Volume 16 Tower of Babel Chapter 841 Zukok: Change
Six hours later...
A strange thing that could vaguely be seen to be modified from the skeleton of the "Zokok" underwater multi-purpose mecha was placed in front of Layton.
The expressions on the faces of everyone in the engineering department were a mix of joy, worry... but mostly exhaustion and astonishment. It seemed that even they themselves could hardly believe that they had actually built an "underwater combat mecha that could theoretically withstand water pressure at a depth of three thousand meters" in just six hours.
The "Zokok" mecha's original rugby-shaped cockpit was equipped with six layers of pressure-resistant armor shells. The visual portholes were completely sealed and replaced with several underwater monitors with built-in high-brightness searchlights. The limb joints that were originally driven by hydraulic rods were replaced with a "muscle-like" transmission mechanism with pressurized fluid filled in the hose. Under water, the internal and external pressures at the joints can be balanced through autonomous pressurization to prevent the fragile mecha joints from being crushed by the terrifying external water pressure when moving.
In terms of weapon equipment, in addition to the remaining "Fang IV Type" torpedoes, explosive harpoons are hidden in various parts of the fuselage, so that there is absolutely no blind spot for attack even in close combat.
As a result, the "Zokoko", which originally weighed less than six tons, suddenly became a behemoth of nearly forty tons. As for the most important power system, the engineering department installed an auxiliary engine removed from the battleship of the Zero Fleet. Using seawater as an external coolant, this auxiliary engine can reach 60% of the maximum output power. At this extreme data, the machine can have a speed of 75 knots underwater, which is almost twice the maximum speed of the nuclear submarine in the old era.
"This thing... can it really withstand the water pressure outside?" The middle-aged engineer who had worn his helmet backwards tugged at the sleeve of the burly man standing next to him and muttered in a low voice.
"You didn't complete the design. We were only responsible for processing and assembly." The sturdy man stroked his half-inch-long stubble on his chin. "According to the test results, it should be able to withstand it..."
"That was just a virtual test by inputting various data into the computer, and the real thing hasn't even touched water yet!" The middle-aged man shook his head repeatedly. "You know, when I was working at Anaheim Electronics, the newly developed aircraft had to undergo at least fifteen unmanned actual aircraft tests and six bionic pilot tests before it could be delivered to the test pilot as a formal test aircraft. I really can't accept such a hasty..."
"That's right." Before the middle-aged man finished speaking, another engineer at the side said, "No matter how much this thing is modified, it still uses the skeleton of the Zocoq, and the maximum diving depth of the Zocoq is 800 meters... Even if the data shows that this machine can withstand the water pressure at a depth of 3,000 meters, we can only know what is going on after it enters the water... I don't know who will be so unlucky to be chosen as the pilot of this machine."
"It won't be me anyway." The middle-aged man curled his lips. "I once witnessed a test driver being locked in a radiation-exposed cockpit for a full thirty minutes because of an unexpected malfunction in the safety system... Although he was rescued later, he suffered from acute radiation sickness that was completely incurable. In just four hours, his skin was rotten all over his body and there was not a single healthy spot left. Then his muscles began to melt, turning into lumps of bloody things that fell off his skeleton..."
As he spoke, the middle-aged man's face became paler and paler, and he subconsciously covered his mouth with his hand.
"You're the first person I've ever seen who can talk himself into vomiting." The sturdy man laughed dryly, "But you can rest assured. If something really goes wrong with this thing, it won't take more than three seconds for the cockpit to deform and the things inside to be completely crushed. The pain is fleeting, and soon you won't know anything."
"I don't want to die anyway." The middle-aged man took out a water bag from his pocket and took a big gulp. "It was after that accident that I secretly cancelled my mecha pilot's license. When others asked me about it, I told them directly that I would never drive such a thing... Anyway, even if I am beaten to death in this life, I will never sit in the cockpit again."
