Chen Hao placed the bowl on the table, cracked side up. He glanced down at the sole of his shoe; the mud had long since fallen off, leaving only a ring of gray.
Susan was still writing, the sound of her pen scratching across the paper a little noisy. Carl squatted on the floor tidying up his toolbox, his movements more efficient than before. Nana stood beside the generator, her eyes fixed on the screen, her finger occasionally tapping the terminal.
The light remained on without flickering.
"How long can this last?" Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back. "I don't want to get up in the middle of the night to fix it again."
"The system has been running stably for more than three hours." Nana didn't turn around. "The main power supply line is expected to be fully restarted in five hours."
"Five hours?" Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "Then I'll have to wait a while longer to get hungry."
"You just finished eating."
"It was a bowl of thin soup."
Susan closed her notebook and glanced at the clock on the wall. Time was passing neither too fast nor too slow, just enough for her to relax.
Nana suddenly stopped.
Her finger hovered above the terminal, motionless. Her pupils seemed to contract slightly before returning to normal.
"What's wrong?" Chen Hao noticed that something was wrong with her and sat up straight.
Nana didn't answer, but quickly brought up a new interface. A wildly fluctuating curve appeared on the screen, its color changing from blue to red.
“The atmospheric pressure has dropped abnormally,” she said. “The airflow disturbance index continues to rise, and a circulation structure is forming.”
"What do you mean?" Chen Hao scratched his head.
“A tropical cyclone is forming.” Nana said calmly. “Currently located in the southeastern ocean, about 800 kilometers from the base, it is expected to develop into a strong typhoon within 72 hours, with its path pointing directly at these coordinates.”
The room fell silent.
Chen Hao's leg trembled, and he almost knocked over the empty bowl. He reached out to steady it; the bowl didn't break, but the crack had widened a bit.
Susan stood up and walked behind Nana to look at the screen. "What's the wind speed?"
"The current wind speed in the outer perimeter is 35 meters per second, and it is expected to reach more than 50 meters per second after entering the nearshore area." Nana zoomed in on the image, "With heavy rain and storm surge, the maximum rainfall can reach 300 millimeters per hour."
"Can our house hold up?" Chen Hao asked.
“The existing buildings are rated for wind resistance of level 14,” Nana said. “The forecast intensity has reached level 16 or higher.”
"That means they can't withstand it."
“The reinforcement project on the west side of the warehouse is not yet completed, and the aging rate of the sealing strips in the main control room exceeds 70%.” Susan flipped through the architectural drawings. “The drainage system was blocked once during the last rainstorm and has not been thoroughly cleaned yet.”
Carl stood up, nearly dropping the wrench. He quickly gripped it tighter, his voice lowering, "What if the roof blows off... what will happen to the generator we just fixed?"
“It will be flooded,” Nana said.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Chen Hao slammed his hand on the table. "Let's get moving!"
"Where to move to?" Susan countered. "There's only a living area upstairs, not enough space. And if it floods, the entire electrical circuit will be ruined."
"First, disconnect the power to the core equipment and move it." Nana pulled up the layout diagram. "Prioritize protecting the energy module and data terminal."
“What about manpower?” Susan asked Carl.
“I can go check the drain.” Carl had already slung his tool bag over his shoulder. “I remember where it was blocked before.”
“You can’t manage alone.” Chen Hao shook his head. “Half of that side has collapsed, and it’s easy to slip and fall at night because you can’t see clearly.”
"I brought a light."
Even the lamps are afraid of getting wet.
“Then let’s work in pairs,” Susan said. “One person will be in charge of monitoring, and the other will be in charge of on-site operations.”
Nana suddenly interjected, "The optimal preparation window is forty-eight hours. If critical protection is completed within this period, the survival rate increases to sixty-one percent."
"Only 60%?" Chen Hao grinned. "We might as well take a gamble."
"The result of the bet was zero."
“I know,” he said, scratching his head. “It just sounds depressing.”
“The reality is disheartening.” Susan spread the blueprints on the table. “We don’t even have sandbags right now, what are we going to use to hold back the water?”
“There are burlap sacks in the warehouse,” Carl said. “We can fill them with soil.”
"Where's the soil?" Chen Hao asked.
"There are plenty of them outside."
"The problem is how long it will take to get them in?" Susan frowned. "At most, we can only carry two at a time, but if we pile them up like a wall, we'll need hundreds."
“Nobody said we need to build a wall.” Chen Hao picked up a pen and drew a few lines on the whiteboard. “Let’s protect the key areas first. Just build a ring around the generator room entrance to block the water flow.”
“What about the wind?” Susan pointed to the picture. “It’s not just rain.”
