741 The Month of Disaster

Lunar New Year in 2018 happened to be on the day after Valentine's Day. Jiang Chen returned to the apocalypse on Valentine's Day and enjoyed a wonderful Valentine's Day with Sun Jiao. Then they spent Lunar New Year and Lunar New Year's Eve together with the girls and the others at Fishbone base.

On the 17th, the second day of Lunar New Year, Jiang Chen took the airship to transport supplies to Yizhou Island at the agreed-upon time with White Beluga Station. Lin Lin also went with him. There were rumors about a helium refining plant in Taipei and a small nuclear fusion power station with a high degree of retention.

Because of long-distance power transmission and the Helium-3 mining base on the moon, the nuclear fusion power plants from before the war had basically all been moved to the moon, and the only remaining large nuclear power plants were battered by the nuclear attack. Finding an intact nuclear fusion power station in the wasteland was harder than climbing the sky.

When Jiang Chen heard about a nuclear power plant in Yizhou, he immediately became interested in it. In particular, this wasn't the time to be a picky eater, although the use of plutonium as nuclear fuel wasn't as environmentally friendly as Helium-3.

The nuclear power plant didn't seem particularly attractive to the Sixth Street with crystal energy as its source of energy, but nuclear power stations would have extraordinary value for Xin and especially for new countries, whose energy sources depend on imports.

Especially for Penglai, which was about to open.

If cold fusion technology could be used, everything else could be discarded. The 100,000-acre power generation seaweed project that was originally scheduled to be added in the nearby sea could be canceled. The twelve large tidal power generator sets and 150 wind turbine generators could also be eliminated. Not to mention that the cost of electricity could be reduced tremendously.

...

Of course, this technology would be kept secret and revealed only when the space elevator was available.

There were only a few nuclear experts in Wanghai, and only Lin Lin knew Jiang Chen's secret, so he took her with him. The Project Garden of Eden was almost finished, and after the last stage to be completed in the spring, the Garden of Eden, which had taken more than a year, could be declared complete.

The purpose of Jiang Chen's visit was to transport the space elevator base, reclaim nuclear technology, and, incidentally, to solve the minor roadblocks encountered by the expeditionary force.

It had been a month since the expeditionary force landed.

When Jiang Chen arrived in Yizhou, Li Wang, the captain of the airship, immediately arranged a clean and comfortable room for him. He presented the intelligence and mission logs collected that month and handed over temporary command rights.

Immediately after landing, Li Wang dispatched expeditionary soldiers to explore Taipei and its suburbs and build simple cement fortresses and lighthouses on the sea cliffs at the northern tip of the island of Yizhou, as well as lifts that could be used by airships.

Compared to the mainland plagued by war, while Yizhou Island also had signs of war, it didn't look as tragic. Due to a lack of direct nuclear strikes, most of the high-rise buildings in the urban area were intact. The radiation from the island was mostly due to radiation dust blown from Southeast Asia.

However, there were a couple of things that were almost the same as on the mainland, which were plants that grew abnormally, as well as despicable mutants and zombies.

Vines and dry branches covered the high-rise buildings. On the ragged roads, there were rows of craters. In the shadows, there were wolf-like creatures with sharp claws; expeditionary soldiers called them "ghouls." Not even your bones would remain once attacked by these creatures.

However, this wasn't the most terrible thing.

Although these ghouls were terrible, two rounds of bullets could kill them. However, for Mud Crabs which were agile and had thick shells not inferior to steel, even rifles couldn't make people feel any safer.

In particular, these Mud Crabs always moved in groups; it was simply a nightmare.

And the problem facing the expeditionary forces was related to these Mud Crabs...

The next day, the patrols on the exploration islands were present as usual and returned to camp before dark.

Unlike usual, they brought back a native back this time.

The private forces searched him and placed his bow and arrows under possession before taking him to Jiang Chen.

It was still snowing on the wasteland in February. Even Yizhou Island in the south still had visible traces of snow. This man was wearing an old grey jacket with some mud stains on his body. His tanned skin and shaved head gave him an honest farmer vibe, but it was his small eyes scanning the area that exposed his cunningness.

"Your name is?" Jiang Chen looked at him.

"Chen Guangning. I'm doing business in Taipei and along the southern coast of the mainland. If you need guidance, I will be the most suitable person." Chen Guangning smiled humbly and respectfully.

Other locals might not have heard of NAC's name, but as a businessman who often traveled to southern Anhui, he was slightly acquainted with this name that arose in Wanghai. Within two years with thunderous momentum, the major forces in Wanghai City were wiped out and the survivors of all of Wanghai City and even the Suzhou-Hangzhou Province were brought under their own control.

The man in front of him was the leader of NAC.

If he could establish a relationship with NAC, that would definitely greatly benefit his business. So when NAC's expeditionary forces arrived at the survival camps in Taipei to find people and the other survivors all expressed their distrust, he took the initiative and went to the fortress of the expeditionary forces.

Jiang Chen smiled and asked directly:

"I'll consider your suggestion. Before that, I have a question for you."

"Please," Chen Guangning said respectfully.

"Tell me more about the Month of Disaster." Jiang Chen asked the question he was most concerned about.

The so-called the Month of Disaster referred to the landing of the Mud Crabs. However, the NAC Expeditionary Force knew little about this disaster that would last for a few months. The locals were very repellent to these outsiders who suddenly entered their homes. Although the two parties were in peace and occasionally traded, the dialogue was still kept to a limit.

Upon hearing Jiang's question, Chen Guangning answered immediately.

"Every March, the Mud Crabs that lurk in shallow water will lay eggs on the northeast bank of Yizhou. At this time, the survivors of Taipei will hide in the air defense shelter in central Taipei and wait until the Mud Crabs leave before coming out. There are similar practices in other regions. The sheer number of Mud Crabs isn't something humanly forces can fight against, so it's called the Month of Disaster."

As powerful scavengers, these Mud Crabs were particularly fond of survivor-inhabited areas. Whenever they arrived, they would invade the territory just like locusts, looting the survivors while leaving behind a large pile of slimy follicles.

Clearing these follicles was very dangerous. One mishap would lead to the hatching and release of small Mud Crabs. Although they weren't as frightening as mature Mud Crabs, small Mud Crabs could still cause serious casualties to survivors.

"When does the Month of Disaster end?" Jiang Chen asked.

"Generally speaking, by summer solstice," Chen Guangning replied.

[Summer Solstice?]

It would be more than three months, and the materials for the first batch of space elevator bases were about to be delivered. Jiang Chen couldn't wait for such a long time. On the other hand, the exploration of nuclear power plants would also have to be delayed due to the impact of the Month of Disaster.

If possible, he wanted to resolve the two issues as soon as possible.

Frowning slightly, Jiang Chen asked again.

"What solutions do you have for these Mud Crabs?"

Chen Guangning smiled helplessly.

"If I have a solution, I would've been the leader of these survivors."