Chen Hao's hand was still on the control panel, covered in a layer of dust. He didn't shake it off or wipe it; instead, he lifted it up and slapped the surface. The sound wasn't loud, but it was clear enough.
"Alright, stop standing there."
He turned to look at the three people behind him, "There's plenty of work to be done."
Carl, who was staring at the toolbox at his feet, squatted down and unzipped it when he heard this. There weren't many things inside: a wrench, wire cutters, and a piece of insulating tape—all old models. He rummaged through them a couple of times, then looked up and said, "A multimeter is missing."
“No need.” Nana walked to the main unit, aligned the arm connector with the data slot, and inserted it. “I can measure voltage.”
A green light flashed from her right arm. A few seconds later she said, "Backup power is running, with a stable output, capable of supporting basic lighting and local terminal startup."
Susan had taken out the memory chip she brought back, blew off the dust, and inserted it into the read port. The screen flickered and displayed the message: System loading.
“It works,” she said.
"Let's get started." Chen Hao bent down and picked up a chair that had fallen over. One of its legs was broken. He held it up and gestured with it, "It won't work as a crutch, but it can be taken apart and used as firewood."
After he finished speaking, he tossed the chair into the corner and casually pulled open the cabinet next to it. It was empty. He tried two more drawers; one was stuck and wouldn't open, and the other contained a half-full bottle of water with a rusted lid.
“The inventory of resources is yours,” he told Carl. “Put the usable ones aside, and pile the useless ones by the door.”
Carl nodded and began rummaging through the drawers. Nana continued connecting to the host computer, while Susan checked data compatibility. Chen Hao stood in the middle, looked around, and finally squatted down in front of the buzzing host computer case in the corner.
"How long can this thing last?"
“Thirty-six hours,” Nana said. “After that, we’ll need external energy.”
"Where is the energy crystal?"
"It can be connected, but the interface needs to be modified."
"Then let's change it." Chen Hao stood up. "Who knows how to weld?"
No one spoke.
“I’ll do it.” Carl looked up from a pile of parts. “All I need is a hot melt gun.”
“I’ll go look in the east warehouse.” Susan stood up.
"Wait," Chen Hao stopped her. "Don't go out yet. It's windy outside, visibility is low, and you could easily get lost if you walk alone."
"Then what should we do?"
"Let's move together." Chen Hao looked at Nana. "Can you scan the complete structure of the warehouse?"
"Yes. A 3D map has been generated, marking the locations of recyclable equipment."
"Okay." Chen Hao picked up a metal strip from the ground and drew a simple diagram on it. "We'll go in and out in groups of four, following the route Nana gave us. Our goal is clear—to find a hot melt gun, spare batteries, and a waterproof tarp. We have ten minutes to return, or we'll be late."
“Too short,” Carl said. “It’s a mess over there.”
"It's precisely because it's chaotic that we need to act quickly," Chen Hao said. "A place that has collapsed once might collapse again. We're not going to retire there."
Susan glanced at him. "You're quite lucid."
"I've always been awake," Chen Hao grinned. "I'm just too lazy to show it usually."
Five minutes later they set off. Nana led the way, her flashlight beam sweeping ahead. The road was littered with debris, and they had to carefully choose their steps. The east warehouse door hung askew, half of its roof had collapsed, and it was pitch black inside.
“The hot melt gun is on the third shelf of the tool rack,” Nana said, “on the left side against the wall.”
Carl crawled inside and moved the beam that was pressing down on the shelf. Susan rummaged through the clutter and pulled out a gun. The casing was slightly deformed, but the switch still worked.
“It works,” she said.
“The batteries are here!” Carl pulled two out of the bottom drawer. “Fully charged.”
Where's the cloth?
“There are three rolls piled up in the back,” Susan pointed to the corner. “They’re not wet.”
"That's enough," Chen Hao shouted. "Let's call it a day."
They retreated the way they came. By the time they returned to the underground buffer zone, it was already dark. The wind hadn't stopped blowing outside, but the lights were on inside.
It's not fully lit; it only illuminates the area around the control panel, barely enough to make a person's face clear.
Carl sat down with the hot melt gun, disassembling the casing to inspect the wiring. Chen Hao handed him a piece of copper wire. "Use this."
Why do you always have this kind of thing?
"My pockets can hold more than a black hole." Chen Hao patted his pants pocket. "I used to use this to cheat on exams."
Susan chuckled.
Standing next to the host, Nana said, "Three monitoring nodes have been activated, covering the main control area and the channel entrance."
"That's good." Chen Hao sat down on the ground. "At least we know whether any rats have come in."
No biological activity has been detected so far.
"That means only the four of us idiots are still around."
No one objected.
After soldering the last connector, Carl attached the power crystal to the main unit. With a hum, the lights brightened slightly.
"Alright," he said.
