Chen Hao tossed the rusty metal plaque to the ground and stepped into the muddy water. Debris was still falling from the crack's edge. He crouched down and touched the broken surface of the hardened layer.
"If this thing isn't fixed soon, we'll have to put up a tombstone here tomorrow."
Nana stood beside her, her optical lens scanning the ground data. "The current cavity volume is 3.7 cubic meters, and the seepage rate is 200 milliliters per hour. If left unattended, it will form a through-collapse within 48 hours."
"Then let's not talk about it anymore." Chen Hao stood up. "Let's do it."
Susan emerged from the lab tent, carrying a sealed bag. "The fiber sample has been confirmed as engineering-grade safety netting, but it has completely degraded. The underground structure has lost its support and is now only held together by the surface clay."
After dismantling the last support of the drilling rig, Carl wiped the sweat from his face and said, "The furnace materials are all ready: kitchen waste barrels, ventilation pipes, solar panel frames—everything has been moved out."
"Okay." Chen Hao clapped his hands. "Let's get started."
They set up the smelting chamber on the open ground to the north, covering the outer shell with asbestos and double-layered sheet metal. Sparks flew everywhere as Karl welded, nearly igniting the tarpaulin at his feet. Chen Hao used a stick to pry it away, muttering, "It's okay to die, but don't die before construction begins."
The stove was lit, and the plastic scraps were poured in. It burned well at first, but within ten minutes, the temperature started fluctuating wildly. Some of the plastic charred, while some remained unmelted.
"This thing is like stir-frying vegetables," Chen Hao poked at the bottom of the pot. "I can't control the heat."
Susan stared at the pressure gauge: "The pipe seal is also faulty. There was a leak during the pressure test just now, and molten material sprayed all over the floor."
Nana retrieved the database. "Industrial case studies show that grouting systems need to maintain a pipe internal temperature above 160 degrees Celsius and a stable delivery pressure above 3.5 MPa."
“We don’t have that kind of equipment,” Carl shook his head. “We don’t even have a decent valve.”
“Then let’s change it.” Chen Hao grabbed a heating wire from an old thermal blanket. “Wrap it around the pipes for heating.”
"The power is insufficient," Susan warned. "The solar panel output is unstable."
“It doesn’t need to be powered on all the time,” Chen Hao said. “It’s heated in sections, one section at a time.”
Nana scans the circuit diagram. "Removing the backup battery pack in Zone 3 will provide two hours of continuous power. It is recommended to divide the heating wire into three sections and activate them sequentially."
"I'll listen to you." Chen Hao turned and called to Karl, "Old Karl, get the connection!"
At 3 PM, the second preparation was completed.
The plastic in the furnace melted completely, turning into a dark yellow liquid. A high-pressure air pump connected to the feed pipe, and the heating element was energized. Chen Hao stood at the furnace opening, stirring with a long stick.
"Let's begin."
Karl opened the discharge valve, and the molten material slowly flowed into the pipe. The first half meter went smoothly, but the flow rate dropped sharply at the corner.
"Is it clogged?" Susan looked at the pressure gauge.
“The temperature isn’t high enough,” Nana said. “It cools down too quickly at the bend.”
Chen Hao kicked the pipe. "Clear it!"
He turned and rushed into his toolbox, pulled out a few small fans, connected them, and placed them under the pipe to blow air. He also tore off some insulation cotton to wrap around the outer wall.
"Again."
This time, the molten material moved slowly, but it didn't stop. 1.5 meters, 2 meters... until it approached the drill joint, when the pressure suddenly surged.
"Turn it off quickly!" Susan shouted.
With a click, the air pump stopped. The molten material got stuck at the outlet, solidifying into a hard lump.
“It’s ruined,” Karl sighed.
"It's not ruined." Chen Hao used a wrench to tap open the connector. "It can still be used after some cleaning. We may be poor, but we can't back down."
At 8 PM, the third adjustment was made.
They deepened the borehole to 4.3 meters and re-laid the tubing. Nana optimized the injection rhythm, changing it to short bursts of high pressure with a 30-second interval for venting.
At 2 a.m., the first wave of molten material finally entered the bottom of the cavity.
"Radar images show that the molten material has filled 60% of the lower cavity," Nana reported. "A preliminary closed shell has been formed."
