Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 334 The Birth of the First Human-Made Plastic Bag in Another World (Bonus Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets!)

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Zhao looked at the latest task list that popped up on the communicator. The sweet taste of the crab leg meat in his mouth still seemed to linger on his tongue, but his mind went blank.

"Shall we—accompany and escort the scientific expedition team?"

He couldn't help but look at it again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Isn't this task jumping a bit too far?

Just a moment ago they were preparing to dissect a giant seafood weighing several tons, and now they're going to be bodyguards?

And they're going to protect the research team at sea!

After thinking for a moment, he found a place, called back, and confirmed the actual situation.

The tired but clear voice of the command liaison officer came through the communicator: "It is indeed your squad."

"Can we handle it?" Zhao asked instinctively, then added, "Reporting, it's not that we're refusing, but we're not a professional navy, and our navigation and combat experience is insufficient!"

That's a very euphemistic way of putting it; these guys are less about sailing and more about sinking boats.

"I didn't send you there to be a helmsman and fight on the high seas." The liaison officer chuckled. "The Marines who were previously responsible for escorting the ships have been on high-intensity duty for a long time, and their bodies are almost at their limit. Now there's too much seafood to handle, and we're short-handed. After checking the dispatch, we found that you guys have had the fewest missions recently and are in the best condition."

The equipment deployed into the ocean is actually quite valuable, and they are responsible for recovering it. The sea areas that have been explored before are all safe.

Safety is of utmost importance. Although this mission may seem like a filler mission, it is still feasible to have Zhao and his team quickly cover the research team.

"Your mission is simple: be ready at all times to retrieve the scientific equipment previously deployed to the seabed, and utilize your reconnaissance instincts. Observe the situation alongside the research vessel. If any unmanageable danger is discovered, the first priority is not to engage the enemy, but to immediately, without delay, return to the sea! Bring the scientists back safely! Do you understand?"

"You're there to be eyes and warning systems, not to be heroes!"

These words instantly enlightened Zhao.

So that's what the job is like.

To put it simply, it's about using the special forces' keen intuition and rapid response capabilities to conduct a low-risk reconnaissance mission. However, this time the target of the reconnaissance is not the enemy, but the nearby sea area where there may be raging marine life.

There are satellites in the sky and various scientific research and monitoring equipment on the ground.

The probability of something going wrong is extremely low.

Even if something happens, they can just run away, and they are very professional when it comes to navigating maps.

"Okay! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Zhao snapped to attention, his voice booming.

After hanging up the communication, he immediately gathered the squadron that had just finished eating, and then selected a twelve-man squad to participate in the operation.

Zhao is no stranger to going overseas.

As someone who is half southerner, he served in the Southern Military Region after enlisting in the army and participated in deep-sea diving training more than once. He is intimately familiar with the salty sea breeze and the unfathomable dark blue seawater.

After arriving in this strange world, they spent a lot of time in the coastal areas and got a general idea of ​​the nature of this devilish sea.

However, the scientific research missions and the sudden abnormal sea conditions in the past few days have been too frequent, and the previous high-intensity continuous operations have drained too much of the troops' energy.

In particular, the naval forces responsible for protecting the research teams not only have to deal with monsters in the sea, but also have to be constantly on guard against unpredictable weather, which puts them under immense mental pressure.

Meanwhile, the scientists were in a hurry to retrieve the scientific research equipment they had previously deployed, fearing that those precious items would drift away with the ocean currents to the ends of the earth and never be found again.

After weighing the options, this temporary, idle force, fresh from the battlefield and singing songs while munching on crab legs, became the best choice.

Inside the command post, after signing his name on the mission sheet for Zhao, Bi Shengli rubbed his throbbing temples.

He looked up and saw that the entire camp was still brightly lit, like a huge, tireless machine.

Thanks to the Elven race's ingenious freezing technology, which can use energy particles to interfere with the weather, the pioneering team no longer had to deal with the seafood under the pressure of huge casualties.

The military has now begun arranging for soldiers who have been engaged in long-term combat to rotate and rest, and everything is getting back on track.

At the current pace, in another 48 hours, all the seafood that has not been frozen will be processed and turned into a real logistical food reserve in the warehouse.

He glanced at the dwarves' report and saw that each household had received more than 100 kilograms of seafood, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

The humans also provided them with a lot of small freezing equipment. These dwarves, who usually catch a lot of fish but don't eat much, are probably happily carrying things into their cellars right now.

Bi Shengli encrypted and transmitted the compiled data to Su Mingjin, who was far away in the rear, and Li Weiguo and the others on Earth.

After doing all this, he finally felt completely drained, and even standing up he was a little unsteady.

He arranged for the personnel to relieve him and dragged his weary steps toward the temporary rest area.

So far, he and senior commanders like Dou Jiankang have been working non-stop for more than 20 hours.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, he didn't even have the strength to take off his combat boots. He fell straight onto the cot and started snoring almost instantly!

If I don't recover soon, my body will really fall apart.

Hundreds of kilometers away in the north, in the joint industrial zone built with the time portal, a battle report that had just been triple-encrypted was delivered to Su Mingjin's desk.

