Chapter 196

Akai's glove was torn open by the edge of the scrap metal plate, and a sharp pain shot through him as his fingertips brushed against the scorching steel.

This is the third manganese alloy plate we removed today. Although the sun isn't at its zenith yet, it's already considerably hotter than yesterday.

Sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the metal plate and evaporating instantly, leaving only a faint white mark.

"Kai! This board is too heavy, even the three of us can't lift it!"

Ah Jie's voice came from the side. He and two other refugees were gathered around a two-meter-long metal plate. The corners of the plate were still covered with acid rust that had not been cleaned off, but it did not affect its weight at all.

Akai put down the wrench in his hand and went over to try it out—the metal plate weighed at least 300 kilograms and could not be moved by manpower at all. "I have to use hydraulic shears to cut it into small pieces, otherwise I can't build the roof of the sunshade."

He took out his communicator, opened the "Heat-Resistant Infrastructure Zone" of "Number One Store in the World," and quickly found the "Portable Hydraulic Pliers."

The label reads "Cutable manganese crystal alloy plate, suitable for sunshade construction, 1 Tier 1 Demon Core/unit," and is also linked to "Heat-resistant canvas (5m x 8m)."

Note: "Can withstand high temperatures of 60℃, and is even better when used with a manganese crystal support."

Without hesitation, Akai placed an order directly—there were still 8 Tier 1 demon cores in the stronghold. He had just exchanged 2 of them for 10 bottles of heat-resistant potions yesterday, and now he would prioritize exchanging them for infrastructure tools.

The moment the payment success notification popped up, the pale blue screen in the corner of the base lit up—

Hydraulic clamps and heat-resistant canvas were conveyed out from the space tunnel. The metal shell of the hydraulic clamps gleamed with silver, and the handles were wrapped with heat-resistant rubber sleeves, which provided just the right amount of insulation.

"Try it quickly!" A-Jie rushed over, grabbed the handle of the hydraulic pliers, and pressed the switch—

With a "click," the jaws easily snapped into the metal plate, and with a firm press, the corner of the plate was neatly cut off, leaving no burrs on the edge.

The surrounding refugees gathered around, their eyes filled with surprise and delight.

Previously, dismantling metal relied entirely on pry bars and axes, which were inefficient and prone to hand injuries. Now, with hydraulic shears, the speed is at least three times faster.

“I’ll cut it! I’m strong!” A burly man wearing a ripped heat-resistant suit stepped forward, took the hydraulic shears, and continued cutting the metal plate. The others were responsible for moving the cut pieces to the center of the stronghold and assembling them according to the drawings drawn by Akai.

Akai then took the heat-resistant canvas and laid it on the newly erected manganese crystal support frame—the frame was ordered from Su Jing's online store yesterday, each 1.5 meters long, with a heat-resistant coating so it wouldn't get hot to the touch even after being exposed to the sun.

Once the canvas was unfolded, it covered most of the outpost area, blocking out most of the sunlight. The temperature under the canopy dropped several degrees instantly, and the elderly and children who had been hiding in the corner fanning themselves moved under the canopy, their faces showing a hint of relief.

"Kai! Aunt Zhang's grandson is a little dizzy, is he too hot?" The old woman who was in charge of taking care of the refugees suddenly called out, and Kai quickly ran over—

The child in Aunt Zhang's arms had a flushed face, chapped lips, and trembling little hands, clearly showing signs of heatstroke.

He quickly pulled out a pack of "cooling patches" from his pocket—he had snatched them from the mall that morning, exchanging one Tier 1 demon core for 10 patches—and stuck them on the child's forehead and neck. "I'll also give him half a bottle of heat-resistant medicine and prevent him from being in the sun anymore."

Aunt Zhang took the medicine and carefully fed it to the child, muttering, "Thank goodness for the 'I am the God of Wealth' medicine, otherwise, how could the child withstand this weather?" The other migrants nearby also pulled out their own heat-resistant supplies—

Some people were using scraps of heat-resistant clothing to mend holes in children's clothes; others were sharing the last half-bottle of cooling spray, gently spraying it on the faces of the elderly.

Some people were digging shallow ditches under the shed, hoping to draw some groundwater to cool it down, but they found that the soil was much drier than yesterday, and they didn't find any water even after digging half a meter.

"The communicator is ringing! It's a message from Chen Yang!" A-Jie suddenly raised the communicator, and the screen showed Chen Yang's private message: "We don't have enough heat-resistant canvas at our base. It can only cover half of the people. Do you have any extra? You can exchange 3 Tier 1 Demon Cores for 5 meters, or 2 bottles of acid-resistant repair fluid."

Akai glanced at the remaining canvas under the awning—there were two rolls left, each 5 meters long, enough to give one roll to Chen Yang. "Reply to him, exchange 1 first-tier demon core for 5 meters. They can keep the repair liquid for themselves; the acid rain just stopped, they might still need it."

