Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 194: Restoring the thriving factory and preparing to mine gold in the swamp.

[Today's arrests: 3 infiltrators. Total arrests: 26. Ore reduction completed: 32 tons.]

Knight Eli, who had been temporarily appointed as the acting captain of the security team in the restoration workshop, was flipping through a well-worn copy of the "Commonly Used Dictionary of Xiawen" borrowed from the factory manager in one hand, and holding a black pen in the other. He stood in front of the huge whiteboard at the entrance of the restoration workshop, carefully filling out today's "Restoration Workshop Production Log".

Eri put down her pen and sighed deeply.

In that sigh, there was a sense of relief at the complete failure of the mission, a sense of helplessness at the cruel twists of fate, and perhaps a subtle, almost imperceptible, resignation hidden beneath the surface of resentment.

The organizational structure of the reduction workshop of the First Steel Plant in Hanhai Territory is very peculiar. Originally, apart from the factory director, there was no other employee in the workshop. Those who came and went to work were "assistant workers" or "labor dispatchers" arranged by the territory council.

During that "golden" period of continuous production, the reduction plant had a high priority and therefore received a sufficient supply of dispatched workers without any problems. Director Li did not realize the importance of "his own people".

Today, alarm bells are ringing for manpower shortages throughout the territory. Essential sectors requiring crucial supplies—food, fresh water, and port transportation—are unsurprisingly absorbing the vast majority of human resources.

Even though steel production remains on the "important" list, its ranking has inevitably been lowered again and again, which has caused serious displeasure to Factory Director Li Zelin.

Just then, Grand Knight Eri delivered himself to our doorstep, essentially opening up a self-recruiting assembly line for the restoration workshop.

As the number of personnel gradually increased, Director Li waved his hand and stuffed all the spies into the security team.

However, these guys are nominally security guards, but in reality, they also work as movers, production workers, repairmen, packers, cleaners, warehouse keepers, quality inspectors, coordinators, and so on!
After coming off the production line, they still had to serve tea and water to the factory manager, and do his laundry and polish his shoes.

Although the factory manager doesn't need to drink water at all...

That's right, now the security guard, Eri, finally knows what kind of person his factory manager is.

As the security captain, he had the right to access the factory's surveillance footage periodically, especially when catching spies at night. The various heroes who came had their own ways of hiding, and the high-tech thermal detector in the factory was their best helper.

Then, Eri finally discovered something that horrified him.

There were clearly five people at the scene, so why were there only four clusters of red light?
I was wondering why something felt off the day I was arrested...

After realizing this, Eri completely extinguished his little scheme.

For example, I was thinking of escaping while the factory manager was dozing off, but no way!

However, Eri wouldn't tell the new "security team" employees who still harbored various fantasies and wishful thinking. In particular, many of them were captured by Eri himself and had no idea what kind of "monster" the factory manager was. They had to be made aware of this.

Every time the factory manager went back inside to "rest," Knight Eri would deliberately close his eyes to relax or go to the toilet, creating opportunities for everyone.

Create some opportunities for someone to get their legs broken!

The factory rules are that strict; if someone leaves their post without permission, the factory manager will break their leg.

The local doctor will come and provide basic treatment, and the treatment costs will be borne by the individual. Eric has calculated that, based on everyone's monthly salary, one treatment will make them a worker in the restoration factory for life, and a ghost in the restoration factory for death!

In addition, even with a broken leg, they still have to work. They are usually tied to the bottom of a mechanical crane and are responsible for the final process, which is a physically demanding moving job.

As the production capacity of the reduction plant increased rapidly, Director Li's mood became visibly more cheerful.

Not only did he arrange for the territory council to hire a teacher to teach everyone Xiawen, but in his spare time he would also give the security guards some pointers or manifest a few guards as sparring partners.

As a result, the security team does all sorts of work except for security duties, and in their spare time they have to study literature and martial arts, making their burden even heavier!

But you know what, in this state, everyone was in a very high-energy state, which actually created a strange aura.

Just as Director Li's career was flourishing, Chen Mo, far away in Xuan Shui City in the north, was reading the documents transmitted from his home while racing against time to arrange the reconstruction work of Xuan Shui City.

Especially the Xuanshui Industrial Zone, which is of paramount importance.

Lord Chen Mo led his guards into the area on the third day after the "Rotten Swamp" stronghold was completely wiped out.

Although the flag of victory had been raised atop the city walls, Chen Mo's mood was far from relaxed. Through his interactions and intelligence analysis over this period, he had a particularly clear understanding of the extent to which the mentality of the ruled human race on this land had been distorted during their more than a century of enslavement.

Lord Chen Mo had no choice but to keep a low profile; at least for a while, he would need to borrow the orcs' tiger skin.

After two days of overseeing operations at the camp, arranging the clearing and security of the stronghold and surrounding areas, reassuring the personnel, disinfecting for disease control, and restoring order, the lord quickly freed up his hands and entered the swamp!

