As soon as it was light, Chen Hao went out carrying a wooden stick.
He didn't sleep well last night; his mind was filled with thoughts of the wall. The roof was still dripping, but he didn't care.
Nana followed behind him, carrying a tablet whose screen was already lit. Susan and Carl lagged behind, one carrying a tape measure and the other a shovel. The four of them stood on the muddy ground outside the base, their feet sinking into the mess left by the typhoon.
“Let’s start from here.” Chen Hao drew a line on the ground with a stick. “Let’s measure around first and see which plots of land are suitable for piling and which ones we have to avoid.”
No one objected.
They walked along the border, and Chen Hao stuck a tree branch in the ground at each change in terrain. To the north was a hard earthen slope, where one's feet wouldn't sink; to the south was a patch of wet mud, where a shovel could be driven all the way in; to the west was even worse, with cracks in the ground as if it had been crushed by something heavy.
“This place can’t be repaired uniformly.” Susan squatted down to take a look. “Different areas require different methods.”
“I know,” Chen Hao nodded. “That’s why we can’t just copy one solution.”
Back in the main hall, the whiteboard had been wiped clean. Chen Hao picked up a pen and drew an irregular circle on it, marking out four areas.
Nana connected the tablet to the projector and brought up three sets of wall design schemes.
“Type A, reinforced concrete structure.” She pointed to the first picture. “Wind and earthquake resistant, lifespan of more than ten years.”
“That sounds good,” Carl said.
"But we need 20 meters of steel, 40 bags of cement, and 500 kilograms of sand and gravel," Nana added.
Susan immediately shook her head: "We don't have that many materials."
“Type B, modular steel frame infill wall.” Nana switched the screen. “Quick assembly, suitable for soft ground, and reusable.”
“And this one?” Carl asked.
"It has poor wind resistance," Nana said. "It may deform in winds of force 8 or higher."
“We get gale-force winds at least three times a year here,” Susan said. “It’s all for nothing.”
“Type C, rammed earth wall made of local materials.” Nana showed the third picture, “It is made by mixing clay, broken bricks and straw and compacting it, which has the lowest cost and is simple to construct.”
“That sounds plausible,” Susan said.
“But it needs maintenance twice a year,” Nana said. “It’s prone to collapse after heavy rain.”
The room was quiet for a few seconds.
“A is too expensive, B is not sturdy, and C needs frequent repairs.” Chen Hao stroked his chin. “None of them are perfect.”
“Then don’t choose it,” Susan said. “We don’t necessarily have to use what’s readily available.”
“You mean… change it?” Karl looked up.
“Put them together.” Susan pointed to the whiteboard. “Use type A for the core area to ensure safety; type B for the intermediate transition area for quick construction; and type C for the outer perimeter to save materials.”
“Patchwork?” Karl frowned. “Who will be responsible for maintenance then? The standards are all different.”
"Whoever makes the claim is responsible," Chen Hao suddenly said.
The two looked at him.
“You say rammed earth is good, then you design how to prevent rain and cracking.” Chen Hao looked at Susan. “Karl thinks it must be sturdy, so he will oversee the construction of the core area. Nana will provide technical support, and I will coordinate the progress.”
Susan thought for a moment and said, "Okay. I can add a waterproof coating and see if it lasts longer."
“It’s not that I disagree,” Carl said, “but if something goes wrong, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
"No," Chen Hao laughed. "You take responsibility for the place where you're in charge."
Nana has already begun adjusting the data. On the screen, a new structural diagram is slowly taking shape: the northern section is thick and solid, the middle section is light and regular, and the southern section is slightly rough but occupies the largest area.
“It’s named ‘Hybrid Defense System v1.1’,” she said. “The technical parameters have been marked at the junctions of each segment.”
“Wait a minute.” Susan suddenly stood up. “If we build it in sections, what about the joints? When two materials are joined together, the stress will be uneven, and it will easily crack over time.”
“Add transition piles,” Nana replied. “Drive reinforcing columns into the connection points, increasing the depth by thirty percent.”
“Then we’ll have to dig even more holes,” Carl said. “We don’t have enough manpower.”
“We can start by doing a small section to test it out,” Chen Hao said. “For example, fifty meters to the north, let’s make a sample first.”
“A complete process is also needed for a prototype,” Susan said. “Materials, tools, and procedures are all essential.”
