Great warships

Chapter 1264: Going to a dead end
Sollot was speechless again. What are you doing?
We are so miserable here that we want to jump into the sea, but you guys are going for a winter swim and catching a few fish. Do you still have any awareness of serving the customers? The customer is God, and you guys think you are God?
However, this incident cannot be blamed on Damao. It was mainly the fault of the Haiyan. If the Haiyan had not been driving too fast and caused the collision, they would be running on the way home now.

"Mr. Sollot, would you like to eat fish?" Zaitsev said, "The fish here is the most delicious, especially when eaten raw. It tastes much better than the sashimi in the island countries."

After the big fish was caught, it struggled on the ice, but it became motionless after a few more moves. If it waited a few more minutes, it would have been frozen solid.

It is no longer appropriate to describe the North Pole as water freezing. There is a more popular saying: all the words spoken will be frozen, and you have to fry them in a pan before you know what the other person is saying.

Sollot looked at the frozen sashimi and asked curiously, "How can I eat this?"

"Of course I ate it with my mouth."

After that, someone brought out a fire axe, and Zaitsev swung the axe, aiming it at the back of the big fish.

Boom, boom, boom!
In just three strokes, the big fish was split in half!
Sollot looked at the big fish curiously. What should he do next?
Swish! Zaitsev took out his multifunctional dagger, then put half of the big fish on his shoulders, like a washboard, and used both hands to exert force.

As the multifunctional dagger moved forward, a piece of fresh fish was cut off, which looked a bit like the mutton roll used for hot pot.

Swish, swish, swish!

More slices of meat were constantly being cut off, and soon a small hill was piled up next to the big fish.

The sashimi in island countries is fresh and soft, but the sashimi here is hard. How can we eat it?
Eat with your mouth, of course!

Zaitsev had almost finished peeling the banana, then picked up a piece from the ground and handed it to Sollot: "Here, eat!"

“Hey, is there any seasoning?”

To eat sashimi in an island country, you need a beautiful environment. You have to kneel beside a small table, watch the waiter with a pillow on his back bring you the exquisite dishes, and then slowly savor them.

By the way, before eating, you must take a photo and post it on your Moments to show off that you have eaten Japanese food and demonstrate your sense of superiority.

So, should we have a dipping sauce when eating sashimi in Damao? How can we eat it without a dipping sauce?
"Of course." Zaitsev handed over a bottle of vodka: "Come on, cheers!"

Just drink this?

The other Russians did the same. They picked up a piece of sashimi, threw it into their mouths, chewed it for a few bites, then tilted their heads back and took a sip of vodka. This way of eating is exclusive to the Russians!

Sollot hesitantly put a piece of sashimi into his mouth, chewed it twice, and felt that it had no taste. He took another sip of vodka, and immediately, the hot liquid flowed into his stomach, almost making him vomit.

"I can't eat this." Sollot decided to give in.

"Can't eat it? We can grill the remaining fish! But you must drink this vodka. It's very cold here. You will feel warm after a few sips."

After hearing this, Sollot actually felt warmer. After all, he hadn't felt cold for such a long time.

So he took another sip, and immediately his whole body felt warm.

The sun soon set, and the cabin of the Fifty Years of Victory was filled with the smell of alcohol.

Sollot forgot what he came here for. He drank and ate grilled fish with the Russians. After some time, he fell asleep in the cabin.

This was probably the most carefree day he had ever had since he set out on the road.

However, many people are still busy.

"Mr. Oryang, our insurance compensation has strict standards. We need to conduct an on-site inspection and collect evidence from all aspects. Please rest assured that as long as the insurance terms are met, we will definitely compensate you."

"So when are you going to the scene?"

"Well, there are no planes that can reach there right now, and there are no ships either, so we can only wait until next spring, or until those ships reach a safe area. Don't worry, we..."

Snapped!
Oryang slammed the table and stood up: "Bill, now is the most critical period for our Seadrill Company. We have always used your insurance before, but in the future, we will definitely choose to cooperate with other companies because you have disappointed us so much!"

"Mr. Orjan, we are very sorry. We really tried our best."

Is this what you call trying your best, just sitting in a warm office and saying a few words? Too much, too much!
Oryang left the insurance company and went into the bank.

It is obvious that the Russians still want some money. If the insurance company cannot pay the compensation in time, their Seadrill company will have to advance the payment. However, they have long been out of working capital and now can only borrow money from the bank.

The bank manager received him warmly, as if he had done it before, but when he asked to borrow money, the other party immediately became embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, your company is not doing well, so we can't lend you any more money, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless suitable collateral is found."

Mortgage? For this business, they have already mortgaged the company to the bank. In theory, as long as the drilling platform is transported here and the crude oil is extracted, it can be delivered to Equinox, so that they will have enough funds to pay off various loans.

but now……

"We have eight drilling platforms that are being transported here, and we will mortgage these drilling platforms to you!" said Oryang.

"Well...I'll go ask."

