Chen Hao threw the wrench on the ground and shook the water droplets off his hands. The irrigation system he had just repaired was gushing out clear water, and the leaves of several pumpkin seedlings were all sticking up, like unlucky guys finally able to catch their breath. He stared at the water flow for a while, then suddenly felt a coolness on his face.
It wasn't blown by the wind.
It's raindrops.
He looked up; the sky was impossibly dark, the clouds hung low, and the wind made the lamppost sway violently, the wires creaking softly. In the distance, towards the mountaintops, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky, and as the thunder rumbled, the ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble.
"Nana!" he shouted, turning around. "What's going to fall from the sky?"
Nana stood beside the control box, her optical eyes flashing rapidly, her arm connected to the data interface, as she archived the operation log from just now. Without turning around, her voice was steady: "Weather scans show that strong convective clouds have covered the planting area, with expected rainfall exceeding 85 millimeters per hour and lasting for at least six hours."
"Eighty-five? That's a torrential downpour!" Chen Hao took two steps forward. "Can our drainage system withstand that?"
“The original design had a maximum load capacity of 50 millimeters per hour.” She unplugged the connector and turned to look at the farmland. “The current drainage ditch capacity is insufficient, and the field will begin to flood within thirteen minutes.”
Chen Hao froze for a second, then lunged at the metal cabinet in the seed bank, yanking open a drawer. "What are we waiting for? Saving them is the priority!"
The two moved swiftly. Nana removed the core module from the control box, casually disconnected the power to the electromagnetic purifier, and hoisted the main unit onto her shoulder. Chen Hao stuffed the seed jars into a waterproof bag, counting and cursing as he went: "Jar number three, tomato number four, pepper number five... Oh my god, where's the bean number six?"
"It's in the third compartment to your left." Nana didn't look up, using her robotic arm to coil up a spare cable. "Don't forget the temperature controller; it's connected to all the growth data."
“I know, I know, without it we’d be planting for nothing.” He grabbed the instrument and picked up the wet wrench—he’d thrown it on the ground and forgotten to put it back in the tool bag, so now he could use it as a crowbar to pry open the jammed cabinet door a crack and pull out the last bag of disease-resistant wheat seeds.
The rain was already pouring outside, the raindrops hitting the tin box like popping beans, and the ground quickly shimmered with water. When the first floodwaters rushed down from above, Chen Hao was running outside with two bags on his back when he slipped and almost fell to his knees in the mud.
“We can’t take the main road.” Nana stopped him and pointed to the gentle slope on the right. “Go around to the cave; the terrain is higher there.”
“But we have so much stuff…” He glanced back at the farmland. The newly laid ditches were already filled with muddy water, which rushed down the slope, uprooting several tomato seedlings and carrying them away in a whirl.
"What remains is luck, what you can take with you is skill." Nana handed him the air purifier. "You carry this, I'll take the control box and the seeds."
Chen Hao didn't waste any more words and gritted his teeth to take the machine. The two of them moved up the muddy slope, the rain stinging their faces. Halfway up, a fallen utility pole blocked their way, and the water below was already ankle-deep.
Nana crouched down, and her mechanical arm deployed a thin, transparent force field shield, creating a dry area less than two meters wide. "Hurry up."
Chen Hao crouched down and crawled inside. He had only taken a few steps when there was a loud "boom" behind him. The entire road collapsed, and soil, rocks, and broken branches all crashed into the ditch.
"So close..." he gasped, wiping his face.
"We'll be cut off from our retreat in 3.7 seconds." Nana put away her shield and continued forward. "Speed up, the cave entrance is only 400 meters away."
The rain intensified, blurring visibility into a grayish-white expanse. They practically dragged their equipment up the last steep section of the slope. The cave entrance was small, barely wide enough for two people to walk in and out side by side. Inside, however, it was dry, and the ground was flat, clearly having been cleared during the previous exploration.
After putting his things down, Chen Hao collapsed onto the ground, his clothes dripping wet, forming a small puddle beneath him. He took off his shoes and emptied them, revealing half a cup of muddy soup.
“It’s over.” He leaned back against the rock wall, his voice muffled. “I’ve worked so hard for so long, fixed the water supply, killed the insects, and adjusted the lights, and now one rain has washed it all back to the Stone Age.”
