Chapter 599: Refining Salt Ore

Evelyn Ford charged all the storage batteries. The waterwheel in her space was running normally, and the lights in the mining area were now on twenty-four hours a day.

In Flumen and the shelters in the resettlement housing, thousands of residents had also been burned by the sun toxin. Many of Flumen’s factories were gradually resuming production, and the first batch of heat-resistant suits had been distributed. Residents who didn’t get one but still had to work could only wrap their bodies tightly or go out covered in bedsheets and duvet covers.

The base’s biggest worry was the crops in the planting area and the hundreds of acres of medicinal herb fields several kilometers away. If they were burned to death by the sun toxin, the losses would be incalculable.

The research team had considered using artificial rain to mitigate the sun toxin’s effects. However, after the sun came out, there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Without clouds, the conditions for creating artificial rain simply didn’t exist.

They could also use helicopters to spray water, similar to aerial firefighting. The dam’s reservoir still had plenty of water, so spraying wouldn’t waste too much of the resource. The problem was that the planting area and medicinal fields combined were over a thousand acres, making the task of spraying water far from easy.

Rhys Chase had been very busy lately. Since the sun appeared, many people at the base had developed various side effects. A number of them had even gone blind after looking directly at the sun. The hospitals were overflowing every day, and the pharmaceutical factory was expanding again. It was said they were adding thirty thousand more workers and fifty new production lines.

Meanwhile, the number of patients burned by the sun toxin was increasing daily. The injuries were similar to burns and scalds. Many patients had blood blisters all over their arms, their skin turning charred and black while emitting a pungent, foul odor.

The base’s doctors were all elites and were adept at treating such burns. Fortunately, with the recent abundance of medicine, patients were receiving treatment, and their burned limbs were being saved.

Some were less fortunate, suffering direct burns to their heads and faces. A burn from the sun toxin was comparable to one from sulfuric acid; a facial burn was equivalent to disfigurement.

If the top of the head was burned, all the hair follicles in that area would die, meaning hair would never grow there again.

A week after the sun first appeared, Liam Sterling returned to the Undercity for a visit. After he described the situation at the hospital, Evelyn Ford packed ten jars of a medicinal ointment she had concocted for him. This ointment could treat all sorts of burns and scalds, so it should also be effective against the sun toxin’s burns. Since Liam Sterling was always out and about, he would surely find it useful.

Ronan Kendrick had gotten busy again. At night, he had to go out to collect supplies, and during the day, he entered the space to help Evelyn Ford refine salt ore.

Except for the first day when it rose at 7:30 AM, the sun had since risen at 6:00 AM sharp and set at 9:00 PM. With the days long and nights short, the base had no choice but to have outdoor workers adjust their schedules, resting during the day and rushing to get work done at night.

"Mr. Kendrick, Mr. Chase asked me to tell you that there’s a lot of supplies to collect tonight. We might have to work all night."

’Usually, Ronan Kendrick was only out for two or three hours. Working all night? They must be collecting hundreds, if not thousands, of tons of stuff.’

"Understood."

Ronan Kendrick didn’t argue. Staying up all night had no effect on him. It was better to get the supplies collected sooner anyway; then he could focus on helping Evelyn Ford refine salt ore with peace of mind.

After Liam Sterling left, Evelyn Ford took Ronan Kendrick’s hand. "I’ll go with you tonight. With the two of us collecting, it’ll be faster."

Ronan Kendrick looked at the dark circles that had formed under Evelyn Ford’s eyes over the past two days and gently ruffled her hair, his heart aching for her.

"There’s no need. You should get some good rest. I’ll be back soon. We still have to refine salt ore during the day, and your body can’t take it. I’m different from you. I don’t feel tired."

’He’s not a robot, how could he not feel tired?’

But since he insisted, Evelyn Ford wouldn’t refuse his good intentions.

"Alright, I’ll wait for you at home then. You have to come back early."

Ronan Kendrick smiled. "Yes, ma’am."

Inside the space, the others were already prepared. Even Zoe and Annie were wearing masks and smocks, standing by to help.

There were many methods for refining salt ore, but they currently lacked the necessary machinery. Thus, they had to resort to the most primitive method.

They would find a huge iron pot, add fresh water, and dissolve the raw salt ore in it. The solution was then heated over a fire until it boiled. They continued heating it over a high flame until a large amount of white crystals appeared in the container, at which point they would stop. The salt was scraped from the container with a shovel and then dissolved in fresh water again.

The second step was to pour the salt solution into a container filled with activated charcoal, which was sealed at the top and bottom with clean cotton gauze. After filtering the salt solution, it was heated again to extract the salt.

The salt ore in the space was rich in minerals. It had never been polluted, so it had few impurities and high purity, making it not difficult to refine.

Everyone had cleared an area the size of a soccer field outside the planting zone, specifically for tasks like milling flour and husking rice. Now, it was also perfectly suited for refining salt ore.

Although it was also daytime in the planting area, the temperature wasn’t high. Even with fires burning to refine the salt, no one felt stuffy or hot.

Because the refining method was so crude, they could only process two or three tons of salt ore per day. Looking at the mountain of salt ore piled up in the space, Evelyn Ford felt a headache coming on. ’How long is this going to take?’

In just over a month, it would be time to pick cotton and harvest medicinal herbs. They were going to be worked to death.

Annie pushed a tricycle loaded to the brim with salt ore, while Zoe followed behind, clutching a small piece of ore. When told to take a break, they refused. These two kids weren’t enthusiastic about studying, but they were more eager to work than anyone.

Wendy was strong; she could easily handle the large tricycle that Officer Graham struggled to push with just one hand. Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were in charge of the final filtering process, while the others moved ore. Evelyn Ford, Ronan Kendrick, and Ethan Dawson were responsible for dissolving and boiling the solution.

Evelyn Ford was as fired up as if she were on steroids. Despite her heavy dark circles, she showed no signs of weakness as she worked. There was too much to do in the space. The salt ore had to be refined as soon as possible. Time couldn’t be wasted, or the cotton harvest in a month or two would be delayed.

At 6:30 PM, Officer Graham took Zoe and Annie to the wooden house to cook. The others continued working. Evelyn Ford forcibly dragged Ronan Kendrick to the wooden house to rest. He had to work overtime tonight, so he could take a nap now to replenish his energy and stamina.

At 8:30 PM, everyone left the space and returned to their dorms to wash up and rest.

Quincy remarked that their life now was like a nine-to-five job, no different from clocking in and out. The only difference was that now, everyone was incredibly motivated and willing to work.

Evelyn Ford promised everyone that she would give them each a year-end bonus when the New Year came.

"Evelyn, can we choose our own year-end bonus?"

"Let’s hear it. What do you want?"

Quincy cleared his throat. "I’d like a camera. I take pictures and videos of everyone every day, and the storage on my phone and tablet is full."

Evelyn Ford gave a casual wave. "Done. You’ve got it."

Back when they were scavenging for supplies, she had collected countless tech products. They were just gathering dust in her space anyway, so she might as well give one to Quincy.

At 9:00 PM sharp, Ronan Kendrick left the Undercity to collect supplies from the base’s warehouse.

While everyone else had gone back to their rooms to rest, his busy day was just beginning.