The ship continued forward, and a gash was cut open in the sea, slowly closing in.

Chen Hao stood beside the cockpit, clutching the flight path map, now slightly damp with sweat. He had just tucked it into his breast pocket when he looked up at the sky. There were more clouds than before, and the wind had picked up, making the canvas on the cabin roof flap loudly.

"How long can this weather last?" he asked.

Nana didn't turn around. Her optical lens swept across the data stream on the control panel. "Current air pressure is stable, with no extreme changes expected within the next three hours."

“I knew it,” Chen Hao slapped the railing, “we finally got it right this time.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the engine sound changed.

It wasn't a gradual weakening, nor a tremor; it was a muffled sound that suddenly stopped, like phlegm stuck in the throat. Then, the buzzing abruptly ceased, the boat sank, and drifted to the spot.

"What's going on?" Chen Hao lunged at the control panel, his fingers randomly pressing several buttons.

Susan strode over from the bow, her brow furrowed: "No power?"

Carl had already lifted the maintenance cover at his feet and peered down. "The driveshaft isn't turning," he said. "The problem is inside the engine."

Nana swiped her finger across the screen, bringing up the diagnostic interface. "The fuel pump bearing is damaged," she said. "It can no longer supply fuel."

"Do you have any spare parts?" Chen Hao asked.

“No.” Karl climbed out from underneath, wiping the dust off his face. “There’s only one of this model of pump on board.”

The air suddenly became quiet.

A sea breeze was blowing, and the boat rocked gently. The distant islands were long gone, and all around was water, a dull, oppressive blue.

“So,” Susan said, “we’re floating right now?”

"To be precise, it's drifting," Nana said. "It moves with the ocean currents at a speed of about 1.7 kilometers per hour."

"I can't even walk as fast as you do." Chen Hao plopped down on the deck. "We're doomed."

“Get up first,” Carl said, pulling his arm. “Lying down won’t solve anything.”

"Why stand when I can lie down?" Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "I can't move anyway."

Susan crouched down, opened her notebook, and flipped through a few pages. "I remember... we mined a dark gray ore in the mines on the island. Its hardness test results showed that it far exceeded that of ordinary metals. At the time, we were worried that the cutter would break."

"You mean use that thing to make parts?" Chen Hao looked up.

“The material properties meet the requirements for high temperature resistance and wear resistance.” Nana quickly accessed the database. “I can design a simple bearing structure with dimensions that fit the existing pump body.”

"Wait a minute." Chen Hao raised his hand. "You mean we need to build an engine part on the spot? Using stones?"

“It’s not a rock,” Susan corrected. “It’s a high-density crystalline mineral.”

"It still sounds like stone."

“As long as the data supports it, we can give it a try.” Nana has already started outputting the drawings. “I suggest using small cutting tools for rough processing, and then wrapping and fixing it with metal sheets.”

Carl stood up and walked towards the storage area. "I'll go rummage through the toolbox and find a suitable piece of ore while I'm at it."

“I’ll help you.” Susan followed him.

Chen Hao remained seated on the ground, not moving.

"Aren't you getting up?" Nana asked him.

“I’m not considered an essential worker right now,” he said. “Call me when you can’t handle it, then my opinion will be valuable.”

“You are now a necessary personnel,” Nana said. “You need to assist with assembly and testing.”

"You expect me to install an engine when I don't even read the instruction manual?"

“You’ve seen the assembly video of the toy car,” Nana said. “The process is 63 percent similar.”

"That was a stupid thing I did when I was a kid."

“Behavioral patterns have continuity.”

Chen Hao sighed and slowly stood up.

On the other side, Karl had already picked out a fist-sized piece of ore, its surface a matte grayish-black. "How about this one?"

"Uniform density, no cracks." Susan shone a flashlight on it. "It's acceptable."

They moved the ore to the workbench, and Karl took out a portable cutter and began trimming the edges according to the outline of the drawings Nana had sent him. Sparks flew out, landed on the deck, flared briefly, and then went out.

"Is this thing really effective?" Chen Hao leaned closer to take a look.

“Theoretically, it can hold out until we reach the shore,” Nana said. “But we must reduce the engine load and avoid continuous high-speed operation.”

"Then let's drive slowly," Chen Hao said. "Anyway, no one's in a hurry."

"Didn't you say you wanted to go back sooner?" Susan looked up.

"I didn't expect to break down halfway," Chen Hao said, shrugging. "Now I'm more relaxed about it; rafting is also a way of life."

Carl ignored him, focusing intently on grinding the edge. His hand was steady, each cut following the line perfectly. Twenty minutes later, the ore had become a rough cylindrical blank.

“Next step,” he said.

