The ship jolted violently, as if something had bumped it from below. Chen Hao stumbled, nearly crashing into the railing. He raised a hand to his forehead, muttering, "Is this wave trying to invite us to an underwater buffet?"
Nana immediately stood up straight, her eyes flashing blue, as data streams rapidly scrolled through her vision. "The earthquake magnitude has increased to 6.8, and the focal depth continues to decrease," she said calmly, but her voice was a beat faster than usual.
Susan gripped the helm tightly, her eyes fixed on the dock. The figures who had been holding up lanterns in response were now running around haphazardly; some had fallen, but no one had bothered to help them up.
"The docking isn't finished yet!" Carl took a step back while holding the emergency kit. "Getting off the ship now is like jumping into a pot and becoming dumplings."
"We have no choice but to go." Chen Hao wiped his face, stepped through the water on the deck, and walked to the bow of the ship. "The data transmission is only half complete, and the base has no idea what's happening outside. By the time they realize what's going on, we'll all be like cabbages caught in a tsunami."
He glanced back at Nana: "The crucial information is still with you, isn't it?"
“Local storage is activated.” She nodded. “The core model, escape routes, and resonance frequency analysis have all been backed up and can be imported into the main control system at any time.”
"Then let's go." Chen Hao kicked open the cabin door. "Don't wait for them to send invitations."
The four had just stepped onto the dock when the ground shook again. This time it was more severe; even the concrete blocks of the breakwater cracked, and seawater poured in through the cracks. In the distance, the red lights on the main tower flashed erratically, and the broadcast continued intermittently: "...Level One Alert...All personnel immediately proceed to shelter in Zone B...Repeat, this is not a drill..."
The remaining security team had no one to manage the boat anymore. Three men with walkie-talkies were arguing, while the other four carried their bags and ran to higher ground.
"Stop!" Chen Hao strode forward, took out his identification code, and pressed it onto the scanner. "T7-042, emergency return, carrying raw tsunami warning data! We need to take over command of the site now!"
Nobody paid him any attention.
"Does my word not carry weight?" He turned to look at Nana. "We just came back from the epicenter; don't we know more about the situation than you do?"
Nana immediately chimed in: "I detected that the deep-sea fault activity is more than three times faster than predicted. The tsunami, which was originally scheduled to arrive in ninety minutes, will now arrive in at most fifty minutes."
Upon hearing this, the security guard who had been arguing the loudest finally looked up: "How many minutes did you say? Fifty minutes? Impossible! The system estimates ninety minutes!"
“The system isn’t connected to the external array.” Nana pointed to the antenna above her head. “Most of your sensors are malfunctioning; only the deep-sea node can still read real-time fluctuations. I’ve already tried to connect.”
"You're a robot, why should I trust you?" the man sneered.
Chen Hao walked straight up to him and snatched the walkie-talkie: "Then tell me, who's in command right now? Is anyone in the control room? Is there a partial power outage? Is the archives room sealed off? How much supplies have been moved from the living quarters?"
The other person opened their mouth but didn't say anything.
"Don't blame me for overstepping my bounds if no one's in charge." Chen Hao raised the walkie-talkie. "Listen up, everyone, you're now under my command. If you don't believe me, you can keep running, but let me remind you—once the waves come, even high places aren't safe, unless the walls are thick enough."
He paused: "I know you're afraid of dying. I'm afraid too. But I'm even more afraid of dying without knowing why. What we brought back can save many people, provided you stop running around aimlessly first."
The crowd fell silent for a few seconds.
Then a female voice asked, "What do you want us to do?"
“Three paths.” Chen Hao held up a finger. “First, Susan takes people to the archives and packs up all the research materials to the third floor or above; second, Carl goes to the engineering team to check the load-bearing walls and waterproof gates, and immediately plugs any cracks found; third, Nana is in charge of connecting to the deep-sea monitoring network, and I need to start the countdown precisely.”
He looked at the security team leader: "If you're not happy, you can take over now. But let me tell you, when the waves come crashing in, nobody will remember which department you're from."
The man gritted his teeth and finally handed over the equipment in his hand.
“Command is being transferred,” he said. “But I’m only giving you twenty minutes to verify what you’re saying.”
"That's enough." Chen Hao took the equipment, turned around and ran towards the command center. "Nana, keep up."
The control room door was open, and the lights were off. A corner of the control panel screen was cracked, and the power indicator light flickered. Chen Hao tried the start button several times without any response, and finally slapped the computer case: "Don't play dead with me."
“It’s been manually locked.” Nana walked over and glanced at it. “It has a higher access level than a regular account, so it must have been closed by higher-ups before the evacuation.”
"Then break it."
“I can simulate the authentication protocol,” she said, “but it will take three minutes.”
"I'll give you two minutes." Chen Hao leaned against the wall. "People outside are risking their lives; we don't have time to talk about rules."
Nana closed her eyes and lightly touched the interface. A few seconds later, a string of code appeared on the screen, and the progress bar began to climb.
Susan rushed in with two people, carrying sealed boxes: "The archives are cleared out, but half of the east corridor has collapsed, and the moving team is stuck."
"Let's take a detour," Chen Hao said. "Let's go up the south ladder and not waste time."
"What about Carl?"
