The ground shook again, this time more violently than before.

Chen Hao almost dropped the branch in his hand. He looked down and saw that a small piece of bark had been scraped off by his fingernail.

Nana's eyes blinked twice, and the data stream rolled through her pupils.

“It’s not the main shock,” she said. “It’s a localized displacement of the earth’s crust, and the affected area is small.”

Carl sat on the concrete block, panting, and said, "Even breathing here makes you tremble; there's never a moment of peace."

Susan stood up, leaning against the wall, a dark stain seeping through the strip of cloth on her arm. She didn't speak, but simply took two steps toward the warehouse.

Chen Hao tucked the branch under his arm and patted the dust off his pants. "Break time's over, let's get to work."

Nobody moved.

"I said, let's get started."

Carl rolled his eyes: "You seem quite energetic, but we just crawled out of the gates of hell."

“I just climbed out too,” Chen Hao grinned. “I also carried you on my back.”

"I didn't ask you to carry it."

"You were shouting quite loudly back then."

"That's a warning that there are falling rocks!"

"It sounds like calling for Mom."

Susan coughed lightly: "If we keep arguing like this, we won't be able to get into the warehouse before dark."

All three of them shut up at the same time.

Nana was already ahead, her metal feet making a soft clicking sound on the gravel. She didn't turn around, her voice steady: "The last update to the materials management system was seventeen minutes before the earthquake. The current status is unknown. We suggest prioritizing checking inventory."

"Did you hear that?" Chen Hao shoved Karl. "The robot is more anxious than you are."

"She is not human."

"You're not a normal human being anymore. You can survive by eating cardboard every day. You've mutated long ago."

Carl cursed, but still followed.

The warehouse door was askew, as if it had been kicked. The paint on the door frame had mostly peeled off, revealing the rusty red iron underneath. Chen Hao reached out and pushed, and the entire door crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

Dust billowed up, choking Carl so much that he coughed three times.

“This place is even more run-down than the rental apartment my ex lived in,” he said.

"Your ex lived under a bridge."

"That's still cleaner than here."

Nana walked in, flicked her wrist, and the light screen unfolded. She began scanning the shelves, her fingertips tracing the list with great speed.

Chen Hao bent down and rummaged through a box, which was full of broken plastic pipes. "What can these be used for? To build a doghouse?"

Susan squatted in front of another shelf and pulled out an iron pipe. It was bent into an L-shape, as if it had been crushed by something. "This is unusable," she said. "It will break at the point of stress."

Carl kicked aside a pile of planks, beneath which lay half a piece of electrical wire. "It's all junk," he said, looking up. "Have we come to the wrong place?"

"This is the place marked on the map." Chen Hao walked to Nana's side. "Did you find it?"

Nana nodded, and the screen turned red.

"The inventory of structural support materials is less than 30 percent," she said. "There are zero usable long metal rods and zero thick wooden beams. The scraps we have are insufficient to meet the load-bearing requirements."

"What do you mean?"

"There's nothing we can use to support the wall."

The air was still for a few seconds.

"So what?" Carl leaned against the wall. "We'll prop ourselves up with our fingers?"

"There can't be none at all, right?" Chen Hao frowned. "The base is so big, there should be some good stuff left."

Nana pulled up a 3D map and pointed to a corner where something was crushed. "This used to store a batch of industrial supports, but the wall above collapsed after the earthquake, so we can't get in right now."

"In other words—" Chen Hao stared at the red area, "there's stock, but we can't get it."

"The conclusion is correct."

"Hold."

“Civilized societies fear two things the most,” Carl said, arms crossed. “One is that the Wi-Fi is down, and the other is that the tools are gone.”

"Now you know why I always said you were useless." Chen Hao turned and walked out. "Only those waiting to die don't move."

What are you going to do?

"Go find it."

Where to look?

"There's an old factory area in the southwest that used to transport building materials; there might still be some left over."

Susan frowned: "That place is three kilometers away from here, and it's not safe on the road."

“The safe places have all been emptied out.” Chen Hao looked at Nana. “Can you navigate?”

"Can."

"Then there's no problem."

Carl opened his mouth to object, but Chen Hao interrupted him directly: "You stay here and clear the stones at the entrance with Susan, and while you're at it, see if there's anything usable buried nearby."

"I'm not a laborer."

"You are now."

Why didn't you just say you'd go by yourself?

"Because I'm more afraid of dying, I have to personally keep an eye on the most promising places."

Susan glanced at him: "When did you become so enthusiastic?"

“I’ve always been proactive.” Chen Hao took out his water bottle and took a sip. “It’s just that I used to be proactive but then I was lazy.”

Nana put away the light screen, took a small scanner out of her bag and put it in her outer pocket. "Ready."

"Walk."

The two left the warehouse one after the other.

Carl shouted after them as they walked away, "If you find any alive, don't tell us they were sent from our side!"

“If I find you alive, I’ll say you’re a fugitive.” Chen Hao said without turning his head.

