Seven o'clock in the evening.

The night was dark.

Next to the towering steel fortress, a heavy truck came to a steady stop.

Compared to the driver who jumped out of the car, the volume of the car can be described by the word majestic. However, if you put it together with the steel platform and the tracks beside it, the majestic figure seems a little small.

From afar, it looks like a small worm crawling on the side of a shoe.

The driver who got off the car operated the automatic loading and unloading platform with a flat plate to unload the cubes of metal from the truck.

These metal blocks are all pressed from recycled garbage, and the specifications are cubes with a length, width and height of one meter, and the density varies between 6~7g/cm³.

There were doors, hoods, and all sorts of metal parts, all of which were pressed together so tightly that it was hard to tell what they looked like before.

I have to say that the residents of those shelters are really capable, not only physically fit, but also very enthusiastic about their work, and they have almost scraped off everything that can be recycled.

The only slot is that they seem to have stuffed things that can't be recycled into them......

But it doesn't hurt.

These pieces of metal are then sent to a dedicated processing shop, where they move from module to module and go through a series of automated production processes before finally becoming what they need.

Waste that cannot be used is automatically removed from the production line during the production process.

Wearing a thick protective suit and a hard hat, the engineer unfolded the flexible screen of the tablet and walked towards Li De, who was standing next to the temporary warehouse.

"A total of 112 tonnes of scrap are collected today, and I will send them to the production line later, and tomorrow I can start replacing the tracks."

Li De: "How much steel do we need in total?" I mean, that kind of garbage. ”

Engineer: "At least 3000 tons...... Maybe 5,000 tons. ”

Li De frowned.

"Why is the error so big?"

The engineer said helplessly.

"No way, the quality of the steel of those civilian vehicles is too poor, it is estimated that in order to save cost and weight, it is filled with a large number of carbon-based copolymers that cannot be recycled, plus the oxidized part, basically a ton of scrap steel can be recycled out of 400 kilograms is very optimistic."

"I also have to say that we need not only steel, but also rare metals...... I don't expect to get titanium or uranium in this place, but tungsten is the bottom line. Otherwise, we will have to push another 500 kilometers to the west, and we will have to break anchor again. ”

Tracks, wheels and hubs are the hardest hit areas of attrition.

Not to mention mechanical structures such as bearings and transmission wheels, which are necessary to replace them regularly, even if they are not as badly worn as tracks.

In fact, it stands to reason that in the kind of underground garage that is not soaked in water, the recycling value of abandoned vehicles is relatively high, and the recycling rate can reach almost 40% or even 50%.

If it is those waste vehicles exposed to the wilderness or unmanned roads, the recycling rate of 30% is enough.

After all, rainwater is weakly acidic under natural conditions, and even if the acidity of carbonic acid is weak, two consecutive centuries of "pickling", even if the material technology is advanced, will be lost.

And pickling is more deadly than oxidation, oxidation is just rust, and the frame may collapse, but the metal elements are still there, and they won't run. If it is pickling, the ionized cations will be carried into the soil by the rainwater, and you will not be able to find them.

Li De's brow furrowed even tighter, and he carefully counted what the engineer said to him in his heart.

500 km and anchor again......

According to the route they planned on the map, 500 kilometers may not be able to get out of the valley province.

If you break down in the wilderness, you're really called a calf.

"I understand the situation, and I will ask the people from the Marine Operations Section to send a search team to focus on searching for rare metal materials in this area."

The engineer shook his head.

"Expecting to find it difficult in this area, I proposed to look near the Fifth Ring Road in Qingquan City. One of the most basic common senses, the more intensive the civilization activities, the higher the macro utilization rate of rare metals. Especially those maglev vehicles, whether it is the magnetic generation device on the vehicle, or the high-rise buildings along the way and the maglev roadbed buried under the road, all contain what we need...... These are not found in suburbs without a three-dimensional road network. ”

"Also, the search for controlled fusion fuel rods has to start quickly, and the fuel rod we are currently using has only 8% fusion fuel left, and even if our tracks don't break down, I'm afraid we'll have to find a place to stop and solve this problem."

Li De: "How long is the remaining energy enough?" ”

Engineer: "It's long enough for us, but you know, we can't stay here forever. ”

If it's just that bit of production, the 8% of the energy is enough for them to use next year.

But like his engineers said, they couldn't stay here forever.

The most energy-hungry part of this overland fortress is not the production halls on it, but its four engines.

Pushing tens of thousands of tons of fortresses on land smoothly, if converted to diesel engines, it is estimated that a kilometer will cost several tons of fuel, which is equivalent to 1~2 armored divisions marching on off-road terrain.

Li De: "The contact point for Vault 404 has just been built, and their people are helping us find a guide, and we should be able to leave within two days at the earliest, so it shouldn't be a big problem." ”

The Engineer sighed.

