Chen Hao stared at the steaming machine, and before he could finish muttering something, a muffled thud came from above.

It's not thunder.

It was the sound of clouds pressing down, like a soaked quilt being squeezed tightly, squeezing out all the air.

Nana's optical vision instantly switched to weather mode, and data streams rolled rapidly deep within her pupils. Her voice was half a beat faster than usual: "Heavy rain warning, precipitation is expected to exceed the standard by 200 percentage points, arriving in the core area in 47 minutes."

"What?" Chen Hao looked up at the sky. "Don't try to scare me with numbers. These clouds don't look that dark."

“Normally, dark clouds don’t emit low-frequency resonances.” Nana pointed to the sky. “Moreover, the geomagnetic fluctuations are increasing synchronously, which is consistent with the characteristics of precursors to extreme precipitation.”

So, should we believe you or our eyes?

"I suggest trusting the system's judgment first." After saying that, she turned and walked towards the tool shed. "The structural strength of the north side of the greenhouse is insufficient and needs to be reinforced immediately."

Chen Hao stood still, hoe still in his hand, staring at the newly emerged "Farmer". It was emitting white steam, like an old man who had just finished taking a bath, leisurely sitting in the pit.

"I went through all the trouble of digging up an antique, and you're just going to tell me to leave it aside and let it dry?"

“It won’t be washed away,” Nana said without turning her head, “but the newly plowed field will turn into a mud pit.”

Chen Hao sighed and stuck the hoe into the ground. "Alright, protecting the seedlings is the priority." He patted the dirt off his pants. "But if I die from exhaustion, I'll be reborn as an automatic seed planter in my next life."

He shuffled over and, just as he entered the tool shed, he heard a "smack" outside, like someone had slapped the ground with a wet towel.

It's raining? So soon?

“Raindrops for the forwards.” Nana handed him a roll of waterproof cloth and a few metal supports. “This is just a trial spray; the real main force is yet to come.”

"Can you stop talking like a forecaster?" Chen Hao took the things, frowned, and looked at the sky. "It's giving me the creeps."

The two arrived at the north side of the greenhouse one after the other. The supports here were temporary structures, and they had become a bit crooked from being exposed to the wind for so long, and the plastic film was also wrinkled. Chen Hao stepped onto the ladder and had just pulled the waterproof cloth up halfway when Nana suddenly said, "The main drain valve is already 68% clogged. If it is not cleaned in time, the drainage efficiency will drop by 70%."

"Then why didn't you say so earlier!"

"You were busy negotiating with the machine just now."

"I wasn't negotiating, I was just talking to myself!"

Despite his cursing, he still jumped down the ladder to tighten the valve. The rusted screw was stuck very tightly, and he squatted on the ground, working hard for a long time until his palms were red, before finally hearing a "click" and it loosened.

The next second, water gushed out suddenly, carrying a musty, metallic smell.

"Holy crap!" He leaned back and almost sat in the ditch.

Worse still, the water surged even more violently, and the pipes began to creak and groan.

Nana immediately took two steps back: "The pipe wall is severely corroded, and the pressure critical point has been exceeded."

Before the words were even finished, a loud "bang" rang out.

An old metal pipe cracked open, and the high-pressure water jet swept across the entire field like a mad snake. Chen Hao couldn't dodge in time and was hit head-on. He slid backward, lost his footing, and fell directly into the freshly turned mud.

Mud splattered all over my face.

He lay there, his ears ringing, and he had inhaled one or two mouthfuls of muddy water.

"Ahem... Am I participating in a farmland surfing competition?"

Nana quickly deployed a force field shield, blocking the main impact. The water flow was deflected and rushed towards the open space, knocking over several newly planted seedlings.

"The situation is under control," she said. "No one is seriously injured."

"You really have the nerve to say that." Chen Hao struggled to get up, his pants were completely wet and the legs were filled with mud. "My lower body is like a portable flowerpot right now."

He wiped his face and found that his left hand was still gripping the wrench tightly, as if it were an instinctive reaction.

“The original pipeline lacked pressure reduction design, making it a typical single point of failure structure.” Nana put away her shield and walked to the rupture site to inspect it. “In the future, all systems should incorporate redundant configurations, with dual-path parallel operation and mutual backup.”

"You make it sound so easy," Chen Hao said, panting. "All I want to know right now is if there's a clean place where I can lie down for ten minutes."

“No.” Nana pointed to the high platform warehouse. “The spare drainage pump is over there; you’ll need to move it.”

Why does it have to be me?

"Your body fat percentage is more suitable for weight-bearing and anti-slip."

"That's a valid reason?"

"Data support."

Chen Hao rolled his eyes, but still waded through the water towards the warehouse. The mud was too soft; every step felt like a hand pulling at his ankles from underground. Halfway there, he glanced back at the "Gentler," the machine still emitting steam, seemingly unconcerned about the chaos.

"You're so high and mighty," he muttered. "Once I'm done with this, we'll have to have a serious talk about responsibility."

