National Survival: I Supported the Dragon Nation by Hunting Dinosaurs

"We'll have to resort to traditional methods."

Zhang Li squatted at the cave entrance, his gaze sweeping over the dense jungle in the distance. "It's disgusting, but it's the only shortcut."

Boil saltpeter.

Utilize the decomposition of nitrogen-rich organic matter.

In the dinosaur world, the one raw material that was never lacking was dinosaur dung.

"Old feces mixed with soil containing wood ash undergoes nitrification by bacteria..."

Zhang Li quickly calculated the time cost in his mind, "It's too slow, it will take at least a few months to ferment."

But he didn't last more than a few months.

The vanguard of the 17-nation coalition may already be within 100 kilometers.

"Let's deal with the arrow problem first," Zhang Li instantly adjusted his strategy.

So they walked to the kiln, which was about half a person's height.

The kiln has a rough structure and its inner walls are not smooth enough.

To turn iron ore into molten iron, modifications are necessary.

The melting point of iron is 1538 degrees Celsius.

Ordinary charcoal, at most, burns to a temperature of just over 1,000 degrees Celsius.

"It needs to be changed."

Zhang Li dug up a lump of highly viscous clay from the stream and began to modify the air inlet at the bottom of the kiln.

Huang Xiaoying noticed that Zhang Li had actually reduced the size of the originally wide air inlet and couldn't help but wonder, "If you seal the opening smaller, the air can't get in, won't the fire be even smaller?"

Zhang Li skillfully shaped the clay with his fingers, molding the air intake channel into a funnel-shaped structure.

Have you heard of Bernoulli's principle?

Huang Xiaoying looked completely bewildered.

"The faster the fluid flows, the lower the pressure. I made the air inlet into a Venturi tube structure, so that when the external airflow passes through the contraction section, the flow velocity will increase sharply."

Zhang Li patted the dirt off his hands, his eyes burning with fervor. "We don't need a blower. As long as a negative pressure zone is created here, the outside air will be sucked in like crazy."

"This is called—forced inlet turbocharging, the original version."

Inside the live stream room.

As dawn broke, the previously quiet comments section erupted once again.

Especially when Zhang Li uttered the words "Venturi tube" and "turbocharger," the audience in front of the screen was stunned.

[An uninvited physics student chimes in: Holy crap! Is Li Shen hand-building a fluid dynamics model?]

[Is this supposed to be a survival show? I feel like I'm watching "Approaching Science"!]

Inside the studio, several professors who had already returned sat upright.

Professor Li Zhengying explained, "He is using the natural suction force generated by the rising hot air, combined with the effect of the constricting nozzle, to increase the intake efficiency by at least three times!"

This structure is reminiscent of early jet engine blueprints!

"But he used pyrite!"

Professor Wang Zifei suddenly stood up.

"That's a big no-no! Ferrous disulfide has an extremely high sulfur content, and the iron refined from it will become 'hot brittle,' as crisp as a biscuit, and is completely unusable!"

On the screen.

Zhang Li clearly understood this better than the professor.

Instead of throwing the ore into the furnace, he first set up an open fire next to it.

"Team Leader Huang, get to work."

Zhang Li spread the crushed pyrite on the firewood and said calmly, "Fan with all your might, I'm going to 'roast' these stones."

"Roasted stones?" Huang Xiaoying didn't understand, but she didn't waste any words.

She gritted her teeth, endured the pain, and waved the huge banana leaf.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

A strong wind rushed in, and the flames instantly turned blue-purple.

A stench of rotten eggs instantly filled the area in front of the cave.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Huang Xiaoying choked, tears streaming down her face. "What is this smell?! Is it poisonous?"

"Sulfur dioxide, somewhat toxic, is gaining popularity!"

Zhang Li covered his mouth and nose, and used a long wooden stick to turn the ore over and over. "I'm desulfurizing them."

Professor Wang highly praised Zhang Li's extensive knowledge of chemistry.

"He's doing oxidative roasting!"

"Using high temperature and oxygen, the sulfur element in ferrous disulfide is displaced, generating iron oxide and sulfur dioxide gas!"

The barrage of comments was instantly flooded with "666".

[I couldn't understand it, but I was deeply moved!]

As expected, Li Shen is going to have physics and chemistry class again!

This isn't wilderness survival; it's practically an industrial revolution from scratch!

Two hours later.

The acrid smoke dissipated.

The originally golden pyrite has turned into a dark red, loose, porous solid—iron oxide.

"That's about it."

Zhang Li wiped the soot off his face, and his eyes shone even brighter.

He filled the modified "turbocharged" blast furnace with alternating layers of dark red ore and high-quality charcoal that had already been fired.

"The final sprint."

Zhang Li looked at Huang Xiaoying, whose arms were trembling from exhaustion, and asked, "Can you still keep going?"

Sweat soaked through Huang Xiaoying's combat uniform as she gritted her teeth and roared, "Enough nonsense! I can slap you ten thousand more times!"

"good!"

Zhang Li ignited the base fire.

The air inlet, modified by fluid dynamics, has demonstrated its power.

Even the simple act of fanning a banana leaf with human force, with the accelerated airflow propelling it into the furnace, instantly expels the charcoal to its maximum potential.

The red flames turned white in an instant.

The heat waves emanating from the top of the furnace distorted the air within a five-meter radius.

The temperature is rising rapidly.

Inside the furnace, a chemical reaction is taking place.

At high temperatures, the carbon monoxide released by charcoal frantically steals oxygen atoms from iron oxide, reducing it to pure elemental iron.

Zhang Li did not stop.

During a break in the smelting process, he gathered river sand and clay, and using the remaining carbon fiber crossbow bolts as molds, pressed out twelve perfect arrowhead grooves.

Sand casting method.

Professor Wang stared at the screen, speechless. "Even an eighth-grade fitter might not be able to do better under these rudimentary conditions."

time flies.

Until the sun is directly overhead.

Zhang Li keenly observed a subtle change in the color of the flames at the furnace opening.

"Open the furnace!"

Zhang Li gave a low shout.

He used tongs to pick up a stone and forcefully poked open the taphole at the bottom of the furnace.

"Sizzle—"

A blinding golden-red gushed forth from the furnace opening!

That's molten iron!

The molten iron flowed precisely into the mold on the sand table through the pre-dug guide channel.

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

White smoke rose.

The once empty mold was instantly filled with golden-red liquid.

"This is..." Huang Xiaoying's lips were dry.

Zhang Li waited until the molten iron cooled and solidified slightly, then used pliers to pinch the dark red arrows one by one into the water.

A large amount of water vapor exploded.

This is quenching!

Wait for the fog to dissipate.

Twelve solid iron arrowheads, gleaming with a cold metallic luster, lay silently on the stone slab.

Zhang Li picked up one, sharpened it on a stone a few times, revealing a sharp blade.

A light touch of the fingertips sent a chill to the bone.

"The hardness is acceptable. Although the carbon content is slightly uncontrollable, it's enough to penetrate a bulletproof vest." Zhang Li nodded in satisfaction.

With his original stock, he now has twenty-three arrows.

"It's... all done?" Huang Xiaoying looked at the pile of arrows, feeling like she was dreaming.

"This is nothing."

Zhang Li knew that the arrow shaft and fletching were also extremely important.

But he can't continue doing it right now, since he has more important things to do!

Collect large quantities of sulfur and other resources, as well as resources for hunting and sacrifice!