The Beginning of Natural Disaster, I Won by Hoarding Tens of Billions of Supplies

Chapter 581: Discovery of Kerosene

So, the submarine used the underwater ruins as the center point and expanded its search outward. 

A few hours later, about a dozen nautical miles out, they detected a tank-like obstruction. 

The team went down to clear it and found that it was indeed a storage tank, though much smaller than an oil tank—but it could still hold 2,000 cubic meters. 

After the team cleaned it up, Jiang Ning easily retrieved it from the sea. 

They loaded it onto the transport ship. It took everyone working together and a ton of effort to get it secured. 

Jiang Ning instantly recognized the smell—it was kerosene. She even had 100 liters of the same stuff stored in her space. 

Kerosene, also called lamp oil, comes from distilling crude oil. Because it has a relatively low boiling point, it’s one of the first things separated out during the refining process. 

It wasn’t surprising that a refinery would have kerosene. 

Not only could it be used for lighting, but it was also a valuable fuel source. 

Huang Mao poured some out, tore up cloth to make a wick, and it actually lit. 

Watching the kerosene burn steadily, everyone got excited. “If we bring this back, maybe Fengcheng can finally light up at night!” 

Right now, other than a few places using solar power, the whole city was pitch black after dark. 

With light, things wouldn’t be so chaotic at night. 

The team, energized like they’d been injected with adrenaline, immediately started combing the nearby waters again. 

Two hours later, they found an oil tank half-buried in the seabed. 

Jiang Ning’s guess was right. A disaster had recently struck this place, flattening and scattering the ruins. 

That made collecting everything much harder and more time-consuming. 

They split up into two submarines to cover more ground. 

Soon, they started finding more and more oil and kerosene tanks. The team’s tense expressions slowly relaxed. 

While diving, Jiang Ning secretly stored two oil tanks and ten kerosene tanks in her space —just in case they’d be needed in the future. 

The special salvage team worked non-stop for several days, finally filling up the large transport ship with 9 oil tanks, 30 kerosene tanks, and a bunch of scrap metal from the refinery. 

They packed it tight, stacking everything to the brim. 

On the way home, the calm, sunny sea suddenly turned wild — dark clouds rolled in, and strong winds kicked up towering waves. 

The waves grew higher and more violent, threatening to swallow everything. 

Xu Kaitai stayed incredibly calm, directing the nuclear submarine to dive deeper to avoid the storm. 

The energetic crew, however, were hugging wooden basins and vomiting nonstop, their faces pale as wax. 

But once the storm passed and they thought of all the goods on the transport ship, everyone broke into smiles. 

They started calculating how much kerosene each of them could get. They were already imagining hotpot dinners, hot water for baths, and being able to drink all the boiled water they wanted. 

No more worrying about firewood! 

The future was finally looking bright. As they thought about what was ahead, they couldn’t help but reflect on the past few years of drifting at sea. 

It had been rough. Miserable, even. 

But now it was time to move forward. There was sunshine ahead. Fresh air, birds singing, flowers blooming. 

The transport ship made it safely back to Fengcheng. This time, it wasn’t just the guards at the port watching with binoculars—even nearby survivors stopped what they were doing and craned their necks to see what the special team had brought back. 

When word got out that they’d found kerosene, cheers broke out. 

Fuel for daily life was what they lacked the most. They could only pull up dry grass or pick up sticks, but everything nearby had already been stripped clean. 

Most of the time, they drank cold water, ate raw greens, and gnawed on sweet potatoes or regular potatoes. Over time, their health had only gotten worse. 

Last time, they’d found oil. And after installing the seawater desalination system, the municipal center even set up hot water supply stations. Each household could get up to 10 liters of boiled water a day. 

Not only could they drink hot water, but once in a while, they could even wipe themselves down with warm water. 

What a luxury. 

Life was finally starting to look hopeful again. 

Before getting off the ship, the team talked things over. The underwater ruins had been flattened, and many of the oil tanks had scattered or been destroyed. No one knew how much more could be found next time. 

This time, they wanted to keep their share of the oil and kerosene. 

Following Sister Ning, not only do they get rich, but their military rank rises quickly too. 

They were still young, and who knows? One day they might get promoted to the point of being assigned a military vehicle. What would they do then if there was no fuel? 

People need to have dreams. Otherwise, they’re no better than salted fish. 

But they felt a little awkward about it. “Sister Ning, Captain Huo, Captain Xu, how do you plan to handle the supplies we got this time?” 

Of course, Jiang Ning knew what they were thinking. She quickly showed she was on their side. “We don’t know if we’ll find more next time, so I’m planning to keep mine for now. If we do get more later, we can always exchange it then.” 

That put them at ease. “Alright, we’ll keep ours too.” 

Also, waiting for the unloading day was too boring, so they wanted to find something to do. 

Jiang Ning smiled. “Come help out on the farm. Stretch your legs a bit, and we’ll throw in a meal.” 

“No problem, thank you, Sister Ning.” 

Eager to get home, Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen got off the ship first. The others stayed behind to handle the handover. 

Last time they came back, Fengcheng was covered in snow. This time, the sun was shining bright. 

When they got to the dock, something felt off. 

Jiang Ning looked around at the familiar guards and suddenly realized—where was Rong Sanshao? 

He didn’t show up to cling to her thigh this time, and honestly, she found it kind of strange. 

She asked, and the guards answered, “Lieutenant Rong was transferred to a position at headquarters.” 

Oh? He actually made it to the military headquarters? He’s got some skills! 

Jiang Ning drove Huo Yishen to report in at military headquarters, then headed home herself. 

She got back early. Gu Tinglin and Shu Xueqing were still at work, and the ruthless couple was nowhere to be seen. Instead, what greeted her were the four furballs, barking fiercely at her instead. 

So fierce, yet so cute. 

“Woof woof woof!” 

“Awooo!” 

What could she do? She’d been away for over a month, and the pups had short memories. 

It wasn’t until they caught her scent that they wagged their tails and came running. 

Jiang Ning fed them some meat and gave them a good cuddle. 

Then she went inside, took a shower, changed into some comfy clothes, turned on the AC, and sipped some fruit juice. 

When Huo Yishen came back, they had lunch together, then headed to the farm. The four chubby pups stubbornly waddled after them. “Woof!” 

On the way, the four little rice dumplings made many people drool. 

But no one dared make a move. Those dogs were reserved for the military. If anyone tried anything, they’d either get shot or kicked out of the base. 

With the base improving like this, who’d want to leave? Life outside meant almost certain death. 

People craving meat were holding out. Word was the farm’s first batch of eggs had already hatched. Mayor He had even promised that once the farm expanded enough, they’d start selling eggs and live chickens to the public. 

The base was only going to get better. One day, everyone would be able to afford chickens and eggs. 

In just over a month, the farm had hired more workers. The poultry had started laying and hatching eggs. Little chicks were breaking out of their shells one after another. 

When Jiang Ning arrived, Rong Tingting was just about to announce a new benefit: each worker would get two chicks. They could either take them home or leave them at the farm. 

If they left them at the farm, once the chickens were grown, the best-performing workers would get to choose the best poultry. 

“The best workers will get the biggest and fattest ones. But if you’re lazy or careless, don’t even think about getting a chicken. You might not even keep your job,” Rong Tingting said. 

She gave a mix of rewards and warnings. “Go ask around. Our farm gives the best treatment. If you’re just here to watch and drool at the poultry, I suggest you leave early. There are plenty of people outside looking for work.” 

After that tough talk, she dismissed everyone to get back to work. 

Then she quickly walked over to greet Jiang Ning. “Sister Ning!”