◎Happy 51st day: Building a nest◎
When they arrived, the water surface was vast and desolate. Apart from knowing that they were west of Nanshan, they knew nothing else.
Fortunately, Jiang Muyun bought a topographic map with detailed markings on the heights of each mountain, otherwise they would be really at a loss now.
Several people used Nanshan as a positioning point and judged the water level based on the height of Nanshan.
Then, based on this data, we assign an approximate height range to the mountains they can see within their field of vision and the hills they pass by on the way.
A group of people gathered together to do math problems like high school students doing homework.
Jiang Muyun drew a line on the map with a pencil. "I remember we deviated to the left. I'm not sure how much, but Chu Buwen remembers that we passed a group of hills that were mostly flooded."
Jiang Muyun searched the area on the map for a long time and circled out two places with the same height.
Qin Shiwen stared at the colorful topographic map, her temples throbbing with pain. She rubbed her temples and said, "There's a high mountain after the shift. It doesn't look much lower than Nanshan. I said it might be Ershan in Yi City. Do you remember?"
Jiang Muyun erased the other circled area: "Then we'll go this way. There are no mountains on the other side."
"Then it was a straight line—it was supposed to be a straight line—and it came to a small, completely submerged mound."
A group of people began to look for the small mound on the map again. In the end, because they couldn't see the shape of the small mound, they circled four places with similar heights. They could only take out the terrain data they encountered later to check.
They guessed and speculated all the way, and finally, based on the altitude range of the mountains nearby, they roughly determined their location.
Jiang Muyun took out a tourist map and marked their location by comparing it with the topographic map.
If they were not mistaken, a few miles north of their exit would lead them to the largest resort park near Nanshi, which focuses on parent-child leisure.
Important note: there is no zoo, only a goldfish pond for children to fish and feed the fish.
However, it is extremely cold and dry, so the fish in the goldfish pond must have dried up long ago.
Chu Buwen looked at the map and said, "Supplies around here definitely won't be abundant, but there are relatively few people, so our chances of escaping the plague will increase."
This place is located right in the middle of Nanshi and Yishi, with mountains on the side. It will be convenient whether transportation is restored to urban life in the future or people are forced to take refuge in the mountains if disasters continue.
Jiang Muyun circled all the chain supermarkets in Yi City on the tourist map.
"It doesn't matter if there are no supplies nearby, we can go to the city to look for them. Since the plague hasn't broken out in the past two days and there won't be many people outside, we can go in batches." Jiang Muyun said.
Originally, they planned to heal their wounds before retrieving supplies, but now they not only have dry diving suits, but also waterproof dressing patches. As long as they don't move too much or soak in water every day, retrieving things from the water will have limited impact on their wounds.
With the plague as a red thread, no one wants to take the risk of going into the water to look for things after the plague breaks out.
Moreover, no one knows when this disaster will end, let alone what the future will be like and whether we can return to normal life. Naturally, the more things we have, the better.
Li Anxuan pulled out the unused paper he'd used to record drug information. "We can have fewer people stay in the mountains. After all, there aren't many people here. Going downtown to look for things might lead to conflicts. It's best if we don't split up too far. We should just designate an area and search only within that area."
Qin Shiwen agreed, "Every time we go out, who will stay behind, who will be responsible for watching the boat, and who will go into the water, we have to plan it in advance. Let's make a schedule."
Among all the people present, if we talk about friendship, only the brother and sister Qin Shiwen and Qin Shiwu can trust each other without reservation.
Next up is Jiang Muyun, who grew up with them.
Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen do have a life-and-death friendship, but now everyone thinks that they are just more compatible and don’t think they have a very good relationship.
As for the others, we all met halfway.
They have never had any conflicts or disputes until now, mainly because they have a good sense of propriety.
Even when taking supplies from the warehouse, others would help put a pile of them aside, and you had to take as much as you needed yourself, instead of taking the things back for everyone to use together.
Egalitarianism is not acceptable. Although mixing them all together may seem intimate, conflicts are bound to arise over time.
It is better to make it clear now. Everyone should take care of themselves. If you have difficulties, just ask and those who can help will definitely help, but that should be a favor, not a matter of course. This way, the relationship will last longer.
