Volume 12: Yaguna Kotor Chapter 587 Personnel Secondment
"It seems that some unknown creatures were discovered during the exploration, and a living sample was successfully captured." The secretary pushed the frame of his glasses on his nose and said.
She actually didn't have myopia - even if she did, her job would require her to have corrective surgery before she started working... With the current medical level of the Ark, myopia correction, a minor surgery that was already very mature in the old era, is about as difficult as pulling out a wisdom tooth. Except for some people who cannot undergo surgery for their own reasons, myopia patients on the Ark can be said to have almost disappeared.
However, glasses were preserved as decorations and protective gear.
The retro-style gold-rimmed glasses worn by the secretary are actually a smart AR display. When she focuses her eyes on a person or something, the related data and information will quickly appear on the screen.
She noticed that her young boss' heartbeat and breathing rate increased significantly after hearing the name "Yaguna Kotor".
"What kind of unknown creature?" Lin Qiming asked.
"The specific information is sealed in the report file... I don't have the authority to view it." The secretary replied.
"Where's the report?" Lin Qiming stood up and said, "Let me see it."
“It has been temporarily saved in your mailbox.”
Hearing what the secretary said, Lin Qiming, who had just stood up, sat down again immediately and tapped on the keyboard with his hands.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed. "How did the report get sent to the public account of the institute? Doesn't he know... that now everything related to the institute must go through our crisis management department first?"
Lin Qiming's tone was filled with a hint of complaint and helplessness. He knew in his heart that Ke Lan's authority was far higher than his own. Even if he wanted to bypass the crisis management department and go directly to the research institute, Lin Qiming would have no way to deal with him. The fact that they were willing to notify him was already a great honor.
But when Lin Qiming opened the report, his brows furrowed even more.
He noticed that the report document had been viewed six times, which meant that, in addition to him, five other people had already read the report.
Apart from Lin Qiming and Schroeder, the two directors and deputy directors of the crisis management department, the only people who have the authority to read this report are the professors in the research institute.
Although Lin Qiming himself did not have a high level of academic attainments, as a member of the crisis management department, his keen sense of smell made him realize the importance of this report at the first time - if there was no deviation in the content of the report, it would be obvious that this could definitely be considered a heavyweight discovery.
Just as he was about to read the report again, the secretary standing beside him suddenly paused and raised his hand to hold the frame on one side.
Of course, Lin Qiming also knew that the glasses worn by his secretary were not ordinary decorations. When a new message was received, the frame would vibrate slightly to alert the wearer. She subconsciously reached out to hold the frame because she obviously felt the vibration.
"Is this the news from the research institute?" Lin Qiming looked at her and asked.
"Yes." The secretary nodded. "Dr. John Norrison and his research team have applied to go to 'Yaguna Kator'."
"Don't they know that the official members of the institute are now restricted from leaving the Ark... or even leaving West District 1?" Lin Qiming stared at the computer screen in front of him. "I know... how tempting this report is to them, but an order is an order, unless-"
"Dr. Norison has obtained special permission from the crew committee." The secretary placed the tablet under his arm on Lin Qiming's desk. "This is the digital license that the doctor just sent."
"What?!" Lin Qiming was slightly startled, and quickly took the tablet over. He rummaged through the drawer for a long time before he found something that looked like a USB flash drive and plugged it into the interface on the side of the tablet.
In less than two seconds, the red indicator light at the end of the USB flash drive turned green - this meant that the digital license sent by Dr. Norison and his team... was valid.
"Does Schroeder know about this?" Lin Qiming asked with a helpless sigh.
"The section chief already knows about it, but he is busy with other things now and said that you will be in charge of this matter." The secretary replied.
"I have full authority to handle it?" Lin Qiming laughed bitterly. "I don't have full authority at all... Both sides have bypassed our crisis management department. Our department is like a decoration, and we can't do anything about them... That's fine, but every time something goes wrong, we are still held responsible... I understand why the previous section chief often complained to us about this difficult position."
Lin Qiming rubbed his cheeks while complaining - there were two very obvious dark circles around his eyes... In order to deal with the aftermath of the "meme infection" incident, he has been working overtime for more than half a month, and he can't even guarantee three hours of sleep a day.
He felt like he was on the verge of collapse at any moment, but the mountain of work on his desk had to be finished before the deadline - the Crisis Management Department also lost a large number of personnel in this accident, and although some people were transferred from the military system and the Security Bureau to supplement the team afterwards, it was only a drop in the bucket.
The workload was already extremely heavy, but the number of people sharing it became much smaller, and the result is naturally predictable.
If it weren't for the strong coffee and stimulants that kept him going, Lin Qiming felt that he would have collapsed on the table from exhaustion long ago.
Even his secretary was the same. The thick makeup on her face could not cover up the huge dark circles under her glasses, which made her face look as pale as a zombie. Although her two slender legs wrapped in black stockings stood straight, the muscles on her calves were twitching like cramps... It was obvious that the secretary was also in a state of extreme fatigue.
"Ah..." Lin Qiming sighed again, "How are they going to get there - I mean, Dr. Norison and the others."
"The doctor asked us to provide a large transport plane..."
"A large transport plane? How many people are there in his research team?"
"There are a total of 17 researchers who have applied to go on field trips, including Dr. Norison himself. The main reason is that the research equipment requires a large amount of space," the secretary explained.
“What equipment are they going to bring?”
"They have all been sent to you."
Lin Qiming looked at the email he had just received and felt a deep headache again.
"...The total transport volume required is actually 180 tons? And they are all precision instruments that cannot be transported using external cargo holds or hooks...Where can I find a transport plane of this level for them now?" Lin Qiming rubbed his temple and said, "I have to find a way to borrow a military transport plane or even find an airship..."
