Chapter 358 Human joys and sorrows are not shared (Bug catching): Just out of the dragon's den, into the tiger's lair.

Here we go again, here we go again.

Spring came too late in Siberia, freezing their hands and minds.

Or was the shockwave from the earthquake so strong that they were still not in a state of shock even after more than a day?

In short, the newcomer also fell into a long tactical deliberation, and under the expectant gazes of Wang Xiao and Ivanov, his mouth remained as shut as a clam.

"Damn it!" Wang Xiao was practically ready to curse. "Just give me a straight answer, let me die a clean death!"

She knew that, given the population size of Sakhalin Oblast, the state government was not even comparable to a county government in China, and the same was true for its talent pool.

More than 24 hours have passed since the earthquake, and they still can't tell her exactly where the damage occurred.

The man, now wearing a hat, finally spoke, his voice dry and heavy, like sandpaper rubbing against one's eardrums: "The Okha and Nogliki districts are the hardest hit, and Nevtegorsk... is completely destroyed."

When he uttered the last word, his nasal tone was so heavy that it almost drowned out his voice.

Wang Xiao knew she should put on a sorrowful expression to express her sympathy for the disaster-stricken areas.

But she couldn't do it. With a $5 billion settlement hanging over their heads, no one has the extra energy to sympathize with others.

Get to the point, bro!

The man's finger finally moved to the bottom of the map again: "Your location... is in the southern part of the island, near Temovskoye?"

“Yes! That’s it! Sakhalin-1 project area, our oil city, offshore drilling platform!” Ivanov couldn’t help but exclaim, his voice trembling without him even realizing it.

The man nodded, muttering "oh, oh," and then began to mutter incoherently, spewing out technical jargon that Wang Xiao and Ivanov couldn't understand: "...focal depth 55 kilometers...main energy released northward...magnitude 7.6...Sakhalin-Hokkaido trench stress release model...southern Sakhalinsk intensity estimated at approximately 6 degrees...Temovskoye region...based on geological structure...um..."

He spoke very quickly, his fingers tracing various lines on the drawing paper as he recited a series of latitude and longitude coordinates, fault names, and intensity projection data.

Wang Xiao went completely insane, feeling a surge of evil fire rush to the top of his head, his temples throbbing.

"Sir!" Her voice suddenly rose, sharp and on the verge of collapse, her throat cracking, "Speak like a human being! Our project! The workers! The platform! The oil wells! What's going on?!"

Screw geology class! Who the hell can listen to geology class these days?!

The man in the cotton hat was startled by her shout. He looked up, pushed up his glasses that had slipped down to the tip of his nose, and looked somewhat surprised in the eyes behind the lenses.

He frowned, took a deep breath, and said with dissatisfaction, "Madam, based on the existing earthquake data, focal mechanism, and regional geological structure model, a preliminary mental calculation shows that the earthquake damage and intensity in the Temovskoye area are within an acceptable range. Theoretically, well, the main structure should remain intact, the seabed geology is relatively stable, and the drilling platform's anchoring system should be able to withstand this tremor."

Wang Xiao was fed up with his endless stream of technical jargon: "Please tell me, is there something wrong or not?"

The man said cautiously, "Theoretically, there's a high probability that nothing will happen."

"I don't need theories and probabilities, I need the reality," Wang Xiao finally snapped. "I need them all to be alright!"

The man's face darkened, becoming as cold and hard as an iceberg in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk: "I'm sorry, ma'am, I can only tell you my deductions. What happens in the deep sea is known only to the deep sea itself."

The deputy governor finally found an opportunity to reassure the investors: "Please trust Mr. Bairkin's judgment; he is our expert. Great, Miss Wang, now that everything is alright, we can have a proper discussion about the new oil and gas field development plan."

Wang Xiao almost roared out loud on the spot.

To hell with your new oil and gas field! The $5 billion in compensation is still weighing on me like a mountain!

My oil and gas field is still in limbo, my workers' lives are still hanging in the balance, my child is still being rescued, and you're telling me to have another one?!

It's no wonder that Sakhalin State can never attract investment!

A buzzing vibration suddenly rang out, bringing Wang Xiao back to his senses.

Nikolai, who was in charge of getting the satellite phone, hurriedly opened the box.

Wang Xiao and Ivanov paid no attention to the deputy governor's incessant sales pitch and rushed to the satellite phone.

