Industry began in 1937

Chapter 5 Searching for Supplies

Chen Yuan had a good plan. He intended to use the cave as a temporary base after dawn to do three things:

Explore outwards from the cave, focusing on finding scrap metal, usable hardwood, tinder, and anything else that might provide sustenance.

See if there are any wild fruits, roots, or bird eggs. If you're lucky, you might be able to set a simple trap and catch some small animals.

First, carefully inspect the perimeter of the platform to see if there are any more concealed entrances or other interactive interfaces, or if there are any low-energy consumption information prompts.

At the same time, improve the disguise.

On the afternoon of the third day or the day after, if you have collected anything useful, try heading towards Gouzi Village to see if you can "bump into" Old Han or other villagers again and make initial, cautious contact.

It was thinking it needed to change some clothes and shoes.

Having figured these things out, my tense nerves relaxed slightly, and extreme fatigue immediately washed over me like a tidal wave.

He added a few pieces of durable coal to the fire to ensure it could burn for a while, then curled up in the relatively dry spot at the back of the cave, wrapped himself tightly in his rough jacket, and held the wooden spear close to his chest.

Outside the cave, the mountain wind still howled, occasionally punctuated by the long howls of what seemed to be wolves or other wild beasts.

Inside the cave, the firelight flickered, warm yet fragile.

Unbeknownst to Chen Yuan, he drifted off to sleep amidst the cold, worry, and a glimmer of hope.

In my dream, there were cold metal walls, flashing blue light screens, and machines systematically producing advanced equipment, arming the Chinese army and launching wave after wave of attacks against the Japanese invaders.

Then comes Industrial Cthulhu, showcasing an endless sea of ​​machinery that completely crushes the army dressed in green uniforms, wielding Type 38 rifles or swords.

But this wonderful thing isn't over yet.

He felt cold.

Just then, as the first ray of pale sunlight shone through the cave entrance, Chen Yuan woke up.

The fire had gone out, leaving only a pile of grayish-white embers and a few unburnt, charred coal nuggets.

The cold returned, but it was better than the biting chill of last night.

Chen Yuan knew he was dreaming again.

But now is not the time to dream; he needs to proceed according to plan.

He moved his stiff and aching body; the wound on the sole of his foot had scabbed over, and it hurt when he moved.

But he had no time to waste.

He carefully buried the embers with stones, then carried the much-emptier bucket and the wooden spear out of the cave.

The air in the mountain forest at dawn is crisp and pungent, carrying a strong scent of grass, trees, and earth.

The view was much better than at night, with rolling gray-brown mountains, desolate forests, exposed rocks, and a desolate scene of late autumn.

He first returned to the vicinity of the "Flint" platform.

The daytime camouflage looks even more crude and ridiculous, but from a distance, it shouldn't be immediately noticeable that something is amiss.

He carefully examined the area around the platform and found no other entrances or signs, except for the stones he had piled up the night before and the dead branches covering it.

The palm-shaped interactive panel area was also dim and seemed to be activated only in a specific way.

Chen Yuan did not linger and began to carry out the collection plan.

Starting from the area between the cave and the platform, he slowly searched outwards in a fan shape.

Their eyes filtered through every inch of the ground, every crack in the stone, and every withered shrub like a sieve.

The first few hours yielded little result.

A few relatively straight and sturdy hardwood branches, some dry kindling, and a few shriveled, unidentified wild fruits.

Metal? Apart from a few scattered pieces of paper-thin, rusted metal that looked like tin cans that would crumble at the slightest touch, nothing was found.

Hunger then struck him, and Chen Yuan rubbed his belly, thinking of it as a way to lose weight.

There are still over 40 pounds of fat on my body that I can burn off.

Considering he's 1.8 meters tall and only weighs 180 pounds, he should be fine without food for a short period.

He found a small puddle formed by seepage from the rocks, lay down and carefully drank a few mouthfuls of the icy water, which slightly relieved his thirst.

Are we really going to dig up grass roots? Or try hunting with a simple spear?

He had absolutely no experience.

That would truly make them savages.

Just when he was about to give up and decide to go back to the cave to think of a solution, he made a discovery on the edge of a dry riverbed that had been washed away by a flood.

That was a section of railway track half-buried in mud and gravel...?

No, it's too short. It's more like a connecting rod or shaft from some kind of machine. It's thick and heavily rusted, but you can still see that it's roughly cylindrical, with a broken end.

He struggled to pull it out of the mud and sand; it was less than a meter long, but very heavy.

Iron! Lots of iron!

His heart pounded, and with the aid of a wooden spear and stones, he carefully searched the surrounding area again.

Further downstream, in the mud of a collapsed riverbank, he found half a rusted gear, about the size of a small washbasin, missing several teeth.

There were also several twisted, thick pieces of iron plate debris, their edges appearing to have been violently torn apart.

These are clearly products of the industrial age, so why would they appear in this remote mountain valley?

These are remnants of earlier mining or road construction activities.

In any case, this is a windfall!

He suppressed his excitement and first tried to move the heaviest iron axle.

He crouched down, picked it up, and carried it back.

After walking uphill for several hundred meters, the ditch narrowed and the mountains on both sides became steeper.

Beneath a bend in the rock wall, he saw a dark cave entrance partially obscured by vines.

It wasn't a natural cave; the entrance was regularly shaped with rough carving marks, and it seemed quite deep inside, emanating a cold and damp atmosphere.

A mine? Or an abandoned military hideout?

Chen Yuan put down the iron axle, gripped the wooden spear tightly with both hands, and cautiously approached.

More rusted metal fragments were scattered around the cave entrance, and there were even one or two rusted clumps that looked like tool heads.

There are also small black pebbles that look like coal. Could this be a coal mine?

If it's a coal mine, then it makes sense why we found the iron shaft earlier.

That might be a piece of machinery left over from coal mining.

If only we could still find coal.

It's a shame that this dilapidated, dark factory needs green electricity!

Chen Yuan inwardly criticized this premise, but he had no interest in whether or not to go inside the cave.

The cave was pitch black inside, and the bottom could not be seen.

Who knows if there's a landslide, poison gas, or wild animals lurking inside?

However, the discovery of these openings is of great significance.

This could very well be a stable source of metals! It could also be a source of wealth for me in the future.

Although they were all rusted scrap metal, they were a treasure trove for him, who desperately needed metal.

He noted down the location and then searched the vicinity.

Sure enough, behind a thicket of bushes not far from the cave entrance, he discovered a path, buried in weeds but still faintly discernible, that seemed to lead downstream into the ditch, roughly in the direction of his cave and the ravine where the "Flint" platform was located.

Very good!

He took action immediately.

Transport them back; with them, you'll have at least fifteen kilograms of iron.

This is a big step towards the goal of 20 kilograms.

They also moved the half-gear and steel plate over, which adds up to about 20 kilograms.

Chen Yuan decided to send it to "Flint" to see its reaction.