7: Recruit survivors! The value of engineers!

“The repair warehouse! I know where it is! It’s not far behind the oil storage tanks in Zone D! Where Old Zhang used to manage things!” Zhao Tiezhu immediately stood up, his eyes gleaming with hope, “I’ll take you there!”

“Good! Chen Hai!” Lin Feng immediately ordered, “Immediately dispatch an elite squad to protect Zhao Tiezhu and the engineering team. Objective: the repair warehouse! You must find that refining equipment! Gao Qiang, you stay in the bridge and coordinate the overall situation! I’ll go check on the engineering team!”

Orders were relayed like a whirlwind. An elite assault team of five Marines quickly assembled, led personally by Captain Chen Hai. Protecting Zhao Tiezhu and several engineers carrying heavy tools and testing equipment, they once again boarded the RHIB speedboat and sped towards the shore.

Lin Feng, meanwhile, hurried to the ship’s engineering work area. There, the Chief Engineer and several core engineers were gathered around a disassembled portable oil-water separator, all with worried expressions. The separator’s core filter cartridge had been removed, covered in viscous black oil, and even more shockingly, the filter’s metal mesh had several pinhole-sized corrosion perforations! The edges showed a strange, strong-acid-dissolved appearance!

“Captain!” The Chief Engineer saw Lin Feng, his voice heavy, “Look! It’s this thing! We just drew less than a liter of oil for testing, and the filter element instantly clogged. Then, in less than three minutes, it was corroded through! The microorganisms in this oil… their activity is too strong! Extremely aggressive! They literally eat metal!”

Lin Feng squatted down, carefully picking up theWaste filter cartridge with gloved hands. The system interface immediately popped up an analysis:

“Detected target: metal filter mesh severely corroded by unknown microorganisms.”

“Microorganism analysis: anaerobic, oleophilic, highly corrosive single-celled organism. Metabolic products have strong acidity and metal chelating ability. Preliminary determination: an extreme variant strain produced after the disaster, influenced by deep-sea anomalous energy (“Poseidon’s Eye”?). Codename: Iron-Corroding Bacteria.”

“Threat level: High (has destructive power on metal pipes, equipment, and engines).”

“Conventional purification methods are basically ineffective against it. High temperature (>300℃), strong oxidizing environment, or specific biological inhibitors are required for inactivation.”

“Iron-Corroding Bacteria…” Lin Feng murmured the name, his heart sinking. This terrifying microorganism seemed to be born to destroy human industrial civilization! No wonder Scarface’s men gave up after trying it! Without special equipment, it was simply impossible to deal with!

“Reporting, Captain! Captain Chen Hai and his team have arrived at the repair warehouse!” The communicator reported, “The warehouse door is locked tight, attempting to breach it! Internal situation of the warehouse is unknown!”

“Proceed with caution!” Lin Feng instructed, his gaze fixed on the corroded filter cartridge. Now, all hope rested on that potentially existing old refining equipment.

On shore, at the repair warehouse.

This was a huge factory building constructed from prefabricated steel plates, with its heavy door closed and a rusty padlock hanging on it. The surrounding area was piled with discarded containers and mechanical parts, looking like a steel graveyard in the night.

“Demolition team! Prepare for directional breaching!” Chen Hai observed the lock’s structure and decisively ordered.

“Wait!” Zhao Tiezhu suddenly spoke up. He squatted down, fumbled a few times at the base of a concrete pillar next to the warehouse door, and actually pulled out a dusty key wrapped in oil paper! “Old Zhang… he used to hide a spare key here…”

A hint of approval flashed in Chen Hai’s eyes: “Good job!”

The key was inserted into the keyhole and twisted hard.

Click!

The rusted lock spring made a screeching sound, but it actually opened!

“Alert!” Chen Hai barked. Two Marines immediately raised their rifles and cautiously pushed open the heavy warehouse door.

