Looking for Someone

The last log fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Lu Heng straightened his aching back and casually patted his shoulders a couple of times.

Within a radius of twenty or thirty meters around the Shelter, all usable trees nearby had been cut down. The ground was covered with neat tree stumps, scattered with wood chips and broken branches. The once dense and sheltering woodland had been cleared out into a wide-open and clean safe zone, with no trees to block the view and no blind spots for wild animals to hide in.

He bent down and carefully placed each neatly arranged piece of wood into the Necklace Storage Space. The movements were repetitive and tedious; after a morning of continuously swinging the axe to chop and trim the wood, his arms were already sore and his palms felt a persistent burning sensation from the axe handle.

Day after day of non-stop quarrying, repairing, and working, my body gradually became exhausted.

After being tense for so long, a feeling of laziness has quietly crept back in.

Lu Heng stopped what he was doing and halted all work on the spot.

He had no interest in starting a fire, cooking, or processing meat. It was a waste of time and energy, completely not worth it. He simply took out some dry, stored bread from his Storage Space and sat down against an old tree stump.

A bite of bread, a sip of water—that's enough to fill my stomach.

His mouth felt bland and dry, devoid of any flavor, yet it quickly replenished the energy his body had depleted. In the post-apocalyptic world, being full, maintaining energy levels, and saving time were far more important than any culinary pleasure. After quickly finishing his meal and drinking some water to moisten his throat, Lu Heng leaned against a tree stump, quietly waiting for a message to pop up on his Wristband's communication.

Before long, the pale blue screen on my wrist lit up automatically.

It was a message from Lin Chuan.

Lu Heng paused slightly the moment he opened the chat interface.

The video includes segmented explanations and precise screenshot annotations.

He had always thought that the Wristband's chat function was limited to text and simple video transmission, and never expected that the system would actually have a built-in screenshot marking function. Every piece of terrain, every foundation, and every low-lying corner was accurately captured, marked with lines, and labeled with data.

Lu Heng opened the video carefully and watched it quietly.

Lin Chuan's voice was steady and clear as he meticulously dissected the entire drainage and seepage prevention project, comparing it with the photos of the cave entrance and surrounding terrain that Lu Heng had previously sent him.

The explanation on the screen was extremely detailed, completely shattering Lu Heng's simplistic understanding.

He originally thought that drainage was simply a matter of digging a ditch and diverting the accumulated water.

However, the professional content in the video is on a completely different level.

Two separate drainage systems are used to manage surface runoff and deep underground seepage. A ring-shaped intercepting ditch is excavated outside the shelter entrance, with a precise slope of 0.3% to ensure natural flow and prevent siltation. A gravel filter layer and a fine sand impermeable layer are laid in the foundation layer to prevent underground moisture from rising. Sedimentation basins are added in low-lying corners to prevent silt from clogging the waterways. The wall foundation is compacted and reinforced, and a Stone retaining wall is constructed to prevent snowmelt water from flooding into the Shelter.

Each and every detail was a professional aspect he completely lacked understanding of.

Lu Heng was increasingly alarmed as he looked at the food, and all he could feel in his heart was gratitude; the money he had spent on the meat had not been wasted.

If you mess around and dig randomly, you're bound to run into problems.

Drainage and seepage prevention may seem simple, but in reality, it involves terrain, slope, soil structure, and water flow direction. If one link is wrong, the next will be wrong. If you start construction based on your own intuition, it may seem to work in the short term, but when snowmelt or flash floods come, the foundation will inevitably become damp and water will seep in, eventually damaging the entire structure of the Stone Cave Shelter.

After patiently watching the entire video and reading the accompanying text and images, and confirming that he had thoroughly memorized and understood all the construction details, Lu Heng did not hesitate.

Back in the cold Cellar, he carefully selected five pounds of fresh animal meat, sent it directly through the Wristband's trading channel, and typed out a message along the way.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Message sent successfully.

The perspective shifts to the other end.

On the open ground of this other world, Lin Chuan looked at the transaction completion notification that popped up in the chat interface, and at the fresh beast meat that appeared out of nowhere, a genuine joy instantly welled up in his eyes.

In a survival-oriented world, meat is an extremely scarce resource. Every attempt to obtain it requires facing ferocious beasts and risking one's life.

But with just his engineering expertise, he could easily earn a living by using his brain and explaining his plans.

At that moment, he felt a deep sense of peace.

All those days and nights he spent studying diligently in the peaceful world were not wasted or wasted in this world. The knowledge he acquired became his means of survival in this desperate, apocalyptic world.

Overwhelmed with joy, he wanted to immediately process the meat and cook a sumptuous meal to reward himself.

But as soon as the thought arose, my mind drifted far away.

Family, wife, children.

The system has notified me that my family will soon be transported across time and space.

He didn't know where they were now, whether they were living peacefully, or even the exact time of their teleportation—whether it would be in a few days or in an instant.

In chaotic times and desperate situations, a single bite of meat can save a life.

After a brief hesitation, Lin Chuan suppressed his craving.

We must not squander it.

He wanted to save and conserve, to keep the precious supplies for his family's upcoming arrival.

He gritted his teeth and secretly vowed that no matter how bitter or difficult things got, he would persevere, survive, and become stronger to protect his family and prevent them from suffering in this desperate situation.

After calming himself down, Lin Chuan quickly replied to Lu Heng's message.

"If there are any further infrastructure or construction issues, feel free to contact me anytime. Prices are negotiable."

After sending the message, he carefully put away the meat and sealed it away.

Their gaze returned to the archived drainage plan for the stone cave, repeatedly checking the details to ensure there was no oversight.

Lu Heng had already read the other party's reply.

He turned off the Wristband screen and looked up at his Stone Cave Shelter.

All hesitation in his eyes vanished completely.

He had originally planned to take it slow, modifying it little by little in his spare time.

But after reviewing the entire rigorous, complex, and interconnected professional plan, he completely abandoned the idea of procrastination.

The dangers of melting snow cannot wait; water accumulation and seepage will only worsen, and every day of delay increases the risk to the Shelter.

There's no need to delay, and we can't delay it.

With his current Black Iron Tier physique, his physical strength is formidable, and his recovery ability far surpasses that of ordinary people. He can completely withstand staying up all night and working continuously at high intensity without any overexertion or damage.

Let's just start work tonight.

Working through the night, the entire drainage, seepage prevention, and foundation reinforcement project was completed in one go.

Lu Heng stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and looked calm and resolute.

We have ample reserves of timber and Stone, and we know the construction plan by heart. Everything is ready, and we are just waiting to start construction.

We'll stay up all night to completely eliminate the risk of water seepage in the Shelter.