"What can we do now?" Chen Hao asked.
“I need to write something down.” Susan took out a metal plate and a pen from the protective bag. “I need to write down what happened just now. Otherwise, I’ll have to fall into the same trap again next time.”
“Your idea is more proactive than mine.” Chen Hao took the pen. “But I’ll write it. My handwriting is ugly, but my words are blunt and my reasoning is sound.”
He looked down and drew on the board:
We once thought the disaster came from outer space, but later we realized that the real weakness was our own complacency.
After finishing writing, he looked up and asked, "What's the first one?"
“Equipment maintenance,” Susan said. “I told you to replace the fuel line during the volcano incident, but nobody listened, and it almost exploded because of a gas leak.”
“Yes,” Chen Hao wrote, “We can’t cram at the last minute.”
“Secondly,” Carl put down his tools, “the response must be tiered. When the tsunami warning came out, we thought it was a false alarm, which delayed our evacuation.”
"Then set a level three alert," Chen Hao wrote. "Level one: prepare; level two: assemble; level three: evacuate."
“The third point,” Nana suddenly spoke up, “is that team trust is more important than technical skills.”
Chen Hao paused for a moment, then looked up at her.
"You saw this in the database?"
“No,” she said. “This is the conclusion I’ve drawn from my observations. You’ve argued seven times in the inner room, but you chose each other in the crucial moments.”
Chen Hao lowered his head and continued carving, "It's written down."
After he finished writing, he blew away the metal shavings and asked, "What's it called?"
“Base Survival Guidelines, First Edition,” Susan said.
"Okay." Chen Hao signed his name and handed it to the others.
Carl took the pen and signed carefully. Susan signed as well. Nana used the interface to leave an electronic mark on the bottom of the board.
"Where should we store it?" Carl asked.
"The deepest part," Chen Hao pointed to the safety compartment behind the main unit, "shockproof, fireproof, and even dust-proof."
He put the board in and closed the lid.
The room fell silent.
The light was still on, and there was a soft hum of electricity. The wind was blowing outside, but it was barely audible.
"What's next?" Susan asked.
"Fix the wiring." Chen Hao stood up. "First, stabilize the temperature in the main control room, then turn on the fans. If we're still alive tomorrow, we'll dig the foundation for the cafeteria."
"You really intend to rebuild?"
"What else?" Chen Hao squatted down and opened the back cover of the computer. "The house collapsed, but the people are still here. As long as the people are still here, they can work. As they work, life will come back to normal."
Carl picked up his tools. "I'll fix the circuit on the east side."
"I'll adjust the data." Susan sat back down at the terminal.
Nana stood there, asking, "What do you need me to do?"
"Just make sure we don't work ourselves to death," Chen Hao said without looking up.
Two hours later, the temperature in the main control room rose back to eighteen degrees Celsius. The fan started running, blowing out a musty smell of dust.
“It smells awful.” Susan frowned.
"It's better than suffocating," Chen Hao said, bending over the control panel to connect the wires. "Just bear with it."
He held two bare wires in his hand, ready to connect them. A spark flew the moment his fingers touched them.
"Ouch!"
He pulled his hand back and shook it twice.
"You got electrocuted?"
"It's nothing," he grinned. "It's just a reminder that I'm still alive."
He grabbed the thread again, twisted it tightly together, and then wrapped it with tape.
"Okay," he said.
He stood up, dusted off his pants, and looked back to find everyone staring at him.
"what?"
“What do you suggest we do next?” Carl said.
"Go to sleep." Chen Hao yawned. "We start work at six tomorrow morning. Anyone who's late will have to clean the toilets."
"There are no toilets left."
"Then let's build one ourselves."
He walked to a corner, found a relatively intact plank to lean against, sat down, and closed his eyes.
"Remember, six o'clock."
No one responded.
After a while, Susan said softly, "Actually... when I heard that the dormitory collapsed today, I thought I was going to cry."
“You’re not crying now.” Chen Hao said, his eyes still closed.
"Hmm. Maybe it's because... I'm too tired."
"Then go to sleep," Chen Hao said. "You can cry if you want, no one will see anyway."
His head bobbed up and down, and soon his breathing became heavy.
Carl glanced at him, then at the still-running mainframe, and asked in a low voice, "Can he really sleep?"
Nana's optical lens rotated slightly. "His heart rate has decreased, and his brainwaves have entered a light sleep state. He has indeed fallen asleep."
“This mentality…” Carl shook his head, “isn’t it a bit too much?”
“But then again,” Susan leaned back in her chair, “if he can’t make it either, we’re really finished.”
She closed her eyes.
Carl looked down and examined the toolbox in his hand, rearranging everything.
Nana stood beside the control panel, the green light flashing continuously.
The lights in the room remained on.
The section of wire that had been connected was slightly warm at Chen Hao's feet.
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