Chapter 180
Robot No. 1's robotic arm lifted a half-meter square granite slab from the spatial light curtain and placed it steadily on the marked line at the edge of the mountain peak.
This stone, carrying the slight coolness of the space it was stored in, and still bearing traces of sand and dust from the extremely hot period, is now the core material for building the flood control dike.
The depression on the east side of the mountaintop has been cleared. Su Jing used a manganese crystal marker to draw a 10-meter-long arc on the ground. This is the baseline of the flood control dike. The 1-meter-high dike must be built within 6 hours, otherwise the rising water in the early morning will flood into the temporary rain shelter.
"Su Jing! Keep the stone stable! The next one should be one with sharp edges, so it can hold together with this one and won't be easily swept away by the current!"
Little Jin squatted beside the baseline, its little paws digging into the newly placed granite. Its black nose sniffed the ground, and its inner voice said earnestly, "I smell 'dampness' underground, stronger than yesterday—water is seeping down from the mountaintop. Although it's slow, it will soften the soil in the cracks of the rocks!"
Su Jing nodded and gave the order into the communicator: "Number 2, select angular granite from the space, and keep the weight of each piece under 500 kilograms to make it easier for Number 1 to carry."
Number 3, take thin strips of manganese crystal. After placing every three stones, use the strips to secure them at the gaps, then use supernatural welding to seal them, leaving no gaps.
Robot No. 2 responded immediately, and several angular rocks popped out of the spatial light screen one after another. Robot No. 1 carried and placed them one by one, while Robot No. 3 held a miniature welding pen. Pale blue superpower flowed into the manganese crystal strips from the tip of the pen, fusing the joints of the two rocks into a whole, as if they had grown together.
The construction of the embankment proceeded steadily with the cooperation of machinery and superpowers: Su Jing moved around the embankment, pressing the rock surface with her palm from time to time, and using her heat-resistant superpower to sense the stability of the embankment. When she encountered a loose rock, she would activate spatial energy to fine-tune its position.
If the gaps are found to be too large, then No. 3 will be instructed to add manganese crystal fragments to ensure that every inch of the dike is free of hidden dangers.
Robot No. 4 dug shallow trenches on the outside of the dike, and laid waterproof tarpaulins taken from space on the bottom of the trenches to further block water seepage. The edges of the tarpaulins were pressed down with small stones, leaving no gaps even the width of a fingernail.
"Su Jing! The embankment on the west side is a bit crooked!"
Suddenly, Xiao Jin ran to the end of the arc, pointing with its paw at a newly placed rock. "I just checked, this one is 2 centimeters lower than the one next to it. The water will overflow from here! We need to raise it a bit!"
Su Jing immediately went over and used a portable level to measure—sure enough, the rock was 2 centimeters lower than the baseline, which meant that No. 1 had been bumped by a small stone on the ground while being moved.
She had Number 1 release the mechanical arm, activated her flight ability, and gently lifted the rock with a pale blue current. At the same time, she had Number 4 place three manganese crystals under the rock until the bubble in the level was centered, and then she had Number 1 re-secure it.
When the levee reached a height of 80 centimeters, Xiao Jin suddenly perked up his ears and looked toward the monitoring instrument on the north side of the mountaintop. The voice in his mind instantly became urgent: "Su Jing! The water is rising faster to the north! I can smell the 'dampness' near the monitoring instrument suddenly becoming stronger—it's not seepage, it's the accumulated water rising! It's 0.2 meters per hour faster than at this time yesterday!"
Su Jing immediately picked up the communicator and pulled up the data from the monitoring device on the north side—the red numbers on the screen showed "Current water level is 30 meters from the mountaintop, rising at a rate of 0.8 meters per hour, an increase of 0.2 meters per hour compared to 1 hour ago," and a line of small print popped up below: "[Local torrential rain caused tributary overflows, leading to accelerated water level rise]."
Her heart sank, and she ordered the robot: "Speed up! Robots 1 and 2, prioritize moving the rocks. Robot 3, simplify the welding process, ensure the height first, and then reinforce it later."
Number 4, put the sleeping mats and sleeping bags out of the rain shelter to prevent them from getting wet from the floodwater!
As soon as the command was given, the sound of splashing water came from the north side of the mountaintop—the water in the distance had already reached the rock piles at the foot of the mountain, and the turbid water flowed up along the cracks in the rocks, leaving wet streaks on the ground.
The No. 1 robot's carrying speed has increased significantly, and the interval between the robotic arm and the embankment has been reduced by half. The No. 2 robot can lift two rocks at a time to save time as much as possible.
Instead of meticulous welding, No. 3 used fine manganese crystal strips to form a temporary reinforcement layer by pulling a net on the outside of the rock. Although it was not as strong as welding, it could quickly improve the stability of the dike.
Su Jing also joined in the transport—she activated her flying ability, held a 300-kilogram rock in her hands, and gently placed it at the gap in the embankment. At the same time, she used her ability to attach the rock to the two sides of the embankment, temporarily blocking the possible flooding.
Xiao Jin helped pass manganese crystal fragments from the side. Although his little claws were small, they were able to accurately stuff the fragments into the cracks in the rock, preparing for subsequent reinforcement.
"Just 20 centimeters left! Give it your all!" Xiao Jin's voice was panting, but he still didn't stop moving.
When the last rock was secured and the embankment finally reached a height of 1 meter, the floodwaters on the north side had already reached 5 meters below the mountaintop. The turbid water flowed into a small pool at the foot of the mountain, just a step away from the flood control embankment.
Su Jing slumped down beside the embankment, looking at the winding granite embankment in front of her. On the supplies list on the communicator, "Granite (500kg×32 pieces)," "Manganese crystal strips (100 meters)," and "Waterproof canvas (20㎡)" were all marked as "used." She breathed a sigh of relief—this embankment could at least stop the rising water at the current speed.
Xiao Jin lay on the embankment, sniffing the water below with its little nose. A voice in its mind said with worry, "Su Jing, the 'beast smell' in the water is getting stronger—it seems like there are second-tier water beasts swimming this way. Although they are still far away, their 'ferocious smell' is getting closer and closer!"
Just as Su Jing was about to reply, a hurried message popped up on her communicator. It was from the Northern Base: "@I am the God of Wealth! Our base's flood control dike has been breached by a tributary! Floodwater has already entered the supply area, and we urgently need waterproof tarpaulins and manganese crystal strips! Can you exchange them for demon cores?"
Looking at the message and then at the remaining waterproof tarpaulin in the space, she knew in her heart that a new request for help had arrived, and this newly built flood control dike was only the first step in surviving the flood season.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com