Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

"We're incredibly lucky! According to echo sounding results, the Virginia has hit the bottom at the ridge of an underwater mountain range," Commander Lewis said. "This ridge is estimated to be no more than 100 meters wide, with bottomless trenches on both sides."

After hearing Lieutenant Colonel Louis' description, Lin Yuan and others couldn't help but feel fortunate.

If the Virginia had not followed Mr. Billy's approach and deviated 17 meters to the west while advancing on the N-60 route, it would not have fallen on the submarine ridge at this moment, but would have continued to fall into the bottomless seabed. The outcome can be imagined.

"Mr. Billy is truly amazing. He truly deserves the title of the living map of the Arctic Ocean floor," exclaimed Lieutenant Colonel Louis.

"It seems that Mr. Billy should have a more accurate seabed map in his hand, but for some reason he did not submit it to the military. The choice to deviate from the route is most likely to prepare for encountering cliffs in the sea, so that we can still have a glimmer of hope of survival like we are now," said Lieutenant Colonel Louis.

"A glimmer of hope?" Depp immediately sensed something bad was going on in Colonel Louis' words.

"Well, after the emergency rescue just now, we can only barely stop the situation from getting worse, but we are not out of danger yet.

Please forgive me for speaking the truth, I believe you don't want to hear false comfort.

Judging from the current situation, if we want to return safely, I'm afraid we can only leave it to fate." Lieutenant Colonel Lewis replied.

Hearing what Lieutenant Colonel Louis said, Meng Tao and others felt their hearts sink again.

This means that the situation is very bad, and the actual situation is probably much worse than they expected.

Lin Yuan first asked, "Mr. Lewis, can you tell us about the current situation?"

"Of course, that's what we should do. The first thing I want to tell you is our current depth. The Virginia has hit the bottom 723 meters underwater," replied Lieutenant Commander Louis.

Hearing this answer, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

723 meters!
The safe diving depth of the Virginia-class nuclear submarine is 500 meters, and the depth of 723 meters has far exceeded the design indicators.

In this situation, the Virginia was not directly crushed by the water pressure, and they were able to survive temporarily on the seabed. It really has to be said that they were lucky.

If the water depth increased by another one or two hundred meters, the entire submarine hull would probably be completely crushed.

Now Lin Yuan finally understood why the emergency repairs could only barely stop the situation from getting worse. Many cabins must have been damaged and flooded.

Only through emergency repairs by submarine officers and soldiers was the dire situation stabilized.

"Next, I want to update you on the damage to the Virginia," Commander Lewis said. "Seven of the eight watertight compartments have been destroyed, completely rendering the submarine unable to surface."

Lin Yuan: "..."

Meng Tao: “!!!”

Depp and Cohen: "???"

This information was terrible. There were eight watertight compartments in total, and seven of them were damaged.

But if you think about it carefully, it doesn't seem strange at all.

Because the submarine's watertight compartments are located on the outermost side of the submarine's hull, they are inevitably the first to bear the brunt of water pressure.

The current depth of the Virginia is far beyond the safe value of 500 meters. In this case, not all of the watertight compartments exploded, and there is still one left. This is quite magical.

But according to Lieutenant Colonel Louis, the ship has completely lost the ability to float, which has made Depp and director Cohen very anxious.

Isn't there a watertight compartment?
If we drain all the seawater, it will at least float up a little, right?

Even if it can only allow the Virginia to float from a depth of 723 meters to 600 meters, or even 650 meters!
It would be better than staying at the bottom of the sea.

After all, staying on the seabed will continue to withstand huge water pressure. The condition of the Virginia's hull has not continued to deteriorate, but no one can guarantee that if it continues like this, it will completely collapse after metal fatigue.

Lieutenant Colonel Louis's remarks made Depp and director Cohen even more anxious.

The current situation is like having a sharp blade hanging over your head, and you don’t know when it will fall down.

This feeling is even more painful than being cut by a sharp knife.

So Depp asked, "Captain Louis, isn't there still a watertight compartment? How come it has completely lost its ability to rise? It still has a little bit of buoyancy, right?"

After asking, Depp's eyes were full of anticipation.

Lin Yuan and Meng Tao kept silent, as they already had the answer in their hearts.

Lieutenant Commander Louis sighed and replied, "The submarine's watertight compartment not only controls the rising and sinking, but also the balance of the submarine.

Now only the last watertight compartment on the left side remained. If all the seawater was drained, the Virginia would immediately lose balance.

I estimate the roll to be over 20 degrees."

What Lieutenant Colonel Louis said was simple, but not difficult to understand at all.

Relying only on a watertight compartment on the left side to provide buoyancy is like someone suddenly pulling your left shoulder to lift you up, so it is inevitable that your body will tilt.