After hearing Qin Shiwen's words, the happiest people were Wang Qingqing and the other three.
It was obvious at first glance that Wang Qingqing and the other three were not very strong in fighting, and they knew it themselves.
So they were afraid that Jiang Muyun and others would arrange for them to stay in the mountains to look after the house.
Wang Qingqing felt that even if the four of them went to the city and had conflicts with others, and died before they could get help from others, they would not have any resentment.
They would rather roll in the mud with injuries every day than stay in the mountains and wait for their companions to bring back food to share with them.
If they are not good at fighting, they can practice. If they are used to relying on their companions for everything, then they will soon die. They can't rely on Jiang Muyun and others for the rest of their lives.
Zheng Xiang was the first to express her opinion: "Can we apply to form a team of two and act together?"
The other three nodded in agreement, and consciously divided Zhou Ying and Wu Xingyue into one team, and Zheng Xiang and Wang Qingqing into one team.
They are also very aware of their own fighting power. If they really act separately, they will definitely be in trouble if something happens, and they may even implicate their companions.
Always work in teams of two to collect supplies. Although the efficiency is a little low, it is safe.
Li Anxuan first took note of the four of them, and then asked the others if they had any requests.
Several people shook their heads and said they would follow him.
Li Anxuan calculated the number of people there. "Then Zhao Jiahao, Wu Xingyue, and Zhou Ying will stay behind on the first day. Then Chu Buwen and Jiang Muyun will stay behind to pick up Wang Qingqing, Zheng Xiang, and me. On the fourth day, Qin Shiwen and Qin Shiwu will stay. Is that okay?"
Li Anxuan didn't say it, but this arrangement was to take care of Wang Qingqing and the other three, and not leave them alone.
We are worried about them getting into trouble, and also about the supplies getting into trouble.
Finding things is important, but keeping things is also important.
If they wanted to bring more stuff back, they would have to go out with two boats. The people who stayed behind and the people who looked after the boats were responsible for the wealth of all of them.
If everyone rushed in and came back to find their homes ransacked, wouldn't that be a huge mistake?
"No problem. To be on the safe side, we'll set out into the water the day after tomorrow and rest for another day tomorrow." Jiang Muyun put down her pen, stood up straight, and rubbed her temples. She felt a little dizzy from looking at the map just now.
Jiang Muyun stood up and stretched himself a bit. "It's a good time to take a look at the mountain during the day. Then we can set up some alarm systems on the surrounding mountains. It would be best if we could also set up some simple communication devices between every two caves."
It is said to be a small hill here, but walking in the mountain and looking at it from outside the mountain are completely different.
What they found was a cave, not a self-built house, and the location was completely random.
Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen live closest to the place, but it still takes ten minutes to walk there along the mountain road.
If someone really came up from some corner, the three people left behind might not be able to find him.
The people who are best at setting traps here, apart from Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen who have the most experience in survival in the wild, are Zhou Ying, who has been fishing and catching shrimps since he was a child.
Zhao Jiahao and Li Anxuan also knew a little, but it was all hearsay. Conscripts are not taught this.
The next morning, several people found all the materials they thought could be used, and the five people who had some knowledge of this area got together to brainstorm.
The easiest thing to make is the communication device, which can be solved by borrowing the wisdom of our ancestors.
Tie a rope between the two caves and tie some metal such as iron sheets to the other end of the rope. When you pull it, you can hear a tinkling sound.
Anyway, the mountain is bare now, so there is no need to worry about branches blocking the way. Just pull the rope when you want to contact someone.
Then set some simple signals, such as pulling once means go to the living room to gather, pulling twice means come to my place, pulling three times means there is a stranger, and a random sound means you just pulled the wrong one, etc.
Traps are a bit troublesome because there are not many materials available and they are not concealed enough.
Jiang Muyun tried a relatively simple elastic trap, which was to connect the bottom of the nail with a rubber band, bury the nail in the soil, and wrap the rubber band around a stone to tighten it.
In this way, as long as the nail hits a stone, it will be ejected.
A group of people wandered around the mountain for the whole morning. Because there were no plants, there were not many traps they could make. Apart from the pits, only this elastic trap was practical.
