The real world.

Somewhere.

Following the footsteps of the staff, Gao Jianhui came to a spacious room. The décor is somewhat drab, like a makeshift room, with only furniture consisting of a bookshelf, a coffee table and two sofas.

The eyed young man sat on the couch, and when he saw him, he immediately got up from the couch and spoke to him politely.

"Hello Academician Gao! Please be seated. ”

Gao Jianhui didn't refuse, sat down on the sofa opposite the young man, looked this person up and down a few times, and had no impression in his memory, thinking that he was not in the same system as himself.

At about 8 o'clock last night, he received an invitation letter from a well-known academic institution in China, but when he arrived at his destination early in the morning, he did not see any admission instructions for academic lectures, but was invited to a special car.

"We have learned through various investigations that you are an expert in the field of rock mechanics and mining engineering, and we took the liberty of inviting you here—"

"What's so mysterious, it's a special car transfer, and it's a confidentiality agreement," interrupted the lengthy opening remarks with a light cough, and Academician Gao said succinctly, "If you have something, just say it directly." ”

The man said politely.

"It's just a routine procedure, so please understand."

"Can I smoke a cigarette?"

"Of course, you are free."

Gao Jianhui took out a lighter from his pocket, lit a cigarette for himself, stared at the laptop on the coffee table, and squinted slightly.

Just as he was about to ask what it was for, the young man with glasses got up and held the mouse, opened the photos in the folder, and said politely.

"Please take a look at this."

"It's ......"

As soon as the two words came out of his mouth, his brow furrowed slightly, and a soft sigh came out of his mouth. The right hand holding the cigarette held the mouse, and unconsciously flipped it down, and his eyes became more and more surprised.

Joint development of shaft + ramp?

It was the first time he had ever seen the main transport system designed in such a way.

Of course, it wasn't just the main transport system that surprised him.

The longitudinal section of the entire mine doesn't look like a mine at all, but like a sophisticated instrument. Each block has a clear division of labor and can be closely coordinated.

But......

The problem with this design scheme is also obvious, that is, it is too idealistic!

Many design ideas are simply not possible with the current state of the art.

It is not difficult to cycle mining 24 hours a day, and unmanned mining is not impossible, but like this, the mining face moves down synchronously with the mining system, completely detached from manual intelligent mining......

He dared to assert that no mine in the world could do it.

After a long time, Academician Gao looked up at the man sitting opposite, with a hint of seriousness in his interested eyes.

“…… Where did you get these photos? ”

The young man did not answer the question immediately.

"Before I answer that question, I'd like to hear what you think of these photos."

Gao Jianhui thought for a moment and gave an evaluation.

"It's a very special design, and if I'm not mistaken, the whole mine should use a complete set of intelligent mining systems, which is similar to the design concept of the Kiruna iron ore mine in Sweden...... But you can't see anything just by looking at the appearance, do you have more photos? ”

The bespectacled man had a helpless expression on his face.

"Sorry, that's all for the time being...... Can you tell me about that similarity, and what are the specific embodiments? ”

"Intelligent." Gao Jianhui said immediately.

The man immediately asked.

"Intelligent? Can you be more specific? ”

Gao Jianhui thought for a while and replied.

"The Kiruna mine is known not only for its high-grade iron ore, but also for its intelligent mining systems, including drilling, charging, loading, transporting, lifting, ...... All operating processes can be carried out by remote control. Only a very small number of workers are needed to complete all production processes throughout the mine. ”

"In addition, not only intelligence, but also their research in the field of deep mining under one kilometer, as well as their experience in dealing with problems such as increased ground pressure, increased rock temperature, mine lifting, drainage, support, ventilation, filling, environmental protection, etc., are also worth learning."

The man listened attentively and kept taking notes.

After the old academician had finished speaking, he then asked about the part he was most concerned about.

"What about the ...... in this picture? What about the mines? ”

Gao Jianhui leaned back on the sofa and said in a flat tone.

"I can only talk about what I know, I can't talk about what you have in this picture, it's not the same field as what I'm studying. I'm assuming that this kind of device will work successfully, and at least a hundred problems that we haven't found a solution to yet, you know what that means? ”

The man with glasses swallowed.

"What does that mean?"

"That means it's likely that the picture was composited, or CG made using film technology."

Hearing Academician Gao's answer, the man was stunned, and then laughed.

