Chapter 174: Chapter 155: The Dagger is Revealed Again, Ding Yang’s Request (2)

A hint of worry showed on Ding Yang’s face.

Once the word "radiation" was involved, things were never simple.

After all, Lin Qi had said he was going to build a nuclear reactor at Mo University Camp.

"Rest assured, Director Ding. Our technical knowledge of fission reactors is more than sufficient. In fact, we’ve moved past the primitive method of simply boiling water."

Lin Qi had complete confidence in the technology from the Cyber World.

Nuclear energy was already widely used in the Cyber World. They had achieved direct conversion of thermal energy to electrical energy with extremely high efficiency, omitting the crucial step of boiling water.

Ding Yang, however, didn’t understand what Lin Qi was saying. He only had a vague understanding of nuclear reactors.

He wasn’t aware that all the nuclear power plants in the Doomsday World still used humanity’s most primitive mechanical method. They used nuclear energy to heat water, which produced steam, and then used the steam’s kinetic energy to drive the generators.

Only if Ding Yang had a technical background would he have understood just how revolutionary Lin Qi’s statement—"moved past the primitive method of simply boiling water"—truly was.

Ding Yang relaxed considerably after Lin Qi’s reassurance, but then his expression subtly changed.

Lin Qi instantly sensed something was off.

He had seen this subtle shift in expression before.

It was the prelude to revealing one’s true intentions!

Just as he expected, Ding Yang’s next words were: "Lin Qi, Hongshan Camp has a massive power deficit right now. We’re using diesel generators, but we have a severe manpower shortage and can’t spare the effort to gather the necessary resources."

"How about this: once the nuclear reactor at Mo University Camp is complete, we connect it to the power grid. Hongshan Camp will assign personnel to maintain the grid, and you can run a dedicated power line to us."

These words from Ding Yang were not his own idea, but an order from Headquarters.

Its purpose was twofold: first, to solve Hongshan Camp’s power supply problem, and second, to see if Lin Qi really had the technical ability to build a nuclear reactor.

If Hongshan Camp failed to receive power in a timely manner, it would prove that Lin Qi’s motives for requesting the plutonium mixed-fuel were impure.

There were many capable people at Headquarters; they could always think of various ways to probe and gather intelligence.

Furthermore, the probing nature of this move was so subtle that even Lin Qi didn’t immediately grasp all its implications.

"Of course. But due to site and scale limitations, the reactor I’ve designed will have a generating capacity of only about 20,000 kW. I also estimate that Headquarters won’t send a large quantity of plutonium mixed-fuel, so we’ll have to use the materials sparingly."

These words left Ding Yang feeling a bit dizzy again.

He wasn’t very familiar with the unit of measurement Lin Qi had mentioned.

At his side, Jiang Zhenlong leaned over to Ding Yang and quietly explained, "That means it generates twenty thousand kilowatt-hours in an hour."

Put that way, Ding Yang understood.

’Twenty thousand kilowatt-hours an hour?’

’We could never use all that!’

’Definitely never use it all!’

Seeing that Ding Yang understood, Lin Qi continued, "Mo University Camp’s demand for electricity will be very high in the future. It will likely consume over ninety percent of the power generated."

’Ninety percent?’

’So that means there’s still 2,000 kW left for Hongshan Camp?’

’Two thousand kilowatt-hours an hour... that’s... over forty thousand a day?’

’We’ll never use it all!’

’Still, we could never use it all!’

’Hongshan Camp doesn’t have any production needs. There’s no way we could use that much power.’

Ding Yang nodded repeatedly, indicating this was not a problem.

After settling the reactor issue, it was time for the real business Ding Yang had come to discuss.

"Lin Qi, there’s another important matter. May I have a private word?"

Ding Yang glanced around, his eyes falling on Wang Ziru, before adding, "It’s about the intelligence your man delivered to Hongshan Camp yesterday."

’Yesterday’s intelligence?’

Lin Qi thought back.

Yesterday, when Lin Qi arrived in the Doomsday World, the Moon Worshiper rebellion happened.

During the incident, Lin Qi had obtained intelligence that a "calling" had appeared about two hundred kilometers south of Modu.