Jiang Muyun buried a lot of small traps with rubber bands and nails, but the killing power was limited. If the opponent was lucky, they would only break a piece of skin.
Early warning systems are even more difficult to come by.
Traps like snapping targets are more effective against animals, and it is difficult for humans to trigger them unless they are blind.
In the end, I had to use a simple method. I tied one end of the cotton thread to a stone, buried the thread in a relatively soft layer of soil, and wrapped a few stones in the middle.
As long as someone steps on one of the rings, the rest of the rocks on the mountain will fall down together.
But this kind of trap is very fragile and will be destroyed if it encounters wind or rain.
They spent the entire day setting up small traps everywhere except the area where they were active, leaving only one safe passage for them to go up and down the mountain.
Today, Dabai and Xiaobai followed them running on the mountain. These two little ones are almost smart. After following them once, they know which places they can't go to in the future. They are very obedient.
Chu Buwen gestured around the crumbling stone for a long time, and finally sighed and said, "I still have to go to the city to get some materials. Even a bell would be better than this."
Jiang Muyun said helplessly: "Let's make do with it for now. We can take turns to stand guard on the mountain for the next two days. The only trouble is that we need to take turns to keep watch at night. Do you have any binoculars?"
Several people nodded.
After Jiang Muyun found the telescope, he specifically reminded them. Everyone knew that it was a good thing and there was no reason to miss it.
"That's good." Jiang Muyun thought for a moment. "Until our alarm system is ready, the people who stay the next day will take turns keeping watch at night. How about that?"
"No problem." said Wu Xingyue and Zhou Ying, who were assigned to stay behind tomorrow.
Zhao Jiahao, who also has to stay tomorrow, thinks it is reasonable.
People who go out to search for supplies need to expend a lot of energy and physical strength, and need to get a good rest at night.
Those who stay behind can take turns to rest during the day and keep watch at night without any delay.
"Oh right." Jiang Muyun was halfway there, carrying his engineer shovel when he suddenly remembered, "We'd better dig a reservoir in the cave as soon as possible. Let's store some water while the water outside is still usable."
The sun is out. If there is another severe drought, it will probably be more severe than before and come faster.
Not to mention the drought, if we don't store more water in the next few days, if the water is full of liquefied corpses in the future, it will be difficult to accept no matter how many times we filter it.
Jiang Muyun and Chu Buwen didn't care about that; they'd drunk all kinds of water, and there weren't corpses in the water right now. But since they had a choice, why not save some clean water? At least it was water they didn't find offensive. It wasn't like they had a special fetish.
It's just that they will feel more tired during this period.
Several people were frightened by the previous drought, especially Wang Qingqing and the others. They would rather die of exhaustion than live without water again. They immediately said that they would go back and dig, dig as big as they could.
"And it has to be dug deep inside the cave, where the temperature is low and it's protected from sunlight. If the temperature rises again in a few days, the water reservoir in the cave can help cool it down." Zhou Ying said, "Spread gravel and waterproof membrane or plastic sheeting underneath, cover it with something, keep it cool and out of the sun, and the water can be preserved for a long time."
The four of them have suffered a deep psychological trauma from water shortage.
"It depends on your needs." Jiang Muyun said, "Dig your own cave based on its size. If it doesn't work, find another cave to live in. We can just reconnect the communication rope."
Digging a reservoir like hers is definitely just for show. Since Wang Qingqing and the other four people are going to use water, they must dig a big one.
Jiang Muyun wrote something down on a piece of paper as he spoke: "Tomorrow, besides looking for the usual necessities, you should also keep an eye out for things that can be used as warning traps. It would also be best to bring some water containers."
"We can't use that kettle to get water." Jiang Muyun joked.
They used a kettle to boil water outside yesterday morning. Before the water was cut off, the kettle was only enough to wash their face. They used it to carry water up the mountain, but after the water receded, it still couldn't fill a reservoir.
Chu Buwen patted the dirt off his body and said: "Then I will look for a replacement for the shoulder pole tomorrow to carry water."
"Okay then." Qin Shiwen stretched lazily. "Let's go according to plan tomorrow and look for food near the supermarket. If we see any miscellaneous items, we can take them with us."
