CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 187 BREAKFAST AND WORK

The arrival of Qin Lan and Ding Ning brought some life to Chen Xin’s refuge.

After all, he had been the only person there. If he didn’t speak or make any noise, the entire refuge would become eerily quiet.

So even though the generator and ground source heat pump produced quite a bit of noise, Chen Xin never considered eliminating the noise or soundproofing because the sound reminded him he wasn’t living in a tomb and prevented him from feeling too claustrophobic from the silence.

However, the arrival of Qin Lan and Ding Ning brought other changes to Chen Xin’s life; at least now Chen Xin had to make breakfast for three people.

"Xin, is this what you eat for breakfast?" Ding Ning asked with a strange expression, watching Chen Xin prepare breakfast.

It wasn’t that Ding Ning thought Chen Xin’s breakfast was bad; rather, she thought it was too extravagant.

Fresh rice porridge could be attributed to Chen Xin growing his own rice, so it didn’t matter how it was eaten.

But the thinly sliced Iberian ham he had set aside was something Ding Ning found hard to accept. Even before the disaster, not many people would eat this for breakfast; it seemed excessively luxurious.

"You mean the Iberian ham? This was a gift from Xiao Long earlier. Things like ham degrade in quality if stored too long, and since I’ve already opened it, I can’t leave it for too long," Chen Xin explained, noticing that the porridge in the pot was nearly done. He turned off the stove and brought the prepared breakfast to the table.

After setting the table for breakfast, Ding Ning also brought over the bowls and chopsticks, and the three of them sat down to eat together.

"Smells great!" Though Ding Ning had mentioned the extravagance, when she tasted a slice of ham, she couldn’t help but exclaim in delight.

Qin Lan, however, seemed much quieter. No matter what, when she was hospitalized, Chen Xin would bring these items daily, so while she still found them delicious, she wasn’t as audibly expressive as Ding Ning.

But as they ate breakfast, Qin Lan asked Chen Xin, "Xin, is there anything you need us to help with? Although we’re here to protect you, we don’t want to just freeload, so feel free to ask if there’s anything you need help with."

Ding Ning quickly nodded and chimed in, "Yes, yes, let us know if there’s anything we can do. Don’t be like yesterday, asking formally only to end up having me water the plants."

"There are some things, but the relatively tedious and heavy work I already finished the other day, like plowing, sowing, and transplanting rice seedlings. If you had come a few days earlier, there would have been an endless amount of work." Hearing their willingness to help, Chen Xin thought for a moment before explaining, "Things are relatively light these days. The rice in the field just needs watering, and the vegetables in the hydroponic trays mostly take care of themselves."

"But we can’t just do nothing, can we? It feels like we’re here like freeloaders," Qin Lan still wanted to help Chen Xin with whatever she could.

Seeing Qin Lan so insistent, Chen Xin thought for a moment and said, "In that case, there is indeed something you can help with, Lan."

"What is it?" Qin Lan asked expectantly.

Chen Xin smiled, tapped her bowl with his chopsticks, and said, "First, eat your breakfast. We’ll talk afterward."

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Breakfast was quickly finished, and after Ding Ning took the initiative to help clean up the dishes, Chen Xin led the two of them to the oxygen machine in the refuge.

There were five oxygen machines in Chen Xin’s refuge; apart from the one in the living room, the other four were placed next to the generator.

"This is the algae oxygen machine in the refuge, primarily used to provide oxygen here. Because it’s a biological oxygen machine, the algae leave a lot of sediment," Chen Xin explained, tapping the green sediment at the bottom of the tank, introducing it to Ding Ning and Qin Lan, "These sediments are pure algae, similar to those spirulina health foods popular before the disaster. What I need your help with is scooping out the sediment from the tanks and adding it as raw material to the biogas reaction tank."

After Chen Xin explained, Ding Ning and Qin Lan understood what he wanted them to do.

Chen Xin picked up a bucket, placed it next to a valve at the base of the oxygen machine, and opened the valve while explaining, "This valve is used for extracting these sediments. Just open the valve and the sediments will be sucked out, and you just need to catch them with the bucket."

As the water flow from the valve carried out the sediment from the base of the oxygen machine, the bucket quickly filled with a large amount of dark green liquid.

