LOSS System: Last Store Standing

“The company I used to work for produced a type of energy fence post,” Leonard said. “They were mainly sold to farms and remote workstations. There might still be some at the agricultural supply center.”

Thomas set down his tool.

“Energy fence posts?”

“They don’t need an external power supply,” Leonard said. “Once two posts are connected, they create an electrified barrier between them. Anyone or any large animal trying to force their way through gets shocked.”

Several people nearby stopped working and listened.

Jack had just delivered another load of wooden pallets. When he heard them mention the agricultural supply center, he came over. Thomas quickly told him what Leonard had said.

Jack immediately became interested.

“You’d recognize those posts?”

“Yes.”

“Come on. Let’s find Elias and the others.”

Daniel helped Leonard onto a CUEV, and Jack drove them to the new trading post.

After hearing the description, Elias gestured with his hands to show the approximate height and shape.

“Are they long, narrow metal posts stored in rows?”

“That sounds like them,” Leonard said.

“You’ve seen these energy fences before?” Jack asked Elias.

“No. But when we went to the agricultural supply center to install cargo beds on the CUEVs, I think we saw those metal posts. We didn’t know what they were for, so we left them there.”

Elias still had one question.

“If they don’t need an external power supply, where does the electricity come from?”

“Each post has its own energy cell,” Leonard said. “There’s also a thin energy-collecting layer on the surface that slowly replenishes the power. As long as the fence isn’t constantly triggered and forced to discharge, it can theoretically operate for a very long time without being charged.”

Jack and Elias finally understood.

“Were there many of them?” Leonard asked. “Those posts used to be popular with farms.”

“Quite a few,” Elias said. “They were lined up in entire rows, and the securing ropes were still wrapped around them.”

Leonard wasn’t ready to celebrate yet.

“They’ve been sitting there for more than fifty years. We have no way of knowing whether the energy cells inside still work.”

“The agricultural supply center isn’t far from here,” Jack said. “We’ll make another trip later.”

He thought for a moment.

“Whether they work or not, we’ll bring them all back first.”

Elias turned to Leonard.

“How are you feeling? If you’re well enough, we’ll need you to come with us.”

“I’m much better. I’ll be fine,” Leonard said. “A lot of the equipment there was probably made by my former company. I should recognize some of it.”

“Then we’ll take several CUEVs,” Jack said. “Anything useful comes back with us.”

Elias began arranging the vehicles and personnel.

Later that afternoon, after the temperature outside had dropped slightly, several CUEVs left the moat and headed for the agricultural supply center.

When they arrived, Elias led everyone straight to the storage area.

The long metal posts were still lined up on the shelves. Dust covered their surfaces, and the securing ropes around them had never been removed.

Leonard wiped the dust from one of the nameplates, then checked the top and base of the post.

“This is it. A Self-Sustaining Energy Fence Post, or SEFP.”

Elias had the others count them.

There were ten bundles on the shelves, with twelve SEFPs in each bundle.

One hundred and twenty in total.

Everyone began carrying the bundled SEFPs out to the CUEVs. The cargo beds filled quickly, but a large part of the stock still remained.

Elias sent the first group back to the convenience store to unload. They would return for the rest afterward.

Jack and Elias stayed behind with Leonard and Daniel to search the rest of the storage area.

Nearby, Leonard found several ordinary-looking tool cases on a shelf. Each one contained a few screwdrivers, wrenches, and socket handles with unusually thick grips.

He picked up one of the screwdrivers and checked the marking on the handle.

“This was made by my former company too, but I never worked with this product.”

Jack took the screwdriver and examined it, but nothing about it seemed unusual.

“Whatever it does, set it aside for now. We’ll take it when the others come back.”

They continued deeper into the storage area and soon came across several long storage cases.

Leonard opened one. Inside were three sections of metal pole, a mounting frame, and several sensor modules of different shapes.

“A Precision Agro-Climate Station, or PACS,” Leonard said. “Once assembled, it stands nearly two meters tall. It can monitor temperature, humidity, wind direction, and other nearby environmental changes. It should be useful for tracking the weather over the next few days.”

Jack dragged the PACS case aside and placed it with the tool cases.

At the far end of the storage area, they found a stack of unopened boxes.

Leonard opened one. Gloves, protective goggles, face shields, and several folded vests were neatly packed inside.

He checked the packaging.

“These were made by my former company too, but I don’t know exactly what they do.”

Jack picked up one of the gloves and squeezed it. The material felt noticeably different from an ordinary work glove.

“Put these with the others too. We’ll take everything when the vehicles return.”

The four searched the rest of the storage area while waiting.

By the time the transport team returned, the first load of SEFPs had already been unloaded at the convenience store.

Jack had them load the remaining SEFPs first, then fill the available cargo space with the tool cases, PACS units, and more than twenty boxes of protective gear.

It took several trips between the agricultural supply center and the convenience store to transport all one hundred and twenty SEFPs.

Jack, Elias, Leonard, and Daniel remained behind, gathering the tool cases, PACS units, and boxes of protective gear in one place.

When the CUEVs returned for the final load, everyone loaded the remaining supplies into the cargo beds. They checked the storage area once more to make sure nothing had been overlooked, then returned to the convenience store together.

