Chapter Forty-Nine: The First Product

The reconstruction of civilization was proceeding without obstacles. In reality, in Xie Han’s heart, the profitability issue of the Apocalypse Company did not lie within the apocalypse itself, but rather in the modern era. Yet, how could he possibly explain this to them? Should he simply state outright that the Apocalypse Company was merely a research institution, and all its technological achievements ultimately served the modern world from decades ago? Xie Han had reason to believe that, were he to say such a thing, they would surely regard him as mad.

It was precisely these concerns that made Xie Han hesitate for a moment before he slowly spoke, “I understand what everyone is most worried about now. This is why I put so much effort into founding this company. In the context of the apocalypse, it is virtually worthless. How does the company survive? How does it operate? I’m sure these questions have puzzled you all.” He smiled self-deprecatingly and continued, “I’ve heard some of the rumors about myself—nothing more than saying I’m crazy, or a fantasist.”

Xie Han glanced around the meeting room at everyone seated and said, “Regarding what sustains the company, I don’t intend to offer too many explanations. The fact that the company could be established at all is proof enough that I have my reasons. As for food, you needn’t worry about it. I believe the refined flour in the warehouse is just the beginning of our food supply.”

Chu Tianhe, seeing Xie Han shift the topic to food, stood up anxiously and said, “But, if we calculate based on the current number of staff, our food reserves can only pay for a month and a half’s worth of wages.” Xie Han laughed; clearly Chu Tianhe’s figures were still based on the three tons of refined flour. He couldn’t possibly know that over the past few days, Xie Han had quietly added more than two additional tons to the supply, and that was deliberately reduced to avoid suspicion; otherwise, there would have been more.

Of course, Xie Han wasn’t foolish enough to point out the extra flour in the warehouse, since there was no way to explain its origin. “Tomorrow, I’ll go hunting with Xu Qiang. Judging by the current success rate, acquiring food isn’t as difficult as it seems.” Xie Han’s words reassured everyone present, as the recent hunting operations had been so successful that it felt as though the base had become an idyllic paradise.

Qi Feiwu, as the second-in-command of the Apocalypse Company, was still bewildered by the company’s direction. She asked, “But Xie Han, are we simply supporting dozens of people here?” Xie Han shook his head. “Of course not. That’s precisely what I wanted to address—they each have their uses, though those uses may not be apparent right now. At present, however, there is a task for them: to crack the core chip set of the rice cooker for me. I need the complete manufacturing data for this rice cooker…”

The rice cooker’s core chip set should actually be classified as an electronics component, so Wang Hengbo had the most authority to speak. He was puzzled as to why Xie Han wanted someone to crack a technology that wasn’t particularly advanced. Did he plan to produce rice cookers? Considering that rice was extremely precious and rare in the apocalypse, who would have much opportunity to use a rice cooker? There was simply no market for it. “Captain, the principle of the rice cooker is really just in its core chip set at the bottom. There’s not much technical content—it wouldn’t be hard to crack.”

Xie Han had studied it carefully, and that was exactly why he chose the rice cooker as his breakthrough point for the modern era. He’d thought of this ever since converting his gold sand into cash, and had targeted a small home appliance factory outside Chaoyang city. The plan now was to acquire that factory and use his ability to carry items from the apocalypse to the modern era, bringing the rice cooker’s core chip set into the present. By assembling it in the factory, this efficient rice cooker could be marketed worldwide.

Despite the merits of the plan, Xie Han was troubled by the fact that he hadn’t yet found a suitable person to manage the factory in the modern era. The apocalypse, too, posed many challenges—such as how to manufacture this core chip set.

“Taishan, do you know if the base can manufacture the rice cooker’s core chip set?” Among those present, Taishan was the most familiar with the base’s operations. Aside from the heavy machinery plant that had been converted into a munitions factory, there was little that Taishan didn’t know. Thus, Xie Han asked him directly.

Under Xie Han’s intense gaze, Taishan thought for a moment and replied hesitantly, “If you’re talking about this kind of core chip set, it seems… there might be such a factory.” He wasn’t entirely sure, since he wasn’t familiar with the production process for chip sets and didn’t know how precise the machinery needed to be. But as far as he knew, there was indeed a factory capable of meeting the requirements.

In the apocalypse, ordinary chip sets could be manufactured by many factories. But these were only basic chip sets. For chips needed in smart programs and similar applications, only a few major companies in the world could produce them. The rice cooker’s core chip set, however, was not high-tech. After a brief inquiry into the factory’s capabilities, Wang Hengbo assured Xie Han, “Captain, the factory Taishan mentioned can definitely produce the core chip sets we need, as long as we have the materials.”

Receiving Wang Hengbo’s confirmation, Xie Han was thrilled. He hadn’t expected that even a regular manufacturing plant in the apocalypse could produce chip sets. “Taishan, can you get them to produce some rice cooker core chips for us?” Suddenly, he thought of something and shook his head, then turned to Wang Hengbo. “Old Wang, can we get our hands on the machine tools needed to manufacture these core chip sets?”

Wang Hengbo shook his head and said, “According to Taishan, there’s only one such factory in the base, and it’s tightly controlled by the military. There’s no way we could get the equipment. Also, producing core chip sets requires a variety of machine tools. In the apocalypse, it’s extremely difficult to obtain a complete set.”

Qi Feiwu asked curiously, “Xie Han, wouldn’t it be enough just to have them produce for us? Why must we get the machine tools?” Why insist on the machine tools? Xie Han gave a bitter smile. If the base were truly safe, would he go to such lengths? He glanced at Qi Feiwu and said to Xu Qiang, “Qiangzi, tell everyone about the current situation.”

Xu Qiang nodded. “Everyone sees a thriving base, but based on my scouting these past days, our hunting operations have a major drawback—namely, the consumption of firearms and ammunition. All our food is obtained at the cost of these resources. In this perilous apocalypse, all supplies are severely limited, and this level of consumption is simply unsustainable for the base.”

Qi Feiwu said, “But as long as we have enough food, the base can gradually search for new supplies to replenish the munitions factory. The management should have considered this.”

Xu Qiang smiled bitterly. “Yes, perhaps they have, but I want to say that this consumption is fatal. The zombies in Wangtian City are slowly moving toward the base. Our recent frenzy of hunting may have provoked them, accelerating their progress. Previously, it was estimated that they would reach us in three to four months; now, it seems they’ll arrive in less than two. With a shortage of ammunition, how can the base face millions of zombies?”

The news Xu Qiang revealed made those previously unaware jump to their feet in alarm, looking to Xie Han for confirmation.

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