death of hope

Chapter 156 "Corporate Warrior" (72) Camp

A tenacious little bud, desperately digging out the soil, blooming a little bit of life on the barren land,

Captain Marcus Lynch found this emerald green and looked at it with joy:
(No matter how harsh the environment, life can always find a way.)
He turned on the kettle and poured some water around the shoots.

Stand up and look around again,

If it weren't for the filter system of the helmet, he could smell the smell of diesel in the air,
The roar of the internal combustion engine is harsh, and wherever humans set foot, it is often noisy.

The noise was so loud that the workers had to shout out loud when talking,
The engineers held the drawings and gathered at the small table, arguing endlessly for different construction plans, but the noisy environment also brought a full atmosphere of human fireworks.

In the past two days, the roar of the engine has not stopped, and several heavy-duty helicopters have landed and taken off continuously, bringing in various types of construction vehicles and drilling equipment parts.

Many people complained about the poor conditions and began to slow down, which seriously affected the progress of the project.

The request was quickly responded to, and the helicopter delivered the urgently needed supplies.

The prefabricated plastic-steel prefabricated house with a foam insulation layer was assembled and erected, replacing the simple tents and sleeping bags before, and a sunscreen net was set up outside the prefabricated house.

Now I no longer have to worry about freezing or being bitten by poisonous insects at night, and I have a place to eat under the sun during the day, and my complaints are relieved a little.

The final construction period issued by the headquarters was approaching, and the project leader was anxious like ants on a hot pot, and ordered the construction to be carried out at full capacity.

Today the camp is crowded with all kinds of people,
There are engineers and skilled workers sent by McMillan headquarters, more temporary employees, and migrant workers hired from nearby,
In order to meet the deadline, these people had to work more than ten hours a day, and the camp once again became full of complaints.

In order to get the big guys to work hard, the person in charge of the project gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, promising to give double bonuses, as well as bonuses for model workers and allowances for heatstroke and cold protection.
Under the heavy reward, there must be a brave man,
The searchlights were on all night, and the workers were working in full swing. Some injured workers had to keep working even though they were bandaged. never mind.

(Man, the most needed thing is hope, and a little rush will bring a sense of happiness.) Lynch thought.

The incentive policy of the person in charge had an immediate effect. On the third day of the all-night construction,

Towering drilling rigs have been erected, looking like oil and gas wells on rich planets.

More and more people gathered around to watch the excitement.

The idle villagers nearby have never traveled a few kilometers in their lives, and the industrial products they have come into contact with are nothing more than broken sewing machines and scrapped cars that have been tossed around many times. How have they ever seen such a lively scene of such a large-scale project?

The grain output of Kurmat Star is entirely dependent on plastic greenhouse cultivation and animal husbandry in a closed environment.
When it is busy, there are almost no people outside, and when it is slack, it suddenly becomes lively.

All men, women and children squatted on the mountainside, as if watching a stage play,
Watching the rotating alloy drill bit crush the stone, watching the conveyor belt send the crushed stone and gravel to the surface, and watching the roaring excavator and forklift driving back and forth, it seems that there is no more exciting show in the world than this.

On the fourth day, something unpleasant happened,

The suitcase left by a geological engineer in the board room was stolen,
There were snacks, clothes and wallets inside. He suspected that migrant workers or other villagers were responsible for it. The company employees and local people almost fought over it.

On this colonial planet where law and order is bad, bandits and warlords are rampant, and the average life expectancy is less than 50 years old,
It's really not a big deal to lose something.
But it is also enough to sound the alarm. If important equipment is stolen, the construction period will be delayed, and hidden dangers must be blocked as soon as possible.

A security upgrade plan has been put on the agenda. Just adding patrols or installing surveillance cameras is obviously not enough. It is impossible to hunt down suspects in such a remote place, so it is necessary to prevent problems before they happen.

The engineering chief asked Lynch to spread his team around some particularly important equipment to keep thieves out.

Letting elite corporate fighters do the work of ordinary security guards is like killing mosquitoes with cannons. It's too extravagant, but it's a last resort.

At noon that day, the workers were taking a lunch break after eating, and all of them hid in the shade to avoid direct sunlight, and prepared to take a short nap before starting work.

Sigurdriff stood on duty outside the main control room on the west side of the rig.

The surface of the armor was hot from the sun, she yawned boredly, looked at the helmet display screen,
There are still two hours before the next guard change. It's early, and I started to move my long, numb legs.

A sound made her nervous:
"Who!"

She raised the pump-action shotgun, pointing it in the direction of the sound.

"Who's there? Get out!"

"Don't shoot...I'm not a thief."

The voice was thin and thin, with a strong Kurmat accent, and it sounded like a young woman.

Sigdrifa has received professional military training, so of course she will not relax her vigilance because of this,
A retired general once said in a security warfare theory class,
Do not despise anyone who is near you,

The weapons in the hands of women and children are as lethal as those of grown men, and sometimes even more deadly.

The more pitiful and weak you look, the more careful you must be.

Sigdrifa shouted: "Ma'am! Didn't you see the warning sign? This is a forbidden area!"

"I'm...a man..." said the voice.

"Fuck you! Raise your hands and walk out slowly!"

A little boy with disheveled hair and a dull complexion emerged from behind a giant cactus,
A pair of bright brown eyes looked fearfully at the black muzzle of the gun. Perhaps his family had been shot dead by warlords. The kid clearly knew what would happen when the bullets shot out.
Just like this, he looked at her with fear and curiosity, looked at his reflection on the helmet, and held up his small palm timidly.

"I'm sorry, I saw the warning sign, and I know that you are not allowed to enter here...but..."

"But what."

"The armor of you handsome soldiers is really...so handsome and cool! It looks like you stepped out of a coloring comic book, I can't help but want to take a closer look!"

"Silly boy! Don't move! Turn your trouser pockets out! What's in the backpack?"

"I helped the family sell the gadgets."

"open to take a look!"

"Don't be nervous... Look, it's a handicraft made by my mother."

The little boy took off his worn-out backpack, opened the zipper, and poured out several painted dolls. He picked up the largest one and showed it to Sigurdriefa, saying proudly:
"Look, this is a handicraft carved from the root of the Ander tree."

"Lie! Where is such a big tree nearby!"

"You're a foreigner, you don't understand." The boy held up the nesting doll and explained incessantly:

"Ander tree is a kind of drought-resistant tree species native to Kurmat. It only shows a little green sapling on the ground, but its roots are very developed and huge, which can penetrate 30 meters deep underground to absorb water.
When dug out, the soft part can be squeezed out, and the hard part can be made into wooden bowls and tubs or handicrafts, such as these nesting dolls. "

"Little brat... you can talk quite well... stop! Keep your distance and open up all these nesting dolls."

"Soldier, what are you afraid of?"

"Who knows if there is a bomb in it."

(End of this chapter)