gnovel Chapter 8 "Toxic Gasoline"
Chapter 8 "Toxic Gasoline"
Gray acted quickly, and by the time Thorne arrived at the refinery in his Ford, the plant was already back in preparation.
Basil's group was taken to an empty warehouse next door by British soldiers for interrogation. Armed guards stood outside the door, and screams of pain came from inside, which frightened the busy workers to the point of turning pale.
When Thorne entered, Wells and Gray were chatting happily.
Upon seeing Thorne, Wells chuckled, "So you and the Major were classmates. We owe him a lot for his help this time!"
"Classmate?" Thorne was taken aback.
Gray spoke first: "Yes, Dulwich College, have you forgotten?"
He then gave Thorne a wink.
"Oh, yes." Thorne understood.
This guy must have looked up Thorne's information to find out where Thorne studied.
Wells didn't suspect anything and gratefully shook hands with Gray. "Thank you very much, Major. Don't worry, I'll provide you with adequate fuel, I promise."
Gray corrected, "According to the gasoline sample we provided, Mr. Wells."
"Of course." Wells nodded confidently. "It's no difficult task. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
After Wells left, Gray asked Thorne, "Did I do anything wrong? Is there anything I need to add?"
"No, that's all." Thorne looked around. "That's good. We can get back to work soon, and we should be able to get oil in about two days."
(Note: In 1942, Britain mainly used atmospheric distillation + thermal cracking, which was a simple process with a quick start-up, and oil could be produced in two or three days.)
"That's not the point, is it?" Gray asked.
"Yes," Thorne admitted.
Thorne doesn't necessarily have to produce it himself; he can use military fuel to mix the gasoline he wants, just like German gasoline.
The key question is what to add to gasoline to make it a qualified "toxic fuel".
Thorne led Gray into Wells' office, a small room of about 100 square feet with a desk and a sofa for guests.
Thorne invited Gray to sit down on the sofa and made him a cup of instant coffee.
Gray accepted the coffee and thanked him: "The reason the general and I entrusted this matter entirely to you is because we know that producing 'toxic fuel' is not as simple as it seems."
"Of course," Thorne replied, "Besides, there might be reasons for secrecy."
Gray paused, then exchanged a smile with Thorne: "You're very smart."
It is obvious that compared to large companies with many people and eyes, the Red Sea Oil Company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, had a much easier time keeping secrets.
This is why Gray worked so hard to suppress Barthim as soon as he heard that Barthim might be connected to German spies.
After taking a sip of his coffee, Gray continued:
"I hope you understand a few things, Thorne."
"We don't want the Germans to experience immediate results after using the 'problematic oil'."
"It won't cause problems for at least an hour or two."
Thorne, holding his coffee, sat opposite Gray and nodded in understanding: "That makes sense; only in this way can we cause as much damage as possible to the German offensive."
Gray grunted in agreement and continued, "Secondly, we hope that once the 'problematic oil' takes effect, it will be lethal to the German tanks."
Unlike the British army, the German army deployed maintenance workers to the front lines to charge alongside the tanks, repairing them as soon as they broke down.
If the "problematic oil" was not lethal, it would likely not have posed a threat to the German army.
Thorne raised an eyebrow: "That's exactly what I was thinking."
Gray added, "Last and most importantly, the Germans won't notice anything unusual about the 'problem oil,' I mean obvious impurities."
Thorne replied matter-of-factly, "As you wish."
Gray didn't speak, but just stared at Thorne silently, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes.
Before coming here, he had asked the mechanics and repairmen indirectly, and the answer he received was always: "Maybe it is possible, but the Germans will find the problem if they observe carefully, and it will be difficult for us to hide it from them."
After a pause, Grega emphasized, "You may not understand, Mr. Thorne. This concerns the outcome of a battle, even the entire defensive line, and even..."
He stopped himself at that point.
What follows will make the British army lose face: the British army has several times the manpower and supplies of Rommel, yet they may be driven into the sea by him.
"Don't worry, Major," Thorne replied, "we will win."
This was not only because he was confident in himself, but also because he knew that Rommel had been blocked at the El Alamein Line and had not been able to advance an inch.
"Okay," Gray said, "Tell me your plan. What are you going to put in the gasoline?"
Thorne's answer was simple: "Sand."
"You..." Gray laughed in exasperation, "Are you kidding me?"
"No, Major," Thorne said seriously, "I'm serious."
Gray's smile gradually froze, then he stood up abruptly, his face filled with anger:
"You're wasting our time, Thorne. Do you know what you've done?"
"God, you don't realize how big a mess you've made."
"He'll throw you in jail, he definitely will. Your factory will be finished, you'll get nothing, everything you have..."
"Relax, Major." Thorne remained seated. "We can discuss the details further."
"Is there any need for discussion?" Gray's eyes were filled with disappointment, his voice hoarse with anger, and he pointed a finger at Thorne.
"We all know that sand sinks to the bottom, Thorne, the Germans can see that right away."
"It will also clog the oil lines and oil filter, and it will break down before long."
Thorne shook his head slightly: "Major, what do you think if we grind the sand into powder and add a little benzene to it?"
"What?" Gray was stunned.
Thorne explained:
"Powder that is fine enough will not easily settle in gasoline."
"If we add some organic solvents, we can change its surface tension, which can keep the dust suspended for a long time."
"The gasoline blended this way is almost indistinguishable to the naked eye."
This is what Thorne learned in his geology lab class about "the preparation of suspensions, colloids, and grinding discs".
Gray said "Oh," his anger subsiding somewhat.
Thorne's statement seemed to make sense; finely ground sand dust suspended in gasoline wouldn't be easily detected when mixed in.
This meets the third requirement.
Thorne continued:
"In addition, the main component of sand is silicon dioxide, which is quartz."
Quartz has a hardness of 7, while pistons, steel, and cylinders have a hardness of 5 to 6.
"Is it a problem that a harder cylinder can wear down a cylinder with a lower hardness?"
"No, no problem." Gray nodded in agreement. "That meets the second requirement."
Finally, Thorne said:
"These extremely fine quartz dust particles are evenly mixed in gasoline, and their harm increases from small to large."
"I'm not sure how long it will take, but the German engines are very sophisticated, Major."
"With its small gaps between parts and high rotation speed, the piston carries fine sand and grinds at high speed, ultimately..."
Gray understood: "Ultimately leading to engine failure and paralysis?"
This perfectly meets the first requirement.
Thorne nodded.
This isn't an invention; it's simply using knowledge learned from textbooks to cause destruction.