That night, Xia Yu stayed at the mine until the next morning when C-160 landed on the runway at sunrise.
The tail hatch of the transport plane opened, and the first thing unloaded was the oil storage tank for storing crude oil, followed by a set of backup oil production equipment transferred from the Ronier oil field.
Flowing wells also require supporting production equipment. The wellbore structure consists of casing and tubing, while a wellhead device called a tree is needed on the surface.
When the gushing waters of one or two years cause insufficient formation pressure, an electric submersible pump will need to be installed later to provide mechanical energy for secondary extraction.
Now that it's self-flowing, all they have to do is control the speed at which the crude oil is ejected and install pipelines to introduce the extracted crude oil into the storage device.
This is why professional intervention is needed; Kuhn and his team can handle water spraying, but they can't handle oil spraying.
Watching the workers skillfully install the equipment, the real-time rate of crude oil gushing out after debugging was also displayed on the instrument.
"1.7 tons per hour, which means more than 40 tons of crude oil are produced in a 24-hour period. This can't compare to those monster wells in the Middle East, but it's definitely a high-yield well in China!"
Upon receiving the data, the person in charge remarked with emotion.
Xia Yu initially thought the oil storage tank was too small, but then realized that the current international crude oil price had risen to $50 per barrel (158.98 liters).
In other words, his well produces around US dollars a day, which amounts to 5 million a year.
This is a really good deal. Not to mention, it's not just about money. The current fire defense has become a major fuel consumer. After the second and third phases of the museum are put into operation, it will grow by another order of magnitude.
Regardless of the rise and fall of international crude oil prices, owning an oil well allows one to produce and consume its own oil, achieving energy self-sufficiency.
Of course, it still depends on the refinery. Apart from the dozens of tons of crude oil that Xia Yu put into the storage warehouse last night, the subsequent output still needs to be transported to Zha De and processed into refined oil before it can be used.
Different qualities of crude oil produce different refined oil products.
The well they're using produces light crude oil, which can directly yield 20% jet fuel. The rest needs to be hydrogenated and deoxygenated for secondary use to produce more.
Producing aviation gasoline is also more complicated than producing regular gasoline and diesel.
However, Xia Yu was not afraid of trouble at all. Whether it was crude oil directly or secondary processing and refining, he would just accept it.
"What about the specific reserves?"
Having learned about the production volume, Xia Yu then inquired about the reserves.
"This requires data collection to calculate. If we're just estimating, it's definitely not the size of a single well. The exploitable reserves are conservatively estimated to be around six figures."
Based on experience, the person in charge provided a rough range of numbers.
Well, this isn't some kind of associated crude oil, but rather uranium ore that's associated with crude oil!
The grade isn't low, but the uranium mine is only a few thousand tons in size. For the type of sandstone leached by in-situ, this is definitely a small to medium-sized mine. Otherwise, after offsetting the contract payment, how would they still need to make up some cash?
"This is troublesome. I need relatively accurate data to know whether to continue investing, and how much to invest."
Small and micro oil fields can drill one or more wells, but the location of the wells is important and cannot be as arbitrary as the first one.
Relatively accurate data is required to determine the number and location of oil wells and gas wells to be drilled.
After handing the matter over to professionals, Xia Yu prepared to lead his team to retreat.
Next, he will have to send another shift of people over. Before the large crude oil storage tanks arrive, the mine will have to arrange one truck trip per day to haul oil to Zha De.
If we don't have enough manpower, our cars and fuel could be stolen.
Faced with the expanding business, Xia Yu felt it was necessary to strengthen the company's secondary operations.
For example, expanding a company into a battalion within a few years.
Old Yev's methods are beyond his reach. Recruiting thousands of people at once, all of them full-time employees, makes it more like a private army in disguise than a company. It's a unique case in the entire PMC industry.
Xia Yu was even more cautious. Not to mention the company's formal employees, he selected only the best of the best for his second-tier staff, only the elite among the black people.
Those with academic qualifications taught maintenance and repair, those with strength knocked on tracks and moved shells, those with good marksmanship taught infantry subjects, and those suitable for concentrated fire defense tactics were all put together to form just over 100 people.
Fortunately, the salary was cheap enough, but it was a genuinely high salary compared to the local average, so everyone cherished this job.
