Chapter 595: Pocket-sized Hydropower Station

After Ronan Kendrick sat down, the girl behind them didn’t try to talk to Evelyn Ford again. Instead, she started chatting with the person next to her about the movie that night.

"There’s no ice."

Ronan handed the drink to Evelyn, then glanced at the row behind them. "What were you talking about?"

"The young girl behind us asked if I came to the movies alone. I told her no."

Ronan’s lips curved into a smile. He cleared his throat and looked at Evelyn, feigning composure. "And then?"

"I told her my husband was with me."

The word "husband" once again struck Ronan’s ears. It was like a meteor hitting the earth, carving out a massive crater. Then came a deafening BOOM, with sparks flying and CRACKLING everywhere. His mind went blank, and he completely forgot how to react.

Seeing him in a daze, Evelyn waved her hand in front of his eyes a couple of times, but Ronan didn’t snap out of it.

’Oh no, I’ve shocked him speechless.’

Just then, the movie began, and Evelyn’s attention shifted completely to the screen. It was a horror film, so screams occasionally erupted throughout the theater. A child in the front row got scared and started crying, wailing at the top of their lungs from their seat. The parents did nothing to stop it. Someone sitting nearby couldn’t take it anymore and said a few words, only to get shoved by the child’s father. It looked like the two groups were about to start fighting when several police officers entered from the back door. Without a word, they escorted the family out.

Once the family was removed, everyone went back to watching the movie. Evelyn was completely engrossed, occasionally exchanging a few words with Ronan. He seemed distracted tonight, his replies very cursory. Evelyn thought he might not be feeling well.

"Ronan, let’s go home."

"What’s wrong?"

"Are you not feeling well? You don’t look right. Your face is so red. Are you hot?"

Ronan pressed a fist to his lips and coughed lightly. "I’m fine. I was just lost in thought."

Evelyn had no idea what a huge impact the word "husband," which she had said so casually, had on him.

Ronan felt the blood and emotions churning inside him. He was like a rabid dog on the verge of madness, desperately wanting to let out a few howls.

She had never called him that before. Ronan hadn’t really cared about the title, but now, he wanted to make Evelyn say it enough to make up for all the years she hadn’t.

Ronan clutched his chest. His heart was pounding so fast it felt like he was about to die.

When the movie ended, Ronan was still in a daze.

Evelyn pulled him out of the movie theater. The base had recently installed a fountain in the large, open-air plaza. It had a water show every night at 8:30 and 10:30. If they went now, they could still catch the last one.

Evelyn led Ronan out of the Undercity. It had been a month since she’d been out, and Evelyn was surprised by how much the base had changed.

Next to the main plaza was a trading market. Many people had set up stalls on the ground, where you could barter for goods or use point vouchers to trade for items.

Beside the trading market, there was a barbershop. Seeing the familiar spinning barber pole gave Evelyn the illusion that she had returned to the time before the apocalypse.

"Kids don’t even have to wear masks when they go out anymore. It seems the disinfectant spray is really effective."

Evelyn pulled Ronan over to the fountain. The jets of water glowed with multicolored lights, and children cheered and clapped beside it. Evelyn spotted several coins in the fountain’s basin.

"The movie theater was too crowded. It’s a small space and so stuffy. It’s much more comfortable out here. Even the cold is a refreshing kind of cool."

"Ronan, what’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting strange ever since we got to the theater. Did you run into someone you know?"

Ronan shook his head. "No."

"Then what is it?"

"I’m sorry. It was the first time you called me ’husband,’ and I wasn’t used to it. Evelyn, can you say it again? Maybe I’ll be used to it the second time I hear it."

Evelyn froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. Her boisterous laughter made the children nearby keep turning to look at her.

"Ronan, you’ve been agonizing for two hours, and it was all because of that title."

Evelyn pinched his ear. "How are you still so adorable?"

"Are you going to say it or not?" Ronan deliberately put on a serious expression.

"Alright, I’ll say it. But how about I say it when we get home? There are kids here. We can’t be a bad influence."

Ronan wanted to smile but forced it down. "Okay."

"I want to hold hands."

Back in their dorm in the Undercity, Evelyn fulfilled her promise, repeating the word a hundred times until a satisfied Ronan finally let her off the hook.

"You have to call me this from now on, understand?"

Evelyn replied perfunctorily, "I know, I know."

"Say it again."

"Husband."

Ronan’s lips curled. "One more time."

Evelyn pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "Ronan, that’s enough."

Ronan... ’Is she tired of me already?’

After a day of rest, everyone returned to the pocket dimension’s mining area to continue setting up power poles. They had already gathered the tools for the hydroelectric water wheel. Eight hundred streetlights would draw a considerable amount of power, so the water wheel had to be especially large.

The group spent several days planning together, going through dozens of sheets of paper with scrapped designs, before finally settling on the size and structure of the miniature hydroelectric station.

"First, we’ll dig a dam here to store the water. The power station will be built on top of it, and the large water wheel will go inside. We’ll use the force of the water to turn the wheel and generate electricity. As long as the wiring is correct, we’ll have power."

Ronan had already drilled the holes for the power poles long ago. For the past few days, he, Taylor Vance, Zion Lowell, and Officer Graham had been building the large water wheel.

With everyone working together, even the most difficult tasks could be easily overcome.

Half a month later, a small hydroelectric station stood on the river in the planting area. The two hundred power poles and eight hundred streetlights in the mining area powered up successfully the moment Evelyn flipped the main switch.

"We don’t need to use the generator anymore. We’ll save so much gas. This is a great deal," Taylor Vance said, looking pleased.

"We have to celebrate! We managed to finish such a huge project in just two months. And we actually completed this hydroelectric station in only half a month! I was worried it would fail at first." Quincy couldn’t believe that he would one day participate in building a power station.

Even though it was just a very miniature hydroelectric station, one that only needed to generate thirty to one hundred kilowatt-hours a day, he still thought it was amazing.

"No wonder they say if you master math, physics, and chemistry, you can take on the world. Connecting circuits, generating power—none of it is possible without physics. If I’d known, I would have paid more attention in my high school science classes," Quincy lamented.

"You’re already very capable."

It was rare for Evelyn to praise him. Quincy had put in a lot of effort these past few days. Although he was a chatterbox, he was reliable when it came to work.

"We’ve been busy for over two months, but we’re finally done. We’ll take a week off. After that, we need to start refining the salt ore. Once that’s done, we’ll take another week off, and then it’ll be time to pick cotton."

"Is there a lot of salt ore?"

"A lot. Several hundred tons. After we pick the cotton, the medicinal herbs will be ready to harvest. So, keep your spirits up, everyone. We still have chicken and duck eggs to collect today."