The ground trembled again, this time very lightly, as if someone were stomping their foot in the distance.
Nana raised her hand, and the ball of light in her palm flickered a few times before going out. She looked down at her scanning interface and said calmly, "The vibration has stopped. It wasn't an aftershock; the soil is adjusting its position on its own."
Chen Hao remained in the prone position, his ears still pressed against the ground. He held this position for several seconds, then slowly pushed himself up and sat down heavily on a piece of broken cement.
"Is the Earth finally able to breathe?" he said.
Carl looked up, his face covered in dust, but his eyes were wide open. "That's a really sharp analogy."
“It’s been vomiting for so long, it needs to rest for a while.” Chen Hao patted his pants. “Otherwise, I suspect it will start smoking and break down any second.”
No one laughed. But their shoulders relaxed a little.
Susan leaned against the concrete block, the strip of cloth on her arm now rewound, its color a bit darker. She didn't speak, but simply raised her head and looked at Nana.
Nana nodded: "It's safe now. There won't be any more strong shocks in the short term."
These words were like a switch, instantly releasing everyone's tension. Karl fell backward, landing on the ground with his arms outstretched.
“I can sleep for three days,” he said.
"You can only sleep for three minutes." Chen Hao took out his water bottle, took a sip, and handed it over. "You still have work to do later."
“Now?” Karl rolled his eyes. “Are you crazy?”
“The later it gets, the more dangerous it becomes.” Chen Hao pointed to the collapsed passage to the north. “Something could fall down there at any time. We need to get our accommodation sorted out before it does anything.”
Susan coughed lightly and asked, "You're planning to build a base?"
"Aren't we going to just wait for it to dry?" Chen Hao grinned. "The house collapsed but we're still alive, which means we're tough. If we're tough, we have to get things done."
Nana straightened up, flicked her wrist, and a thin metal wire slid out from her sleeve, trembled gently in the air, and unfolded into a faintly glowing screen. An image appeared: a structural diagram of the base, with several red markers flashing.
"The main structure is still 60% usable," she said. "The living quarters and energy room suffered minor damage and can be restored to basic functions if reinforced in time."
Carl sat up and stared at the picture. "You make it sound so easy. What are you going to use to reinforce it? The planks are all buried."
“We don’t necessarily need to use wooden planks.” Susan pointed to a seam on the screen. “The wall fractures are concentrated at the joints. As long as we provide support, we can slow down further collapse.”
"How do we do it?" Chen Hao asked.
"Find long strips of material to brace against the corners of the wall," she said. "Ideally, use metal rods or thick wooden beams, fix them at an angle to form a triangular support."
Carl frowned. "It sounds like setting up a tent."
“A tent can save lives.” Chen Hao stood up, picked up a twig, and drew a few lines on the ground. “First, clear away the stones at the entrance of the passage so they don’t roll down and hit people. Then find something to prop up the walls, and finally seal the cracks to prevent water from getting in or the cracks from widening.”
Looking at the sketch on the ground, Nana added, "I suggest using the cross-anchoring method, drilling holes in the ground and inserting piles to improve overall stability."
"Speak like a human being." Chen Hao looked up.
"Drive in ground stakes," she said.
"Oh." Chen Hao nodded. "Then find an iron rod and stick it into the ground."
“It’s theoretically feasible,” Nana said, “but we need to ensure that the depth is no less than 80 centimeters and the angle is controlled within 15 degrees.”
"This is getting more and more complicated," Carl said, rubbing his temples.
"We have to do it, even if it's troublesome." Chen Hao threw away the tree branch. "We have two choices now: one is to sit here and wait for the next earthquake to send us away, and the other is to take action to make ourselves safer."
“You always say that,” Carl muttered, “as if you’d die the moment you stopped working.”
“You didn’t listen to me last time, and what happened?” Chen Hao glared at him. “You woke up after one night to find your bed was gone.”
That's because...
“Don’t say it’s an accident,” Chen Hao interrupted. “It’s always an accident. Trees falling, walls collapsing, the ground cracking—aren’t all of those things preventable? We’re alive now because we ran fast. What about next time? Relying on luck?”
Carl shut up.
Susan slowly stood up, still a little unsteady, but she managed to stand.
“I can be in charge of inspecting the structure,” she said. “I can judge which walls can be saved and which must be abandoned.”
"Your injury hasn't healed yet," Chen Hao frowned.
