150: Chapter 150: Enough coal crystals, unlocking tomorrow! Close-in weapon system to be deployed.

3:15 PM.

Lu Chen emerged from the farm and walked along the main corridor of the first floor toward the elevator.

Stacked on both sides of the corridor were the last few piles of scrap steel plates brought back by Zhao Tiezhu's men, neatly cut and arranged in orderly rows.

The communicator rang.

“City Lord Lu Chen,” Zhao Tiezhu's booming voice came through.

“Speak.”

“The people have been selected, fifty in total.”

“What are their backgrounds?”

“Thirty-two have experience with ironwork; they've handled hauling, welding, and cutting. Eighteen haven't touched a welding torch but are agile and clear-headed.”

“Have you coordinated with Han Zhengqing?”

“Just finished the call. Han Zhengqing said to gather at the west side of the second-floor residential area at 4:00 PM. He’ll personally lead the first batch.”

“How many in the first batch?”

“Twenty. They'll learn basic flat and fillet welding first. Han Zhengqing says they can get the hang of it in two days.”

“What about the remaining thirty?”

“They'll follow up on the second day. Han Zhengqing intends to lead them in two batches to avoid having too many people to manage at once.”

“Reasonable.”

“One more thing.” Zhao Tiezhu paused for a moment.

“Among my three hundred men, about a dozen are bored out of their minds. They spend all day in the storage area on floor mats, doing nothing but eating nutrient bars and sleeping. It makes me anxious just watching them.”

“Have them help Han Zhengqing move steel. Transport the cut steel plates from the snow-free zone to the second floor so Han Zhengqing's plumbers don't have to double as porters.”

“Got it, I'll arrange it.”

“Battalion Commander Zhao.”

“Here.”

“Did you finish checking the status of the iron wall this afternoon?”

“Finished. Engine RPM is normal, oil pressure is stable, and track wear is at twelve percent. Running seven hundred kilometers won't be a problem.”

“Is the fuel topped off?”

“The main tank is full. The auxiliary tank is still twenty percent short; I'll finish filling it tomorrow morning.”

“What about the spare fuel drums?”

“Eight standard drums have already been moved up. They're empty; we'll fill them from the diesel reserves tomorrow.”

“How much diesel reserve is left?”

“The cracking furnace has been running these past few days, and quite a bit of beast fat from the cold storage has been converted. Total diesel reserves are around three thousand liters. After filling the eight drums, fourteen hundred will remain.”

“How far can the Polaris run on fourteen hundred?”

“Not counting the main tank, fourteen hundred liters is enough for three hundred and fifty kilometers.”

“That's enough. We don't need more for the current stage.”

“Understood.”

The communicator disconnected.

Lu Chen stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the second floor.

When the elevator doors opened, a rhythmic clanging echoed through the corridor. Han Zhengqing's men were working in the ventilation renovation area on the east side of the residential zone. The crisp resonance of copper pipes hitting steel walls traveled from the end of the hallway, mixed with the buzzing of electric drills biting into metal.

He didn't head over there, turning instead toward the kitchen.

The thermos on the stove was still in its original place.

He picked it up and unscrewed it; inside was the hot water he had poured earlier, now at the perfect temperature.

He took two sips and put it back.

He grabbed a nutrient bar, tore open the packaging, and ate as he walked.

The communicator rang again.

“City Lord,” Lin Wan's voice said.

“What is it?”

“Song Ya just confirmed the rice planting schedule with me. The first crop of Fast-growing Rice will be planted two days after the wheat, with the harvest on the forty-ninth day.”

“Staggered by two days from the wheat.”

“Yes, the harvests won't overlap, so we'll have enough manpower.”

“What about the yield for the first rice crop?”

“The yield per unit area for rice is fifteen percent higher than wheat, but the planting area is smaller. The estimated dry weight for the first crop is five to six tons.”

“Combined with the six to seven tons of wheat, the first crop's total yield will be eleven to thirteen tons.”

“Correct. Enough to feed twenty thousand people for a day and a half.”

“And after the second replanting?”

“The second crop of wheat and rice will be expanded simultaneously, with the planting area increasing to over seventy percent. The yield will double.”

