In some large dams built by Japanese people in the 1930s and 1940s, such as the Xiaofengman on the Songhua River, the power generator units are located about ten meters underwater. A special elevator called the "sinking box" is needed to reach the technical floor of the generator. This device was also used to transport large electrical components during the construction of the dam, and it is generally removed after the dam testing is completed. If it is not removed, it will continue to be used as the only passage to reach the bottom of the dam during maintenance.
In my mind, there is only one kind of giant elevator that is completely enclosed in metal sheets. Its outer wall is a square concrete vertical pipe, and inside is a steel-reinforced metal plate.
"This type of elevator is generally not used during flood discharge, because during flood discharge, the entire bottom of the dam is completely submerged in water, so lowering it has no use. But when I saw this iron compartment, I suddenly realized that maybe this compartment is welded to this huge elevator."
"When we entered, the iron wall was actually the entrance to the elevator. After we entered the iron compartment, we were actually on the platform of the elevator."
Thinking of this, suddenly I had a sudden realization and remembered many things - the noises I thought were caused by the pressure of the dam inside the steel compartment and various strange noises, now it doesn't feel right, it seems to be the sound of wheel tracks rubbing, could it be that after we entered this platform, the platform actually moved?
"I heard the sound of water outside the metal chamber again, and I wondered if someone had activated the elevator during the time we entered the chamber. Could it be that we unknowingly descended to the bottom of the dam underwater?"
"This is just my speculation. After thinking about it, I feel it's ridiculous. If it's really like that, why didn't I feel anything? But looking back, the situation was so chaotic that I cannot say for sure that it was not what I speculated."
Another reason why I feel that I may be correct is that if this is indeed the case, then the sudden disappearance of Yuan Xile and Chen Luohu has an extremely reasonable explanation.
My attention turned to a corner inside the iron compartment, which I had never noticed during my panic just now. I was a bit puzzled, wondering why I hadn't thought of this place just now. In fact, this place was the most likely spot for someone to disappear, far more likely than the ventilation duct that looked like a rice container.
"This corner is the airtight door of the iron cabin, which is the door we entered."
"I walked to the door and looked at the small windows on it. It was pitch black outside and I could vaguely see a little light. Now it seems that it was not light coming from outside, but rather the reflection from our flashlight. The overall situation seemed to be the same as when we first came in here."
"I stared blankly at this door."
"My idea is very simple: the reason why we didn't even think about this door just now is because we thought there was a frightening poison gas outside. Therefore, if Yuan Xile and Chen Luohu were to go out through this door, not only would they die, but we would also be affected. In other words, as long as this door is opened, whether it is a smell or gas infiltration, we will definitely notice it. So since we haven't died, this door has definitely not been opened."
However, according to my previous idea, if the iron cabin we are in has unknowingly sunk to the bottom of the dam, the outside may not be toxic gas. When the emergency light went out just now, Yuan Xile could have opened the door and left in the dark, and the same goes for Chen Luohu.
At the time, none of us paid attention to the direction of the door. Although it sounds a bit unbelievable, theoretically, it is entirely possible to achieve, or rather, this is the only possible explanation now.
"Is my assumption correct that there is no poison gas behind the door?"
"I told my thoughts as they were to the deputy captain and Ma Zaihai. Ma Zaihai shook his head and said it was impossible. In his opinion, this statement had too many loopholes. If something as big as that went down, the people in this iron cabin would definitely feel it. Besides, how could Yuan Xile accurately find the position of the door in the dark? What about the sound of opening the door? Why couldn't we hear it? The deputy captain remained silent and bowed his head, but his expression showed that he also agreed with Ma Zaihai's views."
"This is something I haven't thought of, but after considering it, I realized it is true."
In fact, if I were to reconstruct the whole process, I would find that there are some difficult-to-explain parts. Firstly, as Ma said, how did Yuan Xile clearly know the position of the door in the dark? This leads to the question of how she avoided everyone's confused movements in the dark, passing by us silently without being a cat.
This is a counter-argument, which means that if we believe that darkness has obscured our vision, and we let Yuan Xile go, we must explain how Yuan Xile resolved the same problem.
However, what seems to be an unsolvable problem, I found after looking at the layout of the entire iron cabin, that the problem is actually very simple because there is a long, welded iron table in the center of the entire iron cabin.
On the table are our messy papers and unrecognizable scraps, but it is very clear that one end of the table is Yuan Xile's huddled corner, and the other end is the closed door. Even in our confusion, we would not climb onto this table at that time. We only needed to step on this table to quickly reach the closed door.
It's easier to explain Chen Lu Hu's situation. After all, at that time, all of our attention was focused on the ventilation duct.
However, after Ma heard my explanation, he went to see the metal table and found that the entire metal compartment was already in such disarray that it was impossible to restore. There were no traces left even if he checked it now. In other words, my idea had no actual basis.
The three of us stared at each other, feeling a bit at a loss for what to do.
Looking back now, my words at that time did not actually alleviate our tension, but instead made several of us even more irritable because my words had indeed influenced them and they began to waver. As a result, our current situation became one where we were likely to be trapped in our own web, and the situation behind the dark iron door became a huge nightmare.