“I don’t touch the important stuff,” she said. “I just observe and talk.”
Nana turned to Carl: “You need to organize the available tools and categorize and label them so that they can be quickly accessed later.”
“I’m not a warehouse manager,” Carl muttered.
“You are now.” Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t complain about being tired. From now on, you will be our team’s supplies manager, in charge of keys, wrenches, and tape.”
"I don't have the key."
"Then you build one."
Carl rolled his eyes, but didn't object further.
Nana retracted the metal wire, and the light screen disappeared. She looked at Chen Hao: "Next command?"
Chen Hao looked around at the three of them, then squatted down and tapped the ground with his fingers.
“Listen carefully,” he said. “First, clear the obstructions. Move the large stones at the entrance of the passage, and pile the small ones aside so they don’t block the way. Second, reinforce the structure. Find usable beams to support the dangerous wall. Third, seal the cracks. Use whatever you can to patch the cracks, mud or rags will do, just plug them up first.”
“The order can’t be messed up,” Susan added. “Clear first, then open up, otherwise there won’t be enough space to work. Open up before sealing, otherwise the stuff you put in will leak out.”
“Understood.” Chen Hao nodded. “Nana will be in charge of technical guidance, explaining the standard procedures for each step. Susan will examine the structure and point out key areas. Carl will prepare the tools, and let me know if anything is missing. I will coordinate, sending people wherever needed.”
"Can't you do something concrete?" Carl asked.
"I'll handle the most specific tasks," Chen Hao said. "I'll take care of you guys."
The air fell silent for a moment.
Then Carl laughed, a slightly hoarse laugh.
"You're really not being polite."
"Save your politeness for the New Year." Chen Hao stood up, stretched, and his back cracked slightly. He frowned, but didn't stop. "We don't have time to dawdle now, nor do we have the chance to make mistakes. If you want to live, you have to follow the rules."
Nana said softly, "Slight fatigue buildup has been detected. I recommend a short break for hydration and energy replenishment."
"I should have said that sooner." Chen Hao opened his backpack, took out the last bag of cookies, tore it open, and gave one to each person.
Carl took it, took a bite, and crumbs fell onto his clothes.
"This stuff tastes a bit better than cardboard," he said.
“Take a couple more bites and you’ll think it’s roast duck.” Chen Hao chewed, his cheeks bulging.
Susan ate in small bites without saying a word. After finishing, she neatly folded the wrapper and put it in her coat pocket.
Nana didn't eat, but she placed her hands on her knees, her mechanical joints slightly adjusting their angle, as if adjusting to her balance after standing for a long time.
The wind has died down.
The sky was still overcast, with low-hanging clouds, but it no longer felt as suffocating as before.
Chen Hao wiped his face and looked around. They were still in that open area, with cracked ground behind them and the outline of ruins in front of them.
"Ten-minute break," he said, "then we'll get back to work."
Carl lay back down and closed his eyes.
Susan leaned back against the concrete block and slowly closed her eyes.
Nana stood still, her optical lens slightly rotating, scanning the afterimages of distant buildings.
Chen Hao didn't sit down. He walked to the edge and looked at the crack that had swallowed the backpack. It was bottomless, with jagged edges, like an open mouth.
He bent down, picked up a small stone, and threw it in.
A soft sound was heard only after a long time.
He turned around, walked back, picked up the twig he had used to draw from the ground, and held it in his hand.
"Ten minutes later," he said, "whoever doesn't get up, I'll take this and smoke it."
Karl didn't open his eyes, but raised his hand and made a gesture.
Chen Hao smiled and tucked the branch under his arm.
In the distance, the dust on the north slope had already settled.
A large, half-buried rock rests quietly at the bottom of the slope, its surface covered with a thin layer of ash.
A gust of wind blew by, raising a wisp of dust that quickly settled.
Chen Hao stared at the rock for two seconds, then suddenly turned to Nana and said, "Will that thing roll again?"
Nana turned her head, her gaze locking onto the target, and the data stream scrolled rapidly in her pupils.
"The situation is currently stable," she said. "There is no trend of displacement."
"real?"
"The probability is less than three percent."
"That's considered safe."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ground trembled slightly.
Not big.
It felt like something was gently pushing it from below.
All four people stopped moving at the same time.
Nana's eyes immediately lit up with a red light, and the scanning frequency increased.
Chen Hao didn't move, but simply gripped the branch in his hand tighter.
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