As soon as the muffled thud from the roof ended, Chen Hao rushed into the control room.

"Nana! How's the situation upstream?"

Nana stood in front of the terminal, her indicator lights flashing rapidly: "The latest model confirms that the runoff time has been brought forward to four hours and fifteen minutes. The rainfall intensity continues to rise, and the soil infiltration has reached its limit."

Chen Hao slammed his fist on the corner of the table, wincing in pain, but didn't let go. "Fine, God thinks we're having it too easy." He turned to look at the door. "Karl! Susan! Stop what you're doing, everything!"

The two men ran in through the rain, soaked to the bone. Carl wiped the water from his face: "What happened? Did it collapse again?"

“It’s worse than a collapse.” Chen Hao grabbed a whiteboard marker and drew a simple diagram on it. “We’re not doing repairs now; we’re turning the entire base into an impregnable fortress. Listen carefully—seal the doors, divert the flow, and relocate the equipment. These three things must be completed within an hour and a half.”

"Where to begin?" Susan asked, panting.

“I’ll lead the men to seal off the main entrance, using the abandoned hatch as a hard barrier. You and Karl go to the second floor and pack up the main control equipment, leaving only an emergency power line. Nana, you monitor the data while supporting the construction outside.”

“My right leg’s lubrication system is still recovering,” Nana said. “My mobility is limited.”

“Then you should fix yourself first,” Chen Hao said. “Come out and help when you can move again. Every minute is precious now, and whoever gets stuck will be a burden.”

Nana nodded, turned, and walked towards the maintenance area. Chen Hao grabbed a wrench and rushed into the rain.

Carl watched his retreating figure and muttered, "He's usually so lazy, but when it really matters, he runs faster than anyone else."

“You’re the same.” Susan gave him a push. “Let’s go, don’t wait for him to come back and kick you himself.”

---

Outside the south wall, the soil had been soaked into a paste by the rain. Chen Hao and Karl removed a piece of abandoned hatch and nailed it to the frame. The wind was so strong that the metal plate rattled and nearly overturned.

"Tie him up with a rope!" Chen Hao roared.

Carl wrapped it around a few times, his hands trembling as he tied the knot. "How long will this thing last?"

"Just hold out until the flood comes." Chen Hao slapped the board. "We don't ask it to last a hundred years, we just ask that it doesn't break down when it's most critical."

They secured five metal plates in sequence, forming a sloping retaining wall. Rainwater slid off the surface of the plates, no longer directly impacting the sandbag pile. But just as they breathed a sigh of relief, the sandbags in the low-lying area on the west side began to loosen.

"It's leaking again over there!" Carl shouted.

“Then make it thicker.” Chen Hao wiped his face. “Go and get two more bags.”

"Only three bags left."

"Then move the spare ones from the east side over here."

"That's the area on the east side, reserved for evacuation from the second floor!"

"The second floor is not a concern right now; let's protect the first floor first."

When the two returned carrying the last bag of sand, Susan was moving sealed boxes out of the house. As she passed by, she said, "The main control module has been sealed, and the backup battery pack has been moved. The upstairs corridor has been cleared."

"Well done." Chen Hao nodded. "Keep clearing. If it really floods, we need to know where to run."

Susan glanced at the sky: "The rain shows no sign of letting up."

"It's not up to me to decide how long it wants to rain," Chen Hao patted her shoulder. "But we can't skip any of the things we can do."

---

On the other hand, the drainage ditch problem is even more troublesome.

The shallow ditch that Chen Hao had originally dug was already half-filled with mud; if he dug any further, the soil would collapse. He squatted down to take a look, then stood up and said, "Let's change direction."

"Where to exchange it?" Carl asked.

"Avoid the middle area of ​​debris, and head 15 degrees east." Chen Hao gestured with his shovel. "We don't need to dig very deep, just divert the water out first."

The two men started digging again. This time, they cut in at an angle, successfully avoiding the tangled metal frames underground. As soon as the trench was formed, rainwater began to flow down it.

“It’s somewhat useful,” Carl smiled.

"Don't be too happy yet," Chen Hao frowned. "We still need to prevent stagnation."

At that moment, Nana walked over, and the sound of her right leg walking was normal. "I've replaced the filter, and the lubrication system has recovered more than 70% of its function."

"You really know how to take care of yourself."

“Self-maintenance is one of the basic procedures,” she said. “In addition, I pulled up the design of a simple filter structure. It can use gravel and woven mesh as a buffer layer.”