A voice, thickly accented, hoarse yet incredibly clear, pierced through the noisy background: "Иван! Иван! Слушай! (Ivan! Ivan! Listen!)"

It was Alexei, the project manager who stayed behind in the Temovskoye oil city!

The signal was intermittent, making his voice sound like a sudden, deafening thunderclap: "Earthquake! It's huge! But... here... thank God, the house is shaking, things are falling, the satellite phone is broken... but the house hasn't collapsed."

Wang Xiao eagerly pressed on, "Oil well, platform!"

"Offshore platform...contact just restored...platform is fine! Anchor chain intact! Oil well...oil well valves automatically shut off! God, thank the Americans, thank their technology, no leaks! Communications tower collapsed...temporary antenna just repaired...God bless..."

His next words were swallowed up by the crackling sound of electricity, but the information he sent back was enough!

“Alexei! I heard you! It’s good that you’re alright! You are a guardian, just like your name suggests, the guardian of Sakhalin! Stay at your post! Keep in touch!” Wang Xiao shouted into the microphone.

She abruptly covered her mouth, her body swaying as an immense, overwhelming joy of surviving a catastrophe washed over her taut nerves like a tsunami.

"Ivan! Ivan!" She grabbed Ivanov's arm, the rest of her words shattered.

Because Ivanov finally couldn't resist, he suddenly picked her up and spun her around forcefully.

The entire room was filled with his deafening laughter: "Hahahaha!"

He laughed so loudly, as if he wanted to laugh out all the stale air from his lungs.

Those fears and despairs, like shards of ice, were quickly swept away by the Siberian gale, leaving only the joy of spring's arrival.

Overwhelmed with joy at having recovered what he had lost, he pulled Wang Xiao into a tight embrace, repeatedly saying, "It's alright! The platform is alright! The oil well didn't leak! God! Virgin Mary! Buddha, please protect us!"

Wang Xiao was also laughing, rambling incoherently as she emphasized, "I'm going to fulfill my vow to Mazu!"

Right, how should she fulfill her vow? She couldn't remember; she only remembered that Mazu had agreed to let her mine gasoline fields.

Ivanov didn't know either, but that didn't stop him from immediately making plans: "We'll build a new temple for Mazu and sculpt a golden statue."

He observed that temples in China all operate this way.

Hahaha, they don't have to lose money anymore. They've become incredibly wealthy again, so rich and powerful that building temples with gold is nothing to them.

The fax machine in the room rang. The clerk, who had been silently observing, picked up the faxed document and reported to his superior, the deputy governor: "As of now, the earthquake has caused 612 deaths, and more than 2,000 people are still buried in the rubble in Nevtegorsk."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a sharp needle, piercing through the laughter in the room.

Wang Xiao quickly swallowed back a laugh, nearly choking himself to death.

She squeezed her palms tightly, trying to force a sorrowful expression: "It's terrible, how could this happen? God, how could such a thing happen?"

As she spoke, she covered her face with her hands.

Because human joys and sorrows are not shared, she felt more fortunate and happy to have survived than to grieve for the pain and misery of others.

That's 5 billion US dollars!

She was afraid that if she didn't cover her face, she would reveal her true emotions.

Ivanov's smile froze instantly, then peeled off quickly like a cheap mask.

He straightened his back as if by reflex, and his face instantly switched to a solemn and grief-stricken expression.

"May their souls rest in peace..." Ivanov made the sign of the cross on his chest, his voice hoarse and his expression deeply sorrowful. "If the state government needs any help, our Wuzhou Group... will have no choice but to provide it."

Wang Xiao quickly added, "If there's anything we can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."

Compared to the massive compensation of 5 billion, everything else is small change. They wouldn't even blink an eye if asked to donate three to five million US dollars worth of supplies now.

The deputy governor sighed softly, about to speak, when the satellite phone started buzzing again.

It was still Alexei! The signal seemed even worse, the sound was intermittent and filled with anxiety.

“Ivan! Bad news! Terribly bad news! ...The refinery, we just received news from those who escaped...The entire plant area...collapsed! Tsunami...Tsunami impact! Utterly...utterly finished! Leveled! ...Our construction team...many people...are still inside..."

"Buzz—"

Wang Xiao and Ivanov felt a sudden darkness before their eyes, as if they had been hit hard on the back of the head by a heavy hammer.

