The groundwater level has dropped again.

As soon as Nana finished speaking, Chen Hao stared at the red zone on the map without saying a word. He turned and left, his steps heavy as if he were walking through mud.

Susan stood there, her hand still on the list. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, her breathing a little heavy. The dizziness from earlier hadn't completely worn off, but she didn't say anything.

Carl came over from the tool cabinet, carrying a freshly welded arm guard. As he passed the warehouse door, he saw Susan squatting on the ground, trying to push a box onto a shelf. Her movements were slow, her back bent awkwardly, and the hair on the side of her face was stuck together with sweat.

He walked over, put the arm guard aside, and reached out to pick up the box.

"I'll do this."

Susan looked up. "I can do it myself."

“Don’t force it if you can manage.” Carl put the box on the middle shelf. “You don’t care where anything is, I don’t care where it goes. This way it’ll be faster.”

He didn't say anything unnecessary, nor did he look at her; he immediately began clearing the shelves. First, he moved all the boxes down and separated them by area.

"These are the necessities for survival: water purification tablets, fire starter, and emergency rations." He covered them with red tape.

"Medical supplies are placed here: injections, bandages, and anti-inflammatory drugs." Blue tape.

"A separate compartment for pregnant women, containing nutritional supplements, allergy medication, and temperature patches." Yellow tape.

"The remaining spare parts will all be marked in green."

Susan watched him distribute the items one by one, his movements slow but steady. She glanced down at her own list and noticed a bottle of prenatal vitamins had been mixed in with the general supply box.

Carl saw it too.

He took it out, put it in the yellow zone, and said, "This kind can't be wrong. If we need it urgently and can't find it, it will cause us trouble."

Susan said softly, "Thank you for noticing that."

Carl grunted in agreement and moved on to the next box.

The two of them started working together, one after the other. Susan gave her name, and Carl found a spot. He put the heavier items on the lower shelf and the lighter ones on the higher shelf, even placing the syringe set at her eye level.

"You can come pick it up by yourself next time, it'll be convenient," he said.

Susan didn't speak, but her lips twitched slightly.

Midway through, she felt a sudden tightness in her chest and stood for a few seconds, holding onto the corner of the table. Carl noticed, stopped what he was doing, poured her a glass of warm water, and handed it to her.

"Take a five-minute break, I'm not in a hurry."

"It's okay, I can—"

"Let's finish drinking first and then talk."

She took the cup and took two small sips. The water temperature was just right.

Five minutes later she put down the cup. "Okay, let's continue."

Carl nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The wind picked up outside, and the corridor lights flickered. Nana's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Wind speeds on the north slope have increased by 20 percent; the storm is expected to arrive two hours earlier."

No one responded.

Carl looked up at the vent and muttered, "This damn weather, I should have installed an extra anchor chain."

Susan chuckled. "You think the ship isn't heavy enough?"

"A firm stance is good; it helps to keep things under control."

He brought over another box, opened it, and inspected it. Inside were several packets of dehydrated vegetables and compressed biscuits; the labels were already faded.

“This package is three months past its expiration date,” he said, pointing to the production date.

“Keep it,” Susan said. “It can hold up for a while in an emergency.”

"Okay." He drew an X on the side with a marker. "I'll eat first."

"Don't try to eat it yourself."

"I'm thick-skinned, I can handle it."

They continued organizing. Time passed slowly, and the shelves gradually became neater. Each area was color-coded, each type of item was labeled, and even the spare batteries were sorted by voltage.

Chen Hao paused briefly as he passed the warehouse.

He leaned against the door and watched as Carl tiptoed to place a medical kit on the overhead shelf, his shoulder wedged against the crossbeam, his whole body tilted as he pushed upwards. His movements were clumsy, but earnest.

Susan sat on the small stool next to her, checking the list. She looked up and reminded him, "Move it two centimeters to the left so it doesn't block the retrieval opening."

