novellhall Chapter 202 Was this breathing nozzle sterilized? [6000]
Chapter 202 Was this breathing nozzle sterilized? [6000]
Chapter 202 Was this breathing nozzle sterilized? [6000]
"I swear, my breakfast is still churning in my stomach."
Annie gripped the armrest of the training pod, her face pale.
Her harness was a little tight, the wires were hanging in mid-air, and the balance platform beneath her feet was slowly rotating.
It simulates the feeling of floating when a spacecraft enters a microgravity state.
After completing the basic astronautics course, students began simulated training in wearing spacesuits.
Chen Xun was next to her, also suspended, but in a much more relaxed posture.
He even tried to turn around, and the wire made a slight "creaking" sound.
"How are you?"
Chen Xun was worried that Annie would vomit.
This is an instinctive physiological reaction, not something that can be controlled by willpower.
"not good!"
Anne closed her eyes, her brow furrowed: "I feel like I'm in the washing machine."
Coach Robert stood below, holding a walkie-talkie: "Annie, relax, imagine you're floating in the water, don't resist the rotation."
"I'm fighting my stomach."
Anne muttered a few words of dissatisfaction.
Chen Xun smiled.
He adjusted his posture to keep himself steady.
Honestly, this training wasn't difficult for him.
When he entered the Interstellar instance before, he lived for an entire part of the story as Cooper.
From cornfields to space capsules, from piloting spaceships to traversing wormholes, he's even touched that bookshelf in the fifth dimension.
For him, these training sessions are like a review now.
"Chen, you have good self-control."
Robert looked up at him in surprise: "You've trained before?"
"I've done some training before!"
Chen Xun gave a vague answer.
"You can't teach this through action scenes."
Robert pressed the control button, and the balance platform rotated a little faster.
"Hmm~"
Anne groaned.
Chen Xun glanced at her.
Anne Hathaway's favorability +2, current favorability: 62
Has your favorability rating increased?
Chen Xun was stunned for a moment.
Was it because his calm demeanor made her feel safe?
Or are you simply envious that he doesn't get dizzy?
"Chen Xun, how did you do that?"
"You look like you're lounging on your own sofa."
Annie opened her eyes uncomfortably, her gaze fixed on Chen Xun with a hint of expectation.
It seemed that they thought Chen Xun would have a good way to deal with this kind of training.
"Just imagine you're riding a carousel, but the carousel is gone, and all that's left is the spinning."
"This analogy is completely unhelpful."
"To put it another way, every time you faint, Nolan's brow furrows a little more. Just think about his face."
Annie actually laughed: "You're so mean!"
Anne Hathaway's favorability +2, current favorability: 64
It's gone up again!
Chen Xun pondered to himself.
Anne Hathaway probably has very few people who complain about her, which can increase her popularity!
Training is paused for ten minutes.
The two were put down, and Annie went straight to the water dispenser and filled a bottle with more than half a bottle of water.
"The afternoon was even worse!"
She wiped her mouth, her face bitter: "Underwater training, that pool in Vancouver, I heard the water temperature is only 20 degrees Celsius, and we have to wear a 30-kilogram simulated spacesuit."
"Just consider it a diving trip."
Chen Xun shrugged, indicating it was no big deal.
"Of course you'll have it easy!"
Annie glanced at him sideways: "I watched the behind-the-scenes footage of your 'Green Lantern' movie. Those fight scenes, being suspended by wires like it's nothing. Do you have some kind of Asian kung fu secret?"
"Yes, I have!"
Chen Xun said in a serious tone: "The secret is that you can't say I can't do it until the director yells 'cut'."
Anne laughed out loud.
At this moment, Nolan walked over, holding a tablet to look at the training data.
He looked up at Chen Xun: "Your balance test score is the highest."
"Lucky!"
"It's not luck."
Nolan swiped the famous screen: "Reaction time, spatial awareness, posture adjustment, all the data are close to professional level. Robert said, you even corrected a small error in his operating procedure."
Chen Xun's heart skipped a beat.
Was I overreacting?
Nolan didn't delve into it, but instead nodded approvingly: "Keep this in mind. What I need is for you to immerse yourself in the character. Cooper is a former pilot, so entering the spacecraft should feel like coming home."
