while surveying the L7 pit, and Ahmad was cut into a meatloaf by a ladder dredger. You should know that. Eh? Where are you going now?" "I want to hang around the 'Death Sentinel'." "What? Don't be kidding, you haven't burned out your brain, right? Stay at home and don't run around. Oh, our workers are really miserable. Many people die every day. Look, this car Fresh dead bodies. I'm going to the burial site now to bury them." "Yeah, those big bosses made so much money selling gold, didn't they come from our blood and sweat?" "What are you talking about, Ponce? It's over, it's over, it seems that you are really stupid? When did we dig gold? We are digging canals for the Americans!" Only then did Zhezhu suddenly realize that they were digging a new canal—no!It's digging a secret canal!Platinum is really just an excuse, the Americans actually want to dig a secret canal here!Rivamore, the fox, the purpose of letting me come is not for gold, but to spy on Americans!That's America's Secret Canal - the Atrato Spur!