After the arc went out, the workshop was quiet for a few seconds. Chen Hao stood there, the welding torch still in his hand, his knuckles white. He looked down at the cracked piece of iron at his feet, its edges jagged like a bitten biscuit.

He bent down, removed his welding helmet, and placed it on the table with a dull thud. Then he squatted down and picked up the fragments one by one, putting them into the "residue awaiting processing" box in the corner. His movements were slow, but he didn't stop.

Nana didn't speak. The terminal interface remained on the first page of the "Feasibility Analysis of Simple Metal Processing Device," with the cursor blinking slightly.

“The saw won’t work, and the angle grinder won’t work either.” Chen Hao straightened up and dusted off his pants. “We’re not building anything right now; we’re holding a funeral for our tools.”

He walked to the wall, pulled open the bottom drawer, pulled out a rusty wrench, weighed it in his hand, and tossed it into the parts basket next to him. "If I keep trying like this, by the time I actually make a plow, the grass on my grave will be three meters high."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the warehouse door, kicking aside an empty oil drum blocking his way. The drum rolled a few times before crashing into the shelf with a loud bang.

The warehouse was even more chaotic than the workshop. The shelves were crooked, the ceiling was drafty, and the floor was piled with scrapped motors, broken shafts, twisted steel pipes, and gearbox housings left over from who-knows-when. The dust was so thick you could write on it; when Chen Hao stepped on it, he left a trail of clear footprints.

He started rummaging through things. He began with the left-hand shelf, pulling out drawers one by one. Screws, washers, broken drill bits, and a few discarded circuit boards. He picked them up, looked at them, and then put them down.

"Did you get any notifications on your end?" he asked, turning around.

Nana's voice came from behind: "The full base equipment scan is complete, and six potentially usable components have been marked: the spindle box of a decommissioned bench drill, two old gear sets, a complete guide rail, an electromagnetic clutch module, a rusty chuck, and a thick steel plate base. The locations have all been marked."

As soon as she finished speaking, the projection on the wall lit up, and red dots appeared one by one, distributed between the warehouse and the workshop.

Chen Hao followed the first red dot and rummaged through a pile of scrap metal to find an iron box. Opening it, he found it was the spindle box of a bench drill; the outer casing had dents, but the bearings could still rotate.

"If this thing works, at least we won't have to make our own support frame." He took it out and placed it on a temporarily cleared patch of ground.

Next was the guide rail. At the bottom of the third shelf, it was pressed under a broken section of conveyor belt. He struggled to pull it out, wiped off the grease, and found that the slider could still move smoothly.

"Wow, this old relic is pretty durable." He whistled. "If this is installed, at least it will ensure that the saw head moves smoothly up and down."

The two gear sets were found behind the control cabinet, covered in dust, but the gear surfaces showed no obvious wear. The electromagnetic clutch module was hidden in the distribution box's interlayer; the wiring terminals were severely oxidized, but the main body was intact.

Finally, there was the thick steel plate base, lying under the rain shelter outside the workshop, half-buried in the ground. He asked Nana to help carry it in, and the ground shook when it was placed on the ground.

"Six items are all here." He wiped his sweat and listed them one by one, "Headstock, guide rail, gear set, clutch, chuck, base—sounds like a parts list for a proper machine."

Nana glanced at it: "The current assembly feasibility assessment is 37%. It lacks a rigid connection structure, a stable power transmission system solution, and a safety protection mechanism."

"Does that mean we have the parts, but even if we put them together, they might not turn?"

"The conclusion is valid."

Chen Hao sat down on a small stool, panting. Sweat dripped from his chin onto his knees, leaving small dots. He stared at the pile of parts and suddenly laughed: "Don't you think we look like junk collectors right now?"

"The definition is incorrect. We are conducting resource reuse planning."

“It’s the same, we’re both looking for hope in the garbage.” He stood up, walked to the welding station, opened a drawer and pulled out a roll of angle iron. “Since we can’t use ready-made tools, we’ll just make ourselves a place to work.”