Christopher Nolan's favorability +5, current favorability: 58
The director's favorability rating has increased.
It seems that for Nolan, professional competence is the real currency.
"Annie, you need to do extra underwater training this afternoon."
Nolan turned to her: "Your floating posture isn't natural enough. In space, there's no concept of up or down; your body has to forget about gravity."
"I will try my best," Anne said.
After Nolan left, Anne sighed, "I feel like I'm holding everyone back."
"It's okay. You've only been practicing for three days. If you can act like you've been practicing for three years, then NASA will be coming after you."
Chen Xun smiled and comforted him.
"You've only been practicing for three days too."
"I----"
Chen Xun hesitated, then said, "Maybe I have superpowers!"
In the afternoon, the training moved to the underwater simulation area.
The pool is a large facility, ten meters deep, with replicas of some of the spaceship's internal structure at the bottom.
The actors had to wear heavy-duty training spacesuits to go into the water to simulate spacewalks and extravehicular maintenance.
When Chen Xun came out after changing his clothes, Annie was already warming up by the pool.
She saw Chen Xun, waved, and complained to him, "This outfit is heavier than the prison uniform I wore when I filmed 'Les Misérables'."
"This is much more valuable than prison clothes."
Chen Xun checked his oxygen valve: "This simulation suit cost as much as a sports car."
How did you know?
"Robert said that, and he also said that if it was broken, it would be deducted from his salary."
As the two were chatting, a staff member came over and began to check Chen Xun's equipment.
This was a white man in his thirties, whose name tag read "Technical Team Jemas".
He examined the body very carefully, but didn't say a word the whole time, and his expression was very indifferent.
Chen Xun stared at the man for a moment, then paused in surprise.
Because this person's favorability rating was a whopping 0.
0?
This is not normal.
Normally, even with strangers, the favorability rating is around 30, while for those you have some impression of, it can reach 40-50.
What does it mean to have zero goodwill?
Are they hostile towards him?
Fortunately, it's not a negative number, so it's not a reason to attack him.
But he had never met this Jemas before.
This is our first time meeting.
"The equipment is fine."
Jemas finally spoke, his voice flat.
"Thanks."
Chen Xun pretended not to have noticed anything.
Jemas nodded and turned to check Annie's equipment.
Chen Xun stared at his back, a little uneasy in his heart.
Underwater training begins.
Chen Xun and Annie entered the water one after the other, and the coach provided guidance from the surface via communicator.
"Annie, your right hand is too stiff. Imagine you're pushing a floating box, not carrying bricks."
"Chen, you're moving too fast. In real space, moving too fast can cause you to spin out of control."
Chen Xun slowed down.
He is very comfortable underwater.
After all, they had experienced more extreme environments in the dungeon.
He even had the leisure to observe his surroundings.
Through the mask, he saw Jemas standing in front of the monitor above the pool, talking to another technician.
As the two were talking, Jemas glanced toward the pool.
Chen Xun could sense something was off about Jemas's eyes even from underwater.
But before he could think about it, the coach's voice came through the headset: "Chen, is there a problem with your buoyancy control? The data shows you're sinking."
Chen Xun adjusted his posture: "No, I'm fine—"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
It feels like someone has smeared plastic wrap on your face, and the air you breathe in gets thinner and thinner.
Chen Xun glanced down at the dial on his left arm.
The oxygen level is visibly dropping, from 80% to 70%, and then to 60%.
The red warning light started flashing.
"What's going on?"
Chen Xun tapped the instrument panel: "Coach, my oxygen is leaking."
"Oxygen leakage?"
The coach's voice turned serious: "How much now?"
"45% — and it's still falling."
"Surface immediately, Annie, you surface too. Training is suspended."
Chen Xun pressed the button on the buoyancy device.
no response.
He pressed it again, but there was still no response.
The valve that was supposed to spray bubbles to help it rise was welded shut.
"The buoyancy device is malfunctioning."
Chen Xun tried to keep his voice steady: "I can't get up there!"
"Me too—"
Annie's voice broke in, sounding flustered and tinged with a hint of tears: "My surfacing device is stuck too, but I have a full oxygen supply."
Chen Xun turned to look at Annie.
You could see her eyes were wide open through the mask.
