154: Chapter 154: All Four Cows Produce Milk! 165 points to be completed today.

5:40 AM.

Lu Chen woke up.

Two messages were flashing on the panel.

The first was from Liao Dacheng, timestamped 4:18 AM.

All four cows have entered the lactation period. HF-02 through HF-04 began lactating successively between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM. Total colostrum yield is estimated at eight to ten liters.

The second was from Han Zhengqing, timestamped 5:03 AM.

The first set of vent modifications is complete. Heat exchange coils installed, seal test passed. Measured intake temperature is 12 degrees Celsius; room temperature stabilized at 19 degrees after air mixing. Work on the second and third sets starts simultaneously this morning.

Lu Chen pressed the communicator.

“Han Zhengqing.”

The call connected five seconds later.

“City Lord Lu Chen.”

“I saw the data for the first set. The intake temperature is 12 degrees, two degrees higher than your estimate of 10.”

“I added an extra half-loop when bending the copper pipes, increasing the heat exchange area by fifteen percent.”

“Good. Do you have enough manpower for the second and third sets to start at the same time?”

“Yes. Fifteen plumbers divided into two teams—eight for the second set and seven for the third. Construction will be synchronized.”

“What about the lighting positions?”

“Wiring starts today. Six electricians are dedicated to this, working alongside the ventilation modifications. It will all be finished the day after tomorrow.”

“How are the first twenty people Zhao Tiezhu sent yesterday learning?”

“Seven can already produce qualified flat welds. After teaching fillet welding this morning, they can try welding bed frames this afternoon.”

“How much will production capacity increase?”

“Twenty to thirty percent, depending on how fast the novices pick it up.”

“Progress on the bed frames?”

“We expect to weld two hundred today. Adding those to the previous five hundred and forty, the total will reach seven hundred and forty by the end of the day.”

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

“At the current speed with the new recruits, we'll have it done in six days.”

“A day faster than estimated.”

“City Lord, there's one more thing.”

“Speak.”

Han Zhengqing’s voice paused for a moment.

“Last night, some of those new residents in Sector C tripped in the corridor. The steps in the dark zone are pitch black. The sooner those thirty-six lighting positions are installed, the better.”

“It must be done before the day after tomorrow.”

“No problem.”

“I'll have Lin Wan arrange lunch for the engineering team today; I'll add a serving of milk for you all.”

Han Zhengqing was stunned on the other end.

“Milk?”

“All four cows have entered lactation. The yield is eight to ten liters; I'm allocating a portion to the engineering team. Your men have worked for a week straight; they'll be more efficient with some protein.”

“Understood. I thank the City Lord on their behalf.”

“Don't thank me, just work.”

The communicator hung up.

Lu Chen got up and walked toward the second floor.

As he passed the kitchen, the thermos on the stove was filled with milk again.

The tape on the cup was still there, along with the two crookedly written characters.

City Lord.

He unscrewed the lid and took a sip.

It was warm, with a lighter sweetness than yesterday but a richer milk aroma.

Lin Wan’s voice came through the communicator.

“City Lord, are you in the kitchen?”

“How do you know?”

“I put the thermos there at 5:20. It's 5:50 now, and you pass the kitchen every day at this time.”

He didn't reply.

“Today's milk is a blend from all four cows, nine liters in total. I've divided it into three portions: one for the three wounded in the Medical Pod, one for Han Zhengqing’s engineering team, and the remaining three liters are in the kitchen.”

“Let the three people going out with Zhao Tiezhu to scavenge coal crystals have a cup each before they leave.”

“Alright.”

“What about Liao Dacheng?”

“He came to the kitchen at five and poured himself a cup. I only put out the thermos after he finished.”

Lu Chen finished the milk in the cup and placed it back on the stove.

“City Lord.”

“What is it?”

“I measured the ears of the Fast-growing Wheat this morning. They are 5.5 centimeters long, and the grains have started filling.”

“Filling already?”

“Starch is accumulating rapidly. At this rate, the harvest on the forty-seventh day is certain, and it might even be half a day early.”

“How many people are needed for the first harvest?”

“Twenty people is enough. Song Ya has already set the schedule. On harvest day, the entire Greenhouse staff will be deployed, working in two teams simultaneously.”

“Send the straw and root residue directly to the livestock farm's feed lines after harvesting.”

“Liao Dacheng is waiting for it.”

“Good.”

The communicator hung up.

Lu Chen walked back to the cockpit.

The time on the panel showed 6:05 AM.

He pressed the communicator.

“Zhao Tiezhu.”

“Present.”

“Have you set out?”

“We're assembling. Three people plus one lv.1 Patrol Car. Setting off at 7:00 sharp.”

“Confirm the route once more.”

“Fifteen kilometers north, the outskirts of the Factory Ruins, not entering the interior. Retreat immediately if we encounter a mid-level Mutant Beast. Set to return before 12:00.”

“Have them go to the kitchen for a cup of hot milk before leaving.”

Zhao Tiezhu paused on the other end.

“Milk?”

“Lin Wan left some in the kitchen, one cup per person.”

“Alright, I'll send them.”

The communicator hung up.

Lu Chen leaned back in the pilot's seat.

On the radar panel, no abnormal signals were detected within an eight-kilometer radius.

His gaze moved past the scanning line to the signal log in the bottom right corner.

That dark red record had been glowing since the night before last, never extinguishing.

North-northwest 15 degrees. 0.3 seconds. Military-grade.

No new signals had come in since then.

Two days of silence was more unsettling than a single signal.

He moved his gaze from the log to the bottom left of the panel.

The technology tree icon.

6,835.

Short by 165.

It could be made up before noon today.

Phalanx Close-In Weapon System.

The final piece of the puzzle for intercepting incoming rockets and flying Ice Beasts.

He glanced at the empty northern skyline.

Complete it today, unlock it today.