And next to it, the sediment that had been a deep color was significantly reduced, appearing much lighter in color.

Chen Xin closed the valve, poured the green liquid from the bucket into another large container, then placed the bucket back under the valve and opened the valve again.

"Since the valve is mainly for draining water, it can’t thoroughly remove all the sediment in one go. It usually takes about three rounds for one oxygen machine." While explaining his method, Chen Xin tapped the large container next to him, "There’s a lot of sediment in the drained water, but it’s mainly water, so you’ll need to filter it in this large bucket to fish out all the sediment."

Saying that Chen Xin picked up a filter net hanging nearby and dipped it into the bucket, quickly gathering a layer of green algae on the net.

"Of course, you can also place the filter net over the bucket, which saves some work, but be careful not to spill water everywhere," Chen Xin said as he scraped the algae from the net into another bucket while handing the filter net to Qin Lan, "Put the filtered algae into this bucket, and the biogas reaction tank is over there with a label. Just open the lid and pour these into it, but it’s best to wear a mask when adding the materials due to the strong odor."

"Sounds rather tedious," Ding Ning couldn’t help but remark.

"It is a bit, which is why I’m considering how to modify it to make it less tedious, but I don’t have any ideas yet," Chen Xin nodded, acknowledging how cumbersome the process was, though he wasn’t in a hurry to improve it.

Qin Lan placed the filter net over the bucket, quickly filtering out quite a lot of green algae.

Pouring it into another bucket nearby, she said, "Leave this to me. All I need to do is filter out the algae sediment, right?"

Chen Xin nodded, pointing to the remaining sediment at the base of the oxygen machine, "Just scoop out these sediments. Once the bucket is full, take it to the biogas reaction tank to add the material, and you can work together."

Qin Lan and Ding Ning both nodded in agreement. The work seemed complicated but wasn’t really difficult or exhausting, and working together, they could finish quickly.

"Once you’ve scooped out the sediment, just open the intake valve next to it to refill the oxygen machine with water. It doesn’t need to be filled too much; there’s a scale on the tank, so just fill to that level." Having explained, Chen Xin turned and headed towards the growing greenhouse, leaving Ding Ning and Qin Lan to start extracting the sediment from the oxygen machines.

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While Chen Xin, Ding Ning, and Qin Lan were occupied with their respective tasks, the joint investigation team in the city convened a meeting to plan their next steps.

"Based on the clues we have, the next target of these terrorists is a refuge in the city, but we can’t yet determine which specific refuge. Therefore, all refuges must be well-defended." A high-ranking official spoke in the meeting room, his appearance conveying authority, and those seated at the meeting table listened attentively to his speech.

After the official’s speech, a city bureau leader in police uniform addressed the room, "Our bureau is taking this operation seriously, and we’ve deployed elite forces to collaborate with paramilitary forces, setting up joint defenses and control at each refuge. Checkpoints and defensive installations have been established at every refuge entrance to ensure that everyone entering and leaving the refuges is checked and no dangerous items are brought inside."

"Our paramilitary forces will also coordinate with the bureau to ensure the security of every refuge." A military officer in a paramilitary uniform, seated next to the city bureau leader, also pledged their support.

The high-ranking official hosting the meeting nodded in satisfaction, though his face showed no expression. These were basic requirements, necessary to avoid job losses or worse consequences during such tense times.

Previously, the attack on Refuge Number 2 in Baling County had resulted in a suicide attack, and those responsible for managing it, as well as the county’s administrative officials, were disciplined. Some were held accountable and detained, awaiting further action after the investigation ended.

"It’s not enough just to defend; we also need to be on the offensive! We must find these terrorists! Now, let’s have the city bureau brief us on the plans for the arrest operation," the high-ranking official set the tone, signaling the city bureau leader to speak.

The city bureau leader cleared his throat and said, "After two extensive investigations, we’ve pinpointed the terrorists’ activity area and are arranging the arrest operation..."

The city bureau leader detailed the arrest operations being arranged, and everyone attended closely to the briefing.

In a corner of the room, a city government official listened to the city’s bureau leader while his gaze flickered, seemingly deep in thought.