187: Industrial division of labor

Headlights illuminated the dark night, the dirt road was bumpy and uneven, and the Wuling Hongguang shook violently.

Shen Xiaochuan opened his eyes, his hand still resting on the car door handle, his toolkit sitting motionless beside his leg.

He sat up straight, the copper gear on the cuff of his dark blue work uniform brushing against the seat, making a slight sound.

He had closed his eyes for a moment just now, thinking about many things in his head.

The electricity was connected, but the light was useless.

People's homes were still cold; meals needed to be cooked, and water needed to be boiled.

Winter was coming, and at twenty degrees below zero, no one could bear it.

He had to build the entire industrial System before it started snowing.

He turned on the interior car light, the screen lit up, and the layout of the Industrial Zone on the map was very clear.

The red dots were the locations of the individual workshops.

One hundred and thirty forgers, all selected by him from the very beginning, with not-so-low Ranks.

But whether they could understand what they needed to do remained to be seen tonight.

The car slowed down and stopped beside the guard post at the entrance of the Industrial Zone.

The guard post was empty, the door was open, and an oil lamp inside was flickering.

Shen Xiaochuan did not get out of the car; he directly opened the communication function of the Faith Mall and typed "Zhang Heng" on the keyboard.

The friend request was sent, and after waiting for two minutes, the other party replied.

[Zhang Heng]: "I'm in seclusion, what's up?"

Shen Xiaochuan: "Urgent matter. The power System is done, I want to introduce household appliances, but I'm missing the basic blueprints."

The other side paused for a few seconds.

[Zhang Heng]: Are you sure? These blueprints are from an S-Rank civilization; sharing them once comes at a cost.

Shen Xiaochuan: What cost?

[Zhang Heng]: Ten sets of copper gear blueprints, the kind with transmission parameters. I need them to repair the formation eye of the mechanism.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't think twice, immediately retrieved the files from the database, packed them, and sent them over.

The progress bar finished, the other party replied with a "Good", and then a compressed file called [Basic Blueprints for Power Industrial System] popped up.

He clicked it open, and a holographic projection automatically appeared, floating in front of the cockpit.

Six main parts were clearly laid out: power transmission and distribution System, lighting, heaters, steel furnaces, oil refining equipment, and internal combustion engine prototypes.

Under each piece, there was a simple structural diagram and a list of Materials.

Shen Xiaochuan watched for half a minute, swiped across the screen with his hand, marked the six modules, and saved them locally.

He turned off the projection and opened the car door.

The night wind blew in, smelling of rust and scorched earth.

The streetlights in the Industrial Zone had just been powered on, casting a dim yellow light over the rows of workshop roofs in the distance.

He walked along the main road toward the central square; he didn't walk fast, but every step was steady.

The square was empty. He stood at the edge of the high platform, raised his right hand, and turned his palm upward.

A pale golden pattern crawled from his wrist to his fingertips, activating the amplification divine spell.

"All forgers, assemble at the central workshop within ten minutes. Rank One mission."

The voice wasn't loud, but it traveled very far, following the wind into every workshop.

In less than five minutes, people began to arrive from all directions. Some wore leather aprons, some wore goggles, and others held hammers in their hands.

They spoke in low voices, but upon seeing Shen Xiaochuan standing on the platform, they immediately quieted down.

One hundred and thirty people, all of them had arrived.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't waste words; he raised his hand and projected the blueprints, hanging them in the air. Everyone looked up.

"This is the basic structure of the power industry," he said in a flat voice. "We need to get the whole city powered within three months. Wires, lights, heaters, steel furnaces, oil machines, internal combustion engines, all must be made. The goal is for every household to have light, heat, and the ability to cook."

Someone frowned.

A forger raised his hand: "My lord, regarding our people and Materials, wouldn't it be better to make weapons first? The outside divine realm is watching us, and making these household things... is it too early?"

Shen Xiaochuan looked at him: "When you say 'outside', do you mean NATO? Or the Zerg?"

The man was stunned: "Both... both of them."

"Wrong," Shen Xiaochuan shook his head. "The biggest enemy is winter. At twenty degrees below zero, without heating, people won't last seven days. Children will freeze to death, and the elderly will die of illness. This isn't a matter of fighting; it's a matter of survival."

He looked at everyone: "If we can't make heaters, no one will use the best blades you forge. If we can't build steel furnaces, military industry is just empty talk. I'm telling you now—electricity is combat power."

Everyone stopped talking.

Another forger spoke up: "What about Materials? Wires require copper, and our inventory is only enough to cover the main roads."

