The sound of water stopped at the edge of the embankment, hitting the wall again and again.
Chen Hao didn't move, pressing his ear against the wall to listen for any sounds. Karl squatted beside him, his hand gripping the end of the leash, his knuckles turning slightly white.
After about ten seconds, the sound stopped coming closer.
“It looks like a pipe,” Carl said in a low voice.
Chen Hao slowly peeked out. The water surface shimmered with a faint reflection. A broken plastic pipe was stuck at the edge of the embankment, and the water flow pushed it back and forth against the wall, making the same sound as before.
He breathed a sigh of relief and turned the traffic lights back on.
"It was a false alarm," he said. "I thought some unlucky guy had swum over to steal supplies."
Carl didn't laugh; he simply untied his hands from the rope and loosened his wrists.
Chen Hao turned and went back into the house, the light sweeping across the fallen shelf. He had been so focused on getting the toolbox that he hadn't thoroughly searched the other corners. Now, looking again, it seemed there was something square hidden under the shelf.
He squatted down, reached out and touched it; it was a sealed plastic box, its surface dry.
"In stock."
He used multi-tool pliers to pry open the lid. Inside was a package of folded clothes, which felt like quick-drying material; three AA batteries, the labels still attached; a half-empty bottle of disinfectant, the bottle had scratches but wasn't leaking; and at the bottom was a folded piece of paper.
Chen Hao unfolded the paper.
It's a hand-drawn map, the lines are crooked, but you can understand it. Several points are marked on it, one is labeled "B7 Storage Unit", and another, located on the north slope, is labeled "Backup Power Cabin". Both are circled.
“Someone arranged this in advance,” he said. “It wasn’t one of our people.”
Karl leaned closer for a look. "It could also be something left over from the old base."
"Whoever it is, at least it saves us the trouble of running around aimlessly." Chen Hao stuffed everything into his backpack and tied the bag of clothes to the outside hook. "Let's go check out that building on the west side."
They left the gathering point and walked westward along the low wall. The ground was cracked in many places, and in some areas, stepping on it caused a slight sinking. Chen Hao tapped the concrete in front of him a few times with pliers, listening to the sound to determine where it could still bear weight.
"This way is fine."
The two proceeded cautiously, bypassing a collapsed area. Ahead stood a two-story concrete building; the exterior walls hadn't completely crumbled, and the roof hadn't collapsed either.
“This building is sturdier than the platform we were on,” Carl said.
"The key is the foundation." Chen Hao walked to the wall and tapped it a few times with the handle of the pliers; the echo was quite solid. He then looked at the corner of the wall; the crack did not extend through the entire wall surface.
"It can support a person."
They entered through the side door. The first floor was flooded, up to knee-deep, with debris floating on top. The stairs were still there, slippery but structurally intact.
"Go up to the second floor."
At the end of the stairs was a corridor with three rooms on either side. The middle door was open, and Chen Hao went in.
The room wasn't big, but it wasn't flooded. The floor was dry, the window faced south, a pane of glass was broken, but the frame was intact. There was an old table against the wall, and a metal cabinet stood in the corner.
"It's safe to stay in."
He walked to the window and looked out. The view was expansive, showing the assembly point, the embankment, and the water further out. If anything were approaching, he could spot it minutes in advance.
"It can still be observed."
Carl inspected the ceiling. There were solar panel brackets on the roof; although the panels were gone, the mounting hardware was still there.
"If there are any new devices in the future, we can install them on it."
"No rush." Chen Hao patted the filter in his backpack. "Let's survive first."
They went up to the roof. The wind picked up, but the structure was stable. There was no obvious tilting around it, and the drains weren't blocked.
"This is a good new spot."
As he went downstairs, Chen Hao paused at the corner of the stairs. He took out the waterproof cloth from his bag, tore it in two, and tied it around the stair railing.
"Make a mark?" Carl asked.
"So that we won't get lost when we come back."
They returned to the distribution point the way they came and kicked the remaining empty boxes into a corner. Before leaving, Chen Hao casually tore down the half-section of sheet metal hanging on the door frame to prevent it from making noise in the wind.
"Let's go back."
