148: Chapter 148 Milk and Vents! Who Gets the First Cup?

Five o'clock in the morning.

When Lu Chen woke up, a message from Lin Wan was flashing on his panel.

The timestamp was 4:12 AM.

The content was only a single line.

The cows have started lactating.

It was twelve hours earlier than Liao Dacheng's estimate.

Lu Chen pressed the communicator.

“Lin Wan.”

The connection went through after three seconds.

“City Lord, you're awake?”

“You've been at the farm since four?”

“Three-fifty. Liao Dacheng messaged me at two-thirty saying the cows' udders were swelling, so I went over to take a look.”

“Yield?”

“Only one of the four cows has entered the lactation period so far. The colostrum yield isn't high, around two liters.”

“Two liters.”

“The other three are expected to start one after another during the day. Liao Dacheng says that at full capacity, the four cows can produce forty to sixty liters of milk daily.”

“Forty to sixty liters... how many people is that enough for?”

“Calculating at two hundred milliliters per person per day, that's two hundred to three hundred people.”

“Combined with the meat from the synthesizers and the farm, the protein supply can cover over two thousand people.”

“Correct.”

“How will the first batch of milk be handled?”

“Colostrum has high nutrient density but a somewhat astringent taste; it's not suitable for direct drinking. Liao Dacheng suggests waiting until the regular milk comes out tomorrow before distribution.”

“How many liters will there be of tomorrow's regular milk?”

“If all four enter the lactation period, eight to ten liters.”

“Eight to ten liters.” He did a quick calculation in his head. “Who gets the first batch of milk?”

“You decide, City Lord.”

He thought for two seconds.

“Split it into two portions. One for the wounded in the medical pods—Sun Ke still has three seriously injured people in recovery. The other portion goes to Han Zhengqing's engineering team.”

“The engineering team?”

“They've been working three shifts for six consecutive days; their physical exertion is the highest.”

“Alright. What about yourself?”

“I'm not lacking protein.”

“City Lord, you've been eating nothing but nutrition bars for four days straight.”

“The calories in the nutrition bars are sufficient.”

“Sufficient calories doesn't mean balanced nutrition.”

“Lin Wan.”

“Present.”

“Handle the milk matter as I said.”

“Understood.”

The other end of the communicator was silent for a second.

“But I'll save a cup for you.”

“No need.”

“I've already saved it. It's in a thermos on the kitchen counter.”

He didn't respond.

“City Lord.”

“What?”

“That ewe is confirmed pregnant.”

His fingers stopped on the armrest.

“Liao Dacheng confirmed it?”

“Confirmed. He felt her abdomen again early this morning; fetal movement is obvious. He judges that the pregnancy is more than halfway through, with about twenty days left until delivery.”

“Twenty days. That's the sixty-third day.”

“Correct. If there are twins, the sheep population will increase from forty to forty-two.”

“Does the system's growth acceleration module work on offspring?”

“I asked the system panel, and yes, it does. The growth cycle of the lambs will be compressed to one-third of a normal breed.”

“Meaning they'll be adult sheep in forty days.”

“Yes. Around the hundredth day, this lamb will be able to contribute to production.”

“Self-expanding population.”

“That's the key, City Lord. The system gave us breeding stock, but the true value lies in their ability to reproduce, not just in these forty sheep themselves.”

“What about the pigs? Are the due dates for the eight sows confirmed?”

“Liao Dacheng says the earliest sow is expected to give birth on the sixtieth day.”

“Day sixty—the exact same day the greenhouse reaches full production.”

“What a coincidence.”

“It's no coincidence.” His tone was flat. “When the system generated the breeding stock, it had already arranged them according to the timeline.”

“You mean the system is calculating the rhythm for you?”

“The system's inherent design logic is to have the output of every node overlap within specific time windows; it's not 'helping' me calculate.”

“Fast-growing crops harvest on day forty-seven, milk production on day forty-three, lambs born on day sixty-three, piglets on day sixty, and the greenhouse at full capacity on day sixty.”

“Everything is concentrated to explode within a one-month window.”

“That's how it is.”

Lin Wan was quiet on the other end for three seconds.

“City Lord, does this design logic you mentioned mean the system knows what we need most, and when we need it most?”

“Don't overthink it; just do the work at hand.”

“Understood.”

“What are the greenhouse tasks for today?”

“The ears of the first batch of fast-growing wheat are continuing to grow; today is mainly for inspecting nutrient solution concentrations and root conditions. Also, a batch of empty seedling racks needs to be replanted with fast-growing rice.”

“When is the first rice harvest?”

“Sown two days later than the wheat, the first harvest will be on the forty-ninth day.”

“Staggering the wheat and rice by two days to avoid a harvest pile-up.”

“Yes, that's the schedule Song Ya and I agreed upon.”

“Good.”

He stood up.

“I'm going to the kitchen.”

“The thermos is on the right side of the stove.”

He didn't answer, turned off the communicator, and walked toward the second floor.