"Indeed...... We cannot rule out this possibility. ”

Gao Jianhui paused for a moment and continued.

"I don't know what you're doing, but in my opinion, a lot of the ideas in it don't really make sense. Let's put it this way, the whole building is built on unresolved 'assumptions,' like patterns carved into gold bracelets. It's not the patterns that are valuable, it's the gold, so I'm asking if you have any more photos or information. ”

"If we can figure out how to solve the outstanding problems, we can make something like this without using this design at all. And even solving one of the technical difficulties can greatly improve our existing mining technology. ”

"For example, one of the difficulties in the deep fill mining project that my students have been working on recently is how to reduce the frictional resistance of the filling material transportation pipeline. If we can solve the problem, we can improve the energy consumption and efficiency of backfill mining by a large margin. ”

"As for what you mean? I can't answer it, but I would venture to imagine that if we could go down a kilometer and the cost of mining would be discounted by another five or six percent, and all the deposits that could not be exploited could be exploited......"

"Guess we can find iron ore under our feet that is higher grade than Australia and South America? Guess how much impact this will have on the local economy, national finances, and industrial structure? ”

"Don't say you use it yourself, you can really make this mining system, I think the reverse exit is more than enough!"

The reserves of resources are a relative concept, and with the development of mining and exploration technology, the reserves of resources will be exploited more and more.

The denser the material, the more likely it is to accumulate downward during magmatic activity and diagenesis, so the closer it is to the center of the earth, the more resources can be used. In contrast, the little resources on the planet's surface are just scratching the surface.

Looking at the young man with an increasingly excited expression, Gao Jianhui flicked the cigarette ash in the ashtray and teased with a smile.

"When have you been so idle? Daydreaming with an old man with me. ”

He had probably guessed the identity and position of the person in front of him, but he didn't expect them to find a problem in his professional field of consulting.

In any case, what I research is still a bit far from national security.

Those who are engaged in geological and geographic information next door may even be able to get a little bit of edge.

Reining in his excited expression, the man with glasses coughed lightly, did not answer the question, and reached out to close the laptop gently.

“…… I'm sorry I can't say too much about the case we're working on, it's top secret. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to cooperate with us, and let me send you back. ”

"Understood."

Gao Jianhui pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and waved his hand.

"Just call me next time you have any questions, it will make people nervous."

The man with glasses nodded, and was about to get up to open the door for the old academician.

However, at this moment, he suddenly thought of something, so he tore a piece of paper from the notebook next to him, wrote down a string of letters and handed it to the old man.

Gao Jianhui stretched out his hand to take it and glanced at it.

"What is this?"

"A web address."

The man with glasses smiled and said, "While I can't tell you more details about our case, these photos were found on the discussion board of this website." ”

The point is that you can't stop it if you want to.

The whole website is like a black box, and any information leaked out of it is what the black box wants them to know. Any attempt to open the black box proves invalid, and the website is blocked unless the entire Internet is blocked.

Now the most likely speculation is that that website and the "Wasteland Online" game should be the enlightenment or investigation of human civilization by some advanced civilization.

Considering that many of the technologies on display in the game have far exceeded – or even departed from the current level of civilization on Earth, the entire case has been characterized as "Type III Contact".

As for the motives of this civilization "codenamed X", it remains to be further studied.

But for now, at least neutral and above contact.

Considering to avoid causing a wider panic, they decided to temporarily block news about extraterrestrial civilizations, keeping an eye on them with a cautious attitude.

"Website?"

Interesting.

Academician Gao raised his eyebrows and stuffed the note into his pocket.

Let's take a look at it when I have time.

……

Wasteland.

Xizhou City.

Wu Chengyi, who put down the communicator, leaned back in his chair, his expression a little heavy.

Just a few minutes earlier, he had made contact with the administrators of the new alliance through the communications equipment provided by the Burning Corps.

The other party did not go around in circles with him, and directly stated the position of the new alliance-

The new alliance will include Xizhou City in the recovery zone and build a survivor settlement near Xizhou Lake to house slaves freed from the marauders, as well as survivors willing to join the new alliance.

It's more like a notice than a discussion.

Thinking of the man's wording on the phone, Wu Chengyi looked at the notebook in his hand.

Those few lines of scribbled self were the ones he had just jotted down.

