CHAPTER 1829: CHAPTER 1655: SELF-SUFFICIENCY

North Africa Zone.

The workers are gradually showing up for work.

- People from Huaxia.

- Arab people.

- European people.

All busy on this land because banks from all three parties are lenders for this project, naturally they have to be looked after. Otherwise, if other countries earn from it, it’s not easy for the banks to explain to higher-ups.

This time of day.

The sun isn’t too harsh anymore.

"Buzz! Clang Clang!"

The mixer station starts working.

Concrete pours into the tanker trucks, delivering it to where it needs to go. Given the current pace of the project, the main use of concrete is to build roads connecting Tamanrasset highway networks.

With this through.

It can reduce the two-hour drive to less than half an hour.

At the gate.

Dragging dust.

A cement truck stopped.

"Twenty tons."

The driver gets out.

Hands a document to the window.

Then.

Drives the truck to the unloading area, unlike the usual bagged cement, given the large amount the mixer station uses, it comes in special iron boxes and is unloaded through hoisting at the site.

Fast.

Efficient.

Of course.

Weighing during hoisting.

"No problem."

The information is transmitted to the gate.

The relevant personnel stamps, signs, and keeps a copy of the document, and on return, the driver also hauls another empty iron box because the cement delivered may not be used immediately.

Some trucks have higher horsepower.

With an additional trailer, transporting forty tons in one go.

Overload?

Not quite, since they have more tires.

Subsequently.

Cement trucks keep coming, not from thousands of miles away, but from the city of Tamanrasset.

At the end of the year before last.

When the legislator was still the mayor, they attracted investment for a cement factory, which is now in production. Though not large, it is more than sufficient to supply the park.

Gravel is easy to manage too.

Usually using pebble for construction.

However.

In desert areas, it’s hard to obtain, but it has a general substitute --- rock. After rock crushing, it meets construction requirements. As for sand, desert sand cannot be used directly.

Needs processing.

Fortunately.

This technology is much cheaper compared to transporting from a thousand miles away. Desert sand, being in dust form, is unusable; it must be of a certain grain size, mixed with differently sized stone chips.

Absolutely fine.

As for steel.

No choice.

Has to be transported from a thousand miles away.

...

Storage Area.

Five black SUVs sped in, braking sharply to stop at a workshed on site.

Immediately.

Caught the workers’ attention.

"What happened?"

"Don’t know."

"There shouldn’t be safety drills today."

"None."

"A convoy returned today, probably training like last time." Someone recalled having been through this before, initially tense until it was explained.

"Oh."

Indeed.

As that person said, they merely came by and quickly left, zooming away.

"It was just training."

"Good."

"Back to work."

"This Huaxia company sure is wealthy, having armored vehicles is one thing, but they even equipped helicopters." An Arab worker showed envy; the helicopter test flight had made the whole mining area quite the sensation.

"Work honestly, they don’t lack people."

"What a pity."

"Nothing to pity, once the park is built, they’ll definitely need to hire a lot of employees. You live right in Tamanrasset, you can apply. I heard they’re hiring at least two thousand locals."

"Just waiting for that day."

The person said excitedly.

Good pay.

Close to home.

Who would want to constantly move with the construction sites?

...

On the other side.

The drill continued.

In the vehicle.

The central control screen synchronized with the messages, a red dot blinking continuously while spreading out. What amazed the new team members was that in an emergency, the first to be sent out wasn’t people.

But the UAV.

Currently.

The footage was live, transmitted from the UAV.

Stable.

Clear.

...

Evening.

The sunset.

The temperature dropped dramatically; once the sun dipped below the horizon, the breeze carried some warmth. By midnight, it wasn’t warmth but a coolness, sometimes genuinely comfortable.

Security Department.

Cafeteria.

They organized a not so ceremonious welcome for the new colleagues.

"With limited conditions, we can’t provide free-flowing drinks or lavish feasts, but our welcome for new colleagues is sincere. In the coming days, may we live up to the company’s expectations."

"Thank you."

No nonsense.

Just one message.

No extravagant drinking.

But ensuring each person could have a can of beer. Most here could handle half a jin of baijiu, this one can of beer couldn’t get anyone drunk; of course, those on duty at night were an exception.

Not intoxicating.

But rules must be obeyed still.

The beers can be taken back and drunk during non-duty hours.

"Refreshing."

Chilled beer.

Chilled to the bone.

"The grilled lamb is excellent."

"I’ll try it."

"Good, isn’t it?"

"Absolutely."

"Once the breeding farm is up, eating it daily won’t be a problem."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Just the fruit’s a bit troublesome as it has to be brought in from outside." In terms of assurance, the company has done its best. The current menu is quite varied, though not as extensive as the Central African zone yet.

That is complete.

Nowadays.

The Central African zone can already achieve food self-sufficiency. Through temperature and environment control technology, off-season vegetables and various northern and southern vegetables can be cultivated.

Hearing this.

The new team members were full of anticipation.

...

After dinner.

Enjoying the cool weather.

Many people strolled around the living area.

At this moment.

It was lively, too; employees from other departments also came out for a walk after dinner. Not just employees of Wan Qing Mining, many construction unit employees were also strolling around here, making it a daily routine.

In the desert.

Elsewhere, it’s all sand; only here can you see some green.

Walking.

Feels like you’re in a small town.

The living area doesn’t only have people from Wan Qing Mining; there are also those from construction units. However, unlike Wan Qing Mining, they mainly reside on the fringes of the living area for centralized and convenient management.

However.

Many project department personnel live nearby; the whole mining area is too big. Without vehicles, it’s a snail’s pace to travel; walking from east to west takes hours, so workers’ accommodations are mostly close by.

Prefabricated houses.

Also have air conditioning, water, and electricity, though not as good as these conditions.

This way.

Wake up.

Eat.

Just a few steps to work.

Otherwise.

For all to reside in the living area, the construction units would waste time commuting, and their vehicles wouldn’t be sufficient. At this moment, vehicles continuously drive into the living area, touring the supermarket.

The living area has a large supermarket.

Managed by the Logistics Department of the zone.

Affordable prices.

Wide variety.

Workers come here for daily necessities, buying in bulk, which places considerable pressure on logistics; yet the company obliged Tang Qing’s demand --- ensuring the quality of life here.

Jingcheng.

Document Clerk of the Chinese Construction Enterprise Project Department.

After dinner.

Came to the supermarket.

Wow!

Like always, at night, this place resembles a bustling market.

People coming and going.

Fortunately.

The supermarket offers home delivery service; large purchases need reservation. Otherwise, many items would be cleared off the shelves shortly after stocking. Even so, the stocking employees are extremely busy.

Walking into the supermarket.

Crowded.

Arab people.

European people.

Huaxia people.

And some Africans, unlike the initial rush, now everyone knows the strength of the company’s Logistics Department, so they aren’t worried about running out of goods, being much more rational.

A bottle of beer.

European.

A pack of sunflower seeds.

Qiaqia brand.

This is Jingcheng’s only evening pleasure.