Chapter 181
In the supply warehouse of the northern base, the murky water had reached knee-deep. Old Li waded through the water, his hands tightly gripping a wooden box containing heat-resistant agents. Water was seeping out from the gaps at the bottom of the box, so he had to lift the box over his head and wad through the water to the second floor of the warehouse.
Behind them, three base members were working together to drag a storage battery. The metal bracket at the bottom of the battery made a screeching sound as it scraped in the water. Water seeped into the battery through the cracks on its surface, and the power indicator on the screen began to flash, indicating that it could short-circuit and become unusable at any time.
"Old Li! The waterproof tarpaulin in the southeast corner has torn! The water is pouring in even faster! If we don't do something soon, the second floor won't last another half hour!"
Xiao Wang, who was guarding the warehouse, shouted at the top of the stairs. The plastic sheet in his hand was no match for the raging water. The fabric was deformed by the water pressure, and water dripped down his trouser legs, making his lips turn purple from the cold.
Although the heavy rain brought the temperature down to 30°C, being soaked in water for a long time still made you feel chilly.
Old Li placed the wooden crate on the dry platform on the second floor, turned around, wiped the water off his face, and quickly ran to the communicator—
This communicator was sent by "I am the God of Wealth" through the system's transaction channel. Its signal is three times stronger than that of ordinary devices. The help message sent half an hour ago is still visible on the screen, but no reply has been received.
He was so anxious that he stamped his feet and tapped the "I am the God of Wealth" avatar repeatedly on the screen, afraid that his previous message hadn't been sent: "Why hasn't he replied yet? If I wait any longer, the spirit herb seeds and spare laser guns in the warehouse will all be flooded!"
Xiao Zhang ran over carrying a bundle of manganese crystal strips. Water droplets from the strips dripped onto the communicator, and Lao Li quickly wiped them dry: "Xiao Zhang, you traded with 'God of Wealth' before. Send another private message with a picture of the warehouse in real time, so she can see where the water is now!"
Xiao Zhang immediately nodded, took out his spare phone, and filmed a video of the floodwaters in the warehouse and the supplies submerged in the water. He added the text: "@I am the God of Wealth, the floodwaters in the Northern Base supply warehouse are up to our knees. Energy storage batteries and spirit herb seeds are about to be submerged. We urgently need 20 meters of waterproof canvas and 50 meters of manganese crystal strips. We can exchange them for third-tier demon cores. Please reply as soon as possible!"
Less than two minutes after the message was sent, the communicator suddenly popped up with a "ding-dong" notification sound, and the screen displayed the reply "I am the God of Wealth" with the system's built-in light blue logo: "Supports 20 meters of waterproof canvas (tear-resistant type) and 50 meters of manganese crystal strips. Exchange rules: 1 Tier 3 Demon Core. Online transaction through the system's trading channel. The materials will arrive in real time."
Please reinforce the warehouse as soon as possible after delivery. The system will soon issue a tsunami warning; please prepare for flood prevention.
"It replied! The 'God of Wealth' replied!" Old Li's voice trembled with excitement. He quickly opened the system's trading channel backend, his fingers shaking with nervousness, and checked "1 Tier 3 Demon Core" in the "Submit Materials" section.
This demon core was obtained last week when the base members worked together to kill a Tier 3 Giant Rock Beast. They originally intended to keep it to exchange for a Tier 3 Armor-Piercing Cannon, but now that the supply warehouse is running low, they can only use it to exchange for waterproof canvas and manganese crystal strips.
The moment you click "Confirm Submission", a message pops up on the communicator screen saying "Transaction Verification in Progress", and a light green progress bar slowly advances.
Old Li stared at the progress bar, his palms sweating. Behind him came Xiao Wang's shout: "Old Li! The battery's about to short-circuit! If the canvas doesn't arrive soon, we'll have to give up on the battery!"
Old Li looked back and saw that the screen of the energy storage battery had started flashing red. He could only shout, "Hold on for two more minutes! The supplies are coming soon!"
Just as the progress bar reached 100%, the system notification sounded again: [Transaction complete! 20 meters of waterproof canvas and 50 meters of manganese crystal strips have been transmitted to the designated receiving point (second floor platform of the warehouse) at the Northern Base through the system channel. Please check your delivery.]
