Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 195 The Steel Behemoth's First Battle, The Madman in the Zero Gravity Chamber

The photography studio at Shougang Third Plant, converted from Blast Furnace No. 3.

The rain shelter on the dome was tugged by the October autumn wind, making a dull rustling sound.

The sunlight that leaked through was cut into murky beams by the floating dust, falling obliquely between the concrete ground and the steel beams.

Twelve 12K dysprosium lamps illuminated the central area in a stark white light. The smell of cutting fluid, welding fumes, and stale rust mingled together, making one's throat feel dry and sore.

Wang Yuanchao, accompanied by three level-eight fitters in oil-stained work clothes, surrounded Lin Qingqiu.

Lin Qingqiu, wearing a black tight-fitting tactical vest, stood on a metal plate covered with a non-slip mat.

Wang Yuanchao was carrying a heavy-duty pneumatic wrench.

"Raise your arm."

Lin Qingqiu raised her right arm.

Two fitters worked together to lift a section of mechanical arm armor made of titanium alloy and high-carbon steel, aligning it with the load-bearing buckle on her shoulder and slowly locking it in.

The pneumatic wrench was pressed against the hex bolt, the trigger was pulled, and a high-frequency metallic clanging sound echoed in the factory, with tiny sparks flying down the threads.

This early test version of the exoskeleton did not have a hydraulic system or a motor servo system.

The 60-pound pure physical weight was entirely borne by Lin Qingqiu's bones and muscles.

All dressed.

Lin Qingqiu's knees sank half an inch.

Her thigh muscles tensed, and her tactical vest was quickly soaked with sweat, sticking to her back.

Chen Yan sat behind the monitor.

Zhang Yuan is adjusting the ARRI535B camera.

"Director Chen, the camera is set up. Cook S4 lens, 35mm focal length, T2.8 aperture."

Zhang Yuan reported at the top of his lungs, drowning out the mechanical noise on site.

Chen Yan looked at the monitor screen.

On the screen, Lin Qingqiu stood in front of a set door tilted at a 45-degree angle.

This is a scene depicting weightless repairs outside a spacecraft.

The plot requires Han Duoduo to turn a rusty external valve with one hand while in a state of weightlessness.

"Wire team, hook up."

Chen Yan picked up the walkie-talkie.

Six high-strength steel wires hung down from the ceiling and were attached to the rings on Lin Qingqiu's back, waist, and limbs.

"rise."

The pulley system rotates, the steel wire is taut, and the sound of metal rubbing together is sharp and piercing.

Lin Qingqiu's feet left the ground.

"The Wandering Earth, Scene 1, Shot 1, First Scene, Clapperboard."

The clapperboard fell.

Lin Qingqiu hovered in mid-air, and following the instructions, reached out to reach the red manual valve above the hatch.

The action was only halfway done.

"stop."

Chen Yan's voice cut off the film set's operation.

He pushed back his chair and walked to the set.

"It's too heavy."

Chen Yan looked at Lin Qingqiu, who was suspended in mid-air, and said, "Your shoulders are exerting force to resist the weight of the exoskeleton, and your movement is stuck. In a weightless state, your muscles should be relaxed. The resistance to your movement comes from the air pressure inside the spacesuit, not gravity."

Lin Qingqiu gritted her teeth, sweat dripping from her chin onto the steel breastplate, making a soft dripping sound.

"I'll try again."

"Put it down and rest for three minutes."

Chen Yan turned around and walked back to the monitor.

the second time.

"Stop, your right leg is hanging at the wrong angle. When a person is weightless, their lower limbs will naturally curl up."

the fifth time.

"Stop, your fingers are gripping the valve too fast, there's no damping."

tenth time.

"stop."

The seventeenth time.

"stop."

The air pressure on the entire film set dropped to freezing.

No one dared to breathe loudly; only the hum of the high-powered dysprosium lamp cooling fan could be heard.

Old Zhao, the martial arts instructor's assistant, walked over.

He is a veteran of filming martial arts movies in China and is used to the routine of flying over rooftops and scaling walls.

"Director Chen."

Old Zhao pointed at Lin Qingqiu in mid-air, his tone filled with complaint, "This iron lump weighs sixty pounds. The wire can't balance her center of gravity at all. When a person is suspended in mid-air, their muscles will definitely tense up in order to maintain balance, which goes against the laws of physiology."

He glanced around and forced himself to continue.

"If you ask me, take off this real thing, replace it with the high-density sponge mold that we stuntmen usually use, paint it with a layer of metallic paint, add some highlights in post-production, and the audience won't be able to tell."

Chen Yan looked at Old Zhao.

Old Zhao felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze, but since the words were already out, he could only add another sentence.

"This is how domestic martial arts films are all made; it saves time and effort."

"Zhang Yuan."

Chen Yan ignored Lao Zhao's words and went straight to calling out names.

"exist."

