Chapter 16: The Thousand-Person Mark
The sudden addition of 182 Clones brought Li Qingsong a wave of relief. He had been so short-staffed he wished he could split every second in two and force his Clones to work day and night without rest. Now, he could finally relax.
The agricultural base, which had been operating at less than half capacity, immediately kicked into full gear.
The entire cultivation area, totaling over 20,000 square meters thanks to the multi-level farming system, was now planted with crops like sweet potatoes, potatoes, soybeans, wheat, and rice.
On the other side of the agricultural base, the chicken farms were all activated. Using intensive farming methods, a mere two hundred square meters of space was enough to house over 1,000 chickens.
This was even with Li Qingsong intentionally limiting the density, worried that the chickens might get sick.
Furthermore, the populations of pigs, cattle, and sheep also saw a sharp increase.
The entire agricultural base was filled to the brim with crops and animals, finally beginning to operate at full capacity.
’Finally, I don’t have to watch all this space go to waste anymore.’
Gazing at the verdant scenery inside, Li Qingsong was overcome with emotion.
Outside the agricultural base, in the metallurgical sector, several long-idle blast furnaces finally had workers to operate them.
The Clones wore new model Space Suits that Li Qingsong had produced himself. These suits still offered little radiation resistance and no communication functions, but their insulation and durability were greatly improved. They marched proudly up to the blast furnaces and began feeding in chunks of ore.
In the metalworking sector, dozens of machines whirred and clanked day and night, churning out a constant stream of various components.
In the energy sector, the surge in electricity consumption meant the original generator sets were no longer sufficient. But that wasn’t a problem. New generators had already been built and fuel stockpiled; with the new manpower, they could be brought online immediately.
Moreover, the power grid itself was expanding.
A team of five Clones was formed to act as electricians, solely responsible for maintaining and expanding the power grid.
Wielding copper wire from the cable factory, they spun dense networks of lines outward from the existing grid, like spiders weaving a web. One by one, new pieces of electrical equipment were connected.
The idle tractors finally got their drivers. The Clones drove them, shuttling back and forth between the various mines and the base, hauling back truckloads of minerals that Li Qingsong desperately needed.
The base on Ceres, though always busy, had felt desolate. But with the influx of more Clones, it was finally starting to feel lively.
In fact, even after Li Qingsong assigned Clones to fill every vacant position for his equipment, he still had over 30 to spare.
’I’ve never had this much manpower to spare.’
Feeling a surge of emotion, Li Qingsong immediately began a new round of construction.
What could he do? He just couldn’t stand seeing anyone idle.
At this point, the "skeleton" of his basic industry was in place. He had the beginnings of metallurgy, casting, energy, and chemical sectors, but they were all still crude and rudimentary.
For example, the energy sector consisted of just a few steam generators, all told.
The metallurgy sector was even more basic, with only about twenty crude blast furnaces. Their combined annual output of various metals was only around two thousand tons.
He needed to specialize and refine his processes further. Steelmaking, for instance, could be broken down into smelting different types of steel, such as cryogenic steel, heat-resistant steel, corrosion-resistant steel, and carbon steel.
Only through specialization could he increase output and efficiency.
The same applied to metalworking, chemicals, and even the agricultural base.
Li Qingsong immediately put the 30-odd idle Clones to work, directing them to build more new factories.
To that end, he drafted an ambitious plan.
’All future factories and bases must be specialized and subdivided. I’ll need to build at least five more agricultural bases, three more steel mills, ten chemical plants, and one or two dedicated factories for machinery production...’
After running the numbers, Li Qingsong was startled to realize that supporting his upcoming construction projects would require at least a million tons of steel.
And that was just for the initial phase. He was sure to have even larger-scale plans for the future.
Yet his current total annual metal output was only about two thousand tons, with steel accounting for a mere fifteen hundred tons!
The gap was staggering.
’Steel is the foundation of all construction, so I have to prioritize the steel industry. Alright then... first, I’ll build a highly efficient, specialized steel mill! Its annual output needs to be at least one hundred thousand tons!’
Leaping from fifteen hundred tons to one hundred thousand seemed like too large of a step to take all at once. But Li Qingsong wasn’t worried.
He knew it was a long-term project, not something he could finish overnight. He had time.
With this goal in mind, Li Qingsong settled in for another period of waiting.
During this phase, the cultivation of Clones continued unabated. Their numbers grew at a steady rate of 205 every six months, or 410 per year.
The number of steel mills, foundries, and chemical plants continued to grow, and their production capacity rose accordingly.
However, these new factories were no different from the initial ones—just as low-tech and small-scale. They were a far cry from the specialized, large-scale facilities Li Qingsong envisioned in his plan.
It would be impossible to supply the steel for his massive construction plans by relying on such outdated production methods.
But he had no other choice. For now, he could only accumulate foundational strength by increasing the number of these small factories.
And so, another two years passed, two years spent slowly building up his strength. With the addition of 800 more Clones—it should have been 820, but 20 failed to cultivate—the number of Clones under Li Qingsong’s command finally broke the one-thousand mark, reaching a total of 1,100!
A full 1,100 brains and bodies, all available for Li Qingsong to command without obstruction!
Moreover, during those two years, the Clones weren’t just performing mechanical labor.
While they worked, Li Qingsong would also use the Clones’ brains to think.
He pondered the details: the most logical layout for wiring, the safest procedures for operating the blast furnaces, the best way to pre-process ore to conserve electricity, the most efficient machining techniques for parts, how to treat materials to enhance their properties, and so on.
This was the kind of detailed, practical knowledge that couldn’t be found in the Deep Space Spaceship’s database.
But through hands-on work, these brains—all extensions of Li Qingsong himself—gradually figured things out through trial and error, and all of it became his own knowledge.
’Right now, I don’t have the capacity to dedicate anyone to pure research.
But that’s fine. At this stage, practical application is the best form of research.
Now, my industrial system is more complete, my steel output has increased, and my knowledge base is just about sufficient.
So, it’s time to put the construction of a large-scale, professional steel mill on the agenda.’