He wanted to see the Blackwater for himself.

This swamp was previously known as the "Rotten Swamp" by the otter-boar beastmen, a place of decay, but when you first step onto its edge, there's no sense of decay whatsoever. The elegant scenery is breathtaking, like stepping into a natural paradise forgotten by the hustle and bustle.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse trees, casting dappled patterns of light. Beneath my feet lay soft, slightly springy earth, each step feeling like walking on a thick carpet.

From the aerial view of a drone, clear, shallow puddles are everywhere, scattered here and there like broken mirrors, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and swaying water plants.

Several unidentified long-legged waterbirds strolled leisurely along the water's edge. Upon hearing the sound, they suddenly raised their heads alertly, then spread their wings and skimmed across the water's surface, leaving a long trail of ripples with their claws.

Worried that the gentleman might lose interest, Amu, who was leading the way, explained in a low voice, "Sir, this is what the outer edge of this swamp looks like. The water is flowing, but it's not so nice inside... and it doesn't smell good either."

Chen Mo waved his hand casually. He liked the beautiful scene, but he preferred the things deep in the swamp.

In its development, Dongxia often says, "We need both gold and silver mountains, and also green mountains and clear waters," but that's something to consider only after we've already accumulated gold and silver mountains.

Development is the only way forward, especially in this world of constant warfare and lurking crises.

As the group ventured deeper into the area, they passed through a patch of snow-white flowers interspersed with vibrant purple blossoms and entered a deep swamp.

The environment here has become more complicated.

Small patches of hard soil, low but dense woodlands, dangerous shallow wetlands, and bottomless muddy swamps are interspersed throughout. The most dangerous are the sections that require wading through water and mud, where the conditions beneath the surface are completely undetectable and could turn into life-threatening swamps at any moment.

In this silt mixed with a large amount of humus, once you slip and sink, there is nowhere to hold on to. The more you struggle, the faster you sink. Not to mention ordinary people, even low-level professionals will find it extremely difficult to get out if no one comes to their aid in time.

However, the otter-boar beastmen had already found a safe passage, marking a path leading into the depths of the swamp with various sizes of animal bones and crooked flags.

Some sections of the road are simply masterpieces of nature, leaving even Lord Chen in awe.

"Such a magical twist and turn, a masterpiece of craftsmanship, how much time and effort must have taken to discover it!"

Amu hesitated for a moment, then cautiously replied, "Master... Lord, the orcs didn't put in much effort. They just forced the slaves to go in, and once more people died, they found the way."

For a long time afterward, due to the lord's low spirits, the atmosphere was somewhat dull, and the whole thing became a constant rushing on and on.

As the group ventured deeper, the path became increasingly muddy and difficult to traverse, and the fresh, moist air was subtly tinged with a faint, oily feel. Crucially, the calls of birds and animals grew sparser, and even the insects fell silent; the clamor of life seemed to have been left far behind, and a deeper stillness began to envelop the surroundings.

Chen Mo knew that they were getting close to their true destination.

After passing through the last patch of low trees, the view suddenly opened up before us.

It was a vast swamp area, as if it had been splashed with countless drops of thick ink. Most of the surface was dry and cracked, forming a hard, gray-black shell that resembled a tortoise shell.

Ordinary plants are almost extinct here, with only a few particularly resilient shrubs and mosses struggling to show a few dim green spots in the dark mud.

Amidst the brownish-yellow and light green hues, there are clumps of black, a viscous, shimmering black that can be seen everywhere.

In some low-lying areas, a viscous, glossy black liquid still slowly seeps out and gathers, forming pools of oil. Under the sunlight, these pools shimmer with rainbow-like oil films, vividly illustrating what it means to have a multicolored black.

It looks magnificent from afar, but eerie up close.

Chen Mo had already put on his breathing mask. With a slight gesture, the professionals behind him quickly moved closer.

These are all top students selected for their academic performance. They have been repeatedly trained in Dongxia's curriculum recently and have barely mastered a set of "professional talents" who have only mastered a set of directional geological knowledge for petroleum.

Various instrument cases were opened one after another, the analyzer was turned on, and a series of beeping sounds filled the air.

Leading the way was a portable soil gas analyzer. The probe was inserted into the edge of a slightly pulsating oil pool, and the data on the instrument screen immediately began to fluctuate.

The team members began to refer to the instrument prompts, consult the manual, and announce their findings aloud.

"Report! The concentration of volatile organic compounds on the ground surface is significantly exceeded. The main components are suspected to be alkanes and aromatics, accompanied by trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide. Strict attention must be paid to ventilation, fire prevention, and explosion prevention during the sampling and construction work in this area."

The liquid sampling team placed multiple sampling tubes into the slot of a specially designed oil comprehensive analyzer: "After on-site sampling and screening, the API value ranged from 15 to 20, indicating that it is heavy crude oil. The wax content is moderate, the asphaltene content is high, and the pour point is expected to be relatively high as well."

