As soon as it was light, the lights in the workshop came on.

Nana stood in front of the terminal, her finger swiping across the screen. Data appeared one after another, which she quickly filtered and categorized. She hadn't slept; there was too much data brought back from the deep ocean last night, its formatting as tangled as a ball of yarn scratched by a cat. But she wasn't in a hurry. Robots don't need rest; they just need time to turn chaos into order.

Chen Hao was woken up by Karl knocking on the door.

He opened the door in a daze and saw Carl holding a wrench, his face still covered in dust from yesterday's fight.

“Nana said the power generation array can be modified,” Carl said. “We can try it now.”

Chen Hao rubbed his eyes: "Did she stay up all night again?"

"It's not again, it's that I didn't sleep at all."

When they arrived at the workshop, Susan was already there. She was leaning against the wall, holding a testing device, staring at the waveform on Nana's screen.

"Can this ore really generate electricity?" she asked.

“It sparks electricity in the sea breeze.” Nana said without looking up. “I tested it seventeen times, and there was a micro-current every time.”

"So you're using it as a battery?"

“It’s not a battery,” Nana tapped the screen. “It’s a converter. It can convert moisture and temperature differences into electricity, similar to the principle of old-fashioned solar panels, but more stable.”

Chen Hao leaned closer to look at the diagram. A bunch of lines and numbers were flashing in front of him, but he couldn't understand a single word.

Speak like a human.

Nana stopped operating the device and turned to face them: "We used to rely on the sun to charge our batteries, and we would run out of power on cloudy days. Now, this thing can continuously output power as long as there is humidity in the air."

"Does that mean... electricity will be available at night from now on?"

"right."

"And you don't have to wait for the sun?"

"right."

Chen Hao grinned: "Then you didn't stay up all night for nothing."

The first prototype component was made using a 3D printer. Carl's hands were shaking a little as he installed it into the control slot of the old power generation array.

"What if it explodes?"

“No,” Nana said. “The worst outcome is no reaction.”

"Then why did you make me wear goggles just now?"

That's standard procedure.

After the button was pressed, the gauge needle jumped sharply and then stabilized.

Numerical display: Output power increased by 47%.

Susan checked the reading twice before speaking, "Am I seeing things?"

“You read that right.” Nana pulled up the comparison curve. “Under the same lighting conditions, the new system has nearly half as much power.”

Chen Hao plopped down in a chair: "When did our base become so powerful?"

“It’s never been that great,” Nana said. “It’s just that nobody used these materials before.”

The first round of testing concluded before noon. The equipment operated smoothly, without overheating or voltage fluctuations.

Chen Hao stood up and slammed his hand on the table: "Let's do something big."

"For example?" Susan asked.

"We'll swap batteries throughout the entire base," he said, "starting with the water purification station."

Susan immediately frowned: "What if the power goes out halfway through? If the water purification process stops halfway, it's a waste of resources."

“Then let’s keep going.” Chen Hao looked at Nana. “Can we use the old system while connecting to the new power supply?”

“It’s possible to switch,” she said. “But I suggest starting with a small-scale connection and observing for three hours before making a full replacement.”

"Okay." Chen Hao nodded. "I'll do as you say."

At 2 PM, the drinking water purification station was connected to the new power supply.

Carl led the team, handling tasks such as disconnecting interfaces, connecting circuits, and calibrating voltage. Susan recorded the entire process with a testing instrument, reporting data every five minutes.

Everything is normal.

The error rate was consistently below 0.8%.

"It's done." Carl wiped his sweat. "This thing is more reliable than I thought."

Susan put away the equipment: "It's definitely stable. I just don't know how long it will last."

“I can’t say how long it will last,” Nana said. “But according to the material fatigue model, the core component’s lifespan is at least six months.”

"Six months is enough to get a lot done," Chen Hao said. "Next, we need to make sure everyone knows how to install this."

He announced on the spot: "Starting tomorrow, it's Technology Popularization Week."

"Who taught you?" Susan raised an eyebrow.

“You,” Chen Hao pointed at her, “you’ve been memorizing data all afternoon, you know best where the problem lies.”

"I am not a teacher."

"That's it now."

Nana has already begun preparing teaching materials. She pulled up a simplified diagram on another terminal, using different colored light paths to demonstrate the direction of energy flow.

"I will make it an interactive panel," she said. "There will be an audio prompt if you make a mistake."

