Chen Hao's finger was still hovering above the confirmation button, his breathing more steady than before. He stared at the screen; the announcement "Irrigation flow rate set to twelve liters per minute" had just played once, the mechanical tone still echoing in his ears.

He didn't move or say anything, but slowly withdrew his hand.

“It’s still not right,” he said. “I can hear the sound, but I don’t know where to look. If I panic, I might hear it but press the wrong spot with my hand.”

Nana stood on the other side of the control panel, her optical lens slightly rotating as if she were flipping through some documents. "A visual guidance module can be added to present the operation process in a 3D projection above the actual equipment."

"What did you say?" Chen Hao frowned. "Play a movie?"

“It’s not a movie,” she said. “It’s real-time interactive guidance. As you go, the screen shows you which button to touch next, and you just swipe your finger over it.”

Chen Hao paused for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Isn't this just flashcards for teaching kids to recognize words?"

"The essence is the same."

“I like it.” He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, the movement so sudden that it knocked over a water glass, and liquid dripped onto the floor along the edge of the resin panel. “Let’s do it! I just want to see if the words ‘water pump’ can grow legs and run away.”

Nana began connecting the cables. She pulled a gray-white data cable from the bottom of the main control cabinet and plugged it into the projector's interface. The device started with a hum, the top lens slowly rose, and a small ring of lights illuminated with blue light.

"Initializing, estimated time is three minutes."

"I can wait." Chen Hao rubbed his right eye; he'd been staring at the screen for too long, and his eye was a little sore. "Do you think we could do a whole holographic teaching program in the future? Like, 'How to properly use the toilet without getting your pants wet'?"

"It can be logged, but its priority is lower than that of core system operations."

"Alas, you robots will never understand human pain."

The first frame after the projector started was distorted. The blue interface, which should have been floating directly in front of the irrigation control panel, was shifted above the power supply box and hung upside down. The water flow arrow pointed directly at the power off switch, and the water pump icon was pasted onto the thermometer reading window like a sticker.

"Did this thing drink too much?" Chen Hao looked up. "Does it cause 3D motion sickness?"

“Coordinate calibration failed.” Nana brought up the debugging panel. “It’s probably because the gyroscope was misaligned due to the last lightning strike.”

"Then you should quickly help it up."

Nana reached for the adjustment knob on the projector base, and just as her metal fingers touched the knob, Chen Hao leaned over to help. "Let me do it, let me do it. Your angle is too awkward—"

Before he could finish speaking, the back of his hand brushed against an inconspicuous little bump on the side.

That's the emergency trigger button for the laser calibration emitter.

A beam of red light shot out instantly, striking Chen Hao's right eye directly.

He grunted, stumbled back two steps, and knocked over the tool rack. Wrenches, electrical tape, and half a piece of wire clattered to the ground.

"Warning: High-energy laser activated." Nana immediately cut off the power and quickly stepped forward. "Close your eyes."

Chen Hao had already covered his right cheek with his hand, a trace of red showing through his fingers. "It hurts... damn, it really hurts."

Nana's optical glasses quickly scanned his eyes. "Surface corneal burn, not penetrating. Immediate cold compress and avoidance of light are recommended."

"You still feel pain?" Chen Hao gasped for breath. "I thought you would just say 'damage detected, treatment recommended'."

"I told you."

"Yes, yes, you're the most standard."

Nana turned and opened the medical kit, taking out a small jar of honey. It was collected from the beehive a few days ago; its color was lighter than regular honey, with a hint of green from plant sap. She then tore open a packet of dried vanilla leaves, crushed them, mixed them with the honey, and stirred them in a cryogenic gelling machine for two minutes, turning them into a translucent paste.

"Open your eyes."

"I dare not."

"It must be dealt with."

Chen Hao hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly released his grip. His right eye was red, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Nana used a cotton swab to apply the ointment gently around his eyes. "It will feel a little cool."

It was definitely cold. Like someone had stuck a piece of tofu straight from the refrigerator onto your eyelids.

