What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 415 Heading into the Rainforest

Island construction poses enormous challenges to both personnel and equipment:

Alternating hot and cold temperatures and extremely humid environments can easily make people sick, and sweating while working can make you feel particularly uncomfortable.

But this can be overcome as long as you are willing to spend money; only the natural environment cannot.

Each construction project requires the deployment of various machinery, the installation of barriers, and the preparation of materials. When a storm comes, these materials must be properly stored to prevent them from being blown away or damaged; otherwise, even if supplies are replenished, it will take time.

Once the storm is over, it takes a long time to start preparing again, so I'm always doing repetitive tasks.

On the contrary, the land reclamation is hardly affected. When a storm comes, it buries the pipelines that transport soil underwater, and it is difficult for large waves to form on the Spratly Islands, so the losses are still acceptable.

The problem can be effectively solved by reducing the number of workers or the equipment used in construction.

Moreover, the "naval base" mission only calculates the effective area after development, so it simply sets the minimum limit.

Yan Jian had previously suggested imitating the US's method of quickly constructing islands by laying steel plates after seizing them. However, this approach was only a temporary solution with poor durability, and the soil on the islands and reefs was prone to erosion. Therefore, concrete mixed construction was ultimately chosen.

But now Tang Wen has decided to pick up this old path again. If there are any problems, they will be resolved in a year or two, and then adjustments can be made gradually.

When he voiced this idea, Ge Xuan thought for a moment and said:

"If we only focus on speed and sacrifice some quality, it's nothing more than filling the foundation, laying steel plates, riveting or welding the steel plates together, and then fixing them to the ground piles... The speed will be at least twice as fast, and the requirements for the construction environment will be greatly reduced."

But do all three islands need to be modified? Even using 3-centimeter steel plates, considering other structural elements, it would still require approximately 30 tons of steel.

"Only twice as fast?"

Tang Wen asked in surprise.

Ge Xuan: "..."

Although he didn't know why the other person was focusing on this point, he still explained:
"The time spent on compacting the foundation is unavoidable, and the land we fill in must be at least 3 to 5 meters higher than sea level, otherwise how can it withstand wind and waves?"

However, Tang Wen discovered a problem: his construction was only for oil extraction. The main human activity space could be created by using port buildings to change the terrain and exploit bugs. Making it so comprehensive... was unnecessary.

He found a stick and traced a circle on the sand:

"This is our island. Why don't we build a dike around it? That way, the land inside can even be lower than sea level. If the port can't be enclosed, we can just bypass it."

Reducing the sand filling height on the island by 1 meter saves hundreds of thousands, even millions, of cubic meters of soil—equivalent to a month's work for dredgers.

Tang Wenhua appeared relaxed, but Ge Xuan, standing to the side, was terrified. He could only listen to this plan with a grain of salt.
It's true that it saves time and materials, but if something goes wrong, the small islands inside the dam will turn into water prisons, which is practically risking one's life.

"Boss Tang, this..."

He was about to explain some basic humanistic principles when Tang Wen interrupted him again:
"And ramming the foundation is too troublesome. Why not replace the steel plates with shipping containers and throw them down? They can be filled with water and sand. If tens of thousands of containers are thrown down and then leveled, it can at least shorten the time by one-third, right?"
"The dikes outside the island can be built using sunken ships and containers, filled with sand up to sea level—that's perfect!"

At this moment, Ge Xuan's forehead was covered in sweat. Although these days construction plans are all done by the project department and then find a design institute to be affiliated with, which design institute or designer would dare to sign it off like this?
This can't be described as simply treating human life like dirt. If it were actually built, it would be better to call it a sea prison. No, at least a real sea prison wouldn't be at risk of flooding at any time. This is a water prison!
"President Tang, this kind of design won't pass the safety review, and the plan was changed halfway through..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tang Wen grabbed him by the collar:
"Have you ever heard of monthly payments? Have you ever heard of the client providing upfront funding? If you don't take these jobs, plenty of others will..."

