Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: Treating the Treated Water
Work at the nuclear power plant ruins has begun.
Actually, the contract isn't even signed yet.
Well, we'll end up doing it anyway, so it should be fine.
I put the treated water into a huge FRP tank and store it in my Item Box.
The tank's capacity is 400 tons.
The cylindrical treated water tanks at the site seem to be 1000 tons each.
And there are 1000 of them lined up in this place.
With 10 of the 400-ton tanks a day, that's the equivalent of 4 treated water tanks.
There are 1000 of them... so it still takes 250 days.
We have to keep moving them and treating them, keeping the rotation going, or it won't end.
Even so, it's been like this for 30 years.
If it can be finished in one year, you could call it a miracle.
Like the nuclear power plant rubble, it will be a 100 billion yen job, but if it can be finished for 100 billion, it should be super cheap.
If I hadn't done it, I think it would probably still be there in 100 years.
For now, I put two tanks filled with treated water into the Item Box.
"Again, by car?"
"No, we're going by helicopter."
"By helicopter? You did mention something like that..."
"It's a national project now, and it would be troublesome if various things happened, so we're chartering a Self-Defense Force helicopter!"
"Oh~? Could it be... you got some dangerous information?"
"Eh?! N-no, that's not the case..."
Her eyes are darting around... bad at lying?
Well, if the Self-Defense Forces are providing an escort, it should be fine.
According to the Prime Minister, special forces are also being deployed.
"Hmm, I really wonder if it's safe."
"I-It's fine!"
"Hareyama-san, if it gets dangerous, please run. The enemy is targeting me."
"T-That's not possible..."
"No, no, if it's just me, I can manage somehow."
I have adventurer power.
My speed is on a completely different level from ordinary people, and I have the Item Box.
It'll work out somehow.
While talking with Hareyama-san, the helicopter arrived.
It's a large Self-Defense Force helicopter with camouflage.
It's not a tandem type with rotors front and back—it's a Black Hawk.
I've seen a movie where this thing crashes.
Are we going back and forth like this every time?
No, I understand that if we move by car, there's a possibility of being targeted...
But we can't move sandwiched between escort cars every time either.
It feels like there's a huge commotion.
While I was surprised, another one flew in.
An escort for the escort? Or to make it harder to target us by flying two?
In the wind stirred up by the rotors, the side of the helicopter opens its mouth waiting.
Boarding the aircraft equipped with a mess of gear, there were Self-Defense Force soldiers dressed in camouflage and armed.
They are wearing bulletproof jackets and helmets.
Next to them is a mounted minigun... eh? Real bullets? Seriously?
It really is a dangerous situation.
At the very least, the country must have grasped that kind of information.
"Thank you very much!"
"The pleasure is ours!"
When the Self-Defense Force soldier salutes, the helicopter lifts off.
I hurriedly sit in the simple seat and fasten my seatbelt.
"Don't you think it's ridiculous to guard a random civilian old man?"
I asked bluntly about something that bothered me.
"Not at all! I heard you can dispose of those treated water tanks using the Item Box!"
He pointed to the huge tank group spreading out below his eyes.
Since it's noisy inside the helicopter, the conversation inevitably becomes loud.
"That's right!"
"I will definitely protect you!"
Two helicopters fly side by side.
When I catch the eyes of the Self-Defense Force soldier in the other helicopter, he waves at me.
"Could we get targeted by missiles from below?!"
"After the world stopped, only Japan and America can make semiconductors from Magic Stones! Making missiles and drones isn't easy either!"
There are apparently semiconductors made of diamond and gallium too, but naturally, the number of countries that can make those is limited.
"I see!"
Drones used to be children's toys, but now they can't be made easily.
Gyro sensors made from Magic Stones aren't exported either.
Anyway, we're barely enough for domestic use, so we can't afford to export.
Besides, the means to transport them to other countries are limited, and we can't say the foreign exchange market is functioning well.
Even if we receive money from other countries in that state, it's pointless.
Right now, only the yen and the dollar have value, but there aren't even countries holding dollars.
Many countries held US Treasury bonds.
If there's no country to buy them even if they want to sell, Treasury bonds are just scrap paper.
When thinking of who has military surplus, America comes to mind first—but...
I want to believe it's not America.
They are an ally nation, after all, and there should be room for negotiation before they come with force.
Russia was exhausted from wars before the world stopped, and then the dungeon chaos completely collapsed the country, so they have no time for this.
"As for..."
There aren't many possibilities I can think of.
While talking, we arrived at the destination.
A helipad is visible below.
I hadn't noticed it before, but was it made on short notice?
I can see Self-Defense Force soldiers below too.
This is really full-on armed.
Is there really an enemy that will charge in here?
Since we've arrived, I got off the helicopter with Hareyama-san.
