February 17th.

Two days until the rain.

Big Camphor Tree Base.

The morning sun rose very early.

The sun has been strong these days, and the daytime temperature rises quickly.

At the hottest time of the day, it can reach eighteen or nineteen degrees.

At night, it drops back to only two or three degrees.

On the cement ground of the Inner and Outer City, rice grains are still spread out to dry.

Some people are holding wooden rakes, turning over the rice, raking out some of the stalks.

After a full afternoon of sun exposure and a night of wind drying, there are basically no water marks left on the cement ground.

If there are a few more sunny days, this grain can dry out completely.

.......

In the Inner City.

At the core drainage outlet, Li Yu is discussing with Xu Zhen.

"How is the drainage system upgrade going?" Li Yu looked at Xu Zhen and asked.

Xu Zhen pointed to the Inner and Outer City and said, "In the past two days, I've installed pumps in places prone to water accumulation to speed up drainage.

Additionally, I lowered the ground height around the warehouse and residential areas, which can effectively accommodate standing water and protect the surrounding buildings. If the previous situation occurs again, there will be no issues.

Now we just need to make some adjustments to this outlet, expand it, and clear the waterways, and it should be fine."

Li Yu looked at the deep drainage outlet and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Xu Zhen thought for a moment and said, "I went to check yesterday, and the iron bars at the base's external drainage outlet have accumulated some silt, leaves, and stones, which eventually clogged the outlet. We must open it!"

Li Yu frowned and said, "Even if zombies can't climb up from the cliff now, what if the water level rises? During the dry season, without a barrier, I think it's unsafe.

In any case, there must be an iron bar for protection over there."

Xu Zhen felt a bit helpless, as the Big Camphor Tree Base's drainage outlet is on a cliff, and there's a 79-meter height difference from the cliff top to the ground.

The outlet they constructed is at the 72-meter height.

With the recent snowmelt, the water level below the cliff has risen to nearly twenty meters, forming a small lake.

Below the cliff is a low-lying area, 40 meters lower than the surrounding forest, but if the water level rises this high, the front gate of the Big Camphor Tree Base might also be submerged two or three meters deep.

The Big Camphor Tree Base is not at the same altitude; it's lower near the cliff and higher at the gate.

The highest and lowest altitudes have a 7-meter difference.

That's why the drainage outlet in the base is placed near the cliff, saving construction costs by leveraging natural terrain.

Hearing Li Yu's strong stance, Xu Zhen really wanted to say that unless there's an unprecedented flood, there's absolutely no way the cliff would be submerged to that height.

But he didn't dare.

Li Yu had already told him twice, and Xu Zhen had explained all the possibilities to Li Yu, who understood but still insisted.

Xu Zhen had no choice but to frown and think deeply.

Li Yu was also not in a hurry, quietly watching him come up with a solution.

He didn't know how high the flooding would be after the upcoming heavy rain, but he knew every safeguard must be in place, and the more, the better.

Even if the higher ground level of the Big Camphor Tree Base meant it wouldn't be submerged, what if?

He couldn't risk it!

Li Yu stayed here, watching Xu Zhen come up with a solution.

Under this immense pressure, an idea suddenly flashed through Xu Zhen's mind.

Got it!

"I have an idea, Director Li. Based on your requirements, I think we can completely bury a control line to manage the cliffside drainage outlet bars. We can use waterproof, heat-insulating materials for the wiring underground, and protect the surface with materials like steel pipes to prevent compression.

Then, at the drainage outlet, we can use waterproof materials to make a switch connected to the base, allowing us to control the opening and closing of the iron bars from within the base.

Additionally, we can install some cameras near the drainage outlet so we can monitor it at all times. If there's an accumulation of silt and leaves blocking it, we can open the bars, and once it's clear, we close them!"

Xu Zhen quickly explained the flash of inspiration in his mind, fearing he would forget if he didn't speak up immediately.

Standing nearby, Old Lv listened to the idea, thought for a moment, and asked, "As far as I know, there's a distance of tens or even hundreds of meters from the base wall to the cliff edge, and under the walls, the foundation is fully encased in concrete to a depth of more than ten meters. If you want to lay a line there, if not through the drainage outlet,

you'd have to go overland, which would mean breaking through a five or six-meter-wide wall; of course, it's the same underground. It seems like construction won't be an easy task."

Li Yu thought for a moment and said, "No need for a separate opening; lay the line directly through the drainage outlet, securing it firmly, and run it along the top inside the outlet. Xu Zhen, is that possible?"

Xu Zhen looked at the opening over two meters in diameter, gazed at the flowing water inside, thought for a few seconds, and said, "No problem, Director Li. As long as we can get those waterproof materials and the control setup for the iron bars, this can all be done."