In an abandoned district, Li Tou led his squad through a residential building, gathering supplies.
"Li Tou, there’s still one air conditioner unit that hasn’t been burned out!" a mber of the SWAT team spotted a still intact outdoor unit and quickly reported it to Li Tou.
"Where is it? Take it down and bring it along!" Hearing his subordinate’s report, Li Tou quickly looked over, not forgetting to issue a command.
The previous blizzard had caused quite significant damage, aside from the snow accumulation, the strong winds damaged many things, and even caused so buildings to collapse, like a typhoon passing through.
Without the surface vegetation to slow down the wind, the hazards caused by strong winds escalated dramatically.
So structures in the downtown area, previously damaged by fires, had collapsed under the blizzard, and those still standing were severely damaged.
Items like air conditioning units and windows were mostly blown away, and what remained in many houses was literally swept clean, creating significant challenges for Li Tou and his team as they collected materials.
Fortunately, this ti they ca to a district with relatively decent construction quality, and most buildings weren’t too heavily damaged, only the glass had been blown away.
Nevertheless, the search work was still filled with difficulties.
Most air conditioner units were already damaged, and the units were installed on exterior walls, so even if they were intact, dismantling them was a troubleso task.
With the current freezing weather, the ground snow could bury a person, and after a whole morning, Li Tou and his team had only found a few intact air conditioning units.
Although the blizzard had stopped, the temperature hadn’t significantly risen, and with temperatures of minus twenty degrees, even breathing caused their masks to freeze.
In such an environnt, these SWAT team mbers still had to climb up the buildings’ exterior to dismantle the air conditioners, which was indeed not an easy task, making the inefficiency sowhat unavoidable.
"Li Tou, our search is too inefficient this way, how about we take down the ones not too severely damaged as well? There might be so useful parts inside." One SWAT team mber suggested beside Li Tou.
Faced with the suggestion, Li Tou rely furrowed his brow, thought for a mont, then asked, "How many units have we dismantled?"
"A total of eight, three in perfect condition, four sowhat damaged but still usable, and one without a casing but everything inside is there," replied another SWAT team mber who had been keeping count of their gains.
Having received the answer, Li Tou couldn’t help but grit his teeth in frustration.
Although eight units weren’t too few, the commissar had specifically instructed him before they ca, to find more, and eight units hardly t the mission requirents.
After considering for a mont, Li Tou hesitated but still told the SWAT mber beside him, "In the afternoon, have the n take down all the ones that aren’t too severely damaged; these won’t be enough to report back."
"Yes, Li Tou!" The SWAT team mber responded, relaying Li Tou’s orders through the radio.
Watching his subordinates busy working, Li Tou also turned on the radio and said, "After finishing this unit, everyone can eat first, and after eating, let’s try to find more in the afternoon."
Hearing they could eat, the team mbers couldn’t help but perk up a bit and quickened their actions, clearly eager to start their al sooner.
Perhaps motivated by lunch, everyone’s actions beca sowhat faster, and the relatively intact units they found were quickly dismantled. The SWAT team mbers returned to the police cars, preparing to eat.
"Li Tou, why are we collecting these old air conditioners? We’re not planning to fix them for heating the shelter, are we?" A SWAT team mber, holding a self-heating al in his hand while also warming his hands, asked Li Tou about the purpose of collecting air conditioner units.
"If you ask , a boiler is more reliable. If the electricity goes out, wouldn’t everyone freeze?" said another SWAT team mber, placing the self-heating al, now steaming, on his lap to warm his knees, adding, "But this weather is really strange. Our city hadn’t seen snow in winter for over a decade, it’s just these two years there’s been a bit more snow."
"And you thought it was before? The sun is gone; what’s wrong with a bit of snow?" Li Tou, also holding a bag of self-heating food, waiting for it to be ready, comnted after hearing their discussion.
"Hey, I wonder when this life will have an end," mumbled the SWAT team mber, now feeling a bit dejected as he fiddled with his self-heating food.
It had been nearly half a year since the teor impact, yet over the past months, life continued to deteriorate, living such hopeless and futureless lives; who wouldn’t feel miserable?
Hearing the SWAT team mber’s depressed words, Qin Lan, holding her al, couldn’t help but recall what Chen Xin had once told her before the catastrophe.
"The teor impact is just the beginning. The dust will shroud the entire sky, and the century-long darkness will not only freeze the land but also cause ecological extinction. Maybe in one to three years after the impact, so dust in the sky will settle, allowing so faint light through, but it’d take at least a hundred years to return to the pre-disaster state."
Unbeknownst to her, Qin Lan had recited those words of Chen Xin aloud.
"A hundred years? Does that an we won’t see the sun in our lifeti?" Qin Lan’s words instantly silenced the SWAT mbers inside the vehicle as they ate their als.
For Earth, a hundred years is but a brief mont; this apocalyptic disaster, in its extensive 4.6 billion-year history, has likely happened countless tis, so trivial it’s not worth recording.
Only ancient paleontologists, studying prehistoric fossils, could trace back such insignificant traces.
But for humans, a hundred years is an imnsely long ti!
The adage "seventy years is rare" ans living through a century, even in peaceful tis, is challenging. How about now, when everyone struggles to survive in this apocalyptic world?
"Why are you all looking so downcast? Now, you have food, drinks, and a place to live; what’s there to be dissatisfied with?" Li Tou shouted at his team mbers, seeing their low morale.
"Li Tou, there’s no hope in sight for this life!" One SWAT mber responded with a bitter smile, looking up at him, "Are we really going to live underground for the rest of our lives? We don’t mind, but surely the next generation shouldn’t live in such darkness as well?"
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