The fence in front of the dungeon is gone, and a simple gate has been built.
They work fast.
We are loaded onto a camouflaged Self-Defense Force mobile vehicle and head toward the dungeon.
It's truly over-the-top service.
Since the windows are blocked, I'm shaken violently in the dark, narrow vehicle.
The ride isn't comfortable.
It's a relief that bullets won't fly in, but RPGs would be impossible.
No, I don't want to get hit by something like that.
If I'm high level, won't I survive even that?
Since there's a dungeon here, I feel like I could jump in and be saved with a potion even if I'm near death.
While thinking such things, we arrived at the entrance.
Many heavy machines are lined up, and a crane towering above them is visible.
It seems to be the steam-powered heavy machinery Hareyama-san talked about.
Outside the dungeon, normal boilers, and inside the dungeon, magic to boil water?
—That means, there are magi?
It seems the concrete wall that was there before has been completely removed.
Space has been secured near the dungeon entrance.
If we do that, it should be fine to bring out big tanks, but is it okay for monsters to jump out?
Is the judgment that it's no problem because the Self-Defense Forces are here?
Outside the influence of the dungeon, firearms can be used too.
"Niwa-san! Let's go!"
I came to the widened dungeon entrance with Hareyama-san.
About ten workers wearing thin protective suits are waiting there.
Radiation is low, but if water enters the body, there is a possibility of internal exposure.
Surrounding them are armed Self-Defense Force members.
Truly an abnormal scene.
"Good work everyone~"
"Good work everyone~!"
"Um, can we start right away?"
At my words, a man who looked like the foreman stepped forward.
"Well... we're doing this kind of work for the first time ourselves..."
"It's fine! Niwa-san! Go ahead and do it!"
Hareyama-san clenched her fists and put her spirit into it.
The gazes of the Self-Defense Force members guarding us were also turned this way.
They must be interested, after all.
"Understood. Then let's begin... Everyone, please step back a bit. Something quite large is coming out."
What comes out is a huge tank filled with 400 tons of treated water.
If it gets crushed, it's a labor accident and construction stops immediately.
"Y-Yes..."
"Everyone, be safe! —Okay! Tank Summon!"
I took the tank out of the Item Box.
When a 400-ton object comes out, as expected, a loud noise is made.
The ground's vibration reached my feet.
"Whoa~!?"
The area was in an uproar, and the Self-Defense Force members were stunned by the non-daily scene.
For something this big to suddenly appear, it's obviously wrong no matter how you look at it.
Well, if you say that, the dungeon itself right in front of our eyes is pretty weird too.
It came out, but the orientation is wrong.
There's a valve on the lower side to release the water, but it's not facing the dungeon.
"Store it again and summon it once more!"
This time it went well—the valve opened facing the dungeon.
Since there are two tanks, I tried lining them up next to each other.
There seems to be room for about one more, so three can be lined up in total.
"Hareyama-san, it's good."
"Yes, then, please take care of the work~"
"Yes!"
Workers in protective suits attached to the valve and began turning the handle.
Gradually, water began to flow out, making a roaring sound.
"Hareyama-san, what is the flow rate of this?"
"Eh~"
She seems to be filming the work scene with a camera.
"Oh, sorry. It's fine later."
How long will it take until the tank is empty?
While worrying about such things, it looks like it will be almost empty in about 5 minutes.
At first, the pressure is high, so it sprays out vigorously, but towards the end, it flows slowly.
Will monsters die from this water?
If so, will the experience points come to me?
Or will it go to the workers who opened the valve?
I don't really know.
If we consider it as defeating monsters, maybe a lot of items are dropped down to the underground.
I'd like to check, but with so many people mobilized, I can't act on my own.
After work ends at night, they will evacuate using helicopters, etc.
If I stay behind alone, the escort Self-Defense Force members would have to stay too, which wouldn't be good.
That would be pitiful.
"Hmm."
I guess I have to give up.
Even without doing that, if we empty the tank group at the nuclear power plant ruins, a huge amount of money will roll in.
That's the big money.
"But..."
Rare items might come out...
Damn it~! If there weren't those people targeting me...
Well, that's probably how rare a skill this is.
While lost in thought, the tank seems to have emptied.
I check the surroundings, but it seems the workers haven't leveled up.
Is this not recognized as an attack?
"Niwa-san! What is it?"
Hareyama-san came to my spot.
"Eh?"
"Earlier, you seemed to want to ask something."
"Oh, I was wondering how much the flow rate of that valve was..."
"Eh, let me check. It should be in the specs... Ah, it says 100 tons per minute."
"100 tons per minute..."
If that's the case, a 400-ton tank should empty in about 5 minutes...
"But, it's amazing! It's all empty in about 5 minutes."
