Chapter 135 Drilling

Chapter 135 Drilling

Zhu Hongxing frowned. "Logically, the vibration of the drilling machine shouldn't have much impact on the foundation. But after hearing what you said, I'm a little worried."

Zheng Meng made a pledge to his superiors to come up with a solution within half a month and complete the repair project within two months. It has already taken nearly a week to invite experts and wait for the survey team to arrive on site. If we delay any further, we may not even be able to find where the problem lies, let alone come up with a solution.

How can we know what the geological anomaly is without drilling?

No matter how capable Zhu Hongxing is, he cannot complete the engineering restoration plan without geological survey data.

Thinking of this, Zheng Meng gritted his teeth and said, "Expert Zhu, don't listen to Chief Liang's alarmist words. This little crack is nothing! Maybe it's caused by insufficient plastering. Let's drill holes and take samples quickly."

Zhu Hongxing said nothing.

Liang Youkun looked reluctant: "Director Zheng, once the drilling machine starts working, what if it disturbs the soft soil layer and causes Building No. 3 to tilt? Are you responsible?"

Zheng Meng patted his chest and said, "I'll take responsibility!"

Liang Youkun took out a notebook from his pocket, wrote a dozen words on it, and handed it to Zheng Meng: "Words are not enough, so write it down as proof."

Zheng Meng looked down and saw a palm-sized notebook with the words "I am responsible for all consequences of the drilling by the exploration drill. It has nothing to do with Liang Youkun."

He was so angry that his face turned red. He snatched the pen from Liang Youkun's hand and signed the two big words "Zheng Meng" on it. Zheng Xuxing didn't even have time to say anything to stop him, Zheng Meng had already signed.

Zheng Meng gritted his teeth and threw the pen in his hand to the ground: "Liang Youkun! You wait..."

Liang Youkun solemnly put the notebook back into his pocket, looked at the broken pen and shook his head: "Alas! What a pity to waste such a good pen."

Zheng Meng snorted coldly: "You still feel sorry for a pen? You should feel sorry for your future first."

The strong threat made Liang Youkun look up. Since he had already torn his face with Zheng Meng, he was not afraid of offending him again: "What? Director Zheng is still planning to post a big-character poster against me?"

Liang Youkun laughed sarcastically: "That is no longer popular now, do you think it is still in the trend of the movement?"

Zheng Meng was choked to death, his face turned redder and redder, and his raised fingers trembled. Zheng Xuxing hurriedly supported his father and said, "Dad, your heart is not in good condition. Don't worry."

Zheng Meng took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He glared at Liang Youkun coldly, thinking in his mind how to find an opportunity to punish him.

The prospector came over and asked, "Are you still going to drill?"

Liang Youkun took a step back and watched from the sidelines. Zhu Hongxing was still hesitating. Zheng Meng said firmly: "Drill! Drill now!"

Zhou Ruowei and Feng You stood behind Zhu Hongxing and exchanged glances.

Feng You quietly asked, "Can Tao Nanfeng really foresee the structural risks? Will drilling holes cause the house to tilt?"

Zhou Ruowei glanced at her and said, "What are you thinking? Is there such a magical person in this world? If she can really predict it, I will twist my head off and let you kick it like a ball!"

Zheng Xuxing's left eyelid kept twitching, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart. He pulled his father's arm and asked, "Dad, how can you sign and take responsibility? After being a leader for so many years, you should know that you can say whatever you want, but you can't just sign whatever you want."

Zheng Meng actually felt a little regretful.

But at that time, I was provoked by that kid Liang Youkun, and I don't know why I signed the contract. Liang Youkun is usually very respectful to me, but I didn't expect that he is a smiling but treacherous person. How hateful!

Zheng Meng said with a stiff upper lip: "It's okay. I'm doing this for work."

The exploration team began to work in an orderly manner.

They used a domestically produced small-diameter diamond drill, which had a compact structure and relatively high mechanical transmission efficiency. But even so, the drill made a lot of noise as it continued to move downward, and violent vibrations were heard from the ground.

When this vibration was heard, everyone's eyes were fixed on the drilling location. Once we take samples, we’ll know what the situation is underground.

Liang Youkun has figured it out. Since Zheng Meng is in charge of this matter, what is he afraid of? However, as the head of the infrastructure department, his sense of responsibility made him keep his eyes fixed on the snowflake pattern at the base of the wall.

The vibration came, thump thump thump...

The cracks gradually opened up and expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Liang Youkun's heart was in his throat.

He bent down, pointed at the crack and shouted, "It's open, it's open!" But his voice was completely drowned out by the roar of the mechanical drill and no one heard it.

Drilling holes for sampling, soil samples were extracted in batches with a spacing of about one meter. The holes were placed on the ground one by one in order. Zhu Hongxing squatted down and examined them carefully.

The more he looked, the tighter his eyebrows frowned, and he murmured, "The fine sand layer looks fine. We have penetrated six meters into the soil layer, but there is still no weak soil layer. How can this be?"

The exploration team asked, "Do you want to continue going down?"

Zhu Hongxing nodded affirmatively: "Continue!" The existence of a weak soil layer is certain, but it may be buried deeper.

Six meters, seven meters, eight meters, nine meters, ten meters...

A soil core was taken out every one meter, and soon the ground was laid out in a long row. The exploration team members marked each soil core, and Zhu Hongxing stood by them.

Zheng Meng asked Zhu Hongxing curiously: "Expert Zhu, is there any geological anomaly?"