"If what I said is true and there's no poisonous gas behind it, then we should open the airtight door without hesitation and see what the space at the bottom of the dam looks like. Where did Yuan Xile and Chen Luohu run off to?"
"But if I am wrong, then opening this door would be like committing suicide, wouldn't it?"
"At that time, thinking about these maddening things, the three people looked at the iron gate and showed very complicated expressions."
The following period of time could be described as a mental torture, as the most frustrating development was the absence of any development. We passed the time in the metal chamber as hunger became more intense, and with no other options, we had to relieve ourselves in the corners, creating a putrid smell that seemed to freeze everything around us in time.
"No one has brought it up, what should we do next? Everyone is looking at the door, in fact, we know that the solution to the problem is just opening that door."
This is actually a struggle between materialism and idealism, and it depends on which side we choose. As a devout member of the Communist Party and an officer in the People's Liberation Army at the time, our choice should have been very clear, but in reality, our anxiety was no less than that of ordinary people, and there was also a complex emotion mixed in between.
Talking like this, maybe you can't understand our frustrations. From the perspective of a few men, especially us poor people from a peasant class background, it's really not a big deal to stay in a closed space with the stench of feces and urine for a few hours while being hungry.
Indeed, if there is a deadline for this matter, such as one day or one week, I do not think it is particularly difficult, especially since it is labeled as a task, which is much easier than going to India to fight.
However, what makes me feel like sitting on pins and needles is that our predicament here is indefinite, meaning that as long as you don't open that door, all of this will continue until we die.
"It's really driving me crazy. Just the thought of it makes my pores feel like they're going to explode. It's rare for me to feel this anxious, and it's almost never happened before."
At first, we discussed and then sat uncomfortably. There was a period of silence, followed by restlessness. Ma and I took turns looking at the small window and touching the iron wall, doing many meaningless things. The deputy team leader was sitting there with his eyes closed, and it was unclear what he was contemplating.
We experienced this suffocating frustration and indecision for a full seven hours. Finally, the deputy squad leader suddenly stood up, walked to the side of the airlock door, and grabbed the latch of the wheel lock. Then, he began to twist and opened the door to the outside.
"The expression of the deputy team leader at that time, I still remember clearly. I want to describe it as a calm and fearless revolutionary spirit, but in reality, I know he, like us, had reached the limit of his psychological capacity. However, those who have been through the battlefield and are accustomed to life and death often make decisions more easily in certain situations. So, he was the first one to make a choice."
"The roulette bolt was bent halfway, and we had just realized that he wanted to open the door. I did something very cowardly and actually thought about rushing up to hold him back, but before I could take action, the deputy squad leader stopped on his own."
"His expression was very calm. He turned his head towards us and waved, telling us to lean against the inner wall. He said that if anything went wrong, he could immediately close the door."
Ma Zaihai is stubbornly insistent on being with him. The deputy squad leader said that this is the difference between having been on the battlefield and not, as those who have been on the battlefield know not to do things that will result in pointless deaths, as only by staying alive can they be of value to the motherland. Ma Zaihai didn't listen, and kept dragging me down. The deputy squad leader eventually became annoyed, shouted at them to be quiet, and only then did Ma Zaihai calm down.
I and he retreated to the inner wall and watched the deputy squad leader. He took a deep breath, almost without hesitation, turned the door latch fiercely, and a slight "creak" sound came from inside the door. Suddenly, the surroundings of the airtight door shrank violently, and the door quietly opened a crack.
I actually wasn't prepared. My whole body shook in that moment, and for an instant, all three of us froze in time. My mind went blank.
However, it seems like nothing has happened and everything is just the same as before the door was opened.
I held my breath and waited for a long time, and discovered that there really seemed to be nothing wrong. Suddenly, I realized that my thoughts were correct.
"I breathed a sigh of relief, and the deputy squad leader by the door also let out a sigh. I was about to say thank goodness when suddenly the deputy squad leader slumped to the ground, and the door swung open halfway. I was shocked to see a surge of mist pouring into the iron cabin from outside."
"My mind buzzed suddenly, and I thought to myself that my life was doomed."
In that moment, from behind the half-closed airtight door, what I saw was a deep darkness. Thick fog quickly poured out from the darkness, spreading and rising like a giant soft-bodied creature invading the iron cabin.
"My nerves reached their limit in an instant, with only one thought in my mind - I was doomed. A cold, iron wall behind me, with nowhere to turn."
Perhaps with more time, I would feel regret and anger for making unfounded assumptions that led myself and my comrades to this life-threatening situation. The fear in the last few seconds was far greater than the pain of death. I should give myself a slap and tear out my hair in remorse.
However, there was no time at all. Within ten seconds of me realizing the danger, the surging mist had already forced its way up to me.
At that time, Ma had already rushed into the thick fog, as if he wanted to help the deputy team leader. I knew this was futile. When the fog hit us, I instinctively held my breath, pushed hard against the iron wall, and wanted to live just for one more second.
"This is also futile, I smelled a cool scent, and then I was enveloped in mist."