When Susan opened her eyes, it was just dawn. She sat up, her coat still draped over her shoulders. The fire had long since died down, leaving only a circle of charred stones.

Chen Hao was squatting by the door, munching on a piece of dry food. When he saw that she was awake, he waved the food in his hand and said, "Good morning. This is breakfast. You can't choose."

Nana stood to the side, the camera slightly panning, as if a scan had just been completed. "Normal temperature, stable heart rate, suitable to begin today's schedule," she said.

"You two got up so early?" Susan rubbed her eyes, her voice still a little hoarse.

"I can't sleep," Chen Hao grinned. "My mind is full of things at the base. The first thing I'll do when I get back is take a shower; I almost don't recognize myself anymore."

“You really should wash,” Susan said, standing up and brushing the dust off her pants.

The three packed their things and walked back along the blue line projected by Nana. They didn't talk much on the way, but the atmosphere wasn't as tense as before. Chen Hao occasionally looked back to see if Susan was following, and Susan didn't ask if they needed to take a detour again.

Three hours later, the outline of the base came into view.

It was a metal hull half-buried in the hillside, coated with anti-rust paint. Several solar panels were crookedly mounted on the roof, and an antenna protruded from the side, its top slightly bent.

"We've arrived." Chen Hao waved his hand. "Welcome to visit my luxurious estate."

Susan stared at it for a few seconds, neither smiling nor frowning, and simply said softly, "Better than I expected."

Nana stepped forward and placed her palm on the sensor area on the side of the door. With a click, the door slid open, and the lights inside automatically turned on.

“The lighting system is working properly,” she said. “The main cabin temperature is 18 degrees Celsius, the humidity is 43%, and the air quality meets the standards.”

Chen Hao pushed open the door to the right-hand cubicle. "This room is empty, you can stay here for now. The lock is broken, I'll fix it this afternoon."

Susan stood at the doorway, not going in immediately. She reached out and touched the wall, then looked down at the seams in the floor to make sure they weren't loose, before stepping inside.

The room was small, containing a bed, a cabinet, and a hook on the wall. In the corner were a few pieces of insulation board and a roll of electrical wire, making it look like a storage room that had been unused for a long time.

"You can leave your things here for now," Chen Hao said. "The cabinet isn't locked, feel free to use it."

Susan nodded, put her backpack on the bed, unzipped it to check it, and then turned and walked out.

"Where is the water purifier?" she asked.

"Over here." Nana had already walked to the center of the living area and pointed to a silver-gray machine. "The water source comes from an underground seepage well and is filtered through three stages, so it can be drunk directly."

Susan crouched down, opened the front inspection cover, and saw a small amount of plant fiber residue inside the filter.

“It’s about the same as filtering water with a cloth,” she said, her tone softening.

“The principle is similar,” Nana said. “The difference is that it can run continuously without the need for manual filter replacement.”

"What about energy?"

"Powered by solar energy, supplemented by wind-powered storage batteries."

Susan stood up and looked around. "With so much equipment, what if it breaks down? Are there any spare parts?"

“There are currently seven types of replacement parts available.” Nana brought up the data projector. “These include three universal interface motherboards, two sets of motor modules, and five sets of sensor units.”

Susan looked at the projection, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally nodded, "Okay, it's better than me messing around by myself."

Chen Hao laughed out loud, "See, I told you, we're not a camping team, we're a regular army."

“Even regular soldiers don’t eat compressed biscuits until their faces turn green.” Susan glanced at him.

"That's a personal issue," Chen Hao waved his hand, "It doesn't represent the team's level."

Nana didn't say anything, but simply recorded the conversation into the system.

The three of them went to the central control console, where a hand-drawn layout map of the base was spread out on the table, its edges worn and frayed.

“We need to discuss what to do next.” Chen Hao picked up a pen and drew a circle on the paper. “Winter is coming soon, and the main cabin’s insulation is inadequate. It’s freezing cold at night. I suggest we add a layer of insulation to the exterior walls.”

Susan looked at the map and pointed to the outer area. "I have no objection, but I'm more concerned about safety. There's movement in this forest at night, and large animals might get close. I think we should build a fence first, and then lay down rainwater collection troughs."

"A fence?" Chen Hao looked up. "This isn't a zoo."

“I’m afraid they’ll crash in,” Susan said. “The metal compartment will rattle, which might wake people up, and what if it damages the pipelines?”

"If we don't keep warm, people won't be able to withstand it." Chen Hao pointed to his nose. "All this fat is in my body, I'm almost frozen into a piece of cured meat."

"You can wear more clothes."

"I'm already wearing three layers! If I wear any more, I won't be able to move!"

Nana interjected, "According to the current material list, if two projects are started at the same time, the construction period will be extended to more than 27 days due to insufficient materials, and other maintenance tasks will need to be suspended."

The room fell silent.

Chen Hao looked down at the paper, his pen tracing an X over the insulation layer before crossing it out. Susan sat there, her fingers unconsciously tracing a scratch on the corner of the table, a mark someone had previously carved with a knife.

“…I can help you repair the insulation layer first,” she suddenly said, “but I hope it won’t be rejected when we build the fence later.”

Chen Hao looked up, paused for a moment, then smiled, "Okay, we'll remember this debt."

“Then enter the plan.” Nana pulled up the schedule. “The priority is adjusted to: Phase 1 – Main cabin insulation upgrade; Phase 2 – External protection construction.”

