dmims Chapter 30 Hel
Chapter 30 Hel
Above the clouds above Furnace No. 7, at an altitude of 20,000 meters.
There is no yellow acid rain here, no pungent sulfur smell, only constant temperature air that has been triple-filtered and carries a faint lavender scent.
A streamlined luxury shuttle slowly landed on the private helipad of the Helios Spire.
The hatch opened, and Jessia stepped out.
Two servo servants who had been waiting nearby immediately came forward, carrying a clean white hot towel and a golden tray.
Jessie did not take the towel.
She stood on the spotless white marble floor, her face filled with disgust.
The disgust wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but rather at the priceless silk dress she was wearing.
Although she stayed in a completely enclosed command room while she was in the bottom nest, and although that factory had the most advanced air circulation system.
But she still felt it was dirty.
That aura, emanating from the depths of despair, a mixture of poverty, decay, and hopelessness, seemed to have seeped into the fibers of the garment, eroding her skin.
"Burn it."
Jessia coldly uttered two words.
In front of all the servants, she took off her coat and threw it on the ground.
Next came shirts, skirts, and even the silk underwear that clung to her skin.
A servant immediately came over with a flamethrower and pulled the trigger on the pile of clothes.
Flames rose up, instantly turning the expensive fabrics to ashes.
Jessia walked naked into the adjacent purification room.
Twelve suspended servo skulls rotated around her, spraying high concentrations of disinfectant spray and fragrance oils.
This ritualistic cleaning process was a mandatory course for every upper-nest nobleman after returning from inspecting the lower nest.
In their understanding, the bottom nest is not only physically dirty, but also spiritually defiled.
If not thoroughly cleansed, the bad luck of those of the lower classes will taint the family's fortune.
Half an hour later.
Having changed into a brand-new dark red evening gown, Jessia pushed open the door to the family banquet hall.
The place was resplendent with gold and silver, with huge crystal chandeliers casting a soft glow, and portraits of the past heads of the Hell family hanging on the walls.
At the far end of the long dining table sat an elderly man with gray hair.
Saul Hell, the executive director of the Helios Group, is also Gesia's uncle.
At that moment, he was holding a silver knife and fork, elegantly cutting a piece of steak on his plate.
That was the tenderloin of a Grox, freshly airlifted from an agricultural world hundreds of light-years away, each bite worth a year's income for a bottom-nest family.
"I heard you've caused quite a stir down there."
Without looking up, Saul put a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed it slowly.
"Thirty billion yuan in assets just now turned into a firework."
The old man's tone was calm, making it impossible to tell whether he was blaming someone or simply stating a financial figure.
Jessia pulled out a chair and sat down at the other end of the long table.
The waiter immediately poured her a glass of red wine from the sacred vineyards of Terra.
"Fireworks...that's a really interesting description, Uncle."
Jessia chuckled, picked up her wine glass, and gently swirled it.
"That's just the necessary cost."
"Although the factory was destroyed, I obtained the data we needed."
She reached out and pushed a black data chip along the smooth tabletop.
The chip glided for ten meters and came to a precise stop next to Thor's hand.
"Ultimate pressure test data from the ancient black box."
Jessia's voice carried an absolute confidence.
"We were hesitant to turn the power up to the maximum before, for fear of damaging the equipment."
"But this incident proved that as long as the stability problem of the shield is solved, the conversion efficiency of that machine can be increased by 500 percent."
"This means that we will no longer need to mine ore or smelt scrap iron."
"In theory, we just need to dump the garbage in, and we can get any materials we want in a continuous stream."
Saul put down his knife and fork.
He picked up the tiny chip and examined it closely.
Although the Helios Group started in the pharmaceutical industry, by the time it reached its size, it had long since extended its reach into energy, military industry and heavy manufacturing.
This kind of technology, which can completely disrupt the raw material supply chain, is the real gold mine.
In comparison, the destroyed factory was just a drop in the ocean.
"What about personnel losses?"
Thor asked casually.
"I saw in the report that the casualty figure was...all personnel?"
"They are all outsourced laborers."
Jessia cut off a piece of Glocks steak, and bright red juices flowed out.
"The people of the Ascendant Mining Alliance."
"The purple-skinned bald guy is easy to talk to. He doesn't need any compensation. He just needs to give their union a 'personnel loss fee'."
"I have already had the finance department transfer a sum of money, under the name of 'raw material procurement'."
A satisfied smile appeared on Thor's face.
"Well done, Jessia."
"Problems that can be solved with money are not problems."
"Especially for these cheap consumables that we don't need to worry about living or dying, if a batch dies, we just hire another batch."
In the conversation between these two rulers of the Upper Nest, the loss of thousands of lives was less valuable than a bottle of red wine served at the dinner.
After all, human life is consumable, fuel, and a number that can be written off on reports at any time. Only technology, capital, and power are eternal.
"However, there's still one small loose end to be dealt with."
Jessia put down her wine glass, her eyes turning slightly cold.
"What?" Thor asked.
"One of the transport trucks has gone missing."
Jessia waved her hand, and her personal assistant immediately handed her a data tablet.
"The vehicle was carrying a crystallized body sample that we had rescued before the accident, as well as a physical backup of black box data."
"According to the schedule, it should have arrived at elevator number two half an hour ago."
"But its signal disappeared at the edge of the ruins 30 kilometers away."
Thor frowned.
Body samples are irrelevant, but data backup is crucial.
Although Jessia has the chip, for this kind of ancient technology, having an extra backup is always an extra layer of security.
Moreover, it would be troublesome if those crystallized corpses were to fall into the wrong hands and be discovered by the court or other competitors.
Although the Helios Group wields absolute power locally, conducting such illegal human experiments is ultimately unacceptable.
"Have you sent anyone to look for them?" Saul asked.
"It's already been arranged."
Jessia's tone turned icy.
"I've sent the 'Cleaners' team out."
The armed squad "Cleaners" is a group of private soldiers employed by the Hel family. They are well-equipped and known for their cleanliness.
"They will bring the things back."
"As for the person who saw it..."
Jessia wiped her mouth with a napkin, revealing a cold, emotionless smile.
"Many people die every day in the bottom nest."
"No one will care if a few more garbage collectors die."