Did the world end today?

Chapter 406 Extreme Cold
"Reclaim the sky pump!"

"The filling is complete, and the roof is sealed."

"Transport Team Two, move your mules back a bit!"

"Those not in the mission sequence can go back to their charging stations for battery swapping now."

"Withdraw when it's time!"

"The first phase is basically finished. After resting, we'll head straight to the second phase construction site this afternoon!"

"If you need to change shifts or take a break, please submit your application in advance. You can submit the electronic flow directly on the terminal."

"Submit your application before lunchtime; applications submitted after this time will not be approved!"

Did you receive it? Please reply if you did.

A series of "received" replies came through the walkie-talkie. Wu You picked up the walkie-talkie and replied "received" as well. He then quickly operated the remote control terminal on his arm to regroup the 12 transport vehicles that had completed their delivery missions and were not yet in the new mission sequence, and issued a command to return to charging and battery swapping.

He Yong, who was standing next to him, was also operating a terminal, but he was not controlling the relatively "basic" transportation equipment, but a more complex small mobile truss.

These trusses are connected one by one according to a modular design, paving the way for a large number of manned or unmanned construction machines.

With just a simple command, by adjusting the height, tilting, or deflecting the truss, a new path will appear as if the maze has been reassembled.

Such a maze would be almost incomprehensible to the human eye if viewed from a low vantage point.

However, if we use the 3D perspective provided by the remote control terminal, each change will create the most efficient activity path.

These paths also provide maximum convenience for the machinery that is in operation.

With the collaboration of such a complex system, the construction efficiency of the entire limiter array reached the pinnacle of human history.

The record of "building a building in half a month" is completely incomparable to this mega-project. The amount of earth excavated daily in this project is equivalent to the total amount of earthwork needed to build a small town.

As a result, the basic civil engineering facilities required for the limiter array have sprung up in the desert at an astonishing rate.

It was so fast that even He Yong, who had worked on construction sites for a long time and had seen all kinds of mega-projects, was dumbfounded.

After confirming that the automated truss's task sequence was correct, He Yong put away the remote control terminal.

Then, he turned to Wu You and asked:
"So, are you switching shifts this afternoon?"

"It has to be changed, it absolutely has to be changed."

Wu You reached out and tore off the quick-tear film on his goggles, instantly making his vision much clearer.

He grinned and said:

"I never imagined that mental work could be so tiring—staring at a screen for twelve hours a day is going to make my eyes go blind."

"My job is considered easy, the process is quite simple. Yours is the real challenge, isn't it?"

"No."

He Yong waved his hand, and as he and Wu You boarded the shuttle bus, he replied:

"Mine is mostly automated. It mainly involves summarizing information and prioritizing the paths of fixed templates."

"There are very few times when I really need to arrange them manually, and the amount of work is not large."

"If we're talking about the really tiring ones, it has to be the front-line construction workers. They stand for twelve hours a day."

"Even with an exoskeleton, it's not something an ordinary person can do."

"No wonder their salaries are so high—I heard their total income is twice that of us."

"You can't have it if you just envy it."

Wu You waved his hand, then added:

"It's not that I can't envy it, it's that I dare not envy it."

"That's work for young people, let's skip it."

"Moreover, I've heard that the risks on the front lines are much higher than those in the rear."

"During thunderstorms, the probability of their area being struck by lightning is much higher than that of our rear area."

"Yes."

He Yong gripped the handrail of the shuttle bus, leaned close to Wu You's ear, and said mysteriously:

"I heard that two people died the day before yesterday, and this is the amount of compensation they received."

He held out both palms and flipped them over. Wu You paused, then asked, "..."
"500?"

"Yes, 500."

"hiss"

Wu You was also momentarily stunned.

Is human life really that valuable?
Or is it that money has become worthless?
But it doesn't seem like there is.

Every time I call home, my wife meticulously calculates all the expenses.

While the cost of food and rent has increased, housing prices have experienced an epic plunge.

The prices of other appliances, furniture, clothing, shoes, and even large items such as cars and manned drones are gradually decreasing.

Money should be becoming more and more valuable, but on the one hand, money is becoming more and more valuable, and on the other hand, the wages I receive are also increasing.

What's going on?

He vaguely felt that he should be happy.

But he always felt something was strange.

After pondering for a long time, he could only come to one conclusion:
This is probably because the speed at which humans create new things has already surpassed the speed at which money loses value.
Isn't this a good thing?
Wu You subconsciously took out her phone and glanced at the balance of her bank card in the app.