The sun was already beginning to set by the time they reached the moat.

The SEFPs brought back earlier had been placed beneath the canopy in front of the shelter. Most of the securing ropes had already been removed.

Leonard selected one with no obvious exterior damage. After checking it carefully, he asked Walter to connect it to the power supply.

Everyone waited, but the status light around the top remained dark.

Walter checked the cable and confirmed that the power supply was working, then connected another SEFP.

The second SEFP showed no response either. After several more failed tests, Jack’s expectations began to fade.

“Don’t tell me all one hundred and twenty are broken.”

Leonard said nothing. He selected another SEFP, checked its casing and base, then handed it to Walter.

“Try this one.”

Walter connected it to the power supply, but for the first few minutes, nothing happened.

Just as Jack began to think this SEFP was dead too, a faint light flashed around the top of the post.

Everyone’s attention snapped toward it.

The status light flickered several times before finally staying on.

“It lit up!” Jack blurted out.

Leonard moved closer to inspect the post.

“This one is responding. Keep charging it. The others only need to be connected long enough to see whether they respond.”

Walter and Colt began sorting the remaining SEFPs for testing.

Jack put the planned wall construction on hold. He would wait until all the SEFPs had been checked before deciding whether the wall was still necessary.

The other supplies from the agricultural supply center were set aside for the time being. They could study those once the SEFPs had been dealt with.

Walter and Colt tested the posts in batches. By the time they finished, ninety-seven SEFPs had responded and were able to accept a charge.

Once the first SEFP was fully charged, Leonard had them activate another post and connect the two for testing.

The status lights around the tops of both SEFPs came on. Nothing was visible between the two posts, but the steady lights showed that the barrier had formed.

Cass walked around them for a moment.

“That’s it? There’s nothing there.”

Before anyone could stop him, he reached between the two posts.

A sharp crack sounded.

Cass yelped and jerked his hand back. The status lights immediately turned red, and a piercing alarm rang out from both SEFPs.

“What’s wrong with you?” Reed asked with a laugh. “Did you really have to touch it yourself?”

Cass shook his hand several times.

“I just wanted to make sure it worked.”

“Well, now we know,” Jack said. “Thanks for volunteering.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Leonard checked the two SEFPs and confirmed that the barrier was still stable. Both the alarm and electric-shock functions were working normally.

With the SEFPs confirmed to be usable, Elias adjusted the defensive perimeter.

Leonard determined the distance between each post, keeping them within the recommended range of five to eight meters. Warren planned the route according to the positions of the shelter and the new trading post.

Everyone carried the SEFPs out from beneath the canopy and began setting them up beside one side of the new trading post.

The fence extended around the outside of the shelter before connecting to the opposite side of the trading post. Only one passage remained open in the direction of the moat.

Once the final SEFP was secured, Leonard activated the posts.

The status lights came on one after another along the entire fence. Before long, the barrier formed a protective perimeter around the shelter and the new trading post, leaving only the passage facing the moat open.

Only then did Jack fully relax.

He officially canceled the planned wall construction. The wall panels assembled during the day were left where they were in case they were needed later.

The next morning, Jack was still asleep when the system’s voice sounded in his mind.

“Human, the massive heat wave has reached the current area ahead of schedule. Its movement speed exceeded the original prediction, bringing its arrival forward by two days. The current outdoor temperature is 64.7 degrees Celsius and continues to rise. Today’s daytime high is expected to reach between 69 and 72 degrees Celsius. The nighttime low is expected to remain between 56 and 58 degrees Celsius.”

Jack woke instantly.

The system continued.

“The current area has only just entered the outer edge of the heat wave. Both daytime and nighttime temperatures will continue rising over the next several days. Once the heat wave reaches its peak, the daytime high is expected to reach between 83 and 85 degrees Celsius, while the nighttime low is expected to remain between 68 and 71 degrees Celsius. Based on the current affected area and movement speed, the heat wave is expected to persist for sixteen to twenty days.”

Jack sat on the edge of the bed without speaking.

The convenience store’s climate control system would keep the interior unaffected, but the figures given by the system still left him unable to relax.

He quickly changed his clothes and went downstairs.

Megan was already standing by the glass door, looking outside. Beyond the glass, the distant buildings were blurred by the heat, and even the ground seemed to waver.

“The heat wave arrived early.”

Jack told her everything the system had just reported.

“No wonder it feels so stifling this early in the morning,” Megan said.

Jack left the convenience store with her.

A wave of heat rushed toward them. A canopy already covered the area in front of the store, and the nearby PCCUs were running continuously, yet the rise in temperature was still impossible to miss.

They went straight to the new trading post.

Elias and the others had noticed the change in the weather as well and were gathered near the entrance.

Jack got straight to the point.

“The heat wave arrived two days earlier than expected. The temperature will reach around seventy degrees today and keep rising over the next few days. At its peak, it may reach eighty-five degrees. The heat wave is expected to last between sixteen and twenty days.”

The trading post fell silent.

“Starting now, all unnecessary outdoor work stops,” Jack continued. “Keep the cooling equipment running. Unless something absolutely has to be done, no one leaves the areas covered by the equipment.”

“I’ll make the arrangements here,” Elias said.

The heat wave had arrived early.

The final two days they had expected to use for preparation were gone.