"When the wind comes, we can only leave it to fate," Chen Hao sighed. "We can't exactly tie the roof to the ground with a rope, can we?"
“We can reinforce the support frame,” Nana said. “The main hall has six load-bearing points on the ceiling, and adding crossbeams can improve its wind resistance.”
Do you have the materials?
"There is a sufficient stock of spare metal rods, and the cutting length meets the requirements."
"Okay." Chen Hao wrote a few lines on the whiteboard: **Waterproofing of generator room, sealing of main control room, dredging of drainage ditch, and reinforcement of roof.**
He drew a circle and enclosed the four items.
"The problem now is who's doing what," he said. "We can't let things fall into chaos."
“I monitor weather changes,” Nana said. “I update the track forecast every two hours.”
“I’ll take charge,” Chen Hao said, pointing to himself. “You guys report the progress, and I’ll arrange the next steps.”
“I can help Nana replace the sealing strip,” Susan said. “I’ll handle the parts that require finesse.”
“Then Carl and I will go outside.” Chen Hao put down his pen. “First, we’ll clear the drainage ditch, then we’ll build the waterproof wall.”
“I recommend prioritizing the roof,” Nana said. “Once the structure is damaged, other protective measures will be ineffective.”
“The roof is too high.” Carl looked up at the ceiling. “We don’t have scaffolding.”
“Use ladders to assemble it.” Nana pulled up the design drawings. “The three-point fixing method can ensure stability.”
"It sounds like building blocks," Chen Hao muttered.
“That’s more reliable than you setting up a tent.” Susan glanced at him.
"What's wrong with me setting up a tent?" Chen Hao glared. "That time it rained because the wind was too strong!"
"It's because you didn't pull the rope tight enough."
"That was an accident!"
“If an accident happens three times, it’s no longer an accident,” Nana said.
Chen Hao opened his mouth to refute, but finally waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I won't argue with a robot."
He looked back at the whiteboard and tapped the four items with his fingers.
“Time is running out,” he said. “We have to get the drainage and roof done tonight, and start building the wall first thing tomorrow morning.”
“What about the electricity?” Susan asked. “If the power goes out in the middle, all the equipment will stop.”
“The generator is maintaining a minimum output,” Nana said. “Shut down non-essential loads, and keep lighting and communications on.”
"That makes the work even more strenuous," Chen Hao sighed. "In the dark, who's responsible if someone falls?"
“You’re in charge,” Susan said.
I knew you'd say that.
Carl had already put on his coat and was holding a flashlight. "I can leave now."
"Wait a minute," Chen Hao stopped him. "Eat something first. Working on an empty stomach is inefficient and can easily lead to accidents."
"Is there any porridge left in the pot?" Carl asked.
“That’s all,” Susan said. “Your boss finished the last bowl.”
“I can eat cookies.”
"Okay." Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder. "Eat well, we'll be busy tonight."
Nana suddenly turned around, her gaze falling on the terminal. The red curve on the screen was jumping even more wildly.
"Latest data," she said, "The cyclone is moving faster and is expected to make landfall 12 hours earlier."
"So that's within sixty hours?" Susan frowned.
"To be precise, it's 59 hours and 37 minutes," Nana said. "And we can't rule out the possibility of further acceleration."
"Damn it!" Chen Hao slammed his fist on the edge of the whiteboard. "Can't we even take a break?"
“Natural phenomena are not affected by emotions,” Nana said.
“I know.” He rubbed his temples. “It’s just that life feels too hectic.”
“Better compact than dead,” Nana said.
"You really know how to comfort people."
"I'm just stating the facts."
Susan folded the architectural drawings and stuffed them into her work uniform pocket. "I'll go get the sealant and replacement strips."
"I'll go see if the ladder works," Carl said, walking outside.
"Wait!" Chen Hao called out to him, "Put on your gloves, the metal outside has a lot of splinters."
"knew."
Nana stood still, her finger swiping across the terminal, constantly refreshing the data. Her voice was calm: "The current wind force has risen to level ten, and the outer cloud system is beginning to cover the observation station."
Chen Hao walked back to the whiteboard, picked up a pen, and wrote a new line below the original plan: **Act ahead of schedule, everyone work overtime**.
He drew an arrow pointing to "roof reinforcement" and then circled it.
“The first thing,” he said, “is to stabilize things at the top.”
He looked up at the ceiling; dust floated in the light. A loose pipe wobbled slightly, making a soft sound.
Chen Hao stared at the pipe without moving.
Nana's voice came from behind: "The load-bearing assessment has been completed, and there is a risk of collapse in this area."
Chen Hao nodded and clicked the pen cap back on.
He walked toward the door, his steps heavier than before.
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