The wind was stronger than before, making the corrugated iron sheets on the ruins rattle.

They walked southwest along a broken road, with utility poles leaning precariously along the side, like a group of drunkards.

After walking for about forty minutes, the terrain ahead began to slope down.

"We're almost there," Nana said. "The entrance to the original industrial zone is 800 meters ahead, and it's expected to cover an area of ​​2.3 square kilometers."

"That's good." Chen Hao wiped his sweat. "Once we find the materials, we can finally get a good night's sleep."

"On the condition that we can bring it back."

Don't spoil the fun.

After walking for a while, the sound changed.

It wasn't the sound of the wind, nor the sound of rolling pebbles.

It's the sound of water.

Whoosh—whoosh—

It got louder and louder.

The two turned a corner around a broken wall, and the sight before them made Chen Hao stop in his tracks.

A river.

It is six meters wide, the water is murky, and the speed is fast enough to sweep a person away.

It lies between them and the industrial area, like a freshly opened wound.

"Where did this thing come from?" Chen Hao asked, his eyes wide.

“Groundwater has gushed to the surface due to a geological fault, forming a temporary river channel.” Nana squatted down and used a scanner to measure the water flow speed. “It’s 3.7 meters per second and about 1.8 meters deep, making it impossible to wade across.”

Chen Hao picked up a stone and threw it in; it was instantly swept away.

"That deep?"

"It's actually much deeper."

Is the upstream section a bit narrow?

"The width narrows to four meters thirty meters upstream, but the banks are steep and there is no foothold."

What about downstream?

"It flows into the ditch, increasing its width to over nine meters."

Chen Hao stood on the shore, gazing at the opposite bank.

There was a row of collapsed factory buildings, with half of the roofs collapsed, but the original structure was still visible.

More importantly, a long metal frame was inserted diagonally into the ruins, with at least five meters of it protruding from the ground.

“That’s what we’re looking for,” he said, pointing in that direction.

Nana looked in that direction and the optical lens shrank slightly.

"Correct. The component meets the triangular support standard, is made of high-strength alloy steel, and can theoretically withstand 15 tons of pressure."

"That's it."

The question is, how do we obtain it?

Chen Hao didn't speak, he just stared at the water.

The water flowed relentlessly, carrying mud, sand, and broken branches, which crashed against the rocks with a dull thud.

He walked around the shore for a while, tried several spots, but they were all the same.

make life difficult for.

"Can't we go around it?"

“Terrain limitations.” Nana pulled up the map. “The east side is a landslide area, and the west side is a swamp. The only passage is this river.”

"So we can only try to find a solution here."

"The conclusion is valid."

Chen Hao sat down, took off his shoes and socks, and reached into the river to touch the water.

It's cold.

"No, I'll get cramps if I go down."

I don't recommend trying it.

“I know.” He put on his shoes and tightened his laces. “But we can’t go back.”

"Why?"

“Going back means we won’t have any materials.”

"It could also mean saving your life."

"Survival is for getting things done." Chen Hao stood up and looked around. "Since we can't get across the water, we have to build one that can."

Nana looked at him: "Do you have a plan?"

"No."

"Then what are you doing standing here?"

"think."

"Your expression doesn't look like you're thinking."

What does that look like?

"Like someone who has been starving for a long time seeing the cafeteria close."

Chen Hao grinned: "It does look quite similar."

He walked to a fallen tree and pushed it hard. The trunk wasn't very thick, but it was long enough.

Will this work?

“The length is correct, but it lacks a securing mechanism,” Nana said after scanning. “If it’s not anchored, it will be washed away immediately when placed in water.”

"Then we have to find a way to pin it down."

"The ground is too hard to penetrate with ordinary tools."

"Then let's find another way."

Chen Hao looked up at the scattered stones and debris around him.

A broken steel bar is stuck diagonally in the soil, with half of it protruding above the ground.

A few meters away, a large rock was pressing down on a piece of sheet metal.

He walked over, bent down, and tested the strength of the sheet metal.

good.

“We have two options,” he said. “Either build a raft or build a bridge.”

Looking at the rushing water, Nana said, "Making a raft is riskier."

"Then let's build a bridge."

"No connectors."

"Tie it with a rope."

“Ropes have limited load-bearing capacity.”

"Then tie a few more."

"We don't have enough materials."

Chen Hao stopped what he was doing.

He glanced at the folding shovel in his backpack, then at the diagonally inserted steel bar.

Then he laughed.

“You’re right,” he said. “We don’t have enough materials.”

He walked to the shore and stared at the metal frame on the opposite bank.

The wind blew by, carrying moisture.

His clothes clung to his body, and his hair was half-wet.

"But we have brains."

He turned to Nana: "Can you scan the entire area?"

"Can."

"Help me find out if there's any longer, solid object nearby that can be used as a bridge surface."

Nana raised her hand, and the light screen unfolded again.

The data started scrolling.

Chen Hao stood by the river, motionless.

The water rushed by, as if mocking them.

He gripped the folding shovel tightly in his hand.