Upon hearing this answer, Depp and director Cohen were stunned.

They hadn't expected this to happen, and they had no idea what a roll of more than 20 degrees meant.

But Lin Yuan knew this very well. He had experienced the ship tilting when he was on the "hell ship" on the Congo River from Kinshasa to Kisangani.

It can be said that as long as the hull tilts more than 10 degrees, people will feel a clear sense of instability.

If the temperature exceeds 15 degrees, people can fall to the ground.

If the temperature exceeds 20 degrees, it will cause many inconveniences.

Commander Lewis said, "If the roll only affects the crew on the submarine, I believe everyone can still tolerate it. But if it really occurs for a long time, many equipment on the submarine will be affected, which is completely unacceptable."

"What equipment will be affected? Will there be serious consequences?" Depp asked immediately.

Lin Yuan sighed helplessly in his heart. Isn't this an obvious thing?
What is the most critical equipment on a nuclear-powered ship?
Naturally, it is a pressurized water reactor, which uses nuclear reactions to boil water in a fancy way, and then converts the heat energy into electrical energy and mechanical energy.

Although Lin Yuan didn't know the specific structural design of the S9G pressurized water reactor on the Virginia.

However, if a boiler that boils water at an angle does not cause any accidents, its efficiency will definitely decrease.

Not to mention, the oxygen-generating equipment on the Virginia would also be affected by the hull's roll.

There is no need to say how important oxygen is, right?
When a submarine is sailing underwater, it cannot obtain oxygen from the air, so it can only rely on oxygen production equipment to provide oxygen.

The commonly used method is electrolysis to produce oxygen, which is to pass electricity through water and use electrodes to break down water molecules, thereby decomposing them into oxygen and hydrogen. This is junior high school knowledge that almost everyone knows.

It’s just that producing oxygen in a submarine is a little more complicated.

Although the submarine is surrounded by inexhaustible seawater, there are too many impurities in the seawater, which will affect the efficiency of electrolytic oxygen production and easily cause equipment failure.

Therefore, when producing oxygen in a submarine, seawater is first heated and fresh water is distilled.

Then add some potassium hydroxide as an electrolyte to the fresh water, so that the efficiency of producing oxygen by electricity will be higher.

Inside the huge electrolytic oxygen production equipment, electrons enter the water pool from the negative electrode and undergo a reduction reaction with water molecules to form hydrogen and hydroxyl ions.

At the other end of the pool, electrons leave through the positive electrode, and the water molecules in the water undergo an oxidation reaction, losing electrons and turning into oxygen and positively charged hydrogen.

The oxygen and hydrogen produced are then separated into different pipes on both sides.

Oxygen is injected into the submarine for people to breathe.

The hydrogen is collected or discharged outside the submarine.

It can be said that the submarine's oxygen production equipment is definitely not as simple as it seems at first glance in principle, but is an extremely complex and huge system.

Neither the pressurized water reactor that provides electricity and energy nor the air purification system that produces oxygen can withstand the impact of the submarine's roll.

Facing Depp's question, Commander Louis sighed: "The submarine's hull ruptured just now, and it also caused water to enter the two main oxygen production chambers at the rear end.

Although the two compartments have been sealed and the leaks have been stopped after damage control repairs, the oxygen supply on the boat is already a major problem."

Hearing Commander Louis's answer, Depp's face changed immediately and he no longer cared about the problem of the submarine's tilt.

His voice trembled. "Is there a problem with the oxygen supply? Are we going to suffocate to death?"

Depp's heart was filled with dark clouds at the thought that he might suffocate to death if his oxygen ran out.

"Not for now," said Lieutenant Colonel Louis.

"So it's possible later?" Depp immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

Lieutenant Colonel Louis sighed and said, "I'm still waiting for the final statistics. I hope we have better luck."

Then, Lieutenant Colonel Lewis briefly explained the situation:

"Under normal circumstances, each of us needs to consume 0.42 liters of oxygen per minute, which means we need 604 liters of oxygen per day. There are 133 officers and soldiers on the Virginia, plus the four of you, which means we need to consume 4 liters of oxygen per day."

"The small backup oxygen generator on the Virginia can only produce about 80000 liters of oxygen a day, leaving a gap of more than 2700 liters."

Hearing this, even Lin Yuan felt the seriousness of the situation.

Although the gap of 2700 liters is small compared to the daily consumption of more than 82000 liters, it seems to account for a small proportion.

But what is missing in this gap is a real and urgent need - oxygen.

The human body's need for oxygen is not like eating. Eating less or even being a little hungry can be tolerated for a long time.

Hypoxia means lack of oxygen. Once you enter a hypoxic state, all body functions will decline and your brain will become drowsy.