"If we line up three of these, it's about one treated water tank."
"That's right! With this amount, we can process quite a bit, can't we?"
"Indeed... if we have many tanks ready, I think we can move them all at once..."
"So, we urgently need tanks! I'll rush it! Right away, full speed ahead!"
She started contacting via smartphone.
"No, no, you don't need to rush it that much."
"The longer the time extends, the more the Self-Defense Force budget is eaten up, so it's tough!"
"Oh, yes..."
Even if we ask the tank company to do a little unreasonable thing, a shorter period means less national budget is eaten up.
"Oh! It's always a pleasure to serve you! This is Hareyama from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy! Regarding the order for the tanks I placed—"
I wait until she finishes the phone call.
In the meantime, I stored the tanks.
"Whoa~!"
"Th-That's amazing! How many of these big ones can fit inside?"
Questions fly from the workers.
"For now, I don't really know."
"Wow~"
The workers are impressed, but some have complex expressions.
"But, if that tank group disappears, our jobs are over, you know?"
"That's true..."
"You can't just leave them there forever, can you?"
"Yes..."
The workers look at each other.
They are troubled about losing work, but it seems they also agree that leaving them as they are is bad.
While waiting, her phone call seems to have ended, so we fly back to the nuclear power plant ruins by Self-Defense Force helicopter.
Now then, how many tanks can we empty in a day?
I calculate with Hareyama-san.
"Three tanks can be drained at once... and they empty in about 5 minutes."
"Yes."
Allowing for margin, if we can rotate 6 times an hour, that's 18 tanks x 400 tons = 7200 tons.
How many round trips can we make?
Assuming 6 round trips, that's 43,200 tons a day.
That's the equivalent of 43 1000-ton treated water tanks.
While I put 18 tanks into the Item Box and work in the dungeon, there is work at the site to pour treated water into empty tanks.
So we need 18 more tanks.
In total, that's 36 tanks.
Emptying is simple, just open the valve and drain, but filling must be done with a pump.
That side seems to take more time.
There are 1000 tanks at the site.
We won't know what happens until we actually try, but if it goes well... it might all be gone in about 24 days.
"Amazing! I'll report this to the Prime Minister right away!"
Hareyama-san's eyes are sparkling.
"No, no, that's only if everything goes smoothly."
"But, but! Judging from what we saw just now, if we have enough tanks, it should be fully possible!"
"Treated water that was left for over 30 years will disappear in such a short time?"
The Self-Defense Force member standing next to me seemed to be listening to the conversation too.
"Of course, it's state secret..."
"I am fine."
"Please."
Hareyama-san is earnestly typing a message to the Prime Minister.
I wonder if it will really work out.
I hope there's no sabotage.
When we return to the nuclear power plant ruins, I take two tanks out of the Item Box and have them filled with treated water.
Workers in protective suits are working here too.
As expected, since we use a pump to suck it up here, it seems to take time.
Can we fix it by adding pumps?
This is also up to the site's judgment...
I can't tell them to do this or that.
"Hmm, we need to add pumps!"
Hareyama-san seems to understand and started contacting someone somewhere.
Probably the manufacturer making the pumps.
I want them to prepare 18 tanks so we can fill them with treated water all at once.
Otherwise, the work will never end.
When everything is finished, I will throw away both the tanks and the pumps into the dungeon.
They are at least contaminated.
Thinking about it, I think it's better to finish everything at once this time.
Otherwise, we'll have to bury or build treatment facilities again to process it, costing a budget.
If a budget is needed, I think there are people who will profit from it, but shouldn't we end that part too?
I think these negative legacies are things that shouldn't be passed on to the next generation.
—After that, we made about 4 round trips with lunch in between.
Today's processing is 2 tanks x 4 round trips = 8 tanks—3200 tons, work equivalent to 3 treated water tanks.
Even if we take it easy at this pace, it won't take a year.
I understood that, but if we're going to do it, sooner is better.
We can't be doing this for a year?
There are people targeting us, and it will eat up the Self-Defense Force budget too.
"Maybe the work of putting water into the tanks is the bottleneck~"
"We are proceeding with the plan to increase the pumps..."
"Hmm... Ah!"
I might have thought of something good.
"What is it?"
"How about digging a hole for the tanks and putting them in there?"
"Ah! If it's Niwa-san's Item Box, you can move the tanks freely—"
"If we place the tanks in a low place, I think it will be possible to pour the treated water without a pump..."
"If we do that, we won't be troubled by post-processing like pumps... Understood! I will propose this to the Prime Minister."
"Thank you."
If we just pour it in, we can secure the flow rate by adding hoses or pipes.
It should also be possible to connect directly to the treated water tanks.
If we do that, we can pour it into the tank just by opening the valve.