He measured the dimensions, drew lines on the angle iron with a marker, then clamped it in a vise and began cutting with a hacksaw. This time, he didn't rush to apply force, but instead pushed and pulled slowly, maintaining a rhythm.

The saw blade didn't break.

Five minutes later, a neat angle iron bar landed on the table.

"Hey, it seems like changing my mindset makes even the saw work." He flicked his wrist. "I used to always think about finishing the cut as quickly as possible, but the more anxious I was, the worse things got."

Nana brought up the simulation interface: "I suggest using the welding station as the base platform, welding a frame with angle iron to form a preliminary support structure. Add shock-absorbing pads to the bottom to improve overall stability."

"I'll do as you say." He picked up the welding torch. "Let's build a frame first, then put the heart on it."

The electric arc ignited again, its blue light reflecting on his face. He crouched down, welding the joint inch by inch. The weld was crooked, but sturdy.

Nana marked the key stress points: "A triangular brace needs to be added here to prevent lateral deformation; it is recommended to reserve bolt holes here for easy disassembly and maintenance later."

"You really think this is a proper equipment design?" Chen Hao said while welding. "Right now, I just hope it doesn't fall apart."

After welding the first crossbeam, he stepped back to inspect it and nodded in satisfaction. He then installed the second beam, secured the base, and vertically tied the guide rail onto it, reinforcing it with bolts.

The framework is taking shape, resembling a crooked tower crane.

"It doesn't look very reliable." He walked around it twice. "But at least it's a skeleton."

Nana initiated a vibration simulation: "The current structure's amplitude exceeds the standard by 1.8 times under low-frequency operation. It is recommended to add counterweights at the four corners and weld reinforcing ribs at the joints."

“The counterweights are easy to handle.” He walked into the warehouse and dragged out two discarded flywheels. “These things are heavy, perfect for weighing down the bottom.”

After welding the last reinforcing rib, he took off his goggles and let out a long breath. The whole frame was ugly, but it stood firm.

"What's the next step? Install the motor?"

Nana retrieved the data: "The existing DC motor has a power of 45 watts. If it directly drives the flywheel saw disc, the load torque will exceed the limit by 62%, posing a risk of burnout."

“Then we can’t force it.” He stroked his chin. “We need to find a way to slow it down.”

"It is recommended to use a gear set for graded speed reduction to buffer the output torque. At the same time, a tension pulley should be added to prevent belt slippage."

“That makes sense.” He pulled out the two gear sets and gestured to show where they would be installed. “Use the large gear on the main shaft and the small gear on the motor. When the speed is slowed down, the power will increase.”

He drew a simple diagram on paper, transforming the bench drill spindle box into a saw head support arm, with a guide rail for vertical adjustment, a gear set for intermediate transition, and a motor for side drive.

After finishing the drawing, he tore off the paper and stuck it on the wall.

Next to it were written three words: Able to rotate, able to stabilize, able to protect.

“Just follow these three rules,” he said. “We don’t care how fast or accurate it is, just make sure it doesn’t explode.”

Nana begins modeling: "Generating a preliminary 3D wireframe of the configuration, inputting parameters..."

On the screen, a rough mechanical structure slowly takes shape. The motor, gears, spindle, guide rail, and base correspond one by one.

"The transmission path has been planned, and the safety clearance has been verified," she said. "The next step is to move on to the detailed design phase."

Chen Hao sat on a small stool, picked up a marker, and checked the part numbers against the parts list one by one. Sweat soaked the hair on his forehead, but his eyes were focused.

"Spindle box, serial number 07-tx, in good condition; guide rail, serial number 12-Gd, sliding normally; gear set A\/b, tooth surface undamaged..."

He reads one line and checks it off.

Nana's terminal interface remained on the "Simple Metal Cutting Device - Primary Configuration Simulation" page, awaiting the next input.

The workshop was piled high with parts, a newly erected frame stood beside the soldering station, and hastily drawn design drawings were pasted on the wall. There was a faint smell of metal and solder slag in the air.

Chen Hao put down his pen and stretched his wrists.

"Next, it's time to get it actually running."