"Hopefully, it's not so urgent to recover the nuclear fuel rods as long as you can find them before you go. Speaking of which, I have to praise the blue jackets, who are more efficient than I expected. What benefits did you promise them? I think their work is like a drug. ”

When he said the second half of the sentence, the engineer looked at his boss with a look of disbelief on his face.

Li De also had a complicated expression on his face, as if he didn't know how to answer this question.

To be honest, when he saw the results of today's resource collection, he was also surprised.

Based on their previous experience, it is not bad to hire local survivors to help pick up garbage, and to collect 300 kilograms of garbage a day, after all, it takes time to cut, carry, and compact, and those natives are relatively stupid, and they have to do all kinds of work, which makes people's blood pressure soar.

However, these blue coats actually took only one afternoon, and the per capita collection volume was more than 500 kilograms! Achieved 200% of what they expected!

If they were given a whole day, wouldn't the per capita waste picking capacity be more than one ton?

There is no one who is enthusiastic about this work!

Although it has nothing to do with him, Li De can't help but wonder how much salary their managers have given them to make them motivated to be like this.

"What about them?"

"Already back, now cooking in the camp."

Li De nodded.

It's good that I'm back safely.

At this time, a staff member of the logistics department suddenly walked from the side.

"Section Chief, I have your phone."

"Transfer the communication to me."

Taking out the earphones the size of a toothpick box from his pocket and hanging them next to his ear, Li De stretched out his index finger and tapped it on the white earphones.

The dark green beam of light was projected forward, and a three-dimensional hologram was quickly woven in front of it, revealing the outline of the opponent's facial features and a bust.

"Your holographic communication system is good, how much does it cost?"

Looking at Chu Guang, who was curious about a large number of people, Li De coughed lightly.

“…… We're not thinking about selling this for the time being. ”

"Okay."

Chu Guang in the hologram nodded, as if to show understanding, and Li De hoped that he really understood.

Squeezing a smile from his face, Li De continued.

"What's the matter?"

Chu Guang didn't answer this question directly, but looked at him and smiled, and said in a relaxed tone.

"It's nothing special, I just want to ask, how do you feel about the efficiency of our laborers?"

"Very ...... Pretty good. Li De originally wanted to say that it was very good, but suddenly thought that there was an old fox in front of him who was good at disguise, and immediately changed his words temporarily.

However, unfortunately, the other party seemed to catch the change in the expression on his face, and the corners of his mouth curled up with a not-so-obvious smile.

Li De suddenly felt a little remorseful.

Or you shouldn't have gotten this hologram communication device over.

The original intention of this thing is to make communication easier.

But now it seems that there is only one person who is convenient.

"I'm glad to get such a high rating from you!"

"Well, it's not as high as you think, but it's not bad. I have to admit that your workers are very dedicated, which is very valuable. ”

"So let's talk about the cost!"

Hearing this, Li De's expression changed instantly. Although it is far from turning its face, it is still somewhat unsightly.

"Isn't the salary negotiated, my friend? Temporary price increases are not a sign of keeping promises. ”

"Please don't be nervous, my friend," Chu Guang smiled softly, signaling him to relax and continued, "I'm not talking about salary, I'm about ...... Well, value-added services. ”

"Value-added services?" Li De was stunned for a moment, and his tense expression subconsciously relaxed a little.

It was the first time he had heard such a strange word.

Chu Guang smiled and continued: "Yes, if you want to improve the efficiency of the laborers, you have to stuff money into their pockets and bribe them to work harder, instead of paying them dead wages...... Or to put it more euphemistically, you have to give them a commission, so that they can feel the joy of growth from the process of production. Want to know how I do it? ”

Li De wanted to say that he didn't want to know, but he always felt that no matter what he said, this guy would find an excuse to continue the topic, so he simply stopped talking.

Sure enough, the manager of the blue coat in front of him did not "disappoint" him. This guy didn't even give him time to answer, and continued to talk to himself without a second of pause.

"In addition to the stipulated hourly wage, I give them a sum of money for every kilogram of scrap they collect, so they will work hard. The numbers you see now from the production list, not because of how courageous and powerful they are and what you call dedication, but because I threw money at it. ”

Li De didn't want to hear it anymore.

Going around and around actually means the same thing.

He said with a straight face.

"How much do you want?"

Chu Guang smiled and said.

"Not much, for the sake of our intimate relationship, every ton...... Well, how about the 5CR? It's just a few extra buckets of instant noodles for you. ”

Although he won't use the money to buy instant noodles.

After hearing Chu Guang's request, Li De did not immediately express his position, but silently calculated an account in his heart.

If the production capacity is 200 tons per day, then it means that they have to spend an additional 1000CR of budget.

How so?

This number happens to be stuck in a very ambiguous one. ambiguous intervals.

If they don't pay this money, then the other party is not expected to use the "extra" money to subsidize their labor and stimulate them to increase production. At that time, even if those blue coats don't grind foreign work, I'm afraid it will be difficult to work as hard as they do today.

