The bridge swayed as soon as Chen Hao's foot touched the broken metal frame.
He looked down at his feet; the water was rushing and splashing beneath the metal frame, and the tow rope in his hand was taut. Carl had already crossed over and was crouching on the other side, waiting for them. Susan sat on the bank, breathing heavily, her face as white as paper. Nana stood beside her, the joints of her robotic arm humming slightly, as if adjusting its strength.
"Can this thing hold up?" Chen Hao asked.
“The structural stress threshold has been exceeded,” Nana said. “I suggest speeding up the passage.”
"Can't you say something nice?"
"Facts do not allow for subjective embellishment."
Chen Hao rolled his eyes, turned around, and hoisted Susan onto his back. Her body was frighteningly light, her bones digging into his back. He gripped the traction rope firmly and stepped onto the metal frame.
The bridge was made up of half-buried billboards, with curled edges and cracks in the middle. With each step, the ground beneath trembled. Halfway across, the wind suddenly picked up, causing him to stumble. Susan gripped his shoulders tightly, her nails digging almost into his flesh.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My weight will keep it from collapsing.”
Before the words were even finished, the bridge suddenly sank.
Nana rushed over immediately, inserting her robotic arm into the nearby concrete crack and forcefully holding the frame in place. A piercing metallic scraping sound rang out, and sparks flew from between her arm and the support.
"Hurry up and go!" she shouted.
Chen Hao gritted his teeth and moved forward, his legs trembling. The last three steps felt like ten minutes, and when he finally stepped onto the other side, his whole body went limp, and he knelt down on the ground. Carl quickly came over to catch Susan and helped her to a dry spot.
Nana was the last to cross. Just as she lifted her right leg, there was another buzzing sound at the joint, and she paused. But she didn't stop; she took the last step and stood still.
All four people arrived.
No one spoke, only the sound of breathing could be heard. Chen Hao lay on the ground for a while to catch his breath, then looked up at the sky. The rain was still falling, not heavily, but it hadn't stopped. The water in the distance was shrouded in a gray haze, and nothing could be seen clearly.
"At least... I survived," he said.
Carl slumped down, the sole of his shoe completely split open, one foot sticking out. He glanced down at it and simply threw the shoe away.
"To save weight," he said.
Chen Hao wanted to laugh, but coughed instead. The wound on his left arm started bleeding again, and his clothes stuck to his skin, pulling painfully. He ignored it, sat up, and looked around.
It was a two-story building built on a slope, its foundation higher than the surrounding buildings. The walls hadn't collapsed, a few windows were broken, but the roof was still intact. Some miscellaneous items, soaked in water, lay crookedly piled up by the entrance.
"Is this the place?" Susan asked.
"This is it," Chen Hao said. "It's not great, but it'll provide shelter from the rain."
Nana walked to the edge of the building, placed her palm on the wall, and the indicator light flashed. After a few seconds, she said, "The load-bearing structure of the wall is undamaged, there are no through cracks, and the foundation depth meets the elevation standards. This place is located at the highest point in the upstream of the watershed, and the probability of secondary flooding is less than three percent."
"Translate into human language."
"It won't be flooded."
"You should have said so earlier." Chen Hao stood up, patted the mud off his pants, and said, "Let's go in and take a look."
The door wasn't locked; it opened with a push. Inside was an empty room; the floor was dry, and there were a few broken chairs in the corner, with the table overturned. A blackboard hung on the wall, the writing blurred, but the words "B7 Supplies Registration" were vaguely discernible.
"I'm lucky," Chen Hao said. "At least I don't have to sleep outside."
Carl followed her in, put down his backpack, unzipped it, and began to inspect it. Susan sat down against the wall, closed her eyes, and remained still. Nana stood in the doorway, continuing to scan the outside.
Chen Hao walked to the window and looked outside. The water was still rising, but the flow had slowed down. In the distance, only the roof of a building was visible, like an isolated island. He stared at it for a while, then suddenly felt a little unreal.
How did they manage to survive?
He touched the wound on his arm, wincing in pain. But he couldn't help but smile.
"Are we... really safe?" Susan suddenly asked.
“For now,” Nana said. “The rainfall has lasted longer than the model predicted, and we cannot rule out the risk of further geological changes.”
"More unpleasant words."
“I’m telling the truth.”
