Chapter 138: A Simple Solution

After spending some time underground, Jack put his protective gear back on and followed Megan, Warren, and Walter along the same route to the surface.

The four returned beneath the canopy in front of the shelter and removed their protective gear. When Jack noticed Dale among the others, he waved him over.

“Dale, put on your protective gear.” Jack pointed toward the entrance across from them. “Take the thermometer and measure the temperature underground.”

Dale nodded and went inside the shelter. Before long, he returned carrying the thermometer and a camping light. Once he had put on his protective gear, he headed toward the entrance alone.

Jack and the others went inside the shelter to rest. Colt poured each of them a glass of water, while Warren sat at the table and spread out the plans he had redrawn the previous night.

After taking a few sips, Jack asked, “What still needs to be changed down there?”

“The entrance, for one. It’s too low.” Warren pointed at the entrance on the plans. “Both the entrance and the passage need to be made taller and wider. We’ll also need to reshape the existing slope into steps.”

“That makes sense.” Jack nodded. “What else?”

“The walls and floor need to be cleaned up as well. We’ll shave off the protruding sections and level the ground.”

“What about structural support?” Walter asked.

“We’ll need more than originally planned,” Warren said. “The Dustchucks excavated a larger space, so we’ll have to add support columns around the sides and through the middle. But we have plenty of wooden pallets, so the columns shouldn’t be a problem.”

Warren took a drink before continuing.

“We also need a ventilation shaft. If the entrance is on one side and the ventilation shaft is on the other, that should create natural airflow.”

Then he added, “We’ll dig that ourselves. I don’t want to end up doing the work twice.”

Jack fell silent, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward the outside. Beneath the canopy, the Dustchucks were still gathered around the potatoes, eating happily.

Jack nodded.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Everyone laughed.

Jack ignored them and asked, “Will we need bricks?”

“Yes,” Warren said. “Mainly for the interior partitions. We won’t need them anywhere else.”

“We don’t have to build the partitions yet,” Megan said. “There aren’t many patients right now. Leaving the space open would actually make things easier.”

Warren considered it and nodded.

“That works. We can add them later if necessary.”

“What about water and electricity?” Megan asked. “And what are we going to do with wastewater?”

“We’ll run the electrical wiring and water line directly from the convenience store,” Walter said. “As for wastewater, we’ll collect it in buckets and carry it outside after cleaning. The clinic won’t produce that much wastewater at once, so there’s no reason to excavate a separate drainage area.”

Megan had no objection to the arrangement.

Just then, Dale returned to the shelter. He removed his protective gear, sat down, and drank some water.

Jack immediately looked over.

“Did you get a reading?”

“Yeah.” Dale nodded. “It’s around forty-five degrees Celsius. I left the thermometer down there because I wanted to check again later and see whether the temperature changes.”

Jack considered that for a moment.

“Then let’s take two of the PCCUs we have outside, move them underground, and switch them on. We’ll see how low they can bring the temperature.”

“But then the temperature reading won’t be accurate,” Leonard said.

Jack shrugged.

“I know, but why do I need it to be that accurate? I’m not writing a report.”

Leonard was momentarily speechless.

Megan lightly smacked Jack.

“Stop messing around. We’re discussing something serious.”

Jack grinned.

“Here’s what I’m thinking. If the PCCUs can bring the underground temperature below thirty degrees, couldn’t we start working inside immediately?”

He paused before continuing.

“We can carry the wooden pallets inside without taking them apart. Stack several flat on top of one another and secure each layer, and they become a support column. At the same time, we can level the floor, smooth the walls, and excavate the ventilation shaft. Then we won’t have to wait until night to begin working, right?”

Warren listened in silence for a moment before sighing.

“I really am getting old. The solution was this simple, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to dismantle the pallets and rebuild them into columns.”

Seeing Warren’s reaction, Jack tried to reassure him.

“Don’t say that. You’re the professional. You’re the one who has to decide whether my ideas will actually work. I’m just putting my ideas out there.”

Warren smiled.

“The fact that it will work is exactly why I feel old.”

Walter studied the plans on the table.

“If it works for the columns, couldn’t we do the same thing along the walls?”

Everyone turned toward him.

Walter picked up a cup and began using it to demonstrate on the table.

“For the columns, we lay the pallets flat and stack them one layer at a time. Along the walls, we stand them upright and arrange them against the clay. Wouldn’t that increase the supported area?”

Warren thought about it before nodding.

“That would work. We can then use crossbeams to connect the upright pallets along the walls to the columns in the middle. Unless there’s an earthquake, the entire structure should be extremely stable.”

Walter smiled.

“That makes things much easier.”

“Wait.” Jack looked toward the mountain of clay piled outside the canopy. “Can we use the clay they dug out too?”

Warren followed his gaze.

Jack continued, “What if we add a little water to the clay and pack it into the pallets? Wouldn’t that make them even more stable once it dries?”

Warren considered the idea.

“Half and half.”

Jack looked at him in confusion.

“What does that mean?”

“Not the columns.” Warren pointed at the center of the plan. “Clay is too heavy. Packing it into the columns would only increase the load they have to carry.”

He then pointed toward the surrounding walls.

