Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste-Chapter 854 - 83: A New Flame Amid the Winter

A series of initiatives by Perfikot ignited a flicker of hope in the frigid winter, gradually restoring some vitality and energy to Langton City, which was on the verge of collapse.

However, whether this faint flame can truly dispel the frost shrouding the Empire remains an unknown.

Langton's revival, although providing a brief respite, quietly ignited another deeper crisis.

The offshore oil fields' extraction operations progressed smoothly, with black crude oil continuously piped to newly built refineries at the port docks.

This refinery is one of the industrial facilities planned by Perfikot, where crude oil undergoes precise distillation and refining, converting into gasoline, diesel, and other fuel products, injecting new energy into this frozen city.

However, the arrival of petroleum fuels, while alleviating Langton's energy crisis, also incited panic and hostility in other cities of the Empire.

Diesel easily freezes at low temperatures, so most of it is allocated to shelters to maintain indoor heating systems.

The temperature inside the shelters consistently stays above zero, allowing diesel to burn steadily, providing warmth to the residents.

Outside, where temperatures often plummet to dozens of degrees below zero, gasoline with a lower freezing point becomes the primary choice.

Nevertheless, the promotion of petroleum fuels is not entirely smooth.

For Langton's residents, this new energy remains an unfamiliar matter, especially as many stoves in the city are still old coal stoves, unable to directly use gasoline or diesel as fuel.

Thus, gasoline is more often used as an accelerant for coal.

Residents pour gasoline on coal blocks, utilizing its flammable nature to enhance combustion efficiency.

Diesel is similarly used, mixed with coal for burning, to conserve precious fuel reserves.

Although this mixed combustion method is not very efficient, it is a desperate measure in a situation of extreme resource scarcity.

After all, Langton City still houses nearly a million people, with daily fuel consumption being extremely large.

Before the arrival of petroleum fuels, Langton relied almost entirely on trading with surrounding cities for coal, leaving the city on the brink of collapse due to this fragile supply chain.

The arrival of petroleum fuels greatly alleviated Langton's fuel shortage.

Although coal stove modifications require time, Langton City government has initiated a replacement program, collecting old coal stoves from residents and converting them into stoves compatible with new fuels.

This initiative, although progressing slowly, lays the foundation for the city's energy transition.

Perfikot's vision does not stop here.

In her planning, natural gas was also considered a potential energy choice.

However, natural gas extraction and usage technology is not yet mature, particularly in extremely cold environments, posing insurmountable technical challenges in storage and transportation.

Therefore, natural gas can only serve as a technical reserve for now, awaiting promotion when conditions mature in the future.

Despite this, the introduction of petroleum fuels has brought significant changes to Langton.

The snow on the streets is cleared more promptly, the temperature inside shelters is more stable, and even the factory chimneys have started emitting smoke again.

All of this silently declares that Langton is awakening from the long winter. Although the road ahead remains difficult, there is now hope in Langton.

However, Langton's recovery has not pleased everyone.

As the energy crisis eases and urban functions gradually resume, an undercurrent is surging in other cities on the Empire's mainland.

Separatism quietly grows during the resource struggle, and Langton's resurgence causes unprecedented apprehension in surrounding cities.

Some cities possessing coal resources begin to adopt a guarded attitude towards Langton. They fear that Langton, leveraging its petroleum fuel advantage, will gradually seize their resource shares and even re-establish its dominance as the Empire's core.

This unease is especially apparent in cities that primarily produce coal resources, where officials and businessmen privately discuss the possibility of breaking away from the Empire to become independent.

They secretly hoard resources, refuse to supply Langton with coal and other necessities, and even attempt to sever trade routes with Langton.

Meanwhile, the Evil God Sect is exploiting the situation to fan the flames.

They spread rumors in the shadows, claiming Langton's recovery comes at the expense of other cities' interests and that Perfikot's energy plan is merely a scheme for the Empire to regain local control. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

These statements quickly spread in resource-scarce cities, sparking public dissatisfaction and panic.

Protests even occur on the streets of some cities, demanding a halt to any resource transport to Langton.

In response to this situation, Perfikot does not panic.

She understands deeply that the root of separatism lies in unequal resource distribution and uncertainty about the future.

To ease tensions, she orders a portion of petroleum fuels to be supplied at preferential prices to surrounding cities, dispatching technical teams to help them modify heating systems to reduce reliance on coal.

Simultaneously, she broadcasts a public address to all cities on the Empire's mainland through the Floating City's communication network, emphasizing the importance of unity.

"Langton's revival is not an isolated event," her voice resonates through every street via broadcast, "This is our common victory! Only by working together can we endure this winter and rebuild the glory of the Empire."

However, not everyone is willing to accept her proposal.

Some city leaders suspect it's Langton's attempt to regain control over them. They secretly unite, attempting to form an alliance independent of the Empire.

Members of this alliance begin secretly exchanging resources and plan to sever all ties with Langton if necessary.

Perfikot realizes that mere goodwill and compromise cannot quell this crisis.

She orders the Floating City to intensify surveillance on surrounding cities, dispatching envoys to those wavering cities to attempt diplomatic resolution of conflicts.

At the same time, she also prepares for the worst scenario—if separatist forces continue to expand, she does not rule out using force to maintain the Empire's unity.

In this undercurrent-ridden game, each move by Langton affects the Empire's fate.

Perfikot stands atop the refinery tower, gazing at the distant city outlines shrouded in snow and wind.

She knows the real test has just begun. The energy crisis may be alleviating, but the cracks in people's hearts are far more challenging to mend than the winter.

And she must find a path to unity and survival on this frozen land.

However, time is not on her side.

As separatist forces continue to grow, Langton's energy supply faces new threats.

Extremists in some cities have begun sabotaging the oil pipelines leading to Langton, attempting to sever this city's lifeline.

Meanwhile, the forces of the Evil God Sect are infiltrating in the shadows, with their followers spreading panic in Langton's streets and alleys, trying to internally dismantle this city's will.

Perfikot deeply understands that if this crisis cannot be swiftly quelled, Langton's revival will be but a brief illusion.

She must find a path in this storm that both maintains the Empire's unity and ensures Langton's survival.

And this path is destined to be filled with bloodshed and sacrifice.