She made the famous gesture, pointing to her buoyancy button, then shook her head.
Two devices malfunctioning at the same time?
"Coach, we're both stuck. Requesting assistance to surface."
The area above the pool is in chaos.
You can hear running, shouting, and the sound of equipment colliding.
Several rescuers rushed to the poolside and began putting on their gear.
Chen Xun glanced at the oxygen level again: 30%.
At this rate, it can only last for a maximum of three more minutes.
"Chen Xun, are you alright?"
Annie swam a little closer: "Your oxygen—"
"That's enough!"
Chen Xun interrupted her: "Don't move around, conserve your energy, the rescue team will be down soon."
He spoke casually, but his mind was racing.
While experiencing Cooper's journey in the instance, he encountered various unexpected situations.
These experiences were constantly being confirmed in his mind.
Several solutions quickly came to mind:
You can manually force the pressure to be released.
However, this would require damaging the valve, which carries a high risk.
But he has no tools at hand.
He swam to the buoyancy device and began inspecting the malfunctioning valve.
The structure isn't complex, but it's stuck.
If you have the tools, you can just pry it open.
But now he has nothing.
Oxygen level: 20%.
"Chen Xun?" Annie's voice came through the earpiece, trembling.
"I am here!"
Chen Xun continued fiddling with the valve: "Annie, can you do me a favor? See if there's a spare toolkit on the right side of your equipment, about the size of your palm."
Annie fumbled around for a moment: "Yes!"
"There should be a hex wrench inside. Throw it to me."
A small silver tool floated slowly over.
Chen Xun caught it, inserted it into the maintenance hole on the side of the valve, and pried it open forcefully.
"Click!"
A soft sound.
The valve is loose.
Bubbles began to bubble out, and he felt his body slowly rising.
"It worked!" Annie said, her voice relaxed.
But Chen Xun didn't relax.
He glanced at the oxygen level: 15%.
Even if we rise to the surface now, it will take a minute to reach the surface, and that amount of oxygen might not be enough.
And now Annie is also trapped at the bottom of the pool.
Chen Xun didn't swim to the surface; instead, he turned and headed towards Annie.
"What are you doing? You're running out of oxygen!"
"I'll fix the valve for you."
Chen Xun had already swum to her side: "It's faster for two people to float up together than for one person to go up and then call someone down."
Actually, I was afraid that Jemas would cause some trouble after we went up there.
But I definitely can't say this to Annie.
Anne paused for a moment, then turned her back to him: "The valve is here, I just tried it, but I couldn't press it."
Chen Xun leaned closer to take a look.
The structure is similar to his; it's also stuck.
He took a hex wrench, inserted it into the maintenance hole, and pried it open forcefully!
Didn't move.
Apply more force.
It remained completely still.
"It's stuck."
"What should we do then?"
Chen Xun glanced at his oxygen level: 8%.
His mind works incredibly fast.
Cooper encountered even worse situations in the dungeon.
The spacecraft was leaking air and all the instruments were black, but it managed to return to Earth by manual operation.
"Turn around, let me see the side."
At this moment, Chen Xun seemed to be possessed by Cooper.
Anne turned around obediently.
Chen Xun inspected the side of the valve and found a very small manual pressure relief switch, which was sealed with a layer of waterproof glue.
He peeled off the glue and pressed the switch.
"laugh!"
A small bubble appeared, indicating that the valve had loosened slightly.
But not enough.
"Press this switch for me."
Chen Xun pulled Annie's hand over and pressed it on the pressure relief switch: "Press hard, don't let go."
He continued to pry open the main valve with a wrench.
"Chen Xun————"
"Annie suddenly said."
"Um?"
Why did you help me first?
Chen Xun continued working: "What else? I'll go up myself and leave you down here to wait for rescue? How long would that take?"
"But you need oxygen—"
"So we need to hurry."
Annie fell silent.
Chen Xun could feel her hand trembling as she pressed the switch.
Oxygen level: 5%.
A buzzing sound started in my ears, which was a sign of oxygen deprivation.
Chen Xun gritted his teeth and put all his strength into the wrench.
The underwater resistance made every movement seem like slow motion, but he couldn't stop.
"Click!"
Finally, the valve moved.
Bubbles began to emerge in large quantities, and Annie's body slowly floated up.