“Wait a minute,” Susan said. “Can we do a rainwater harvesting system at the same time? I survived in the woods on this. It’s not very efficient, but it can collect water as long as there’s a slope.”

“It can be integrated,” Nana responded. “We can use the sloping roof surface to divert the water and connect it to the existing water storage tank, saving on the amount of piping required.”

“That’s great.” Susan nodded. “I also brought some homemade coarse filters that I can use in the pre-filter stage.”

"You brought something else with you?" Chen Hao asked in surprise.

"There were two rolls of hemp rope, half a piece of sheet metal, and some tape in the bag," she said. "They were all scavenged, but they're usable."

"You've brought back half a junkyard," Chen Hao laughed.

"It's better than nothing."

Nana has already begun to replan the construction route, and the data is constantly being updated in the projection in the air. Chen Hao is lying on the table, listening and doodling with a pen, occasionally saying things like, "Should we weld this corner shut?" or "Can the wires be run underneath?"

Susan looked at it for a while, then got up and said she was going to tidy up the room.

She went back to her room, moved the building materials on the floor to the side, and took out a wet wipe to start wiping the edge of the bed. There was a lot of dust, and it turned black after a few wipes. She changed two wipes and continued wiping.

As darkness fell outside the window, all the lights inside the base came on. A faint clanging sound came from afar; it was Chen Hao rummaging through tools in the warehouse.

She stopped what she was doing, looked up at the pile of insulation boards in the corner, and then at the neatly folded blankets on the bed.

After a while, she took out a small cloth bag from her purse, poured out a few dried seeds, and placed them on the windowsill.

"It would be nice to be able to grow something," she whispered.

At the control panel, Chen Hao was examining the connectors on a circuit board.

"Nana, can this thing really be connected?" he asked.

“The interface is compatible, the voltage is stable, and it can be connected to a temperature control module,” Nana replied.

"Then why didn't you say so yesterday?"

"Yesterday you only asked if you could fix the door lock."

"How was I supposed to know you could be so particular!"

"System response is based on problem precision."

Are you blaming me for asking the wrong question?

"I have no emotional judgment."

"If you have it, then you are implying something between me and others."

When Susan returned, the two were still arguing about it. She stood at the door for a couple of minutes, then couldn't help but ask, "Are you two done arguing? I need to talk to you."

"Go ahead," Chen Hao said, looking up.

“I just checked the joints in the exterior wall and found that a section of the sealing strip on the east side is old. It was windy last night and there was a noticeable air leak. If we want to do insulation, we have to deal with that first.”

"Really?" Chen Hao jumped up. "Nana, go check it out!"

Nana instantly teleported to the east wall, scanned for a moment, and returned. "Confirmed: The length of the seal failure is 1.8 meters. Repair is recommended as a priority."

“Look!” Susan said, “Details are more important than plans.”

"Okay, okay, you're right." Chen Hao grabbed his toolbox. "Let's go fix it now."

“I’ll go too.” Susan grabbed a pair of gloves.

Nana followed behind, and the three of them walked together toward the outer cabin.

The wind was a bit strong, and Chen Hao squatted by the wall, prying open the old weatherstripping, his hands trembling slightly. Susan handed him a new strip and helped him hold one end down.

"Your technique is quite skilled," Chen Hao said.

“I’ve repaired tents,” she said.

No wonder he lived so long.

"You're doing just fine, aren't you?"

"That's because I have robot bodyguards."

Nana, who was standing nearby, suddenly said, "Reminder: Lighting should be turned on for nighttime operations."

"Go ahead, go ahead," Chen Hao waved his hand.

The lights came on, shining on the three people, their shadows cast onto the metal wall, forming a continuous image.

Chen Hao pressed the last section of the sealing strip firmly, clapped his hands, and said, "Done! Next, we'll apply the insulation layer. We'll start tomorrow!"

Susan nodded. "I can get up at six in the morning."

"Six o'clock? That's too early!"

"I'm used to it."

"Then don't call me, I'll set it for 7:30 myself."

"The sun is already high in the sky at 7:30."

"I call this an energy-saving work-rest schedule."

Nana looked at them, and the camera flickered, automatically recording the new collaboration mode: the differences in team members' work schedules have been taken into account in tomorrow's project scheduling.

The wind stopped.

Chen Hao stood up, stretched his wrists, and suddenly remembered something. He took the old circuit board out of his breast pocket.

"Do you think... this thing could be used for perimeter alarms?" he asked Susan.

Susan took it and looked at it. "The interface is too old, but it can be modified. If I have a relay and copper wire, I can make a simple triggering device."

"Then give it a try."

"Are there enough materials?"

"We need to dismantle some of the unused parts."

"for example?"

"For example... my broken music player."

"You still have that thing with you?"

"Nostalgia".

"A waste of space."

"Emotional value".

"You call this emotion?"

"Of course! That was the last device I used to listen to music before I time-traveled!"

"So what do you want to hear now?"

"Good Luck".

"...Never mind, I'll go get the alarm."

Susan turned and walked toward the warehouse, clutching the circuit board in her hand.

Chen Hao shouted after her retreating figure, "Remember to save some battery for me to recharge!"

Nana stood still and said softly, "Tomorrow's work schedule has been updated: start laying the insulation layer at 7:00 AM and connect to the improved alarm system for testing at 9:00 AM."