That number, which had been enormous for him over the past few decades, gave him a strange sense of peace, and even a vague sense of extreme thoughts:

Even if it were to be reduced to ashes by that kind of "thunderstorm" or so-called "plasma storm" now, it would still be worth it, right?

After all, even if I die here, I can still get a large sum of compensation.

He shuddered at the thought, then laughed self-deprecatingly.

He Yong was puzzled and couldn't help but ask:
"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Wu You coughed and quickly changed the subject:
"We're off work this afternoon, wanna go out for a walk?"

"Go ahead, let's see if there are any new gadgets and buy some back."

He Yong pondered for a moment, then continued:
"I have to go back to China next week to see the kids."

"What do you say, are you going back?"

"I'd better forget it."

Wu You shook his head and replied:
"I haven't been here long, and it costs a lot of money to go back. It takes a whole day to go back and forth, and I can only stay at home for one night. It's not very interesting."

"If you're going back, could you please deliver these things to me for me?"

"No problem."

The two chatted casually as they took a shuttle bus back to their camp, which was a full 40 kilometers away from the construction site.

After returning to the dormitory, tidying up, and having breakfast at the cafeteria, their application to go out was approved, and the dispatched car delivered them to the dormitory entrance.

"Hey, it's new energy again."

He Yong slapped the steering wheel of the car in dissatisfaction.

"Isn't new energy a good thing? It's easy to drive and fast enough."

Wu You sat in the passenger seat and casually fastened his seatbelt.

"What man doesn't love a gasoline car? This thing doesn't even make an engine noise."

"However, it seems that gasoline-powered cars are really going to be out of business."

"Electricity is so cheap now. I heard that many places in China have been offering it for free since last week. Hey, what if airplanes don't even need fuel anymore? Will we be able to say goodbye to fossil fuels for good?"

"I do not know."

Wu You's answer was somewhat perfunctory.

Unlike He Yong, he wasn't as interested in these "cutting-edge" news stories.

He just stared out the car window, somewhat mesmerized as the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery rushed by.

“I never really imagined that one day I would be sitting in a car on the plains of America and enjoying the scenery.”

"Sometimes when I think about it, it feels like a dream."

"That's not."

He Yong glanced out the passenger window and echoed:

"I've only ever seen this kind of scene in movies before."

"Hey, this era is really strange. I always hear people talking about uncontrollable high-dimensional technology or the end of the world. They talk about it in a very mysterious way."

"But look at us now, how does this look like the end of the world?"

"Yes, it's quite dangerous here right now."

"However, when we were building roads towards the Kunlun Mountains before, it wasn't necessarily safer than this place."

"To put it bluntly, apart from the major accident when we first arrived, the number of people who have died now is actually less than the number who died during the road construction."

"Moreover, as time goes on and more new equipment is added, communications are no longer affected by thunderstorms, and the working environment will become safer and safer in the future."

"Why do I feel like this thing has nothing to do with the apocalypse? On the contrary, it seems to be... thriving."

thriving?

Wu You nodded thoughtfully.

But at that very moment, a blinding yellow suddenly appeared on the distant horizon. It was a giant arched promotional balloon, printed with English words he couldn't understand.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his smart goggles, put them on, and turned on the telescope mode. The text on the balloon was quickly translated into Chinese.

"Stop building the dam and let the overflow flow freely."

Tsk.

It's those environmentalist fanatics again.

Wu You's gaze shifted slightly downwards, where more small propaganda posters were printed with slogans that, in his opinion, were completely insane.

"Let higher dimensions be higher dimensions, and lower dimensions be lower dimensions."

"Embrace the end times, embrace God's will."

"The brand-new doomsday shelter, your last fortress."

"Trust us, choose hope."

Wu You's face showed a hint of impatience, and at this moment, the car had already driven into the town and arrived in front of the "Doomsday Sign".

"Get out of the car."

He Yong pushed open the car door and slammed it shut.

The environmentalists, who had been eyeing the area for a long time, immediately swarmed around. They were already very familiar with these workers who had come out of the "restricted area," so they had no scruples and couldn't wait to start peddling their ideas and products.

"May God bless you, lay down the evil console, and return to the embrace of nature!"

"The end times are coming, disaster is the final judgment, sinners will go to hell, only atonement can go to heaven."

