I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 591 - 489: Field Test

The place Chen Xin was heading to was a Titanium Iron Ore mine within the city limits.

This was a mineral deposit that had been identified within the city’s jurisdiction but had not been mined before the disaster.

However, with the massive demand for rare metals during the domestic industrial reconstruction process post-disaster, especially with the demands from Chen Xin’s Research Center for rare metals, deposits like this one, already verified and not too difficult to mine, were scheduled for extraction.

"This mine isn’t very deep yet, only over three hundred meters, so the overall mining difficulty is relatively small." A technician from the mine was explaining the state of the mine to Chen Xin, though he appeared somewhat nervous in front of Chen Xin: "But since this is a mountainous mine, and the mining time here has been short with insufficient construction, we are currently mainly using manual mining methods, so production hasn’t yet reached the mine’s maximum allowable mining capacity."

Chen Xin noticed the other’s nervousness but didn’t say much, only asking the technician, "What equipment do the workers mainly use underground?"

"These are mainly the protective equipment required by the state for descending into the mine. Previously, to increase production, some exoskeletons were distributed and have now been handed to the workers." Upon hearing Chen Xin inquire about the situation underground, the technician became even more nervous but still earnestly answered his question.

Hearing the technician’s reply, Chen Xin nodded and said approvingly, "Exoskeletons are quite practical for jobs requiring heavy manual labor. How many sets have been distributed here?"

Seeing that Chen Xin didn’t seem to have any particular reaction to the situation he described, the technician calmed down a bit and replied to Chen Xin, "Well, this is a small mine, so not many exoskeletons were distributed. We only have fifty sets, not enough to equip everyone, so they’re given to the workers on the lowest level of the mine, who have a heavier workload and need them more."

Chen Xin nodded slightly, having some understanding of the mine’s situation.

Before the disaster, when he was still an ordinary person and they discussed in their survival group how to avoid doomsday, aside from buying bunkers and building personal shelters, someone had suggested the idea of converting abandoned mines into shelters.

However, this idea was very impractical and unsafe.

Firstly, in the Flame Country, buying a mine, even an abandoned one, is very troublesome. Although simpler than buying a bunker, it still requires handling numerous procedures and qualifying for approval.

This wasn’t realistic for the people in the survival group at the time, as they needed plans that could be implemented immediately rather than spending months dealing with procedural hassles.

Especially during the impending doomsday situation when it was questionable whether relevant departments were even operating.

Moreover, there were problems with the mine conversion itself.

If it’s a mine that hasn’t been fully extracted, then it’s somewhat feasible, as spacious underground areas could indeed be used for shelter conversion or housing large mechanical equipment.

In fact, at the onset of disaster, the state did use some mines to protect valuable industrial equipment and other important materials.

But with abandoned mines, it’s not so safe.

Due to mining, disrupted geological structures, long-neglected maintenance leading to water leakage, decay, collapse of tunnels...

These all form considerable deadly potential threats, not to mention issues like air circulation inside the mines.

While reasonable conversion could indeed turn tunnels in abandoned mines into usable, even habitable spaces, the cost and time frame are too long, beyond what Chen Xin and others could afford at the time.

Remembering these past events, Chen Xin shook his head slightly; these were attempts made for survival that now hold little significance, leaving only memories and some related knowledge. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Recalling the necessary memories, Chen Xin clearly understood that in a mine shaft, continual excavation is directed downward, with multiple work faces being dug at different depths simultaneously to increase the total mined quantity per unit time.

During this process, the workers at the bottom of the mine shaft undoubtedly have the hardest task, as they’re responsible for digging downward and their workload is heavier than workers in other work faces.

Recalling this, Chen Xin looked at a researcher who had accompanied him and asked, "How is the preparation of the mining-type Titan?"

"The prototypes and simplified machines we’ve brought have all been debugged and are ready to be put into use for testing anytime." The researcher enthusiastically replied to Chen Xin, eagerly anticipating the actual performance of the two mining-type Titan models he was involved in designing.

Chen Xin nodded slightly and asked the technician beside him, "We need to use your mine for testing new industrial equipment, which has been previously notified. Is the test area ready?"

"It’s ready. Do you want to conduct the test now?" The technician inquired, unconsciously glancing at the large and small Titans activating behind the three of them.

"Yes, since everything is ready, let’s start testing," Chen Xin nodded in agreement, speaking to the researcher beside him.

Upon hearing Chen Xin’s words, the researcher immediately responded and addressed the large and small Titans that had been activated, "Experiment begins! Mining-type Titan prototype, simplified machine, field mining test, commence!"

With the researcher’s voice, the two Titans started moving.

"Uh... sorry! Could we pause for a moment?" Watching the two Titans in motion, the technician suddenly said to Chen Xin, "The smaller robot can take our lift down, but the larger one... it must weigh several tons, right? The personnel lift can’t handle such a heavy load; it’ll have to be transported down by a mining cart."

Hearing this, Chen Xin wasn’t surprised, only giving the researcher a meaningful look.

The researcher understood, pulled the mine technician aside, and after inquiring in detail, made some adjustments.

The smaller simplified machine will accompany them on the personnel lift to the bottom of the mine, while the prototype will use the ore transportation passage, taking a mining cart used for transporting ores to the work face inside the mine, then relying on its mobility to reach the mine’s bottom area.