On the return trip, we took the abandoned drainage ditch on the east side. This section of the elevated road is more than two meters above the water and only wide enough for one person to pass through, but the concrete slabs are not cracked.
Halfway there, Carl slipped, tilted to the side, and his backpack brushed against the puddles.
"Oh no."
Chen Hao immediately told him to stop. He unpacked his backpack and found that the bottom was wet.
"Where are the things inside?"
Chen Hao took everything out and checked it one by one. The batteries and disinfectant were fine, the outer layer of the clothes bag was wet but the inside was dry, the toolbox was sealed well, and the filter cartridge hadn't gotten wet.
"You're lucky."
He repacked everything, wrapped it in two layers of waterproof cloth, and then tightly wrapped the seams with tape.
"Now I'm not afraid of water anymore."
They continued forward. At the end of the canal was a gentle slope leading to the original elevated platform.
As they approached the exit, Chen Hao asked Karl to wait a moment.
"Don't make a sound yet."
He lay on the hilltop observing. No one was moving on the platform. Nana's indicator light was on in the corner, and Susan was sitting against the wall with the warm blanket Carl had given her draped over her shoulders.
"Safety."
The two climbed onto the platform.
Nana turned her head, and the indicator light on her eye flashed twice.
“You’re back.”
"I'm back." Chen Hao took off his backpack and put it on the ground. "I also brought some things with me."
He first took out his toolbox and opened it to show everyone.
"Multi-functional clamps, batteries, copper wire, and this—water purifier filter cartridges."
Susan looked up. "It can filter rainwater?"
"Yes," Chen Hao nodded. "It can be used tomorrow."
He then pulled out the bag of clothes, "Dry ones, to be changed in rotation."
Next was the map. He spread it out on the ground and shone a flashlight on it.
"This was found at the distribution center. Two points are marked on it: one is the B7 warehouse, and the other is the backup power compartment on the north slope."
“We went to the two-story building on the west side,” Carl added. “It’s structurally sound, the second floor is habitable, and the view is good.”
“I checked.” Chen Hao pointed to the location on the map. “It’s less than 200 meters northwest of the distribution center. The terrain is high, and there’s no large-scale collapse around it.”
“You mean… move there?” Susan asked.
“It’s not heaven,” Chen Hao said, “but people can live.”
Nana looked down and scanned the map. "The building structure diagram shows that the building is reinforced concrete, designed to withstand a load higher than ordinary temporary facilities. If there is no secondary impact, it can withstand at least two weeks."
"Two weeks should be enough." Chen Hao put the map away and into his chest pocket. "We'll figure something out once the floodwaters recede or the signal is restored."
Carl sat down and began to examine his shoes. There was a tear in the sole; water had gotten in while he was walking, and now a pile of mud was squeezing out.
"These shoes of mine are no good."
"Let's find a new one later." Chen Hao glanced at him. "There might be a warehouse on the north slope."
Susan hugged her knees. "When are we moving?"
"Tomorrow morning," Chen Hao said, "tonight we'll organize the supplies and assign weights. We'll decide in advance who will carry what."
Nana activated the backup power supply to charge the lighting module. The light became brighter than before.
Chen Hao sat by the wall, took out a compressed biscuit from the inner pocket of his backpack, broke it in half, and handed one half to Karl.
"Eat."
Carl took it and took a bite.
"You said you were fat and had good buoyancy, but you almost fell into the shelf."
"That was an accident."
"You said you remembered where the cafeteria was last time, but you ended up leading us into the restroom."
"That was an accident."
"Don't turn this new safe haven into a morgue."
Chen Hao chewed on a biscuit without saying a word.
After a while, he looked up at the window.
The water was calm in the distance, and the wind carried the floating debris slowly.
He touched the wound on his left arm; the bandage was a little loose and some blood had seeped through.
"The dressing needs to be changed tomorrow."
After Carl finished eating the biscuit, he crumpled the wrapper into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Do you really think that building is habitable?"
"Not necessarily," Chen Hao said, "but it's better than waiting here for the ceiling to fall down."
He stood up and threw the empty packaging bag into the sealed container in the corner.
There were already a few scraps of paper and used bandages at the bottom of the bucket.
He put the lid on and gently stepped on it twice to make sure it was sealed tightly.
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