[Xizhou City Industrial Zone Development Plan, and Reconstruction of New Rehabilitation Areas and Survivor Settlements Draft]

In his opinion.

It's a lot like a pie.

The war with the Tooth Clan is not known how long it will take, and the people of the New Alliance have already begun to imagine the future with them.

However, Wu Chengyi admitted.

This cake does smell good.

"Take my lieutenant for me...... And the rest of the Resistance's top brass all shouted. Wu Chengyi threw the notebook on the table and looked at his assistant and said.

The assistant nodded, and immediately turned and left the office.

After a while, a dozen people walked in from outside.

Standing here were the administrative officials of the town of Hope, as well as the officers of the guerrillas.

The people present exchanged glances and whispered to each other, not understanding why the mayor had called them here.

Glancing around at the people present, Wu Chengyi slowly spoke.

"Ten minutes ago, I got in touch with the administrators of the new alliance."

This sentence was like a bomb that was thrown in the crowd. Everyone who heard this sentence showed surprised expressions on their faces.

Without waiting for his subordinates to ask questions, Wu Chengyi continued.

"Overall, the call went well, and the new coalition threw an olive branch to us and promised us 500,000 silver dollars worth of aid, including food, medicine and even weapons that we desperately needed...... These supplies will be delivered in the form of airdrops. ”

He didn't know what the concept of half a million silver coins was.

But an automatic rifle costs 200 silver coins, and a kilogram of green wheat only costs 1~2 silver coins...... This was the reference given to him by the manager named Chu Guang.

With this assistance, they will undoubtedly be able to get through the current situation more smoothly, and the food shortages and diseases caused by the plague will be resolved.

At least to some extent.

This condition can be said to be quite generous, and it can even be said that it is unbelievably generous. However, it is precisely because of this that people feel abnormal.

"I wonder if this is gratuitous?" The adjutant standing next to Wu Chengyi asked cautiously.

"Of course not."

Wu Chengyi paused for a moment and continued.

"After the end of the war, the new alliance will include Xizhou City in the recovery zone."

There was silence in the room for a moment.

Everyone looked at each other.

They didn't know what the recovery zone was, but what it meant...... Is the new alliance planning to bring this into their territory?

Or in other words, a little bit with Chiguo, that is, annexation.

Wu Chengyi continued.

"The New Alliance intends to make Xizhou City their heavy industry base in the future, and he promised me that when the war is over, any survivors who wish to join them will be able to obtain the status of a resident of the New Alliance, as well as legal rights equal to the residents of Dawning City...... This includes receiving education, participating in the selection of municipal personnel, and so on. If they are not willing to join the new alliance, they will not interfere in any way, as long as we do not get in the way of their work. ”

The adjutant standing next to him continued to ask.

"What about us?"

Wu Chengyi replied.

"They recognized the heroism of the guerrillas in resisting the Tooth Clan, and if we wanted to, they would have incorporated us into their ranks. Of course, if we want to change our lifestyle, they will also give us a severance pay at their discretion, and we will decide to stay. ”

Hearing this, many high-ranking members of the guerrillas breathed a sigh of relief, and the expressions on their faces relaxed a little.

The new alliance is willing to admit them into its ranks, rather than confiscate their weapons, at least to show that the other side treats them as their own.

If you don't want to continue fighting, you can still get a severance pay, which can be regarded as an explanation for those team members who were born and died for them.

Not everyone is so optimistic, though.

A high-ranking member of the Resistance frowned slightly.

"It sounds like a handout."

Wu Chengyi smiled.

"Does that still sound like that?"

In fact, it is not a bad thing that someone is willing to give alms.

Wu Chengyi knew very well that his people were no different from beggars now, and there was no point in dwelling too much on those irrelevant things.

The adjutant looked at him and asked.

"What are you going to do?"

Wu Chengyi didn't speak, and lit a homemade cigarette.

"I haven't thought about it yet......"

"I called you here to ask what you think."

At this time, the logistics director, who had not spoken, suddenly spoke.

"I don't think it's a bad thing to join a new league...... It's not even the only option we have. ”

The crowd looked at him.

Including Wu Chengyi.

The head of logistics paused for a moment and continued.

"There are at least tens of thousands of survivors captured by the Tooth Clan...... This is not only our compatriots, but also the people captured by the marauders from the central part of the valley province. If the new alliance were to return home with the spoils of war after the war, we would be in a worse situation than we are now. ”

A huge number of hungry people.