“Starting from the third crop, we'll be at full production capacity.”

“Yes.”

“Lin Wan.”

“Yes.”

“After handing over the farm to Liao Dacheng, do you still go to check on it every day?”

“I take a quick look on my way after patrolling the greenhouse in the morning. It doesn't interfere with anything.”

“How did Liao Dacheng perform today?”

“Serious,” Lin Wan's tone betrayed her surprise. “He crouched in the pigpen for over two hours, touching every single pig while muttering something about hybridization coefficients and skeletal scores.”

“Did he make any requests?”

“He asked for an assistant, saying his back is bad and he can't lift the feed buckets. I told him to find Zhao Tiezhu.”

“Did he find one?”

“He did. Zhao Tiezhu assigned him a young man named Ma Dong, twenty-three years old, who used to raise chickens on the sixth floor of The City-State.”

“As long as he's raised chickens, it's fine.”

“City Lord.”

“What?”

“How many nutrient bars did you eat today?”

“Three.”

“Including that cup of milk this morning?”

“Including that.”

“Not enough.”

“It's enough.”

“It's not. You weigh at least five catties less than when you first arrived. You can't make that up by continuously eating nutrient bars.”

“Lin Wan.”

“Yes.”

“Are there any vegetables near maturity in the greenhouse?”

“There's a batch of Cabbage ready for harvest in three days. For the Carrots, you'll have to wait another five days.”

“When the Cabbage is harvested in three days, save two leaves for me.”

“Two leaves aren't enough.”

“Then four leaves.”

“Fine.”

The communicator disconnected.

Lu Chen walked back to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's seat.

The data on the panel flickered quietly.

Registered residents: 6,013.

Truth Points balance: 6,835.

Ray Cannon energy storage: 80%.

Napalm Projection Towers: 10/10 full capacity.

Dome Greenhouse: Full spectrum operation in progress.

Farm: Fully automated operation in progress.

Atmospheric Water Molecule Extraction Tower: Continuous operation.

He glanced at the radar panel.

No moving targets detected within an eight-kilometer radius.

The northern horizon was empty and desolate.

He pulled his gaze back, letting it fall on the technology tree icon in the bottom-left corner of the panel.

Armament and Weaponry branch.

Node Two.

Phalanx Close-In Weapon System.

7,000 points.

Short by 165.

He tapped twice on the armrest.

Tomorrow.

No need to go personally.

Just having Zhao Tiezhu's men take a Patrol Car out to bring back a few coal crystals would be enough.

The Factory Ruins fifteen kilometers to the north, an intermediate Mutant Beast activity zone.

A Lv.1 Patrol Car couldn't fight an intermediate beast, but it could scavenge coal crystals on the outskirts.

Ten intermediate coal crystals would be 500 points, far exceeding the 165-point deficit.

He pressed the communicator.

“Zhao Tiezhu.”

“Here.”

“Arrange for a Patrol Car to go out tomorrow toward the Factory Ruins fifteen kilometers to the north.”

“Hunting?”

“Not hunting, scavenging coal crystals. When I went to that area last time, there were still many intermediate source-fire coal crystals scattered around the outskirts; I didn't have time to pick them all up.”

“How many people should I send?”

“Three. One to drive and two to get out and scavenge. Bring radiation-proof gloves and storage bins.”

“Do they need to carry weapons?”

“Take a Heavy Machine Gun. If they encounter an intermediate Mutant Beast, don't try to fight it; retreat.”

“Understood.”

“Limit the range. Do not exceed two kilometers from the outskirts of the ruins, and do not enter the interior.”

“And the time?”

“Depart at 7:00 AM. They must be back before 12:00 PM.”

“Alright, I'll pick three veterans.”

“Battalion Commander Zhao.”

“Here.”

“If they can't find ten coal crystals on the outskirts, just have them return. Don't risk going inside.”

“Understood.”

The communicator disconnected.

Lu Chen leaned back in the pilot's seat.

He closed his eyes.

Another item on the task list in his mind was crossed off.

Every line was moving forward.

He opened his eyes.

The time on the panel showed 3:52 PM.

The radar scanning line rotated at a steady speed.

The north was empty.

But that dark red signal log was still flashing.