Only when the number of personnel is expanded to a battalion can the company simultaneously advance the mineral development project; otherwise, safety cannot be guaranteed.
As for providing security services to mines with members from the same hometown, just like not providing maritime security services, Jihuo Defense focuses more on combat and rescue operations.
Let's leave this market share to our competitors who have a larger workforce. Apart from those super-large oil fields, not many bosses can afford to hire heavy equipment such as armed helicopters, tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles.
However, if the security you hire isn't enough, and something really happens, then contacting Jihuo Defense is the right thing to do.
The main factor is whether the business matches the requirements. Ji Huo Defense was able to stand out from a group of private military contractors because of the enhanced combat capabilities of its units.
Relying solely on security would yield very low revenue, and such heavy firepower wouldn't be necessary.
However, the unstable situation and poor security in Afica have indeed created a security need for many businesses.
Xia Yu has also written a report on this issue, and there may be some changes in the future!
Back in Konglujia, he resumed his daily routine of mortar work as a contractor.
After widening the catapult/interception section of the entire cave sub-base to 30 meters, Xia Yu also began installing equipment for various systems.
Long steam pipes extend from the power supply hangar and connect to the newly laid steam catapults.
"Pfft"
Pressing the remote launch start button, a small car used for testing was launched.
The vehicle, made entirely of tungsten and weighing 27.22 tons, disappeared instantly from the newly opened tunnel and landed at the foot of the hillside.
This exceeded the original design specifications of the BS-5 steam catapult. The calculated data shows that the carrier-based aircraft represented by this small car was accelerated to 95 knots and left the tunnel.
Under Xia Yu's relentless pressure, the advanced BS-5A model was successfully achieved. The only cost was the reduced steam volume, which affected the launch efficiency, and the long-term reliability of the catapult.
These are all things that don't need to be worried about. The base doesn't have that many fighter jets to fly, and it doesn't even have more than three digits of missiles a year. Even if they break, they can be repaired with manpower.
The auxiliary air intake system was installed again, and the experiment was repeated, resulting in further growth in the data.
Xia Yu believed that as long as improvements were made, it would definitely surpass the performance of the BS-6 catapult, which only existed on paper, and reach the level of the old C-13-1 model with a working pressure of 1000 psi and a terminal speed of 140 knots.
Not needing to be long-lasting or durable is absolutely fine.
Having both would be more difficult than obtaining the original, and it's unnecessary.
He turned off the roaring fan, put on his jetpack, and went to the cave entrance.
It's hard to imagine that such a thing is worth more than 300,000 pounds, and Xia Yu only bought it to pick up small cars.
"Woo"
With both nozzles pointing downwards, he leaped down and then hovered in mid-air.
It looks cool, but it's not practical in actual combat because you can't free up both hands to control the balance when operating the weapon.
However, as a toy, this jetpack is quite fun. With the same level of proficiency, it is also faster than a helicopter, directly solving Xia Yu's transportation problem when she is a few kilometers away from the base.
Using thermal imaging to locate the target, he quickly flew to the car, stored it in the garage, and then returned to the cave.
After multiple tests to find the most suitable data, Xia Yu finally completed the parameter debugging.
Next came the actual flight.
A few more days passed, and the tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and other ground equipment, along with several helicopters and fighter jets, were loaded onto a ship and shipped to the Middle East.
Several vehicle crews and combat personnel continued training, while Xia Yu completed the installation of the hangar armored doors and camouflaged the surface of the doors with rocks from the mountain.
He also installed temperature control on this physical camouflage layer, which would automatically heat or cool down whenever there was a temperature difference with the surrounding mountains, ensuring that no abnormalities could be detected remotely.
As for the other satellites, the trajectories of all satellites in the sky are public; what is not publicly disclosed is their performance specifications.
There weren't many satellites above Afica to begin with, and after confirming that space would be "clean" for the next hour, Xia Yu, sitting in the cockpit of the Ultimate Ghost, pressed the button to open the hangar armored door.
"Buzz"
Supported by hydraulic rods, the two large doors, each weighing tens of tons, opened to the sides.
From the outside perspective, it looks as if the mountain peak itself has cracked open.
Xia Yu pressed the second button, and the auxiliary air intake system started working. Air was drawn in through the pipes, equivalent to a level 12 gale rushing into the tunnel.
