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Chapter 1021: Chapter 894: Is This Our Backward Neighbor? (Subscription Please!)
The next day.
Two military off-road vehicles and three large container trucks set out.
At six thirty in the morning.
The five vehicles arrived at the enormous border checkpoint.
Though the day was just beginning to brighten, the place was already bustling. The modern, colossal steel structure of the checkpoint, with its distinctive design, had even become an important local tourist attraction.
Thanks to developed transportation.
And the booming manufacturing industry of the Myanmar Economic Zone.
This had become the largest trade route between Huaxia and Myanmar, with the main commercial transportation between the two countries mostly traveling this line. Not only was it closer and the roads better, but it was also much safer.
Even the vehicles from other border trade ports began rerouting here.
Prosperity was inevitable.
The daily total volume of trucks passing in both directions had already exceeded three thousand.
Especially with Myanmar’s latest economic stimulus policy, Huaxia’s abundance of construction materials and commodities were flooding in. Although the Myanmar Economic Zone hardly had any market, elsewhere in Myanmar, there was still considerable money to be made.
En route, these vehicles could transport steel and other raw materials.
On the return trip, they would carry Myanmar’s specialty products.
Due to the lower tariffs.
Trade between the two sides had been thoroughly invigorated.
And sure enough.
Early in the morning, all ten one-way inspection lanes were full.
And a queue hundreds of meters long had formed.
Fortunately, since these goods go through an inspection when entering the Myanmar Economic Zone from Myanmar, many of the vehicles’ customs checks were extremely fast, some even reduced to under three minutes.
This was actually in consideration of the inspection speed on the Huaxia side.
Otherwise.
If they had adopted separate vehicle and container inspections...
The process could have been reduced to under a minute. However, the border on the Huaxia side would inevitably have been unable to handle such traffic volume, so an integrated vehicle and cargo approach was used instead.
The border inspection on the Myanmar Economic Zone side was simple, as the fighters wouldn’t possibly carry contraband, so it was just a routine check of the crossing procedures.
Other convoys had to queue at this time, but not these vehicles. As soon as Huaxia Customs saw that they were invited by the Huaxia side, they immediately began priority inspections. However, upon entering the container...
Two customs officers were stunned.
"How... how do we inspect this?" Seeing the massive object inside the container, which at a glance was no simple thing, the customs officers were dumbfounded. It wasn’t practical to open the container for inspection, was it?
"What else can we do? After the scan, let the police dog sniff around, and then leave the rest to the higher-ups to decide," pondered the experienced senior customs officer, pushing his glasses up as he felt this approach would be problem-free.
As for contraband.
The customs officers here hadn’t found any in six months, not even a gram, much to many people’s astonishment. Furthermore, the detoxifying effect of fruit wine had meant that drug enforcement police had little to do for half a year.
They knew the reason why.
It was because the Myanmar Economic Zone had eradicated all the poppies.
There were also strict laws internally, severely cracking down on the trafficking, transportation, and manufacturing of illicit goods. Anyone involved, once discovered, might not necessarily face death, but certainly a heavy sentence.
Along with Myanmar’s special policy—addicts could purchase fruit wine at extremely low prices—the Economic Zone was effectively rid of any breeding ground for contraband.
Whether going in or out.
There was no profit to be made.
Naturally, no one engaged in that business.
The customs personnel were well aware of this situation. The thought of lifetime mining, a fate more grinding than death itself, shifted their inspection focus slowly toward economic violations such as underreporting of cargo quantities and types.
"Feels like it’s about to become incomprehensible," the two customs officers exclaimed in their minds after a round inside the container.
After the two customs officers completed the inspection.
They reported to their superiors.
Soon after.
The superiors replied.
---Pass.
Consequently.
The five vehicles continued on their journey, following two police cars that led the way for them.
Towards the nearest testing site.
This time, to minimize the operating distance of the equipment, the Huaxia side chose a highly industrialized southeast coastal city. There were more people and businesses, and of course, more polluting enterprises.
Air quality issues had also become an unavoidable topic for the area.
For the purpose of this test.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences and other relevant organizations had dispatched numerous expert teams. Unlike the power plant test in Canada, which only Huaxia journalists attended, they were now there to personally test the functionality of the filters.
If suitable.
Huaxia was genuinely interested in a comprehensive rollout because they had already begun to feel the consequences of environmental pollution.
Particularly around Beijing.
Air quality issues had begun to surface, with PM2.5 levels exceeding standards, a topic that had already landed on the leaders’ desks. The leaders breathed the same air as everyone else—they were no different.
However, the economy needed to develop, and there was no alternative. From 2001 to 2005, which was the peak period for thermal power plants, Huaxia’s Environmental Protection Bureau had approved more than four hundred thermal power plant projects.