According to the Moon Worshipers, a new Blood Moon Envoy might be born there.

Lin Qi had sent the message to Hongshan Camp, not expecting them to follow up on the intelligence so quickly.

"Let’s go to the conference room."

Lin Qi was also cautious about this matter.

In his understanding, the so-called Blood Moon Envoys were almost equivalent to Wizards.

They might even be the original Wizards.

Lin Qi placed extreme importance on intelligence related to his own Extraordinary Profession.

Lin Qi and Ding Yang entered the conference room.

Wang Ziru and Jiang Zhenlong stood guard outside.

After entering the conference room, Ding Yang began his account.

"Yesterday, after receiving your intelligence, we immediately dispatched a squad on a locomotive to the camp in Shuining City to investigate. The squad reached their destination successfully, but they found no one at the location of Shuining Station."

"According to Headquarters’ orders, the train stations in every city, county, and district are to serve as rescue team garrisons."

"Finding it empty means one of two things: either the Shuining Rescue Team has been completely wiped out, or they evacuated the station for some reason."

"Furthermore, the squad felt a presence there similar to the one in Beining District before. I suspect Shuining City may have already fallen."

Ding Yang described the details and expressed his concern.

"Shuining City is too close to Modu. If Shuining City falls and a Tier Four Monster or a large number of Moon Worshipers appear, Modu will likely be impacted."

Hearing this, Lin Qi had a good idea of what Ding Yang would say next.

Just as he predicted, Ding Yang continued, "According to intelligence from Headquarters, after a situation like the one in Beining District occurs, a Tier Four Monster could emerge in as little as three to four days."

"Time is too tight now. Even if I immediately send people to Headquarters to request aid, the reinforcements likely won’t arrive in time."

"I’d like to request that Mo University Camp dispatch a force to Shuining City. If you can resolve this crisis, I guarantee I will put in a request with Headquarters for a First-Class Merit award on your behalf."

"You’ve already experienced the benefits of the Third- and Second-Class Merits, Lin Qi. I can guarantee you, the reward for a First-Class Merit will not disappoint."

Ding Yang had indeed come with a request.

And it was a big one.

Lin Qi didn’t give an immediate answer. Instead, he quietly began to ponder the situation.

He could flat-out refuse Ding Yang’s request. After all, Lin Qi had no urgent crisis to solve in the Cyber World right now.

If he stayed in Modu, a crisis two hundred kilometers away wouldn’t reach him for some time.

The resources Lin Qi had on hand were likely enough for him to smoothly become a Tier Three Wizard. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

’But... what about after that?’

’What about my future path?’

The rate at which monsters in the Doomsday World were strengthening was starting to defy logic.

His own rate of advancement was already faintly struggling to keep pace with the monsters’ increasing strength.

Even first-generation Moon Worshipers like Wei Yue were researching how to become Blood Moon Envoys.

If Lin Qi wanted to maintain his previous pace and continue treating the Doomsday World as his personal resource base, he had to increase his own rate of growth again.

The Dragon Country’s official First-Class Merit was quite a temptation.

’More importantly, the Blood Moon Envoy... its existence is too strongly correlated with the Wizard Profession.’

’As long as I can ensure my safety, I do need to gather more intelligence.’

’Relying on Wei Yue’s unstable mutterings for knowledge about the Extraordinary Side is too passive. I need to take the initiative.’

In other words, Lin Qi was very interested in Ding Yang’s request.

He was interested in the Moon Worshipers, the Blood Moon Envoy, and the First-Class Merit that Ding Yang had promised.

After thinking for a long while, Lin Qi said, "I can give it a try, but I’ll need to use the railway. I need to bring my Mecha with me."

It was two hundred kilometers. Lin Qi couldn’t possibly pilot the Mecha all the way there.

It was too far. The Mecha wasn’t suitable for long-distance travel; it was too slow.

Ding Yang immediately replied, "But of course. The locomotive is ready and waiting. You can depart from Hongshan Camp whenever you’re ready."

"Hongshan Camp can dispatch about twenty people to accompany you. That’s the most manpower we can spare right now."