LOSS System: Last Store Standing

After returning to the shelter, Noah went straight to the convenience store and found Jack, then brought him up to date on the situation at the agricultural supply center.

“They’re spraying water over the outside walls of the warehouse,” Noah said. “It seems to be working pretty well so far.”

Jack looked surprised. “Huh? Who came up with that?”

“A young man named Justin. The others agreed it was worth trying.”

A smile appeared on Jack’s face.

“Not bad. He thinks fast.”

“I also picked a few people and taught them how to drive the CUEV,” Noah continued. “They’re doing all right.”

“Good.” Jack thought for a moment. “Call Dale and the others over first.”

Noah soon returned with Dale, Roy, Eli, and Aaron.

“Go back with Noah and bring Lydia, Helen, and Grace back,” Jack told them.

After a brief pause, he added, “Leave one CUEV there and teach them how to use the communication system.”

The five nodded and were about to check the vehicles when Jack remembered something else.

“Wait.”

Dale and the others stopped.

“Take a few fully charged energy-storage units with you. The PCCUs over there have been running for a long time. Their batteries might be getting low.”

He turned to Megan. “The energy-storage units in the store should all be fully charged, right?”

“Yes. We haven’t used them since the power lines were installed.”

Jack nodded, then called out to Vane.

“Help get a few of them ready for Noah.”

Vane quickly called Reed over, and the two brought out several fully charged energy-storage units.

Jack turned back to Noah.

“Check the ones over there. If any are running low, replace them and bring them back for charging.”

“Got it.”

Once everything was nearly ready, Jack noticed the camping lights beneath the canopy and stopped Noah again.

“Do they have lights over there?”

Noah paused. “I didn’t notice. Why?”

“Check when you get there,” Jack said. “If they don’t have any, let me know. I’ll have Walter make some. Otherwise, someone’s going to get hurt fumbling around in the dark.”

“All right.”

The fully charged energy-storage units were soon secured in the cargo beds of five CUEVs.

Noah topped up the ice and clean water in his cooling vest, while Dale, Roy, Eli, and Aaron put on their protective gear. After confirming that nothing had been forgotten, the five of them climbed into separate CUEVs.

The vehicles left the shelter one after another and soon disappeared into the rolling heat haze.

About an hour later, the convoy reached the agricultural supply center.

The refugees were still taking turns spraying water over the exterior walls. The wet sections had merged into broad, dark patches, while those who had finished their turns rested near the PCCUs until they recovered enough to rejoin the rotation.

Several refugees immediately came over when they saw the five CUEVs approaching. When they noticed the spare energy-storage units in the cargo beds, they stopped in surprise.

Noah climbed out and pointed toward the equipment.

“Move these inside first. Replace any energy-storage units that are running low. I’ll take the depleted ones back for charging.”

The refugees immediately stepped forward to help unload them.

Noah followed them for a few steps before remembering Jack’s other instruction.

“By the way, do you have any lights here?”

The refugees looked at him blankly.

Justin frowned in confusion. “No. Why?”

“Jack’s going to get you some lights.”

Noah then used the CUEV’s shared channel to report back to Jack.

The refugees looked at him, and for a moment, no one spoke.

Justin finally said quietly, “He really thought of everything for us.”

No one replied. They simply stepped forward and continued unloading the energy-storage units.

By the time four CUEVs returned to the shelter, the temperature outside had risen even further.

Noah, Lydia, Helen, and Grace immediately went inside after getting out. Dale and the others didn’t remain outdoors either. Once the depleted energy-storage units had been moved beneath the canopy, everyone returned indoors.

Leonard put on a set of Environment-Adaptive Protective Gear and hurried to the monitoring station. He recorded the latest readings, checked them against the earlier changes, and quickly returned to the shelter.

The grave look on his face made everyone stop what they were doing.

“The heat wave has entered its peak stage.”

The shelter fell silent.

“Daytime temperatures will likely remain around their current level.” Leonard removed his goggles and wiped the sweat from his face. “We still have no way of knowing how long this will last.”

Walter immediately had Dale relay the update to the trading post.

