Wasteland Border Inspector-Chapter 351 - 143: Abandoned Hydroelectric Station, Planning Dapo Town! (2)
"Yes!"
Zhang picked up the Defense Communication device and whispered a few instructions, without ever asking who Engineer Liu was. It was clear that the checkpoint already had dedicated personnel for liaising with various departments to ensure smooth consultation channels.
About ten minutes later, a sheet of paper filled with writing was handed into the meeting venue and placed in front of Cheng Ye.
At this moment, many people in the venue had already started seeking help from outside, with sheets of paper being passed around frequently, making the atmosphere more tense than before.
Seeing that Cheng Ye, the Intern Inspector, also successfully received a response, many inspectors glanced at him secretly, clearly surprised that he could already connect with someone in the Buffer Zone despite being on duty for such a short time.
"This is really serious; I never experienced anything like this even when I was in school..."
Cheng Ye unfolded the paper, which had over five hundred words written on it.
Engineer Liu indeed didn’t use plain language; the entire text was filled with engineering terminology.
"According to the 12th round of the basic survey in New Era Year 33, the concrete grade of the White Water Dam body is low (C25), long-term exposure to the natural environment shows a carbonation depth detection value of 3.2 cm, exceeding the safety threshold by 1.1 cm. Surface carbonation treatment is required, with the overflow gate hoist rust degree at 78%, necessitating a full replacement of the gearbox. There are three fissures in the water conveyance tunnel, with the largest width being 0.8 mm, requiring grouting and sealing..."
A summary was also attached at the end: "To restore to an operational state requires 80 cubic meters of C30 concrete, 12 tons of rebar, and 1 hydraulic hoist. It is recommended to be equipped with 2 structural engineers and 15 skilled workers, with the estimated construction period being 15 days."
If someone outside the field saw these details, they would surely be unable to analyze the damage extent of the White Water Dam and could only rely on the final suggestion to gauge the difficulty.
But in Cheng Ye’s eyes, this gave him a clear understanding.
Small-town level hydroelectric stations were mostly built in the late 20th century, around the millennium, approximately a century ago.
Initially, they served as supplements to the overall power grid, later becoming one of the industry projects for external contracting due to rapid infrastructure development.
They were one-time large investments with low returns and long payback periods, making them premium investment projects.
However, concrete carbonation is an irreversible natural process. Even with good maintenance after being privately managed, the carbonation depth would still slowly increase over time.
Normal concrete in a natural environment has an annual carbonation depth of about 0.1-0.3 cm. A cumulative carbonation of 3.2 cm over 100 years suggests that the dam body is either in a dry, low-pollution environment, or it has had periodic simple maintenance over the years.
"There are signs of maintenance; there is potential for repair..."
Cheng Ye’s thoughts quickly flowed. "It seems Happiness City had considered this before, but probably put it aside due to large resource consumption and low return rates."
This precisely indicates that Dapo Town is a potential asset. The hydroelectric problem can be resolved by repairing old facilities, saving at least 70% of the resources compared to building from scratch.
Of course, Engineer Liu’s information was "restoring to an operational state," which would surely not be feasible in modern times, not even passing the most basic data inspections. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
But on the Wasteland, it’s not a big deal. The safety redundancies in modern standards are luxuries at this moment. Repairing outdated facilities inherited from the past is no less challenging than rebuilding them.
Of course, a bold idea flashed through Cheng Ye’s mind. Perhaps using Action Points could speed up the repair?
But this would have to be attempted personally after acquiring the contract, and a justification for the abnormal progress would have to be considered, so it was best to set it aside for now.
"Choosing Dapo Town resolves the hydroelectric issue; only the transport routes remain..."
Cheng Ye’s fingers swiftly slid across the map, linking bits of information heard from scavengers and mentally sketching a route map from Happiness City to Dapo Town.
Among the 80 inspectors present, he was the only Intern Officer who had never been outside the Outer City and could only rely on second-hand information and the map to imagine road conditions.
This was a disadvantage, but it was also an advantage.
He had no subjective experience to interfere with his judgment, relying solely on the most objective data such as distance, terrain, and obstacle points to evaluate the transport difficulty.
And when verifying plans with the supercomputer, a purely data-driven model would definitely be used.
This idealized analysis might actually stand out in the supercomputer’s evaluation.
"Zhang, the second call, help me contact Elder Song in the Celestial Essence Community, Zone B-7 in the Buffer Zone. Please inquire about the difficulty of traveling from Happiness City to Dapo Town, viewing it from a pioneer’s perspective."
"Yes." Zhang quickly recorded the instructions and turned to relay them.
This time the wait felt particularly long; about fifteen minutes later, a staff member came over with a thick stack of papers.
Unlike the previous single-page replies, this time there were actually more than ten pages, neatly bound, standing out among the thin response papers.
The inspectors seated at the door couldn’t help but look up in surprise, thinking that a high-level inspector must have used significant connections to obtain such a detailed report.
Until the papers were placed in front of Cheng Ye, the glances cast in the venue carried a hint of wonder.
Even Ding Yishan couldn’t help but glance over, his lips curling slightly at the corners, seemingly in approval.
But all of this, Cheng Ye had no time to care about. After reviewing the information received, only one thought remained in his mind:
Having an elder at home is indeed a treasure!
Elder Song, having survived countless life-and-death situations from the old times to the present, truly had unfathomable experience.
Not only did he catch the underlying meaning (not focusing on paper data but actual risks), but he also mobilized the combined wisdom of the Pioneer Corps veterans in the community. The reply he provided was akin to a living map and survival guide.
The first few pages were a breakdown of the route, detailing the risk level of each section:
Driving out of the city along the old provincial road is the optimal choice. This is the main route maintained by substantial investments from Happiness City, supervised by the Hundred Ghosts Gang. The road surface is smooth, suitable for convoy transport, and can reach the outskirts of Dapo Town. However, the last 20 kilometers require transferring to a county road.
