Chen Hao examined the "Sandstorm Warning" card over and over again, rubbing his fingers against the cracks in the gold powder. The strip of cloth had come loose, but he was too lazy to roll it up again, so he just let it hang there.

"Once something is made, it has to be easy for people to use," he said. "Otherwise, it's all for nothing."

Nana stood to the side, and the camera turned slightly, as if waiting for his next move.

He got up and walked to the materials shelf, pulling out the half-section of PVC pipe. The pipe had scratches on the surface and the inner wall felt uneven, but he didn't mind. "Just saw off a section." He carried the pipe back and put it on the workbench. "A lottery tube, that sounds more formal than 'taking cards'."

Nana projected a blue line, marking the cut points on the tube. "A length of 20 centimeters is recommended for easy one-handed grip and extraction."

“Okay, I’ll do as you say.” Chen Hao picked up the hacksaw, clamped it around one end of the pipe, and started pulling. The saw teeth scraped against the plastic, making a hissing sound. He didn’t have much strength, but his rhythm was steady, one stroke after another, neither hurried nor stopping.

A few minutes later, a short section of pipe fell down. The cut was rough, and a white edge curled up around the edge.

“If you use this thing directly, it will scratch the card surface.” Chen Hao picked it up and looked at it under the light. “No, it won’t work. You have to grind it.”

He found a piece of sandpaper, wrapped it around the small block of wood, and began sanding the cut. He rubbed it back and forth, and the debris fell off little by little. Then he tore off a damp cloth, dipped it in fine sand, and stuck it into the tube to rub the inner wall. His movements were slow, but meticulous.

“The resistance has been reduced by 37 percent,” Nana said, “but there is still a risk of localized blockage.”

"Then let's do it again." Chen Hao didn't stop. "Anyway, we don't have anything else to do."

He switched to finer sandpaper and continued sanding. As he sanded, he muttered to himself, "Back in the day, when we drew lots for exams, the teacher would shake a glass jar, making a clattering sound, so cool. Even though ours is simple, it still has to look presentable."

After struggling for almost half an hour, he inserted a card and tried it. With a gentle pull, it came out smoothly.

"It's done." He grinned. "It's even smoother than queuing for food in the cafeteria."

Nana scanned the data inside the cylinder. "The coefficient of friction is close to the ideal value, and it can be put into use."

"Don't rush." ​​Chen Hao cut a small strip of rubber from the old sealing ring and stuffed it into the bottom of the tube. "Adding a soft pad will prevent the cards from sliding out all at once and will also prevent them from falling."

After modifying it, he tried it a few more times. This time, the pull-out felt more stable and didn't suddenly spring out.

“Perfect.” He placed the lot-drawing container on the corner of the table. “Next, the points.”

Nana opened the storage compartment and took out the small cloth bag. Red beans, mung beans, and black beans were clearly separated.

“Five per person,” she said. “Rewards for completing the task, deductions for mistakes.”

"This is pocket money, isn't it?" Chen Hao grabbed a handful of beans and let them slip through his fingers. "The more you work, the more beans you get; the less you work, the less you earn."

He suddenly thought of something and laughed: "What if someone steals my beans?"

“A penalty mechanism can be set,” Nana said.

“No need for that.” He waved his hand. “I’ll draw a card and call it ‘Thief’s Unlucky Day,’ just to bring him bad luck.”

Nana didn't say anything, but the camera flashed briefly.

"Next up is the dice." Chen Hao pulled out a piece of hardwood, leftover from repairing the scaffold. "A six-sided die. The numbers need to be accurate; you can't keep rolling threes."

He picked up the carving knife and began to carve the wood block. With the first cut, wood chips flew up, but the edge was crooked.

"Handicrafts are really tiring," he muttered. "I wouldn't be this nervous even if I were cheating on an exam."

Nana projected a laser grid onto the surface of the wooden block. "A standard cube, with two to six points symmetrically distributed on each face, and one point centered."

"Are you teaching me how to draw?" Chen Hao looked up. "I'm not a robot."

"Just for your reference," she replied.