What's worse is that the oxygen gap is continuous. As time goes by, this gap will continue to accumulate and become larger and larger, eventually causing them to suffocate to death due to lack of oxygen.

"I'd estimate that after about 15 hours, we would all start to feel a slight lack of oxygen.

After 30 hours, it will turn into severe hypoxia.

After about 40 hours, many people will go into a coma," said Lieutenant Colonel Lewis.

"And then it's all over for everyone?" Depp asked. Lieutenant Colonel Lewis shook his head. "No, more than half of them will probably survive, but many of those who do will suffer brain damage from lack of oxygen, ultimately becoming disabled."

Depp understands that brain cells will die in large numbers under hypoxia conditions, eventually leading to irreversible damage.

But more than half of the people can survive, but their lives are worse than death. What's going on?
Suddenly an idea flashed through Depp's little head:

There was not enough oxygen because there were 137 people on the boat.

As long as a few people die, the oxygen consumption will drop, and it will be enough for the remaining people!

Depp suddenly understood why Lieutenant Colonel Louis said that not everyone would suffocate to death, but a large number of people would survive.

Because people have different physical fitness, there will definitely be a few people who will not be able to bear it and die in a coma, so the remaining people will not lack oxygen.

However, in the process of a few people dying, everyone has to endure extremely cruel screening. In the marathon-like competition, many people will become disabled.

This is so cruel!
It would have been better if the submarine had fallen directly to the deeper seabed and everyone had died.

Instead of playing a zero-sum game of survival of the fittest in despair.

Thinking of this, Depp and director Cohen's faces turned quite ugly.

If the game were to be played according to this rule, the two of them would most likely be the victims.

Because Director Cohen is an old man with poor physical fitness, and Depp's body is hollowed out by alcohol and sex, at least he cannot be compared with the strong submarine officers.

Amidst the anxiety of the two, Lin Yuan said, "What you are thinking about will not happen."

"No? Why?" Depp and director Cohen asked immediately.

"Because there is a high probability that more bloody and cruel situations will occur." Meng Tao interrupted and answered.

"Faced with life and death, how could anyone choose to lie down and hold their breath? Even if you win in the end, there's a high probability that your brain will get damaged. Do you really think people would do that?" Meng Tao asked.

"Where is it?"

A terrible thought flashed through the minds of the two people like a flash of lightning.

It’s just 4 or 5 more people.

If we find and kill these four or five victims sooner rather than later, the rest of the people will be safe and sound, without having to worry about the fact that even if more than half survive, they will still face huge sequelae.

Although this is cruel, it is obviously the best solution in this situation, so it is likely to happen.

After Meng Tao's reminder, Depp and director Cohen's expressions became even uglier.

If you really have to choose 4 or 5 victims, who would you choose?
The answer is self-evident.

The 133 officers and soldiers on the Virginia are a whole. They are colleagues, friends and comrades-in-arms.

The friendship between comrades-in-arms is almost one of the most solid and reliable emotional connections among human beings.

In comparison, Lin Yuan and the other four, as outsiders, obviously had much less feelings.

Don’t underestimate the officers and soldiers of the Virginia, who claim to be die-hard fans of Lin Yuan.

But when it comes to a life-and-death situation, it is not difficult to guess what choice will be made.

Then, even Lin Yuan's expression began to become serious.

It’s not that he was really scared, because with his fighting ability, as long as he couldn’t use hot weapons, he would not pose any threat at all.

Directors Depp and Cohen didn't understand his strength, but Lin Yuan knew that in the narrow submarine channel, even if the Virginia had 133 officers and soldiers, they could not form a combined force.

Once he kills four or five people in self-defense, the remaining people will lose all reason to continue attacking, except for hatred.

But no matter what, once this situation happens, it will be an absolute disaster.

Seeing the solemn expressions of Lin Yuan and the others, Lieutenant Colonel Louis said, "Mr. Lin, I know what you are worried about, but please believe that I have no ill will towards you, and I will do my best to avoid such terrible consequences."

Lin Yuan nodded. "I believe you, Mr. Louis. If you have any intentions of harming us, you can simply not tell us this information. Then, you can secretly put a little poison in our food and achieve your goal most easily."

If Lieutenant Colonel Louis really chose to do this, Lin Yuan would be fine because he is immune to the toxin, but Director Cohen and the others would be in great danger.

But the fact that Lieutenant Colonel Louis was willing to communicate with Lin Yuan about his current predicament proved that he really had no ill intentions.

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Lin Yuan," said Lieutenant Colonel Louis.

"But you can only represent yourself, you cannot represent other officers and soldiers." Lin Yuan said.

Lieutenant Colonel Louis nodded. "Although they usually obey me, I really don't know what they will do in this zero-sum game of life and death."

