Chapter 411: Stairs (2)

Chapter 411 -191: Stairs (2)

The supporting facilities here were also under construction. However, with winter approaching, it was certainly not suitable to continue working on the above-ground, semi-permanent structures.

The current construction work was mainly focused on foundations, laying drinking water pipes and electrical cables. They had also dug a large number of pits to be used for silage fermentation.

Of course, the employees staying behind to watch over Mulan Base for the winter would have to rough it a bit, living in shipping container homes.

“How many people do you plan to have stay at Mulan Base for the winter?”

Liu Zhiben answered honestly, “About half of them. Besides the security personnel, there’s also a large construction team. They’ll stay through the winter to continue leveling nearby sand dunes. Another group of employees will be needed to load and unload the silage.”

Jiang Miao casually instructed, “Make sure the logistical support is well-prepared for the winter.”

“I’ve already made the arrangements,” Liu Zhiben reported, detailing the branch company’s plans. “That includes ordering a large batch of custom insulation to upgrade and retrofit the container homes here, ensuring they stay warm. We’ve also purchased a supply of heating equipment.”

“Good.”

The group got back into the pickup trucks and continued driving toward the Gubao Map Desert.

Once they drove out of the area planted with soybeans, the landscape transformed into a boundless expanse of yellow sand stretching as far as the eye could see.

An autumn wind whipped up a cloud of dust, sweeping toward the convoy of vehicles.

Suddenly, the lead pickup truck stopped. Not far ahead, at the end of the dirt road, two other pickup trucks were parked.

A security officer’s voice came over the walkie-talkie, reporting the situation ahead to Ke Yong.

“Boss, the research team from the Naiman County Desertification Research Station is up ahead.”

Jiang Miao thought for a moment and recalled the relevant information about that research station.

The Naiman County Desertification Research Station, as it was called, wasn’t a locally established institution. It was founded in 1985 and was currently affiliated with the Cyrus Science Academy Northwest Environmental and Ecological Resources Research Institute. The station itself was located within Naiman County.

The station’s primary focus was research into the evolution of sandy farmland ecosystems in agro-pastoral transition zones, as well as land desertification and its management.

This included research and monitoring of the evolutionary processes of sandy farmland ecosystems; the recovery mechanisms and sustainable use of desertified land; regional water resource dynamics and the transport patterns of water and fertilizer in farmland; and the study and demonstration of technologies and models for high-efficiency agricultural development on sandy land.

“Drive over there.”

“Yes, sir.”

「Six or seven minutes later.」

After getting out of the truck, Jiang Miao met the station’s director, Zhao Xueyong, as well as deputy directors Pan Chengcheng, Zhang Tonghui, and Luo Yongqing.

The moment Zhao Xueyong heard it was Jiang Miao, he ran over excitedly. “General Manager Jiang, I’ve heard so much about you! I’m Zhao Xueyong, the director of the Naiman County Desertification Research Station.”

“Hello!”

Jiang Miao extended his hand and shook hands with each of them in turn.

After they talked for a while, Jiang Miao learned that Zhao Xueyong and his team were here collecting data on the Gubao Map Desert. They were establishing a preliminary data archive for upcoming research on local climate change.

Even though the Gubao Map Desert would become Mulan Base’s farmland in the future, that didn’t mean everything was settled. Transforming such a large area of desert back into grassland and arable land was bound to cause changes in the local microclimate.

Therefore, the historical mission of the Naiman County Desertification Research Station wasn’t over; it simply needed to shift its research focus.

In fact, this was a problem that many desert-related research institutions in Monan had recently been facing. The sudden emergence of Hailufeng Company’s Immortal Soybeans had rendered previous research projects on deserts, sandy terrain, and saline-alkali lands practically obsolete.

The Naiman County Desertification Research Station had it even worse—their entire home base was being taken over. With the desert disappearing, the very foundation of their research was being pulled out from under them.

Fortunately, Zhao Xueyong and his colleagues were broad-minded researchers and bore no resentment toward Jiang Miao or Hailufeng Company for this.

In truth, the location of the Naiman County Desertification Research Station said it all. Its staff were frontline scientists who had been stationed at the edge of the desert for the long haul. You had to be able to endure hardship to be willing to “eat sand” out here for decades.

The kind of researchers who could persevere in such an environment tended to be tenacious and were true scientists, capable of enduring loneliness.

Jiang Miao was filled with respect and admiration for the spirit of researchers like Zhao Xueyong.

One of the researchers, Luo Yongqing, adjusted his glasses and asked, “General Manager Jiang, I’ve studied your company’s Immortal Soybeans. Their leaves can condense moisture from the air at night, which is then absorbed into the roots and stored. This is the key to their survival in desert regions. That leads me to a concern: since the Immortal Soybeans absorb moisture from the air, could this cause a drop in humidity in localized areas?”

Jiang Miao didn’t hide anything. “That is a definite possibility,” he admitted. “Especially in large-scale cultivation areas. The humidity in the central zone will certainly decrease.”

“I see.” Luo Yongqing sank into thought.

Clearly, such a change posed significant risks.

If the humidity in a localized area became too low, it could potentially aggravate respiratory illnesses, cause skin and eye irritation, inhibit plant growth and animal life, and increase static electricity and fire risk.

As for why the farm workers in the Immortal Soybean cultivation areas hadn’t reported this issue, Jiang Miao had already guessed the reason.

The Kerchin Desert was already a relatively dry place, with its rainy season concentrated between July and September.

In other words, the autumn, winter, and spring seasons were already very dry. People accustomed to the weather in the North generally wouldn’t notice a difference. In the summer, on the other hand, precipitation levels soared, and there was no way the Immortal Soybeans could absorb all the moisture from the rainy season.