Nana didn't speak, but instead opened the control box module, projecting a real-time image of the farmland. On the screen, the once neat rows of fields had completely disappeared, replaced by a yellow, muddy torrent. Crops were floating, collapsing, and tangled; irrigation ditches were overflowing; even the greenhouse supports were tilted.
“The damage assessment is complete,” she said softly. “The survival rate of existing crops is less than three percent, the soil structure is severely damaged, and it is impossible to restore cultivation in the short term.”
"So what?" Chen Hao sneered, "Shall we switch to fishing?"
“No need.” Nana pulled up another map, which showed the distribution of groundwater resources. “Rainwater replenishment has caused the groundwater level to rise by 1.8 meters. The shallow aquifer is stable and the water cleanliness meets the standards.”
With a swipe of her finger, the projection switched to a new concept: a floating platform made of lightweight composite materials, floating on the water, with planting troughs fixed on it, roots in direct contact with nutrient solution, and flexible baffles around the perimeter to reduce the impact of waves.
"A hydroponic system?" Chen Hao sat up straighter.
"More accurately, it's a 'flood-resistant floating planting platform'." She tapped her finger, and the model rotated to demonstrate, "Using existing purified water bodies as a base, combined with controllable light sources and automatic fertilizer dispensing devices, it enables all-weather planting."
Chen Hao stared at the model for a long time, then suddenly laughed out loud: "You mean, instead of fighting against the heavens to farm, we should just let the land float up on its own?"
“The logic holds true.” She nodded. “Traditional farming relies on surface stability, which the current environment does not provide. Transitioning to water-based agriculture, on the contrary, can take advantage of the new ecological benefits created by this rainfall.”
“Advantages?” He stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and looked at the surging floodwaters outside. “All I see now is that all the advantages are gone.”
“The data doesn’t lie.” Nana walked to his side, not looking at the rain, but at her own projection. “In the past seventy-two hours, we’ve fixed the pests, resolved the competition for light, and optimized the water quality. Every crisis brings us one step closer to the optimal solution.”
“But this time is different,” he said softly. “This time it’s a complete start.”
“Then let’s start over,” she said calmly. “You said before that lazy people who want to live longer have to learn to leverage resources. Now, nature has given us a ready-made reservoir, so why not use it?”
Chen Hao was silent for a moment, then suddenly bent down and picked up the wrench. It was so dirty that its original color was unrecognizable, the rubber sleeve on the handle was cracked, and the metal parts were somewhat rusty. He wiped it with his sleeve and gripped it tighter.
"The floating platform you mentioned, wouldn't it require digging a canal to bring in water?"
"A main water supply channel needs to be established, and a diversion control valve needs to be installed."
"What about the materials? What are the floating platforms made of?"
“Discarded greenhouse frames can be melted down and recast, and then coated with a waterproof layer.”
"Where's the electricity? Where are the lights? How will the fertilizer be delivered?"
"There are still three sets of solar panels left, which can be rewired; the nutrient solution circulation system can be driven by a micro pump, and the power requirement is not high."
Chen Hao listened and slowly grinned: "Now that you mention it, it seems like there's some way out."
“Never.” She withdrew the projector and looked at him. “You just need to decide whether to sit here and count the losses, or go out and see how many parts you can salvage.”
He took a deep breath and stepped out of the hole. Rainwater instantly soaked him, but he didn't back down.
"Alright." He wiped his face, tucked the wrench under his arm, bent down and fished a piece of plastic sheeting that had floated past in the water. "Gather the materials first, then draw up the blueprints. Anyway—"
He paused, then turned and glanced back at her.
"Since we're starting from scratch anyway, let's go big this time."
Nana followed him out, and the robotic arm deployed a protective shield, creating a small dry area for him. He squatted down, rummaging through the debris, muttering, "First thing, I have to make something that can float. Second, I have to make sure it doesn't get washed away. Third..."
Before he could finish speaking, his foot suddenly slipped, and he fell backward. Nana reacted quickly and grabbed his arm, preventing him from falling into the muddy water.
He sat in the muddy water, paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "The third thing is to learn to swim first."
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