Chapter 42: Three Hundred Million Tons of Iron Ore

Jia Yi and "Iceberg" did not linger; both had a mountain of tasks awaiting them. After unloading their cargo, they quickly departed. Jiang Chen, however, remained, staying on the South American plateau to personally oversee the base.

Under the protection of one hundred and twenty Boxer mechs, the low-tier beasts in the surrounding area had no chance of approaching. They would be shot dead from several kilometers away, leaving Jiang Chen with no opportunity to act himself.

The SCVs worked with remarkable efficiency. In just over two days, several large warehouses were constructed, and all supplies were promptly transferred inside. A new factory soon followed, dedicated to SCV production; after a brief adjustment, the assembly line was swiftly launched.

Large quantities of raw materials poured in, and new SCVs rolled off the line one after another, joining the ranks of those building the base. Though there was only one production line, with enough raw materials, more than ten SCVs could be produced daily—a respectable output.

As the number of SCVs grew, material consumption soared, and the base gradually took shape. Warehouses, production areas, living quarters... Once the outer wall was complete, each sector was rapidly renovated. In only a month, the base was essentially finished.

Every building was made from reinforced concrete, with little in the way of extra decoration—hardly pleasing to the eye, but solid and durable. The layout of the different functional areas was sensible enough, and that sufficed.

No command center had yet been built, but space was reserved for it. In the living area, only a modest villa was constructed for Jiang Chen—his residence and the sole building in the base with any touch of luxury. After all, it was his own home; within reason, it should be as comfortable as possible.

In the living room, Jiang Chen sat on the sofa, savoring a bottle of Isle of Eray whisky—an "amicable gift" from the Speaker of the HR Alliance, preserved since before the Great Nirvana era—while conversing with Jarvis via the large screen.

"Master, under the mech squad’s protection, the SCVs have completed an initial survey of the Mutong Iron Mine," Jarvis reported.

A video appeared on the screen, showing a vast mine abandoned for untold years. The three-meter-tall Boxer mechs walked along a road on one side of the mine, appearing almost like tiny ants.

"This iron mine was initially exploited before the Great Nirvana, but mining was halted due to the outbreak. There are twelve mining areas already established. The nearest one covers more than three thousand square kilometers and holds over three hundred million tons of iron ore. I recommend starting extraction here; the other areas need not be touched for now," Jarvis suggested, playing footage from the survey.

"Three hundred million tons of iron ore?" Jiang Chen was struck by the figure. "How much iron can be refined from that? What about other elements?"

Ore and refined metal were two very different things.

"The iron content here is excellent—over sixty-three percent. Even accounting for losses during refining, each ton yields more than six hundred kilograms of iron. There are also small amounts of manganese, chromium, copper, aluminum, and other resources. This is one of the finest metal deposits," Jarvis replied promptly. "If we secure this mining area and an adjacent oil field, we can meet nearly all our basic material needs. The remaining materials are minor and can be imported."

Jiang Chen nodded slightly.

From Jarvis’s earlier data, there was a small shale oil field on this plateau. Though the reserves were modest and the quality average, it would more than suffice for the base’s needs.

As for resources like rare earths that the plateau did not produce, the base’s demand was minimal and could easily be met through imports. Jiang Chen could simply bring them back using his spatial ring after a trip, enough to last the base a long time.

However, the consumption of various metals, once the base began full operations, would be astonishing and required vast reserves.

With this in mind, Jiang Chen ordered, "Assign some mechs to protect the mining area; dispatch SCVs to mine with full effort. Let’s stockpile metal resources first. Whether for base expansion, producing more mechs, or future equipment, the demand for metals will be immense."

"Mining task assigned—currently second priority. First priority is the shale oil field survey," Jarvis confirmed. "Initial teams are ready: five combat mech squads, ten SCV mining teams, fifty heavy transport vehicles, preparing to depart..."

As Jarvis coordinated, the base gates opened, and a convoy, escorted by mechs, slowly headed out into the wilderness.

"Do we have too few transport vehicles?" Jiang Chen suddenly thought.

This time, he’d brought only thirty heavy transports, each with a maximum load of fifteen hundred tons—one of the HR Alliance’s most popular products, used for ground transport between cities and in many other fields.

A load of fifteen hundred tons per vehicle was truly astonishing. A hundred vehicles could carry over ten thousand tons in a single trip.

But such enormous vehicles took up considerable space, so Jiang Chen had only brought thirty. Thirty vehicles could move several tens of thousands of tons at once, but compared to the base’s production and consumption, Jiang Chen still felt it wasn’t enough.

After all, according to the SCV’s specs, with the mining module installed, their efficiency was remarkable. And as resources accumulated, the number of SCVs would only increase.

Jarvis immediately replied, "Once we collect enough resources, we can manufacture our own transport vehicles. An initial fleet of one hundred will suffice. If necessary, SCVs can be fitted with cargo modules to handle some transport tasks."

To build his own base, Jiang Chen had exchanged many blueprints from the system and, under Jarvis’s calculation and planning, devised a comprehensive scheme.

Aside from resources, he’d brought more machinery than anything else, including many pieces of equipment produced by Jarvis himself—all to maximize self-sufficiency.

Building his own transport vehicles was no challenge, and the ones he made would certainly surpass the HR Alliance’s products.

"Let’s stick with this plan for now. Keep an eye on things for me, calculate the mining efficiency of the SCVs, and revise the production schedule. Show me the results when you’re done," Jiang Chen instructed confidently. With the order given, he ceased to worry, turned off the screen, and, after enjoying the wine and delicacies on the table, activated the system, immersing himself in the library.

Whether to raise his level or simply to exchange for stronger blueprints, accumulating knowledge was indispensable.

In the years since acquiring the system, Jiang Chen had developed a habit: unless something urgent demanded his attention, he spent significant time in the library every day, learning new things.