"Tsk, the engineers responsible for the development of mechas have such a strong psychological shadow on driving mechas that no one would believe it if I told them." The strong man scratched his head, "Since you are so scared, why don't you change your job?"
"I studied mechanical dynamics in college. With my major, the salary for working in the research and development of military mechas is at least three to five times higher than that of working in companies that produce civilian machinery... After all, it's all about earning some hard-earned money. If the salary offered by the God Hunters wasn't attractive enough, I wouldn't have switched jobs here. Aren't you the same?"
"Me? Of course not, I'm just curious about Yaguna Tor, so I decided to come here... Hey, it seems that the deputy captain wants to drive this machine himself?" The burly man was at least 1.9 meters tall, so even if he was standing in the back row of the crowd, he could clearly see what was happening in the front.
"Layton? That guy's mecha pilot license isn't high level, is it?" The middle-aged man stood on tiptoe, and the apostle let his vision pass over the dark crowd in front of him. "If we talk about the best pilot in the God Hunter Group, it has to be the girl named Valentina. I saw her fight in the mecha competition before. Her operation was definitely ranked among the top even among the ace pilots. But I haven't seen her for a long time. I guess she is not on the Yaguna Tor now?"
"Not only her, but also the captain, deputy captain of the Hound, deputy captain Ivan, and deputy captain Asano Akira have disappeared for a while... Sigh, in the current situation, I don't know if they are still alive." Another engineer sighed, "Originally, I switched to the God Hunters just for the high monthly salary they offered, but I didn't expect to be involved in such a mess now."
"The deputy leader was stopped by several people, all of whom are senior cadres of the hunting group." The strong man continued to "broadcast" the real-time dynamics of the front to his companions. "After all, he is the only deputy leader left on Yaguna Kotor. If he also leaves Yaguna Kotor, there will be no one to control the situation."
"Isn't there the commander's wife?" another engineer asked puzzledly.
"You don't understand this, don't you? The captain's wife rarely intervenes in team affairs, and she's not familiar with the people in each department... She alone can't control the people under her... Believe it or not, suppose... I mean suppose, as long as Vice Captain Layton drives this thing out, if something unexpected happens, there will definitely be people on the ship rebelling." The middle-aged engineer lowered his voice and said, "Maybe, there are such people around us."
"Uh, a man came in from outside the hangar, with bandages wrapped around his body... He actually volunteered to be the pilot?" The sturdy man continued, "But, his injuries don't seem to be light, he can't even walk properly..."
"Huh? Someone actually offered himself up to me?" The middle-aged engineer was stunned for a moment. "Is this guy tired of living?"
"That looks like a pilot from Fleet Zero..." the sturdy man muttered, "But then again, according to Zokok's operation, as long as the soles of the feet and ten fingers can move, the pilot can fly. Even if this person is tangled up like a dumpling, as long as his hands and feet are exposed, there won't be a big problem."
"I know that guy." Another engineer had stood on a pile of parts boxes without knowing when. "That guy's name is Yeager. He is indeed a pilot of Fleet Zero. He seems to know our captain... I heard that he was one of the leaders of the uprising of Fleet Zero this time."
"But Zokok needs two pilots." The middle-aged engineer said as he took off the helmet that was turned upside down on his head. "Damn, I wore it upside down. No wonder I always felt uncomfortable with the strap around my neck..."
"It seems they are planning to select someone familiar with this aircraft from the engineering department as the co-pilot..." The engineer who stood on the box quickly crawled down, as if he was afraid that he would attract other people's attention because of his height. "Oh my god, please don't choose me!"
The people in the engineering department burst into whispers again, and the people standing in the first two rows subconsciously stepped back a distance - it was obvious that no one wanted to drive such a thing that couldn't even perform the most basic airtightness test into the three thousand meters deep sea.
"Oh my god!" A loud voice rang out beside them, scaring the two engineers so much that they squatted on the ground.
The middle-aged engineer who had been wearing his helmet backwards turned around in astonishment, only to see that the burly man who had just been chatting with him was now walking forward with his hands raised.