Zhu Hongxing shook his head. "So far, there is nothing unusual. This is strange... Logically speaking, at this depth, even if there is a weak soil layer, the fine sand layer is enough to support the foundation of the house. Moreover, it is just a small pool. How could there be cracks at the bottom of the pool and snowflake patterns at the bottom of the building?"

When the snowflake pattern was mentioned, he was suddenly startled and looked up.

Liang Youkun rushed over anxiously and shouted to him, "Expert Zhu, the snowflake pattern is cracked, cracked."

how so? Zhu Hongxing straightened up and walked quickly: "Let me see."

When I looked at the wall, wow! The snowflake pattern is getting bigger and bigger, and now it looks like a spider web, densely covering the base. The concrete base looks like cracks from a distance.

Zhu Hongxing has a headache.

Without drilling, it is impossible to find geological anomalies;

Drilling holes disturbs the building and causes cracks to develop.

Could it be true, as Tao Nanfeng said, that the geological conditions here are very complicated and holes cannot be drilled easily, otherwise it will cause the building to tilt?

While I was deep in thought, I felt a violent shaking under my feet.

Zhu Hongxing turned his head and saw that the exploration drilling machine had completed the soil excavation work at one drilling position and moved to another place to continue working.

Zheng Meng was directing from the side, full of energy: "Keep working hard! We will try to drill holes in all the locations marked by expert Zhu today. I don't believe that if we drill a deep hole every five meters, we may not be able to find the problem."

Just as he finished speaking, Zhu Hongxing seemed to hear a cracking sound next to his ear.

“Sizzle—Ling!”

Looking up, the snow pattern at the base of the wall suddenly expanded, like a sapling bathed in sunshine and rain, constantly stretching its branches and leaves, striving to grow upwards.

The cracks in the wall were dark, some thick and some thin, climbing upwards like a snake, from the first floor to the second floor, and then from the second floor to the third floor...

Zhu Hongxing felt disheartened and sighed: It's over!

Liang Youkun asked Zhu Hongxing nervously: "Expert Zhu, can we still drill a hole? Will this house collapse?"

Zhu Hongxing shook his head: "No more drilling. If there is any more interference, the house will be lost."

Zheng Meng was still shouting, "Expert Zhu, come quickly. We have already taken out a soil core from the second hole."

Zhu Hongxing came to his senses, turned around and started jogging, waving his hands desperately: "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

The roar of the machine was so loud that Zheng Meng couldn't hear what Zhu Hongxing was saying at all. Seeing Zhu Hongxing's anxious face and his hands waving in the air, he pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

By the time he heard Zhu Hongxing's words clearly, he had already run to the drilling machine.

Zhu Hongxing's voice was almost a roar: "Stop, no more drilling, no more drilling."

It was the first time that Zhou Ruowei and Feng You saw Zhu Hongxing so nervous. They were also frightened and quickly signaled the workers to stop the operation.

When the drilling machine stopped, the world finally became quiet.

Zhu Hongxing said loudly: "Tao Nanfeng is right, we can't drill holes."

When Zhou Ruowei heard Zhu Hongxing say that Tao Nanfeng was right, he was not willing to accept it and muttered, "She is a graduate student majoring in architecture. How can she understand geological structure and building mechanics?"

Zhu Hongxing glanced at him with a hint of condemnation in her eyes: "You may have misunderstood her. She is right. Go and see Building No. 3. If you go in again, the building will collapse!"

Everyone's eyes widened, what?

A huge group of people crowded to the east outer wall of Building No. 3. When they saw what was happening, they were all shocked.

——It was fine just now, with only a few snowflakes at the base of the wall, but now the whole wall is full of cracks, and it looks like the branches of a big tree!

Zheng Meng didn't know how to deal with the situation. He said to Liang Youkun in a hoarse voice, "You are the head of the infrastructure department. You should handle the scene. I can't do anything."

Liang Youkun smiled gently and shook the small notebook in his hand: "Director Zheng, you just signed a guarantee that all consequences caused by the drilling of the exploration drill will be your responsibility and have nothing to do with me."

Zheng Meng simply started to act like a spoiled brat: "You are the head of the infrastructure department, and you must be the one to deal with the cracks in the house."

Liang Youkun walked away: "Director Zheng, I can't handle this matter. I have to report it to the higher-ups."

Zheng Meng was unable to stop him and Liang Youkun had already run away.

Zhu Hongxing ignored their open and secret struggles, squatting at the foot of the wall while watching and muttering to himself: "Even if there is a weak soil layer, this situation should not occur... I have dealt with so many engineering problems, but this is the first time I have seen a situation like this."

After looking for a long time without getting the point, Zhu Hongxing straightened up and asked Zheng Meng: "How many times has Tao Nanfeng been to the scene, and how long did he stay?"

Zheng Meng waved his hand in annoyance. "She just stood at the gate of Block 17 and looked for a few times. She didn't even go through the gate, but she was bragging that the pool couldn't be filled with water. Now she's saying that drilling a hole will interfere with Building 3. It's like she has X-ray vision. It's really weird."

Zhu Hongxing frowned and asked, "From such a distance, you were able to predict the cracks on the bottom of the pool after just a few glances? And now you're reminding me that the drilling has disturbed the soil layer?"

Zhou Ruowei said, "Engineer Zhu, don't take her words seriously. She was just lucky..."

Zhu Hongxing shook her head: "No, she has real skills."

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