"Sponsor us, and atone for your sins!"

"Never mind them, let's check our doomsday shelter."

"No need, I won't look!"

He Yong pushed aside the people blocking their way and strode towards the town center.

"These Americans are crazy."

He shook his head helplessly. Wu You was about to answer when the man selling doomsday shelters interrupted him.

"Yeah, these Americans have gone mad."

"God and salvation are all fake; it's just a business."

As soon as they finished speaking, their eyes fell on the man at the same time.

"do you speak Chinese?"

"Of course, I'm a language prodigy."

The man chuckled and continued:

"How about giving me a chance to sell?"

"Why should I give it to you?"

He Yong showed some interest, but mostly just teased.

"You're no different from them; aren't you just doing it for business too?"

"And besides, you're an American too."

"I am Irish."

The man said in a very serious tone:

“I am different from you. At most you just don’t like them, but my ancestors and their ancestors were real enemies.”

“You can’t lump me in with them.”

".Excuse me."

He Yong awkwardly apologized to the man, who then seized the opportunity to quickly say:

"That's alright—but since that's the case, could you give me a chance to see my product?"

"Then let's go."

As soon as He Yong finished speaking, the man's face showed an expression of "I knew it all along," and Wu You, standing to the side, could only laugh and helplessly follow suit.

It must be said, this man is a sales genius.

He seized upon He Yong's sense of guilt and even exploited it.

Although a deal may not be made, at least He Yong accepted his invitation.

Wu You himself had worked in sales, and he knew that accepting an invitation was often the hardest step.

No way?
Is Wu You really going to be fooled by him today and buy some kind of "doomsday shelter" to take back?

If he really tries to take out his bank card to pay later, I have to stop him no matter what.
Thinking of this, Wu You wisely remained silent.

He simply followed silently behind the other two, calmly watching the "Irish man's performance."

"You see, I never exaggerate the performance of my products."

“Our products can’t fight against any ‘dimensional disasters,’ nor can they take you to higher dimensions.”

"Our product is simply to give you a chance to catch your breath when you face uncertain secondary disasters."

"It is completely insulated, almost completely thermally insulated, and can withstand pressures exceeding 60 atmospheres—just like a nuclear submarine!"

"It weighs 12 tons, and you see, it can stand upright even in the most violent hurricanes."

"Yes, its space is a bit small."

"But it contains a complete life support system, enough to allow you to live inside for 5 days."

"Five days should be enough, right?"

"Given the efficiency of you Chinese, the rescue operation will most likely not be delayed beyond three days."

That's really good.

A look of surprise appeared on Wu You's face.

The protection level of this thing is almost comparable to that of the safe houses in the base.

If the price is cheaper.
"how much is it?"

Wu Yong asked the question, and the Irish man immediately replied:

"Only $16 is required."

"Go ahead and rob it."

Wu Yong turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

"Think about it again. You're not short of money!"

"We all need this makeshift hospital!"

"Because you never know when or where secondary disasters will occur!"

"Disaster might strike in the next second."

A deep sense of unease suddenly welled up in Wu You's heart.

"Shut up!"

He spoke sternly, but it was too late.

Just like words becoming law.

A cluster of "ice crystals" that scatters iridescent light under the sunlight suddenly appeared on the street not far ahead in the center of the town.

Everyone froze in place.

The white frost spread outwards from the ice crystals at its center, and a strong wind rose up. Wu You watched helplessly as the high-speed air, carrying a frigid temperature, instantly climbed up into the car's engine compartment.

"Run!"

He shouted at He Yong.

At that very moment, the Irish man suddenly grabbed his arm.

"hurry up!"

"Get into the makeshift hospital!"

He Yong turned around and ran towards the makeshift hospital, and He Yong followed closely behind.

The Irish man yanked open the hatch and slammed it shut.

Almost the instant the door closed, a cold wind rushed in through the cracks.

The extreme low temperature caused the skin of the people to contract instantly, but fortunately, the cold wave did not exceed the limit of the heat exchange rate and did not cause any substantial damage.

However, those who are exposed to the low temperatures for extended periods without any cover are not so lucky.

Will they survive?
Wu sat down, still feeling lingering fear.

In the crowded cabin, the Irish man, breathing heavily, said:

"Tough luck!"

"wrong!"

"We were lucky!"

"We survived, but this makeshift hospital has already been used."

"You have to pay at least half!"

(End of this chapter)