"I'm willing to serve as the co-pilot of this machine." He continued as he walked, and the crowd automatically parted to the sides, leaving him a wide enough passage.
"You...are you crazy?" The middle-aged engineer wanted to reach out and grab him, but after changing his mind, he put his hand down again - he was not very familiar with this guy. At most, they had just had a few meals together after work. Since he was willing to "die", it meant that he would not be the unlucky guy...If he grabbed him now, would he have to replace him and be the damn co-pilot?
Thinking of this, the middle-aged engineer closed his mouth tightly. He rubbed his hands uneasily, then moved behind the others calmly.
The two pilots put on special driving suits - a hard deep-sea diving suit like a space suit.
This diving suit can withstand water pressure at a depth of three hundred meters, but both of them are well aware that its comfort effect is greater than its actual protective effect. If there is any problem with the mecha itself, this diving suit will not be able to keep them alive at a depth of three thousand meters on the seabed.
Yeger took a few deep breaths, then raised his hand and gave the crane driver a thumbs-up.
On flat ground, it is impossible to walk while wearing this hard diving suit, and the driver must rely on a crane to lift him into the cockpit of the mecha.
With a dull thud, the diving suit wrapped around Yeger's body was "embedded" into the cockpit. Several safety buckles on his side immediately docked with the special seat, firmly fixing him and the diving suit to the seat.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Wilson, and I'm an electrician in the No. 2 workshop of the God Hunter Engineering Department. I was the one who designed the new circuit in the control console of this aircraft. No one in the engineering department knows the structure of this part better than me." The burly man who entered the cockpit first turned to look at Yeager and extended his hand to him.
"Yeger, captain of the air combat unit of the heavy cruiser 'Betelgeux' of the Zero Fleet." Yeager shook hands with Wilson. "Hearing you say that, the tension in my heart seems to have dissipated a lot."
"I thought that the person who volunteered to fly this thing wouldn't be nervous." Wilson said as he adjusted the equipment on the console. "I heard that the air combat forces of the Zero Fleet were almost wiped out, with only a few survivors... Your injuries should have been caused by that time, right?"
"I guess so." Yeger nodded.
"You fly a fighter jet?" Wilson asked again, "Have you ever flown this kind of mecha?"
"My mecha pilot license is M9... Of course, I took it six years ago." Yeager said confidently, "It's just that I prefer flying airplanes."
"If I had known you were the one flying, I would have replaced the joystick with a fighter jet's handle." Wilson said half-jokingly, "By the way, why did you choose to take the initiative to carry out this mission? Aren't you afraid of death?"
"I know the situation that Yaguna Kator is facing now... There will be no improvement if I stay here, so I might as well try as much as possible. And the thing I am best at is probably driving skills." Yeager said, "What about you?"
"Me?" The sturdy man narrowed his eyes, and a barely perceptible glimmer flashed across his eyes. He seemed to have become a different person, restraining all his expressions. "Same as you."
"Ha." Yeger let out a short laugh and stopped talking.
All the equipment of "Zokog Kai" has been debugged. With the loud roar of the engine cooling device, the whole machine stood up from the ground and moved step by step towards the door of Hangar No. 1.
Although it looks a bit clumsy when moving on the ground, once it enters the water, the maneuverability of the entire machine will rise to a whole new level - this is a highly maneuverable weapon developed by the Engineering Department specifically for underwater combat. Compared to the "safety" pursued by the submersibles carried by the Hounds, the first priority in the design of this machine is "combat capability."
Layton knew very well that in that seemingly peaceful underwater city, there were some very dangerous things hidden... Otherwise, Hound and his men would not have used powerful weapons like the "Tusk IV" torpedo. If this thing exploded at close range, it would definitely kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of its own. Hound and his men must have been forced to use it...
What kind of monster would be the enemy that even the Nino Alloy Saw Blade and the Dragon Slaying Spear can't deal with?