"It's done?" Chen Hao rubbed his eyes.
"It's stable for now," Nana said. "We need to continue observing for three days to confirm there's no further expansion."
The next morning, the sun was scorching.
The ground cracks showed slight bulging, with the soil at the edges arching upwards by half a centimeter.
Susan quickly took samples. "Is the internal pressure increasing? Is it about to explode?"
Chen Hao lay on the ground examining the cracks. "It doesn't look like it. If the pressure were high, it should be spewing out mud."
Nana initiated a daily scan. "Compared to yesterday's image, the cavity volume has shrunk by 12%, and the seepage path has been cut off. The bulge is caused by the dehydration and shrinkage of the clay layer."
"So, in other words," Chen Hao chuckled, "the foundation is repairing itself?"
"To be precise, it's the redistribution of internal stress after the external sealing," Nana said.
"I don't understand, but it sounds impressive." Chen Hao stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Keep watching."
On the morning of the third day, a green alert popped up on the radar screen.
[Structural stability has been restored, stress distribution in the load-bearing layer is uniform, and the risk level has been reduced to a minimum.]
Susan stared at the data for a few seconds, then closed the notebook and put it on the ground.
Carl took off his hat and fanned himself. "Really done?"
"All done." Chen Hao walked to the center of the test area, squatted down, and tapped the ground with his hand. The sound was dull and solid.
He grinned.
"Now I can finally get a good night's sleep."
Nana stood beside the radar, her eyelight switching to a steady blue light as she continuously received updated signals.
Susan packed up the last soil sample bag and helped Carl pack up the toolbox. The furnace had been dismantled, leaving only a ring of charred marks on the ground.
Chen Hao remained squatting, not moving.
He reached up and scratched at the hardened layer of the ground, a little bit of debris getting under his fingernail. He shook his hand and stood up.
"What do we do next?" Susan asked.
“What else can we do?” Chen Hao pointed around. “We’ll just keep doing what we’re supposed to do. We still need to build the wall, and we need to keep compacting the ground.”
Carl tightened the toolbox latches. "What about the alert system?"
"Let's wait a couple of days," Chen Hao said. "Let's stabilize things here first."
Nana suddenly whispered, "The ground hardness has increased by 23 percent two meters to the north, and the lateral displacement has returned to zero."
"Did you hear that?" Chen Hao raised his eyebrows at them. "We welded a foundation ourselves."
Susan didn't speak, but looked down to check if the air pump connection was completely disconnected. Carl rolled up the last heating wire and stuffed it into the box.
Sunlight shone on the test area, and the newly hardened plastic shell on the ground gleamed dimly.
Chen Hao took two steps forward, placing his foot on the spot where the most dangerous crack had been.
He stomped his foot.
Thump, thump, thump.
Very sturdy.
"If I had known it would work this well," he said, "I should have cooked a few more batches."
Susan looked up at him. "We don't have enough materials; we can only make it once."
"Next time we'll pick up more trash," Chen Hao laughed. "We should rename our base the Recycling Station."
Carl hoisted the box onto his shoulder. "You know what, this method is really easy to implement. It's enough to write a paper about it."
"Who wrote it?" Susan zipped up her backpack. "You?"
“I can’t write it down,” Karl chuckled. “But I can dictate it to Nana and have her write it down.”
Nana stood still, and the camera turned to Karl. "Recording mode is now active."
“Look!” Carl waved his hand. “She writes it down just like that, she’s more efficient than a secretary.”
Chen Hao sat down against the drilling rig support, crossing his legs. "Alright, you guys, stop showing off. I'll treat you to extra food at lunch today."
"What are you inviting?" Susan asked.
"Compressed biscuits." Chen Hao pulled out half a pack. "Limited supply, three pieces per person."
"Get out." Carl threw his hat at him.
Laughter echoed in the center of the construction site.
Nana's eye light flashed, automatically switching to night monitoring mode.
She didn't move, still facing the repaired area.
The ground was quiet.
The crack closed.
The wind blows from the north, but it can't stir up a single piece of plastic debris.
Chen Hao remained seated, holding a piece of cooled molten plastic in his hand.
He pried it open with his fingernail.
It's not broken.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com