LOSS System: Last Store Standing

On the morning of the ninth day, Jack and Megan came downstairs to find Walter and Colt continuing the equipment installation inside the new trading post. Warren had also brought several younger workers over to install the MCPs.

Jack left them to their work and headed toward the shelter. On the way, he passed the two canopies that had been set up over the pallet-dismantling area and the shelter construction site.

Both were still standing.

Jack studied them for a moment, and an idea came to him.

He called Reed, Harvey, Gordon, and Cass over.

“Take down one of these canopies and set it up in front of the shelter. We’ll move the other one behind the new trading post.”

Cass didn’t understand.

“Why do we still need them? Is there something wrong with the shelter?”

“I want to create a shaded area in front of it and place three PCCUs at each corner,” Jack said. “If it works, we can set up another one in front of the convenience store and connect it all the way to the trading post. That way, no one will have to spend the entire heat wave indoors.”

Cass and the others understood and immediately got to work.

They untied the ropes, dismantled the supports, and moved one of the canopies to the shelter. It was soon standing again in front of the entrance, casting a broad patch of shade over the ground.

They brought over twelve PCCUs and arranged three at each corner. Jack also adjusted the positions of the two PATCs so their cold air covered the entire shaded area.

Once everything was connected, he switched on the equipment.

All twelve PCCUs started together, sending cool air beneath the canopy from four directions. The area was open on every side, so the air continued to circulate freely. Even so, without direct sunlight and with the two PATCs running nearby, the heat beneath the canopy quickly began to ease.

Harvey stood beneath it for a while.

“It really is cooler.”

Jack stayed there long enough to feel the difference for himself. The result was even better than he had expected.

Martha came out of the shelter and stopped when she saw the new shaded area in front of the entrance.

“What’s all this?”

Jack explained his idea and asked her to step beneath the canopy and feel the difference. He then went inside the shelter to retrieve the thermometer they had left there the night before.

The reading had already fallen to twenty-eight degrees.

After the MCPs were installed, the temperature inside the shelter had actually dropped to twenty-eight degrees. It was still morning, so Jack didn’t know how well the cooling system would perform at noon, but the result was already enough to satisfy him.

He carried the thermometer beyond the area covered by the two PATCs and checked the outside temperature.

Fifty-eight degrees.

Jack stared at the number. It was only morning. By noon, the temperature would probably climb even higher.

He returned beneath the canopy and placed the thermometer in the center. The reading slowly fell before stabilizing at forty-six degrees.

The idea worked.

Jack had Cass and the others move on to the second canopy.

They cleared the open ground behind the new trading post, moved the canopy into place, and secured the supports and ropes. Following the same arrangement used at the shelter, they placed three PCCUs at each corner.

Jack repositioned the two PATCs so their cold air covered both the trading post and the shaded area behind it.

When the twelve PCCUs came online, the burning heat beneath the canopy quickly weakened.

Jack then looked toward the large water pit and noticed the canopy already standing beside it. He went back for another new canopy.

“Cass, come and help me set this one up too.”

Cass and the others joined him and connected the new canopy to the one beside the water pit.

Together, the two canopies extended all the way to the shaded area behind the trading post. Jack brought over more PCCUs and arranged them at intervals along both sides.

Once the equipment was running, a continuous shaded area stretched from the trading post to the water pit.

Elias came out of the trading post just as Jack and the others finished positioning the last few PCCUs.

“What are you doing?”

Jack explained what he had in mind.

Elias stepped beneath the canopy and stayed there for a while before smiling.

“You really know how to make yourself comfortable.”

“We have the equipment. Why leave it sitting around while everyone suffers in the sun?”

Meanwhile, the installation work inside the new trading post was nearly complete.

Walter closed the main breaker. The lights came on, illuminating the entire interior, and the IARUs started running soon afterward.

After making sure everything was working properly, Walter went outside to inform Elias and the others. The connected canopies immediately caught his attention.

“What’s all this?”

“Don’t ask yet. Come and feel it for yourself.” Jack grinned.

Walter stepped beneath the canopy and quickly felt the difference.

“How did you come up with this?”

Jack explained his idea once again, then added, “We’ve already set up another shaded area in front of the shelter.”

Walter gave him a thumbs-up before speaking to Elias.

“The trading post is ready too. You can start moving in.”

Elias called Cass and the others over to help.

Tents and personal belongings were soon being carried into the trading post in batches. The empty interior gradually filled with supplies.

Warren had already left the main passageway clear through the center, so the tents only needed to be set up along both sides.

Everyone joined in. One tent after another went up inside the trading post, while Marg, Ray, and Susan organized the food, drinking water, and daily necessities.

The eight planting boxes remained near the entrance, where they wouldn’t obstruct anyone coming or going.

By noon, all the tents had been set up. Elias and the others had officially moved into the new trading post.

With the move complete, everyone went to rest beneath the canopy behind the trading post.

The temperature was still climbing as noon approached. The edges of the canopy hung motionless, and the occasional dust stirred from the ground quickly settled again.

The moment anyone stepped beyond the area covered by the PATCs and PCCUs, the scorching air pressed against their skin.

Megan returned from the temporary treatment room.

“Erin’s condition has stabilized. But it’s getting hotter outside, and the temporary treatment room is no longer suitable for her. I’ve already asked Lydia to prepare to move her into the shelter.”

She had barely finished speaking when a rapid series of footsteps came from the direction of the water pit.

