Chapter 359: Baofeng Oil Refinery
Just now, Zhang Yi had called Yang Siyah and Zhou Haimei over to help Lu Keran, leaving her behind temporarily.
She knew she must have some special task to fulfill.
“Could it be that Zhang Yi wants to…”
Zhou Ke’er’s face gradually turned a shade of red.
At that moment, Zhang Yi approached, calling out, “Ke’er!”
Zhou Ke’er\'s daydream was interrupted, and feeling a bit embarrassed, she coughed lightly and quickly stood up.
“Zhang Yi.”
Zhang Yi came over and handed her a dark red syringe.“Do you know what this is?”
Zhou Ke’er took it and held it up to the light, chuckling helplessly, “How could I possibly recognize it at a glance! Where did you get this?”
Zhang Yi rubbed his nose, “Don’t worry about that for now. This seems to be a stimulant that can enhance human potential. Help me analyze its components and see what effects it has, as well as any side effects.”
This stimulant was much better than the ones Zhang Yi and the others had used before.
Zhang Yi felt a bit envious.
If he confirmed that the side effects were minimal, he could use it himself during crucial moments.
It would be even better if it could be mass-produced!
Of course, the likelihood of that happening was slim; Zhou Ke’er was a doctor and could identify drugs but found it difficult to manufacture them.
Curious about the substance in her hand, Zhou Ke’er nodded and asked Zhang Yi to give her some time, then took it to her lab for research.
Zhang Yi left the safe house and went outside to help Uncle You and others fortify their defenses.
---
In the northern part of Tianhai City, Yangsheng District.
Amidst the vast snowy landscape, a massive oil refinery belched thick smoke skyward from dozens of large pipes.
If the surrounding area was over sixty degrees below zero, the temperature near the refinery was significantly higher.
This dark steel monster stood in the snowfield like a beast capable of spitting fire.
And here was one of the western shelters in Tianhai City, the Yangsheng base.
As the largest oil refinery in Tianhai City, the Baofeng Oil Refinery had a storage capacity of over a million barrels!
After all, before the apocalypse, Tianhai City was an important trading port, making it easier to obtain crude oil.
Their storage also served as a temporary holding facility for crude oil imported from overseas to other regions.
However, after the apocalypse, there was no reason for these resources to be returned.
The oil refinery needed to work.
Crude oil could not be directly applied to machines; it required refining to be transformed into gasoline, diesel, asphalt, lubricants, and other petroleum products.
And these were the greatest assets of the Yangsheng base.
With plenty of energy, they were not worried about consumption issues. They could even trade these refined products with other factions.
At this moment, in a workshop at the Yangsheng base.
Two ragged men were tied up and kneeling on the cold ground.
Both had dark red brands on their faces, shaped like a flame emblem.
They trembled not from the cold but because of the two people looming over them.
One was a man in white combat gear with gold-rimmed glasses and a cold gaze.
The other was a long-haired woman in striking red combat gear, standing out among the others.
The leader of the Yangsheng base, Xiao Honglian, and her deputy, Zhuge Qingtian.
The soldier who brought the prisoners reported, “Leader, of the five who escaped, three were killed, and two were captured. Please give your orders!”
The two men kneeling on the ground immediately bowed their heads in fear.
“I was wrong; please give me another chance!”
“I promise I won’t escape again; please don’t kill me!”
Xiao Honglian looked down at them with cold indifference.
She was a stunningly beautiful woman, but her large eyes were devoid of humanity.
Looking at the two men kneeling before her was like looking at two pigs.
Oh no, even two pigs would be better than them.
Because if there were still two live pigs, they would certainly be more valuable than these two live men.
Xiao Honglian walked slowly up to them in her red leather boots.
She coldly asked, “Why did you want to escape? Although you have to work here, at least I provide you with food and shelter.”
“Do you want to go outside and die?”
The men on the ground trembled even more as Xiao Honglian approached, constantly bowing and begging for mercy.
Her voice became even colder, “Now tell me, where did you plan to escape to?”
The two men instinctively glanced at each other, not daring to speak.
Xiao Honglian\'s eyes were somewhat mocking.
“Are you trying to go to the territory of the Followers of the Snow God, to support that hypocritical bitch?”
The two men dared not answer anything, only bowing repeatedly, pleading for Xiao Honglian to spare their lives.
This was tantamount to admitting that Xiao Honglian spoke the truth.
Xiao Honglian scoffed, losing interest in continuing the interrogation.
She turned to her deputy Zhuge Qingtian and said, “Haven’t you recently developed a new gadget?”
Zhuge Qingtian nodded, “The technical department has developed a collar that can hold a micro-bomb. As long as this is put on the slaves\' necks, anyone who tries to escape can be executed immediately!”
Xiao Honglian lazily replied, “Then let me see how it works!”
As her words fell, someone immediately approached with a tray holding two silver collars.
The slaves on the ground were terrified and struggled desperately to escape.
But they were quickly subdued by the surrounding soldiers, who forced the collars onto their necks.
Xiao Honglian took the remote control and mockingly said to the two slaves, “Now I’m giving you a chance. You can escape. If this collar doesn’t kill you, you will survive.”
“Feel free to pray! After all, it’s a new product, and its effectiveness may not be guaranteed.”
With that, the soldiers beside them cut the ropes binding the two slaves’ hands.
The slaves looked in horror at the remote control in Xiao Honglian\'s hand; the explosive collars on their necks felt like two demons, tightly locking their lifelines.
Not daring to delay, they quickly turned and ran toward the workshop exit.
“As long as we run far enough, the signal won’t work!”
With this belief in mind, the two men ran for their lives.
Xiao Honglian watched their retreating figures without hurry, casually asking Zhuge Qingtian beside her.
“What’s the effective range?”
Zhuge Qingtian respectfully replied, “Five kilometers. As long as we notice that the slaves have disappeared, we can detonate it. No slave will be able to escape!”
Xiao Honglian slowly nodded, “Good, let’s wait and see. Let’s see if this new gadget really works!”
Author\'s Note