The initial sense of relief and feigned grief were shattered by this devastating news, leaving only a cold, sharp despair.

An oil refinery! A joint venture with Mitsui! They invested heavily last year and have high hopes for it. It is expected to start production in the second half of this year and become the most stable and profitable cash cow for the Wuzhou Group in the Far East!

Delaying production by a year? That would mean an astronomical loss of expected profits, not to mention the huge sunk costs invested in the early stages.

Wang Xiao swayed, but Ivanov caught him.

The two men were deathly pale, their lips trembling slightly. They had just crawled out of the brink of hell, thinking they had escaped to safety, only to find that they had simply fallen into a different pit.

Damn God!

"Are you sure?" Ivanov pressed. "Could it be a misunderstanding?"

Just like when they received the news that the entire oil and gas field project had failed, it turned out to be false information.

Alexei's voice was low and deep: "It's confirmed, a wasteland."

The deputy governor once again tried to comfort the investors: "Miss Wang, please don't be sad, the factory can be rebuilt."

Screw you, don't cover it up again!

Do you know how much the oil refinery cost? The construction alone cost hundreds of millions of US dollars!

Wang Xiao, unable to contain himself any longer, roared, "How am I supposed to explain this to them?"

The money used to build the oil refinery came entirely from the profits they withheld from oil and gas field projects from unscrupulous businessmen.

Suddenly, a commotion of footsteps came from outside, accompanied by shouts: "Mr. Soskowitz is here."

The man who arrived was the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. He looked travel-worn and extremely tired, but he still greeted Ivanov, saying, "Oh, Ivanov, what are you doing here?"

Although Sakhalin Oblast, like most border regions and constituent republics, has been embroiled in a long-standing struggle for independence, the Deputy Governor still welcomes the federal government's aid in the face of this crisis.

She quickly explained what had happened.

Deputy Prime Minister Soskowets removed his cotton cap, made the sign of the cross on his chest, and said the same words Ivanov had said a few minutes earlier: "May their souls rest in peace... I'm sorry, I regret it."

Wang Xiao forced himself to keep his expression from looking too ferocious, his grief coming from the bottom of his heart: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost control of my emotions, but how am I going to explain this to the workers? They came here alive and well, are they going to be nothing but cold corpses when I take them back?"

The Deputy Prime Minister reassured them, "Please trust us, we will do our utmost in the search and rescue."

Wang Xiao was flustered and nodded haphazardly: "Of course, I believe in your determination and courage. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant incident already demonstrated the government's enormous sense of responsibility and rescue capabilities."

The room fell into a subtle silence, broken only by the beeping of the fax machine and the flickering of the light bulbs due to unstable voltage, reminding people that time had not frozen here.

Deputy Prime Minister Soskowitz managed a weak smile: "We will do everything we can; the federal government will not abandon any life."

Ivanov tugged at Wang Xiao's hand and nodded to the Vice Prime Minister: "Sir, thank you for your hard work. We are completely at a loss right now, and we don't know how to face the grieving families. In fact, before we came, we comforted them, saying that no news is good news."

Wang Xiao suddenly came to his senses. The Chernobyl incident was a taboo word in this era, a great tragedy for the Soviet Union, and also considered a dark chapter in the Soviet Union's history.

Western media claimed that the Soviet government's concealment of information and inaction led to this tragedy in human history.

She quickly emphasized, "Sir, I'm serious. In the face of that tragedy, the Moscow government demonstrated unparalleled mobilization power and humanitarian responsibility. Countless heroes disregarded their personal safety, one after another, and ultimately brought that unprecedented disaster under control, protecting Europe and even the whole world!"

She looked at the other person earnestly and said, “I know many people are throwing mud and slandering the government’s handling of the situation. But history will prove that the Chernobyl nuclear leak was very unfortunate, but fortunately it happened in a brave country, and it witnessed the pinnacle of human courage.”

Before she traveled through time, the nuclear power plant accident that occurred in the 1980s in Japan was once again brought to the attention of social media due to the nuclear leak incident.

It can only be said that the level of responsibility between individuals, between countries, and between governments is vastly different.

Deputy Prime Minister Soskowitz's cheeks twitched, and he nodded at her: "Please believe me, our courage and determination have never waned."