He carved along the lines, bit by bit. He dug the groove too deep, causing the center of gravity to shift, and after several throws, the three points always landed upright.

"This is weird." He stared at the dice. "This thing is deliberately working against me."

"The mass distribution is uneven," Nana analyzed. "I suggest adjusting the weight on the reverse side."

Chen Hao thought for a moment, then used a fine needle to remove some wood chips from the grooves, mixed some plant glue with fine sand, and applied it to the opposite side.

"I'll make sure you can't keep up this nonsense," he said.

On the third attempt, it spun a few times and then stopped—at five o'clock.

"Not bad." He nodded. "Let's do it again."

I tried twice more, but the results were scattered and no longer concentrated on a single point.

“Basically balanced,” Nana confirmed.

"It'll do alright." Chen Hao put the dice in his palm and tossed them around. "After all, it's not gambling, it's just for the sake of randomness."

He set the dice aside and looked at the pile of cardboard signs. They read things like "Mission Start," "Settlement Phase," and "Crisis Triggered," words he'd left over from when he wrote the rules.

"This thing is too thin." He pinched it. "It bends at the slightest touch, and I'm afraid it will be blown away by the wind if I put it on the ground."

Nana suggested, "We can reinforce it with a resin coating."

"Would insulating glue work?" Chen Hao remembered that there were still some leftover materials in the repair warehouse.

"Similar ingredients, can be substituted."

He took a small piece, heated it to melt, and the two of them used a brush to apply it to both sides of the sign. After it dried, they broke it apart, and it had indeed hardened considerably.

"But the edges are still soft." Chen Hao folded it forcefully, and the corner cracked.

“The structure is not sufficiently reinforced,” Nana said.

He looked around and saw thin iron wires on a pile of scrapped circuit boards. "This can be used."

He cut four pieces, bent them into right angles, stuck them on the four sides of the sign, and then pressed them firmly with glue.

“Edge binding,” he said. “Like a phone case.”

During the test, he deliberately dropped the sign twice on the ground, but the sign remained intact.

"It's sturdy enough." He nodded in satisfaction. "Even if Old Li steps on it, it won't break."

With all the parts ready, he began to assemble them.

The lottery tube was too tall, blocking the view on the table. So he simply sawed off a section, making it level with the card box. He also pasted three colored stripes on the outer wall—green, blue, and red—corresponding to the three types of cards: resources, actions, and events.

“You can tell them apart at a glance,” he said.

Since the beans were prone to rolling, he asked Nana to design a small tray. It was made of five wooden pieces, one for each person, and was embedded in the side of the card box.

"After you've finished distributing the beans, just insert them directly," he demonstrated. "You can't take anyone's beans away."

Finally, he packed everything into the modified cardboard box. The cards were stacked by type, the dice were placed in a corner, the divination sticks were placed upright in the middle, the bean tray was secured, and the signs were laid flat on top.

The box lid was closed, sealing it perfectly.

“It’s all set.” He patted the box. “It says ‘Don’t touch mine,’ and I’ll fight anyone who does.”

Nana placed the last sign into the tray, and the camera flashed slightly to indicate that the recording was complete.

"Do you think... these guys really know how to play?" Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, looking at the setup in front of him. "What if they start fighting over beans right away?"

“The rules clearly prioritize common goals,” Nana said. “The probability of conflict is lower than expected.”

“I was afraid they would find it too troublesome.” He scratched his head. “Last time we distributed new toothpaste, no one even read the instructions.”

“The simplified rules are printed on the back of the card,” Nana reminded. “Four sentences, easy to understand.”

Chen Hao thought about it and smiled. "That's true, we'll only know once we try."

He reached out, opened the box, took out the dice, and tossed them lightly onto the table.

The dice rolled, hit the edge of the card box, bounced, and stopped.

Six o'clock or above.

He didn't pick it up; he just left it lying there.

The fan blew by, causing a piece of scrap paper on the corner of the table to flutter slightly at the edge.

Nana's camera slowly panned across the entire set of props, pausing for a moment.

Chen Hao stared at the dice and suddenly said, "What if someone cheats?"

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table.