CHAPTER 304: CHAPTER 4: THE CRASH (PART 2)

Zhou Qingfeng confirmed that his two companions were still breathing, unbuckled their seat belts, and pulled them out of the frigid cabin, placing them on the floating debris.

As for the two dedicated pilots, their necks twisted at bizarre angles, they managed to save the three inside the cabin but couldn’t protect themselves.

"We must get ashore, quickly!" Zhou Qingfeng suppressed the excruciating pain coursing through his body and retrieved the specially tailored phone given by ’Gray Shark’.

Although its functions were simple, the phone was drop-proof and waterproof, tough and durable. Upon unlocking, the screen was still lit, and most importantly, it came with an electronic map and satellite positioning system.

Activating the map, the faint glow of the screen stood out in the pitch-black night.

The two pilots had chosen the optimal crash site in that split-second between life and death—a river called ’Topahannock’.

He painstakingly discerned the electronic map on the screen, quickly determining his distance and direction to the nearest riverbank, and without hesitation, pressed the prominent red ’SOS’ button on the phone.

Upon pressing the button, this tailored phone automatically transmitted a distress signal containing precise satellite positioning information.

After only a few seconds, the urgent ringing of the phone pierced the still night sky, displaying a call from ’Gray Shark’.

"Victor, what’s happened?!" ’Gray Shark’s’ voice came through with haste and anxiety.

"Tell Chen Rui to bring over ’Holy Light I’, the helicopter I was on fell into the river, and two people are seriously injured and need treatment." Zhou Qingfeng stated concisely, wasting no words.

"Understood, maintain contact, hang in there!" ’Gray Shark’ promptly responded, then turned to contact Chen Rui, who was in the ’playground’ shelter.

At this moment, Chen Rui was about 150 kilometers from Zhou Qingfeng’s crash site.

Upon receiving ’Gray Shark’s’ urgent call, he immediately rushed to the simple hangar of the shelter, activating the long-unused ’Holy Light I’, while connecting with Zhou Qingfeng.

"President Zhou, what’s happened?!" Chen Rui asked anxiously.

"The helicopter had a hydraulic failure, almost certainly sabotaged, with a small opening in the hydraulic line."

Zhou Qingfeng spoke with anger in his voice.

The ’Bell 407’ is a stable aircraft, despite constant upgrades to flight controls and instruments, its core power and mechanical structure don’t easily fail.

Yet, merely creating a tiny gap in the hydraulic line, or leaving an imperceptible flaw, under the impact of hydraulic oil at megapascal levels, the helicopter would undoubtedly go out of control in flight.

"President Zhou, I’ll arrive in thirty minutes!" Chen Rui input the coordinates sent by Zhou Qingfeng into the navigation system of ’Holy Light I’.

With a low rumble, the low-flying craft rose vertically, like an arrow in the night sky, speeding towards Zhou Qingfeng’s location.

Medical personnel recruited into the shelter were also quickly mobilized, ready to take over the two critically injured, likely suffering from fractures and internal bleeding.

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Meanwhile, aboard the ’Ford’ aircraft carrier, Admiral Alvin was basking in pride over his small maneuverings.

Assassination in the United States political arena is not uncommon, it’s the inevitable price for anyone daring to harm the interests of the entrenched group.

The bureaucrats of the ’Deep State’ had long separated themselves from the lower classes, with the most closed-off military being the most stubborn.

Even if ’Harden’ capitulates, he’s merely delaying his date with death, he won’t be scratched off the death list. Once he loses value, reckoning is inevitable.

Admiral Alvin didn’t care what might happen to the vice president either, a puppet unable to protect himself doesn’t deserve any say at all.

Amidst the general’s internal sense of control, urgent footsteps shattered the calm like a sudden storm.

The lieutenant colonel aide, who had accompanied Zhou Qingfeng to tour the aircraft carrier, dashed to the admiral, his voice sharp and trembling with excessive terror:

"General! There’s trouble! The lower living and residential area under renovation... it’s on fire! The blaze is massive and... it’s spreading rapidly!"

