noffsinger Chapter 863 Everyone has their own agenda, it's not exactly bad, but it's definitely not g
Chapter 863 Everyone has their own agenda, it's not exactly bad, but it's definitely not g
The massive "Yuejin" ship, deep in the Yellow Sea, is cutting through the gray sea, its bow kicking up waves that are murky white.
Inside the driver's cab, the air felt stagnant, as if glued together, creating an indescribable awkwardness.
Captain Liu had been on duty for more than ten consecutive hours and had gone to rest on a deck chair in the adjacent chart room an hour earlier. Before leaving, he only said, "Run the new route. If you're really unsure, call me." Little did he expect that this moment of "uncertainty" would come so soon.
The heavy responsibility of overseeing the driving fell on the shoulders of the young first mate, Lao Chen, and the older second mate, Lao Zhou.
First Mate Chen, in his early thirties and in charge of the overall situation, was one of the few young men on the ship with formal academic training. At this moment, he stared intently at the brand-new navigation radar screen in front of him, his brow furrowed.
On the screen, the bright line representing the ship's course showed a significant angular deviation from the preset route. He turned to the radar operator beside him and asked, "Xiao Zhang, look at this track, isn't it a bit too far off? It seems to be veering further and further to the left."
Radar operator Xiao Zhang is a technical soldier who has just graduated from college. He has excellent theoretical knowledge, but his practical experience is still limited.
He leaned closer to the screen and looked at it, then replied somewhat uncertainly, "First Mate Chen, yes... there is a slight deviation. However, the new radar's display mode and algorithm may be different from the old one, and sea conditions will also have an impact... perhaps... it's normal?"
Xiao Zhang frantically tapped a few times on the screen, but as soon as he touched the knob next to him, he quickly withdrew his finger as if it had been burned.
"First mate, I... I'm not sure either. The clutter suppression on the new radar isn't quite right yet. The bright spot on the left could be a navigational beacon, or it could be... cloud interference? The flight path is indeed a bit off, but the error seems to be within the acceptable range..."
Cloud interference?
Good grief, you've made my ship float in the sky with just one sentence, haven't you?
The first mate glanced sideways at Xiao Zhang, thinking to himself: I know you graduated from the Fourteenth Aviation School, and you're unhappy that someone who flew in was assigned to work on a ship, but this is just too absurd...
"Permissible area?" The first mate pointed to the "danger zone of Suyan Reef" circled in red on the nautical chart. "Any further out and it'll be stuck in the reef!"
He turned to look at Second Officer Zhou, who was sitting on the other side, and said, "Brother Zhou, you're experienced, come and take a look?"
Second Officer Zhou is fifty-two years old this year. The words "thirty years of sea experience" are particularly eye-catching on his resume, but no one knows that he has been away from the ship for ten years. In these ten years, the navigation equipment has long been replaced by radar and radio. In the entire bridge, the thing he is most familiar with is probably that shiny engine clock.
Old Zhou leaned close to the radar screen, squinting his old eyes for a long time. The dots of light looked like fireflies jumping around in his eyes, and he couldn't tell which way was which.
“This new thing is too complicated, I don’t understand it.” He sighed and took out a brass sextant from the drawer. “I’ll go out and use the sextant to determine the direction, it’s better than guessing here.”
Old Zhou walked out of the wheelhouse with the sextant in his pocket, and the sea breeze on the deck carried a salty smell.
He had only taken a few steps when he heard the first mate shout orders from the cockpit: "No! We can't go this far! Order the cabin to slow down! Reduce the speed first!"
Then, the car bell rang three times crisply.
Old Zhou paused at the doorway, not turning around, a complex expression flashing across his face. He muttered to himself, "Hey, you've already given the order? The captain's sleeping right inside..."
"Fine, you gave the order anyway, so you're the one who has to take responsibility if anything goes wrong. I, Old Zhou, only make a hundred or so yuan a month, why should I worry about so much?"
You might be wondering why Lao Zhou would think this way?
That's the crux of the problem!
