The entire cleanup process took more than four hours, and it was not until it was completely dark that the convoy was able to get back on the road.

Since all the supplies on car No. 10 were devoured by fungi, and the interior of the car was difficult to clean thoroughly by burning, Ke Lan simply gave up on car No. 10 and only took away the important equipment and crystal engine on the car.

"The material losses have been counted. Here is a detailed list." You Yi handed the tablet in her hand to Ke Lan.

"This little loss shouldn't have any impact on the normal operation of the base, right?" Ke Lan asked as he took the tablet.

"No, you can rest assured about that." Yui replied, "The consortium has considered the problem of accidental losses during transportation from the beginning. Even if the convoy loses half of the supplies, this mission can be considered a success... And taking a step back, even if we lose all the supplies, the emergency reserves at the base will be enough to support more than three months."

"That's good." Ke Lan's eyes shifted to the list - most of the things on car No. 10 were food. In addition to high-end supplies such as poultry and livestock meat, rice, flour, grains, and fresh vegetables provided to management personnel, it also included "popular food" such as compressed biscuits, canned food, and synthetic rations. However, the supplies that accounted for nearly 80% of the list were something called "protein blocks."

From the notes on the list, we can learn that this thing was specially purchased by the base to serve as food for the miners.

"No wonder 0420 said, 'It's better to be a dog for rich people than to be a miner'... Even if you're a dog, the food you eat is better than this..."

The so-called "protein block" is a dark rectangular plastic block the size of an adult's palm. The packaging paper says "instant food made from high-protein natural materials. Only one block can meet the nutritional needs of an adult for a day", but there is no mention of the detailed ingredient list.

However, Ke Lan knew that this "high-protein natural material" was actually cockroaches.

Cockroaches are strong, reproduce quickly, and are very easy to raise... Factories that make protein blocks buy household garbage from residential areas at extremely low prices and use it to feed these small black insects, which have a much longer history than humans. They then put these insects into machines, crush them, and mix in various ingredients and water...

What finally comes off the production line is this "nutritional protein block" with a slightly pungent smell.

However, normal residents of the Ark rarely come into contact with this kind of food. Most of these protein blocks are purchased by the government and then used to help the "poor" who have no income or whose income is so meager that they cannot support themselves. The remaining part should be used here.

Although Ke Lan himself had never eaten protein cubes, he had seen a tasting post titled "Ark's Dark Cuisine Inventory" in the forum, which introduced this protein cube made from cockroaches.

According to the poster, this protein block not only smells like a pungent chemical reagent, but also has a nauseating bitter taste when eaten. Even if a lot of seasoning is added, it can't completely cover up the taste... If you are unlucky, you might even eat something like a broken cockroach leg...

However, from one aspect, the price of this kind of protein block is indeed very low - the price of a bottle of "Roland Malt Brew" fluctuates between sixty and eighty credit points, while a standard unit of military-standard compressed biscuits only costs five credit points... As for protein blocks, one credit point can buy a large box, enough for a week.

In order to cut costs as much as possible, all the major consortiums have almost the same approach - they say "food and lodging" are provided to the miners, but in fact the only food provided is cockroach protein blocks and the lowest grade drinking water that is barely edible. If the miners want to improve their meals, they have to pay for it out of their own pockets... Moreover, since supplies are precious, the price of everything in the mining base is several times that of the Ark. A bottle of malt craft beer can even sell for more than 300 credit points. For the miners, this is a completely unaffordable price.

"Under these conditions... can we really recruit miners?" Ke Lan was really puzzled.

"Not only can we recruit them, but the number of positions is very limited." Yui replied, "We have treated the miners very well. The Mitsui Group at Base No. 6 treats the miners as consumables. They are reluctant to equip the miners with protective clothing. According to incomplete statistics, the mortality rate of their miners is as high as 16% in a year. Moreover, even if they survive to complete the one-year contract, they will most likely suffer from very serious radiation sickness."

"That kind of company treats people like old-age beasts..." the old dog muttered aside.

"Won't Fangzhou take care of this kind of thing?"

"I can't control it even if I want to. The contract is written in black and white, and those people are willing to do it." Lao Gou took a tissue from the seat and blew his nose hard. "Especially the Mitsui Group. Do you know what their largest industry is?"

"If I remember correctly... steel and precious metals."

"That's right, but that's just the business on the surface. In secret, they control more than 80% of the gambling business in the Ark... Those miners who were forced to sign the indentures were basically gamblers who lost a lot of money in their casinos and were in debt and unable to repay."

"Yes." Yui nodded, "And because the government has a huge demand for various minerals, including crystals, they have no choice but to acquiesce to the Mitsui Group's approach. After all, if the miners' wages are increased, the cost of the ore will also rise..."

Ke Lan noticed that when Yui said this, her eyes flickered a little - it was obvious that this smart woman wanted to put all the blame on the Mitsui Group.

But in fact, the Soma Group's treatment of miners is no better than the pot calling the kettle black.

After figuring this out, Ke Lan finally understood the real purpose of this commission: "Actually... you don't care about the missing miners at all, right?"

"Mr. Ke Lan, what are you doing..."

"You are actually interested in the thing that attracts the miners to the depths of Leviathan, right?"

"I... I don't quite understand what you are saying." Yui shook her head stiffly.

"First of all, that thing is definitely not crystal ore." Ke Lan ignored her and analyzed it on her own. "Because the crystal ore mined from Leviathan is not worth much without refining, and it is too large for the miners to keep it privately."

"Secondly, it is definitely not a mineral vein with rich reserves. If those missing miners really discovered a new mineral vein, they could report it to the consortium in exchange for rewards. After all, with the individual strength of these miners, even if they discovered a top-level mineral vein, they would not be able to cash it in."

"Let's take a step back and say that even if one of them is a commercial spy planted by another consortium, or is trying to sell this information for a price, it is unlikely that all 28 missing miners are such people, so the second guess can be ruled out."