"Can't you just present the truth in a more embellished way?"
"There's no need."
Chen Hao laughed and sat down on the ground. He opened his backpack, preparing to take stock of his belongings. The toolbox was still there, the filter pack was intact, the medicine bags… He rummaged through them, and his expression changed.
"What's missing?" Carl asked.
"The spare filter is missing."
“Impossible.” Carl leaned closer. “I saw you put it in with my own eyes.”
"It's gone now."
The two turned the bag upside down. The waterproof tarp was still there, the batteries were still there, and there was half a bottle of disinfectant left, but the small plastic bag that had been kept separately—containing the second set of water purifier filter cartridges—was definitely gone.
"When did it fall off?" Susan asked.
"It was probably when we were crossing the bridge," Chen Hao recalled. "The shaking was so bad that it probably leaked out of the side pocket."
Carl looked down at his backpack; the zipper on the side pocket was broken, and the opening was wide open.
“It’s my fault,” he said. “I didn’t fix the bag properly.”
"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes." Chen Hao closed the bag. "As long as no one is hurt, we can figure out a way to replace the filter."
“The problem is there’s nothing we can do right now,” Carl said, his voice lowering. “We don’t have spare parts. If the main filter gets clogged, we’ll have to drink tap water.”
The room fell silent.
Raindrops pattered on the roof. Susan opened her eyes and looked at them. Nana turned around, and the indicator light changed from red to green.
“Record the loss,” Chen Hao said. “Let’s look for it again after the rain stops; it might be stuck in some crevice.”
"I hope so."
"It's better than nothing."
He sat down against the wall, feeling as if all his strength had been drained away. His nerves had been on edge the whole way, but now that he relaxed, he was so tired he didn't even want to move a finger.
“You all rest first,” Nana said. “I’ll monitor changes in the external environment.”
Aren't you going to sleep?
"I don't need sleep."
"So lucky."
Carl took off his socks; his feet were covered in blisters. He wiped them with disinfectant, wincing in pain. Susan pulled half a compressed biscuit from her clothes, broke it into four pieces, and gave one to each of them.
Chen Hao took it and nibbled on it in small bites. It tasted like sawdust, but he ate it earnestly.
The rain and wind outside hadn't stopped. But there was a strange calm inside.
They survived.
Arrived in a new place.
It was not washed away by the water.
They didn't starve to death.
They didn't fall apart because of the argument.
None of these things happened.
It's like winning the lottery.
"What do you think... will happen in the future?" Susan asked softly.
"Later?" Chen Hao chewed on a biscuit. "After that, I'll treat this wound first, and then figure out how to get some hot food."
What happens next?
"We'll think about what comes next when the time comes."
Carl chuckled. "You're still as lazy as ever."
"It's not laziness, it's pragmatism."
"Then tell me realistically, what's the next step?"
Chen Hao glanced at Nana.
"Let her calculate."
Nana stood by the window, arms outstretched, palms up, as if sensing the direction of the rain. Her indicator light flashed steadily, data flowing rapidly within it.
“Based on existing resource and environmental parameters,” she said, “the next step should prioritize establishing an energy recovery system and reinforcing the intrusion prevention structures of doors and windows.”
"Can't understand."
“It means—” Carl translated for her, “getting electricity and repairing walls.”
"Oh." Chen Hao nodded. "Then let's fix the electrical wiring and the wall."
"You do the work."
"I'm in command."
"What are you commanding?"
"I have a strategic vision."
"You've gained weight."
The two of them started arguing, but then they both laughed.
Susan also smiled slightly.
Nana didn't laugh, but she switched the scanning mode to low power mode.
It's still raining outside.
The four people were huddled together inside, their clothes wet, their feet dirty, some injured, and some exhausted.
But they are all here.
Chen Hao leaned against the wall and slowly closed his eyes.
The next second, he suddenly opened his eyes.
"I forgot something."
"What?"
“The map,” he said. “Is that hand-drawn map still there?”
He reached into the inner pocket of his clothes.
The fabric was soaked and crumpled. He unfolded it slowly; the corners of the paper were torn, but the main body remained. As he opened it, his fingers suddenly stopped.
The map originally only showed the B7 storage unit and the north slope power compartment.
But now, there's an extra line of text in the bottom right corner.
It was very small and written in pencil.
"They've been here, don't trust the supply points."
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