"Which military airport is closest to West District 1?" Lin Qiming raised his head and asked his secretary.
"…It's the 'AF-015 Airport' located on the top floor of West District 3."
"Immediately contact the garrison there and ask them if they have any spare large transport aircraft or transport ships." Lin Qiming said.
Two minutes later, the secretary shook his head and said, "The airport replied that there are only fighter jets and two light patrol ships anchored in the port. There are no aircraft or ships that meet our requirements."
"Then contact the next closest military airport—"
"Deputy Section Chief, how about trying to mobilize the transportation resources of non-governmental organizations?" the secretary suddenly suggested.
"Civilian organization? Which organization?"
"The joint transport fleet of the Yeh Group and the Soma Group has just returned... Their previous mission was to transport supplies to the Yaguna Kotor. We may be able to requisition a transport plane from them, which can save us a lot of unnecessary trouble."
"We just returned from 'Aguna Kotor'... What you said makes sense. Let's contact them immediately." Lin Qiming nodded.
…
"Deputy Chief, the Ye Group has expressed its willingness to lend us a Hercules heavy transport aircraft and all the crew members, and we don't have to reimburse any expenses - including the round-trip fuel costs and the labor costs of loading and unloading equipment. The plane is now parked at Yong'an Port in East District 2 on standby, and it is only two and a half hours away from here." said the secretary.
"Thanks to Ke Lan's close relationship with the Ye Group, this has saved us a lot of expenses." Lin Qiming said. Although the Crisis Management Department has great power, it also costs money to requisition civilian personnel and property, and their financial budget has been stretched to the limit during this period, so saving some money is naturally a good thing.
"Go contact the first team... No, the first team should be on duty in the ice storage now. As for the second team... forget it." Lin Qiming suddenly waved his hand, "I will personally lead people to escort Dr. Norison and the others there. It's not peaceful outside right now. A while ago, a researcher was kidnapped and killed by a heretic sect. It's safer for me to go there myself."
After saying that, Lin Qiming glanced at the thick stack of documents on the table and the pile of half-processed task boxes on the computer desktop, and sighed deeply in his heart - when he returns, the pile of work will probably be more than ten times the current amount...
He took out two pistols from the bottom drawer with a combination lock and put them in the holsters under his ribs and at his waist respectively. Then he grabbed the coat hanging on the back of the chair, put it on, stood up and walked outside.
When passing by the secretary, Lin Qiming paused for a moment, reached out and patted the other person on the shoulder, saying, "Everyone has worked hard during this period. It's a good opportunity for you to take a break while I'm out on the field. Don't overwork yourself."
"Okay... Thank you, thank you, Deputy Section Chief." The secretary was stunned for a moment and responded quickly.
…
…
Compared to Lin Qiming's listlessness, Dr. Norison and others who had been waiting at the entrance and exit of the blockade area were in much better spirits. They were the most idle people in the entire institute during this period. They basically did not need to intervene in the reconstruction work, and the experimental projects of various departments were stopped. This group of people was equivalent to being "forced" to take paid leave. In the eyes of office workers, except that their personal freedom would be restricted to a certain extent, there was nothing more enjoyable than this.
But Dr. Norison was not happy at all. Several projects he was following up on were ruined. Although they were suspended, many important samples and data were either destroyed or lost. Even if the institute could resume normal operations later, these projects would probably come to nothing. For a scientific researcher, several years of work had gone to waste. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow.
However, an email from "Yaguna Kator" excited the nearly 70-year-old biology doctor. Although the report contained only a few hundred words, the amount of information contained in these words instantly ignited the entire research team. As a person who has been studying the native creatures of Alpha Star all his life, Dr. Norison knows the value of these wolf-like creatures much better than Ke Lan and Ivan.
It is said that the original plan of "Yaguna Kator" was to send the living samples directly to the institute, but considering the current situation and safety issues of the institute, they finally canceled the decision and set up the research site in the front-line supply base. If Dr. Norison and his team want to get in touch with this magical biological sample as soon as possible, they must go to "Yaguna Kator" in person.
They didn't care about this at all. After all, when they studied other indigenous creatures before, Dr. Norison and his research team often stayed in the wilderness for several months... or even years.
"Deputy Section Chief Lin." Seeing Lin Qiming and several crisis management officers approaching him, Dr. Norison immediately went to greet them. "We have packed all the necessary equipment and put them in the truck. What about the transport plane?"
"The transport plane has been contacted. We will take the Ye Group's plane." Lin Qiming said indifferently, "Have your people get on the bus. The destination is Yong'an Port in the East Second District. I will personally lead the escort team for this operation."
…
Yong'an Port is not far from the research institute. The two and a half hours mentioned by the secretary is a conservative estimate. In fact, under the constant urging of Dr. Norison, the convoy arrived at the port in less than two hours.
The "Hercules" heavy transport aircraft painted with the emblem of the Ye Group had just completed the last maintenance procedure before takeoff and was now parked on the takeoff runway, quietly waiting for them.
This "Hercules" heavy transport aircraft is not the same model as the Hercules transport aircraft of the old era in the United States. This is a super transport aircraft developed by the Ye Group specifically for the transportation of construction materials at the mecha competition venue. The fuselage of this transport aircraft is more than 80 meters long, and the wingspan is more than 150 meters... This size is comparable to some small airships.
For Lin Qiming and his team, the carrying capacity of this "Hercules" is more than enough. Even if they want to move Dr. Norison's entire biological laboratory on it, it would probably not be a problem.
The Ye Group not only retained the complete crew, but also specially equipped a professional ground handling team. More than a dozen engineering mechas used for loading and unloading cargo were waiting beside the runway, awaiting their arrival.