It costs a little money to dig a hole, but we can save on electricity costs for the pumps.
Electricity costs are high right now.
Nuclear power generation can't be used, and we can't expect much from crude oil imports either.
Thinking in total, wouldn't digging a hole be cheaper?
The Prime Minister will make the decision, so we have to leave it to him.
Since work was finished, I returned to the Special District.
When I returned to the inn, everyone was gathered, but Sana looked happy.
"I'm back~"
"Daisuke-san, welcome back~"
"Sana—you look happy, did something happen? Did you pick up a rare item?"
"No—that's not it."
"Then, what is it?"
"Bang!"
She showed me her notebook PC.
"Hmm, 'Notification of Monetization', huh!"
"Yes!"
It seems her video channel has been monetized.
"Since I can't film inside the dungeon without me, it must be quite tough."
"The number of views won't be huge, but I'm doing various things."
According to her, she seems to be making videos reporting on the sale of items after returning from the dungeon and the results of income and expenses.
"Oh~, quite sharp."
"Ehehe."
"That's nice—girls who are young, cute, and have big breasts..."
Kirara is spitting out some sarcastic words.
"That's because men love young, cute girls with big breasts, hahaha."
"This is why men..."
Kirara muttered as if spitting it out.
"You get told 'BBA, marry me!' often on your stream too, you know."
"I'm not a BBA! And! Why do I have to marry some shabby guy around here?!"
"I think the time when there's someone who says that is the most splendid..."
"Those guys aren't men worthy of me!"
She's still saying that.
The few men who approach are decreasing year by year... I think that, but I don't say it.
"..."
Ren is quiet amidst our commotion.
"Ren, what's wrong?"
"Nothing..."
"Monetization was overtaken by Sana, but Ren is cute enough to have plenty of fans, so it'll work out?"
"..."
She doesn't seem energetic at all.
The energy she had when we first met seems to have gone somewhere.
I'm worried.
She might have worries, but there's nothing an old man can do about girls' worries.
I'll have to ask Kirara to help.
I whisper to her.
"What's wrong with Ren?"
"Hmm, she doesn't say anything, but she's been like this since she encountered the Labyrinth Cult in the dungeon."
"Then, maybe her mother is on her mind."
"Maybe..."
"You can't have a normal conversation or deal with a cult."
That's why it's a cult.
"I said the same thing..."
There's nothing I can do about this.
I leave the girls to Kirara and spend my days shuttling between the Special District and the nuclear power plant ruins.
Once this is over, a life without money troubles awaits.
Just put big tanks in the Item Box and take them.
It's an easy job.
That alone brings 50 billion yen in income.
It's money enough that even if I live a bit luxuriously, it's fine.
Well, taxes will take a lot, but a huge amount will remain.
My proposal—the strategy of digging a hole in the ground and placing the tanks in a low spot—has also been put into action.
Pipes connected directly to the treated water tanks have been installed, and water transfer can now be done quickly.
As per my initial estimate, 36 tanks were prepared, 18 were put into the Item Box and poured into the dungeon.
Meanwhile, the remaining 18 tanks are being filled with water.
This is done 6 times a day—18 400-ton tanks x 6 times = 43,200 tons.
We can now process 43 1000-ton treated water tanks in one day.
I spoke with the Prime Minister using the hologram projector in the Special District government office, and he seemed very pleased.
Well, a huge problem that couldn't be settled for 30 years is disappearing cleanly in less than a month.
As the dates pass, the revenue from my video channel is deposited.
One month's revenue is—surprisingly 20 million yen.
If I continue like this for a year, it will be earnings of over 200 million yen, but it won't go that smoothly.
I've been working at the nuclear power plant ruins, so I haven't uploaded videos recently.
Naturally, next month's revenue will drop significantly.
What changed wasn't just the video revenue.
I leveled up.
I was pouring treated water into the dungeon, and this must have been considered my attack against the monsters, reflected in my level.
It seems the workers didn't level up.
I feel a little bad for getting rich without doing the work, but my level went from 49 to 51.
—On such a day, when things seemed to be going smoothly.
"Daisuke-san! It seems to be almost over!"
"Oh, how many round trips have I made between here and the Special District?"
"Eh, today is the 20th, so 20 round trips."
Hareyama-san is looking at her notebook.
"Well, that's right, hahaha. But once this is over, I can return to my hometown, right?"
"Niwa-san—wasn't that kind of line called a flag?"
"Eh?"
While laughing with her, I heard a dry, continuous popping sound.
Followed by a loud explosion sound of something?
"Kyaa!"
Hareyama-san hugged me.
"What?! An accident!"
While squatting with her and looking around, a Self-Defense Force soldier with a gun ran over.
"Niwa-san! Enemy attack!"
"Eh?! Seriously?!"
Does something like that really happen?