Wang Xiao nodded in agreement: "Of course, I have never lost trust. So, sir, may we go see our workers now?"

The deputy prime minister frowned, looking exhausted. "Madam, the situation is still unstable, and there are still aftershocks. It's best if you stay where you are and wait for news."

“No,” Wang Xiao emphasized. “Many of our workers don’t speak Russian. There’s a shortage of young and middle-aged laborers in Sakhalin Oblast, and they’re unwilling to work overtime. We’re rushing to meet the deadline, so we hired a construction company from China to do the work.”

At this point, her heart felt like it was being squeezed.

In fact, the Mitsui Group was initially unwilling to use Chinese construction workers; they hoped that the entire project would be completed by a Japanese construction team.

Wang Xiao felt that this was a rare opportunity, as there was probably no experience in building such a high-tech oil refinery in China, especially in such extreme weather conditions as Sakhalin Island.

So she used the excuse that Japanese labor costs were high and Japanese workers were unwilling to work overtime here to force Mitsui to back down and agree that Chinese people would be hired as construction workers.

However, a major earthquake struck.

Before the Deputy Prime Minister could say anything more, Ivanov spoke up: "The Marshal of the Engineering Corps, the Political Commissar, and the Minister of Coal were all the first to rush forward. What right do we, as the heads of the factory, have to hide in the rear? They sacrificed their blood and lives for the construction of the factory and for our Russian oil industry. We have no reason to stand by and watch."

He was referring to the Chernobyl disaster, where the first to rush to the scene were genuine Bolsheviks.

The Deputy Prime Minister grew increasingly weary: "Well, madam, sir, we need to make some preparations."

From the moment he received the news from the Kremlin until now, he hasn't stopped for a single minute. As the head of the interim disaster relief committee, he was among the first to fly to Sakhalin Island.

The deputy governor took the opportunity to persuade Wang Xiao: "Please rest for a while, and then continue. Look, it's so dark outside now, it's dangerous no matter how you get across."

Wang Xiao glanced at the dark night outside the window and could only reluctantly nod in agreement.

She can take risks on her own, but she has no reason to make others take risks with her.

Night flights are inherently dangerous, especially during periods of constant aftershocks.

Fortunately, the Sakhalin provincial capital was barely affected by the earthquake, and hotels were able to vacate rooms to accommodate guests; in fact, the conditions were quite good.

When Wang Xiao lived here last year and the year before, she could still appreciate the scenery. But this night, she spent almost the entire night with her eyes open.

When a person is truly upset and can't sleep, even closing their eyes feels heavy.

Early in the morning of May 29th, before 5 a.m., when it was still barely light, Wang Xiao and his entourage boarded the Vice Premier's special plane and set off for the disaster area.

It's not that they wanted to show off their prestigious status by riding on the Vice Premier's private plane.

Instead, they freed up their planes to transport emergency relief supplies from Northeast China, including military tents, blankets, cotton-padded clothes, medicines, and instant noodles.

Although the Russian government stated that it could complete the relief work independently and did not need foreign assistance, Deputy Prime Minister Soskovets still accepted the material aid.

After all, no one has the right to joke about the lives of disaster victims.

Ivanov repeatedly emphasized that he paid for all of these items himself.

The vice prime minister joked with him, "Can you still manage money? Good heavens, it's clear your position isn't very good."

As he spoke, he gave Wang Xiao a meaningful look.

In traditional Russian families, the woman of the house usually holds the purse strings.

Ivanov proudly puffed out his chest and said in a serious tone, "The king will give me money to spend whenever I want. That's what it means to have status."

Everyone around laughed, which was a rare relief from the anxious and oppressive atmosphere.

But when the plane landed near the oil refinery, no one could laugh anymore.

Have you ever seen shredded paper that has been torn and crumpled?

This is it.

It became a piece of paper that was brutally smashed and crumpled by the giant's hand.

The once neatly planned factory area is no more; only twisted and broken steel skeletons remain, piercing the gray sky.

The enormous reactor resembled a crushed soda can, with concrete fragments and insulation material covering the entire ground.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of leaking chemicals, dust, and the stench of blood that even the fierce Siberian winds couldn't dispel.

But compared to this deathly silence and desolation, the makeshift tent hospital was truly hell on earth.

The place was overcrowded, with faces contorted in pain and groans filling the air.

