The sandstorms seem never to stop, relentlessly ravaging the city below, leaving it stained with an indelible layer of gray-yellow grime.
This was the first time Zhang Tianyuan had ever witnessed a sandstorm of such scale and duration since arriving in this time and space.
"If I remember correctly, this sandstorm has been going on for about a week now, hasn't it?"
In Yuan Heguang's office, Zhang Tianyuan stood in front of the tightly closed window, listening to the sound of sand hitting the glass and the howling wind outside. He could feel that there was a thin layer of sand everywhere, not only on the floor but also on the desks and chairs.
Yuan Heguang sat at his desk, his rugged face showing some worry but remaining relatively calm. "The longest sandstorm we've experienced in China lasted a month and resulted in over a thousand people going missing. Compared to that, we're still within our tolerance range."
Zhang Tianyuan asked curiously, "Where did the world's longest-lasting sandstorm occur?"
"Hmm... it was probably about ten years ago, it happened in Australia, and according to satellite observations, it lasted for a full five months. By the end, the lowest point of the terrain had been raised by more than twenty meters, and the entire city was like it had been buried. Satellites could no longer detect any trace of human activity, and we don't know how many people managed to escape during that time."
After listening to Yuan Heguang's words, Zhang Tianyuan gained a deeper understanding of the harshness of the climate in this time and space.
While it can't compare to the super storms in the Day After Tomorrow Spacetime that are directly fatal, a sandstorm is still painful enough, like being slowly cut by a dull knife.
There's no way to run, so all we can do is stay home and fight the sandstorm. If we can't win, we're left with only one option: wait to die. In some ways, this is much more painful than freezing to death in a short time in the Day After Tomorrow Spacetime.
Shaking his head and sighing, Zhang Tianyuan turned around, found a chair, casually wiped the dust off it, and began to talk about serious business with Yuan Heguang.
He came here today to discuss the upcoming commissioning of the Antarctica water plant in the Day After Tomorrow Spacetime.
As previously agreed, the water from the water plant is primarily supplied to the Finch Spacetime and the Interstellar Spacetime, and secondarily to the Wandering Spacetime.
Among them, Finch Spacetime primarily uses domestic water.
Interstellar Spacetime primarily relies on water for industrial and agricultural use, while also considering domestic water needs.
Yuan Heguang said he wanted them all.
The price of having everything is that the water conveyance project is very complicated, so detailed discussions are needed to come up with a comprehensive solution.
After all, Earth is precious. Although this Earth has been basically ruined by higher-dimensional humans, it is already invaluable that it can provide such a less harsh place in the universe.
After Yuan Heguang group lead the people of Interstellar Spacetime to relocate to the New Star, the Mutual Aid Society will take over this place. It would be good if they could do something about it.
Therefore, current projects must also consider the future.
After Zhang Tianyuan formally started the conversation, several male voices soon rang out in the office; they were all branch presidents from different timelines.
This is a teleconference held across time and space.
The wind outside seems to be gradually weakening; now we can't hear it anymore.
The man walked to the window, preparing to reach out and feel it.
It was called a window, but in reality it was more like a hole. There was no glass at all; it was just covered with a piece of cloth, and then the four corners of the cloth were nailed in place. Several horizontal wooden beams were added in the middle of the window opening and nailed to the wall in the same way.
This is barely enough to block the strong winds; only a little sand and dust will seep into the room through the gaps in the cloth.
"Huh, there's no more sandstorm!" The man was pleasantly surprised. He turned around and went to the front door, moving the heavy object blocking it. He then said to his wife and young daughter:
"Honey, come with me to the cornfield. Aqiu, you and the other kids go outside and fetch some water. We haven't had any water for a whole week; the water supply was cut off yesterday..."
His wife quickly agreed, turned around to get the tools, and their young daughter also hummed in agreement.
The man patted his daughter's head and gave her a smile.
The family of three walked out of their low house and then went their separate ways.
By this time, many people had already come out. People who had been trapped at home for a week by the sandstorm were anxiously running to their own cornfields, while others went straight to the scattered "common land" on their streets, also to check on the corn.
Some laughed, some cried, some were melancholy, and some were dejected.
A girl named Aqiu was carrying buckets of water from her home when she soon encountered a group of people who were with her.
The children on the same street were all going to the well to fetch water, and it just so happened they were going the same way.
She followed silently. None of the children noticed her, nor did they chase her away. Soon, she followed them out of the city and into a wasteland buried in sand.
Only a few scattered buildings seem to say that these places were not as desolate as they are now, long ago.
Until they met the children from another street, the two groups of children acted like oil and water, pushing and shoving each other as soon as they met. Some of the children even ran up to Aqiu and made sneezing motions while making "achoo achoo" sounds, which sounded like Aqiu's name.
Aqiu's face turned red, but she couldn't say anything and could only stare at the children.
But the other child's action was like lighting a powder keg. The child on Aqiu's side yelled and the battle quickly began.
Two groups of children put down their fragile buckets and started yelling and banging their fists on their "enemy" in the desert...
From outside the battlefield, all that could be seen were wisps of sand rising up, burying the little figures almost entirely beneath the sand.
Aqiu, carrying his own water bucket, could only creak and groan from the sidelines, as if cheering on his friend.
The farce only took a turn for the better when adults who had come out to check on the corn arrived nearby.
Before the adults could stop them, the children shouted and stopped simultaneously. Then, they quickly grabbed their own buckets and, still yelling, ran towards the well in the distance.
Aqiu followed suit.
Soon they arrived at the well. The children dared not misbehave here; they all lined up obediently, waiting to draw water.
As usual, Aqiu was at the very back of the line. While the children in front of her were whispering among themselves, she remained quiet, as if she had been forgotten by everyone.
By the time Aqiu finished fetching water, all her other friends had already left, leaving her to carry the heavy buckets home by herself, step by step.
When she got home, her parents had already returned early, bringing back several large buckets of water, but also a large bundle of withered corn stalks...