Once Jack learned that the heat wave had reached its peak, he refused to let anyone remain outside. Those who had been staying beneath the canopy quickly gathered their things and moved into the shelter.

Finally, Jack had Dale tell Walter to make several lights that could be connected to energy-storage units. The refugees could take them back the next time they came to collect food.

Jack and Megan then returned to the convenience store.

With everyone gone, the area beneath the canopy quickly fell quiet. A few Dustchucks and Gray-Eared Jump Hares could still be seen moving around the wooden planters at first, but as the temperature continued to rise, they gradually disappeared as well.

Back at the convenience store, Jack checked the Polar Pulse Ice Synthesizer first. After confirming that the machine was still operating normally, he brought out several insulated containers and asked Megan to help fill them with freshly made ice.

They had barely finished when a series of rapid scratching sounds came from behind the convenience store.

Jack stopped what he was doing.

“What’s that sound?”

Megan shook her head. “It sounds like it’s coming from behind the store.”

“Let’s check from upstairs.”

They went to the kitchen window on the second floor and looked out through the glass.

The Dustchucks and Gray-Eared Jump Hares that had been hiding near the canopy had somehow gathered behind the convenience store.

More than a dozen Dustchucks were spread out beyond the wall, digging furiously with their powerful forelimbs. Sand sprayed behind them, and downward-sloping entrances quickly appeared in front of each animal.

The Gray-Eared Jump Hares darted around nearby. Their forelegs weren’t built for digging, so they followed the Dustchucks and pushed loose soil away from the entrances instead.

One Gray-Eared Jump Hare got too close and ended up directly in the path of the dirt being shoved from a tunnel. Half its body was buried on the spot.

It hurriedly wriggled free, shook the sand from its fur, then ran over to another tunnel and continued helping.

Several Dustchucks had already crawled completely underground, leaving only their hind legs and tails sticking out. As the tunnels grew deeper, they soon vanished beneath the surface, though loose soil continued spilling from the entrances.

Several Gray-Eared Jump Hares had grown impatient beside the first completed tunnel. The moment the Dustchuck inside emerged, they scrambled to jump in.

Two tried to enter at the same time and became wedged in the opening, while the others kept pushing from behind. Eventually, the first two tumbled inside together, and the rest hurried in after them.

More and more Dustchucks and Gray-Eared Jump Hares disappeared underground, and the scratching behind the convenience store gradually faded.

Jack stared through the glass at the tunnel entrances.

Then he slapped himself hard across the face.

Megan jumped. “What are you doing?”

Jack gave a bitter smile.

“I’m a complete idiot. The ground is cooler. It’s common sense, and I never even thought of it. Instead, we worked ourselves half to death building the shelter and trading post aboveground.”

Megan stared at him for a moment before understanding what he meant. A helpless smile appeared on her face as well.

Jack continued looking at the tunnel entrances, regretting that the idea had never occurred to him earlier.

Then another thought flashed through his mind.

“The clinic.”

Megan looked at him. “What?”

“The clinic isn’t finished yet.” Jack pointed toward the tunnels outside, growing more convinced as he spoke. “Instead of continuing to build upward, why don’t we move it underground?”

Megan quickly understood and nodded.

“You’re right. Even after the heat wave ends, this place will still be hot. An underground clinic would definitely be better than a tent.”

“Exactly.” Jack kept his eyes on the ground behind the convenience store. “And not just the clinic. We could build their future living quarters underground too.”

Megan nodded again.

Jack quickly brought over paper and a pen, then gave her a playful wink.

“Tell me what you want in the clinic.”

“The bed area shouldn’t be too small,” Megan said after thinking for a moment. “A few beds might be enough for now, but more people are going to come here to trade in the future. If we run into another heat wave or some other disaster, we could have more than one or two injured or sick people at the same time.”

“How many beds do you think we need?”

“At least ten.”

“Ten?”

“That’s only the basic number,” Megan said seriously. “Besides the regular beds, we should have two or three separate rooms. Someone with a severe injury might need somewhere quiet to recover. And if someone comes down with something contagious, we can’t put them beside the other patients.”