Ten minutes later, the bank manager came back and said, "I can only lend you one million dollars at most. No more."

"it is good."

When Sollotte woke up from his drunkenness, he felt a slight headache. He stood up shakily and glanced at the person next to him: "What time is it?"

"It's eight o'clock in the morning. The sun should come out in half an hour."

"Have you checked the nuclear reactor?"

"We are currently working on the finishing touches. Don't worry, you will be able to leave within three days."

in three days?

"Why does it take three more days?"

"After the nuclear reactor is shut down, restarting it requires a series of work and processes. Please rest assured," Zaitsev said. "We will definitely set sail again in three days at most."

Three more days... This delay is almost as long as taking the regular route! I should have chosen not to take this route earlier. I wanted to save time, but what happened?
Sollot already regretted it. He suddenly remembered what Qin Haiyang said before he left.

Qin Haiyang sincerely suggested that he take the regular route, but at that time...why didn't he listen to him? It would have been great if he had listened!
However, there is no regret medicine, they have to keep moving forward, there is no point in retreating now.

"Mr. Thorlot, are you going to stay here or return to your previous ship?"

Sollot thought briefly and said, "Stay here."

He must urge the Russians and not let them slack off anymore. The Russians need to work actively and take the entire fleet away from this damn place as soon as possible!
Sollot looked at the dark sky outside the window and suddenly thought of something: "Is your ship also frozen? Do you have any way to start it?"

"Of course, we are an icebreaker. Even if it is frozen, we have ways to break the ice."

any solution?
Three days later, when the fleet set sail, Sollot saw the white mist floating around the hull and was very surprised. It turned out that there was such a trick!
The nuclear-powered icebreaker was indeed frozen, but this did not mean that it could not escape by its own power. At this time, as the nuclear reactor started and preheated, steam suddenly spewed out from the side of the hull. In just a few minutes, the nearby ice melted!

so amazing!

Looking at this scene, Sollot couldn't help but want to cheer. When it comes to playing icebreaker, the Russians dare to say they are second, and no one dares to say they are first!

However, he held back and stayed calm. He had to stay calm! This was just an ordinary voyage. He hoped nothing would go wrong!

"Do you have any other methods besides steam?" Sollot asked calmly.

"Yes." Zaitsev nodded. "If steam doesn't work, we can use explosives to blast the ice directly."

The Russians always like to solve problems in a simple and direct way!
Sollot was moved after hearing this.

The cargo of the Haiyan was tilted due to the collision last time. In order not to affect other ships, it was once again placed last. With the help of the icebreaker, the other ships freed themselves from the ice and began to move forward together.

The fleet set sail again.

"In order to avoid accidents, our speed has been reduced to ten knots." Sollot said on the icebreaker.

The last time we fell behind and were frozen, and we were hit by a ship because we were too close, it was all because we were sailing too fast. Now we have reduced the speed to ten knots, which is safer. Anyway, we have already wasted time, so we don’t mind delaying it a little longer.

One day, two days, three days...

Sollot felt the warmth on the nuclear-powered icebreaker and his mood became comfortable again, but he always felt that something was wrong.

"This sun..." He finally discovered that this time the sun did not rise again, not even for half an hour, and the sky did not brighten again. It was really like the Three-Body World, chaotic and disorganized.

what happened?

Sollot's face was full of surprise.

"This sun... is really weird. The climate in the Arctic is so complicated..." Zaitsev was also very calm.

"Not good!" At this moment, Ilovich suddenly shouted.

"what happened?"

"We encountered thicker ice and our icebreaker can't move!"

"What do you mean?" Zaitsev frowned.

Any icebreaker has a corresponding icebreaking thickness. If it exceeds the icebreaking capacity of their icebreakers, they will be powerless.

The Fifty Years of Victory is quite powerful and can cut through 2.8-meter thick ice at a speed of 18 knots. Its icebreaking performance is extremely strong. However, if it encounters thicker ice, it can still sail, but its speed will be slower.

"How could this be?"

"I don't know. The climate in the Arctic is changeable. We may encounter some particularly thick ice. But don't worry, we have a solution."

For ice of a certain thickness, an icebreaker can drive directly through and break the ice to move forward, but if it encounters thicker ice, other methods will be needed.

There is more than one way to break ice with an icebreaker.

"The stern is flooded!"

Ilovich issued orders one after another.

The stern of the boat filled with water and the bow lifted up.

"Reverse!"

"Attention, double cars, forward five, full speed!"

As the order to go full speed ahead was given, the tens of thousands of tons of nuclear-powered icebreaker began to accelerate, the propeller at the tail spun rapidly, the ship became faster and faster, and then, the front end jumped onto the ice surface, just like a shark jumping onto the ice.

This is the advantage of filling the back with water. By tilting the front up, you can rush directly onto the ice surface.

Then... a crackling sound was heard, and the icebreaker crushed the ice with its own weight, opening a path!
Then again?