In the kitchen, a stainless steel thermos sat on the right side of the stove. A small piece of tape was stuck to the body, with two words crookedly written on it in iron pen.

City Lord.

He unscrewed the lid.

The milky white liquid was still emitting faint wisps of steam.

He picked it up and took a sip.

It was warm, with a subtle sweetness and a rich milky fragrance.

He could no longer remember the last time he had drunk milk.

In his past life, it was mostly Tetra Pak cartons from supermarket shelves.

But this sip came from a three-hundred-kilogram brownish-yellow cow, from the first-floor farm of a two-hundred-and-six-meter-long steel fortress, from a Mobile City on a wasteland ice field at minus forty-three degrees.

He finished the milk in the thermos and placed it back on the counter.

He washed the cup clean.

Then he grabbed a nutrition bar and walked back to the cockpit while eating.

The communicator rang.

“City Lord Lu Chen.” It was Han Zhengqing's voice.

“What is it?”

“The first group for the vent modification has started work. From yesterday afternoon until this morning, we've completed the outer wall openings and pipe pre-embedding.”

“Progress?”

“The first group is expected to finish this afternoon, including the installation of the heat exchange coils and sealing tests.”

“What about the other three groups?”

“Material preparation is underway simultaneously. Tomorrow morning, the second and third groups will start work at the same time, and the fourth group will finish up the day after.”

“Can everything be done in three days?”

“No problem. The bending of the copper pipes was completed last night. Zhao Tiezhu's people moved the last batch of scrap steel plates to the snow-free zone, and the cutting team is processing them.”

“And the beds?”

“We expect to weld one hundred and eighty today, bringing the total to five hundred and forty.”

“Still short by two thousand four hundred and sixty.”

“We'll have it done within seven days, provided the materials keep up.”

“Will the materials keep up?”

“Yes. Zhao Tiezhu said less than five percent of the scrap steel from The City-State's collapse zone has been cut; there's enough for me to weld for half a year.”

“Good.”

“City Lord, one more thing.”

“Speak.”

“The lighting circuits in the residential area need thirty-six more light sockets. Currently, half of the area with the three hundred-plus beds is a dark zone; it's easy to bump into things while walking at night.”

“Is there enough power?”

“The main distribution box still has a forty percent margin; adding thirty-six light sockets is absolutely no problem.”

“Materials?”

“The fixtures can be modified from old lamp bases salvaged from The City-State, and a batch of wires was stripped from the iron wall. It's enough.”

“Approved. Do it alongside the vent modifications.”

“Understood.”

Han Zhengqing hung up the communicator.

He wrote a new line in his logbook.

Add thirty-six light sockets to the residential area, synchronized with vent modifications.

He looked at the time on the panel.

6:20 AM.

Zhao Tiezhu's frequency lit up.

“City Lord Lu Chen.”

“Battalion Commander Zhao, what is it?”

“My men will be out of work after moving the last batch of scrap steel plates today.”

“How much steel has been moved in total?”

“Including today's final batch, seven and a half tons in total. Han Zhengqing said it's enough to weld three thousand beds.”

“What will your men do after they finish moving it?”

“Be idle.” Zhao Tiezhu's loud voice held a hint of embarrassment. “Three hundred grown men eating nutrition bars and doing nothing... it just doesn't feel right to me.”

“Arrange for them to learn welding from Han Zhengqing's people.”

“Learn welding?”

“The engineering team has one hundred and forty-seven people working three shifts—that's less than fifty people per shift. If thirty to fifty of your men learn basic welding, productivity will double.”

Zhao Tiezhu let out a laugh on the other end.

“Alright, I'll pick fifty nimble ones to send over and let Han Zhengqing show them the ropes.”

“Clear it with Han Zhengqing first; send them only after he agrees.”

“Understood.”

“Battalion Commander Zhao.”

“Present.”

“How much diesel is left in the iron wall?”

“The main tank is full, and the auxiliary tank is at seventy percent. For cruising, covering eight hundred kilometers is no problem.”

“Zhou Yuan sets out in three days. Check the state of the iron wall's engine and tracks.”

“I'll go check this afternoon.”

“Good.”

The communicator was hung up.

He leaned back in the pilot's seat and closed his eyes.

6,835.

Short by 165.

He mentally scanned the map of the factory ruins north of the Rustwind Wasteland.

Last time he went to that area, he hunted four intermediate beasts, but he had only cleared the outskirts.

There were at least two or three intermediate Iron-Spine Wolves active inside.

Taking down just one would be enough.

After conversion, an intermediate beast core was worth between three hundred and eighty and five hundred points.

That would be enough to fill the gap and leave over two hundred extra points in reserve.

But he wasn't in a hurry to go out right now.

Han Zhengqing's vent modifications had just started, Liao Dacheng had just started his post, Zhou Yuan was departing in three days, and the migration was still progressing.

Steady for one day.

He'd go out hunting tomorrow.

He opened his eyes and looked at the radar panel.

The northern horizon was still empty.

But that red log entry was still flashing.

Due north, fifteen degrees west.