What did 50 million tons of liquefied gas mean?
In 2008, the urban gas supply in Huaguo consisted of 36.804 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 35.583 billion cubic meters of manufactured coal gas, and 13.2911 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas.
Based on actual heating-value conversions, 36.804 billion cubic meters of natural gas was equivalent to 27.23 million tons of LPG, while 35.583 billion cubic meters of manufactured coal gas was equivalent to 26.33 million tons of LPG.
By that calculation, the nation would consume the equivalent of 66.85 million tons of LPG in gas that year, or 47.75 kilograms of LPG per person annually.
It was a profitable business.
Take Shanmei's urban area, for example. With a population of around 800,000, it needed 38,200 tons of LPG a year. The profit on each ton of ordinary wholesale LPG was between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan.
For gas made from waste, the main costs were labor, patent fees for the intellectual property, and depreciation on the site and equipment.
There was another major advantage: transportation distance. Traditional gas suppliers had to ship LPG in from elsewhere, and logistics costs were far from low.
Traditional gas suppliers also faced another problem: they often weren't gas producers themselves. Most were middlemen, and their prices and profits could easily be affected by the energy market.
Recently, Lin Baijie, who managed the company, and Bao Sikang, general manager of Hailu Gas Company, had conducted a survey of the urban gas market.
They were currently setting up sales outlets and preparing to promote bottled LPG in the towns and on the streets of the urban area.
Without anyone noticing, the day finally arrived.
At around eleven thirty in the morning.
In a county town in northwestern Shu Province, the streets were growing lively with people as the end of the workday and school day approached.
The owner of a corner shop was straightening the shelves when his phone suddenly vibrated repeatedly. He hurriedly flipped it open and found three consecutive text messages.
"Alert? From one to four this afternoon, affected area..." After reading the message, the shopkeeper was at a loss and didn't know what to do.
But the signature at the end of the message deepened his trust.
Just then, residents with mobile phones all over the streets saw the alert messages. If only one or two people had received them, that wouldn't have been enough to cause panic. But nearly everyone had gotten an alert, and the herd mentality instantly magnified people's fears.
About ten minutes later, a second wave of messages flooded every mobile phone user.
Meanwhile, the offices of the three major telecom operators' branches in Shu Province were in utter chaos. The managers in charge looked ashen.
They knew perfectly well that they were all but certain to be saddled with the blame.
Time ticked by, second by second.
Far away in Shanmei, Huang Xiuyuan was working on a problem in the Software Laboratory when he suddenly felt a distinct, faint tremor.
He looked at his watch. It was 2:28 p.m. In a half-full bottle of mineral water beside him, ripples shivered across the surface. The shaking continued for about two minutes before stopping.
That proved the event had arrived right on schedule. His feelings were complicated; even as he grieved, he also felt a quiet sense of relief.
He ran out of the lab with more than a dozen programmers. The others also came running out of their offices and labs.
"Baijie, get the employees organized and make sure everyone stays safe."
Lin Baijie nodded. Everyone looked badly shaken.
News came quickly. The administrator in charge of the official website came running over, panting. "Mr. Huang! Mr. Lin! Something major has happened in northwestern Shu Province. The news is spreading like wildfire online."
Huang Xiuyuan pretended to be extremely anxious. He pulled out his phone and hurriedly dialed a number.
"Beep, beep..."
"Hey, Yuan. Something terrible has happened. It seems that something's happened over in Maoxian..."
Huang Xiuyuan hurriedly asked, "What about Mom and Grandma?"
"I just called. They're fine."
"That's good. Was anyone at the branch injured?"
"No. The factory's surrounded by flat ground, and the dorms are container housing."
Huang Xiuyuan thought for a moment, then said, "Dad, I'm planning to suspend construction on the Rongcheng branch and put together an engineering relief team to do what little we can."
"Good, son. We can't stand by when something like this happens." His father didn't hesitate for a moment either.
Ande Town.
Inside the factory of the Suiren branch.
Huang Fuqiang hung up and quickly called in the branch manager, Li Feiyang, along with three construction foremen and a large number of workers.
"Everyone knows what's happened to the northwest. We can't just stand by. Anyone who volunteers to go will get triple pay."
Li Feiyang took the opportunity to add, "If anyone dies, Suiren Company will pay their family one million yuan in compensation."
"Mr. Huang, Mr. Li, you don't have to say another word. I'd go even without the money," one of the foremen replied, his eyes red.
"I'm in. Sign me up first."
"Count me in."
Many people there were from western Sichuan. That was their home. How could they possibly sit by without doing anything?
Huang Fuqiang shouted, "Get your tools and vehicles ready. We're setting out!"
Since all communications were down, Huang Fuqiang told Li Feiyang to go into town and buy a batch of walkie-talkies, as well as as much instant noodles, canned food, and ham sausage as he could.
Several foremen went to the gas station and bought a large supply of diesel and gasoline.
Less than an hour and a half later,
a team of more than two hundred people had assembled beside the road from Ande Town toward Dujiangyan. Their work convoy carried bulldozers, excavators, dump trucks, diesel generators, and a large supply of food and daily necessities.
Led by several workers familiar with the roads, they headed for Dujiangyan, the closest city to Ande Town.
They were among the fastest to respond. The team also included six doctors brought from Ande Town.
Only two hours had passed so far.
The weather was stifling, and the landscape along the way was devastated. A number of vehicles on the road seemed to be heading northwest as well.
The setting sun on the horizon weighed heavily on everyone in the convoy.
On G317 National Highway, the convoy reached Chongyi Town in Dujiangyan, the nearest town.
Li Feile ran over, panting. "Mr. Huang, I talked with a few locals. Things are okay here in Chongyi Town. They can handle it themselves."
"Good. Head for the next town right away." Huang Fuqiang shouted into the walkie-talkie.
The convoy continued northwest. As the sun sank, they finally reached Dujiangyan's urban area before dark.
Everywhere they looked, there were ruins.
Buildings leaned crookedly in all directions, and the ground was crisscrossed with cracks of all sizes. Local residents had formed rescue teams and were searching the wreckage for possible survivors.
Li Feiyang stepped in again to speak with the locals. After learning more, they discovered that thanks to the early warning, the town hadn't ground to a halt.
Since Dujiangyan hadn't been completely paralyzed and was close to Rongcheng, they figured the first relief teams would arrive soon.
Suiren Company's convoy quickly cleared debris from the main roads and filled in some enormous ruts and cracks, then continued along G317 National Highway into the depths of western Sichuan.
After leaving Dujiangyan's urban area, they entered the mountainous region and began encountering serious trouble. Landslides had cut across the road, severing it completely.
Night had fallen, and everything around them was pitch-black.
The diesel generators roared. Under the dazzling floodlights, excavators and bulldozers took turns clawing away at the earth, slowly clearing a path.
After they had managed to repair more than ten kilometers of road, they reached Xuankou Town, where the Min River made a great bend.
Just then, a convoy appeared behind them. Its vehicles were covered with camouflage tarpaulins. When the two convoys met, they quickly explained their situations to each other.
With every second counting, relief teams from other areas arrived one after another. With help from the surviving locals, recovery work proceeded in an orderly fashion.
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