Petroleum itself doesn't have an expiration date because crude oil is naturally stored underground.
However, once extracted by human machinery, various problems can arise.
For example, crude oil may experience different types of losses during storage and transportation.
It may also be affected by oxidation, contamination, or moisture, leading to a decline in quality.
If stored for too long, crude oil's quality deteriorates, resulting in inferior refined products.
Refined petroleum products—such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel, aviation fuel, etc.—can also degrade if not stored properly, as certain components may react with air or evaporate.
Finished petroleum products do have a shelf life.
Therefore, stockpiling refined petroleum is not a wise choice—if there are alternatives.
Of course, if no reserves are stored, and after the apocalypse arrives, humanity's industrial systems are nearly destroyed, making it almost impossible to extract underground oil, that would mean humans would have no petroleum to use.
Unless the Shelter Base is built directly on an oil field.
But is that possible?
Unlikely!
After all, petroleum is called the "lifeblood of industry" and "black flowing gold."
All human industry depends on this black liquid—it is a key energy source for industrial development and a strategic resource at the national level.
Private entities would never be allowed to build a Shelter Base on an oil field.
The reason the Far Star Union across the ocean is stronger than the other two superpowers and dares to call itself the "beacon of human civilization" is precisely because it controls vast petroleum resources.
Nearly every oil-producing nation on Blue Star is influenced by its presence.
The Far Star Union tied petroleum to its currency, allowing it to grow fat and prosperous—it would be hard to weaken, especially since the Far Star Union itself is also a major oil producer.
Of course, Great Xia is also a major oil producer—even more so than in Li Dong's previous life. Beneath its vast lands lie endless resources waiting to be extracted.
The three superpowers on Blue Star—without exception—all possess abundant resources and expansive territories, especially in energy resources.
The Polar Bear Federation and the Far Star Union are also major energy exporters, shipping out vast quantities of energy and resources every year.
Meanwhile, Great Xia engages in massive international buying sprees—whatever is sold, as long as it's needed, Great Xia will purchase it all, displaying an unapologetically domineering attitude.
This is far more extravagant than the oil-rich nations of the Middle East.
However, Great Xia generally handles things more discreetly, unlike the Middle Eastern oil magnates who flaunt their wealth and prosperity everywhere.
As for the oil refining proxy business this time—
Li Dong and Manager Chen of the petrochemical refinery negotiated smoothly, with no disputes or disagreements.
Thus, they quickly reached a cooperation agreement.
In the future,
Li Dong will entrust approximately 500,000 barrels of crude oil to this petrochemical refinery for refining.
And what Great Qin Heavy Industries Technology Company needs to do next is ensure proper storage of this petroleum.
Although the Great Qin Heavy Industries Technology Company had already established some collaborations with specialized oil storage tank manufacturers,
the production and installation of these tanks couldn't be completed so quickly.
The key issue was the massive storage capacity required—starting at hundreds of thousands of tons—which demanded an enormous scale of tanks.
Moreover, the Shelter Base wasn't located near a coastal port, making logistics and transportation inconvenient, further slowing down progress.
While the East River flowed along the western side of the Shelter Base, its water volume and depth were insufficient for large ships to navigate.
Additionally, the underground construction of the Shelter was still unfinished.
After numerous delays, it was only now that Li Dong remembered to address the processing of the oil stored at the port.
Due to the lack of available land at the Shelter, Li Dong spent tens of millions to purchase additional plots near the original Donghua Village under the Great Qin Heavy Industries Technology Company's name.
These lands were primarily designated for storing various supplies.
Donghua Village itself had little flat terrain, with most of the area dominated by hills and mountains, leaving scant arable land.
Now, the Shelter Base was transforming day by day, with numerous structures rapidly rising. The eastern and northern mountains had been hollowed out—both above and below ground.
Massive quantities of ultra-high-strength concrete were being poured deep into the excavated underground spaces, gradually forming the underground shelter.
The hollowed-out subterranean areas were supported almost entirely by load-bearing pillars.
Each of these pillars had a staggering diameter of over twenty meters and stood more than a hundred meters tall, extending above ground by another twenty meters before construction ceased.
Every pillar was cast as a single unit using vast amounts of high-strength steel reinforcement and ultra-high-grade concrete.
In total, three to four thousand such pillars were constructed.
This meant each pillar consumed over eighty to ninety thousand tons of steel and concrete, totaling more than thirty million tons for all pillars combined.
The thickest among them—dozens of primary load-bearing pillars—boasted diameters exceeding fifty meters.
It was evident just how much ultra-high-strength concrete the Shelter Base was consuming.
This specialized concrete wasn't cheap, costing at least two to three thousand yuan per cubic meter even with bulk discounts.
The price couldn't be driven much lower.
Just the initial phase of Shelter construction had already consumed over ten million cubic meters of concrete, amounting to more than twenty billion yuan in costs.
This didn't even account for the high-strength steel reinforcement.
Factoring in steel, alloy materials, and other expenses, the budget ballooned further.
Add to that monthly wages for workers, food expenses, chefs' salaries, machinery wear and tear, high-temperature subsidies, electricity, water, fuel, and other miscellaneous costs—
the project required hundreds of billions just to get off the ground.
According to Li Tiang's original blueprint, constructing this Shelter Base now demanded at least a trillion yuan upfront.
This far exceeded the initial estimate of several hundred billion.
Once actual construction began, it became clear that the financial outlay was vastly greater than anticipated.
Plans couldn't keep up with reality.
Compounding the issue, market prices for materials and resources were rising, causing the originally projected budget to spiral far beyond its limits.
Blue Star nations entered a final phase of frenzied prosperity. Perhaps sensing the impending crisis, capital from all directions was being recklessly splurged, allowing many people to make money.
Stock markets across countries were rising.
This led many to excitedly declare the arrival of a bull market, rushing in with accelerated steps to grab their share of the wealth!
However, in Li Tiang's view, this money was being spent where it truly mattered.
If they didn't spend now, once the apocalypse arrived, there would be no way to spend it at all.
So no matter how much they earned now, it all had to be spent immediately.
Once the Shelter Base was completed, it would be capable of withstanding earthquakes below magnitude 9, providing people with an overwhelming sense of security.
Moreover, each underground level of the Shelter Base would have a usable floor area exceeding four square kilometers—that is, four million square meters.
With three underground levels and one above ground, plus the various factory buildings on the surface, the total usable area would exceed ten square kilometers, approaching twenty.
Such a massive space could easily accommodate tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people—enough to fit a small society.
Of course, the reality was that they wouldn't cram in that many.
Most of the Shelter's space would need to be allocated for storing various supplies.
Besides, housing so many people would mean enormous daily consumption of food, water, and other necessities—something that wouldn't be healthy for the Shelter Base at all.