Plus the raging plague.

If you take over your compatriots who have been saved, they will be crushed by the food crisis.

And if those people are left alone, no matter what justification they use and the survivors who support them, they will lose the legitimacy of the regime......

Staring at the burned cigarette in his hand, Wu Chengyi fell into deep thought.

After a long time, he spoke.

"You're right."

……

Chu Guang originally thought that the guerrilla captain named Wu Chengyi would have to struggle for a week before accepting his proposal.

However, what he didn't expect was that he received a call back that night.

"I have a better proposal." After the phone was connected, this was Wu Chengyi's first sentence.

Hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Chu Guang, who was reviewing the documents, stopped what he was doing and raised his eyebrows with interest.

"Oh?"

"I have discussed with other members of the Resistance, and we agreed that the city of Xizhou will have a brighter future under the leadership of the new coalition. You need people and space, we want to live with dignity, and if you're willing to accept us, why don't we just work together a little more thoroughly? ”

After a pause, Wu Chengyi said solemnly in a serious tone.

"It was our unanimous decision."

"Allow us to join your cause!"

Hearing this, Chu Guang was slightly stunned.

To be honest, he was a bit of a surprise.

Previously, he considered the various problems that might be faced by the annexation of Xizhou City by coercion, so he came up with a relatively modest plan, intending to copy the development model of Dawning City in the past, so that the local survivors would be attracted by the aura of civilization and voluntarily contribute to the unbreakable alliance.

It turned out to be good guys.

Dare to love the other party is more anxious than himself to come in, but the pretending to be reserved has become himself?

Reining in his intriguing expression, Chu Guang, who was sitting on the sofa, cleared his throat and answered the proposal of the leader of the resistance group in two words.

Or a request.

"Welcome!"

……

Early the next morning.

Xizhou City, an abandoned underground shopping mall connected to a subway tunnel.

Ragged and numb survivors returned from the secret doors of the subway tunnel with shriveled handbags.

The daytime in Xizhou City belongs to the marauders.

Only when it is completely dark can they safely go out and scavenge for waste.

Before going back to bed, the scavengers need to go to the warehouse where they can exchange their supplies, exchange the trash they picked up last night for nutritional paste, or exchange the prey they have hunted for a few necessities and medicines.

It is said to be prey, but it is actually a mouse.

For these scavengers, this is almost the only source of meat.

As for why it is almost ......

It's better not to get to the bottom of things during special periods.

As always, today's harvest was still pitiful, and the New Alliance had fewer and fewer exchanges with the Chewy Bone Clan patrols, which meant that they would have a hard time recovering the shells dropped by both sides.

The marauders' tanks were also largely driven to the front line, trucks with machine guns were on the move, and groups of marauders went to the south.

It looks like the war is about to be decided.

The Chewing Bone Tribes are under the constant strategic bombardment of the new alliance, both mentally and physically. The body is already on the verge of limit.

Even the garbage pickers could feel that the looters were going crazy with torture......

However, it will not be easy for the new alliance to win this war.

There are simply too many of those marauders.

Discussing when the war was over was the most popular topic in Hopetown, with long lines of people lining up in front of the warehouse talking about when the new alliance would be able to drive out the marauders and what they were going to do when the war was over.

Whenever these things are talked about, even the most confused people can't help but have a little more courage in their hearts to persevere.

Aside from their families, this is probably the only faith that sustains them on.

At this moment, the sound of an announcement suddenly came from above everyone's heads.

"After high-level research and decision by the survivor resistance movement organization in Xizhou City, starting from the date of this announcement, Hope Town will be officially incorporated into the United Front for the Rejuvenation of Human Civilization and become part of the new alliance......

The content of the announcement is very long.

This includes the date of the official handover of administration, as well as the status of residents of the new coalition, the future arrangements of the guerrillas, and so on.

The town chief surnamed Wu spoke for half an hour before stopping.

However, the scavengers standing at the door of the warehouse, and the residents huddled in their shacks to endure hunger, did not listen to what he had to say.

They didn't even have time to digest the amount of information in the first sentence of the broadcast.

People stopped talking, exchanging glances and expressions with surprise, delight, surprise, and doubt on their faces...... As well as unbelievable.

Joining a new alliance?

This...... Sounds like a happy event.

But did this guy really wake up?!