"If there isn't enough copper, use aluminum," Shen Xiaochuan said. "I have already contacted the mining group, and the first batch of aluminum ore will arrive in three days. For the lamps, don't use glass covers; switch to pressed quartz. Use cast iron for the heater shells, and add crushed Thunder Crystal inside for insulation. Save where you can, but do not lower the standards."

He pointed to the first item: "Wire and lighting group, thirty people, Wang Tiezhu in charge. Have samples ready by eight tomorrow morning, and complete the main network installation within a week."

Wang Tiezhu stepped out and nodded.

"Heating equipment group, twenty people, Li Sanpao leading. Finish drawing the molds tonight, test pressure tomorrow night. The first batch of five hundred units will go to the Hospital and the orphanage first."

Li Sanpao smiled: "Understood!"

"Steel furnace construction team, forty people, Zhao Laogen in charge. The location is the wasteland in the East District, foundation excavation starts tomorrow. Build the furnace body according to the blueprints, use the new formula for refractory bricks, and the sintering temperature must meet the standard."

Zhao Laogen cupped his hands: "Rest assured, the frame will be up in three days."

"Oil refining machine R&D group, twenty-five people, Zhou Dahe in charge. Use underground oil sludge as raw material, and the purity must reach over seventy percent. Start working on the oil storage tanks as well."

Zhou Dahe noted down the key points.

"Finally, internal combustion engine prototype design, fifteen people, Liu Erniu leading. Use the 'Cangqiong-1' as a reference, but make it smaller and lighter. The goal is to produce a functional transport vehicle within three months."

Liu Erniu clenched his fist: "We'll give it our all!"

Shen Xiaochuan walked off the stage, patting shoulders one by one. He stopped in front of Wang Tiezhu: "You've worked on communication tower lines before; this time is the same, just with higher voltage. Pay attention to insulation."

Wang Tiezhu nodded: "Understood, use double-layer ceramic coating."

He said to Li Sanpao: "Don't make the heaters too big; focus on household use. Make the handles rounded so they don't hurt children."

Li Sanpao scratched his head: "You even thought about that?"

Shen Xiaochuan said calmly: "I studied mechanics, not just fighting."

He said to Zhao Laogen: "After the steel furnace is built, I want to see the report for the first batch of molten iron. If it's not up to standard, remelt it."

Zhao Laogen puffed out his chest: "It will definitely meet the standard!"

Zhou Dahe asked: "How should we handle the waste residue after oil sludge purification?"

"Stack it in one place, put up warning signs, and don't let people get close," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Next week I will arrange for someone to handle the toxic waste."

He said to Liu Erniu: "Don't rush to make the internal combustion engine run; stabilize the RPM first. If the cylinder blows once, the whole group will be deducted fifty faith points."

Liu Erniu shrank his neck: "We won't dare to let it blow."

Shen Xiaochuan returned to the high platform, opened the contract panel, and six electronic agreements floated in the air. The six of them stepped forward, pressed their fingerprints, and the three-month schedule was set. If it wasn't finished by the deadline, resources would be deducted.

"Those who finish ahead of schedule will be rewarded with a one-level increase in faith points access," he said. "Additionally, all participants will have priority for winter warm supplies. Cotton clothes, thick blankets, hot drinks, the first batch in the whole city."

The crowd relaxed, and some people smiled.

"Any more questions?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

No one spoke.

"Then dismiss," he waved his hand. "Each group take your blueprints and start working tonight. By eight tomorrow morning, I want to see progress."

The crowd dispersed quickly, and the sound of footsteps faded away. Shen Xiaochuan stood where he was, watching them walk into their respective workshops. The wind grew stronger, blowing his clothes around.

He looked down at his hand; the faint glow from signing the contracts still lingered on his palm. He turned around, walked down the steps, and headed toward where he had parked.

The Wuling Hongguang was still there, the door unlocked. He pulled open the door, sat inside, inserted the key, and turned it.

The engine roared to life.

He shifted gears, released the handbrake, and the car slowly began to move. In the rearview mirror, the lights in the Industrial Zone lit up one after another, like a line of fire extending along the road.

The steering wheel was a bit cold.

He stepped on the gas, the car accelerated, and drove toward the residential area. There were no cars on the road, only rows of streetlights flashing by. The wind outside had died down, and it was very quiet inside the car.

He didn't think about the blueprints, nor the schedule. Only one thing was on his mind: he had to go check when the aluminum ore would arrive tomorrow.

The car turned onto the main road, the tires rolled over a crack, and it gave a slight jolt.

Shen Xiaochuan adjusted his sitting position, rested his elbow on the window, and looked straight ahead.