Chen Hao gently placed the old blueprint on the table. The corners of the paper were slightly curled, and the edges were somewhat blackened. He didn't look at anyone else, but simply pointed to the small print with his finger—"On the day of completion, all personnel went missing."
“We’re not going to follow the old path,” he said. “The wall will be built, but we can’t do it haphazardly.”
Nana's screen flickered, and the projection descended from the top, leaving a pale blue outline in the air. A pillar slowly rotated, and several lines of numbers appeared beside it.
"Based on the local peak wind speed and soil density, we recommend a wall height of 2.4 meters and a bottom burial depth of 0.8 meters." Her voice was steady. "The structure adopts a double-layer iron sheet sandwiched with sand, with a mixture of gravel and concrete filling the middle, which can effectively resist gale-force winds of level 8 and collisions with medium-sized animals."
Susan flipped through the notebook beside her: "We currently have twenty-three intact iron sheets, which is far from meeting this standard."
“It’s not just sheet metal.” Carl leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets. “How do we build the foundation? We don’t have enough tools, and we can’t keep up with the manpower. It’s easy for you to draw up a plan, but when it comes to actually doing it, we’re lucky if we can erect three piles a day.”
"That's why we need to finalize the plan first." Chen Hao picked up a pen and wrote a few large characters on the whiteboard hanging on the wall: **First Phase of Wall Construction: Plan Design**.
He turned to look at Nana: "Can you calculate exactly how much material we need? Not just sheet metal, but also screws, welding rods, support frames, the finer the better."
“Okay.” Nana brought up a new interface. “Based on existing resources and construction processes, generate a bill of materials and assembly sequence.”
The printer started working, and sheets of paper came out one after another. The top sheet was labeled "Material Requirements Summary for Phase I Project," and below it were detailed the quantity, specifications, and alternative solutions for each item.
Susan took it and looked at it for a while, then frowned: "We need 300 kilograms of concrete, but we only have less than 50 bags of cement left. We have enough sand, but we don't have a mixer, so it's all done by hand, which is too inefficient."
“Then change the mix,” Chen Hao said. “Use less cement, add more clay and broken bricks, and compact it. We can use materials salvaged from the collapsed houses outside.”
"And what about the strength?" Karl asked.
"It's to block the wind and water, not to protect against artillery shells," Chen Hao laughed. "As long as it doesn't collapse at the slightest touch, it's a success."
“There’s another problem,” Susan looked up. “The perimeter. With the walls in place, how do we know if there’s any movement outside? It’s unrealistic to rely solely on Nana watching the screen.”
“Vibration sensors are available,” Nana said. “We’ll set up a node every ten meters, connected to a buzzer. Once the contact force exceeds the threshold, an alarm will sound immediately.”
“What about the power supply?” Carl asked.
“The backup battery pack can support 72 hours of continuous operation,” Nana replied. “The solar panels can be recharged after repair.”
“It sounds like we can manage.” Carl slowly straightened up. “But I still think the material shortage is too great. By the time we piece together this scrap iron into a wall, it’ll be too late.”
"Do you have any other ideas?" Chen Hao asked.
“There’s an abandoned industrial area about 20 kilometers to the east,” Carl said. “There are a few metal warehouses there. I remember seeing them when I passed by before. If they weren’t completely crushed, there should be a lot of steel inside.”
“It’s too far.” Susan shook her head. “It’s forty kilometers round trip, the road conditions are unknown, we don’t have a car, we have to rely on towing, and it takes two or three days for one trip.”
“But the problem now isn’t whether to go or not,” Chen Hao interrupted. “It’s whether we can move it if we go, and whether we can use it after we bring it back. Without blueprints and a division of labor, going there would be a waste of time.”
He walked to the whiteboard, picked up a pen, and circled three key points: **design first, material evaluation, and transportation planning**.
"The first step is to break down the entire construction process. Everyone needs to be clearly responsible for what, when it will be completed, and at which stage it gets stuck."
"The second step is to inventory all usable materials, including salvage items from the ruins. Nana, can you determine which ones are usable?"
“Okay.” Nana nodded. “We can screen available components through material scanning and structural stress simulation.”
"The third step is to find replacements," Chen Hao continued, "how much is missing, where to find it, and how to transport it back. But this step must be based on the completion of the first two steps."
Susan glanced down and jotted down a few notes, then looked up and said, "I agree. Make a plan first, then take action. Otherwise, it's just busywork."
"So who are you planning to have draw the plans?" Karl asked.
“Nana is in charge of the technical parameters,” Chen Hao said. “Susan and I will organize the construction steps, and you will be in charge of the on-site simulation—think about what problems we might encounter when we actually build it, and bring them up in advance.”
“I’m not an engineer,” Carl scoffed.
