As soon as Chen Hao opened the door, he heard the wind change its tone. It was no longer the usual whooshing sound that seeped in through the cracks in the wall, but rather a flat sweep across the roof, with a force that seemed to be trying to lift something away.
He didn't stop and walked straight to the main hall. Carl had already tried the metal rod connection points three times at the bottom of the ladder, and each time the scaffold wobbled violently after climbing just two steps. Susan was holding onto the ladder legs beside him, her palms sweaty.
"Nana!" Chen Hao called out, "What's the wind speed now?"
“Ground level 10, gusts 12.” Her voice came from the terminal without her looking up. “There are 47 minutes left in the operation window.”
"So, if we don't start work now, we'll have to wait until tomorrow?"
"It's not about waiting until tomorrow; it's that there may never be a safe window again."
Chen Hao clicked his tongue, walked over to the ladder frame, and squatted down to inspect the base. The screws were tightened, but the ground had been softened by the rain from the previous days, and he sank in with every step. He pulled over a steel plate to place underneath, and then had Karl drag two bags of sand from the warehouse to weigh down the four corners.
“I’ll go up,” he said.
“You’re the heaviest, so you’re at the highest risk,” Nana said immediately.
"So I can hold this broken ladder down." He climbed up to the first rung, the metal frame creaked, but didn't move.
The wind howled down from above, hurting everyone's ears. Chen Hao cursed as he tightened bolts, each word torn apart and scattered far away by the wind. Carl passed tools down below, while Susan ran back and forth reinforcing other support points. Nana kept a close eye on the data, reporting wind speed changes every few minutes.
By the time the last beam was in place, it was already dark. Chen Hao's legs were trembling slightly as he climbed down, not from fear, but from muscle soreness from being tense for so long. He shook his arms and glanced back at the roof—six additional metal rods supported the entire structure like a skeleton, and the previously swaying pipe was now locked in place.
"The main hall roof is now stable," he said. "Next, we'll split into two groups: Carl and I will work on the waterproofing of the generator room, while Susan and Nana will replace the sealing strips."
"The drainage ditch hasn't been cleared yet," Nana reminded her.
“I know.” Chen Hao grabbed a handful of burlap sacks. “Protect the core area first. We can deal with the ditch issue when we can catch our breath.”
They shoveled the soil out of the warehouse, filled bags, and carried them to the generator room entrance to build a low wall. Each trip weighed fifty pounds, and the three of them took turns, piling up more than thirty bags in less than two hours. But that was far from enough.
"This is too slow." Chen Hao sat on the ground, panting. "How many have we moved? Less than a hundred."
“According to the standard, 328 barriers are needed to form an effective barrier,” Nana said.
"Can't you just say a whole number?"
"I'm talking about the exact value."
"Precise my foot." He stood up and brushed the mud off his pants. "Change to an assembly line. Carl digs the dirt, I bag it, Susan transports it. Ten-minute shifts, whoever slacks off sleeps outside at night."
No one objected. The three immediately adjusted their pace, doubling their efficiency. By the time it was completely dark, the waterproof wall was finally complete and covered with a layer of waterproof fabric.
Susan's side was almost finished too. She and Nana knelt at the door of the control room, carefully removing the aging rubber strips bit by bit. The newly installed seals were from the last batch in stock, and the size was slightly off. Nana had to use the original factory installation parameters to guide her in fine-tuning the shape with a heat gun.
"The pressure at the joint needs to be maintained above 3.2 Pa," Nana said. "You are currently applying force seven degrees to the left."
“I’ve never studied geometry,” Susan said through gritted teeth, continuing to press down.
"Then follow my instructions: press down with your right hand, release half a circle with your left hand, and stop. Now it's perfect."
After finishing the last section, she slumped to the ground, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "Finally done. Why can't these things be made more universal?"
“The designs were created at different times.” Nana put away her tools. “When these buildings were completed, there were no standardized specifications yet.”
So we have to fight tooth and nail for debts from decades ago?
"To be precise, it's about paying for our current survival."
Chen Hao pushed the door open and came in, soaking wet. "Finished cleaning the ditch?" he asked.
“No.” Susan shook her head. “The upstream is completely blocked; it’s all rotten branches and mud.”
“I went to take a look,” Carl followed him in. “There’s no time to dig it out by hand.”
Chen Hao was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly turned and walked towards the warehouse. "Is the water pump still working?"
“I tested it three months ago. The fuel line was a bit clogged, but it could still start,” Nana said.
“Then we’ll drag it out.” He said as he walked out. “We won’t clear the blockage; we’ll go around it.”
After the water pumps were installed, they dug temporary diversion channels in the low-lying areas to direct the accumulated water to abandoned tunnels outside the base. The water flow gradually improved; although it couldn't completely solve the problem, at least it stopped backflowing.
At 11 p.m., everyone returned to the main hall to assemble.
"The roof reinforcement is complete," Chen Hao said.
“The waterproof wall has been built and covered,” Susan added.
"Replace all the sealing strips," Nana confirmed.
“The temporary drainage system is operational,” Carl said quietly.
"Where's the electricity?" Chen Hao looked at the distribution box in the corner.
"Disconnect non-essential loads." Susan got up to operate the switch. "Keep lighting, communications, and monitoring on, turn everything else off."
The lights dimmed a bit, but were still enough to see faces clearly. Nana brought up the final evaluation interface, and each indicator on the screen lit up with a green light one by one.
"The overall protection level meets the standard," she said. "Under the current environment, the probability of survival has increased to 68 percent."
"It's seven percentage points higher than this morning," Chen Hao grinned. "That's not easy."
“It’s because we did what we were supposed to do,” Nana said.
"It's as if we don't do it normally."
“Your procrastination rate is usually as high as 73%.”
"Hello!"
Susan chuckled and leaned against the wall, remaining still. Carl pushed his toolbox back into the corner, took off his gloves, and discovered his fingernails were full of black grime. He didn't wash them, but simply looked up at the ceiling.
That pipe really stopped moving.
Chen Hao sat down in front of the monitor, his eyes fixed on the storm cloud map. The red area was growing larger and larger, its edges beginning to roll towards the coastline. He picked up the walkie-talkie and checked the status on each channel.
"Generator room is normal."
"The main control room is well sealed."
"No abnormalities found on the roof."
"The flow rate in the drainage ditch is stable."
He put down the walkie-talkie and took off his coat, draping it over the back of the chair. The room was quiet, with only the hum of the machines running.
"We can take a break now," he said.
No one responded. Susan closed her eyes, her breathing becoming deeper. Carl sat on a small stool, his head nodding as if he were about to fall asleep. Nana stood beside the terminal, the screen reflecting in her eyes, flickering.
Chen Hao pulled out a half-pack of damp biscuits, broke off a piece, and stuffed it into his mouth. It tasted like cardboard.
Just as he was about to say something, Nana suddenly raised her hand and pressed down on the screen.
“The wind speed suddenly changed,” she said. “The gusts on the periphery reached level 13, and the movement speed increased again.”
Chen Hao stood up.
“Fifty-five hours and eight minutes remain until login time,” she watched the data refresh.
He walked to the window and pushed it open a crack. A gust of wind rushed in, carrying a damp, cold smell.
It was pitch black outside the window, and the distant horizon was faintly grayish-white, as if it were being lifted up from below by some force.
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