Chapter 282: Go Kill Some Animals

“It’s done!! I’ve finished it!!”

Dr. Yi looked at the messy modification diagrams on the table, his hands, reddened by the cold, trembling. He ecstatically picked up all the diagrams, his bloodshot eyes visible beneath his messy hair.

He glanced at the time in the corner of the table.

“Thirteen minutes and forty-five seconds… I did it!!”

He laughed out loud and rushed toward Tan Xin’s office, clutching all the modification diagrams. He ignored the other Enforcers rushing through the corridor, pushing and bumping through the crowd like a madman in a white lab coat.

“Move! Get out of the way, all of you!!”

“Damn it!! Are you all blind? Get out of my way!”

“I’m going to save humanity! I’ve waited so many years!! I’ve finally waited for this day… get out of my way!!”

BANG—!

Dr. Yi kicked open the door to Tan Xin’s office.

Inside the office, Tan Xin was sitting there with a grave expression. Standing opposite him was another person, none other than Han Meng, whom Dr. Yi had seen not long ago.

Seeing Dr. Yi make an entrance in such a manner, Han Meng was slightly stunned, confusion appearing in his eyes.

But Dr. Yi didn’t even look at him. He rushed straight to Tan Xin, slapped all the modification diagrams onto the desk with a *thwack*, and said, panting for breath:

“The modification diagrams for all the pump models in the heating system are here! No major changes are needed; just remove the original motors and reinstall the steam-driven devices!”

Tan Xin looked at the diagrams covering the table, about to say something, when Dr. Yi continued:

“I know what you’re going to say! Time! We don’t have time to build so many small-scale steam-driven devices on-site, so my plan is to use the small steam-driven devices from the car factory as substitutes! No production needed! Just dismantle those things from the factory and install them on the pumps! The only thing needed is an adaptive power conversion device… I’ve already designed it. The processing is very simple. With Aurora City’s industrial speed, it will take at most three hours to finish everything!

I’ve calculated it! The power of the water pumps driven by this device won’t be much worse than the original electric drive! At least it’s enough to cover ninety percent of Aurora City! This is just an emergency plan. After this cold disaster passes, I can make improvements so that its pressure is enough to cover the entire Aurora City!”

After saying the last sentence, Dr. Yi slapped the table full of diagrams hard with both hands again, making a *thud* sound.

He took a deep breath.

“Fifteen minutes… I said I’d do it, and I did!”

The office fell into a deathly silence.

Tan Xin looked at Dr. Yi, whose eyes were bloodshot, and a hint of guilt appeared in his own eyes. He was silent for a long time before saying:

“Dr. Yi… this plan is already useless.”

Dr. Yi was stunned. “……Why is it useless? Has… has someone already designed it ahead of time? Have you already started processing it?? Or is it that all the pumps have been restored? No need for modification?”

“No.” Tan Xin shook his head. “Dr. Yi… the temperature outside right now is minus forty-one degrees. Without the pumps driving them, the water that wasn’t fully circulated has all frozen into ice.

Eight minutes ago, most of the heating pipes had already frozen and cracked, making them unusable……”

Dr. Yi’s pupils contracted slightly. He stood there in a daze, still maintaining the posture of having just slapped the table, and said hoarsely:

“You mean……”

“Even if all the pumps were restored to use, the heating couldn’t be restored……” Tan Xin said, trying to comfort him. “Regardless, thank you for the contribution you’ve made to Aurora City.”

Dr. Yi’s breathing became heavy. He hadn’t been drinking, but he acted as if he were drunk. His face and neck flushed red, and he stumbled backward.

“……Contribution?” Dr. Yi laughed miserably. “Contribution? What contribution have I made… whether at the Aurora Base or coming here… I haven’t achieved anything… I still haven’t changed a damn thing! FUCK!!!”

Dr. Yi roared in anger like a beast driven to a dead end. He wasn’t roaring at Tan Xin or Han Meng, but at his own inability to do anything in the face of despair.

He turned and rushed out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him, not knowing where he was going.

Seeing this, Tan Xin let out a long sigh.

At the same time, another figure pushed the door open and entered.

“Teacher, things have changed.” Chu Shiduo hurried in.

“In what regard?”

“Coal!” Chu Shiduo’s expression was extremely grave.

“Coal?” Tan Xin frowned. “Didn’t we calculate it just now? With the current coal reserves in Aurora City, even if we distribute it to the citizens, it’s enough to supply them for ten days… Haven’t you ordered the supply to be opened yet?”

“It’s open!” Chu Shiduo gritted his teeth. “But when we opened the supply, the three major chambers of commerce didn’t make a move at all. They aren’t selling a single piece of coal, so everyone in the city is rushing to us to grab it… Although we do have coal reserves, they are usually for internal supply, so the reserves aren’t large. It was all snatched up in just over an hour.

After our coal was distributed, the Star Chamber of Commerce, in alliance with the Silver Moon and Cold Spring chambers, started price-gouging. They’ve driven the price of coal up fifty thousand times. Now, one kilogram of coal costs fifty thousand copper coins!”

Hearing this, Tan Xin’s gaze instantly turned cold, and a murderous intent poured out from within him!

“Fifty thousand copper coins??” Han Meng’s brows furrowed tightly. “Have they gone crazy for money?? This is simply taking advantage of their coal monopoly to profit from people’s lives!”

“They’ve driven the price so high, didn’t you send people to stop them?” Tan Xin said coldly.

“I’ve already sent two groups of people to negotiate with them, but there’s been no movement… I even sent a Rank 6 powerhouse, but I don’t know what benefits they offered, because they are still selling coal at fifty thousand per kilogram without a scratch.

I was just about to report to you and then go there myself.”

Tan Xin sat behind his desk, his eyes growing colder and colder. He sneered:

“A fine Star Chamber of Commerce. In consideration of their previous funding, I intended to leave them a way out… Now, they’ve climbed right onto my face. Do they really think I don’t dare to kill them?”

“But Teacher, most of our manpower is currently searching for Aurora-kun… And Yan Shang is protected by several people hired from other realms. To kill him, we’d have to mobilize people on the spot.”

Before Chu Shiduo could finish speaking, Han Meng, who was standing to the side, walked silently toward the door.

Seeing this, Tan Xin had already guessed Han Meng’s intentions, but still asked: “Where are you going?”

Han Meng’s black trench coat fluttered sharply in the cold wind. He pulled a cold gun from his waist with one hand and said lightly:

“……To kill some animals.”