Creak—

The grating sound of metal friction was particularly harsh in the silent night. A dull smell, a mixture of engine oil, rust, and dust, wafted out. The interior of the huge warehouse was pitch black, with only the beams of flashlights sweeping across, illuminating mountains of various mechanical parts, discarded engines, huge hoisting tools… a scene of utter disarray.

“The refining equipment… should be deep inside…” Zhao Tiezhu led the way by memory. Everyone carefully navigated through the piled obstacles, the air thick with tension.

Suddenly!

“Clang!” A crisp sound came from deep within the warehouse! Like the sound of metal parts being knocked over!

“Who?!” Chen Hai sharply shouted, his gun barrel instantly pointing towards the source of the sound! All Marines immediately entered combat readiness, flashlight beams crossing and locking on!

“Don’t… don’t shoot! It’s me! It’s me!” A terrified, trembling voice spoke, with a heavy accent.

Under the locked beams of light, in the deepest part of the warehouse, behind a massive piece of equipment covered in gauges and pipes, a figure stood up, trembling. It was an old man, dressed in oil-stained blue overalls, with messy white hair, and a face full of wrinkles and terror. He looked at least sixty years old, still clutching a wrench tightly in his hand, like a startled rabbit.

“Old… Old Zhang?!” Zhao Tiezhu exclaimed, then burst into joy, “You’re still alive?! That’s great!”

“Tiezhu? Is that Tiezhu?!” Old Zhang recognized the newcomers, and tears instantly welled up in his cloudy eyes. The wrench in his hand clattered to the ground as he stumbled forward, “It really is you! They… they said you were all dead…”

“Engineer Zhang?” The accompanying engineering team leader also recognized the old man, surprised, “Engineer Zhang Defu? How… how did you hide here?”

Old Zhang, Zhang Defu, was precisely the veteran engineer of the port’s repair department! Before the disaster, he was renowned for his superb repair skills, especially adept at handling various difficult problems with ship machinery.

“I… I secretly hid in here when those Scarface beasts weren’t paying attention…” Zhang Defu wiped away tears, his voice choked, “They… they forced us to repair guns and vehicles, and if we couldn’t fix them, they’d beat us… and… and they even tried to snatch my toolbox… that’s how I make a living! So I… I hid…”

Chen Hai breathed a sigh of relief and signaled his team to stand down. Lin Feng, hearing the situation through the communicator, immediately ordered: “Confirm safety! Engineer Zhang, we urgently need that fuel refining equipment from the port! Do you know where it is? Can it still be used?”

“Refining equipment?” Zhang Defu paused, then pointed to a steel behemoth in the corner of the warehouse, half-covered by a tarpaulin, resembling a small chemical plant. “It’s… it’s over there! An old antique! It used to be used for processing low-quality heavy oil for ocean-going fishing vessels! A crude method of thermal cracking and catalytic refining! It hasn’t been operated for many years… parts are missing…”

Everyone’s gaze immediately focused on it. The equipment was indeed massive and old, covered in rust, with many pipes and valves missing, and the control panel was badly damaged, making it look like a pile of scrap metal.

The engineering team leader and engineers immediately gathered around, shining flashlights and inspecting it carefully, their expressions growing more solemn.

“Captain… the situation is not optimistic!” The engineering team leader reported into the communicator, “The main frame of the equipment is still there, but the seals of the critical high-pressure reactor are severely aged! The catalyst in the catalytic tower is probably long ineffective! The temperature control system is completely paralyzed! Without parts… to get it running again… is as difficult as ascending to heaven!”

Hope seemed to dwindle once more. Zhao Tiezhu also showed a look of disappointment.

Just then, Zhang Defu, trembling, walked to the equipment. His calloused hand caressed the cold steel, his eyes revealing a complex glow, like looking at an old companion: “Difficult… it is difficult… but… it’s not entirely hopeless…”

Everyone looked at him.

