213: Chapter 212 Manganese Nodules

After witnessing the magic of the ecological cylinder, Lu Fan and An Lan, their hearts full of joy and visions for the future, slowly returned to the Shelter.

Back at the Shelter, An Lan lit the bonfire. The warm firelight reflected on their faces, dispelling some of the night's chill.

At the same time, in the storage yard of the Capital Square in Huaguo, ten million ecological cylinders were lined up in neat rows, creating a truly spectacular scene.

These ecological cylinders caught the eyes of countless people and also drew high-level attention from the Huaguo leadership.

An emergency meeting was quickly convened. The atmosphere in the meeting room was grave as leaders and experts sat in a circle, discussing how to properly handle these miraculous ecological cylinders.

"The appearance of these ecological cylinders is undoubtedly a massive opportunity, but it also brings many challenges."

"Indeed. With thirty times the production speed and only needing solar energy, our country's food production will receive a massive boost, leaving other nations far behind."

"This way, no country in the world will be able to hold us by the throat regarding food production."

A white-haired old expert frowned and spoke with a serious expression, "Of course, if these ecological cylinders fall into the hands of lawless individuals, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"They might use the ecological cylinders for illegal production, disrupting market order and endangering social security."

Everyone nodded in agreement. A leader dressed in military uniform then spoke: "Exactly. We must take immediate action and assign specialized personnel to protect this batch of ecological cylinders."

"Strengthen security measures and set up multiple lines of defense to prevent any coveting or sabotage by lawless elements."

"At the same time, we must be wary of infiltration by foreign powers. They will likely try every possible means to steal our technology and resources."

After a period of intense discussion, a consensus was finally reached.

Huaguo quickly formed a security team composed of elite troops and professional technicians to provide comprehensive protection for the ecological cylinders.

At the same time, monitoring and patrols in the surrounding areas were intensified to ensure everything was foolproof.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Earth, in the White House of the Pretty Country, a secret meeting was also in progress.

The President sat at the head of the conference table, his face grim and his eyes revealing a hint of anxiety and resentment.

"That Huaguo Contestant triggered a ten-million-fold rebate and obtained ten million ecological cylinders. This is a huge threat to us."

An aide spoke with concern, "If Huaguo uses these ecological cylinders to develop their agriculture, they will rise rapidly, and our dominant position might be shaken."

The President gave a cold snort, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes: "We must not let this happen! We must take action to stop Huaguo from becoming the sole superpower."

Thus, they began to formulate a series of conspiratorial plans.

First, they decided to send people to infiltrate the high-level leadership of Japan, using means such as money, power, and beauty to turn the chaotic Japan into a complete puppet state of the Pretty Country.

Once they controlled Japan's politics, economy, and military, they could use Japan's natural resources and geographical location to constrain and monitor Huaguo at any time, seeking greater benefits for themselves.

At the same time, the Pretty Country also exerted pressure on some surrounding small nations, forcing them to join the Pretty Country's camp through economic sanctions and military threats.

They promised these small nations certain aid and protection, but in reality, they planned to annex them so that the Pretty Country would have more contestants.

Regarding how to deal with Huaguo, the meeting involved intense discussion.

Everyone shared their views, proposing various schemes and plots.

Some suggested smearing Huaguo internationally to create public pressure; others proposed a joint economic blockade with other countries; some even advocated for starting a war to directly destroy Huaguo's ecological cylinders and related facilities.

However, these conspiracies did not escape the eyes of Huaguo's intelligence department.

Huaguo had already sensed the Pretty Country's ill intentions and began to strengthen its own defenses and countermeasures.

They actively engaged in diplomatic activities, establishing friendly cooperative relations with other countries to jointly oppose the Pretty Country's hegemonic actions.

At the same time, they increased investment in technological research and development and military construction, enhancing their own strength and competitiveness.

In this bloodless war, the contest between Huaguo and the Pretty Country had only just begun.

Who would win or lose, who was strong or weak, and who would be the final hegemon—the whole world was watching.

After witnessing the heaven-defying magic of the ecological cylinders, Lu Fan and An Lan returned to the Shelter.

"Staying on land all the time won't do. We need to explore the mysterious undersea world, otherwise today's exploration time will be wasted!"

Lu Fan proposed with great enthusiasm.

An Lan nodded without hesitation: "Alright, maybe we'll find some treasure!"

They turned to look at Da Hei, who was happily wagging his tail nearby. Lu Fan squatted down, rubbed Da Hei's head, and said with a smile, "Da Hei, you stay and guard the house. When we get back, we'll bring you something fun!"

Da Hei seemed to understand, barked twice, and lay down obediently at the entrance of the Shelter.

The two arrived at the seaside, took a deep breath, and dove into the deep blue seawater.

With yesterday's experience, the two were even more adept in the sea.

Using the seawater's wonderful buoyancy, they were like two cheerful dolphins, swimming forward with ease.

With a casual step, they could dart forward several meters.

"Let's explore a bit further this time and see what we can find."

"Okay." An Lan readily agreed to Lu Fan's proposal.

So, after deciding on a direction, the two immediately began exploring forward.

Along the way, schools of colorful fish, like a group of naughty little elves, swirled around them.

Before they knew it, they arrived in front of a mysterious Ocean Trench.

This trench was like a massive gash torn into the earth, deep and mysterious.

"This place doesn't look simple at all!"

Curiosity sparkled in Lu Fan's eyes as he impatiently swam toward the trench.

The trench looked incredibly wide, like a giant wound, making one feel a bit hair-raising.

Right at the edge of the trench, Lu Fan suddenly discovered some dark stones shimmering with a peculiar light in the dim seawater.

[Discovered Manganese Nodule Ore]

Lu Fan immediately sank and landed on the seabed.

These Manganese Nodules were like treasures sleeping on the ocean floor, exposed on the rocky walls of the trench.

Immediately after, Lu Fan began to explore the surrounding area.

He swam carefully along the direction of the ore vein, not missing a single corner.

"There's more here; this is a complete ore vein!" Lu Fan's voice was filled with joy and pride.

An Lan also swam over. Looking at the magnificent ore vein before her, she couldn't help but exclaim, "I didn't expect us to stumble upon such a massive treasure by accident!"

[Wilderness Survival Announcement]

[Huaguo Player Lu Fan triggered a ten thousand times rebate]

[Manganese Nodule Ore Vein (40 million tons content) * 10,000,000]

Holding a piece of ore, Lu Fan looked at An Lan and said, "This is Manganese Nodule ore. Although I don't know exactly what it's used for, since we found it, we'll take it. It should be useful to Huaguo."

An Lan nodded with a smile, "Fortunately, this ore vein is exposed; otherwise, mining it would be a problem."