19: What if you died?

Knock, knock, a knock sounded, and Tian Ming opened the door.

Shen Yi stood outside the door, holding a blueprint. The young man hadn't slept all night and got up early the next morning to draw the blueprint.

Although he didn't agree with Tian Ming's idea, he also understood the current situation: this Shelter would be his base camp in the future, and also the starting point for him to save the world.

"Tian Ming, this is the defensive structure plan I drew for the Shelter. I want to tell you my thoughts."

Tian Ming nodded slightly: "Come in and talk!"

After entering the room, Shen Yi spread the blueprint on the table. The blueprint was drawn beautifully, even though Tian Ming couldn't quite understand it. But he could see Shen Yi's dedication.

"Our Shelter faces the road out of the city to the west, mountains to the east, a small river to the north, and open ground to the south. If food becomes scarce in the city in the future, the zombies will inevitably leave the city. Right now, there are only a few scattered zombies, which are not difficult to deal with. But with so many people gathered here, the threat from zombies in the future will certainly not be small."

As Shen Yi spoke, he looked up to see Tian Ming's reaction, which was very important to him.

Currently, only Tian Ming could push for the implementation of his defensive plan. If the leader of the Shelter didn't agree, then all his hard work in drawing the blueprint would be a waste of paper.

Tian Ming nodded slightly: "Your analysis is very reasonable, and it's also what I'm worried about. With so many of us gathered together, the zombies will definitely attack."

Tian Ming was quite happy that Shen Yi came to him. After all, such talent needed to play his role. The Shelter didn't support idlers, and Tian Ming also needed someone to help him consider problems from a holistic perspective.

Shen Yi continued: "The defensive Key Pointsshould be placed on the west side, near the road. We should concentrate manpower and resources to build the western wall higher. I see that the Shelter has several steel sheds that are abandoned and not suitable for living. We should dismantle all of them and use your ability to turn them into steel wire. We can then set up three layers of steel wire mesh outside the eastern building. I've calculated that for the weak areas, with appropriate density, we would need about six hundred kilometers of steel wire. What do you think?"

Shen Yi turned his head. Currently, this was the fastest way he could think of to build defenses. If done quickly, it would only take a few days.

Shen Yi's method undoubtedly opened up new ideas for Tian Ming. Indeed, knowledgeable people are different.

"Your method is feasible. Transforming steel into steel wire is just a change in form. Six hundred kilometers of steel wire wouldn't take half a day."

Shen Yi said excitedly: "That's great! We also need some cement pillars to fix the steel wire. And dig a trench between the two steel wire meshes to ensure foolproof security."

Tian Ming shook his head and said: "I can't produce cement pillars yet. Cement has a complex composition; I could only make it if I had a sample. Even if I could make it, our factory's raw materials wouldn't be enough. I can't create something out of nothing, and cement is used in large quantities. We can't just tear down our houses to make cement, can we?"

If there were no cement pillars to fix the steel wire, then defense would be difficult. Shen Yi looked at Tian Ming with a troubled expression.

"What do you think about using carbon fiber? There's carbon dioxide in the air, and air is constantly flowing, which means it's an inexhaustible resource," Tian Ming suggested.

Shen Yi's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying: "Yes, carbon fiber has very high strength, but if it's too pure, it lacks toughness."

Shen Yi felt that his demands were still a bit conservative. Carbon fiber was so expensive that he didn't even dare to consider it at first. But in Tian Ming's eyes, carbon fiber was readily available and easy to manufacture.

Tian Ming said: "I'll weave carbon fiber into a framework, and then use silicon to make glass fiber. If we mix the two, toughness shouldn't be a problem."

"Your ability can be used like that?"

Shen Yi felt it was incredible. It seemed he had underestimated Tian Ming's ability; as long as one had a big enough imagination and dared to think, one could create all sorts of strange uses.

Tian Ming looked at Shen Yi's surprised expression and said: "After the outer defenses are done, what then? I'm still waiting for you to build the Shelter's energy system!"

What Tian Ming needed was to solve the electricity problem. Human civilization took off because of the invention of electricity. Without electricity, it would regress to the feudal society of several centuries ago.

Solving the energy problem would solve a series of issues, such as water purification, lighting, and heating. It could even build a local communication network within the Shelter.

Clearly, Shen Yi had naturally considered this problem. He nodded and said: "The energy problem will be handled in three steps. First, build an energy storage center. Currently, lithium and sodium batteries have high energy density. However, our institute has a small nuclear battery. If you could go with me, we could transport it with a small truck."

Upon hearing about a nuclear battery, Tian Ming's mind went blank. Bringing a nuclear battery over could solve the energy problem in one go, but it wasn't very realistic. If they brought it over, it would need maintenance, and they would also need to build a power system.

Nuclear energy, oh, only Shen Yi could be responsible for its maintenance. Once Shen Yi died, this thing would become a hot potato in his hands. Once he became dependent on it, he wouldn't know whether to keep it or discard it.

Tian Ming shook his head repeatedly and said: "No, we can't put all our eggs in one basket. This thing is high-end, but don't tell me it doesn't need maintenance. Even if it's moved here, it would require professional people to build the power system, and our Shelter can't find such a team."

Shen Yi felt a bit disdainful inside, thinking that Tian Ming's thinking was a bit narrow-minded. What did he mean by not putting all eggs in one basket? With him around, was he afraid that no one would manage and maintain the nuclear battery?

Seeing Shen Yi's expression change, Tian Ming roughly knew what he was thinking.

"What, do you think I'm a bumpkin who doesn't know how to use high-end things?" Tian Ming asked.

How could Shen Yi dare to contradict the current leader? He shook his head slightly: "No, no, I just think that if we get this thing over, although there's a risk of being besieged by zombies on the way, if we succeed, we won't have to worry about energy for the next twenty years. Tian Ming, let me tell you, our institute's small, foolproof reactor is only about a ton, but its peak power can reach one megawatt. As long as you follow my requirements, I guarantee that we can solve the energy problem once and for all."

Shen Yi spoke with conviction because once the core reactor was transported, the accompanying power generation facilities could be built on site. With Tian Ming's ability, the construction would be very fast. Moreover, he was very familiar with the entire process, but he just didn't understand why Tian Ming would oppose his suggestion.

Shen Yi originally thought Tian Ming would consider it, but Tian Ming directly rejected Shen Yi's proposal.

"No, no nuclear power, not even a foolproof reactor. I won't consider it."

Shen Yi was young and more knowledgeable than Tian Ming. Why wouldn't an amateur with no professional expertise listen to his opinion? As a young man, Shen Yi directly patted his chest and said: "Why not? With me here, what are you afraid of?"

Tian Ming looked up at Shen Yi and slowly said: "What if you die?"

Shen Yi was instantly speechless. Yes, in the Apocalypse, who could guarantee that they would always live?