When he arrived at the warehouse, he struggled to hoist the pump onto his shoulder. The thing wasn't heavy, but its wet exterior was extremely slippery, so he had to tuck it under his arm to keep it steady.

"Avoid the deep pit of water two meters ahead," Nana warned from behind. "It's over forty centimeters deep, and the soil at the bottom is loose."

How do you know everything?

"Because I don't need to complain."

Chen Hao gritted his teeth and kept walking. When he was almost at the edge of the field, his foot slipped and his knee hit the stone hard.

"Hiss—" He gasped, "Is this place deliberately working against me?"

“The terrain hasn’t changed.” Nana approached, “It’s your pace that’s off.”

"I'm confused because you keep giving me orders!"

"Silence can lead to a 15 percent increase in the accident rate."

"If you shut up, I'll lose fifteen years of my life."

Nana didn't say anything more, but reached out and took the pump body. The robotic arm quickly performed an insulation test and then connected the power.

Buzz—

The pump started, and the murky water began to flow out through the newly connected pipe.

Chen Hao slumped on the edge of the field, soaked to the bone, his hair plastered to his forehead, as if he had just been pulled out of the river.

“This isn’t farming,” he said, panting, as he raised a wrench and shook it. “It’s more like a disaster movie, ‘How a Fat Man and His Robot Girlfriend Fight Against Nature.’”

“I don’t have an emotional module,” Nana said, wiping the water from her face. “And I don’t think you’re the main character either.”

"Then at least admit that I'm the lead actor, right?"

Current performance rating: D.

"You still give scores?"

"Internal assessment, will not affect the work progress."

They stood side by side, watching the floodwaters slowly recede. The field was a mess; some areas had collapsed, some seedlings had been washed away, and the rest lay scattered and broken, like a group of drunken soldiers.

"How about... we give up this land?" Chen Hao asked tentatively. "And plant on the roof instead? At least we can collect some water to drink when it leaks."

“The roof is not strong enough,” Nana said, “and the pH of the rainwater is still unstable.”

"I just said it offhand."

"Next time, please submit your ideas in advance so that the system can evaluate their feasibility."

"I'll give you a piece of my mind."

In the distance, the "Gentler" stood silently in the pit, the steam having dissipated considerably. Its gears turned again, slowly, but definitely moving.

Chen Hao stared at it for a while, then suddenly said, "Do you think it deliberately chose this time to appear? Just when we were about to expand our planting, it popped up, and then a torrential rain came, leaving us in a complete mess."

“The motive is impossible to analyze,” Nana said, “but the timing of its discovery certainly exacerbates the current defensive pressures.”

"So it's not a helper, but a hindrance?"

"It could also be part of a triggering mechanism."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps its emergence is meant to make us aware of the fragility of existing systems."

Chen Hao was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing: "You mean, this broken machine is here to teach us a lesson? To teach us what 'redundant design' is?"

"The logic holds true."

"Well, it's quite responsible." He stood up, propping himself up on his knees, and brushed off the mud. "It's a pity I didn't bring my notebook, otherwise I could have taken some notes."

He walked to the drainage ditch and checked the pump's operation. The water flow was stable and at a moderate speed; it should be able to drain the water within an hour.

“I’ve made it through this time,” he said. “But if it happens again, I’ll have to buy an inflatable boat in advance.”

"Inflatable boats are not on the supplies list."

"Then you'll let me drown?"

"I can train you to swim."

"I'm fat to keep warm, not to float!"

Nana didn't respond, but instead pulled up a data record: "This incident has been archived as an 'infrastructure failure-environmentally induced' case, and it is recommended that all subsequent projects add at least one backup path."

"You just love memorizing things." Chen Hao shook his head. "Won't memorizing too much make your brain sluggish?"

"I still have 89% of my storage space available."

"How big is the human brain? If you say that, I'm starting to think about getting my chip replaced."

He bent down to pick up a piece of plastic film that had been washed away, crumpled it into a ball, and prepared to throw it into the recycling bin. As he passed the "Gentler's Machine," he paused and stuffed the crumpled paper into a small gap on the side of the machine.

"I'll give you some homework," he said. "Next time, don't just vent your anger, try to do something with your hands too."

Nana stood to the side, her optical eyes scanning the entire area.

The floodwaters are receding, but the soil moisture content remains high, and some low-lying areas still have some stagnant water.

“It will take another 53 minutes to complete the drainage,” she said. “After that, soil permeability will need to be improved.”

"Another job."

"The essence of agriculture is continuous labor."

"Then why did you come to me in the first place? I'm notoriously lazy."

“Because you won’t run away,” she said. “Even covered in mud, you’ll still stand here.”

Chen Hao glanced at her and grinned, "The way you said that almost made me think you were praising me."

He raised his hand, wiped the water off his face, and flicked it onto the muddy ground.

In the distance, the last wisp of white mist drifted out from the exhaust vent of the "Gentler" and slowly dissipated into the humid air.

The machine's gears suddenly stopped.

Then, extremely slowly, it turned one notch counterclockwise.