After resting for two days, Xiao Wen and Wen Le plunged back into the conference room with the others to start working on this large batch of equipment.
Getting the machines is one thing, but if they can’t be put into use, every day of delay is equivalent to wasting a day. With so many machines, wasting one day of production would be a huge loss.
Yan Wei Guo and the others had already recovered from their shock two days ago, although every time they thought about it, they still felt as though they had been hit by the goddess of luck and were about to vomit blood.
Wen Le was still half-leaning in Xiao Wen’s arms, feeling sore all over, as he and everyone else studied the simple map that Han Ya had sent out to investigate over the past month.
“Captain Yan, we have no experience in building military factories. Please guide us,” Han Ya sought Yan Wei Guo’s help since no one else was speaking.
Yan Wei Guo smiled bitterly. Did they think he had experience just because they didn’t? This was a military factory, not a military strategy. How could he guide them?
Seeing Yan Wei Guo’s wry smile, Han Ya knew it was a difficult question to answer.
“I really have nothing to guide you on this matter, but I have a suggestion,” Yan Wei Guo said after thinking for a while.
All eyes, including Xiao Wen and Wen Le, lit up as they focused on Yan Wei Guo.
“It’s not just the first military factory in F City; as far as I know, other military factories are also built inside mountains. I don’t know the reason for this, but it has always been the case. There must be some reason we don’t know,” Yan Wei Guo explained.
Han Ya and Xiao Wen nodded in agreement. When they chose their location, they chose the center of Xiaya Snow Mountain, N City, and Salt Lake. If they were to build the military factory inside the mountain, the closest option would be Xiaya Snow Mountain.
Wen Le hesitated as he saw the thoughtful expressions of the others.
“If we build it in Xiaya Snow Mountain, won’t the construction cause too much noise and trigger an avalanche? Moreover, with the drastic temperature changes in the post-apocalyptic era, we can’t even tell if the mountain will be structurally stable,” Wen Le raised his concerns.
As Wen Le finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
Han Ya stared at Wen Le, and after a moment of silence, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead. Although he didn’t understand why Wen Le had such thoughts, his ideas were practical. Nowadays, the abnormality of the environment might have reactions beyond what they could think of.
“How about building it underground?” Yan Wei Guo looked up at the others. “Although I don’t know if the country only considered concealment when building military factories in the past, even if they did consider other factors, both underground and inside mountains are enclosed by soil, which still has some commonalities.”
The others thought about it, and they realized that their current environment didn’t offer many choices for factory locations. It had to be either above ground, underground, or built into a mountain like other weapons factories.
“Above ground, underground, or mountain, those are the only three options. Above ground is out of the question since it’s too conspicuous and risky. For underground, check with the registration office on base to see if they have any relevant professionals. If not, someone who knows about geological exploration would be necessary,” Han Ya said, looking at Lin Yan.
Lin Yan nodded and left the conference room to inquire about it.
“Furthermore, West Ya Snow Mountain is also within the scope of exploration. What you’re worried about, Wen, may not be that serious,” Han Ya continued.
With the factory location on hold, they had to think about the construction of the factory first.
“Wen, what machines did you bring back when you returned? ” Han Ya asked.
Faced with Han Ya’s question, Wen Le blinked innocently and shook his head. He had no idea what they had brought back. It was all so chaotic back then, and he didn’t have time to figure out the equipment.
Suddenly, Wen Le slapped the table and closed his eyes, delving into his mental space. Why didn’t he think of the data they collected earlier? Perhaps there were even notes on the things to consider when choosing a location!
The others looked on in confusion as Wen Le went through his series of actions, but then several large filing cabinets appeared next to the conference room wall, along with three computers and some scattered files on the table.
Without explanation, everyone knew what these things were for.
No one was in a hurry to look at the files in front of them. Xiao Wen thought silently, tapping his fingers on the table unconsciously.
“Captain Yan, arrange some trusted people to come and help. Han Ya, we can only choose some of the brothers who came with us to deal with these things together,” he said.
Yan Wei Guo nodded and asked Bai Yang to arrange it.
The things here were too important. If anything leaked out, it could easily cause great harm.
Except for Han Ya and Bai Yang, who were tasked with arranging personnel, everyone else left the meeting room.
After greeting Yan Wei Guo, Wen Le and Xiao Wen returned to their own small cabin.
Without saying a word, Wen Le rushed to the bed and climbed on top of it.
Although his previous exhaustion had eased, he still couldn’t help feeling sore.
Xiao Wen smiled and watched him, feeling both amused and sympathetic.
Wen Le lay on the bed for a while before getting up to look at Xiao Wen, who was sitting at the head of the bed, his eyes half-closed, pondering.
Wen Le tugged on Xiao Wen’s clothes.