"They are reinforcing the east wall, saying there isn't enough cement and they need to use sandbags to make up for it."
"Get the logistics department to allocate supplies." Chen Hao grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Every minute counts now."
Nana suddenly opened her eyes: "Connection successful."
The main screen lights up, and a dynamic image unfolds. On the deep-sea topographic map, a red ripple is rapidly advancing, marked with "[Estimated arrival: 47 minutes]".
"Too fast." Susan stared at the numbers. "The base originally gave us ninety minutes to prepare."
“Because they haven’t seen the real data.” Nana pointed to the diagram. “The speed at which the submarine fault is tearing apart is accelerating, and the energy release is concentrated in the nearshore area. The first wave may not be strong, but the subsequent superimposed waves will be stronger.”
Chen Hao stared at the screen and suddenly smiled: "That's good, at least we know when to close our eyes."
"You can still laugh?" Susan looked at him.
"Should I laugh or cry?" He shrugged. "Since I can't escape it anyway, I might as well do something useful."
He picked up the walkie-talkie, his voice low and serious: "Attention everyone, the tsunami vane will arrive in forty-seven minutes. This is not a drill, nor a false alarm. Now, execute the wartime division of labor—"
Nana monitored the data changes throughout the process and immediately reported any updates.
Susan was in charge of resource allocation, prioritizing the transfer of drinking water, medicines, and emergency lights;
Carl led the team to complete the structural reinforcement, especially the cracks in the south section and the waterproof door;
I'll stay in the command center to coordinate; anyone with a problem can contact me directly.
After saying that, he looked around and asked, "Any more questions?"
No one spoke.
"Then let's get moving." He waved his hand. "Remember, when the wall collapses, no one can escape."
The crowd quickly dispersed. Susan picked up her suitcase and walked out, her steps much steadyer than before. Carl bumped into her at the door; they nodded briefly, one heading east, the other south.
Nana stood before the control panel, her eyes flashing steadily with blue light. She continuously adjusted the parameters, integrating the deep-sea array's data stream into the local system. On the screen, the countdown numbers ticked away: 46:53, 46:52, 46:51…
Chen Hao leaned against the wall, watching the crowd outside gradually come to a busy start. The few who had been running around earlier returned and began moving sandbags. Someone tripped and fell, but got up and continued working.
"Aren't you afraid?" Nana suddenly asked.
“I was afraid,” he said. “But I discovered something—the more afraid you are, the more you have to pretend you don’t care. Otherwise, others will panic even more.”
Nana didn't say anything more, she just nodded slightly.
Ten minutes later, news came that the reinforcement of the east wall was complete. Karl's voice was hoarse: "We've run out of cement, but the sandbags are piled up and the temporary support frame is set up. It should hold for a while."
"What about the South District?" Chen Hao asked.
"Water is still seeping through the cracks, but we have found a spare steel plate and are welding it in place."
"Okay, don't push yourself too hard. If you get tired, switch to someone else."
He then received a reply from Susan: "All the research data has been transferred, and 70% of the supplies for the living quarters have been delivered. The rest are too heavy and require a crane."
"Use manpower," Chen Hao said. "The crane would be useless if the power went out."
He hung up the walkie-talkie and walked to the window. The tide was receding, revealing large areas of wet rocks. The metal supports that were usually hidden underwater were all exposed, crookedly stuck in the mud.
"The tide is out," he said.
“This is a precursor to a tsunami.” Nana walked to his side. “The seawater will recede first, and then rush back in.”
“Like breathing,” Chen Hao grinned. “Inhale, then exhale forcefully.”
The alarm suddenly changed tone, from a long blare to a rapid beeping sound. The countdown on the main screen jumped to [38:17], and a warning box popped up: [External pressure abnormality, pressure on the south area waterproof door exceeds the limit]
"South District!" Chen Hao grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Report the situation!"
A few seconds later, Carl's voice came through: "The steel plates are welded, but the foundation is loose and the door frame is deformed. It may not be able to withstand the first wave of impact."
Can it be repaired?
"Adding two more rows of support columns might work, but we lack the materials."
"Dismantle the steel beams of the abandoned compartment next to it," Chen Hao said. "Let's get started now."
"clear."
He put down the walkie-talkie and turned to look at Nana: "How much longer?"
“Thirty-seven minutes,” she said. “And the frequency of earthquakes has increased again.”
Chen Hao took a deep breath, walked to the center of the hall, and turned on the global broadcast.
“Listen up, everyone,” he said. “The wave is coming faster than we thought. There’s a breach in the south, and we’re working on repairs. Now is not the time to conserve supplies, it’s the time to save lives.”
Those who don't want to be swept away, go help move steel beams, pile up sandbags, and secure doors and windows.
If you don't want to die, start moving now.
I don't expect you to be very brave, but I ask that you don't hold us back.
Forty minutes later, you'll either be standing against the wall or lying down. The choice is yours.
He turned off the radio and glanced at his watch.
Then I walked toward the door.
The sandbags were piled up to a person's height, and all the emergency lights were on. The sea in the distance was frighteningly low, and the reefs were exposed like exposed bones.
Chen Hao grabbed a bag of cement and walked towards the south area.
His shoes splashed into the puddle.
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