This is also the direct reason why Huaxia actively develops nuclear, wind, and hydroelectric power projects.
Burning coal for power is an act of necessity without alternatives.
With the natural gas reserves insufficient, the idea of using it to generate power remains just an idea. Under the skyrocketing demand for residential and industrial electricity, even if it’s a poisonous pill, Huaxia had no choice but to swallow it first.
...
Huaxia.
Qu Shan City.
Zhongli Thermal Power Plant.
A long time ago, this power plant was located in the far suburbs of Qu Shan City; its emissions didn’t affect the city residents.
But now, the city has been expanding.
Soon, this place became adjacent to the city. And downwind of it, plans for the new city zone have been released. The factory faces the fate of demolition, a cost that actually stings the National Power Grid a bit.
But there’s no helping it; they must bear the burden whether they want to or not.
At that time, upon hearing about the emergence of the ’zero-emission’ filter and knowing that the upper echelons were looking for pilot sites.
Therefore, the National Power Grid chose to give it a try here, mainly because the situation in this place was particularly pressing. Moreover, due to outdated equipment, these facilities were completely incapable of proper filtration, with dust and harmful gas emissions grossly exceeding standards.
However.
A harsh environment is exactly what’s needed to test the limits of the equipment, isn’t it?
Thus began this technical evaluation, jointly organized by multiple relevant departments and enterprises.
Just the number of people alone amounted to over three hundred, primarily involving six major sectors: thermal power, steel, cement, petrochemical, non-ferrous metals, and the chemical industry, as well as the leading central enterprises manufacturing large-scale coal-fired boilers.
All of them are heavyweights.
These enterprises are also the six major sectors that emit the most harmful gases in Huaxia.
Even the environmental protection departments from the northern provinces were present. It was well known that in the north, during winter, heating required burning coal in boilers, which resulted in describing the air quality throughout the northern region in winter as simply ’heh’.
Evening.
The convoy arrived in Qu Shan City.
The city leaders of Qu Shan and the experts involved in the technical testing all offered a warm welcome.
The happiest among them were the leaders of Qu Shan City, as this test was highly valued by all levels of Huaxia, and it had been a long time since Qu Shan had shown such a prominent face, which is why their attitude was so proactive.
...
The next day.
At nine forty-five in the morning.
The experts arrived on time, waiting in an open playground, whispering to each other. Although the starting time was set for ten o’clock, arriving a bit early had already become a habit for the people of Huaxia.
There were foreigners among them.
They couldn’t afford to lack manners.
At nine fifty.
They saw two container trucks drive in, stopping in an area designated for equipment operations, which had already been cordoned off with police tape to keep the curious experts from getting too close and interfering with the work.
Gradually.
Everyone realized.
This thing wasn’t just a container, it was also... smart.
Because, to their astonishment,
an expert from the other side flipped open a screen on the side of the container and operated it briefly.
The top of the container slowly opened and soon stood upright. That’s when they noticed that the junctions of the sides of the container were actually six hydraulic jacks, and the material on the outside of the container wasn’t just sheet metal.
It was thickened several times over, and on the inner surface of the container, there were various small parts and tools, all firmly clamped in place.
The other three sides also unfolded slowly.
They could see clearly what was inside.
"A helicopter?" a young man who came along with his father for the excitement exclaimed.
His father explained slowly, "Don’t make a fuss over nothing. For such a high chimney, how could you not use a helicopter? People couldn’t lift it up there, and even the tallest cranes aren’t high enough."
"No, I thought our country was providing the helicopter," the young man retorted, pouting.
His father squinted and said, "I heard they requested it themselves, mainly for ensuring the precision of the installation. Tsk, tsk, this container is well-designed; it looks very science fictional.
Look, there are many screens and consoles on it too."
Just then, on one of the flattened container boards, about a dozen screens and chairs rose up. The chairs were actually just L-shaped boards that you could sit on but not lean against, yet they were indeed chairs.
At the same time,
the base of the helicopter began to rise.
It quickly reached the height of the vehicle’s roof and stopped. What completely petrified them was that the flat platform began to extend outwards, and soon formed a launch platform that could serve as an umbrella for a huge truck.
Throughout the process, they heard no noise whatsoever.
It was all done silently, unfolding a work platform and a launch platform.
This scene.
Made the experts somewhat envious; such a great piece of equipment not only for transportation but also for providing environmental assistance. They started to look at those experts differently now. In the past, many had a sense of superiority because the other party was just a small country.
The filter.
It might have been a research accident.
This kind of incident is not unusual in the industry. You might want to create a hairdryer, but in the process, you end up making an air conditioner—which is quite normal. This is the luck of scientific research.
But now, what’s involved here is a whole package that could be called a ’solution’ or ’craftsmanship.’ A container so meticulously made... is this really our backward neighbor?