“But it could work there. We wouldn’t need to add much water, just enough to pack the clay tightly. Fill the upright pallets with it, let it dry, and the walls will become much sturdier.”

Everyone finally understood the distinction.

Warren picked up his pen and added the changes they had just discussed to the plans.

Meanwhile, the refugees at the agricultural supply center had also begun carrying out the plans they had made the night before.

After waking that morning, Chen Wei ate a few potatoes, called several people over, and began searching the agricultural supply center for seeds and soil they could use for planting.

They started near the warehouse, opening boxes and bags scattered around the area. Anything with images of plants or soil on the packaging was set aside so they could inspect the contents more carefully.

When they found nothing nearby, they moved on to other parts of the facility.

The agricultural supply center covered a vast area, much of which had fallen into disarray. Shelves lay overturned, while boxes and bags were scattered everywhere. Some packages had already split open, and there was no telling where the contents had ended up after being scattered by the wind.

They spent the entire morning searching almost every accessible area but found no gardening soil.

They did find some seeds, though most had spilled from damaged packages and lay scattered across the floor. The writing on the packaging had faded beyond recognition, so no one knew what kind of plants they belonged to. All they could do was carefully collect the seeds and sort them into separate containers.

They also found several bags filled with gray-white powder.

Faded images of plants were printed on the packaging. Several bags had torn open, spilling the powder across the surrounding floor. Chen and the others had no idea what it was, but since the bags showed plants, they assumed it might have something to do with growing crops and brought the undamaged ones back with them.

By the time they returned to the warehouse, the others had already begun organizing the boxes and scrap metal they intended to use for the perimeter wall.

Chen set the seeds aside and looked at the boxes they had selected the previous night.

Since they had found no gardening soil, they would have to dig up sandy soil from outside.

They gathered some tools and went out into the heat to excavate near the warehouse, using boxes to carry the material back inside. After filling several boxes, they immediately returned to the warehouse to rest before going out again.

After several trips, all eight planting boxes were finally full.

Chen crouched beside them and removed the larger stones by hand. He then planted the seeds they had found in seven of the boxes.

The last box was reserved for potatoes.

Chen selected several potatoes from their remaining supply, cut them into smaller pieces, and buried them separately in the sandy soil. While working, he noticed the bags of gray-white powder they had brought back that morning.

He picked up one of the bags and examined it. The plant images on the packaging made him hesitate, but in the end, he tore it open and poured some into each planting box.

Chen mixed the gray-white powder into the sandy soil. Even after dividing it among all eight boxes, much of the powder remained. He tied the bag closed again and placed it beside the boxes with the others.

Once all the seeds and potato pieces had been buried, Chen brought over a bucket and poured some water into each box.

The dry soil quickly absorbed it and darkened. The gray-white powder mixed within disappeared as well, leaving no visible trace.

Chen watched for a moment, then set the bucket down and brushed the soil from his hands.

He left the eight planting boxes where they were and led the others toward the rest of the refugees to help organize the boxes and scrap metal needed for the perimeter wall.

Wesley set down the box he was holding when he saw Chen and the others approaching.

“How did the planting go?”

“We couldn’t find any gardening soil. We only picked up some seeds, and we have no idea what they are,” Chen said. “I planted seven boxes using the sandy soil from outside, plus one box of potatoes.”

He glanced at the boxes stacked nearby.

“How are things going over here?”

“We found plenty of boxes. Some of them are surprisingly sturdy.” Wesley knocked on the one beside him. “No idea what they’re made of, but they should have no trouble holding sandy soil.”

Chen came over to inspect it.

“While you were looking for boxes, did you see any seeds or anything else related to plants?”

Wesley shook his head.

“No seeds, but I saw a lot of gray-white powder. The bags were stacked neatly, and I think there were plant images on the packaging.”

Chen frowned.

“We found a few bags too. I have no idea what they’re for.”

Justin walked over just in time to hear him and laughed.

“Who cares what they’re for? If they look useful, keep them. That’s better than leaving them there.”

Chen looked at him.

“I already mixed some into the soil. Hopefully, it won’t cause any problems.”

“It’s too late to worry about that now,” Justin said. “If something goes wrong, don’t use it again.”

Chen considered that before nodding.

“Fair enough. I might be overthinking it.”

Justin pointed toward the outside of the warehouse.

“By the way, I found a few things that look like digging tools. I’m thinking of digging a pit beside the exterior wall to collect water. What do you think?”

Chen and Wesley both looked confused.

“Do we really need one?” Wesley asked.

“The water is going to keep flowing anyway,” Justin said. “We might as well dig a pit and collect it.”

“Do whatever you want.” Chen shrugged. “If you don’t mind the work, go ahead and dig.”

Justin rolled his eyes.

“Fine. I’ll dig it myself. You can use the sandy soil I remove to fill the boxes.”

Wesley immediately changed his mind.

“Then I’ll move the boxes over there first. You can fill them as you dig, and I’ll carry them away once they’re full. That’ll save us from moving the sandy soil twice.”

“Works for me.”

The three quickly separated to handle their respective tasks.

Justin took the digging tools he had found and headed toward the exterior wall. Wesley called several others over and began moving the selected boxes to the same area.

Chen joined the remaining refugees and continued organizing the nearby shelves and scrap metal.