Everyone turned to look.

A group of Dustchucks was racing toward the canopy, jostling to get ahead of one another. The fastest ones rushed into the shade and immediately sprawled beside the PCCUs.

The rest arrived soon afterward and quickly occupied the edges of the canopy. Several tried to squeeze closer to the vents, and after pushing against one another for a while, some simply ended up piled together.

More movement came from the other side.

The Gray-Eared Jump Hares hopped beneath the canopy and squeezed in among the Dustchucks.

Jack laughed at the sight of the animals crowded together.

“You certainly know how to pick a good spot.”

He assumed they would leave after cooling down, but even after quite some time, none of them showed any intention of moving.

The Dustchucks closest to the vents had already rolled onto their backs, lying there with all four paws in the air.

The Gray-Eared Jump Hares tucked in their hind legs and rested side by side in the shade. Even their normally upright ears gradually drooped.

Ava happily walked over to them.

“Are you going to live here from now on?”

Everyone laughed.

Just like that, the animals claimed more than half of the shaded area Jack had built.

Afterward, Megan headed to the shelter to prepare for Erin’s arrival. Before long, Lydia and several others transferred Erin there, along with the medicine and nursing supplies from the temporary treatment room.

That same morning, more than thirty kilometers from the convenience store, Leonard sat weakly against the wall of a rock cave.

He and Daniel had found the cave the night before with only a little food and water left. After a full night’s rest, Leonard had not recovered. If anything, he had grown weaker.

At daybreak, Daniel handed him all the remaining food and opened the water bottle.

“Eat this and drink the rest of the water.”

Leonard made no move to take them.

“Don’t worry about me. I don’t have much time left.”

“Eat first. I’ll go out and find more food and water.”

“Don’t waste them on me,” Leonard said. “Take them and leave on your own. You might still survive.”

Daniel pushed the food into his hands.

“Wait for me.”

He picked up the empty cloth bag and left the cave.

The moment Daniel stepped out from between the two rock walls, scorching air closed in around him.

He paused at the entrance long enough to memorize the positions of several nearby rocks, then chose a direction and set off.

Inside the cave, Leonard listened until his son’s footsteps faded into the distance.

In the end, he ate the food Daniel had left behind and drank the last of the water.

Daniel walked across the wasteland for hours.

As the temperature continued to rise, his pace steadily slowed. The sand beneath his feet had grown scorching hot, and heat seeped through the soles of his shoes with every step.

There was nowhere to hide from the sun. Whenever he came across a large enough rock, he rested behind it for a few moments before forcing himself onward.

His throat burned with thirst, and cracks had begun to form across his lips. He reached for the bottle at his waist out of habit, only to find it empty.

He had left all the water with his father.

The thought of Leonard waiting in the cave kept him moving. Daniel steadied himself against a rock, pushed away from it, and continued forward.

By afternoon, the sun had begun moving west, but the heat showed no sign of weakening.

Daniel had lost count of how many times he had fallen. Sand and stones had scraped his knees and palms raw, and his vision was beginning to blur. Everything in the distance wavered in the heat.

He had no idea how much farther he could go. Each time his legs threatened to give out, he told himself to keep walking a little longer.

Perhaps someone was just ahead.

After what felt like an eternity, an unfamiliar shape appeared through the haze.

Daniel stopped and blinked hard several times.

There seemed to be several buildings in the distance, with broad canopies stretched between them.

He couldn’t tell whether they were real or only a heat-induced illusion. Even so, he changed direction and continued toward them.

That evening, Megan returned to the trading post after checking on Erin. She was about to head back to the convenience store with Jack when the system’s voice sounded in his mind.

“Human, a primate mammal has been detected approaching the area. Target count: One.”

At almost the same time, Mort and the others noticed movement in the distance and looked in the same direction.

Someone soon came running over from the shelter.

“Jack, it looks like someone is approaching.”

Jack immediately called Cass over and had him launch the drone.

A lone figure soon appeared on the screen.

The person was making his way slowly across the wasteland, staggering with every step and nearly falling several times. He carried no visible weapon or supplies. Only an empty cloth bag hung from one shoulder.

Daniel had no idea he had already been spotted.

The buildings ahead were becoming clearer, but his strength was almost gone. His legs had gone numb, and every step threatened to send him to the ground.

Half an hour later, Daniel finally entered the area covered by the PATCs.

The air was no longer as scorching, but he was too exhausted to notice. He could only make out a group of people ahead, several of them running toward him.

Daniel opened his mouth and forced a hoarse whisper from his dry, cracked throat.

“Save my father...”

Jack reached him first.

“Where is your father?”

Daniel struggled to raise his head.

“The cave...”

As soon as the words left his mouth, his legs gave way.

Jack caught him before he hit the ground. Megan crouched beside him and checked his breathing and pulse.

“Severe dehydration. Get him under the canopy.”

Several people hurried over to help carry Daniel into the shade.

Jack looked at the unconscious man.

“All he gave us was ‘the cave.’ That’s not enough to find him.”

Megan thought for a moment.

“Could it be the cave where I used to stay?”

Jack immediately called Gordon and Harvey over.

“Take one CUEV each and head to that cave. If someone is there, bring him back immediately. If the cave is empty, come straight back. We’ll wait for this man to wake up and ask for the exact location.”

Gordon and Harvey ran toward the parked CUEVs.

Before long, two CUEVs left the moat one after the other and sped toward the cave more than thirty kilometers away.