"It's a success!"
Her voice was trembling with tears.
But Chen Xun had no time to celebrate.
His oxygen level had jumped to 3%, and his vision was beginning to blur.
"Chen Xun?"
Anne's voice seemed to fade into the distance.
He felt someone grab his arm.
It's Anne!
Instead of rising to the surface, she swam back to his side.
Then she did something that stunned Chen Xun.
She opened her mask, pulled the breathing nozzle off the oxygen valve, and shoved it directly in front of Chen Xun.
You can see her eyes through the mask.
A little nervous, but with a hint of determination deep inside.
Chen Xun's first reaction was: This breathing nozzle wasn't even disinfected before they put it in my mouth!
My second reaction was: I'm about to die, what's the point of being particular?
He leaned closer, put his mouthpiece in his mouth, and took a deep breath.
The fresh oxygen rushed into my lungs, and my mind instantly became much clearer.
"you----"
He opened his mouth, as if to say something.
"Stop talking nonsense."
Annie put the breathing mouthpiece back into her own mouth, took two breaths, and then handed it to him: "Take turns, hold on until the rescue comes."
The scene is a bit comical.
Two people wearing heavy spacesuits were sharing an oxygen nozzle underwater, as if they were passing around some contraband.
But when you're about to lose your life, who cares about that?
Chen Xun took another drag and then pointed upwards.
The rescuers were almost at their side.
Annie nodded, holding onto her buoyancy device with one hand and pulling on Chen Xun's arm with the other.
The two began to rise slowly.
Ten meters, eight meters, five meters —
The light grew brighter and brighter.
Chen Xun took one last look at the oxygen level: 1%.
Then they broke through the water.
The area around the training pool was in complete chaos.
Robert and several coaches pulled the two up and hurriedly helped them unload their equipment.
Nolan stood to the side, his face ashen.
"What happened?"
Nolan's voice was cold.
"The buoyancy control system malfunctioned simultaneously."
Robert inspected Chen Xun's equipment: "There's also an oxygen leak, but the probability of that is extremely low."
"Man-made?"
Nolan asked.
"Unsure, we need to check."
Chen Xun sat on the ground, panting heavily.
Anne was standing beside her, her hair wet and plastered to her face, also panting.
Medical staff came to check on their condition.
"I'm fine, just a little short of breath."
Chen Xun waved his hand.
"You almost got into trouble; you only had 1% oxygen left."
Anne looked at him, her eyes filled with emotion and worry.
If it weren't for Chen Xun, she might not have made it to the rescuers before running out of oxygen.
"Isn't it because you're here?"
Chen Xun forced a smile: "Thanks, but could you disinfect it first next time?"
Annie paused for a moment, then laughed: "What kind of time is this to be joking?"
Anne Hathaway's favorability +10, current favorability: 74
It jumped 10 points!
It seems that sharing oxygen nozzles is a big deal in the favorability system.
Chen Xun looked up and scanned his surroundings, trying to find Jemas.
The person has disappeared.
"Where's Jemas from the tech team?"
He asked Robert.
"George Mas?"
Robert frowned. "Which Jemas are you talking about?"
"His name tag said 'George Marcus from the Technical Team,' he was in his thirties and white."
Robert glanced at the staff around him and shook his head: "I don't remember. There were four people from the technical team today, none of them were named Jemas."
Chen Xun's heart sank.
There is no such person?
Who was he checking the equipment for just now?
"Are you sure?" he pressed.
"Confirmed, the technical team roster is with me."
Robert took out his tablet and pulled up the personnel list: "Look, John, David, Lisa, Carlos, but not Jemas."
Chen Xun stared at the screen.
There really isn't!
"Training is suspended for today."
Nolan's face also showed lingering fear.
If two popular actors were to have an accident on his set, his career would probably be over!
"All equipment is sealed and inspected. Underwater training is suspended until the cause is found."
He looked at Chen Xun and Annie: "You two go back and rest. You'll participate in the tilted studio training as usual tomorrow."
The next morning, when Chen Xun ran into Annie in the cafeteria, she had some dark circles under her eyes.
"Didn't sleep well?"
Chen Xun sat down with his tray in his hand.
"I had a nightmare."