“Seals… there should still be spares in the warehouse… I remember them being pressed under those boxes over there…” Zhang Defu pointed to a pile of dusty wooden boxes in the corner, “Catalyst… we can use activated carbon and quicklime mixed in proportion to get by for a while… temperature control… temperature control is the most troublesome…” He frowned deeply, his gaze sweeping over the equipment, finally settling on a control box covered in knobs and damaged gauges, “This old fellow… originally had manual override bypass valves… it’s just… it requires someone to constantly monitor the thermometer and manually adjust the steam valves… it’s very dangerous! One slip-up and it could overpressure and explode!”

Manual operation! High temperature and high pressure! Dangerous!

The engineering team leader gasped: “This… this requires someone with a lot of experience…”

“I’ll do it!” Zhang Defu suddenly raised his head, a nearly obsessive light bursting from his cloudy eyes, “This machine… I’ve served it for half my life! Its quirks… I understand! Only I can make it move!”

His tone was resolute, carrying the absolute confidence of an old craftsman in his skill!

Lin Feng, hearing this on the ship, instantly made a decision. Talent! This was the real treasure! More important than any equipment!

“Engineer Zhang!” Lin Feng’s voice, through the communicator, was full of solemnity and trust, “The equipment repair and operation are entirely entrusted to you! Whatever parts, materials, or personnel you need, just ask! Chen Hai, fully cooperate with Engineer Zhang! You must ensure his safety!”

“Yes, Captain!” Chen Hai accepted the order with solemnity.

“Old Zhang… no, Engineer Zhang! It’s up to you!” Zhao Tiezhu also excitedly clapped Zhang Defu’s shoulder.

Zhang Defu nodded vigorously, no longer wasting words. He immediately seemed like a changed man, his hunched back appearing to straighten a bit. He directed the engineering team and the Marines: “Quick! Move those boxes! Find the spare parts box with the red mark! Xiao Liu, you go dismantle the pressure gauge from that old boiler, see if it can still be used! Tiezhu, take two men, go to the back storeroom and bring activated carbon! We need the large granular kind! Hurry! Time waits for no one!”

The warehouse instantly became busy. Under the precise direction of Engineer Zhang Defu, everyone seemed to have found their backbone. The spare seals were found, and although somewhat aged, they were still usable; the old pressure gauge salvaged from a discarded boiler was barely usable after simple calibration; activated carbon and quicklime were also quickly brought in.

Zhang Defu personally took action, his movements nimble, unlike an old man. He skillfully replaced the seals, filled the catalytic tower with the mixed activated carbon and quicklime, and then, with a bold and meticulous young engineer, climbed onto the dangerous equipment, beginning to cautiously manually operate those massive steam bypass valves.

“Open the main steam valve… slowly… even slower… watch the pressure gauge!” Zhang Defu’s voice was steady and focused, his oil-stained hands steadily controlling the valves. Sweat streamed down his graying temples, but he seemed oblivious.

Time passed minute by minute. The equipment began to emit a low hum, and the pipe temperature gradually rose. Everyone’s hearts were in their throats, nervously watching the trembling needle of the pressure gauge.

Meanwhile, on the ship.

Lin Feng was closely monitoring the progress on shore when the communications officer suddenly changed color: “Reporting, Captain! Drone reconnaissance has detected large-scale abnormal activity in the Zone E living area! A large number of armed militants are gathering! Their target… seems to be the direction of the Zone D oil storage tanks! Scarface is leading them personally! They are carrying heavy weapons! Rocket launchers!”

“What?!” Lin Feng’s eyes sharpened! They’ve come, just as expected!

“Order! Marines oil storage tank defense team! Immediately enter highest alert! Rely on fortifications, prepare to engage the enemy!”

“Main gun! Load high-explosive shells! Lock onto the main road from Zone E to Zone D! Await my command!”

“CIWS! Lock onto enemy heavy weapon operators!”

“Drones! Continue monitoring! Report enemy movements at all times!”

The shadow of battle once again loomed! The energy struggle entered its most brutal phase! Could Zhang Defu make that old antique spit out life-saving fuel before the enemy arrived?