Angeli immediately issued an order: "There is no air and there is an open flame. There may be a chemical leak. Cut off the chemical pipeline first. Have the drone images come back?"
"Back!" Wang Ping'an shouted while operating the drone with a small console on his wrist. "I'll control the drone using quick-drying fireproof glue."
At the same time, the entire team took action immediately, with almost no instructions from Angeli.
A group of people worked for a long time. The fire on the fifth deck was extinguished and the damage was repaired. Just as a group of people were about to breathe a sigh of relief, the spacecraft once again entered an acceleration of 4 G.
Wang Ping'an and others were firmly pressed by four times the gravity of the earth, and could hardly move without the help of a powered exoskeleton.
Fortunately, only the main engine can provide such a large acceleration, so the direction of acceleration will not change all the time.
All Space Force spacecraft are designed with this situation in mind. The direction of the main engine is originally set to the direction of the "ground". Even if the cruiser is maneuvering like a runaway horse at this time, inside
People will also stand on the "floor".
Wang Ping'an placed the vibration sensing device on the bulkhead, so through the vibration, he could "hear" the creaking sound of the spacecraft's structure during violent maneuvers.
Angeli was also listening. For damage control personnel, "listening" to identify the status of the spacecraft skeleton is a very important ability.
The personal computer itself will analyze the condition of the spacecraft based on the mechanical waves it senses, but sometimes experienced damage control officers can hear things that the computer cannot analyze.
Of course, Wang Ping'an is not an "old damage control". He is actually no better than computers.
But you still have to listen. After all, there is no other way to know how the battle is going. You can only get a rough feel of the war through the twisting and trembling of the spacecraft skeleton.
Someone muttered on the radio: "I don't know what the fighting is like. Damn it, I don't even know the distance between the enemy and ourselves. It's so unlucky."
Although Wang Ping'an said nothing, he fully understood their feelings.
When driving a combat boat, he is the main pilot. All the radar, infrared and optical sensing equipment on the combat boat are his eyes and ears. He can clearly know how the battlefield is and where the enemy is.
And at that time, he was in control of the spaceship. At that time, he was the master of his own destiny.
Now, staying inside the spacecraft, protected by thick armor, and completely isolated from the perception of the battlefield, I have no idea whether the spacecraft will be hit by the high-temperature plasma of the ion cannon at the next moment, and I will also be there
Evaporates directly in sudden high temperatures.
This feeling is something I have never felt while driving a combat boat.
At this time, Wang Ping'an deeply felt that he was not a master at all, but a screw in a huge machine called a cruiser. He could only fulfill his duties and could not change anything.
**
In the main control room of the training center, Director Guo suddenly realized that Diao Youming was not paying attention to the battle situation, so he asked curiously: "Don't you care about the outcome of the battle?"
"With professional evaluators like you giving scores, I completely trust you." As Diao Youming spoke, he continued to pay attention to each trainee's physical data, including hormone secretion status, sweat rate, body temperature, heartbeat, breathing...
At the same time, he constantly switched the perspective inside the spacesuit helmet to observe the expressions of the supplementary team members.
Colonel Guo: "So this is your purpose?"
"Yes. I am an instructor, the chief officer in psychology. I select the supplementary soldiers, and they may have flaws in their techniques and tactics. Anyway, the veterans and pirates will teach them when they get there. But their inner qualities must be good."
Colonel Guo was speechless: "Are the pirates here to teach...I guess the tuition fee is life?"
"Not necessarily. Most pirates are pretty bad. After all, they don't have as good or complete training as we do. But if you run into those vicious pirates during the recruit period, it's your fate. Although I say this is not appropriate."
Colonel Guo nodded and asked another question: "So there are so many new recruits, which one do you like the most?"
"Wang Ping'an," Diao Youming immediately replied, "His partner is also very interesting, but lacks some polish, but as he gains more combat experience, he should become a seasoned veteran."
After a brief pause, Diao Youming added: "Of course, that is if they can survive."
Colonel Guo asked solemnly: "Are the pirates becoming more and more rampant? Is it my imagination?"
"No. The asteroid belt is a huge treasure house. There are 500,000 asteroids distributed in the vast space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. I don't know how many precious minerals there are in them.
"Actually, I personally feel that the asteroid belt is very similar to the 'West' during the United States' westward expansion. It was full of wealth and opportunities, but lacked order and gangs were rampant.
“The West’s gradual escape from barbarism relies on the railroad. Wherever the railroad extends, civilization and order extend. Cowboys and gangs are driven away by the railroad and gradually disappear.
"But there is currently nothing like a 'railway' in the asteroid belt, and order is only maintained within the patrol range of the Space Force. The number of pirates is generally increasing, and there are also mercenaries from large companies. The asteroid belt will become more and more
It’s getting more and more lively.”
Colonel Guo was speechless and said: "It seems that only when the super thrusters we prepare for the Centaur project become mass-produced can order be promoted in the asteroid belt."
"That's what it is. Fifteen percent of the speed of light, my God, it might only take one day to go from the Earth to Mars with that engine. But this is something that scientists should be concerned about, and it has nothing to do with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two cruisers in the simulated battle decided the winner.
The cruisers in Group A were hit by the plasma of the ion cannon, losing a certain amount of maneuverability, and then were hit continuously by the railgun.
Colonel Guo commented: "The damage control work of Group A is more efficient, but unfortunately the command is slightly inferior. The guy named An Doudou is not very good. It's a shame his parents gave him such a name."
Diao Youming responded: "Is it the combination of Ender and Xiaodouzi? Ender himself and Ender's shadow merge into one... At least one of his parents is a science fiction fan, maybe both are.
"I have to admit that the United States has left behind many good things, and science fiction in the golden age is one of them."
At this time, a clerk reported to Colonel Guo: "The scoring is complete, will the performance ranking be displayed now?"
Colonel Guo: "Show it."
The performance scores of the 200 replacement candidates are then arranged on the main display.
Diao Youming specifically looked at the rankings of Wang Pingan and Angeli, and then looked relieved.
Colonel Guo said: "It seems that you don't need to use your authority to give him extra points."
"What are you talking about? I have no such intention at all." Diao Youming said in a tone that made it difficult to distinguish his true thoughts.
**
Just like that, the six-day selection process ended.
Wang Pingan and Angeli belong to the second echelon, but they will undoubtedly be added to Ceres.
And Fu Zhilong and others were eliminated without mercy.
Lin Lin's low-altitude flight just crossed the 100th ranking line, while his partner failed to be selected.
Now, the only thing standing between Wang Ping'an and Ceres is psychological evaluation.