"Then you give the orders, and we'll get to work."

The three men picked out the rubble from the waste pile, spread it at the mouth of the ditch, and then covered it with several layers of broken netting. As the water flowed through, the sediment was significantly slowed down.

"That worked." Carl clapped his hands. "At least something's finally going smoothly."

"Don't celebrate." Nana looked up at the sky. "The cloud cover is still getting thicker, and the rain won't stop."

---

The ventilation shaft in the northwest corner became the last problem.

The location was too high; when the plastic sheet was placed over it, it would inflate in the wind. Chen Hao tried several times but couldn't secure it.

“We need to build a framework,” he said.

Carl found two long poles and tied them together with steel cables to form a triangular support. Chen Hao climbed the ladder, placed the support under the vent, and then laid the waterproof tarpaulin on top.

"Fixed now!"

Carl tightened the rope below, and just as one corner was secured, a strong gust of wind swept over, causing the fabric to flutter violently and nearly overturning the support frame.

"No, we need to increase the intensity!"

Susan ran over and handed over a few small steel plates: "Press them on these four corners."

They re-laid the fabric, applied pressure, and wrapped it tightly layer by layer. Finally, the fabric stopped fluttering.

"Barely passed." Chen Hao slipped and fell into the mud as he came down.

"Are you alright?" Susan asked.

"His ass is harder than my heart." He got up. "How many more leaks are there?"

“There are three signs of water seepage at the cable penetration hole,” Nana said. “Manual sealing is difficult, so I suggest using a robotic arm to inject sealant.”

"Then you go and get it done." Chen Hao waved his hand. "I've arranged everything I can think of. The rest is up to your brain."

Nana entered the control room and remotely activated a small robotic arm. The slender metal arm pierced through the cracks in the wall, precisely injecting the colloid into the fissures. The monitoring screen showed that the seepage points disappeared one by one.

---

Two hours later, the defense system was basically in place.

The main entrance was sealed off with metal plates, the drainage ditch on the south side provided stable drainage, and all ventilation openings and wall penetrations were sealed. The supplies on the second floor were inventoried, and emergency power was supplied separately.

Chen Hao stood outside the main control room, watching the last bag of sand being piled up at the western breach. He was soaked to the bone, his clothes clinging to his body, and his right arm was numb from exerting himself for so long.

"Almost there." Carl walked over and handed him a bottle of water. "Now all we have to do is wait?"

“It’s not about waiting.” Chen Hao unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip. “It’s about keeping a close eye on things. The equipment can’t be powered off, the drainage can’t be blocked, and if any part of it goes wrong, we have to fix it immediately.”

Susan came downstairs: "I've checked everything and marked seven potential leaks. We can check them again at any time."

“Very good.” Chen Hao nodded. “Now we’ll work in shifts. We’ll switch every two hours, so someone can rest while someone keeps watch.”

Nana stood in front of the control panel, her indicator lights flashing continuously. "Upstream hydrological data is still being updated, and the forecast has not been adjusted further."

“Then let’s prepare for four hours.” Chen Hao walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and drew a checkmark after “Defense complete”.

He put down his pen and looked out the window. The rain was still falling, and the wind hadn't subsided. The distant mountains were hidden in a gray curtain of water, their outlines indistinct.

"Do you think this rain... is it deliberately trying to make things difficult for us?" Karl leaned against the wall, his voice a little hoarse.

Chen Hao didn't answer. He looked down at his hands; his palms were covered in mud and abrasions, and rust-colored shavings were stuck under his fingernails.

He suddenly smiled.

"If you ask me, bad luck is like a pebble in your shoe. The more you fear it, the more uncomfortable it gets." He lifted his foot and shook the shoe. "But as long as you keep going, you can always shake it out."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the alarm suddenly went off inside the house.

Nana quickly turned to look at the screen, her fingers swiping rapidly.

“Abnormal soil pressure was detected downstream of the drainage ditch on the south side,” she said. “The risk of localized collapse has increased.”

Chen Hao grabbed the shovel and headed for the door.

"Let's go!" he shouted, turning back. "The bottom of the ditch might crack!"

Carl jumped up with a start and rushed into the rain after him.

Susan grabbed her toolbox and chased after him.

Nana stood in front of the control panel, her indicator lights flashing rapidly, and uttered a sentence:

"A new round of emergency repairs has begun."