Monster Dismantling Company

Chapter 35 Diqiu

The train traveled through the miasma-filled wasteland, its elevated tracks placing it above the swamps and invasive beasts on the ground. However, this train, soaring through the air, brought no change to this land.

This desolate scene doesn't exactly inspire a appetite, but we still have to eat.

At lunchtime, the attendants pushing the food carts began delivering meals to each person according to the order list.

Stainless steel food carts drove across the floor, carrying the aroma of food from afar until they passed by the two people—it seemed that their 98 yuan ginkgo shrimp set meal was not among these food carts.

As Li Lin passed by, he glanced at them. The boxed meals were in insulated containers, but they weren't sealed in plastic; instead, they were in tin containers. The dishes and rice were placed separately.

Besides, he could smell the aroma of a wok when he was close by—clearly, all these boxed meals were freshly made.

That food truck wasn't just equipped with a microwave; it actually had a kitchen inside. It stocked up on ingredients, and everything was prepared on-site. The menu changed based on the ingredients replenished at stations along the route, and the truck used the easiest-to-prepare side dishes to mass-produce boxed meals.

That's understandable, since they didn't specify the side dishes when ordering, only the main course. The side dishes are not fixed and will be adjusted based on the main course.

Li Lin vaguely saw someone unpacking their lunchbox at a nearby seat. Underneath the main dish were stir-fried broccoli, edamame with chicken, and wood ear mushrooms with eggs. All were stir-fried dishes with a strong wok hei (wok aroma), indicating that the vehicle had a plentiful energy supply.

This is one of the few things that are completely abundant these days. After all, miasma brings not only disasters but also opportunities. In the boundless miasma wilderness, animals and plants grow wildly, and farmland cultivated using miasma can easily break through the limits of past yields per acre—of course, the speed at which miasma-infested wild boars destroy crops can also break through limits.

In terms of energy, the miasma environment provides an incredibly abundant supply. For example, the animal fat in this vehicle wasn't all directly extracted from the bodies of monsters. In fact, the changes these powerful monsters made to the surrounding environment after their deaths were quite diverse.

Extremely high concentrations of miasma can indeed kill people, but its edges often become fertile lands where resources, including energy, can be freely extracted.

The place Li Lin is going to this time is an energy center—the Diqiu Fortress in the Thunder Swamp.

Diqiu, located in the core area adjacent to Leize, is within the jurisdiction of Chanzhou. The station was established in Diqiu because Diqiu is a large oil field, also known as the Zhongyuan Oil Field.

Legend has it that when Thor was slain, the location of his head formed the core of Thunder Swamp. The location of Diqiu is said to be where Thor's liver resided. This altered the ecology of Diqiu, causing high-energy oils to spring up everywhere. These are generally black, but in a few rich areas, even a light, golden oil can be found. After extraction and filtration, they can be used directly as fuel without much processing.

The oil field is virtually inexhaustible. Its production continues to rise year after year because the surrounding environment constantly generates new oil. If a drilling site runs dry, it can be filled again in just a few months with minimal maintenance.

However, this intensive mining also triggered a conflict with the miasma environment. The wild beasts in the wilderness grew much larger than elsewhere, including some powerful elephants. As a result, Diqiu became a fortified area. The "loyal" army summoned by Shenhe Plain gathered in Diqiu, and while visiting Diqiu, they could also refuel there before continuing their journey.

Li Lin leaned back: "Sometimes I think, although we suffered a disaster, the environment seems to have become more abundant than before? At least our appetites haven't suffered along with it."

Lin Zhiqing nodded: "The textbook says that in the early stages of civilization, humanity was in a state of 'primitive abundance'—that is, humanity's fighting power was unparalleled in the biological world, but the total number of humans was still too small to fully exploit nature. Therefore, nature at that time was a rich treasure trove for humanity, and humans could easily obtain all kinds of resources needed for life."

This abundance did not completely disappear afterward. For example, the phrase "beating roe deer with sticks and scooping fish with ladles, pheasants flying into the cooking pot" describes the life in the "Great Northern Wilderness" when there were few people and plenty of land.

Now, this fertile environment has once again spread across the globe with the emergence of miasma.

From this perspective, while human civilization has regressed significantly overall, it hasn't suffered to the point of being unsatisfied. People can eat their fill and eat well. If it weren't for the occasional need to deal with enormous monsters, this would be an ideal world.

However, Lin Zhiqing suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Hey, Li Lin, do you think... there might be someone who doesn't want the monster to die completely?"

"Hmm? For example?" Li Lin asked in surprise, "Of course, the fewer monsters the better. How could anyone want more and more monsters?"

"For example, look at this—if Thor were completely dead, Razer would disappear, but the oil fields would be gone too."

"That's certainly possible—but isn't recovering lost territory far more important than a small oil field?" Li Lin was increasingly surprised. He was thinking from a human perspective.

From a human perspective, monsters are undoubtedly a menace. Only by completely eradicating monsters from the earth can humanity's living environment be restored to its former state.

Lin Zhiqing lowered her voice again; "I'm only telling you this, don't tell anyone else—I heard from my aunt that there seems to be some controversy within the coalition government regarding this operation. Because, recovering lost territory doesn't actually bring immediate benefits to Guanzhong. But oil is something Guanzhong needs every day. A small portion of the oil extracted from Diqiu will be supplied to the railway lines, as it is now. The majority will be transported to Guanzhong through Hangu Pass to meet their needs. If Diqiu stops producing oil, then life in Guanzhong will be affected."

"So, someone is feeling dissatisfied?"

Lin Zhiqing nodded: "I'm telling you all this because...you're going to join the war, right? Be careful, you must be careful."

By saying this, Lin Zhiqing had already revealed a lot of information that she shouldn't have. But since she had agreed with Li Lin to keep in touch in the future, she naturally had to share this information with him.

Li Lin pressed his forehead; his blood pressure had risen slightly, and he had a vague sense of unease.