Annie poked at the scrambled eggs on her plate: "I dreamt I was at the bottom of a pool, the oxygen was gone, and Jemas was standing on the surface of the water, looking at me and laughing."
"The dream I had was quite vivid."
Chen Xun took a bite of toast: "But don't worry, Nolan has increased security, strangers can't get in."
"Why do you think he's targeting us?"
Anne lowered her voice: "My equipment only has a stuck buoyancy device, but the oxygen is fine. Yours, however, has both been tampered with."
Chen Xun had actually thought about this question as well.
If it was just a prank, there was no need to almost cause someone's death.
If it's targeting him—
He didn't offend many people in Hollywood.
After breakfast, the two went to the tilted photography studio.
This training is designed to simulate the disorientation of five-dimensional space.
There was a huge rotating platform in the studio, on which part of the spaceship's interior was set up.
The platform can tilt up to 60 degrees and rotate slowly.
The coach was a young woman named Catherine, who spoke very quickly.
"Today's training is simple: complete the specified movements while in an inclined position."
She pointed to several marked points on the platform: "Go from point A to point B, pick up the prop box, and move it to point C. During the process, the platform will tilt and rotate, so you need to adapt to the changes in your sense of direction."
"That sounds easier than underwater training."
Annie whispered to Chen Xun.
In the first round, the platform was tilted at a 15-degree angle.
Chen Xun went first.
He stepped onto the platform, feeling as if he were walking on a slope, but he was still able to maintain his balance.
Walk to point A and pick up the item box.
It was an empty box, but it looked quite real.
Move to point C, done.
"good!"
He pulled back the clock: "Annie, it's your turn."
After Annie went up, the platform began to rotate slowly.
She almost fell halfway down, but managed to grab the wall in time.
"Don't look down at your feet," Chen Xun shouted from below. "Look at the fixed point in the distance."
Anne did as instructed and remained calm.
Anne Hathaway's favorability +2, current favorability: 76
It seems that practical advice is more effective than complaints.
In the second round, the platform was tilted at a 30-degree angle.
When Chen Xun went up this time, the platform not only tilted but also swayed from side to side. His journey to point A felt like being on a boat, requiring him to constantly adjust his center of gravity. After picking up the small box, the platform suddenly accelerated its rotation.
"Hold on!" Catherine shouted.
Chen Xun held the small box in his arms, pressed his back against the wall, and continued walking only after the spinning slowed down.
When he finished, he glanced at the timer in Catherine's hand and saw that it was ten seconds ahead of the allotted time.
"It's alright," Catherine said, "but during actual filming, Director Nolan might demand a faster pace."
"clear."
After Annie went up, the platform tilted at an even greater angle.
When she was halfway there, the box slipped from her grasp and fell down.
"Let's try again!"
Catherine pressed the reset button.
Anne succeeded the second time, but she came down covered in sweat.
"This is more uncomfortable than being suspended by wires, at least when you're suspended by wires you know which way is up."
Anne was covered in sweat.
"That's the purpose of training!"
"In the five-dimensional space play, there is no up or down, all directions are relative, and your bodies must adapt to this sense of disorientation."
Take a ten-minute break.
Chen Xun and Annie sat on a bench next to the photography studio, drinking water.
"How do you think Nolan will film this scene?"
Annie was a little curious.
"But given his style, it's definitely a real set. This rotating platform is probably just for basic training. There will be more complex equipment during the actual filming."
"I heard he's planning to build a set that can rotate 360 degrees."
Anne lowered her voice: "The actors really have to act in the movie; it's not something that can be done in post-production."
"Then you'd have to vomit like crazy."
"So now I'm practicing this."
In the third round, the platform tilted at a 45-degree angle.
When Chen Xun went up, he found that even the handrails were gone this time.
With the platform tilting and rotating, he had to rely entirely on his own balance.
When he reached point A, the platform suddenly rotated in the opposite direction, and he was almost thrown off.
A purple attribute orb suddenly fell from his body:
Balance +4
Chen Xun absorbed it quickly.
He steadied himself and picked up the small box.
At this point, the platform began to bounce up and down.
Simulates the vibrations when a spaceship travels through a wormhole.
Chen Xun tucked the small box under his arm and half-walked, half-crawled to point C.
Completed!