Humans Shrunk 100 Times

Chapter 99: Authentic

To restore industrial civilization, even if it's only a partial one, precision is one of the necessary foundations. Therefore, finding a unified standard of measurement is imperative.

Regarding this aspect, using the previous scale units is not a big problem. However, the commonly used measuring tools are probably inadequate for the precision needed by humans today.

For example, the millimeter is already the smallest commonly used length unit in daily life. However, at this time, 1 millimeter is approximately the diameter of a human fist, and obviously, this level of precision is far from enough.

But going further down, units like "sīmǐ" (丝米) and "hūmǐ" (忽米) are rarely used, and few people know about them. Instead, even smaller units like "wéimǐ" (微米) are used more frequently in scientific research.

However, regardless of which unit is used, when it goes below the millimeter level, ordinary measuring tools are already ineffective.

Chen Mu looked at the first completed house, and his thoughts gradually drifted to this matter.

"What are you thinking about?" Tang Jing asked curiously after seeing him in a daze for a while.

Chen Mu explained his thoughts.

Tang Jing chuckled and said, "I'm impressed you know about 'sīmǐ' and 'hūmǐ'."

"It's just that I heard those two terms somewhere; I actually don't understand anything." Chen Mu remained humble in front of Tang Jing, even when discussing topics he happened to be knowledgeable about. He preferred to listen rather than show off.

"100 'hūmǐ' is equal to 10 'sīmǐ,' and 1 'sīmǐ' is equal to 1 millimeter, but these two units are hardly used anymore," Tang Jing explained.

"But I heard some old workers use the term 'sī' (丝) in their work."

"The 'sī' they refer to in machining is not 'sīmǐ' but actually 'hūmǐ,' which is 0.01 millimeters. However, this is also an unofficial expression. I remember that in a national-level seminar, someone proposed reintroducing the units 'sīmǐ' and 'hūmǐ' to the public. But it seems they were afraid of confusing them with the commonly used 'sī' and 'sīmǐ' now, so it was ultimately not adopted."

Chen Mu nodded. "Actually, I think these two units are very suitable for us now."

"Indeed, but unfortunately, most people are not aware of them. If it's only for our personal use, it might be fine. However, habits of measurement are not easily popularized. Look at the United States; many places still use the outdated and anti-human Imperial system." Tang Jing shrugged, seemingly joking.

Chen Mu agreed, "You're right. But beyond popularization, the main problem is, even if we use these units, what means do we have to measure accurately? The measuring tools available in schools can at most measure in millimeters, and finding a vernier caliper might be challenging."

"The precision of a vernier caliper is usually 0.05 and 0.02 millimeters," Tang Jing pondered and continued, "For even smaller measurements, we would need a micrometer screw gauge. I remember there's one in the physics laboratory on the third floor of the teaching building, with a precision of up to 0.01 millimeters. Anything smaller than that would require optical instruments, which the school definitely doesn't have."

"However, even if we manage to obtain these tools, with our current size, it would be difficult to handle and use them. Moreover, these instruments require careful maintenance; otherwise, they'll lose accuracy after a few uses. Considering our current conditions, it's probably better to forget about it."

"So, there's no way for now," Chen Mu shrugged.

"But in the short term, even if we need to create some equipment, we only need relative precision; we don't require such high absolute precision. And who knows, perhaps someone will awaken the ability to measure accurately in the future?" Tang Jing seemed quite optimistic.

Chen Mu looked at her and thought, "You really are quite hopeful."

However, despite having some speculations, since Tang Jing didn't take the initiative to talk about it, Chen Mu wouldn't ask either. Besides, given Tang Jing's condition, even if she had awakened some extraordinary ability, it was definitely not just a simple measurement skill; she was almost on par with a supercomputer.

From the beginning, Chen Mu had noticed that Tang Jing was exceptional, far beyond being well-read.

But if Tang Jing really had awakened some kind of brain-enhancing ability, there seemed to be no reason to hide it.

On the other hand, if she truly wanted to keep it a secret, she could have used more subtle ways to assist everyone, and perhaps Chen Mu wouldn't have noticed anything peculiar. However, now, it was evident that Dong Junwei, He Ying, and others had started to suspect something.

In Chen Mu's eyes, it seemed as though Tang Jing wanted others to have doubts about her, but she was unwilling to reveal the truth herself.

It felt as if this girl had some significant secret, and after wrapping it in layers of nonchalance, she unabashedly displayed it to everyone. She didn't explain, she didn't avoid attention, as if she wanted to be seen through, yet she had full confidence that she wouldn't be exposed.

This was why, since the disaster, Chen Mu admired Tang Jing a lot, but also felt somewhat distant from her.

Sometimes, Chen Mu even pretended to act foolishly in front of her, hoping that Tang Jing would reveal more, maybe leak some secrets.

And it seemed that Tang Jing had realized this and cooperated with him in return.

This was what frustrated Chen Mu the most.

Of course, he still trusted Tang Jing very much.

Because with her intelligence, whether she has awakened her abilities or not, it would probably not be difficult for her to harm these people.

Her peculiarities are likely related to her abilities.

But for now, there's no way to know for sure.

As for the issue of measurements, they can only put it aside for now.

In fact, this was also Chen Mu's indirect probing of Tang Jing, but Tang Jing remained unresponsive.

...

After completing the first house, with the template in place, the rest became much simpler.

Four consecutive rectangular bungalows rose from the ground.

The bottom of the houses firmly adhered to the ground, plus twenty-four latches, to ensure they won't overturn when attacked. The outer walls had a thickness of nearly 1 centimeter, making it even difficult for a rat to gnaw through.

The most significant improvement in these houses compared to the previous ones was that Chen Mu dug a tunnel on the indoor floor, which could accommodate four people and was equipped with a flip panel.

The flip panel was made of stainless steel and fit snugly with the floor. On the inside, there was a latch, so once someone hides inside, even if a rhino barged in, it would hardly cause any harm—unless it directly crushed the cement floor.

Chen Mu had the idea for the tunnel a long time ago.

But at the beginning, his abilities were not enough to put it into practice.

Since the apocalypse, there were just too many things he had to do, and he barely had time to rest. Sometimes, even when Dong Junwei, Tang Jing, and others had good ideas, he hesitated to bring them up immediately.

Of course.

The current tunnel could only hide people, more accurately, it was just a hole in the ground. To open up another exit, they were still far from achieving that.

He could change the shape of objects, but he couldn't alter their volume.

So digging a tunnel was essentially the same for Chen Mu as using a shovel.

He had to continuously remove the excess cement, which, for Chen Mu, who was still just an ordinary person in terms of strength, was actually the most troublesome part. That's why he had to alternate working with Wei Dalei, which naturally reduced the efficiency by a lot.

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