240: Chapter 240 Planning Food and Drink for 30,000 People! Lu Chen Prepares for War and Defense Against Artillery Fire

4:18 PM.

The third-level Dome Greenhouse.

Lin Wan squatted in front of the first set of Hydroponic Racks, pinching a temperature probe between two fingers, her gaze falling on the tender sprouts that had just emerged in the culture tank.

The fourth batch of Fast-growing Wheat, second day after sowing, the sprout tips had grown one centimeter.

The growth was perfect.

She pulled out the probe, wiped it twice on the hem of her overalls, and stood up, pushing off her knees.

She walked to the central console and flipped open the logbook.

Day 70 data summary.

Greenhouse temperature constant at twenty-two degrees.

Nutrient solution concentration at a three-to-seven compost mix, pH 6.2.

The germination rate for the fourth batch was ninety-seven percent.

Estimated harvest on Day 75.

Closing the book, she pressed the button on her communicator.

"Song Ya."

"I'm here." The buzzing of the Synthesizer on Song Ya's end was quite noisy.

"How much flour was produced today?"

"As of 4:00 PM, one thousand and twenty kilograms. Six machines running non-stop, they haven't halted once."

"Enough." Lin Wan's mind calculated rapidly. "Two thousand five hundred people came in today, plus the base of eleven thousand eight hundred and fifty, there are a total of fourteen thousand three hundred and fifty people on board. At one hundred and fifty grams per person, the daily consumption is two thousand one hundred and fifty kilograms."

"Two thousand one hundred and fifty." Song Ya raised her voice. "Today we produced one thousand and twenty, leaving a gap of one thousand one hundred and thirty."

"How much is still in stock?"

"Yesterday's surplus plus today's, there's a total of four thousand six hundred kilograms in the warehouse."

"Four thousand six hundred divided by one thousand one hundred and thirty." Lin Wan's pen tip scribbled on the paper. "Relying purely on stock, it can last four days. Factoring in the one thousand kilograms produced daily, the actual daily deficit is only one hundred and thirty kilograms. The stock can last thirty-five days."

"Thirty-five days, that should definitely be enough, right?"

"Enough." Lin Wan circled the number with her pen. "But over the next three days, another sixteen thousand people will be coming in. By then, with thirty thousand mouths on board, we'll need four thousand five hundred kilograms a day. Even at full capacity, the six machines only produce one thousand, leaving a gap of three thousand five hundred."

Song Ya was silent on the other end; the number had startled her.

"Don't panic," Lin Wan continued. "Once all thirty thousand people are squeezed in, they'll only be standing for three or four hours. After the Degradation is finished, those who should leave will leave, and those who should disperse will disperse. We won't need to support thirty thousand mouths long-term."

"That's good, that's good." Song Ya breathed a long sigh of relief.

"But during those three or four hours, we need to have water ready." Lin Wan went down the logistics line. "Thirty thousand people standing for four hours, at half a liter of water per person, that's fifteen thousand liters. The Atmospheric Water Molecule Extraction Tower produces one thousand six hundred liters a day; if we save for three days in advance, that's four thousand eight hundred liters. The gap is ten thousand two hundred liters."

"Ten thousand two hundred liters, where are we going to scrape that water from?"

"The City-State's Water Purification System." Lin Wan had already calculated this. "The City-State's own purification storage tanks still have over twenty thousand liters. Before the Degradation, we'll pump the water out and fill our storage tanks. If all else fails, we'll strap it to the outer hull of Polaris."

"The outer hull? At minus sixty degrees, won't it just freeze into blocks of ice?"

"Frozen or not, it's still water." Lin Wan didn't think much of it. "We'll just melt it when the time comes."

Just as she was speaking, the communicator vibrated, and Lu Chen's channel cut in.

"Lin Wan."

"Here."

"Relocation data. Chen Li just reported it at 4:00 PM. A total of two thousand four hundred and seventy-one people entered the ship today. With all three channels open, the afternoon was twice as fast as the morning."

"That counts as good news."

"We'll continue with the three channels tomorrow." Lu Chen announced the plan. "Target is three thousand five hundred or more."

"Three thousand five hundred." Lin Wan noted it down in her book. "Did anything happen on that one-hundred-and-thirty-meter open-air section of the Third Channel this afternoon?"