"Don't make it too complicated," Chen Hao said. "Some people can't even tell the difference between a switch."

“I know,” Nana said, “that’s why I added voice guidance.”

"say what?"

"First, please insert the component. Second, please confirm that the interface clips are in place."

Chen Hao laughed out loud: "You're quite good at coaxing kids."

In the evening, the issue of energy storage emerged.

The new system generates a lot of electricity, but it can't store it. During the evening rush hour, the voltage still drops.

“We’re running out of batteries.” Carl flipped through the inventory list. “The old-fashioned lead-acid batteries can’t handle this output rate.”

“Then let’s change it,” Nana said. “We can make our own energy storage tanks.”

"What should we use to make it?"

“Discarded metal barrels,” she said, “combined with alkaline minerals brought back from the island, to make an electrolyte and create an ion battery.”

"It sounds like a product from an illegal workshop."

"But it works."

The three watched as she drew up the plan.

The outer shell is made of metal, with internal partitions, a special solution is poured in, and then wires are connected. The whole structure is so simple that it can be assembled by hand in the field.

"We can make the first batch tonight," she said.

“I’ll weld it for you,” Carl said. “I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

At 9 p.m., the first set of electrolytic cells was put into use.

The lights were brighter than usual. The monitor at the end of the corridor stopped flickering, and the signal strength of the communication base station jumped from two bars to full.

“The lighting system has been switched on,” Susan said, looking at the gauges. “Power consumption has dropped by two-thirds.”

"Where is the clean water?"

"It's been cut off too. The pressure is stable."

What about communications?

"Syncing in progress."

Chen Hao stood in the center of the workshop, holding a freshly printed energy meter in his hand. He stared at it for a long time, then suddenly chuckled.

"Have we become stronger?"

No one answered.

But everyone's face is a little different.

Nana was still organizing the data packages. She needed to package today's entire process into standard courseware and send it to everyone tomorrow.

Susan completed the final stress test and put the testing equipment back in her bag.

Carl and his assistant were labeling the backup crew, their cuffs soaked with sweat.

"We'll have a meeting at eight o'clock tomorrow morning," Chen Hao said. "Everyone, gather at the workshop."

"What are you going to talk about?" Susan asked.

“Let’s talk about how to make life easier,” he said. “We used to build walls to survive. Now that we can generate half again as much electricity, shouldn’t we start thinking about other things?”

"for example?"

"For example, will there be heating in winter?"

"You wish."

The light is still on.

It was pitch black outside, but there wasn't a single dark corner inside the base.

Nana suddenly looked up: "A slight voltage fluctuation was detected."

Where did it come from?

"Third electrolytic cell in area B".

Is it serious?

"Currently under control."

"Should we stop?"

“No need,” she said. “I’ve already adjusted the triage strategy.”

Chen Hao went over to look at the screen. There was a small fluctuation on the waveform, which was quickly flattened out.

"You reacted quickly."

“I am a machine,” she said. “If there is a problem, it must be dealt with immediately.”

Susan yawned. "I'm going to sleep."

"Do I still have to teach others tomorrow?"

"Otherwise what?" she shrugged. "I can't exactly let you go up there and give the speech."

"Can't I speak?"

"You can't even tell the difference between voltage and current."

She left.

Carl packed up his tools and prepared to return to his lodgings.

Nana remained in front of the terminal, her fingers lightly tapping on the keyboard.

Chen Hao stood at the door and glanced back.

The entire workshop was brightly lit, and the machines were running quietly and steadily.

He touched the energy meter in his pocket, folded it up, and put it back.

We'll talk about tomorrow what happens next day.

But now, they're no longer just getting by.

He turned to leave, but Nana suddenly called out to him.

"There is one variable in the new electrolyte formula that has not yet been determined."

Which one?

"When the mineral concentration exceeds 12.5 percent, trace amounts of gas will be produced."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Current observations indicate that it does not affect performance."

"Then why are you telling me?"

"Because tomorrow you will teach everyone how to prepare their own solutions."

"so?"

"It is recommended to specify the upper limit of safety."

Chen Hao paused for two seconds: "Do you think they'll mess things up?"

"Humans will always try to push boundaries."

"That doesn't sound like something you would say."

"I learned it from the database."

He smiled and said, "Then add one more thing to note."

"Write what?"

"Don't be reckless."

Nana entered the command, and a new warning bar popped up on the screen.

As Chen Hao stepped out the door, the wind blew from the east.

It has a hint of the sea.