"Will this thing even work?" he muttered. "What if I wake up tomorrow with bee wings?"

The probability is zero.

"That's good."

He leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, his breathing gradually becoming steady. Nana re-examined the projection equipment, removed the laser module, and added a physical lock. Only by entering her identification code could the high-precision calibration function be unlocked.

"From now on, no one can touch this button casually," she said.

"Including me?"

"Including you."

"Fine, I'm going blind anyway."

Twenty minutes later, Chen Hao opened his right eye. His vision was blurry for a moment, but quickly cleared. The ointment still left a faint mark on his skin, but the pain had mostly subsided.

"One more time?" Nana asked.

"Otherwise what? Should I switch careers and sell roasted sweet potatoes?"

The projector restarted, and this time the image was much clearer. A blue, semi-transparent interface appeared above the control panel, and a virtual finger slowly slid across the various button areas.

Step 1: Check water supply levels

The arrow points to the water tank reading gauge, and the number box flashes three times.

[Step 2: Open the main valve]

When the virtual finger touches the red knob, a yellow warning bar pops up next to it: "Rotate 90 degrees counterclockwise. Do not use excessive force."

“This is much clearer than what I wrote on the resin board,” Chen Hao nodded. “It even says ‘Don’t use brute force.’”

Step 3: Set the flow rate

The numerical input box lights up, and a voice prompt sounds: "Please set the irrigation flow rate in liters per minute."

“Twelve,” he said.

The system automatically filled in "12" and marked the conversion value below: "0.72 cubic meters per hour", with the font size one size smaller and the color grayed out.

"At least no one has mixed up the unit names." He grinned.

The next steps are pump startup, pressure monitoring, and emergency shutdown, each with a dynamic demonstration. The final step also includes a simulated failure scenario—if the pressure drops suddenly, the interface will turn red and display a large warning: "Quick! Shut down the main valve!"

"It's pretty scary," Chen Hao said, shrinking back. "But I like it."

Should we conduct a practical test?

"certainly."

He stood up and walked to the control panel. He clicked the "Start Tutorial" button, and the interface in the air expanded again. This time, all the prompts were perfectly aligned with the actual objects.

He followed the instructions step by step and completed the entire process in ten seconds.

The system announced: "Irrigation program has started, flow rate is twelve liters per minute, operation is normal."

The virtual finger in the projection gives a thumbs up.

"Holy clap!" Chen Hao exclaimed in surprise, "It can even clap?"

“Incentive mechanisms boost user confidence,” Nana said. “Database data shows that positive feedback can increase learning efficiency by 23 percent.”

"Then try bowing to me?"

"Beyond the scope of the current task."

"mean."

They tested other systems twice more, including drainage control and sheep pen temperature control. Each operation generated a corresponding projection, highlighting key areas and immediately blocking erroneous operations.

"If I forget how to turn on the light in the future, can I ask it to demonstrate it?"

"Yes, but the lighting system already has a separate switch."

"I just want to join in the fun."

As dusk fell, the lights in the control room automatically brightened. The equipment operated smoothly, and the alarms fell silent. Chen Hao sat in his chair, his right eye still a little swollen, but he didn't complain anymore.

"What do you think is the point of all this trouble?" he suddenly asked.

"To lower the barrier to entry," Nana replied.

"I mean, if you can do everything by yourself, why do you have to teach me?"

“Because the system needs redundant backups,” she said. “You also have to be able to keep the base running when I’m not around.”

Chen Hao was silent for a moment, then chuckled. "It's not like I'm going to die before you."

"Logically, it is possible."

"Okay." He yawned and didn't ask any more questions.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The coolness of the eye ointment lingered, but drowsiness had overwhelmed the discomfort.

Nana is encrypting access to the new tutorial in the background and adding an emergency interruption protocol. The system will automatically pause the process if an operator's physiological abnormality is detected.

Only the low hum of the equipment could be heard in the control room.

Chen Hao's breathing became even.

His right hand rested on the edge of the table, his index finger unconsciously tapping the surface of the resin board.

Suddenly, the projector flickered.