The lights in the metal corridor were still flashing. Chen Hao's hand had just touched the dormitory doorknob, and his foot hadn't even lifted off the ground yet.
"Beep beep - Red light starts."
Nana stood still, her eyes instantly turning from blue to red, her voice as cold as ice water poured into the ears: "Abnormal crustal fluctuations have been detected. The magnitude is estimated to be above 6.8. The epicenter is about 12 kilometers from the base, and the impact is expected to last for 18 minutes."
Chen Hao's hand froze.
The next second he turned around abruptly, grabbed the emergency megaphone hanging on the wall, and yelled into the corridor: "Everyone! Level 1 response! Evacuate to the open area immediately!"
Susan was carrying a seed box towards the cultivation room when she heard the shout and almost dropped it. She turned and ran towards the control room, panting as she asked, "Didn't they say there wouldn't be any extreme weather for the next seven days?"
Nana quickly caught up with the group, saying as she walked, "Stable weather does not equal stable geology. Database records show that this area is located on the edge of a fault zone, and long-term stress accumulation may be suddenly released."
Carl burst out of the engine room, tool bag in hand, oil still on his face. Without a word, he cut straight into the middle of the line.
As the four rushed into the control room, the alarm suddenly blared. The projection screen automatically switched to a geological map, showing a dark red crack slowly extending like a crawling worm.
“The shaking has already begun.” Nana pointed to the data stream. “The initial tremors are mild, but the energy continues to build up. We recommend an immediate evacuation to the open area to the east.”
Chen Hao grabbed the flashlight from the table and stuffed it into his pocket: "Let's go! The east side is the shortest!"
They ran along the metal corridor toward the evacuation passage. Footsteps echoed back and forth in the empty passage, and the overhead lights flickered on and off.
The entrance to the passage is right in front of us.
But the entrance was piled with things.
Half-collapsed scaffolding lay across the middle, several metal plates leaning diagonally on the ground, with cables tangled underneath, as if someone had carelessly tossed it in and forgotten to retrieve it. Two empty fuel canisters lay overturned nearby, rolled into the middle of the road.
"Damn it!" Chen Hao rushed forward and reached out to push the scaffolding. "Who did this? Was it left by the construction team?"
“Nobody’s cleaning up,” Susan gasped. “Everyone said they were going to start yesterday, but nobody’s taken care of this.”
The ground shook slightly, and dust fell from above.
"We can't go around it!" Chen Hao shouted back, "The west side is a steep slope, and the north area is still under construction. This is the only way out!"
He then turned to the others: "Carl! You handle the heavy things! Susan! Clear the smaller items! Nana! Look at which part is the most dangerous, lest it collapse while we're moving it!"
Nana stepped forward, her eyes projecting an infrared grid that quickly scanned the stacked structure. Her voice was flat: "The right-side support beam has reached its load limit. We need to unload it before moving it. Otherwise, the entire structure may collapse in a chain reaction."
As soon as the words were spoken, a muffled thud came from afar, like someone beating a drum deep within the earth. The entire corridor shook, the lights flickered a few times, and then one row went out.
"Here it comes!" Karl growled, threw off his coat, grabbed a crowbar, and started digging under the steel plate.
Susan crouched down and pulled on the wire with her bare hands. She wasn't wearing gloves yet, and her fingertips were cut by the metal burrs. She gritted her teeth and kept pulling, the wire getting tighter and tighter.
Chen Hao tried to lift the scaffolding, but the rusty iron pipes creaked and groaned with every movement. He slipped and nearly fell, his knee hitting a rock.
"It hurts so much..." he grimaced. "I should have known better than to eat so many pancakes."
"Now you know you regret it?" Susan didn't even look up. "Move on!"
Standing on a slightly elevated platform, Nana's eyes scanned the tunnel structure. Her voice was steady: "A microcrack has appeared in the second pillar on the left. We recommend removing the pressure source above it first."
"Did you hear me!" Chen Hao shouted at Karl, "Get that piece of sheet metal off first!"
Carl didn't respond. He pressed his shoulder against the edge of the steel plate and slowly pressed the crowbar down. His arm muscles were tense, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
With a "click," the steel plate loosened.
"It moved!" Chen Hao rushed over to help push it, and the two of them together flipped it over to one side.
The scaffolding emitted a screeching sound as it slowly tilted.
"Watch out!" Susan suddenly looked up.
One corner of the support fell down, just ten centimeters away from Chen Hao's toes.
"That scared me to death..." Chen Hao jumped back a step. "This thing is fatter than me."
"Stop talking nonsense." Carl wiped his sweat. "There are still two obstacles in the way."
Susan finally ripped the wire and threw it aside. She stood up and clapped her hands, noticing her fingers were trembling.
"Are you alright?" Chen Hao glanced at her.
"My hands are numb," she said, "but I can still do things."
Nana suddenly raised her hand: "Stop what you're doing."
Everyone stopped.
“Three seconds later, the second shockwave arrived,” she said. “It was stronger and is expected to cause localized falls.”
Less than a second after he finished speaking, the ground suddenly sank.
A cloud of dust erupted from the corridor ceiling, and several insulation panels fell, crashing onto the ground outside the passageway. The scaffolding shook violently, and a horizontal bar broke off, crashing into a pile of cables.
"Quick!" Chen Hao shouted, "Take advantage of this gap and clear it out!"