The solid sampling team followed up with a report: "A distinct oil sand layer is visible, with fine particles and poor sorting. The oil and gas contamination depth exceeds one meter, indicating that oil seeps have been active in this area for a long time."

Unfortunately, due to a severe shortage of professional personnel, when Dongxia was planning for Hanhai, he crudely divided the analysis team into sampling and analysis groups for gaseous, liquid, and solid states, requiring them to memorize the operating procedures and key data indicators to ensure that each person performed their duties.

Another group of team members operated several georesistivity meters, inserting electrodes into different locations on the ground.

"Reporting to the Lord, the shallow layer has low resistivity, which is significantly different from the surrounding aquifer, consistent with the characteristics of highly conductive hydrocarbon accumulation. Preliminary judgment is that the shallow oil reservoir is affected by an unsealed fault structure, with oil and gas migrating vertically along the fractures and overflowing at the shallow surface, forming this large area of ​​oil and gas seeps and asphalt lake."

The team members struggled to read from the screen, and Chen Mo also had a hard time listening, but even if they only vaguely understood, they could basically grasp that it was all good news.

Chen Mo squatted down, dipped his glove in some dark, viscous crude oil, held it up to his eyes, and examined it carefully through his goggles.

It was a complex and intense scent, a unique aura belonging to the blood of the industrial age, and finally, the lord's face revealed the most relaxed smile he had shown in days.

Of course, some people are happy, and some are not.

No matter how fastidious Loma Wind Chaser was, he had to accompany him on this visit to unfamiliar territory, fulfilling his duty as a bodyguard. At this moment, the elf frowned tightly, gently covering his mouth and nose with a broad leaf, his eyes filled with obvious discomfort and disgust.

"My lord, if I may be so bold, this land is simply... filled with the stench of decay and death. Nature seems to have vanished and decayed here; all I see are the undecomposed remains of life."

The elf tilted his head slightly, using the wind to sweep away the strong smell of oil in front of him: "This is what you called... that great gift? I really find it hard to understand."

"That's right! This is a wonderful gift!"

After confirming the gas composition once more, Chen Mo pushed off his mask, letting himself be enveloped in the scent that caused him physical discomfort but also a pleasant mood.

"Nature is not just about lush greenery; such sedimentation is also part of nature's great power."

"You could even say that this is an unparalleled treasure left by nature. It is power, a power that inspires awe. If you know how to use it, it will repay this land a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

"You will soon see how vibrant life will emerge from this land that you regard as death!"

Loma Chasing Wind frowned and stared intently at Chen Mo, confirming that the lord was not joking, and could only shake her head helplessly.

For elves, the Fountain of Life is the power of nature, the Ancient Tree of War is the power of nature, the Thorn Vines are the power of nature, and the formidable magical beasts are the power of nature.

What kind of natural force is this black, viscous, humus-like residue that reeks of death?
Isera considered for a moment before slowly replying, "Your views are always so unique and insightful. Perhaps I'm just too bound by traditional thinking."

“The elves do not resist change; we simply… need time to understand.”

"We are really looking forward to your presentation!"

They say elves are all wise and cunning with age; they're clearly unconvinced, yet they speak so eloquently...

Could you bring over more Pokémon?

Chen Mo said no more, nodded to Isela, sat down on a large rock next to her, and, combining the multiple suggestions given by Dongxia through the eyepiece, quickly selected and recorded the basic layout for the development of the swamp oil field with his pen.

Shallow and rapid mining

Prioritize the use of existing seepage points and shallow enrichment areas, organize manpower to excavate diversion ditches, and guide crude oil to collect in pre-dug sedimentation tanks or oil storage tanks that have undergone simple seepage prevention treatment.

The collection methods mainly consist of basic manual scooping and electric pump extraction, aiming to achieve preliminary crude oil collection in the shortest possible time, while accumulating experience and raw materials.

[Preliminary Fractionation Plan]

Near the oil field, select an upwind area with relatively safe access and surrounding environment in hard soil, and construct at least one simple fractionation tower. The goal is to perform preliminary fractionation of the collected heavy crude oil to separate heavy oil, bitumen, and other potentially useful intermediate fractions.

Pay attention to improving the graded storage facilities, dividing the area into isolated zones, strictly emphasizing safety procedures, and with fire prevention and explosion prevention being of paramount importance!

[Industrial Development Vision]

Please have your support team, taking into account the characteristics of the oil products in this oilfield and fully considering the current limited industrial and materials science capabilities of Hanhai Ling, plan a suitable industrial development path for the local area, and provide corresponding technology and equipment, proceeding step by step and making rapid progress!

[Training of Industrial Workers]...

At this point, Chen Mo finally let out a heavy sigh.

Modifying humans is far more difficult than developing industry.

Let's take it one step at a time!
(End of this chapter)