The sender was Bi Shengli.

Upon seeing the sending time, Su Mingjin's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

This was the time when Bi Shengli was forced to take a break.

Su Mingjin guessed that the other party was working overtime again because they were busy.

She opened the battle report; the post-battle handling of Tranquil Harbor was proceeding smoothly. The elves' help had solved the pioneering team's biggest problem.

Besides this, the mountains of valuable seafood have been quickly broken down, processed, and stored.

At the end of the battle report was a somewhat urgent request.

"Applying to add three automated seafood production lines?"

Upon seeing this headline, Su Mingjin couldn't help but smile slightly.

Seafood?

It's amazing that they could come up with this.

Calling those giant deep-sea creatures, tens of meters long, "sea products" is something only pioneering team members would call that.

【approve】

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Mingjin signed her name on the application form.

She looked away from the report and gazed at the huge screen in the command center.

On the model, with Ningjing Port at its core, the outline of a new industrial zone is being illuminated.

From basic steel smelting to arsenals capable of producing the first-generation standard rifles and bullets, small but beautiful modular factories, though not producing large quantities, sprang up, enough to establish themselves in the other world.

This is the speed that the pioneering team is proud of.

But Su Mingjin knew in her heart that this was far from enough.

At present, the industrial level of the entire reclamation team can be said to have achieved a leap from nothing to something, to put it bluntly, it is barely moving from the level of World War II to the level of the 1960s and 1970s.

Moreover, its main focus is on military industry, while its development in various fields related to people's livelihoods is not good.

Unfortunately, industrial development is far more complex than imagined.

On Earth, a small guided missile represents a massive industrial chain involving dozens of categories and millions of employees.

From the most basic silicon ore purification to the precise wafer lithography, and then to the cutting-edge materials science and chemical industry, each link is interconnected and indispensable.

Currently, the pioneering team only has a little over 70,000 people at most.

Do they think they can replicate Earth's industrial miracles with just this few people?

That's wishful thinking.

Fortunately, the human pioneering team has a powerful Industrial Cthulhu behind them!

"It's still too slow—"

Su Mingjin murmured to herself, her fingertips lightly tracing across the screen in front of her. One by one, notifications appeared before her eyes, representing things that weren't very important but were under urgent construction.

After making some plans, Su Mingjin began to deal with the tasks for the day.

"Report." A capable assistant walked over and placed a new document on the table. "President Su, these are the test reports for the various robot optimization projects you requested earlier."

Su Mingjin nodded and accepted it.

Due to the harsh environment and high demands of the other world, the development of military and industrial robots has been given the highest priority.

Robots that were originally in the experimental or auxiliary stage on Earth and were mainly used in small industrial fields have been given a more important mission here.

The report shows that the latest generation of engineering robots can replace more than 40 percent of heavy manual labor and cover many dangerous areas.

Although they are not as efficient as humans, they are numerous.

If we categorize robots, humans are mainly responsible for various precision maintenance, low-risk, and highly flexible tasks. Other tasks can be directly performed by various types of robots.

Even if it takes a large number of robots to replace one human, multiple robots working together day and night can be just as effective as human labor.

Moreover, the robot only needs to consume a few kilowatt-hours of electricity to work for a day.

It's a bargain!

"At the current rate of iteration, within five years, we will be able to use robots to liberate the basic labor burden in the other world." The assistant's voice carried a hint of excitement. "According to the model, we may only need 100 million robots to build a complete and powerful basic industrial system in the other world from scratch."

Su Mingjin nodded, but her gaze fell on another page of the report, which contained the combat test data of the Sentinel combat robot.

"Okay, I'll check it out when I have time! You can go now!"

The female assistant paused for a moment, then immediately stood at attention: "Yes, sir!"

Watching her assistant turn and leave, Su Mingjin's gaze returned to the huge sand table.

The prototype of Industrial Cthulhu has emerged, but it is still very immature.

Before it grows into that behemoth that can crush everything, it needs enough time, and it also needs—enough nourishment.

"We're still too weak!"

Su Mingjin thought to herself, feeling somewhat annoyed!

It's worth noting that even now, the industrial sector in Industrial Cthulhu only accounts for 25%, and manufacturing accounts for a mere 29%.

This is not a good number.

If Industrial Cthulhu doesn't even reach 50% of the baseline, one person can't take on everyone alone.

Isn't that a risky move?

The implications and benefits of the time portal are immense!

Once other forces find out, they will definitely want a share of the profits from the other world.

Industrial Cthulhu absolutely forbids other forces from interfering.

If extreme pressure is applied at that time, all sorts of problems will inevitably arise.

Therefore, at this moment, Industrial Cthulhu is fragile and dangerous.

Well, even if this Industrial Cthulhu has mastered the world's most complete industrial chain and the latest generation of fighter jets, which can rival the technological strength of the world's leading technological overlord, it is still fragile.

A Cthulhu who cannot single-handedly challenge the world's industrial Cthulhu is definitely not a powerful Cthulhu.

"We need to at least double our strength to take on the whole world single-handedly! We're still too weak! Too weak!!!"

