Chapter 83

Status: Juvenile

Health: 11/11

Explosive Power: 10/55

Hunger Level: 95%

Active Time: 110 hours

Energy Points: 12/5000

Chen Fei took a moment to glance at the system's "Individual Information."

10 energy points obtained, but... what can I do with them?

The cheapest item in the "Skill Store," the "Basic Evolution Database," costs 99 energy points. I'm still 87 points short. I wonder when I'll be able to gather enough.

Upon arriving at the recycling station, Chen Fei saw a huge rectangular structure made of neatly stacked cardboard boxes.

The fighter jet wreckage, which had been repeatedly sorted and cleaned, was finally delivered here, disassembled into pieces. Metals were separated from plastics, and even standard fasteners were categorized and packed in cardboard boxes.

Only the mechanical repair team could handle such meticulous work.

Others would be at a loss when faced with modular components, able to do nothing but stare.

Brutal cutting without technical skill was a different matter.

With the wreckage disassembled like this, it saved a lot of trouble.

At least, there was no need to throw everything into the bioreactor for biological degradation.

"Should I eat it directly, or smelt it first?"

Chen Fei looked at the female gold dragon, who was eager to try.

Applying the art of eating to metal smelting, emmm... there are many ways to do it.

For example, just with flour, there are countless variations!

"Of course..." Irian instinctively wanted to choose to eat it directly, but before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly changed her mind.

"Of course, let's try different alloy recipes."

The taste of different metal components varies. In the past, she only focused on filling her stomach, and it was rare to have the opportunity to choose her meals.

The Slan Dynasty of the Azure Sky Planet never indulged the gold dragons they raised. The rations provided were only enough for basic sustenance, and it was rare to have a change in diet.

In fact, it was already quite good for the young dragons to be able to eat their fill. To eat well and achieve mithril freedom was something even the unified Azure Sky Planet Empire could not afford.

Earth has a much richer mithril reserve, distributed almost everywhere. A handful of soil contains mithril, but the content is very low, making it difficult to form ore. The yield is limited, and the smelting process is complicated. The cost is slightly lower than on the Azure Sky Planet, but not by much. Earth itself can barely meet its own needs, and the annual quota of mithril traded to the Azure Sky Planet is very limited. It would be a waste to feed it to dragons.

A few bites, and it would be gone!

"Understood!"

Chen Fei picked up a box of metal parts and poured it directly into the smelting furnace's feed slot.

He didn't notice that his strength had mysteriously increased. The box weighed at least 40 to 50 pounds, but he lifted it effortlessly.

"There's this box. I can smell the mithril, and the content is not low."

The female gold dragon approached the stack of boxes, sniffing each one and using her tail to pick out the one she wanted.

She opened the cardboard lid, took a careful sniff, and her mouth almost started to water.

"Mithril? On Earth, it's called 'titanium.' Aircraft also use titanium alloys."

Chen Fei was not surprised that Irian could smell the mithril in the box.

Titanium is a magical metal on the Azure Sky Planet, while on Earth, it is a high-strength, lightweight special material with significant military value.

Even the a-39b "Big Mouth" light turboprop attack aircraft, which is relatively cheap, uses titanium alloys in some structural components.

"Relatively cheap" is just a relative term.

"Are all these aircraft parts?"

Irian was puzzled, looking at the boxes. "Scrap?"

She not only smelled the titanium alloy but also the scent of smoke and fire.

Many parts showed varying degrees of damage, even deformation and missing pieces.

Even a layman could tell that these parts were scrap and could not be used on aircraft.

"Exactly, all of them!"

Chen Fei took the boxes Irian had picked out and poured them into the feed slot one by one.

The empty boxes could be reused and were set aside.

Irian hesitated and asked, "Can all of these be eaten?"

Compared to the metal ingots from yesterday, today's metal parts were of a higher grade and even contained mithril.

"Of course, if you want to!"

Chen Fei nodded.

The waste sent to the recycling station had no other way to be processed except for decomposition and smelting. Even transporting it away would cost money, and throwing it around would pollute the environment. On-site regeneration was the best solution, creating new value out of nothing.

"I want it, I want all of it!"

The female gold dragon was both surprised and delighted. A meal containing mithril was absolutely not to be missed.

From hatching to now, in thirty years, she had tasted mithril only a few times, and the amount was very limited, barely enough to satisfy her curiosity.

Even so, the little mithril she managed to get was obtained through fierce competition with other young dragons.

A group of hungry young dragons, none willing to back down, fought each other fiercely, and the scene was brutal. They might even have the heart to kill their competitors.

"Irian, help me sort the metal materials in the boxes. Pick out the ones with more metal and try to make a couple of ingots."

Chen Fei continued to open the cardboard boxes, setting aside those with less metal. He would throw them into the bioreactor later, where they would be biologically degraded over time, and the inorganic matter and metal would be separated.

"This is too easy!"

Irian was more than willing to help.

She pounced on the stack of boxes and, using the gold dragon's innate ability to sense metal, could tell the amount of metal in each box without opening them. She worked quickly and soon divided the boxes into two piles, with the majority containing more metal.

The automatic feeding smelting furnace glowed red, and the temperature suddenly rose.

Various shapes of metal quickly turned red, like wax, and melted, eventually forming a single mass.

A liquid ball, glowing like a small sun, was suspended in the center of the smelting furnace by a magnetic field, with a temperature of 2600°C, fluctuating by no more than 10°C.

The magnetic field shifted, and the molten metal ball fell into the crucible and slowly poured into the mold. After cooling, it became a basic ingot.

If these metals were to be reused, the ingots could be processed as raw materials. In many places with low requirements, the metal products made from these ingots would be more than sufficient.

Under the cover of cooling water mist, the mold hissed, and steam continuously spread.

After a minute, the still hot metal ingot was released.

The female gold dragon Irian couldn't wait to take a bite.

"The mithril content is at least 60%, and there's also tungsten."

The taste of mithril was like cheese, sweet and fragrant, while tungsten tasted like hazelnuts, crisp and fragrant.

The 2600°C high temperature in the smelting furnace did not reach the melting point of tungsten (3410°C), so many tungsten fragments remained unmelted, giving the ingot a texture like a cheese bar with nut pieces.

Every bite was full of happiness, and Irian was moved to tears.

It wasn't often that gold dragons had the chance to disassemble fighter jets and enjoy a feast of smelted metal.

Bang!

Half of the metal ingot flew over and landed heavily in front of Chen Fei.

The female gold dragon Irian said seriously, "You get half, and I get half!"

"Huh?"

Chen Fei stared at the ingot at his feet, which still had the marks of her teeth.

For a gold dragon to share its food was a rare occurrence.

The instinct of living beings is to protect their food. Even domesticated cats and dogs would react strongly if someone tried to take their food bowls, and those with a bad temper might even turn on their owners.

If ordinary animals behave this way, how much more so for the notoriously aggressive gold dragons, who would fight to the death over their food.

Irian, eager to share the delicious and moving experience, urged, "Eat it while it's hot, it's so fragrant and tender!"

She seemed to forget that she was talking to a human, not a gold dragon.