The transport wheels rolled over the gravel with a dull thud. Chen Hao stood beside the flatbed, looking at the mud-covered tracks on the "Iron Spine," and reached out to touch the main beam. The metal was still warm, like an ox catching its breath after a long day's work.

Susan took a depth gauge out of her bag and wiped off the mud. "We can try large-scale application tomorrow," she said.

"Let's go back to base first." Chen Hao stuffed the notebook into his pocket. "We need to go through the data again and see if there are any omissions."

Carl, who was bending down to tie the last securing rope, looked up when he heard this and asked, "A meeting tonight?"

"We have to open it whether we want to or not." Chen Hao patted the carriage. "We just finished one thing, and the next one is already waiting at the door."

A group of people pushed a transport vehicle across the field ridges, getting closer and closer to the base's perimeter wall. The intermittent sounds of equipment running in the distance drifted over, like the snoring of an old machine.

As they turned into the side door, Susan suddenly stopped.

At the edge of a wheat field ahead, several stalks lay fallen in the mud, their ears of grain darkened by the rain. A gust of wind blew, and two more stalks beside them snapped limply, the grains rubbing into the soil.

“If we don’t take it in, this area will be ruined,” she said.

No one responded. Everyone understood what she was saying.

Carl scratched his neck: "The manual labor team reported yesterday that ten people can only harvest one and a half acres a day."

“Fifteen acres were planted,” Susan said in a low voice. “At this rate, by the time it’s all harvested, the rest will have rotted away.”

Chen Hao stared at the collapsed field for a long time without moving. Finally, he turned around, raised his chin towards the workshop, and said, "Let's go, dismantle the 'Iron Spine' first, then have a meeting."

---

When the lights came on, four people were already gathered around the control panel.

Chen Hao pulled up the farmland surveillance footage. The screen was divided into sections of different shades of color. Green represented freshly plowed land, yellow represented areas where crops were about to mature, and red represented areas where crops had already lodged.

“We’ve secured the farmland,” he said, “but if we can’t harvest it, it’s like we’ve sown nothing.”

Nana simultaneously opened the yield forecasting model. The numbers popped up: the estimated harvest was 3,200 kilograms of grain, but the actual daily harvesting capacity by manpower was less than 300 kilograms.

“For plots where harvesting was delayed by more than seven days, the loss rate exceeded 40 percent,” she added.

"So, half of what we've worked so hard to grow will just rot in the ground?" Karl frowned.

“That’s not all.” Susan pointed to several low-lying areas at the edge of the map. “The humidity is higher there, so the landslides faster. What we’ve seen today is just the beginning.”

Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table. "The problem now isn't whether the machines can work, but that people can't keep up. The four of us plus one 'Iron Spine' can manage for a while, but not for the entire production cycle."

“Then let’s make a harvester,” Carl blurted out. “Like the old Earth ones, it can harvest as it goes, and it can also thresh the grain.”

Chen Hao glanced at him: "Is the energy sufficient? Do you have spare parts in stock? If it jams, can you make a bearing on the spot?"

Karl opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“It’s not that we don’t want to build large machines,” Chen Hao said, softening his tone. “It’s that we can’t handle that kind of consumption. We need to change our approach—not to be an all-rounder, but to make specialized tools.”

Susan nodded: "What we need is a device that can harvest quickly and reduce losses, it doesn't necessarily have to be fully automatic."

Nana then accessed the database and retrieved local crop data: the average tensile strength of the stems was 3.8 MPa, the ear density was 2,300 plants per square meter, and the lodging angle was generally less than 45 degrees.

She then retrieved the output parameters of the existing power modules, compared them, and gave the following suggestion: "Based on the current resources and manpower, I recommend developing a semi-automatic traction harvesting platform. It can be pulled by the 'iron spine' or manually to complete the cutting and bundling operations. It has a simple structure and low maintenance costs."

“Sounds promising.” Carl sat up straighter. “Much faster than having someone bend over and cut it.”

“The key is adapting to the terrain,” Susan added. “For those that fell over earlier, we need to consider their ability to cut along the ground, otherwise they won’t be able to reach them.”

Nana continued her deduction: "The cutting table height is adjustable, and it is equipped with a flexible guide channel to prevent clogging. The cutting frequency is controlled within 120 times per minute to avoid excessive energy consumption."

Chen Hao listened and slowly nodded: "Okay, the direction is set. We won't make a complicated, large machine, but a helper that can follow the 'Iron Spine' and specifically deal with mature crops."

"And a name?" Carl asked.

"It's not even a project yet, so what's the name?" Chen Hao waved his hand. "Let's draw up some pictures first."

---

The projector is turned on, and a virtual interface appears in the air.

Nana began modeling. The chassis outline was formed first, featuring a low center of gravity design and pre-drilled traction interfaces on both sides. Next was the front header structure, which could be adjusted up and down to accommodate different crop heights.

“Add a set of rollers here,” Susan said, pointing to the middle of the model. “Gather the cut straw in the middle so it will be easier to tie later.”

“Coat the inner wall of the diversion channel with an anti-sticking layer,” Carl suggested. “I know from the last time I dealt with muddy ground, wet stalks are particularly easy to stick.”

Nana recorded them one by one and marked the nodes to be verified on the 3D diagram: the matching relationship between cutting frequency and moisture content, the transmission ratio optimization range, and the material fatigue critical value.

When the first draft was created, the clock on the wall showed 1:17 a.m.

"This is the best we can do for now," Nana said. "Detailed simulations require computing power, and the system is currently under high load."

Chen Hao glanced at the flickering frequency of her optical lens, then at the other two. Susan rubbed her temples, and Carl yawned, forgetting to put the kettle on the table.

“Okay.” Chen Hao stood up. “Starting tomorrow, the shift schedule will be adjusted. Daytime operations and maintenance will be handled by Susan and Carl, and evenings will be dedicated to Nana’s intensive calculations.”

“I’m fine,” Susan said.

"Don't push yourself," Chen Hao interrupted. "Your eyes are red. This can't be rushed, but we can't stop either."

He walked to the projector and pointed to the unpainted harvesting platform frame: "What we lack now is not ideas, but time and energy. No one is allowed to push themselves too hard, otherwise we'll collapse before we even solve the next problem."

No one objected.

Nana synchronized the sketch to the public terminal, marking it as "[Initial Solution - To be refined]". A task list popped up in the lower right corner of the screen: Material strength verification, traction force analysis, and local structural durability testing.

“I will prioritize the core modules,” she said.

"That's all for now." Chen Hao turned off the projector. "Go back and get two hours of sleep, then we'll start work promptly at seven."

He turned and walked out, but stopped at the door.

“Oh, right.” He turned to Nana, “When the blueprints come out, remember to label them with a code. We can’t keep calling it ‘that cutting frame.’”

“We could name it ‘The Scythe Walker,’” Nana said, “meaning a reaper who follows along.”

Carl chuckled: "It's harder to pronounce than 'Iron Spine'."

"The key is that they can get the job done." Susan closed her notebook. "The name doesn't matter."

Chen Hao didn't say anything more, opened the door and walked out.

The others got up one after another. Susan put the pen in the storage compartment, and Carl picked up the empty water bottle and put it in the recycling bin. Nana remained where she was; the optical lens flickered faster, and the background program had switched to deep processing mode.

The screen on the wall was still lit, and the outline of the harvesting platform floated silently in mid-air, with an unclosed dotted line left at the position of the cutter.

Chen Hao looked back one last time.

That image represents both an unfulfilled promise and a new trouble that must begin.