Chapter 1836 - 989

Zheng City.

Futu Precision Equipment Factory.

Dozens of men were moving back and forth inside, with shovels and other tools placed beside them.

Inside a collapsed building that still had only half of it standing.

A sturdy man in standard-issue clothes, wearing black Martin boots and holding a gun in his hand, twisted his neck, making cracking sounds.

"Lao San, we’ve basically gathered all the parts the Federation needs. Tomorrow you take the main group and head back to the Federation first. They’re in a hurry to use these components over there."

The slightly shorter man next to the sturdy one heard this and quickly spoke: "Big Bro, what about you guys?"

The sturdy man frowned and said:

"The task the Federation gave us isn’t just collecting these parts. They’ve recently discovered a new force in the Southern region, and they want us to go for an on-site assessment. Whether they’re enemy or ally, we need to understand them first."

The shorter man thought for a moment after hearing this and said: "Big Bro, how about I go with you? I can just follow behind you when the time comes."

"Lao San."

The sturdy man sounded a bit impatient.

"We’re out here on a mission, not on a pleasure trip. These parts are critical, and the Federation is waiting to use them right now.

And hauling this many components makes too big a target. It’ll easily attract their attention. This time we’re on a recon mission, not going to war.

Too many people makes it easier to be exposed. For the sake of the bigger picture, listen to me on this."

The somewhat short man, hearing Big Bro talk like that already, figured if he didn’t obey orders now, Big Bro would probably start cursing him again.

He could only nod and agree:

"Alright then. Big Bro, Second Bro, be careful out there. I’ll wait for you in the Federation when you get back."

"Mm."

Another man wearing glasses, looking like a frail, bookish type.

Walked over at this moment as well.

"Big Bro, Third Bro, the parts and some of the equipment the Federation needs are all loaded up. Are we heading straight to that Xinyang Oil City next?"

The sturdy man shook his head and said:

"I’ll have Lao San take the goods back first. Then you and I will bring a few people to Oil City. Too many people will draw attention and expose us."

The bookish man with glasses nodded and said:

"Makes sense. It’s still early. Should we head over later tonight?"

"No rush." The sturdy man shook his head and went on:

"Everyone’s been running around worn out these last few days, you’ve all worked hard. We just finished tidying up this factory building, so we’ll stay here tonight and go tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Lao San, you take the main group and those parts back to the Federation.

Second Bro, you and I will go check out that Oil City."

The two of them nodded and said in unison:

"Alright."

...

The night was silent.

The daytime scorching heat and intense solar radiation had faded away.

The nighttime air had grown a lot cooler.

Third Uncle, Xiao Jun, and the others who had returned from Ming City, almost passed out the moment they lay down after washing up and grabbing a bite.

Their nerves had been stretched taut these past few days, and they hadn’t managed a proper sleep. Now that they’d made it back to the safety of Big Camphor Tree Base, it was easy for their exhausted bodies to drift off.

Inner City.

Outside the greenhouse.

Li Yu and Second Uncle had just come out of the greenhouse after discussing some planting matters with An Ya and the others.

Moonlight like water.

A gentle night breeze.

The huge temperature difference between day and night had already made them used to preparing two sets of clothing every day.

Li Yu shoved both hands into his pockets, his feet grinding against the hardened dirt, and looked at Second Uncle as he said, "We can give it a try. Since those Cooperative Personnel want to go build the Fourth Outer City, we might as well keep going with it."

Second Uncle said:

"Alright, I get what you mean. It’s just that the solar radiation is too strong right now, and we don’t know how long it’ll last. Building the Fourth Outer City needs water, and it needs a lot of water. That... is a problem."

Li Yu thought for a bit and replied:

"Don’t touch the water in Mountain Pond for now. Isn’t there a lake down below the cliff? Just pump that water up and use it."

Second Uncle’s eyes lit up. He clapped his hands and said happily:

"That’s actually a good idea, we can do that. I’ll arrange it tomorrow. The construction cycle of the Fourth Outer City is too long. If we keep getting held back by natural disasters like this, it’s not a solution."

"Mm-hmm, it’s cold. Second Uncle, I’m heading back first. You should go rest early too. You’re off duty tonight, get some proper rest." Li Yu said.

At the same time, his foot kicked at the hardened dirt on the ground, and the earth crumbled apart.

Lately, the solar radiation had been so intense that the soil outside had been baked dry, with not a trace of moisture.

Second Uncle hurriedly said when he heard this:

"Hey, Xiao Yu, wait a second, there’s something I haven’t finished telling you."

"Hm?"

Li Yu turned his head back, looking at Second Uncle in puzzlement.

Second Uncle looked at Li Yu and said:

"Over at Oil City, Ju Tianrui and the others have already resumed oil extraction. After maintenance, the output at Oil City has increased quite a bit. He’s asking when we’ll send people over next time to transport the oil."

Li Yu frowned, thought a moment, and said:

"No rush. Have him keep producing. It’s dry and dangerous out there—tell him to make sure the oil storage is secure, we don’t want anything catching fire."

The solar radiation was just too intense; in weather this hot, it was simply not suitable to linger outside for long.

Just today, when Third Uncle and the others came back, the few vehicles they were driving had taken some damage.

After days of scorching sun, running over ground heated to extreme temperatures, several tires had blown out, and the remaining ones also had all sorts of big and small issues.