"You said just now that you were still waiting for the final statistical results. Hopefully with better luck, things will turn around?" Lin Yuan remembered what Lieutenant Colonel Louis had said just now, so he asked.

Lieutenant Colonel Louis nodded. "The reserve warehouse was also infiltrated by seawater. We salvaged some oxygen candles. I don't know how many are still usable, but I hope there are more."

"Oxygen candles?" Depp asked.

"A relatively ancient tool for producing oxygen," said Meng Tao.

As the safety director, Meng Tao also has considerable knowledge in this area. He introduced oxygen candles to Lin Yuan and others.

Simply put, when ordinary candles burn, they consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide.

Oxygen candles do the opposite, releasing oxygen.

The main chemicals in oxygen candles are two: iron and sodium chlorate.

When the oxygen candle is lit, the iron reacts to form iron oxide, releasing heat.

The heat released will cause the sodium chlorate to decompose and release oxygen.

(NaClO3→NaCI+O2)
Therefore, as long as the oxygen candle continues to burn, oxygen can be continuously released.

It can be said that oxygen candles are backup tools used in submarines to deal with emergency oxygen shortages.

"My biggest hope now is to have more oxygen candles available," said Lieutenant Colonel Louis.

It can be said that Lieutenant Colonel Louis exuded goodwill to the greatest extent at this moment.

But Lin Yuan shook his head and said, "Lieutenant Colonel Louis, I believe that with your experience, you will see that this is only a temporary solution. Even if we follow your best-case scenario, how much longer can we survive?"

"15 hours." Lieutenant Colonel Louis said frankly.

Oxygen candles sound great, but they are essentially consumables. Once used up, they are gone. They cannot be like oxygen production equipment, which can continuously provide oxygen as long as there is no problem with the energy source.

Therefore, even according to Lieutenant Colonel Louis's best vision, it would only mean a few more oxygen candles, but they would run out sooner or later.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Louis's previous speculation:

After 15 hours, everyone on the boat will begin to feel a slight lack of oxygen.

After 30 hours, everyone will enter a state of severe hypoxia.

After about 40 hours, most people will enter a state of fainting.

The role of the oxygen candle is only to postpone the above process by 15 hours.

But 15 hours is not enough to change anything.

Not to mention that they were still 723 meters deep on the seabed, and the command center had not yet realized that they had encountered an accident.

Even if the command center takes action now, the short 55 hours from search to rescue is simply not enough.

Before rescue arrives, they will fall into cannibalism due to lack of oxygen.

Once the cannibalism begins, there will be no winners.

Once Pandora's box is opened, everyone's life will be shrouded in shadow for the rest of their lives.

This is a scene that Lin Yuan and Lieutenant Colonel Louis absolutely do not want to see.

So Lin Yuan said firmly: "We can't rely on oxygen candles. We must save ourselves."

If you don't want to sit and wait for death and end up in a dead end of infighting, the only choice is to take action and try every possible way to save yourself.

"Save ourselves? But what can we do? What can we do?" Depp said helplessly.

Lin Yuan looked at Lieutenant Colonel Louis and said solemnly: "You are an expert in this area, and we should listen to your opinion.

But if there is anything we can do to help, no matter how dangerous it may be, please let us do it!"

Lieutenant Commander Lewis said helplessly, "It's too difficult. Given the current level of damage to the Virginia, if I could do something, I would have started working long ago instead of sitting here gloomy."

Lin Yuan asked, "Under the current circumstances, if we can't surface, then everything will be in vain. And if we want to surface, we must repair the watertight compartment. Is it possible for us to repair the watertight compartment?"

"It's possible in theory, but impossible in reality," said Lieutenant Colonel Louis.

"Is it theoretically possible? Tell me about it!" Upon hearing that there was hope, Lin Yuan immediately asked happily.

"I have just checked in detail the information sent by the data collector of each watertight compartment. The breaches of watertight compartment No. 1 on the left, and watertight compartments No. 5 and 7 on the right are actually not big. They are just small gaps less than 2 meters." said Lieutenant Colonel Louis.

This may be because these watertight compartments were already filled with water before the Virginia fell to a depth of more than 700 meters.

You cannot use water pressure to burst a balloon that is already filled with water, so it did not burst like the other watertight compartments. Instead, when the other watertight compartments burst, the submarine hull deformed and was damaged.

In this case, it is possible to repair cracks that are not very large.

If you are diving or in a surface area, this kind of repair work is not difficult and can be done with the right equipment.

But the problem is that now, at 723 meters underwater, there is an extremely strong water pressure of 73 atmospheres outside the Virginia!
Do we have to go out of the cabin to repair it under such water pressure? (End of this chapter)