Twenty years of cold chain

Chapter 16 ends in tragedy.

After research by Pang Shiyou and the College of Food Science, it was deemed inappropriate to directly finalize these five spots. Considering the students' academic performance and research achievements during their time at the university, it was possible to select more than ten students who were capable of part-time internships in food science laboratories.

After some discussion, the college decided to select ten people, conduct a round of assessments on these students, and finally select five people to enter the laboratory, which would be relatively fairer.

Pang Shiyou is very dedicated to the cold chain logistics major, and Hu Shutong is the one with the most outstanding academic performance. In addition, he recently received a letter of commendation for Hu Shutong and his practical achievements, so it was only natural that he was shortlisted for the top ten. On his desk is an academic journal, and the open page is an article by Hu Shutong from his sophomore year, entitled "Industry Reflections Beyond Cold Storage and Refrigerated Trucks".

In Pang Shiyou's view, this article contains relatively little substance and feels rather empty throughout. However, beyond the content, Pang Shiyou sees a kind of "unconventionality." While everyone else in the journal is talking about "how cold" topics, this article alone explores "how to connect."

How cold it is is a technical issue; how to connect it is a systemic issue.

This point hits right where Pang Shiyou was thinking. Although our refrigeration technology lags behind, it can basically meet the current industry needs in terms of energy consumption and environmental protection. But this chain is the real challenge. How to keep companies self-disciplined, how to ensure smooth connection between various nodes, and how to integrate the current loose and disorderly situation are all practical and seemingly insurmountable problems.

It must be said that Pang Shiyou really wanted to have a chat with this student who possesses both strong professional skills and such a way of thinking. Regarding the selection topic, Pang Shiyou also had great confidence in Hu Shutong.

After receiving the assignment, Hu Shutong prepared with all his might and asked the company for three more days off.

Early the morning before the exam, Hu Shutong went to the library to research. This was undoubtedly a higher-level exam, and those starting on the same footing were the elite of the elite. This exam consisted of open-ended questions without standard answers, and Hu Shutong still had some areas to work out.

Rubbing his eyes and stretching, Hu Shutong felt a little tired and got up to go to the window. The weather was exceptionally good today; the beauty of spring was written on the treetops and branches, the sky was clear and cloudless, and the world was crystal clear. He was full of confidence and determined to pass this assessment. Perhaps soon he would be able to conduct professional research with Professor Pang, whom he had long admired. To be able to walk alongside such a person on this path was truly a blessing.

Hu Shutong could almost recite what Pang Shiyou had said in the conference room that day. He was filled with longing for the food science laboratory and had countless words and paragraphs in his mind that he hoped would receive feedback from this great expert.

This naturally inspired imagination, but just then, Hu Shutong, with his far-reaching thoughts, suddenly heard a loud explosion!

A moment later, billowing smoke rose up!

Hu Shutong couldn't believe his eyes; it was Tianheng's factory!

Tianheng is only two or three kilometers away from Mingda in a straight line, and Hu Shutong, standing on the eighth floor, can see it clearly.

The most likely location of the explosion is the equipment room, and it is highly probable that the compressor exploded!

When Hu Shutong asked for leave, he learned that the outsourced maintenance company was going to carry out a comprehensive maintenance on Tianheng's equipment. The factory also said that the equipment room was not busy at the moment, so Hu Shutong could focus on school matters.

Was it due to incomplete oxygen removal and the addition of ammonia? Was the ammonia cylinder overfilled? Or was an explosion caused by sparks from a welding operation? As Hu Shutong pondered these questions, he was already on his way back to Tianheng, his heart burning with anxiety. Traffic was congested; seven or eight fire trucks sped past, followed by ambulances. Hu Shutong gasped for breath, feeling as if he were suffocating.

When he arrived at Tianheng, the workers had all left the factory and were standing outside the gate, their faces filled with terror.

"Shutong! Shutong!" Yu Dajun shouted. He had been taking leave frequently during this period to go out and meet potential clients. He was returning from outside and was so anxious that he lost his mind and could barely run. He had even forgotten that Hu Shutong had taken leave these past few days.

Shortly after, a stretcher covered with a white sheet was wheeled out, and Yan Baoming was then led out by the police. He walked slowly toward the police car, and as he was about to get in, he suddenly looked back. His face was ashen, as if everything about him had collapsed and vanished.

There was originally a straight road built over the potholes, which you could easily avoid if you were willing to walk on it. But Yan Baoming looked down on that road back then. He was arrogant and walked with pride. When he looked back, he saw the earliest Tian Heng, how spirited and bold he was.

He seemed to vaguely see Hu Shutong. His tragedy was already destined. He only hoped that those who came after him would not follow the path of tragedy, and that the spring that Hu Shutong had so longed for would come soon.

Hu Shutong's eyes welled with tears. He had witnessed Tianheng's decline and even its demise, its transformation from idealism to reality, and then being brutally wounded by reality. How deeply he regretted it! Without the market's cold rejection, there would be no Tianheng caught in the cracks; without helpless compromise, there would be no change that touched the very core of its being; and without this change, there would be no tragedy.

When Hu Shutong looked up, it seemed as if the two were truly staring at each other. Yan Baoming clenched his teeth, his eyes as deep as an abyss. Hu Shutong's eyes flickered, but in an instant, he straightened his gaze.

One is heavy, the other is cold; this glance may never be repeated.

……

The investigation results of the Tianheng accident were quickly released. The cause was an ammonia leak discovered in the ice-making tank. The outsourced maintenance personnel lacked standardized operating procedures, welding the evaporator of the ice-making tank and repeatedly using oxygen for pressure testing to check for leaks. After no leak was found in the evaporator, the oxygen was released, but the oxygen in the system was not completely removed.

The air in the computer room was filled with a large amount of oxygen. When the compressor was used to create a vacuum, the exhaust valve immediately exploded, triggering a secondary explosion of the mixed gas, resulting in the immediate death of three people and serious injury to four others.

This incident caused a strong reaction and a huge uproar in public opinion. Although Hu Shutong was fully preparing for the game at Mingda during this period, Tianheng's outsourced maintenance was a company business, and he was not a formal employee and had no labor relationship with them.

However, in this environment, anything related to Tianheng requires extra caution. After all, Hu Shutong is interning at Tianheng, and at this critical juncture, any misstep could potentially damage Mingda's reputation.

Therefore, Hu Shutong's name cannot be on the list of names for this food science laboratory that is about to be launched.

……