Carl lunged back at the last steel plate used for road paving. He wedged the crowbar into the gap and pressed his entire body against it.
"Open it for me!"
The steel plate groaned and slowly rose.
Susan rushed over to help push, and Chen Hao squeezed in to push it with his shoulder. The three of them worked together and finally moved it to the side.
A narrow path was revealed in the middle of the passage.
“It’s not wide enough.” Nana observed from a high vantage point. “Transport vehicles can’t pass through, and it’s also risky for people to pass.”
"Then let's keep cleaning!" Chen Hao said, panting. "We can't just wait for it to grow legs and walk away on its own."
He bent down to move a concrete block, and as soon as he lifted it, the ground beneath his feet trembled again.
This time it swayed for even longer.
All the overhead lights went out, leaving only the emergency lights glowing green. A metallic twisting sound came from afar, like some structure breaking.
"The magnitude has increased." Nana stared at the data appearing in the sky. "It is estimated to have reached 7.0, and the duration of the impact has been shortened to 8 minutes."
"Eight minutes?" Chen Hao's eyes widened. "Didn't you just say eighteen?"
“The rate of release from the fault is exceeding expectations,” Nana said. “We are now in a high-risk zone.”
"Then let's make it faster!" Karl slammed his fist on the steel plate. "Anyone still have the strength? Let's all come at him!"
Susan took off her coat, revealing the worn sleeves. She picked up a piece of gravel and began to smash the tangled pipes.
With a "crack," the pipe broke.
“It’s working!” she said.
Chen Hao rolled the concrete block to the side of the road, straightened up, and wiped the sweat from his brow. His clothes were soaked through and clung to his body.
“I said…shouldn’t we put up a monument for this passage?” he gasped. “Let’s write: Here lie the dreams of four unlucky guys.”
"The dream wasn't buried," Susan said as she moved the items, "it's just been postponed."
"Delaying is just as bad as burying someone," Chen Hao muttered. "Last night I was thinking of starting work early tomorrow, and now I'm about to lose my life."
"So what are you thinking about now?" Karl looked up at him.
“I want to…” Chen Hao paused, “I want to get out of here alive and get a drink of water.”
Nana suddenly raised her hand: "Attention, structural alarm. The left wall has shifted and is expected to collapse within thirty seconds."
"Thirty seconds?" Chen Hao was dumbfounded. "We've only cleared half of it!"
“We must speed things up,” Nana said. “I suggest adopting a phased clearing strategy, prioritizing the opening of escape routes for personnel.”
"Listen to her!" Susan shouted, "Let's get people out of here first!"
Carl immediately changed direction and rushed towards the pile of rubble closest to the wall. He swung his crowbar at the jammed beam.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Each blow felt like a blow to the heart.
Chen Hao and Susan then joined in, and the three of them worked together to push away the last few obstacles.
A narrow gap, barely wide enough for a person to pass through, appeared.
"I can walk!" Chen Hao turned around. "Susan, you go first!"
"Together!" Susan refused to move.
Nana stood still, her eyes still scanning the wall: "The wall is shifting faster than usual; I recommend an immediate evacuation."
“You go too!” Chen Hao shouted at her.
“I need to confirm that you have all passed before I leave,” she said. “That’s the program’s setting.”
"Program my ass!" Chen Hao grabbed her wrist. "You're leaving right now!"
He pulled her forward.
The four had just reached the middle of the passage.
There was a loud bang behind me.
The entire wall collapsed, sealing off most of the gap that had just been cleared.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
"Hurry! Hurry!" Chen Hao urged the person in front of him. "Don't stop!"
They stumbled and rushed out of the passage, just stepping onto the open ground.
The earth trembled violently.
Everyone fell down.
Chen Hao lay on the ground, feeling as if he had been punched in the chest. He looked up and saw the base's signal tower swaying, its lights flashing.
"We... got out?" Susan asked, supporting herself on the ground.
"I'm out." Karl got up and wiped the dust off his face.
Nana was the quickest to stand up. She turned around and looked at the entrance to the passage, which was mostly blocked by rubble.
"The original evacuation route is no longer valid," she said. "If another earthquake occurs, the backup route will need to be activated."
"Where is the backup passage?" Chen Hao asked, panting.
"It is located next to the construction area on the north side, but the reinforcement has not yet been completed."
"Another pit." Chen Hao lay back down on the ground. "I'm not getting up. I'll just wait here until it finishes shaking."
“Get up.” Carl pulled his arm. “We still have work to do before the earthquake is over.”
"what?"
“Clear the passage,” Carl said. “Otherwise, we won’t be able to get out next time.”
Chen Hao screamed, "Are you a devil?"
Susan sat on the floor and chuckled, "I think he's right."
Nana crouched down, looking at the ruins at the entrance of the passage: "The structure is unstable, and we need to be careful when clearing it. We suggest stabilizing the loose parts first."
"We have to tear it down and put it back together," Chen Hao sighed. "We can't live like this anymore."
He slowly sat up and patted the dust off his pants.
In the distance, a pillar supporting the outer wall of the base creaked as if in response to his words.
Chen Hao looked up.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
The paper contained a crooked route map, marked with three potholes, two slopes, and the location of a bridge that was not yet drawn.
He stared at it for two seconds.
It was torn up.
The piece of paper was blown away by the wind and drifted toward the blocked passageway.
He stood up and walked over to Karl.
Give me the crowbar.
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