So the guards worked through the night to make a sieve with large holes, the kind that could sift out the snowflakes and leave only the ice chunks.
A few people took sieves, while the rest used shovels to scoop up the snow and put it in. Then they shoveled away the snowflakes, leaving behind glistening ice lumps.
It's hard to say whether this method is faster than picking it up directly from the ground, but since no one has experience with it, we're all figuring it out slowly.
Seeing that there were enough people over there, it seemed that one more or one less wouldn't make a difference, so Shen Yanming bent down and started searching by the roadside.
He has excellent eyesight and can spot ice cubes with a single glance. As soon as he sees one, he picks it up and puts it in his bag.
Of course, we didn't forget to do a little trick. Put three items into the bag, and one of them will be stored in our spatial storage.
Even so, the collection speed was quite fast. In no time at all, a bagful was collected and poured into the storage box of the supply vehicle.
Shen Yanming wasn't sure if this level of sealing would be effective, but since this was the container they had prepared, they'd just do it this way for now. Who knows, maybe they'd reseal it when they took it back.
And so, a group of people worked all morning, but it felt like they hadn't done anything at all.
The ice floes kept falling from the sky, and their collection speed couldn't keep up with the speed at which they fell.
So after all that effort, everyone was a bit discouraged. It wasn't until they saw the supply trucks almost completely full that they felt a tiny bit of a sense of accomplishment.
Li Gangtie waved his hand, signaling everyone to return to the guard post to rest. The crowd's faces lit up with joy, and some even cheered.
Li Gangtie shook his head helplessly, unable to say whether he was satisfied or not with their performance.
Because if the guards are on a mission, they wouldn't be back in such a short time. But the fact that this group of people could persist for so long in temperatures of minus forty or fifty degrees Celsius is already quite remarkable.
If it were an ordinary citizen, they would probably be frozen to death by now.
This shows that there is a difference between participating in training and not participating in training.
The small unit followed the supply truck back to the guard post, and the first thing they did was rush to the logistics department to drink a bowl of ginger soup. Those who usually ate in the canteen sat on the floor, picked up a bowl of rice porridge and drank it, not caring about their image at all.
Seeing this, Li Gangtie could only say to everyone, "Let's rest for two hours first, then gather here and continue working."
Because they were given time to process things, their reluctance lessened considerably. They nodded listlessly, indicating that they understood.
Li Gangtie sighed and beckoned Shen Yanming to leave together. The two walked back to the dormitory, both with furrowed brows.
"Yanming, look at this, we've been working on this for ages and it's like we haven't accomplished anything. At this rate, it's practically a waste of time. Do you have any good ideas?"
Shen Yanming shook his head and smiled bitterly: "You really think of me as a savior? But I'm just an ordinary citizen, I really don't have any good ideas!"
Shen Yanming looked up at the sky and said, "How can a person fight against the heavens? Unless the heavens give us a way out and stop this freezing cold."
Li Gangtie knew this would be the outcome, but he was unwilling to accept it, which was why he asked that question. After all, the person beside him was extremely lucky, and who knew what earth-shattering words he might utter.
But it's normal that it's not there, just like he said, man can't conquer nature.
"Alright, stop looking so gloomy. Do your best and leave the rest to fate. We've done what we were supposed to do, and as long as we have a clear conscience, that's enough," Shen Yanming comforted him.
Li Gangtie nodded. "It's just that I feel humans are too small and too powerless, and that makes me feel a little sad."
Shen Yanming chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Isn't it all my own doing? I have to bear the consequences."
Li Gangtie remained silent and quickened his pace.
The two parted ways in front of the dormitory building. As soon as Shen Yanming opened the door, he smelled the aroma of food, which made his mouth water.
"Wife, what delicious food are you making?" Shen Yanming quickly composed himself and asked Bi Qiaoan with a smile.
"Grilled meat rice, to give you some energy. There's also a pot of seafood soup to go with it."
"It's all meat, that sounds so greasy."
"Ha, you're not happy about being offered meat? Ask around, how many people outside can eat meat this much!"
"I was just joking. If you really want some vegetables, you'll definitely want more than me."
Bi Qiaoan smiled and changed the subject, saying, "I feel like something's off with you. The moment you walked in today, you were deliberately making jokes. So, what's wrong?"
Shen Yanming hugged Bi Qiaoan from behind, nuzzling his head against her neck, and said in a muffled voice, "It just feels like human power is so insignificant, we can't do anything. We've been busy outside for half a day, but in reality, apart from a truckload of ice, we have nothing else."
"Honey, you have no idea how fast we can collect ice chunks compared to the speed at which ice is falling from the sky. It feels like we've been busy all day, but it's all been for nothing."
Bi Qiaoan chuckled and patted Shen Yanming's hand. "Do you think those big shots don't know? They know perfectly well, but they still have to do it. Because we can't just sit here and wait to die. Even if we fail in the end, at least we tried, right?"
"Yeah, I was overthinking it." Shen Yanming nodded. "By the way, did you go out today?"
"After you left, I went out and picked up a bag of ice cubes and came back quickly, in less than half an hour."
"It's clear how much has fallen from the sky. If all of this had been sublimated, I wonder if humanity could have survived."
"It's not that bad. Heaven always leaves people a way out. I went down to pick up the ice chunks because I thought they might not sublimate that quickly, otherwise there wouldn't be so much left in the snow."
"Maybe so. This isn't within our research scope. Let the research institute worry about it. By the way, where are the two babies?"
"Going to sleep! You spent the whole morning making chilblain cream with me, I'm afraid you're bored."
"Can they even sit still?"
“I couldn’t just sit still, so I put the two kids on the ground and let them run around, and even called the goose out to watch the children.”
Shen Yanming chuckled: "You certainly know how to come up with a solution."
Bi Qiaoan rolled her eyes: "What else do you suggest? How can I take care of the child and do housework all by myself? I can't handle it all!"
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, my dear wife!" Shen Yanming said gratefully.
Bi Qiaoan's cheeks flushed, and she coughed lightly: "Let's eat!"
Shen Yanming didn't linger with his wife any longer and quickly started eating. After finishing, he nestled on the sofa for a nap.
Because of the time crunch, I didn't even change my clothes; everything was just make do.
Even so, this is a level of treatment that many guards wouldn't even dare to dream of.
Time flies. Shen Yanming hadn't had enough sleep when his phone alarm went off. He reflexively got up, turned off the alarm, got dressed, told Bi Qiaoan to take care of him, and then went out.
However, the scene before him stunned him.
The ice floes in the sky have disappeared, and now only snowflakes are falling gently.
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