The longer Jack listened, the stranger his expression became.

Megan didn’t notice and continued.

“We also need a separate area for treating wounds and performing minor procedures. Medicine and medical instruments should be stored separately instead of being crowded in with the beds. There should also be some space for accompanying family members. Otherwise, if someone gets hurt and their entire family crowds around the bed, the place will become chaotic in no time.”

“Ventilation needs to be handled properly too,” she added. “And drainage. If water gets into an underground space, dealing with it will be far more difficult than it would be aboveground. The walls and ceiling also need to be reinforced. We can’t have someone lying in bed when the dirt overhead suddenly collapses.”

Jack put down the paper and pen and simply listened as Megan spoke with growing enthusiasm.

“There can’t be only one entrance either,” she continued. “We need at least two. If one gets blocked, everyone inside can still leave through the other. The passages also have to be wide enough, or we won’t be able to carry folding beds or injured patients through them.”

Megan finally stopped and looked at Jack, only to find him wearing a peculiar expression.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing.” Jack’s voice held back obvious amusement. “Your ideas are excellent. Very reasonable. They perfectly meet the specifications of a modern small hospital.”

The moment Jack said “modern small hospital,” Megan understood.

She pretended to be annoyed.

“You were waiting for me to embarrass myself, weren’t you?”

Jack burst out laughing.

“You were so enthusiastic. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Megan glared at him.

“All right, no more joking.” After laughing for a while, Jack grew serious again. “Your original plan isn’t going to work. We’ll start with a few beds, then leave some space for treating wounds and storing medical supplies.”

“Even if we keep it simple,” Megan said, “how are we supposed to build it in this heat?”

Jack leaned beside the window and looked at the row of freshly dug tunnel entrances.

Moving the clinic underground would require excavating an enormous amount of soil. Even if everyone worked together, there was no telling how long it would take. More importantly, the heat wave was at its peak. No one could remain outside and dig for extended periods.

Before long, a smile spread across Jack’s face.

“Digging is the hardest part. But who says we have to do it ourselves?”

Megan paused, then followed his gaze outside.

She understood almost immediately.

“You want the Dustchucks to help?”

Jack gave her a sly grin.

Megan couldn’t help laughing.

“You really never run out of ridiculous ideas.”

“What do you mean, ridiculous?” Jack looked at the Dustchucks outside and replied with complete confidence. “This is called making efficient use of limited resources.”

Of course, they couldn’t leave the entire clinic to the Dustchucks.

The animals would only handle the bulk excavation. Warren, Walter, and the others would still need to shape and reinforce the walls, support the ceiling, install drainage and ventilation, and build the interior partitions.

But simply removing the most labor-intensive part of the process would save an enormous amount of construction time.

The more Jack considered it, the more practical the idea seemed.

“We’ll talk to Warren and Walter tonight. They’re the professionals.”

Megan looked through the window at the Dustchucks still digging and nodded with a smile.

The two returned to the living room and sat on the couch.

The moment Megan moved closer, Jack naturally reached for her hand.

She glanced down, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, then rested her head against his shoulder.

Jack tensed for a moment before relaxing. He slipped an arm around her and drew her closer, making it easier for her to lean against him.

They sat quietly together.

The heat wave still raged outside, and the blinding light beyond the windows showed no sign of weakening. Yet inside the convenience store, there was a sense of security that hadn’t been there before.

Jack looked down at Megan and realized that their relationship seemed to have changed completely, yet somehow remained exactly the same.

She would still glare at him whenever he did something foolish, and she would still stay beside him whenever he needed her.

The only difference was that, from this day onward, he could hold her hand and take her into his arms without searching for some other excuse to explain why she mattered so much to him.

Megan noticed him watching her and looked up.

“Why do you keep staring at me?”

“Nothing.” Jack smiled and tightened his hand around hers. “I just think this is nice.”

Megan studied him for a moment before resting her head against his shoulder again.

“I think so too.”

Still holding each other, they quietly enjoyed their first moment alone since officially becoming a couple.