Chapter 6

Holding the leftover food from last night, Li Lan walked straight out of the base.

As soon as he left the base, he saw a tall wall in front of him, from which various sounds came, indicating a chaotic scene inside.

Comparing the location, Li Lan knew that the construction of the magnetic energy reactor was taking place inside this wall. Seeing the tall iron sheets blocking all the views, he couldn't help but exclaim, "This is too realistic! It really looks like the real thing."

Seeing Li Lan's figure, the general, who was guarding the base entrance, seemed very excited. He came to Li Lan's side, and his tail wagged like a fan blade.

Li Lan's attention was also drawn to a hint of dark red at the corner of the general's mouth, which was blood.

"What happened?" Li Lan squatted down and took a closer look. The blood had already become thick and black, indicating that it had been there for some time.

Li Lan remembered that when he returned at dusk yesterday, there was no blood on the general's mouth. Could someone have passed by last night? His heart tightened.

As if sensing Li Lan's confusion, the general tugged at Li Lan's trouser leg with his mouth and then ran towards a nearby bush.

Li Lan didn't hesitate and quickly followed.

The incident site was not far from the base, probably less than 500 meters away. Following the general, Li Lan soon saw the owner of the blood, a dead animal.

It looked like a horse but had stripes around its neck, gray fur, and white fur on its belly.

Although Li Lan didn't know what kind of animal this poor creature was, he could relax. As long as it wasn't a human, it meant the base hadn't been discovered.

From the blood on the general's mouth and the bite marks on the dead animal's neck, it was clear that the animal had died from the general's bite.

"Good job, we won't have to worry about our stomachs for a few days." Li Lan squatted down and patted the general's head, saying, "But next time you encounter a wild animal, don't bother. It's a pity to kill them."

The general wagged his tail, seemingly understanding Li Lan's words. Although Li Lan wasn't an active wildlife conservationist, he didn't like to kill species that were already scarce.

Ten minutes later, with the general's help, Li Lan managed to drag the large animal into the base. After asking the base assistant, he learned that the unfortunate animal the general had killed was an African wild ass.

The African wild ass is a wild animal of the horse family. This animal is considered the ancestor of the donkey and is often classified as the same species. They live in the grasslands of East Africa and other arid regions.

The African wild ass has short, smooth fur, ranging from light gray to light brown, but it quickly turns white on the belly and legs. All subspecies have a long, dark stripe on their back, and the Nubian wild ass has a stripe that crosses the shoulders, similar to a donkey. The Somali wild ass has black stripes on its legs, like a zebra.

The African wild ass inhabits arid and semi-arid rocky desert areas, tolerates heat and intense sunlight, and has low water requirements, feeding on desert plants. They often form small groups of 10-15 individuals, led by a vigilant female. In captivity, they can live up to 40 years.

Due to war and social unrest, it is rare to see wildlife in Somalia.

After several hours, the inexperienced Li Lan finally managed to completely dissect the wild ass. He buried the internal organs in a deep pit outside the base. After all, on his first day, Li Lan had seen lions, and he didn't want the smell of blood to attract those annoying scavengers or large predators.

Although the general, a level-three elite military dog, was very capable, Li Lan didn't want him to fight with lions or other large animals. No matter how strong a dog was, it was still a dog and couldn't escape the limits of its species. Now, only the general and himself were companions, and he didn't want to be alone in this desolate grassland.

Throwing the remaining camel meat from the food bag to the general, Li Lan took a freshly dissected thigh and set up a campfire at the base entrance to grill it.

An hour later, Li Lan and the general began to enjoy their barbecue. Although there were no seasonings, Li Lan found the wild ass meat much more fragrant than the camel meat he had traded from Muhammadi.

By the time Li Lan was full, it was already noon. The general, lying on the ground, was still savoring the taste of the wild ass thigh bone.

Although the general was a product of the base and one of the military units, he still needed to eat. These days, he had been surviving on the little food Li Lan had traded from afar, which was far from enough for his large size. Today could be considered the happiest day since he had come out.

"Assistant, how much longer will it take to complete the magnetic energy reactor?" Li Lan asked the base assistant in his mind.

This was another function of the base. As long as he wasn't too far from the base, Li Lan could directly contact the base assistant in his mind.

"Another 30 minutes."

After a brief exchange, Li Lan refocused his attention on the general, squatting beside him and gently stroking his fur. Watching the general savor the delicious meal, Li Lan remembered an important issue.

The base could produce troops and build world-class technological units, but it couldn't provide food. And he was in Somalia, where food was extremely scarce. Once he started recruiting military units, what would he do about food?

Now, with only himself and the general to feed, it wasn't difficult to solve the food problem, but what about the future? If he had more troops, how would he feed them in the early stages?

Although Muhammadi was considered a wealthy Somali in the area, his wealth was limited. A hundred camels proved Muhammadi's wealth, but relying on him alone was far from meeting Li Lan's needs.

He needed more sources of food! This problem had to be solved as soon as possible.

This was the second time Li Lan had been troubled by his situation in Somalia, and the problem was still food.

Although Li Lan didn't know the details of Somalia's situation, he understood that in this most underdeveloped country in the world, food was extremely scarce. While many Somalis die from disease due to poor healthcare, even more die from famine when drought occurs.

Somalia is located at the strategic crossroads of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, serving as a bridge between Asia, Africa, and Europe, and a link between the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. This makes Somalia a country of significant geographical and strategic importance. Somalia's economy and industrial base are weak, with a backward industrial structure and various important social development indicators ranking among the lowest globally. In recent years, it has begun to rebuild its economy after the war, with strong demand and market potential. However, it also faces severe threats from terrorism and piracy, a single economic structure, and an unstable financial and tax system, making it a high-risk environment for foreign businesses.

The Somali Peninsula, located in eastern Africa, is a peninsula between the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, shaped like a rhinoceros horn, earning it the nickname "Horn of Africa." The Republic of Somalia is situated on this peninsula. The peninsula is at the strategic crossroads of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, serving as a bridge between Asia, Africa, and Europe, and a link between the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, making Somalia a country of significant geographical and strategic importance.

Currently, Somalia does not have a safe investment environment for foreign companies, which severely restricts its economic development.

Since 1991, Somalia has experienced years of turmoil, with local warlords and traditional tribes controlling different regions, accepting contracts from Western companies to exchange cheap resources for weapons and dollars.

In recent years, with international intervention and mediation, the President of the Transitional Federal Government, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, was sworn in in Nairobi, and the Transitional Federal Government was established. Over the past two years, the situation in Somalia has gradually improved.

However, as of now, the political situation in Somalia has not fundamentally improved. The Transitional Federal Government has not truly taken control of the country, tribal unrest continues, and warlord control and armed conflicts remain frequent.

This place is very suitable for Li Lan's development. One could say that there is no better place in the world for Li Lan's Red Alert base. However, everything has two sides; there are good aspects and bad aspects.

Industry and livelihood are very troublesome issues.

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