Chapter 62: Rain
Chapter 62: Rain
The raindrops became increasingly dense, tapping and patterning against the window glass.
The storage room's windows were the most ordinary type, with two movable panels, but due to the small size of the room, they appeared particularly large, occupying almost the entire wall in width.
Because of this, the room usually received decent lighting.
At this moment, the glass windows were being struck by countless raindrops, which then gathered into winding streams, cascading down.
From the perspective of the people present, this scene was truly magnificent and interesting.
"It's really raining?"
Since the apocalypse began, this was the first rain, and people's emotions were a mix of curiosity and fear.
After all, even the most ordinary things like rain might now turn into disasters.
This point was something even Wei Dalei could think of.
"Should we go out and take a look?"
"Are you looking to get killed?"
"Can't be that serious."
"The raindrops are as big as soybeans, haven't you used this metaphor in your compositions? They are now several times bigger than our heads, and they won't kill you."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"Then, according to your logic, on rainy days, the insects on the ground should all be killed by raindrops?"
"Hmm? That seems to make sense."
"..."
Everyone seemed to have found an interesting topic and began to discuss it.
But in the end.
No one could reach a conclusion.
Finally, Tang Jing smiled and said, "Actually, they won't be killed, not even injured."
"Why?"
"In our minds, it's still difficult to adjust to the relationship between relative and absolute, and this issue is similar to falling from a great height; it's all about absolute quantities."
"The impact force of a single raindrop is an absolute value, and as it appears now, our body's ability to withstand it per unit area is still the same as before. Therefore, there's no need for scaling. You can't imagine the current raindrop as the same as a basin of water from the past; that would be incorrect. Similarly, if someone throws a stone at you, the size of your head, you may not necessarily get hurt unless the person is very strong."
After saying this, Tang Jing stopped explaining further.
This problem was difficult for everyone to accept for a moment.
Suddenly, Tang Jing turned to He Ying and said, "Do you remember there was someone in One Middle School with the ability to aim precisely?"
"Of course," He Ying raised her voice suddenly, apparently still upset about that matter.
"If that person's ability was solely precise aiming, the threat wouldn't have been significant," Tang Jing sighed. "He Ying, you once said that the person from One Middle School pressed you all down, making it impossible to lift your heads. But in reality, if you had been a bit braver and not feared the stones thrown at you, maybe you wouldn't have suffered such a disastrous defeat."
"Are you saying that the stones he threw at us didn't cause much harm?"
"Yes," Tang Jing nodded. "That's also the reason Chen Mu had Da Lei change his weapon. The weight of the weapon itself wasn't of much help in the battle; it all relied on Da Lei's strength."
He Ying remained stunned for a while.
Back then, they were terrified by the person from One Middle School, and it resulted in sacrificing a companion to successfully escape. That companion had a formidable ability to withstand attacks.
Now, in hindsight, that person didn't directly smash them into a terrible state.
Due to He Ying's agility, she avoided getting hit.
The other companions who were hit didn't suffer any injuries or even bruises afterward.
But at that time, everyone thought it was just good luck.
Although they were outnumbered and a counterattack was impractical, at the very least, if they had been solely focused on escaping, that companion wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself.
He Ying didn't know what to say for a moment. After a long time, she sighed and said, "If only we had met you earlier."
Everyone could understand her feelings, but they didn't know how to comfort her.
Tang Jing also sighed and said, "We can't blame anyone for this. Even if we know about these things, the fact is that we have been shrunk for a very short time. Many things are psychologically difficult to accept quickly. It's like I can talk so confidently now, but when faced with such a situation, I'd still instinctively try to avoid it."
Seeing the atmosphere becoming a bit gloomy, Chen Mu quickly changed the subject, "Can we make use of the rainwater?"
"It's worth considering," Tang Jing nodded. "But we need to be cautious. While the rain won't kill us, the water on the ground can be deadly. Even seemingly thin water streams in the past could wash us away."
"In that case, it's better not to go out right now."
"Agreed. Let's wait for the rain to stop."
Although the rain in May had already exceeded the typical spring rain, it generally wouldn't be too heavy, and raindrops the size of soybeans were unlikely to appear.
However, for humans who were experiencing rain for the first time since the apocalypse, it was still a very dangerous situation.
"But if we want to make use of rainwater, we'll have to go out to collect it while it's raining. Are we going to scoop it up from the ground?"
Unless it's absolutely necessary, nobody wanted to use water that had fallen on the ground.
Such water could be used to flush the toilet, but it was too dirty for bathing. Using it occasionally might be acceptable, but it wouldn't be suitable in the long run. And of course, Chen Mu's previous solution to the water problem wouldn't involve waiting for the rain to stop and then collecting water from the ground.
"Chen Mu, do you remember when I talked to you about building a water treatment plant?"
"Of course," Chen Mu remembered the conversation, even if it was with Tang Jing, he didn't consider it a realistic idea.
Even as an outsider, he knew that constructing a water treatment plant was a far-fetched idea. It wasn't just about having water tanks and pipelines.
Water pumps;
Disinfection and dosing systems;
Electricity;
Water treatment technologies.
These are all beyond his abilities. Even if he reaches a level of being able to transform the Earth, he would still be powerless in this regard.
Tang Jing smiled and said, "Of course, a proper water treatment plant is currently not feasible, but creating a simple water diversion project might be achievable."
"You mean, bringing the outside rainwater in?"
"Yes," Tang Jing smiled. "I believe that the Earth's environment will improve after humans have shrunk, and the quality of rainwater will become purer. Although it still won't be suitable for long-term direct consumption, it would be sufficient for bathing and similar purposes. Besides, if there's a real need to drink, the squad leader's ability should have no problem boiling some water."
This idea was highly appealing to everyone.
At present, their lives were mostly manageable, but not being able to take a bath and lacking water for washing brought considerable headaches.
If they could truly have a stable water supply, it would be a qualitative leap for their current living conditions.
"So, should we start working on it now?"
Wei Dalei had already stood up, as this seemed like something that would require labor.
"Don't rush, it won't be that fast. The rainwater from this time is definitely unusable. However, soon it will be summer, and after June, the rain will become more frequent. I will also consider the issue of water storage, and from what I can see now, it shouldn't be too difficult."
"Alright."
Wei Dalei sat back down again, but still seemed a bit reluctant. He asked, "So what should we do now?"
"For now," Dong Junwei looked around at everyone and smiled, "it's a rare opportunity. Let's take a break and listen to the sound of the rain, which is also quite nice."
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