In fact, what they lack most now is not drinking water, but other daily necessities.
For example, there are pots and pans for eating, buckets for storing water, bells for early warning systems, bedding for sleeping, and even sticks and brackets for supporting clotheslines.
They couldn't always sleep on the mat on the floor and cover themselves with the thin blanket brought from Nanshan.
Several of them still had injuries on their bodies. They rubbed their bodies hard from sleeping on the mats every day. Not to mention healing, if it happened a few more times, the injuries would probably get worse.
Besides, they were living in the mountains. No matter how hot it was during the day, the temperature would drop after the sun went down at night. If there was wind or rain, it would be even more troublesome.
I can manage to hold on these few days, but my body won’t be able to bear it for a long time.
It is hard to say how many sealed dry quilts can be fished out of the water now. If they can’t find any, they can only fish out the wet ones and bring them back to dry in the sun.
They couldn't just throw the quilts on the ground to dry; they had to set them up on a rack. And since they were planning to stay here for a while, they had to wash clothes and hang them out to dry.
With that calculation, they needed too many odds and ends to build a home with nothing. If there were wood on the mountain, it would be easy, but now the mountain is bare, and they have to go outside to find all the odds and ends.
However, even if what they lack most now is not food, reality requires them to put food first and seize the time to collect as much food as possible.
Because they don’t lack what others do.
Food is certainly the first thing that most people put at the top of their list when searching for supplies, but not everyone can find waterproof dressing patches and dry diving suits.
With the previous lessons in mind, who would dare to go into the water without sufficient waterproof equipment?
Now that everyone is recovering from their injuries and there are not many people outside, the possibility of them being targeted when they find food and bring it back is lower.
When there were more people, they would bring back a small amount of food and some miscellaneous items that would not be robbed.
The timing is perfectly staggered, safe and efficient.
Jiang Muyun had been writing down the items quickly since the beginning. After finishing, he tore off the list and said, "The top column contains the urgently needed sundries. Our main goal these days is food, but if we see these, we can also bring them back. We can worry about the rest later."
The others took out paper and pen and started copying the homework.
Chu Buwen asked, "I'm going to make a net bag so that I can carry things with me. Do you want it?"
Wang Qingqing said excitedly: "I want one too. Can I learn from you?"
Chu Buwen said he didn't mind: "Then I'll do it in the living room. If you need it, come over and join us. It doesn't need to be too big. It's just for when you go into the water and when you carry things up the mountain."
Even with diving equipment, an average person without professional training can only dive more than ten meters on their first dive, and stay underwater for two or three minutes. With such a short time, they can't catch much at a time.
Carrying things uphill in a net bag also requires physical effort. This mountain has no signs of human development, and the paths are all mountain paths, which are definitely not as easy to climb as stairs. If the net is too big and you end up unable to carry it or climb the mountain, it will be a waste of time.
Since Chu Buwen is willing to teach, everyone is of course willing to learn.
Jiang Muyun also edited it herself, and after finishing it in a few seconds, she would look around. Jiang Muyun felt that she was checking for shortcomings in Chu Buwen's teaching work. Qin Shiwen said that she was the head teacher who was running around in the examination room during the exam.
After they finished weaving the net, Jiang Muyun calculated the time: "We will set off early tomorrow morning. If anyone wants to dig a reservoir tonight, please be careful to control the time and go to bed early. Zhao Jiahao, remember to call us in the morning when you are on guard."
They also have to row a boat to the city, which will take a long time on the road. If they don't go early and come back early, it will take an unknown amount of time to dig the water reservoir at home.
And if it’s dark when they come back at night and they can’t find their way on the water, they’ll be in big trouble.
Zhao Jiahao responded: "Okay, I'll call you when it's daybreak."
Zhao Jiahao really kept his word. The next morning, when Jiang Muyun was awakened by the clanging sound of bells, it was not yet five o'clock and the sky outside was just getting light.
Jiang Muyun sat up painfully.
With Xiaobai watching over the house, she herself has never slept deeply, so Jiang Muyun secretly moved the bed out of the space to sleep at night.