Is it to spend an extra budget of nearly a thousand CR per day to buy so-called value-added services?

Or will we maintain our current fixed expenses and bring production capacity down to "normal" levels?

Chu Guang did not urge, and waited patiently for the head of the logistics section to think.

His brows were flabby and furrowed, and he seemed to have made a judgment in his heart, Li De said with a straight face, staring at his hologram.

"What about today's value-added services? Do I have to pay you an extra sum of money? ”

Hearing this, a pleasant smile appeared on Chu Guang's face.

Having worked in sales, he knows this too well.

When the customer keeps inquiring or picking on the thorns, it means that he is hesitating in his heart, maybe he will buy, maybe not, the probability is five or five.

And when the customer puts aside the deal itself and asks about the inconsequential giveaways, the deal is basically secured.

All you need to do is make the customer feel like they're taking advantage.

"That's not necessary, today's 6 hours is a trial period for value-added services, and there is no charge."

Li De smiled.

"You've taught me a lesson...... If you are interested in working in the company, I can write you a letter of introduction and recommend you to enter the management team. Seriously, you're a shame to stay in this place. ”

Chu Guang said modestly: "Don't dare, I'm just so that my residents can live in this miserable world, so I'm more careful about my life." ”

I feel a little more comfortable.

Li De sighed lightly, glanced at the sky, and slowly nodded his raised head.

"Deal."

……

An additional budget of about 1000CR per day is not unacceptable.

After all, in any case, the labor cost here is much cheaper than the cost of machinery, and the efficiency of the latter may not be higher than the former in a complex environment.

1000CR is only 500 kilograms of grain, or a ton of monosaccharides or polysaccharides that can be synthesized by "consuming a little air".

If they need a gunpowder rifle, it's even better, and it's cheaper to dispose of the leftovers from the machined parts than a crop that takes time to cultivate.

At this time, several soldiers and drivers of the Marine Warfare Section, as well as engineers, were hooking their shoulders and backs, talking and laughing from the direction of the camp for the residents of the Vault.

"That croissant mashed potatoes are delicious!"

"How did they come up with it? You can actually use steam to cook food! And it makes it so delicious! ”

"Judging from the data, it seems that people ate like this 300 years ago."

"300 years ago?! That's a long way ago. ”

"Yes, older than the Age of Prosperity...... However, I doubt that if you only use steaming, you can really kill the microorganisms in the food. ”

"Look at your ignorant appearance, the temperature of steam is much higher than boiling water!"

"That's the truth...... Well, the only thing that can be found is that it is more fuel-intensive, boiling the water first, and then heating the food with water vapor, these blue coats are quite enjoyable. ”

"Strange knowledge has increased again."

Today's work is over, and if there are no emergencies, the rest of the time is their own.

The most comfortable enjoyment in life is to get off work on time after a busy day, take a warm shower comfortably, and then go to the cafeteria to pick up a cup of synthetic milk or hot cocoa, and go to the activity room to play two games of billiards or poker with colleagues, and chat a few words by the way.

By the way, you have to share the joy of tasting the food with everyone!

For the money of a bucket of instant noodles, you can buy a bowl of fragrant mashed potatoes, which is simply too affordable!

And there's also pine nut fish soup tonight! It seems to be called by that name.

I don't know what kind of grass those blue coats put in the soup, which actually made those fishy and stinky mutated catfish smell less stinky, and when you bite into it, you have a feeling of full collagen, and the texture and taste are simply amazing!

The food they usually eat is relatively light, less salt and less oil, although the nutrition is completely sufficient, but the taste is always a little less meaningful.

Those blue coats' "canteens" are good everywhere, and the only fly in the ointment is that they need to bring their own dishes and chopsticks, and there are no disposable bowls.

But it's not a big deal for them.

A few people first found the engineer brother who was engaged in production in the logistics department to discuss, and quickly persuaded the guy with a bowl of mashed potatoes, let him operate the processing workshop with a tablet, and gave them a few thin steel bowls like paper, as well as a spoon for drinking soup.

These steel bowls are not pure steel, but polymer composite steel, and the material is mainly leftover from cutting steel, plus some cheap synthetic resins, and the cost is very cheap. They are all used as disposable dishes and chopsticks, and they are thrown away when they are used up, and even the effort of washing dishes is saved.

“…… After we were busy outside, those lucky dogs were sitting in the office blowing hot air, which was so infuriating! ”

"That's it, if you don't show off with them, I'm sorry for the northwest wind we drank today!"

"Agree, you have to show off a wave!"

"Hahaha, these dogs are hungry!"

A group of young men came to a consensus and stood on the elevator with a smile and a smile on the part of the crowd, which felt like discovering an oasis in the desert.

Li De, who was standing not far away to count the materials, and the engineer holding the tablet looked confused, as if they understood what they were saying, but they didn't seem to understand.

“……？”

“？”