"What's the problem? Please tell me." Shen Heng looked at the gray-haired old man in front of him.
"First, there's the issue of the spread of low-temperature cloud clusters. Have you seen the location map of the different raw material storage tanks and key facilities at the cold chain center?" Nie Xingping asked the young man in front of him.
Shen Heng nodded slightly, indicating that he had seen it.
"Since you've already seen it, then I'll continue," Nie Xingping continued.
"The impact of individual cryogenic clouds is relatively controllable, but the problem is that the main liquid ammonia storage tanks, which have the largest storage capacity and the highest pressure, are the ones capable of triggering a massive explosion, generating the strongest shock wave, and thus accelerating and ejecting the cloud over long distances."
These storage tanks are located to the west and north of the cold chain center.
"This means that in the event of a secondary explosion, a large amount of liquid ammonia would be instantly ejected and vaporized, and the resulting ultra-low temperature, high-concentration cloud would be affected by the shock wave, mainly spreading eastward and southward."
"And to the east, we Linhai; we certainly can't let it spread towards the Linhai."
"The other side to the south is the sea."
"If it were any other city, it wouldn't matter, but our Linhai is too far south."
"At this time of day, the morning breeze is still blowing from the sea towards the land."
"Because land warms up and cools down faster than the sea, the mornings in autumn and winter are usually much colder on land than at sea," Le Gu Nan explained quietly to Shen Heng.
"This temperature difference creates a pressure difference, which in turn generates wind that blows from cooler areas to warmer areas."
"In other words, in the early mornings of autumn and winter, the winds usually blow from the land, that is, from the land towards the sea."
"But we Linhai, and because we are often on the edge of the subtropical high-pressure zone, even now in October, we usually still experience sea breezes."
Shen Heng nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
Nie Xingping looked at Le Gu Nan with a hint of admiration, like a teacher looking at a good student.
He then turned his gaze back to Shen Heng.
"So, in other words, even if you guide the clouds towards the sea, they will soon be blown back by the sea breeze. All you can do is buy some time."
There are two directions. One is the Linhai, and even if the clouds are forced in the other direction, won't they be quickly blown back by the sea breeze?... Shen Heng paused for a moment, then asked:
"How long can this be delayed?"
"It can probably delay things by two to three hours," Nie Xingping said seriously.
"However, as the cloud cluster is blown back, its density and low-temperature core will decrease due to mixing and heat exchange with the relatively warm and humid sea breeze. Even if it is blown back, it will reduce casualties to some extent."
Two to three hours, plus a reduction in the severity, could that ensure around a million people are spared from the attack...? Shen Heng nodded slightly, but his face showed no joy. Instead, he continued to ask:
"And what about the other question?"
Nie Xingping took a deep breath, his words suddenly becoming more somber.
"Another issue is how to precisely guide the explosive energy and leaked materials."
"To redirect the primary energy and material ejection from the explosion and subsequent leakage in one direction, intervention is required using the existing structure in an extremely strict sequence and path, such as by using the pre-explosion or collapse of certain secondary structures to alter the path of the main shock wave."
"Leaving aside the specific sequence and path calculations, just to perform this kind of high-precision 'surgical' intervention in that order would require a large number of personnel to transport a large number of specific detonating devices or energy sources to the designated locations."
"But the problem is, where can we find so many professionals and specialized equipment at a time like this?"
"Moreover, the cold chain center has now become an area of extremely low temperatures and high concentrations of ammonia."
"Even if an ordinary person wears the highest level of protective clothing, the performance of the clothing will drop drastically in that extremely low temperature environment, making movement difficult and limiting working time. The risk is extremely high!"
"In other words," Nie Xingping concluded, his voice heavy with emotion.
"Even if we wanted to guide the disaster in the most devastating way, we lack manpower, equipment, the conditions for execution, and most importantly... time."
After he finished speaking, a long silence followed on the rooftop.
Le Gu Nan's hand trembled slightly, and his gaze subconsciously turned to the young man beside him.
Like her, everyone's gaze also instinctively turned towards the young man.
His face was incredibly grave, and his fingers were unconsciously tapping lightly on the armrest, as if he were pondering if there was any way to resolve the issue.
But the tapping speed of that finger gradually slowed down, and eventually came to a complete stop.
Then he spoke, his voice low, but carrying a suppressed calm.
"So, even if we're willing to pay any price... is there really no way to stop this from happening now?"
Nie Xingping met his gaze and nodded slowly and heavily.
"Yes!"
Shen Heng didn't speak. He slowly raised his gaze, but instead of looking at anyone, he looked over the edge of the rooftop and once again at the unseen factory area shrouded in thick fog.
Unstoppable, undelayable, unavoidable...
The situation at the cold chain center has practically blocked all avenues.
Is there really... no other way?
Shen Heng silently gazed in the direction shrouded in thick fog.
After a moment, he took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his emotions, and said:
"Okay, I understand. Please wait a moment while I report to our captain!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was initially surprised, then nodded in understanding.
Shen Heng sat in his seat, raised his hand to press the headset, and connected to the team's voice chat.
"Team leader."
"Bang!"
After repelling the attacking Sharp-Horned Rat, Wang Hai let out a heavy sigh of relief, then raised his finger and pressed a button on his headset.
"How's the situation?"
"The explosion at the cold chain center was unavoidable!" Shen Heng said in a deep voice.
Hearing the heavy voice coming through the headset, Han Ling, Wei Leyang, and Wu Cheng, who were in various parts of Linhai, were all startled.
They instinctively wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, they closed their mouths first, without interrupting Shen Heng and Wang Hai's conversation.
In the white, icy current, Wang Hai's eyes narrowed as he watched the figure roaring and charging towards him again. "What's the situation?"
Shen Heng began by briefly summarizing the content of their conversation, including the direction of the low-temperature cloud spread, the influence of the sea breeze, and the lack of conditions for directional energy guidance.
After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the earpiece.
Scattered sounds could be heard, including Wang Hai's panting, the Sharp-Horned Rat Matriarch, and the occasional cracking and explosions of ice.
This brief silence was so heavy it seemed to crush everyone's nerves.
A street in Linhai.
Han Ling stood there, her eyes somewhat vacant as she stared at the figures queuing to board the bus.
They were either nervous, anxious, or happy...
" Shen Heng means... that a considerable number of people might die in Linhai?"
On the traffic lights.
Wei Leyang clenched his fists instinctively, his eyes fixed on the endless stream of cars below.
There, every vehicle was filled with people desperate to survive.
"Something's not right with this script, is it?!"