Shortly after the message was sent, Chen Yang replied with "Thank you," and the system notified him that "The heat-resistant canvas has been transmitted to Chen Yang's base via the space channel."

As soon as Akai put away his communicator, a new announcement from "The World's Number One Store" popped up on the screen: [Polar Day Warning Upgraded: Temperatures will continue to rise over the next 3 days. It is recommended to reinforce sunshades in advance and stock up on sufficient heat-resistant agents and drinking water.]

New "Heat Relief Emergency Kit" (containing 1 heat-resistant garment, 10 cooling patches, and 2 heat-resistant agents), 2 Tier 1 Demon Cores/pack, ample stock available.

"Quick! Order five more emergency kits!" Akai quickly placed the order. There were elderly people and children at the shelter, and the emergency kits could be distributed to them.

After the payment was successful, he looked up at the outside of the shed—the sun was even stronger than before, the metal fragments on the ground reflected the light so brightly that it was hard to open one's eyes, and there was a faint smell of heat in the air, unlike the previous warmth, but rather a scorching heat.

"Is Su Jing also making preparations?" A-Jie suddenly asked. He had seen yesterday that the "Number One Store in the World" was constantly replenishing its heat-resistant supplies in the mall, which was obviously being coordinated by Su Jing.

Akai nodded, recalling the private message Su Jing had sent him yesterday: "She said she would be adding a large shipment before the polar day, including canvas, medicine, and small cooling devices suitable for use at the base."

He had barely finished speaking when a system notification popped up on his communicator: [Current ambient temperature 38℃, up 5℃ from 1 hour ago. Please complete the sunshade setup as soon as possible.]

"Speed ​​up! The temperature is rising too fast!" Kai shouted, and everyone quickened their pace—

The strong man continued to cut the metal plates, while others were responsible for assembling the frame. The person laying the canvas carefully checked every seam, afraid that light would leak in.

The woman in charge of distributing the supplies opened the newly arrived emergency kits and dressed the elderly and children in new heat-resistant clothing. The clothes were light blue with tiny pores on the surface and felt cool to the touch. After the children put them on, their complexions improved considerably.

Outside the shed, several refugees were applying a heat-resistant coating to the fence of their stronghold—the coating they had bought from Su Jing's shop, where one Tier 1 demon core could be exchanged for one liter of it. When applied to the metal fence, it would reflect some of the sunlight, preventing the fence from absorbing heat and burning people.

Just as the coating was finished, several figures could be seen walking towards the stronghold from the ruins in the distance. They were the scattered individual farmers who had been scattered earlier. They were carrying a small number of demon cores and wanted to exchange them for some heat-resistant supplies.

"Do you have any extra cooling patches? I'll trade half a demon core for five."

A retail investor dressed in gray approached, clutching half a faintly glowing first-tier demon core in his hand—

It was skinned from a mutated rat we killed yesterday. Akai glanced at the inventory and saw there were still quite a few left, so he gave him five pieces. "Don't stay outside for too long, hurry up and go inside the shed, the temperature outside is almost 40℃."

The retail investor thanked him repeatedly and quickly crawled into the sunshade. As soon as he came in, he sighed, "It's too hot outside. I start sweating after just a few steps. If this continues, I don't know how I'll survive the midnight sun."

As the sun set, the sunshade at the outpost was finally completed—covering a full 200 square meters, using 12 manganese crystal supports and 5 rolls of heat-resistant canvas. Several shallow ditches were also dug under the shed to divert a small amount of groundwater for cooling.

The refugees huddled under the shed, some sorting out heat-resistant supplies, some feeding their children heat-resistant medicine, and others repairing newly dismantled ventilation fans—taken from discarded electrical appliances and coated with a heat-resistant layer, perfect for use under the shed.

Akai took out his communicator, and the screen showed the current temperature as 42°C. A new warning popped up: "[The polar day will officially begin in 48 hours. The highest temperature is expected to exceed 60°C. Please ensure that all personnel are in the shaded area and avoid being exposed to the sun for more than 10 minutes.]"

He looked up at the outside of the shed. The light of the setting sun was more dazzling than usual, and the heat in the air was getting stronger. The metal ruins in the distance were already starting to get hot. He knew that the real test was coming soon.

At this moment, the communicator received a private message from Su Jing: "Small cooling devices have been put on the store. Each device requires 2 Tier 2 demon cores. They are suitable for centralized cooling of strongholds. If you need them, you can reserve them first."

Akai quickly replied, "We need two units," and then shouted to the refugees under the shed, "Everyone, check the heat-resistant supplies again. Tell us what you're missing. 'I am the God of Wealth' just replenished the cooling devices. We ordered two units, and they'll be ready to use during the polar day!"

The refugees' faces showed relief as they nodded and began to carefully check their supplies. The lights under the shed came on, illuminating the busy figures of everyone.