Of course, we should continue to retreat and then move forward, going back and forth slowly. Although we can open up a road, the speed of opening up this channel is very slow.

In the past, we could travel more than ten nautical miles in an hour, but now we can only travel more than ten nautical miles in a day!
When he discovered this situation, Sollot was instantly in despair.

How long will this take?
"Mr. Zaitsev, how long will it take us to get across if we sail like this?"

"I don't know. Does anyone know how long this thick ice layer is? As long as we pass this section and the thickness of the ice layer drops below 2.8 meters, we can continue to drive all the way!"

"But……"

"There's nothing we can do about it. Maybe it's because this is a cold winter, or maybe there's only one section ahead. After this section, the road ahead will be smooth again."

"Ok."

Sollot picked up the satellite phone, but there was no signal on the screen.

"There has been frequent sunspot activity in recent times, and our Arctic region is often disturbed. Our satellite navigation system is unusable. But don't worry, even if we use the oldest means, we can accurately find the route and there will be no problems," said Ilovich.

Zaitsev glared at Ilovich fiercely. What are you talking about? Can you say that? Aren't you reminding them?
Ilovich reacted instantly and his face turned grim, but fortunately Sollot was in no mood to pay attention to these things. He was already disappointed and desperate.

If this continues, Seadrill will definitely not be able to hold on!

Seadrill company headquarters.

"Can anyone tell me what's going on with those people outside? Are they just bored?"

"I don't know. Since yesterday, people from environmental protection organizations have suddenly come out, as if they were injected with chicken blood, to protest outside our company and demand that we clean up the oil spill in the North Sea. I suspect that they must have been instigated by someone."

When the accident happened, a large amount of oil leaked onto the sea. However, it seemed that no environmental protection organization came to cause trouble at that time. Now that things have passed, I didn’t expect that I would be targeted by these people again!

They held signs and sat in front of Seadrill, demanding that the company immediately clean up the oil in the sea. Even in the freezing weather, they refused to go home.

These stubborn guys were either instigated or accepted money from someone!
"Don't worry about them. After a while, they will go back. We don't have the ability to clean up the pollution, and it wasn't caused by us." Oryang said, "By the way, where is the fleet sailing to?"

"do not know."

"do not know?"

"We have lost contact since yesterday. There have been frequent magnetic storms there recently, and the radio may have been interfered with."

Oryang frowned, feeling that something was wrong.

"Damn it, bad news comes one after another!" Just then, someone started cursing.

"what happened?"

"Several countries have issued statements that they have responsibly inspected their offshore platforms and found them to be in good condition, so they continue to produce energy."

"So what? Oil prices are starting to fall?"

"Not only that, they said that high energy prices would affect the development of world industry, so they decided to increase production to stabilize energy prices."

"What are they thinking? Don't they know that high energy prices are good for them?" Oryang's face changed.

The market is affected by supply and demand. In the past, when energy production decreased, prices rose. Now, when energy production increased, prices will fall. As a result...

"Equinox called and said that they believe that due to the recent turmoil in the energy market, they are beginning to be cautious about increasing energy production, so..."

"So what?"

"They've decided not to add any new oil and gas wells for now, and we have all these rigs that are no longer needed."

"Damn it, they can't do this!" Oryang was anxious, picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello, I'm looking for Adkins. What? He's not here?" Oryang put down the phone and went to find him in person!
Their company Seadrill is responsible for mining, and Equinox is responsible for operation. After their platform produces energy, they can get money from Equinox. If Equinox doesn't want it, then their company Seadrill will go bankrupt!
Equinox cannot cheat Seadrill just to avoid risks, they are one!

However, Oryang did not go out, because the outside was full of people shouting environmental slogans! If he went out, he was afraid that he would conflict with those people.

And then...the bank came to my door.

Having lent so much money, the bank now sees that Seadrill cannot pay it back. In order to avoid risks, the best way is of course to go to the company and ask for the money back. If it cannot pay back, the bank will seize its assets.

If you act quickly, there are still assets that can be seized. If you act later, all the assets will be gone!

Within three days, Seadrill had put up seals all over the place.

"Damn it, why is this happening? Why is this happening?" Oryang stood on the roof, looking at the countless environmentalists shouting slogans below. "You've pushed a big company like ours into a dead end, and you feel comfortable about it?"
Without our companies, you wouldn’t even have jobs or enough food to eat. How could you still have the energy to shout slogans?

"Mr. Oryang, Mr. Oryang, don't..." A voice came from behind: "We can still be saved. When those eight oil platforms come back, we can mine oil ourselves, and our company can still develop!"

Almost at the same time, the cell phone rang. Olyang turned on the phone and heard Sollot's almost crying voice: "Olyang, our fleet is lost. We are surrounded by ice. We don't know when we can get out. You must think of a solution quickly. I don't want to die here... Hello, hello!"

Snapped!
The phone fell down, and Oryang took a step forward in despair.

(End of this chapter)