After confirming that Dou Jiankang and his team were in charge of Ningjing Port and that they were handling it well, Su Mingjin turned her attention back to the new place.

A few hours later, Su Mingjin changed into a full set of white protective clothing that covered her from head to toe. Surrounded by a group of otherworldly engineering progress recorders dressed in the same attire, she entered the factory, which was filled with a peculiar smell.

Her gaze, however, was sharp as she scanned the area ahead.

Even through various objects, she could feel the heat wave.

A huge plastic blown film machine is roaring tirelessly.

After the plastic granules are heated and melted, they are extruded through a ring die. Then, they are blown in by air and stretched into a huge, semi-transparent cylindrical film, which rises slowly and is finally flattened and rolled up by the rollers above.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, full of the unique rhythm of industrial creation.

Rolls of thin film, which can be found everywhere on Earth, are being continuously produced in this strange world.

Upon seeing these industrial structures, her voice rang out, though it sounded somewhat muffled from inside the hood: "This is the production workshop for chemical plastics? How's the output going?"

"Mr. Su, yes, that's all!"

Han Linchuan, who was in charge of the oil refining and chemical industry, quickly came forward. A thin layer of fog had formed on his goggles, but it could not hide the excitement in his eyes.

He pointed to the machine: "President Su, the current output isn't large, only about 50,000 tons a year, barely enough for the pioneering team to use in the other world and meet their most basic needs. Developing a machine capable of producing a million tons would require an enormous investment!"

"Oh, how much capital would be needed to expand production twentyfold?"

Han Linchuan replied with a smile, his tone carrying the pragmatism typical of engineers: "The estimated cost is about thirty times higher. At this scale and output, it offers the best cost-performance ratio."

Su Mingjin nodded slightly.

This current plan is the optimal solution for small-scale, efficient, and cost-effective petroleum refining and chemical by-product production by the pioneering team!

If production capacity is to be further expanded, the industrial input costs are extremely high.

Moreover, while the finances of the pioneering team were controlled by Earth, the two sides established a comprehensive economic and trade system to ensure the steady and gradual development of the pioneering team's rear, while also ensuring that the economic system did not expand too quickly and interfere with Earth's security and rapid development.

Don't underestimate a plastic bag workshop.

This thing may sound insignificant, but its value in civilian applications and various fields is immense.

These little things, which are overused or even disliked on Earth, are the pinnacle of heavy industry in this other world.

Looking across the globe, only a handful of powerful giants have been able to start from sand, oil, and minerals, gradually develop their technology, and ultimately create plastic bags.

The man who nearly overturned the European continent decades ago, San Dezi, also reached this level.

As for other so-called industrial powers, they may be able to excel in a certain field, but to independently manage the entire industrial chain is pure wishful thinking.

This thing is the true cornerstone of a great power and one of the ultimate proofs of a complete industrial system.

"In a few days, the Three Races Joint Supermarket will open." Su Mingjin's voice came through the communicator, carrying an undeniable weight. "At that time, some of our main products will need to be on the shelves! All kinds of things we urgently need must be completed as soon as possible, and we can't afford to have any problems."

The celestial convergence in this other world is incredibly powerful right now. Although the time portal didn't appear during that period, once it closes, what the pioneering team built in this other world will be their very foundation for survival. Su Mingjin naturally places great importance on this place.

For example, if the seafood piled up in Ningjing Port at this moment were vacuum-packed and kept at a suitable temperature, its storage time could be extended several times, and its strategic value would be incomparable.

"Just you wait and see, Mr. Su!" Han Linchuan patted his chest, making a loud thud as he patted his protective suit. "Technical verification and stable production are no longer a problem! Right now, the Sentinels' production capacity is mainly to ensure a basic supply for the 100-person level, to get Earth's technology running safely and stably in this other world. Let's solve the 'nothing' problem first. Once the production lines can catch up, however much equipment you give us, we'll lay as many eggs as you can!"

"Hmm." Su Mingjin's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

She stepped forward and carefully observed every detail of the production line, from the pellet feed inlet to the final winding machine, her eyes focused.

Petrochemicals, this massive industrial behemoth, can generate an endless stream of byproducts from just the chemical branch.

If we delve deeper, we can greatly enrich the livelihoods of the entire reclamation team in the future.

Currently, the military equipment of the land reclamation team is being steadily upgraded, while in the field of people's livelihood, the most critical issues of grain production and production areas have been resolved. Now, we are moving from simply filling our stomachs to eating well and using our resources effectively.

Farming and fighting were the most important things for the land reclamation team.

In the battle, the pioneering team has proven itself with a resounding victory.

Now, it's time to go back and solidify the foundation of "cultivation".

Once the food problem is completely resolved, all controlled territories can be connected to form a stable base, making the next expansion a natural progression.

As for the so-called three-race alliance's extermination of monsters, it was merely to collect necessary reference data for deeper strategic cooperation later on. Su Mingjin withdrew her gaze, turned around and left with satisfaction.

Plastic bags are just the beginning.

What kind of bewildered expression will those elves and dwarves have when they see the dazzling array of goods packaged in exquisite plastic at the United Supermarket?

She's really looking forward to it!!!