Outside a makeshift surgical tent, an exhausted doctor was shaking his head at a worker whose leg was mangled and the bone was exposed. Next to him were piles of blood-stained gauze and... a section of the lower leg that had just been sawed off.

This was the first time Wang Xiao had faced such tragedy and cruelty head-on, and a surge of emotion overwhelmed her stomach.

She covered her mouth and rushed outside, bending over to vomit.

The emotions of fear and pain didn't need any prior preparation; the immense grief, like a tsunami triggered by an earthquake, slammed her entire being into the mark of suffering.

Ivanov patted her back anxiously: "Your Majesty, how are you?"

"I'm fine." Wang Xiao took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth. "Go help rescue people, I'll watch over things here."

With the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation leading the rescue effort, Ivanov certainly couldn't stand idly by. This was also an opportunity for him to demonstrate his abilities in front of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Political capital is also gradually accumulated through handling one matter at a time.

Although Wang Xiao remained rational throughout, tears welled up instantly when she saw the Chinese construction manager, and she almost stammered, "How could this happen? Sakhalin Island hasn't had a major earthquake in decades, how could it be so serious?"

Because it is not an earthquake-prone area, five of the six earthquake monitoring stations on Sakhalin Island have been shut down in order to save on expenses.

This is one of the reasons why even the government cannot figure out the situation after an earthquake.

Instead, the project manager, who was nearly fifty years old, comforted her, saying, "Earthquakes are God's business, what can people do? Don't be too sad, Ms. Wang."

He never expected that the boss would arrive before the aftershocks had even stopped.

Putting everything else aside, at least they showed their good intentions.

Wang Xiao wiped away her tears, looking at his arm in a sling: "Don't worry, Manager Zhang, tell everyone that Wuzhou will definitely not abandon you. That young man just broke his leg, we will specially invite scientists to make a custom-made prosthesis for him. As for the other brothers and sisters, Wuzhou will cover all medical expenses, and wages and nutrition allowances will be paid in full. For the brothers and sisters who sacrificed their lives, Wuzhou will pay their compensation, and the support expenses for the elderly and children will be paid in full. We will also pay for the children's school fees."

Exclamations erupted from the surrounding area, even groans were drowned out.

Even elderly construction workers knelt down to kowtow to her.

This startled Wang Xiao; she certainly didn't want to shorten her lifespan.

Amidst the chaotic sounds of gratitude, her assistant ran over to remind her, "Mr. Watanabe is here."

He is Taketa Watanabe, the head of Mitsui's East Asia Affairs Department.

When the joint venture was established to build the oil and gas field, it was Taketa Watanabe who handled the Mitsui project.

Wang Xiao quickly nodded to the workers: "There have been casualties on the Japanese side as well. I'll go check on the situation."

The construction company workers immediately urged her, "President Wang, you go ahead. Don't worry about us; we can take care of ourselves."

What's the worst thing about going out to work? It's the boss not paying you. As long as the boss doesn't default and is willing to pay, everything is negotiable.

Watanabe Taketa was also travel-worn.

He was unlucky; when he got off the bus, there was an aftershock, and he tripped and fell, tearing his suit pants.

But he didn't care about his appearance and hurriedly nodded to Wang Xiao: "Sorry, I just heard the news in Singapore. As for how to handle the aftermath, take a look. This is the standard procedure we've used before."

Wang Xiao immediately took the document.

Frankly speaking, large international conglomerates have more experience in this kind of thing.

But as she turned a page and glanced at the compensation amount, she couldn't help but frown: "Why are they different, and why is there such a big difference? Even if they are laborers, it shouldn't be this little."

Taketa Watanabe looked surprised: "Of course the compensation standards for Japanese employees and Chinese employees are different."

Wang Xiao's expression changed drastically: "Mr. Watanabe, please say it again!"

You think you're so noble now? What the hell?

Everyone has only one life, so why differentiate between high and low, noble and base?

Watanabe Taketa was completely bewildered, not understanding why she had changed her expression: "I am following the compensation standards in your China. It is the same human life, but the compensation standards for agricultural and non-agricultural populations are different."

Compensation standards can vary even within the same country, and certainly even more so between different countries.

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During the 1995 Sakhalin earthquake, the Russian government was indeed reluctant to accept foreign aid because Sakhalin Island held significant military importance at the time.