Nana projected the reinforcement solution onto the flat panel: two recycled alloy shells wrapped the outer layer, locked with rivets, leaving a central hole in the middle.

“We don’t have the proper fixtures.” Carl frowned. “How can we guarantee concentricity?”

“We use a gyroscope to assist in positioning,” Nana said. “I will provide real-time feedback on the deviation.”

She handed a small instrument to Carl. Carl took it and fixed it to the side of the workpiece.

For the next ten minutes, no one spoke. Carl adjusted the position while listening to Nana count off: "0.3 millimeters to the left... now tilt to the right... straighten... stop."

"Okay." He let go.

The parts look crooked and messy, like a craft project, but at least it's a complete structure.

“Let’s install it and try it,” Susan said.

The three men crawled into the bottom of the hold. Chen Hao was in charge of shining a flashlight, while Karl removed the old pump and replaced it with a newly made replacement. After tightening the screws, he wiped his sweat and said, "Alright, let's turn on the power."

Chen Hao returned to the driver's seat, took a deep breath, and pressed the start button.

Click.

No response.

He pressed it again.

Still nothing.

"Is it connected backwards?" he asked, turning his head.

"The wiring is correct." Nana checked the interface. "It's probably because the initial run resistance is too high."

"Then what should we do?"

“Manually rotate the crank,” Carl said. “I’ll go down and turn the flywheel.”

He crawled back in and pushed hard on the engine's rotating parts. One turn, two turns. The machine creaked, like a rusty door being pushed open.

“Try again,” he said.

Chen Hao pressed the start button again.

This time, the engine coughed twice, then slowly emitted a deep roar. The tachometer needle on the dashboard flickered slightly, and the fuel pressure rose.

"It moved!" Susan exclaimed.

The boat shuddered slightly and began to glide forward.

"The speed is maintained at five knots," Nana monitored the data. "The system is running smoothly."

Carl climbed up from below, covered in grease, but a smile appeared on his face. "We actually got it done."

“The main credit goes to the ore,” Susan said, “and Nana’s design as well.”

"And there's my psychological support." Chen Hao leaned back in his chair. "Without my constant questioning, you wouldn't have such a strong desire to prove yourselves."

“You said ‘That definitely won’t work’ seven times,” Nana said, “but each time you finished saying it, you handed me the tools.”

"That was a coincidence."

"Motivation analysis shows that you tend to use negative statements to mask your anxiety when the team is in a stalemate."

"Shut up."

Susan laughed. Carl went to wash the oil off his hands.

The ship continued forward, at a slow but steady pace, enough to maintain its course. Night gradually enveloped the sea, the clouds in the sky thickened, and the wind began to pick up.

Chen Hao stared at the dashboard, occasionally glancing out the window.

“We’ll have to be careful with our fuel,” he said. “This broken pump won’t last much longer.”

"It is expected to sustain the voyage for eighteen hours," Nana said. "Enough to reach the nearest supply point."

"That's good." Chen Hao stretched. "Next time, could you bring a few more pumps?"

“It can be included in the list,” Nana said, “but the load balance needs to be considered.”

"Then reduce my food rations by half."

"Your calorie intake is 15 percent below the standard value."

"Then why are you bothering with me?"

"I am responsible for the team's health monitoring."

"I didn't ask you to be my mother."

Susan was packing up her tools, putting the cutter back into a box. Suddenly, she stopped.

“Wait a minute,” she said. “This handle is a little loose.”

She tightened the screws on the side and found that the threads were worn.

"I need to get a new one," she said.

Carl walked over and glanced at it. "There are no spare parts," he said. "We can only use some duct tape for now."

He pulled a roll of waterproof glue from his bag and wrapped it around the glue a few times to secure it.

"Leave it like this for now," he said. "Don't use too much force."

Susan nodded and closed the toolbox.

After watching them finish their work, Chen Hao suddenly felt a little sleepy. He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm going to take a nap," he said. "Call me if you need anything."

“We will,” Nana said, “when you snore above the decibel threshold.”

"You're listening into my sleep?"

"All ambient sounds are within the monitoring range."

"You are such a reassuring partner."

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The ship moved slowly across the sea, its engine humming steadily. The wind whipped the sails, and the lights outside cast a dim, yellowish glow.

Nana stood in front of the control panel, the optical lens flickering slightly as it continuously tracked various parameters.

Susan sat down to the side, opened her notebook, and wrote down a line: "The emergency bearing is operating normally, and the material loss rate is lower than expected."

After checking the last section of pipeline, Carl leaned against the bulkhead to catch his breath.

He raised his hand and looked at the black grime under his fingernails.

Then he slowly clenched his fist.