Old Li immediately ran up to the second floor, where he saw the light blue system light screen slowly dissipating in the open space in the center of the platform. Below the light screen, a roll of dark green waterproof canvas and several bundles of silver-gray manganese crystal strips were neatly stacked together. The canvas surface still carried faint fluctuations of supernatural energy, obviously just transmitted from the space of the "God of Wealth".
"Quick! Lay the canvas in the southeast corner! Xiao Wang, you and two others secure the canvas, nailing the edges shut with thin manganese crystal strips, making sure there are no gaps! Xiao Zhang, you and I wrap the thin manganese crystal strips around the energy storage battery to prevent water from getting in and causing a short circuit!"
While giving instructions, Old Li carried the canvas to the southeast corner of the warehouse. Once the canvas was unfolded, it could just cover the hole. Xiao Wang used manganese nails to nail the edges of the canvas to the wooden beams of the warehouse. Each nail was driven in deep and firmly, and the water was quickly stopped from pouring into the warehouse.
Xiao Zhang and Lao Li worked together to wrap thin strips of manganese crystal around the outer casing of the energy storage battery, using a special welding technique to seal the gaps between the strips.
Although the base members' abilities are not as strong as "God of Wealth's," they can still perform simple fusion.
In less than ten minutes, the battery casing was completely wrapped with fine manganese crystal strips. The red light on the screen finally disappeared and returned to normal green. Old Li breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down on the dry ground, still clutching a piece of the manganese crystal strip that hadn't been finished wrapping in his hand.
"Old Li, look at the communicator! The system has issued a tsunami warning!" Xiao Wang suddenly pointed to his communicator, the red warning on the screen was particularly glaring: [Tsunami Warning Upgrade: Expected to arrive in the northern base area in 48 hours, wave height 3 meters, current water level rise rate will increase to 1 meter/hour, please immediately reinforce the flood control dikes and evacuate to areas above 50 meters in altitude].
Old Li immediately got up, went to the second-floor window, and looked at the flood control dike that was being reinforced around the base.
The dike, previously constructed with ordinary stones, was only half a meter high and couldn't withstand 3-meter-high waves at all. He ordered into the communicator: "Listen up, everyone! Prioritize reinforcing the outer side of the dike with the newly arrived waterproof tarpaulin. Use manganese crystal strips to connect the stones and raise the dike to 1.5 meters! Use the remaining tarpaulin to wrap important supplies and move them all to the small hill on the east side of the base. It's 55 meters above sea level and a safe zone there!"
The base members immediately sprang into action: some carried waterproof tarpaulins toward the dike, others began dismantling supplies from the warehouse, and Xiao Zhang opened the system chat again and sent a thank-you message to "I am the God of Wealth": "@I am the God of Wealth, supplies received, thank you for your support! We have begun reinforcing the dike in preparation for the tsunami. If needed, you can continue to exchange demon cores for supplies!"
After sending the message, Xiao Zhang looked at the "transaction successful" record on his communicator and felt a surge of relief—if it weren't for the timely support from the "God of Wealth," the base's supplies would have been flooded long ago, let alone cope with the impending tsunami.
He looked up at the warehouse. The torrential rain was still pouring down, and the water in the distance had merged into one. He could vaguely see a few water birds flying low over the water. He knew that this flood and tsunami was only the beginning, and the supplies provided by "I am the God of Wealth" were the key to the base's survival.
Old Li squatted beside the dike, watching the team members secure the canvas with thin strips of manganese crystal. His fingertips traced the cold canvas surface, and he suddenly remembered the "tsunami warning" mentioned in "God of Wealth's" reply earlier.
He quickly instructed Xiao Wang to bring up the system map and mark all low-lying areas within a 5-kilometer radius of the base. At the same time, he arranged for someone to notify nearby individual investors. Although they had never cooperated before, when a tsunami comes, no one can escape it, and every person saved is a life saved.
As the last section of waterproof tarpaulin was secured to the dike, the communicator displayed another system notification: [Global tsunami countdown: 46 hours. All survivors are advised to evacuate to areas above 50 meters in altitude as soon as possible to reinforce defenses and stockpile dry supplies].
Old Li stood up, looked at the reinforced embankment, and then glanced at the supplies piled on the hill. He felt a little more at ease.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com