“What are you thinking about?”
Xiao Wen turned his head and picked up Wen Le, smiling and kissing his on the cheek.
“I’m thinking about what our next step should be.”
“Next step?” Wen Le didn’t understand. Weren’t they currently working on rebuilding the arsenal factory?
Xiao Wen rested his chin on Wen Le’s shoulder.
“Our base is now stable, and once the arsenal factory is built, we will have a strong foothold in the post-apocalyptic world. I’m just hesitant about whether we should wait until the factory is built before we enter the Central Plains or if we should go there first. After all, if we wait too long, there will be fewer and fewer people waiting for our rescue.”
Hearing Xiao Wen’s words, Wen Le fell silent.
Xiao Wen’s hesitation was understandable. From a safety standpoint, once the arsenal factory was built and put into use, they would have a strong backing, even comparable to the large bases that emerged later in the post-apocalyptic world. However, if they entered the Central Plains before the factory was built, they could be targeted by other major bases, and the factory’s secrets could be exposed. In that case, the seemingly stable base they had now could easily be destroyed.
“But from a human moral perspective, they now have some means of self-preservation, but what about others? What about those who are still struggling in the besieged cities of the Central Plains? Maybe if they leave one day later, many people who could have survived will lose their lives for the sake of safety and steady progress? Or is it because of their compassion that they are willing to take risks?”
“What do you hope to do?” asked Wen Le.
Xiao Wen met Wen Le’s clear and gentle gaze, pulled the corners of his mouth, and sighed, “I hope to find a balance between the two.”
Wen Le was helpless.
It’s not so easy to find a balance.
“Have you talked to them about this?” asked Wen Le.
Xiao Wen shook his head.
“Let’s talk to them when we have the chance and see what they think. If these two points are not easily reconciled, we’ll just have to follow the majority. Leave it to fate,” Wen Le said with a shrug.
Xiao Wen laughed and pinched Wen Le’s nose.
Wen Le’s eyes suddenly lit up and he burst out laughing.
Xiao Wen raised an eyebrow.
“Regardless of when we enter the Central Plains, I think our top priority is to get enough gasoline, right?”
Xiao Wen was taken aback and laughed, realizing he had forgotten about this.
“Didn’t we talk about this on the way to F City before? What did we say then?” Wen Le squinted his eyes and tried to remember.
“After some thought, the closest oil field to us should be Yumen Oilfield. However, in terms of safety, the Tarim Oilfield is definitely the safest oil field in the country. The only problem is that we don’t have enough gasoline to make it there.” Xiao Wen said, considering the options.
Wen Le nodded. It seemed like they had to go out and get some gasoline, at least enough to get them to an oil field or the Central Plains.
Thinking it over, Xiao Wen placed Wen Le back on the bed and got up to find Han Ya.
Wen Le watched as the door was closed behind Xiao Wen, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
In his previous life, his ignorance and naivete had caused Xiao Wen to experience too much pain and suffering, ultimately resulting in a cold and ruthless demeanor. In this life, his change had spared Xiao Wen and the others from many setbacks, but it also made Xiao Wen hesitate in a way that shouldn’t exist.
Human morality?
Wen Le sneered.
If their secret was exposed and they lost their lives, it would be an unwise decision. From another perspective, only if they could live long and safe lives could they truly save more people.
However, as things stand now, gasoline is not so easy to come by. Not to mention the hassle of finding oil wells along the way, even if they arrive at the oil field, there may not be readily available gasoline for them to take. If there is not enough gasoline, turning crude oil into gasoline is not an easy task.
Although he had intended to prevent Xiao Wen from easily entering the Central Plains, Wen Le could not ignore the safety of everyone just for this matter.
It seems that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the target for them will be the Tarim Oil Field.
Wen Le couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
Now that the factory’s machines have been acquired, although it was a stroke of good luck, it has also made everyone’s gaze more far-sighted and able to move forward more confidently in future development. Therefore, the trip to the Tarim Oil Field would definitely not be the only one.
After the apocalypse, oil field production must have stopped, just like the supply of weapons couldn’t keep up, which is why everyone felt that the gains from the factory were so huge. The future supply of gasoline would also be a problem.
If humanity wants to survive in the apocalypse, the recovery and restoration of oil fields will eventually be on the agenda for all bases.
Although the Tarim Oil Field is located in a harsh geographic environment, the biggest enemy in the apocalypse is the zombies. Even in a harsh environment, it is still better than facing a large number of zombies. Therefore, when people’s attention starts to focus on gasoline issues, the Tarim Oil Field will definitely be the most popular prize and become the object of competition among all the bases.
It seems necessary to find a way to firmly grasp the Tarim Oil Field in their hands!
Thanks for the chapter!