"Yes, I can accept any of them!"

Ge Xuan readily yielded. He knew all too well about other unorthodox construction companies; there was no shortage of audacious and reckless individuals in the country.

Moreover, undertaking the construction work in Nansha was a task assigned by higher authorities, and we dared not give it up no matter what.

"At worst... at worst we can go to the design institute to see if there are any designers who are seriously ill at home and short of money, or who are about to go abroad. If we pay enough, someone will definitely sign them."

After gritting his teeth and finishing speaking, Ge Xuan saw Tang Wen's surprised expression and realized he had accidentally spoken his true feelings. Just as he was about to make amends, he heard the latter ask:

"So you have a conscience? I thought you were going to find a recent college graduate to use your name as a fiduciary." "That would be utterly inhuman!"

Even with his vast experience and knowledge, Ge Xuan couldn't help but take a step back, his gaze towards Tang Wen becoming strange.

……

Halley Station, Antarctica

The two engines of the two BT67 transport planes were started and warmed up.

The BT67 is actually the polar version of the DC3, with the biggest change being the addition of snow skis under the front landing gear.

The DC3 first flew in 1935 and had excellent overall performance for its time. Later, due to its lightweight body, excellent handling performance in extreme cold conditions, and large payload (1 ton), it was modified into a polar aircraft. Some models were later equipped with turboprop engines.

While many jet transport aircraft can also take off and land on snow, none are as agile and lightweight as the DC3. Moreover, the latter is more suitable for reconnaissance missions and is easier to maintain.

Now, a dozen elite Marin soldiers are packing their bags, preparing to leave this damned place.

Their original purpose in coming here was to provide intelligence for the strike group, but now that the strike group has vanished, maintaining such a frequently active combat team is too much of a strain.

Of course, the main reason was that Halley Station was a British research station, and all the research team members there strongly demanded their expulsion:
As long as these Marines are still around, who knows, one day they might get bombed from above.

"Dr. Locke, I hope we can meet again."

Ryan raised his hand to say goodbye to the research station's captain, but the latter just waved indifferently.

"Never again."

Ryan is the captain of the Marin squad, which consists of handpicked elites who played a key role in the epic battle five years ago.

Having just escaped the scorching, arid desert, Ryan's team was sent to Antarctica to live amidst wind and snow, only to find that their time there yielded nothing but wrestling with penguins.

Now there are new directives in place:
You can then take a plane to Bassin and then venture into the world's largest and densest Amazon rainforest to find the secret base of the Second Fleet.

After climbing onto the plane, Ryan joked with his teammates:

"At the beginning of the year we ate roasted camel, in the middle of the year we ate roasted penguin, and now we can eat roasted crocodile!"

The team members were all young men in their 20s and 30s, and they immediately burst into laughter and started chatting, quickly veerging towards topics related to sex.

Hey, have you ever heard of samba?

A bald, burly man with a neck thicker than his head twisted his waist and winked at the others, making the atmosphere in the cabin even more lively.

Ryan noticed that Grand, the logistics officer who had accompanied the team, looked very worried. Grand was a veteran sergeant who had served for many years and was about to retire. Ryan had never seen Grand so worried.

"Grand, you're not married yet, have you ever considered taking a passionate samba girl with you?"

However, Grand showed no interest whatsoever, and simply murmured:

"Children, the rainforest is a nightmare. It's so hot you have to take your clothes off, and there are countless threats everywhere in the jungle... Evan! Frank! Martin!"

Grand suddenly started yelling and screaming, and tears streamed down his face. Ryan immediately realized that the other person was suffering from PTSD.

I heard that Grand's company had a terrible experience in the rainforest back then, and he was the only one who came back alive. It seems that the rainforest of South Mei has stirred up this past event.

Perhaps because of Grand's sudden breakdown, the other passengers in the cabin also began to feel depressed.

(End of this chapter)