“Then list them out.” Chen Hao picked up a pen. “Let’s begin now.”
Nana pulled up the construction process sheet and listed each item: site clearing, setting out lines, digging foundation trenches, laying bedding layers, erecting formwork, and pouring or assembling.
"The most difficult part is the foundation," she said. "Currently, the soil moisture content is high, and direct construction will affect stability."
"Then let it air dry for a few days?" Susan asked.
"We can't wait." Chen Hao shook his head. "The weather is unstable. Another rain will only make things worse."
“We can drain the water manually,” Nana said. “We can dig shallow ditches to guide the water flow and speed up the drying process.”
“This is no small job,” Carl said. “It will take four people at least three days.”
"It's better than starting all over again when the wall falls down," Chen Hao said. "If we work hard now, we'll have less trouble later."
Susan glanced down and jotted down a few words, then looked up: "There's another problem—how do we know which approach is truly effective?"
“Testing,” Nana said. “After it’s built, we’ll conduct pressure simulations and observe the deformation.”
“What will we use to measure it?” Karl asked. “We don’t have the instruments.”
“I have a way,” Chen Hao laughed. “Find a piece of scrap metal, tie a rope to it, and swing it against the wall. If it doesn’t break, it’s sturdy; if it breaks through, we can fix it later.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
Susan chuckled: "Are you risking your life to test this project?"
“I’m not going up there,” Carl said. “Let the robots do the shaking.”
“I can operate the robotic arm,” Nana said calmly. “The impact force is adjustable.”
"Look," Chen Hao said, spreading his hands, "even high technology has its own simple methods."
The atmosphere relaxed.
The discussion continued. They went over the details one by one: who was responsible for which part, when to start work, and how to report problems.
Susan took the initiative to take over the rammed earth test section in the south area and proposed to add a layer of fired ceramic slabs as an outer protective surface to enhance waterproofing.
Despite his complaints, Carl accepted the task of reinforcing the North District and began to look through the tool list to see if the welding torch was broken.
Nana constantly updates the design drawings, adding everyone's feedback and suggestions in real time.
Chen Hao stood in front of the whiteboard, looking at the winding outline of the wall, and suddenly smiled.
"Our wall is really ugly."
“Practicality is all that matters,” Susan said. “It’s not a beauty pageant.”
“But if it could walk, it would definitely limp,” Carl said.
"That's better than nothing." Chen Hao slapped the whiteboard. "No matter how ugly it is, it's still something we built ourselves."
Nana suddenly raised her hand, and the projection switched.
The new footage shows an aerial view of the entire base, with a wall forming a crooked ring around the core buildings. The colors are divided into three sections: dark gray, light gray, and ochre.
“The construction guidance drawings have been generated,” she said. “The next step is to conduct material accounting.”
"Then let's get ready to calculate," Chen Hao said. "We'll start digging the foundation tomorrow."
"Who's going to dig in first?" Susan asked, looking at him.
“Me,” Chen Hao said. “I said last night that whoever comes up with the idea should take the lead.”
Carl snorted: "Then remember to bring an umbrella, the forecast says it will rain today."
"We'll deal with it when it rains." Chen Hao tossed his pen into the pen holder. "At worst, we can work while it rains."
Susan closed her notebook, got up and walked to the projector, pointing to a corner of the south area: "This area is the lowest point, so the drainage ditch needs to be dug deeper."
“I’ve already marked it,” Nana said.
“But I’m afraid you don’t understand how bad reality is,” Susan said. “Yesterday I still saw that the floodwaters hadn’t receded.”
“The data doesn’t lie,” Nana said, “but I will adjust it according to the actual situation.”
"You two stop arguing," Chen Hao interrupted. "One of you is in charge of drawing, and the other is in charge of implementation. Just work together well."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a muffled thud came from outside.
It looked like something had collapsed.
All four of them turned to look at the doorway at the same time.
“It’s to the east.” Carl stood up. “The wall of rubble over there has collapsed.”
"Let's go take a look." Chen Hao grabbed his coat.
They had just reached the door when the rain began to patter against the roof.
Susan reached out and caught some of the water droplets that leaked from the crack.
Chen Hao looked up at the ceiling; the waterproof sheet was still swaying.
He didn't say anything, pushed open the door and walked out.
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