"Ziwen, have you seen the video of the Maasai people collectively hunting elephants in Africa? A six-ton elephant can only be riddled with pincers by their encirclement."
Qin Ziwen, who was shoveling dirt, straightened up when he heard Zou Sheng's words beside him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said with a smile, "I've seen it before, but the Maasai people are trained from a young age, and hunting is a means of survival. We definitely can't compare to them in that respect."
"Hey, don't boost their morale and diminish our own. I exercise regularly too, and I don't think my physical fitness is inferior to those black people." Zou Sheng raised his arms, striking a bodybuilding pose.
Zou Sheng had the kind of physique that looked lean in clothes but was muscular underneath.
His muscles were clearly visible when his arms were taut.
On the grass outside the residential area, everyone was working enthusiastically, with someone taking over immediately when someone got tired.
In order to successfully trap the giant crocodile, they planned to dig a large pit measuring 12*4*4.
Deng Guang said worriedly, "Brother Qin, do you think the trap we dug can bury the crocodiles? What if they try to climb out?"
Qin Ziwen hesitated, "It's such a deep pit, the crocodiles shouldn't be able to get out, right?"
Deng Guang shook his head, "But what if the slope collapses, like a landslide? If the crocodile knocks down the edge of the pit, turning it into a slope, it could just climb up."
Qin Ziwen thought about that scenario and felt that Deng's concerns were not unfounded.
They found Huang Tao, who was standing at the edge of the pit, earnestly conversing with a bald middle-aged man beside him.
"Digging like this is absolutely not going to work. The soil here is quite loose. If you dig too deep, it will easily collapse. And such a big pit requires a lot of work; it will take at least several days to dig. Such a long time, and it's high-intensity physical labor, will also cause everyone's food supplies to be consumed much faster.
Although many people are involved, pit construction has 'working face' limitations. A 12 by 4 meter pit can only accommodate 20 to 30 people working at the same time, and without machinery, digging by hand is too slow.
Furthermore, the deeper you dig, the more difficult the project becomes. I calculated that based on the volume of this pit, 192 cubic meters, it would take more than a dozen trucks to transport it. And that's under ideal conditions. A depth of four meters is practically a foundation pit. Without slopes or support, it will definitely collapse. But we don't have those conditions right now."
Huang Tao was overwhelmed. He had never done engineering before and didn't understand these things. He just thought that digging a big pit would be enough, since it was only four meters deep.
But he knew that the person in front of him was an engineer, and his opinion was definitely more professional than his own.
Huang Tao thought for a moment: "We initially planned to dig this deep to trap the crocodiles. Since we can't dig that deep, how about other methods, like a mud pit?"
The bald middle-aged man said, "Theoretically, it's possible. As long as we mix it in the right proportions, we can make mud. Mud is a non-Newtonian substance; the more the crocodiles struggle, the deeper they'll sink. But this plan also has a problem: to make a mud pit, we need a lot of water, and we need to get water from the river."
Huang Tao said, "There's a diesel water pump in the property warehouse, and the cars in the underground garage have fuel."
The bald middle-aged man refused: "No, even with the spare connecting pipe, the water pump is only forty or fifty meters long at most. We're at least a hundred meters from the river here; the water pump can't pump water that far."
Qin Zi, who was standing nearby... Wen said, "I have an idea. How about we make a spike trap? There are some iron fences in the neighborhood, right? We can take them down, make long spears, and insert them into the bottom. When the crocodile falls in, since it doesn't have armor on its belly or back, these spikes should easily pierce it."
The bald middle-aged man pondered and slowly nodded, "That's feasible to some extent, but if the pit is too shallow, the crocodile might be able to climb out. After it's injured, it can just hide back in the river, and it won't be so easy to lure it out next time."
Qin Ziwen suddenly said, "Then why don't we add a coffin lid for it?"
Huang Tao was puzzled, "Where would we get such a big coffin lid? Ordinary wood wouldn't be enough to cover it."
Qin Ziwen pointed behind him, "Aren't there so many cars in the garage?"
"Cars?" Huang Tao clenched his fist and clapped his hands, "Good idea! I happen to have a Jeep."
The bald middle-aged man scratched his head and said somewhat reluctantly, "Then I'll donate my G-Wagon too."
Huang Tao and Qin Ziwen looked at him in shock.
The bald, middle-aged man sighed, "This car was novel when we first got it, but after driving it for a while, it's just so-so. The sound insulation is poor, the seats are hard, and the engine is incredibly loud."
Qin Ziwen and Huang Tao exchanged a glance, taking it as a complaint.
The middle-aged man looked at Huang Tao and said half-jokingly, "I've even used my G-Wagon to crush alligators, so when we're dividing the spoils, can I get a bigger share? Here are the car keys, you can do whatever you want with it."
Huang Tao patted his chest generously, "You've already contributed your car, so getting a bigger share is definitely not a problem, Mr. Yang. I'll need to consult you more on engineering matters in the future."
Mr. Yang waved his hands repeatedly, "Don't be shy, you can just call me Old Yang if you don't mind. My physical strength can't compare to you young people, but I've been doing engineering for many years and know a little about everything. I think if we want to..." "Living here properly isn't possible with the current system, and the floor we live on is a major problem,"
Mr. Yang said, pointing to the complex. "Before, with elevators, higher floors weren't a problem; the view was nice. Now that there are no elevators, climbing these higher floors is really strenuous. Imagine, those living on the eighth, ninth, or even tenth floors—just climbing that steep staircase is exhausting. They also have to carry firewood, food, and water buckets.
They can tolerate it for a short time, but in the long run, problems will definitely arise."
Huang Tao nodded, agreeing with this point, as he lived on the seventh floor.
Even as a thirty-something adult man with some exercise, he found climbing up and down the stairs tiring.
The elderly and children must be even more exhausted.
Qin Ziwen said, "Actually, lower floors aren't as good as we imagine. While there aren't any large wild animals entering the complex yet, that might change in the future. Snakes, insects, and rodents can also easily get into lower floors."
Huang Tao agreed, "That's true. I bought a seventh-floor apartment because I thought it wouldn't be too low, the lighting would be better, and there would be fewer bugs."
After their brief exchange of complaints, they went about their business.
Qin Ziwen dug in the dirt while glancing back at the apartment building's windows.
He bought the apartment because of its decent quality; it wasn't an old complex, and most apartments didn't have security bars.
The sunlight reflected the azure sky in the glass.
"Screech—"
A long, piercing scream suddenly came from above.
"That big bird is coming again!" someone shouted.
"Run!"
Qin Ziwen looked up; a dark shadow was rapidly approaching them from above.
People scattered and fled.
He looked around; the area was rather open, with no large trees, and the gate to the residential complex was still dozens of meters away. At the giant bird's speed, there was no way it could reach him in time.
Qin Ziwen quickly grabbed his younger brother and pushed him into the pit, "Squat down!"
(End of Chapter)