CHAPTER 575: CHAPTER 473: A VISITOR FROM AFAR

The new work begins, naturally requiring domestic transportation of new materials and goods.

As a result, the transports between the Flame Country and Lucia have not decreased due to the success of the experiment, but have become increasingly busy.

These transports carry not only supplies sent from home but also staff who had gone back to visit family and have now completed their leave.

A seven-day vacation is short, and traveling takes at least two days round trip. Those living further away in more remote areas might spend three or four days returning home, only to reunite briefly with family and then head back to a foreign land. This is a cruel reality for anyone.

But in this era, not only these staff but many more have chosen the same path, leaving family to work hard for a better life for their loved ones, rebuilding their former homeland bit by bit with their own hands.

Parting with family is unbearable, but a temporary separation that leads to the rebuilding of a home and a better life for family is more important than a brief reunion.

So, although reluctant, everyone resolutely takes their positions at work.

However, on today’s flight landing in Lucia, besides the returning staff, there was one additional person.

After the plane landed, the staff quickly disembarked, and the ground personnel hurried to unload the cargo from the cabin, beginning inspection and maintenance of the plane.

"It’s so cold!" exclaimed the helmeted woman whose face was obscured as she stepped out of the cabin, quickly adjusting the settings on her protective suit and following others briskly indoors.

Just arrived from home, she had not yet adjusted to the cold temperatures of Lucia. Though wearing a protective suit, she had not set it to anti-freeze mode, and was surprised by Lucia’s over minus one hundred degrees cold, feeling a piercing chill.

Once inside, following the others, the woman felt slightly better and couldn’t help but marvel at the harshness of the environment.

She had visited Lucia before the disaster, and even in winter, it was never this cold.

Now, Lucia truly reached a deathly cold, where water instantly turned to ice, not adequately describing the fearsome chill.

The woman knew well that in such low temperatures, without a protective suit, direct exposure of skin would cause frostbite in less than a second.

The speed of frostbite wouldn’t be much slower than immersing a hand in liquid nitrogen, almost instant freezing.

Indeed, between minus one hundred and minus one hundred ninety degrees, there’s essentially no difference in freezing human tissues.

If not for the protection of a protective suit, no one would wish to remain in such an environment for even a second longer.

Seeing the frost flowers congealed on the helmet of the protective suit, the woman took a deep breath, recalling the warmth and comfort of home, and felt a sense of admiration for those working in Lucia.

Enduring such harsh conditions truly meant ignoring life and death.

Though unlikely for strangers to sneak in, the base’s inspection remained extremely strict.

Soldiers in power armor and two heavy mechas guarded the main entrance to the base. Although they recognized every returning staff member, they still verified identities and checked documents to ensure accuracy before allowing entry.

Seeing this, the woman quickly retrieved her prepared travel documents and identification from her clothing, ready for inspection.

In temperatures over minus one hundred degrees, even steel would freeze. Of course, paper wouldn’t suffice, and the materials used for writing nowadays were made of special substances, similar to plastic, to withstand the cold weather.

When it was the woman’s turn, she handed her documents to the inspecting soldier, who took a while to review them before asking, "Are you here from home to visit family? Who is your relative? Must be someone important to let you come all the way from home."

No wonder the soldier asked such a question. Given the current environment, visiting family across countries, having permits and permissions granted, was rare even before the disaster.

This naturally piqued curiosity about the woman’s background, allowing her such a rare familial visit.

"Academician Chen Xin," the woman said with a sweet smile, responding with a name that left the soldier both surprised and unsurprised.

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"This support can be removed. Once mounted on the mobile base, all supports and structures will need to be redone, so load-bearing structures like this are unnecessary," Chen Xin said, discussing with a group of staff while gesturing at the large metal structure on the blueprint before them.

The massive steel support was part of the weather controller’s foundation. The Suyia had built it extremely solid back then, but now it became a burden and an obstruction.

"These aren’t necessarily required structures, but if mounted on the mobile base, they still need load-bearing supports, right? Besides, won’t designing supports require these frames?" One staff member seemed intent on saving some materials, trying to repurpose these supports.

Chen Xin considered it carefully but still shook his head, "These supports are too large, dismantling them is time-consuming and laborious. Even for cutting, what would you use to cut through such thick steel? Although saving some now might be sensible, the manpower costs outweigh the material savings, which isn’t worth it."

Hearing Chen Xin’s reasoning, the staff agreed but still sighed regretfully, "What a pity."

"There’s nothing to pity; as long as we can rebuild our homeland, better things will come in the future," Chen Xin said earnestly, then turned to instruct work to the staff, "Next, we need to..."

However, just as Chen Xin started speaking, a shout nearby interrupted him.

Turning his head, Chen Xin saw a soldier leading a woman in a familiar protective suit approaching.

In his surprised gaze, the woman opened her helmet, revealing Mo Qingyan’s charming face, "Ah Xin!"

"Qingyan? What brings you here?" Chen Xin was genuinely surprised, having never expected Mo Qingyan to come to Lucia. How had she managed such a long journey?