Noon.
Lunch is over.
Liu Tianwang left with his belly sticking out, and the others weren’t faring much better. Especially Che Yao, who was having this kind of food for the first ti. Despite trying to remain restrained, the sheer quantity on the table was irresistible, and she ended up eating a few extra bites.
Then.
A few bites beca a few more.
There was no stopping.
In the car.
Che Yao clutched her stomach.
"This is it. After this al, I’ve lost all interest in other food. My spicy hot pot, my hot pot dishes, and all those foods I love—I’ve betrayed you all."
"Haha."
Che Yao’s antics.
Made everyone in the car laugh along with her.
...
April 10.
The Ou Wei Foundation announced a 6 billion Euro fund for the "List of Desertification Projects in Impoverished Countries." Predictably, the countries listed were all extrely poor.
Mauritania.
Mali.
Niger.
Somalia.
...
The majority of the countries listed were from Africa, and every single one was recognized by the United Nations as being among those with the lowest levels of socio-economic developnt and the lowest gross national product per capita.
Undisputable.
Making the most of available resources.
The countries on the list were all grinning from ear to ear. Although each nation received only a modest share, gaining even just a few dozen square kiloters of oasis or farmland was a cause for joy.
So countries even wanted to ask if they could convert it into cash.
But upon consideration.
If they asked.
And the sponsor got upset and kicked them off the list, they’d beco an international laughingstock. So they held back and refrained from asking.
Also, on the sa day.
Huaxia.
Xin Province.
Urumqi City.
An airplane from Beijing slowly descended.
Outside the airport.
Several staff mbers from the environntal protection and agriculture departnts were waiting together. There were no foolish placard-holders anymore; after all, these days, everyone carries a phone—the practice of holding signs feels outdated.
"They’re here."
"Is that them?"
"I recognize the Myanmar Environntal Technology Company uniforms." The team leader, a director from the environntal protection departnt, imdiately dialed the responsible person’s phone number and walked over following the guidance of an outstretched hand.
"Welco, He Gong! I’m Dong Shi from the Environntal Protection Departnt." Dong Shi greeted warmly.
"Director Dong, hello."
"..."
After so pleasantries.
They took two experts into the car.
In the future.
The Myanmar Environntal Technology Company’s operations in Xin Province would be managed by these two individuals. Owing to this, the city had arranged a welco reception for them. They couldn’t afford to take it lightly—this region’s economy was underdeveloped, with harsh environntal conditions as the primary obstacle.
The Gobi.
The desert.
Occupying one-sixth of Huaxia’s land area.
Every year, sandstorms would blow; though thankfully not year-round, in specific months, storms could last several days to over a week, which was undeniably distressing.
Furthermore.
Desertification was worsening.
Using dry stems for wind control and sand stabilization.
Had negligible effects.
If this land could be transford into an oasis, economic prosperity would be within sight. Of course, resolving the water scarcity issue would also be essential—snowlt and groundwater weren’t sufficient to irrigate such a vast area.
Aside from emphasizing its significance.
The local governnt also hoped this multinational corporation would invest in the province. Last year, the province’s entire GDP amounted to just over 300 billion RMB, whereas this company’s annual sales figures were significantly higher.
Wealthy.
If the "oasis" project succeeded.
They would beco even wealthier—a veritable goldmine.
Afternoon.
Dong Shi’s convoy headed out toward the project site.
An hour later.
The convoy arrived at its destination—alongside Urumqi River, where both banks featured sand-focused soil, occasionally with poplar and small shrubs visible. Since it was near the river, there was indeed so underground water seepage.
The selected site wasn’t here.
But 1.5 kiloters away from the riverbanks.
"He Gong, this is the area we’ve planned—500 square kiloters, primarily desert soil. Another 500 square kiloters nearby is Gobi soil."
Pointing toward a seemingly endless expanse of wilderness, Dong Shi explained.
"Has it been surveyed?" asked He Gong.
"Yes, the planned area forms a rectangular zone—25 kiloters long and 20 kiloters wide—with no residents inside. Our survey team has placed markers at each corner."
Xin Province’s experintal area spans 2,500 square kiloters.
Accounting for one-sixth of Huaxia’s land area.
Naturally, it receives slightly more than other provinces.
Aside from the provincial capital region, the remaining 1,500 square kiloters are distributed among several other districts. Once this site’s survey was finished, Dong Shi still had to personally lead teams to survey three other areas in Earth State.
For maximum efficiency.
Myanmar Environntal Technology Company recomnded treating 500-square-kiloter plots as individual units.
"That’s good."
"Would you like to take you for a closer look?"
"No need, we’ll observe from here."
"Here?"
Dong Shi was puzzled.
He Gong opened a crate he had brought, took out a device roughly the size of a notebook computer, pressed a button, and four propellers unfolded at the corners. After so operation, the UAV took to the skies.
"Buzz buzz buzz."
Soon, it was flying several hundred ters above the ground.
In He Gong’s tablet’s control screen, they could clearly see themselves.
"Do we have coordinates for the boundary points?"
"Yes, yes." Dong Shi promptly requested data from the geologist, and as He Gong entered the coordinates, without further manual adjustnts, within minutes, they spotted one of the points—a wooden stake planted in the ground.
"Is that the one?"
"Huh? Yes," the technician said in awe.
From a distance of over 10 kiloters.
The UAV could identify points via coordinates—remarkable.
"Hmm."
After saying this.
He Gong directed the UAV toward the next boundary point, quickly confirming its coordinates and mapping out the entire rectangular experintal area.
Due to the sheer size.
The process took nearly an hour.
Upon return.
The UAV’s battery was swapped out.
Next.
He Gong entered another set of commands.
The UAV took off once again.
"What’s this?" Dong Shi asked, confused.
He Gong explained, "Earlier, it was confirming the boundaries. Now, it’s doing a terrain scan—it’ll take about half an hour. Afterward, it will collect soil samples at various locations; the UAV can handle this autonomously."
"Autonomously?" Dong Shi was shocked.
"Technically, it’s remotely controlled by our tech team. I’m just managing on-site data collection; they handle analysis and core operations. This thod saves at least a week compared to manual labor."
Without UAVs.
Basic data collection would have been a lot more ti-consuming.
Dong Shi was at a loss for words.
A week?
That’s likely an understatent.
UAVs truly are convenient.
"How soon can work begin?"
"The conditions here are pretty good; water access isn’t far away. Transforming the desert into an ’oasis’ is the key. The materials are en route now and will arrive within three days, allowing us to formally start work."
"Is there any way we can assist?"
"The main need is fuel supply. Our sprinkler trucks run on fuel."
"What about electricity?"
"For daily electricity needs, we use diesel generators. Our support vehicles are equipped with full living facilities; as long as your stationed personnel don’t exceed five people, the accommodations should be sufficient."
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