"There was a small mishap." Lu Chen's voice was raspy. "A man in his fifties got weak in the knees halfway through and squatted on the ground, unable to get up. The people behind him supported and dragged him through the rest of the way."

"Any frostbite?"

"His fingers turned white. Sun Ke checked him; it's first-degree frostbite, nothing serious."

"The Third Channel is only for the young and fit; this rule must be strictly enforced." Lin Wan solidified the point. "Anyone over fifty must take the Main Channel or the Second Channel."

"I've already informed Lin Xiao."

"City Lord." Lin Wan changed the subject.

"Speak."

"The Daybreak vanguard has arrived, so the south is considered safe. What about the north?"

"The north is still empty."

"It's been empty for three days."

"Correct." Lu Chen gave his assessment. "They're either still on the way, or they've arrived but haven't entered the eight-kilometer range. Either way, from tonight until tomorrow is the most critical window."

"As for the Reconnaissance Platoon..."

"They head out on the evening of Day 72." Lu Chen reiterated the timeline. "Until then, we're relying entirely on the radar and Forge's Beacon Station."

"Any new signals from the Beacon Station?"

"None. No new targets for sixty-two hours, and it's been nearly seventy hours now."

Lin Wan's fingers tightened around the communicator.

"City Lord, what if the main Iron Hoof force pushes to the eight-kilometer mark tonight?"

"Then we'll activate the contingency plan early." Lu Chen laid it out plainly. "Acceleration of the relocation to the limit, and the degradation window moved up from Day 73 to Day 72. We can perform the Degradation even if the engines haven't burned out, provided that everyone in The City-State is evacuated in advance."

"Moving it up a day, will there be enough time?"

"Even if there isn't, we have to make it."

The sound of a pen tip scratching across paper came from the other end of the communicator.

"Lin Wan."

"Here."

"After the Daybreak main force gets into position around eight or nine tonight, I need to talk to Forge about the blueprints. You don't need to wait for me; go to sleep when you should."

"What about yourself, City Lord?"

"I'll be keeping watch in the Cockpit."

"You made do in the Cockpit last night too." Lin Wan lowered her voice. "And the night before."

"I know."

"Sleeping in an iron chair for three days, your neck will be stiff if it doesn't break."

"Once the main force is in position and the north is confirmed safe, I'll take a nap."

"You've been saying that for three days now."

Lu Chen didn't respond.

Lin Wan didn't press further and switched the channel.

She closed the logbook and walked to the flour storage area on the south side of the Greenhouse.

Forty-five bags of flour were stacked neatly, each twenty kilograms, with the openings tied tightly.

Nine hundred kilograms.

A round will be distributed this afternoon, covering the more than two thousand four hundred newcomers.

She bent down and felt the bottom layer of bags; they weren't damp.

"Miss Lin." Song Ya walked over from the Synthesizer, her hands covered in white dust. "What time should we distribute this afternoon's batch of flour?"

"5:30." Lin Wan glanced at the clock on the wall. "Chen Li's registration forms are ready on his end; you'll be responsible for weighing."

"Same process as yesterday?"

"The same. One hundred and fifty grams per person, sign after receiving."

Song Ya nodded and turned back to keep an eye on the machines.

Lin Wan stood by the flour pile, her gaze sweeping over the rows of tender green sprout tips on the Hydroponic Racks in the Greenhouse.

Harvest on Day 75.

Degradation on Day 73.

A two-day difference.

On the day of Degradation, the fourth batch in the Greenhouse will only be five days old.

Five-day-old wheat seedlings have just established their roots; the stalks haven't even begun to head yet.

During Degradation, Polaris will remain stationary, and the Greenhouse will be unaffected.

But what if it gets shelled before Degradation?

She pushed that thought down, flipped open her book, and wrote a line on the last page.

The Greenhouse must remain intact during the Day 73 Degradation.

The pen tip paused, then she added another sentence.

If we get shelled, can the Shock-absorbing Layer of the Hydroponic Racks withstand the shockwave?

She stared at the line for three seconds, then closed the book.

This is something she needs to ask Lu Chen.

But for now, she couldn't worry about it.