But she had injuries on her shoulders and back, so she slept on her stomach at night. After a night, her arms were almost numb.
She felt that she had not slept so much as rowed a boat all night.
Jiang Muyun simply washed up, put away all the things that shouldn't be in the cave into the space, went to find Qin Shiwen to exchange the medicine and put on the diving suit.
For convenience, everyone just wore diving suits when going out.
Wang Qingqing and others who had been to Yi City said that there was a high-rise residential complex near the supermarket they were going to. According to the standard floor height of 2.8m for elevator buildings, the water should not have completely submerged the entire complex.
With the ocean all around, it is very difficult to identify the direction without professional tools.
They were afraid of getting the map wet, so they could only carry the simple map they drew and grope their way to their destination, and then judge whether their position had deviated based on the possible existence of nearby buildings that were not flooded.
It was their first day today and it took them more than two hours to successfully reach their destination.
According to the original plan, they shouldn't have to spend so much time. But when they felt they were almost in the same position, they couldn't find the neighborhood they had used as a landmark.
The view above the water is very wide, and no buildings above the water can be seen within a radius of one kilometer.
The terrain here is high, and according to their judgment, the water depth should not exceed 20 meters. There is no reason why there is no building over 20 meters nearby.
Jiang Muyun fished out a broken mineral water bottle from the water and said thoughtfully, "Is it possible that instead of there being no buildings here, all the buildings have collapsed?"
"Because we're deeply flooded, the tsunami's passage is not much different from passing through the sea. But here, the terrain is elevated and the water is shallower, which effectively allows the tsunami to make a real landfall."
Jiang Muyun folded his hands, imitating the topography of the water and land. "This is what a tsunami normally does. When the tsunami waves reach the shore, the water level rises suddenly, the impact force increases, and it's normal that buildings can't withstand it."
Just like when a tsunami is brewing at sea, the waves are surging on the surface, but it is still calm under the sea.
Water can be both destructive and protective.
In comparison, buildings that have already been flooded are more likely to be preserved during a tsunami.
The art city has been washed away like this. I wonder what kind of destructive power this tsunami will have when it reaches a place where there is no water.
Chu Buwen said helplessly: "This is the only possibility. Otherwise, the Art City is all shoddy construction and will collapse as soon as the water rushes in."
They don’t know whether the Art City is a shoddy project, but they know that under the current circumstances, it will be even more difficult for them to find things.
On this flat water surface, there were no landmarks, so they used their heads to determine their position.
"Then it all depends on luck. It doesn't matter where we search. We came early, so we don't have to worry about not finding anything." Jiang Muyun is always extremely optimistic about such things.
Jiang Muyun glanced at the time. It was eight o'clock in the morning and there was no one around.
"Chu Buwen, Wang Qingqing, Zheng Xiang and I will be the first group to go into the water. Sister Wen, Brother Wu, and Li Anxuan will be the second group. We will change shifts every two hours and return at four o'clock in the afternoon. Is that okay?" Jiang Muyun asked.
These procedures were all agreed upon by them beforehand, but due to uncertainty in the timing, they had to wait until they arrived at their destination to finalize the detailed time.
The seven people who came out went into the water in two groups, fishing for half a day and resting for half a day to conserve their energy and prevent those who stayed underwater for too long from getting hypothermia, and those who stayed on the water for too long from getting heatstroke.
The three people on the boat waved their hands and said, "Go ahead, just be careful underwater."
They didn't tie any safety ropes or anything like that on their hands. There were too many debris underwater now. If there was nothing wrong originally but the safety rope got entangled in the debris and something happened, it would be so unfair that they would not be able to close their eyes.
Jiang Muyun put on a mask and went into the water.
Thanks to China's dense population, no matter how remote their current location is, as long as they are in the city, they can always find residential areas nearby.
Jiang Muyun immediately took a fancy to a group of low-rise houses that had not yet collapsed.
She swam towards the underwater buildings with her legs swinging. Her destination was not these houses, but the outskirts of the houses.
There must be a small supermarket or convenience store on the outskirts of this kind of old community, usually in the most colorful place.
She didn't care whether the store had rice or flour for sale; she was looking for something else.
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