"Go to the finance department to settle Coach Zhao's salary and pay him an extra three months' worth of breach of contract penalties."

Chen Yan turned his attention back to the monitor. "Then ask him to leave the set."

Old Zhao stood there, stunned, his face flushed, and his jaw muscles bulging.

"Chen Yan, what do you mean? I've led my brothers to work on countless big film crews..."

"This is a science fiction film."

Chen Yan interrupted him, "I don't need to fly over walls or use foam boards. If we can't even overcome the gravity on the film set, then let's not talk about industrialization."

Several security personnel from the Shougang Security Department, who had been transferred to the film crew, came over and, half-invited and half-dragged, led Lao Zhao away from the scene.

The film set fell silent again.

Lin Qingqiu was still hanging in mid-air.

Her shoulders were bleeding from the steel wire, and blood seeped out from her vest, staining the edges of the fabric red.

"Put me down."

Lin Qingqiu spoke.

The wire crew put her down.

She walked up to Chen Yan, her steps heavy.

"You're right, when a person is fighting gravity, their muscle reactions don't lie to the camera."

Lin Qingqiu looked at Chen Yan, her eyes burning with that obsessive intensity, "According to Strasberg's theory, if you want to play a blind person, the best way is to put an irritating liquid in your eyes and force yourself not to open them."

She turned to look at the head of the wire rigging team.

"If you want to perform weightlessness, tighten the secondary safety buckles on your chest and neck as much as possible."

The person in charge turned pale and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Teacher Lin, that could block the airway. If you're hoisted up, the person will suffocate in less than ten seconds. It could be fatal!"

"Do as she says."

Chen Yan issued the order.

Wang Yuanchao frowned and stepped forward.

"Director Chen, this is too dangerous. Machines don't have eyes."

"Ready to power on."

Chen Yan sat back down in front of the monitor without saying a word.

The wire crew dared not disobey and readjusted the buckles, tightening the seatbelts securely, which had originally had some slack.

Lin Qingqiu was hung up again.

The moment the wire tightened, the clip caught in her trachea.

Her face visibly flushed red, and her breathing became heavy.

"Action".

Lin Qingqiu was suspended in mid-air.

The air supply was cut off.

The brain begins to send out death warnings.

In order to obtain oxygen, her body instinctively gave up resisting the weight of the exoskeleton, and all muscle strength was concentrated in her neck and chest cavity in an attempt to expand her breathing passage.

The muscles in my limbs completely relaxed.

That's the state it's in.

Despite severe oxygen deprivation, Lin Qingqiu slowly lifted the heavy robotic arm.

This time, she didn't exert any force; the weight of the exoskeleton dragged her arm, creating a sluggish and slow movement.

It matches the damping sensation of a spacesuit when it's inflated.

Her fingers touched the red valve.

Due to lack of oxygen, her vision began to blur, her eyes became bloodshot, and the veins on her forehead bulged.

She turned the valve.

A metallic scraping sound rang out.

"Click."

Chen Yan called out the command, "Put it down, medical staff!"

The wire descended rapidly.

Lin Qingqiu fell onto the mat, and the buckle came undone.

She gasped for breath, and a violent cough shattered the silence on set.

Richard Taylor stood in the corner, watching this scene, and spoke quietly in English to his assistant beside him.

"These people aren't making a movie, they're risking their lives. That actress is insane, and the director is even more so."

Chen Yan stared at the playback that had just been recorded on the monitor.

In the footage, Lin Qingqiu's movements are smooth and heavy, and the veins on his face and his bloodshot eyes provide strong physiological details.

Got it in one go.

After recovering, Lin Qingqiu pushed away the water bottle handed to her by the medical staff and walked to the monitor.

She looked at herself on the screen.

Chen Yan turned his head and met her gaze.

No further words were spoken.

Both of them knew that in those few dozen seconds, they had crossed a certain line in the domestic film industry.

Wu Gang strode in from outside the shed.

His leather shoes made a dull thud as they stepped on the metal plate.

He walked up to Chen Yan and whispered in his ear.

Something's happened.

Wu Gang handed over a fax sheet. "A notice just came from the Beijing Film Studio's film processing workshop. Their developing equipment has suddenly malfunctioned and needs to be fully overhauled. The return date is uncertain. They refused to accept the 8,000 feet of negatives taken this morning."

Chen Yan took the fax paper and glanced at the official seal on it.

"What about Shanghai Film Studio and Changchun Film Studio?"

Chen Yan asked.

"I just made a phone call."

Wu Gang's face was gloomy. "Shanghai Film Studio said they would stop work due to environmental inspections, and Changchun Film Studio said they were short of chemicals. Within half an hour, all the film processing plants in the country that could process film negatives closed their doors to us."

Chen Yan looked at the fax paper in his hand. The edges of the paper were deformed by his fingertips, leaving deep creases.

"Li Jianguo has made his move."