The lieutenant colonel aide’s cold sweat poured like beads rolling off a broken string, his eyes flickering wildly, having glimpsed the ashes of his career and future.

"I’ve already dispatched damage control personnel to extinguish the flames, but... tonight is the sailors’ party night, most of the crew is ashore on leave.

Additionally... those renovation workers are in complete disarray, running chaotically, unable to organize effectively at all!"

"Fire?!" This word pierced Admiral Alvin’s eardrums like sharp ice picks, instantly freezing his previously relaxed expression.

For a massive and complex warship, the internal structure is incredibly intricate; fire is undoubtedly the most dreadful nightmare.

Especially for a supercarrier like the ’Ford’, filled with precision instruments and flammable materials, once the fire gets out of control, the consequences are unimaginable.

Previously, Zhou Qingfeng had urinated on the renovation waste, causing the stripped cabin wiring to short-circuit.

Initially, it was merely a wiring short-circuit; if discovered and handled promptly, it might not have turned into a disaster.

However, the lieutenant colonel aide forcibly halted the renovation work in progress, leaving the site vacant, missing the optimal remediation opportunity.

To worsen matters, the renovation required extensive use of cutting tools and welding equipment, which produce high temperatures and sparks easily.

To avoid accidentally triggering the sensitive automatic fire suppression systems, those renovation workers had recklessly shut down crucial firefighting equipment!

The most critical error was Xiao Jinlang covering up Zhou Qingfeng’s urination incident by deliberately piling a large amount of renovation debris over the short-circuit location.

Most of these debris consisted of flammable materials like polyester foam and acoustic insulation, which, once ignited by sparks from the short-circuit, erupted like dry kindling.

The flames, like the devil’s tongue, quickly raced up along the floor, greedily licking the ceiling, fiercely spreading and expanding within the cramped residential cabin.

The residential cabin was crammed with a maze of cables and pipes, engulfed by the scorching flames of over a thousand degrees, reaching an uncontrollable scale within mere minutes.

"Is the fire suppression system... activated?!" Admiral Alvin stared fixedly at the pale-faced lieutenant colonel aide, desperately searching for a hint of denial in his expression.

The lieutenant colonel aide shook his head despairingly, beads of sweat rolling off his forehead, shattering on the floor.

"Immediately! Close all fire doors in the residential and living areas! Prevent further spread of the fire!"

Though fear gripped Admiral Alvin’s heart, his years of command experience guided him to make the most "rational" decision swiftly.

"General! There are still hundreds of sailors and workers below..." the lieutenant colonel aide, like a struck statue, paled further, his voice hoarse as he protested.

Once the heavy fire doors closed, those trapped in the inferno or dense smoke would either burn or suffocate to death.

"Fool! Once the fire is out of control, atop the residential and living compartments is the propulsion compartment’s nuclear reactor! If something happens, we’ll all be doomed!"

Admiral Alvin couldn’t bother with the lives of ordinary soldiers now; he roared with fury, a mix of fear and determination filling his eyes.

Destroying some residential compartments, although dire, might still save the ’Ford’, and the incident could still be covered up.

However, should the flames reach the core nuclear reactor, there would be big trouble!

At that point, preserving this supercarrier, which cost a fortune, would be the least of concerns— the entire ’Norfolk’ naval base could be facing unimaginable catastrophic consequences.

"Close the burning cabins first to prevent fire spread! Immediately mobilize all available damage control personnel from the port!

When enough manpower is gathered, devise a method to flood the adjacent compartments! Absolutely prevent further fire expansion!"

Admiral Alvin forced himself to calm down, issuing commands harshly, concentrating all personnel that could be deployed on the aircraft carrier.

He couldn’t bear to watch idly as this newly operational supercarrier was devoured by a sudden inferno.