CHAPTER 282: CHAPTER 280: THE IMPACT BROUGHT BY THE BLIZZARD

Seeing that there aren’t any major issues with Han Ping and Han Ze upstairs, Chen Xin chatted with them briefly before returning to the lower level of the shelter.

Compared to the observation room upstairs, where even with the stove on, the temperature was only minus twenty degrees, the lower level of the shelter maintained a temperature around eleven degrees after Chen Xin powered the geothermal heat pump to its full capacity.

This is a temperature where humans would feel cold, but not excessively so.

However, while this temperature is bearable for humans, it’s a bit low for the crops in the greenhouse, especially since Chen Xin is germinating seeds.

"Ah Xin, the temperature in the greenhouse is still a bit low. I’m worried there might be issues with the seedlings. Should we use the seedling box?" Mo Qingyan approached Chen Xin immediately when he returned, asking him about it.

Hearing Mo Qingyan’s question, Chen Xin thought for a moment and said to her, "Try covering the seeds with a damp cloth and ensure the temperature stays above 20°C. That should prevent major issues. If the temperature is still insufficient, use the seedling box."

"Okay, I’ll try that first." Mo Qingyan nodded.

The impact of low temperatures is manifold, and affecting seed germination in the greenhouse is just one aspect.

"Longniang, have the vegetables in the greenhouse matured and been harvested yet?" Chen Xin thought of the unharvested vegetables when Li Tou and his team arrived previously, and asked Mo Qingyan.

"Don’t worry about it. Before the temperature dropped, I already harvested all the vegetables ready for picking and sent them to the warehouse upstairs." With that, Mo Qingyan seemed to be concerned that Chen Xin might worry about the stored vegetables, and added, "As for the warehouse upstairs, it’s like a cold storage now. There’s no concern about the vegetables spoiling up there."

"Just make sure they don’t get frostbitten." Considering the upstairs temperature dropping to minus twenty degrees, Chen Xin wasn’t worried about Mo Qingyan’s concerns.

In such cold temperatures, all vegetables rapidly freeze immediately upon storage, akin to a freezer set to rapid freeze mode, eliminating any concern of spoilage.

"However, that batch of vegetables is quite large. It’s fine in the warehouse temporarily, but it’s best if the special police team sends someone soon to transport them away." Mo Qingyan clearly held concerns that if the vegetables couldn’t be moved soon and she sowed new seeds, by the next month when new vegetables mature, the warehouse could be overwhelmed.

Although this concern seems overly cautious, under current circumstances, predicting whether the blizzard will stop within a month truly is uncertain.

Chen Xin evidently considered this issue too, but said pessimistically, "It’s unlikely they’ll come soon. In this kind of blizzard, trying to drive out is asking for trouble."

"Is the situation outside very severe?" As Chen Xin and Mo Qingyan discussed, Qin Lan also walked over.

She was just inspecting the chicks. Though ten-degree temperatures are not particularly cold for adult chickens, chicks face a risk of death in such low temperatures, prompting Qin Lan to check the room housing the coop to prevent them from freezing.

Chen Xin nodded heavily, "Without the forest as a barrier, ground winds have exceeded level twelve, and temperatures have dropped below -70°C. Without protective gear, anyone going outside would freeze to death within half an hour, and might be blown away by the wind right after stepping out."

The concept of -70°C temperatures and winds above level twelve is entirely unfamiliar to the average person; such extreme climates were previously only found in Antarctica, and at select spots even lower than -70°C.

For modern humans, temperatures this low were unimaginable in pre-disaster life.

"-70°C? Oh my God!" Qin Lan couldn’t help but exclaim, asking Chen Xin, "Can the city’s shelter withstand such colds?"

To this, Chen Xin shook his head solemnly, "I’m afraid it’ll struggle. Their insulation measures might not withstand extreme cold, and coal-burning boiler heating systems lack efficiency. If fuel supply remains steady, they might endure. But..."

Chen Xin didn’t finish his sentence, but Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan understood.

Under such extreme weather conditions, even trains would struggle to continue operating, possibly leading cities to face another coal supply shortage.

Both Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan had experienced the coal scarcity in the city firsthand, knowing the terrible consequences if the urban coal supply were interrupted.

This made Qin Lan anxious, causing her to grab Chen Xin’s arm and ask, "Is there any way to solve this problem?"

Chen Xin shook his head bitterly. Though with the system in place he could whip up some black tech equipment to keep his shelter from failing in winter, asking him to solve the city’s issue was really stretching it.

Seeing Chen Xin had no solution either, Qin Lan realized she was asking too much and dejectedly let go of his arm.

Seeing Qin Lan’s downcast face, Chen Xin offered, "Maybe it’s not as bad as you think. After the previous incident, the city government has surely implemented emergency plans and stocked emergency coal. They can handle this crisis."

Qin Lan understood Chen Xin’s comforting words, but could only choose to think positively.

"I’m going to check on my dad to see how things are with the geothermal heat pump." Chen Xin said to Qin Lan and Mo Qingyan before heading to the room housing the geothermal heat pump.

Inside, Chen Xin’s father was inspecting the operating condition of the geothermal heat pumps and making notes in a notebook.

"Dad, how’s it going?" Chen Xin asked his father.

"All equipment is currently running at full capacity, status is good, no issues." Chen Xin’s father put away his pen, responding to Chen Xin’s query.

For Chen Xin’s father, who’d spent a lifetime working with machinery in factories, these few geothermal heat pumps were simple, but their involvement in the shelter’s heating made him take them very seriously.

Thus, after answering Chen Xin’s question, he continued, "All equipment is running at full capacity now, with no backup. If a malfunction halts equipment, do you have contingency plans?"

"Don’t worry, Dad, I’ve prepared for that." Chen Xin wasn’t worried about equipment failure, he was only concerned about further temperature drops affecting heating needs.