“But you love to nitpick,” Chen Hao laughed. “Isn’t that perfect? Building a wall isn’t afraid of problems; what’s scary is discovering problems only after they’ve appeared.”
Susan couldn't help but laugh, but quickly stopped herself.
Nana's projection switched to the foundation section, displaying a comparison of load-bearing capacity under different geological conditions.
“The soil around the base currently has a high moisture content, and direct pile driving would easily cause it to sink,” she said. “It is recommended to first lay a gravel cushion layer with a thickness of no less than 15 centimeters, and to build drainage ditches to guide rainwater outwards.”
“Drainage ditches should also be included in the construction costs,” Chen Hao added on the whiteboard.
“There’s also the door,” Susan reminded. “We can’t just build a perimeter around it and call it a day. The entrance needs to be lockable, and it also needs to be easy to get in and out.”
"Make it a double door," Chen Hao gestured. "Wait until it's wide enough for a cart to pass through. Use heavy-duty hinges and two locks, so it can be controlled from both inside and outside."
"Anti-theft?" Carl raised an eyebrow.
"What we guard against isn't important," Chen Hao said. "The key is to make ourselves feel safe, even if it's just a psychological effect."
“I think the biggest problem right now is time,” Susan said. “The typhoon just passed, we’re still clearing the rubble, and the roof isn’t even finished. If we add another big project now, will we be able to handle it?”
"We have to hold on, even if we can't," Chen Hao said. "This time it's just wind, next time it might be rain, and the time after that the ground might crack. We can't always wait until something happens before we think of a solution."
“But there are only four of us,” Carl said. “You’re making me move sheet metal during the day and keep watch at night, and on the third day, am I supposed to cook for you too?”
“We’ll take turns,” Chen Hao said. “Each person takes turns every two days, with fixed rest periods. I won’t take more than my share; I’ll do what I’m supposed to do.”
"You're quite reasonable," Karl sneered.
"I'm not being reasonable," Chen Hao laughed. "I'm just afraid of working myself to death. If I collapse, who will take care of all this nonsense?"
Susan looked down at her notebook and suddenly asked, "If we really build the wall, what then? Stay inside forever? Never go out? Never explore?"
“Nobody said we should hide forever,” Chen Hao said. “But now, we need to have a place we can hold onto. Otherwise, if we go out and come back, we’ll find our home is gone, and we won’t even have a place to stay.”
“So this is the starting point,” Nana said.
“Yes.” Chen Hao nodded. “It’s not the end, it’s the beginning.”
The room was silent for a few seconds.
The printer was still clicking when the last sheet of paper fell.
Chen Hao walked over and picked it up. It was a structural breakdown diagram, which marked the installation sequence and fixing method of each piece of iron sheet.
"It looks quite promising." Carl walked closer for a look. "Let's see if it can land."
"Whether it can be implemented depends on tomorrow." Chen Hao pinned the blueprints next to the whiteboard. "Everyone should go over their ideas tonight. We'll discuss the details again at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
"For example?" Susan asked.
"For example, how deep should the foundation be dug, how should the piles be driven, and where should the first section of the wall start?" Chen Hao said. "The more detailed the better. What we're doing isn't just a wall, but a whole system."
"What if we can't gather all the materials?" Carl asked.
“Then let’s change the design,” Chen Hao said. “At worst, we can make it half a meter shorter and thinner, and start by enclosing a small section. Once the core area is protected, we can work on the rest later.”
"You really plan to take it one step at a time?" Carl looked at him.
"Otherwise what?" Chen Hao laughed. "I'm not Superman, I can't conjure up steel and cement. I can only do what I have."
Susan closed her notebook: "I'll go back and organize the supplies list, marking the available and those that need to be replenished."
“I’m checking the tools,” Carl said. “If the welding torch is broken, all your drawings are useless.”
“I’m updating the database,” Nana said. “Add this design scheme and archive it as ‘Defense v1.0’.”
Chen Hao stood in front of the whiteboard, a pen still in his hand.
He looked up at the ceiling; the tarpaulin was still dripping water, and a drop landed on his shoulder, wetting a small area.
He didn't erase it; he simply raised his hand and gently tapped the edge of the whiteboard with the tip of his pen.
“Tomorrow,” he said, “we’ll start with the measurements.”
Susan got up and walked out, but stopped just as she reached the door.
"Chen Hao." She turned around. "If...we really build this wall, will you feel at ease?"
No one spoke.
Nana's screen was lit up, displaying the last frame of data from the wall model.
Carl leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, waiting for an answer.
Chen Hao looked down at the water stains on his shoulder and smiled.
"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep peacefully," he said, "but at least I can sleep a little more soundly."
He paused, then put the pen behind his ear.
"The problem now is not a sense of unease or anxiety."
"Who will be the first to dig the foundation tomorrow morning?"
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