Carl made a few adjustments, then said, "It's done."

Chen Hao didn't go in, nor did he say anything. He looked around for a few seconds, then turned and left.

Back in the control room, he wrote in his log: "Packaging went smoothly today. Carl took the initiative to take on some of Susan's tasks, which improved collaboration efficiency."

Nana was calibrating the navigation data when she heard the input sound. She looked up and asked, "Do I need to update the supplies list code?"

"Update it," Chen Hao said. "Let them confirm it before syncing."

"Request sent".

In the warehouse, Carl was sealing the last box of medicine. He wrapped it twice with waterproof membrane and pressed the seams.

“This bag needs to be handled with extra care,” he said. “It’s all for her.”

Susan walked over, looked at her, and said, "It's so good to have you here."

Carl, with his back to her, was putting on labels when he paused.

"There will be three more boxes tomorrow."

"Um."

She didn't say anything more, gently patted his shoulder, and then turned to tidy up the notepad.

Carl looked down at the marker in his hand, not even picking up the cap that had fallen off.

The wind outside picked up, making the metal wall panels hum. A short alarm sounded in the distance, probably indicating that a sensor had been triggered.

Carl bent down, picked up the pen cap, and screwed it back on.

He walked to the yellow zone and checked the "emergency kit for pregnant women" again. The temperature patches, painkillers, and energy gel were all there. He tore off a new waterproof film, covered it, and pressed the edges firmly.

Susan called to him from the doorway: "Carl."

"how?"

Have you had dinner yet?

"I forgot."

"I'm going to get some hot stuff."

"No need, I'm not hungry yet."

She didn't leave after she finished speaking; she stood there watching him.

Karl felt uncomfortable being stared at. "What?"

“It’s nothing,” she said. “It’s just that I feel…you’ve changed.”

"I've always been like this."

“You used to only care about your own little thing.”

"Even now."

"But now you're getting involved in other people's business too."

Carl didn't reply. He put on the last label, took a step back, and looked at the whole thing.

The shelves were neatly arranged, with distinct colors, and the boxes were stacked in a straight line.

"Alright," he said. "We'll continue with the rest tomorrow."

"good."

Susan picked up her clipboard and was about to leave when she suddenly turned back: "Carl."

"What's wrong now?"

"Um... thank you for today."

"It's just a division of labor."

"It's not just about the division of labor."

Carl scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "Then just don't make me carry anything too heavy tomorrow."

Susan laughed, "Okay, I'll give you an easy job."

She turned and walked away, her steps much steadyer than in the morning.

Carl stood there, listening to her footsteps fade into the distance. He looked down at the label he had just affixed and then smoothed down the edges.

The wind howled outside, and the alarm went off again.

He walked over and closed the vent, but bumped his head on the corner of the table as he turned around, wincing in pain.

He rubbed his knees, then squatted down again and collected the rolls of tape scattered on the floor into his toolbox.

The box made a clicking sound when it closed.

He stood up and dusted off his pants.

The warehouse lights were still on, illuminating four rows of neatly arranged shelves.

On the top layer of the yellow zone, the emergency kit with a double-layered waterproof membrane remained quietly in its place.

Carl glanced at the time.

11:07 PM.

He picked up his coat and was about to leave when the loudspeaker came on, just as his hand touched the doorknob.

"Latest weather update," Nana said calmly. "The storm has entered the outer monitoring area and is expected to reach the airspace above the base within two hours."

Karl didn't move.

He turned around and walked back towards the yellow zone.

Open the toolbox and take out a section of reinforcing rope.

He took the emergency kit off the shelf, wrapped it around the box in a cross shape, tied a knot, and tightened it.

He glanced at it one more time as he put it back.

The words on the label were handwritten by him: For pregnant women only, use with priority.

He nodded, and this time he actually opened the door and went out.

The hallway light flickered twice the moment the door closed.

The wind grew stronger.