Without the captain's explicit authorization to handle such an emergency, the first mate's unauthorized order to change the course of navigation without seeking permission constitutes an "overreach of authority" under strict maritime regulations.
As a veteran, Lao Zhou keenly perceived the procedural issues involved and instinctively chose to evade responsibility.
According to the "Rules for Watchkeeping of Seafarers on Seagoing Ships", the captain is the highest commander of the ship. Even when resting, major operations such as slowing down or changing course must be approved by the captain first. The chief mate is only responsible for daily watchkeeping and equipment inspection and has no authority to change the speed without authorization.
However, the crew of the "Yuejin" was only temporarily assembled: Captain Liu used to work for foreign companies. He was experienced but a bit arrogant and always thought that "young people are impetuous".
First mate Xiao Chen was eager to prove himself, but he didn't fully understand the "boundaries of authority"; Second mate Lao Zhou, on the other hand, had the mentality of "doing only what he's paid for," and after ten years of not being on a ship, he had long lost the sense of responsibility he once had.
The already strained relationship between the three of them has now been further complicated.
"A salary of a hundred or so yuan a month, yet he's acting like a captain. What's Xiao Chen up to?" Old Zhou muttered to himself as he walked toward the deck observation platform with his sextant in his pocket.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, hit his face. Just as he was about to climb the ladder, he saw the old telephone operator, Lao Li, leaning against the railing, clutching a crumpled communications manual in his hand, staring blankly at the gray sea in the distance.
"Hey buddy, looking at the scenery?" Old Zhou handed him a cigarette.
The old operator took the cigarette, sighed, and said, "What's there to see? It's all so gloomy. It just makes me feel down."
Old Zhou lit cigarettes for the two of them with a match, his cloudy eyes darting through the smoke. He asked casually in a low voice, "Yeah, you're right... old brother, we're both old men on the sea. Back in the day... sigh..."
How much do you earn in your current position each month?
"How much more? It depends on the level. With the sea allowance, it's only about 120 or 130 yuan a month at most." The old operator exhaled a smoke ring, his tone full of dissatisfaction. "It's a bit better than being on land, but you can't save much money. After this trip, I don't even know where the next mission will be."
Second Officer Zhou nodded: "Yes, who knows what kind of review will be conducted later? If things go wrong, we could end up like the previous few, having to disembark."
This trip was originally a pretty good one; you could just bring some things back and resell them for a good profit...
"But at this rate, I don't think anyone will dare to rummage through things anymore. Pshaw! Shouldn't carrying things be one of our perks..."
Second mate Zhou glanced at the old operator, but the operator turned around and said, "What did you say? I didn't hear you. Luckily, it's just the two of us old guys. Your thinking..."
"A bird's thoughts are all about hiding!"
Old Zhou flicked his cigarette ash and walked over to the operator: "I heard someone say the other day that sailors over there in Japan earn US dollars on a single long voyage! Converted to our currency, that's a minimum!" He held up two fingers to indicate, "Probably over a thousand dollars!"
A glint flashed in the operator's previously weary eyes, and he instinctively leaned closer: "How...how much? Second mate, are you serious? Is it really that high?"
Seeing the other person's interested expression, Old Zhou felt as if he had found an outlet for his pent-up frustration. He put the sextant in his pocket and began to embellish the story of "the good days of the little notebook seaman."
Ha, come on, you two! With your current level of expertise: one of you can't even operate a new type of radar, and the other, guarding a secure room, probably doesn't even know where the digital radio switch is...
Still dreaming of making big money with those little notebooks? Ship owners need crew members who can skillfully operate global communication equipment, understand English, and read modern nautical charts and navigation systems!
Your old tricks might work in your own country, but once you're abroad, who will recognize you? Who would want to hire you?
Pooh!
Neither of them noticed that a huge dark shadow was slowly descending from the thick clouds above, and the roar of engines was getting closer and closer.
That was the approaching "KJ-1" airborne early warning and control aircraft, breaking through the clouds and heading towards the "Yuejin" aircraft.