Chapter 572: Rainwater
The situation at the base gradually stabilized, but Evelyn Ford had no time for idle strolls. She’d been busy harvesting wheat these past few days. Once this crop was in, she planned to have everyone plant another batch of medicinal herbs.
Even with a combine harvester, the work wasn’t easy. The wheat awns would get inside your clothes and prick your skin, making you uncomfortable all over.
Ronan Kendrick hadn’t needed to go out on supply runs recently. When he wasn’t harvesting wheat, he was in their cabin, cutting jade and carving it into various pieces of jewelry. Evelyn Ford had already received ten gifts he’d carved by hand.
Rhys Chase was true to his word, sending over several deliveries of jade and gold ore during this time.
Her space could no longer absorb gold ore, so Evelyn Ford planned to refine it. ’It might come in handy later,’ she thought. ’Gold has been a universal currency throughout history, its value only ever increasing.’
The base had recently begun a full-scale disinfection to prevent outbreaks of other infectious diseases. But just when it seemed everything was finally looking up, something no one expected happened: the first rain since the polar night began to fall.
The Solar Lamps radiated heat, causing water to absorb it and evaporate into vapor. This vapor rose high into the sky, where it met cold air and condensed into droplets. The droplets gathered to form clouds, and when they collided, they fell as rain.
People saw the sudden downpour as a good omen, believing the heavy rain would wash away all disasters and diseases. Ignoring all warnings, young people left their shelters and rushed into the streets, cheering and celebrating.
Zoe and Annie were eager to join them, but Evelyn Ford worried about lightning. Ever since she’d been struck before, she had a deep-seated fear of thunder.
"It’s actually raining! The first rain since the polar night. The wheat in the base’s cultivation zones should grow really well now."
"I’m just worried it’ll turn into a storm. The wheat just barely sprouted; we can’t let a downpour destroy it."
Meanwhile, the base’s meteorology department was in a frenzy. Staff members rushed out with monitoring equipment to take measurements. It was impossible to know yet whether the sudden downpour was a blessing or a curse. Some feared it heralded an even greater disaster, while others hoped that after the rain, the sun might finally reappear.
Evelyn Ford put on a raincoat, went outside, and collected a basin of rainwater. She needed to run some tests to check for harmful substances.
The research team was already running experiments of their own. They sent someone to get Evelyn Ford, who brought her basin of water over. ’Many hands make light work,’ she figured, ’and more minds lead to better ideas.’ Evelyn didn’t mind collaborating with them on experiments and discussions.
"I’m worried the rainwater contains corrosive substances." As soon as the captain said this, the color drained from everyone’s faces.
If it was acid rain again, the wheat, vegetables, and medicinal herbs would all be destroyed. The base’s reservoir was vital to the survival of over a million people. If it became contaminated, the resulting drinking water crisis would be enough to crush the base.
Everyone on the research team was glued to the monitoring instruments, terrified of missing the slightest detail.
Nearly two hours later, the test results printed out. The captain read them, and his grim expression instantly broke into a sunny smile of relief.
"The rainwater has a lot of impurities, but there are no corrosive substances, and we haven’t detected any infectious pathogens."
"Thank God, it was a false alarm. If we’d had another round of acid rain, how would any of us survive?"
"Captain, you mentioned impurities in the water. Will they harm the crops?"
The captain passed the report around. "It’s just some sand, dirt, decaying leaves, and dead insects. Nothing to worry about."
Evelyn Ford breathed a sigh of relief. Taking the report and her basin, she headed back to her dorm.
The rain showed no sign of stopping. People returning from outside brought a damp chill with them. Over a dozen people were squeezed into the elevator. The greasy smell of the man’s hair next to her mingled with the damp air, becoming even more pungent. They were murmuring to each other; some said it was a spring rain heralding the dawn, while others thought the water felt murky and bitter, worrying about the effect on the crops.
Back in the dorm, the others were waiting for her. Evelyn Ford handed the report to Ronan Kendrick, who read it before passing it to Taylor Vance and the others.
"The rainwater is fine," she explained. "It probably won’t turn into a storm. After all, rainfall depends on many factors, and the heat from the Solar Lamps isn’t enough to cause a major downpour. It’ll probably stop in two or three hours."
"And I wanted to go play in the water."
Quincy flicked Zoe’s little topknot. "Careful you don’t catch a cold. Little kids aren’t allowed to play in the water, got it?"
Zoe nodded. "I know. But I’m not a little kid. I’m a three-year-old big kid."
Quincy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, you’re a big kid."
After reading the report, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"No wonder they say farmers live and die by the weather," Quincy sighed. "One bad storm and months of hard work could go down the drain."
Evelyn Ford took back the report and put it away. "Typhoid and the flu are likely to break out after this rain. We should all try to stay inside as much as possible."
"We still have to finish harvesting the wheat, so we don’t have time to go out anyway. By the way, why haven’t we seen Liam Sterling lately? Is he busy?"
"The base is planning to open an armory," Ronan Kendrick said unexpectedly. "Liam Sterling is one of Rhys Chase’s men, so he’s too busy to get away."
"An armory? Do you mean what I think you mean?" Ethan Dawson asked, his eyes fixed intently on Ronan Kendrick.
"Yes."
Everyone got a little excited. "I’d love to get a look inside. Ronan Kendrick, is the armory hiring?"
Ronan Kendrick smiled. "Everyone knows the base has a jail filled with prisoners. Once the armory is operational, the prisoners will be sent there to work. Of course, they’ll only be doing the hardest manual labor. As for the classified, precision tasks, the base has its own specialists. They won’t be recruiting residents to work inside."
An armory is always a top-secret facility.
"I have a really bad feeling about this," Quincy said, running a hand through his now-thick hair, a look of anxiety on his face. "Opening an armory at a time like this... Is the base planning something?"
"It might have something to do with Yarrow. I don’t know the details."
"Just the mention of acid rain scares me," Wyatt Vaughn sighed, holding Zoe in his arms. "If it happens again—if the reservoir gets contaminated and the crops are destroyed—it would be a devastating blow to the base. But you can’t prevent it. It’s happened once, twice... who’s to say it won’t happen a third time?"
Ethan Dawson frowned. "It’s not like we can build an indestructible shield to cover the entire base and Flumen, right? Unless you have The Mad Monk’s magical robe, what could possibly cover such a massive area? Besides, the shelter’s roof is made of special materials. It should be able to withstand acid rain—maybe even meteors."
"Building a shield is obviously impossible, but stockpiling water—that’s something the base should be able to do."
"True. Even without natural disasters, the base should be stockpiling water just in case."
Officer Graham suddenly raised his hand. "I have an idea. Stockpiling water requires containers, but there’s a way to solve that problem: turn the water into blocks of ice."
"Everyone, stop worrying so much. The base leadership aren’t incompetent. They’ve probably already made arrangements for all of this."