As he activated the Ultimate Phantom's variable-sweep wings, he received a notification that the steam catapult was fully charged, and the wisp of steam leaking from the track dissipated in the gale.
"Smack!"
Pressing the third button, the ejection button, Xia Yu instantly felt the G-force "pressing" on his body, while the Ultimate Ghost was also pulled and accelerated to a final speed of 140 knots, gliding through the last few dozen meters and leaving the cave.
"boom"
The roar of the engine startled the animals in the canyon, who immediately recalled the sounds of the battle more than a year ago.
Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon.
Xia Yu engaged afterburner, piloted the fighter jet, and tore through the morning mist in the mountains, soaring into the sky.
This is the ultimate goblin! It feels so much better than the Spac Goblin and the original goblin.
Piloting this brand-new, one-of-a-kind F-4S, Xia Yu felt the view outside the canopy was exceptionally beautiful.
Originally, as an interceptor, the Phantom's low-altitude air combat capability was a joke. Now, it can perform a series of maneuvers without any difficulty, making it a low-spec version of the F-14.
Unfortunately, technological advancements have rendered dogfighting obsolete; this is an era where air-to-air missile performance is paramount.
Whether it's this ultimate ghost or the once invincible big cat, they've all become "classic cars" among fighter jets, only retaining their value as collectibles.
Of course, it's also okay to dominate weaker opponents.
"Whoosh!"
Four AGM-65 Maverick missiles appeared out of thin air on the underwing pylons, and then Xia Yu fired two of them away.
"Boom boom"
The two T-72 target vehicles, deployed by helicopter, instantly exploded into fireballs.
It's so much fun to fight without worrying about costs. In this situation, Xia Yu can even use the AIM-9L Super Sidewinder as a rocket, since the cost of printing a missile is the same as the price of buying a rocket.
The AIM-54 and AIM-120 are simply guided rockets with larger calibers.
"Whoosh!"
At this moment, Xia Yu felt as if he had returned to his childhood, where spending five cents to buy a box of Black Boss cigarettes could make him happy for an entire afternoon.
Loading a fighter jet with missiles and refueling it is the kind of exhilarating experience you get from upgrading a Starscream for a dollar after receiving a New Year's bonus.
It could be the currency unit of more than 20 years later. In just a few hours, Xia Yu burned through tens of millions of US dollars.
Different prices, but the same joy.
Hopefully, we can collect more and better fighter jets in the future, so he can continue to be happy.
"boom"
After firing the last round of ammunition, Xia Yu turned the plane around, reduced the wing sweep angle to 23°, and rushed towards the base at low altitude and high speed.
Along the way, the animals were terrified and cursed loudly.
He only reopened the wings and reduced the airspeed just before reaching the base.
"puff"
Adjusting its attitude, aiming at the small hole in the mountain, the ultimate monster, with no second chance to pull up, plunged in until its tailhook caught the second arresting cable.
With this, Xia Yu completed its first full land-based catapult/interception takeoff and landing, and all systems were functioning normally.
This also means that the cave sub-base has finally acquired combat capability.
To address nuclear protection, an additional NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection door needs to be added to both the catapult/interception section and the tunnel section; simply adding lead liners to the hangar armored doors is insufficient.
The same operation was carried out on the other side of the canyon. Then, bunkers were dug into the lower layers of the mountain. This was the work of the second and third phases. Xia Yu still had ten or twenty years to slowly excavate, unlike the first phase which was rushed.
But by then, his children would all be grown up!
Liv might not react much, but what child wouldn't want such a big secret base!
Aside from his final resting place buried deep underground, Xia Yu is still very willing to share his great projects with his family.
"Buzz"
The control panel automatically retracted the armored door, released the arresting cable, and guided the F-4S with its wings folded to taxi onto the locomotive inside the tunnel. The man and the aircraft returned to the cave hangar in a very ceremonial manner.
After a quick 0.1 hour of maintenance, Xia Yu placed the Ultimate Phantom opposite the MiG-23 and boarded the Little Antelope to head back.
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
His parents had a great time, and he will take them to their ancestral home tomorrow. The employees are also ready to set off for Suliya.
We also hope that this short-term deployment will not only enhance the company's combat capabilities in high-intensity scenarios, but also go smoothly.
The Middle East is truly a place overflowing with wealth, but the prerequisite for its wealth is genuine peace; otherwise, it's all a facade.
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