The workshop door closed behind them, the lights came on, and the machines hummed softly. The first cutting mold was still heating up, its red glow reflected on the metal wall.

Chen Hao took off his coat and draped it over the rack, ignoring the oil stains on his cuffs. He walked to the control panel and tapped the screen: "Let's begin."

Nana was already at the control panel, her finger swiping across the interface as the design drawings unfolded layer by layer. "Main beam cutting program initiated, estimated time seventeen minutes."

"Seventeen minutes?" Carl tossed his backpack into a corner. "I could be back even while brushing my teeth."

“You’ll have to wait even after you finish brushing your teeth.” Susan unscrewed a bottle of water, took a sip, and said, “Don’t forget that last time we were rushing to finish a project, the equipment overheated and had to stop for three hours.”

“That time it was because the filter was clogged,” Carl said. “Now Nana is watching over us, nothing will happen.”

The alarm went off as soon as he finished speaking.

The red light flashed once, and a message popped up on the screen: [Main beam cutting accuracy abnormal, deviation 0.3 mm, process abort recommended]

"See!" Karl slammed his hand on the table. "I knew I shouldn't have said that!"

Chen Hao ignored him and turned to look at Nana: "What's the problem?"

"Insufficient cooling system flow." Nana pulled up the log. "The filter is clogged again, probably due to residual dust from last night."

"Again?" Susan frowned. "It's only been five minutes since it was turned on."

“It’s not that there are frequent malfunctions,” Nana said. “It’s that the equipment utilization rate has reached 129 percent of the safety threshold.”

"To put it another way—it's exhausted." Karl crouched down to check the air intake. "I'll clean it."

He opened the casing, pulled out a dark, lumpy object, and tossed it directly into the recycling bin. "Done. Try restarting."

Nana nodded and reloaded the program. The hum of the cutting machine stabilized, and the laser slowly advanced.

“We can’t rely entirely on machines from now on.” Chen Hao picked up the gauge. “We’ll manually calibrate it after each section is cut. Susan will be in charge of measuring, and Carl and I will assemble it.”

“Then you have to treat me to a meal,” Susan said. “Doing this kind of work too often will deform your hands.”

"Okay, I'll treat you to canned food and double the meat after the wheat harvest."

"I want the fruit flavor."

"dream."

After the main beam was successfully formed, the components were produced one after another. Cutting tool holders, roller supports, traction connecting seats... pieces of metal lay on the workbench, like a disassembled skeleton.

The time jumps to 3 PM.

When the lubricant sample was delivered, its surface had a pale green sheen. Karl picked it up and shook it: "This stuff looks like jelly."

“It’s a plant-based coating,” Nana said. “It needs to be kept in an environment above 18 degrees Celsius for two hours to adhere stably.”

“The workshop is only sixteen degrees right now.” Susan touched it. “No wonder it’s a bit stiff.”

"Turn on the heating." Chen Hao went to adjust the temperature control panel. "Let's raise the temperature in this area first."

“The heating is broken.” Carl looked up at the vents. “It was fixed last week, and it’s probably out of service again.”

"Then let's use a heat lamp." Chen Hao rummaged through the tool cabinet and pulled out an old light bulb. "It'll do."

After being exposed to the light for two hours, the coating regained its flexibility. Susan carefully applied it to the roller and then mounted it into the frame.

"Let's turn around," Chen Hao said.

Karl stepped on the pedal, and the roller turned slowly without any hesitation.

"It's working!" he breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought I'd be sleeping here tonight."

“You were going to sleep here anyway,” Chen Hao said. “We’re leaving for testing at six tomorrow, so we have to load the truck by five.”

“Then I’ll lie down now.” Karl leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “In my dreams, I’m already reaping the harvest.”

“You even sing in your dreams,” Susan said.

"That is my blessing to it."

It's late at night.

The threads on the traction interface didn't align, and the connection was loose by half a turn. Chen Hao tried three times with a torque wrench, but couldn't tighten it completely.

“The drawings are fine.” Nana compared them to the 3D model. “The actual machined parts will have slight deformations.”

"How many?"

0.15 millimeters.

"It's so close, it won't fit?"

“The machines must be perfectly aligned; even the slightest error will not do,” Susan said. “Either redo it or modify it.”

“There’s no time to redo it.” Chen Hao looked at Karl. “Let’s polish it.”

Carl picked up a file and began grinding the inner wall of the threads, little by little. Susan held up a flashlight, while Chen Hao watched and rotated the connector by hand.

“A little more to the left,” he said.

Karl adjusted the angle.

That's enough.

With a click, the interface fit perfectly.

“It’s done.” Karl shook his sore wrist. “It would be a waste if I didn’t become a craftsman with this skill.”

"That's all you're capable of," Susan said, putting away her flashlight. "You still have to rely on others for everything else."

"Isn't it enough that I'm skillful?"

"Okay, okay, eat one more bite of rice tonight."

At 1 a.m., the last protective panel was ready to be installed.

Chen Hao lifted the board up and noticed something was wrong when he aligned the holes.

“The location is off-center,” he said.

Susan brought out a measuring ruler: "The pre-drilled hole and the frame are two millimeters apart."

“Impossible.” Nana pulled up the printout. “The drawing scale is the standard value.”

“That means it shrank during printing.” Chen Hao touched the edge. “Paper shrinks slightly when it gets damp.”

“Common errors,” Nana said. “They can be corrected on the spot.”

She turned on the projector and marked the new drilling points on the protective plate. The red light shone on the metal surface, and the four small dots were clearly visible.

“Pull it this way,” she said.

Chen Hao switched to a finer drill bit, held it close to the target area, and pressed the switch. Sparks flew out gently, not hot to the touch.

Susan held onto the board, while Carl pressed down on the other side to prevent it from wobbling.

Ten minutes later, all four screws were tightened.

The entire machine has been installed.

The metal frame stood silently in the center of the workshop, the lights shining on the welds and joints, giving them a cold, solid sheen. No one spoke.

Carl wiped the oil off his face: "It's really ugly."

Susan chuckled. "But it stood still."

Nana scanned the structure for completeness: "The main assembly is 97% complete. The remaining three parts are detachable accessories and will not affect tomorrow's test."

Chen Hao leaned against the machine, his shoulders aching so much he could barely lift them. He looked up at the time on the wall—3:21 a.m.

"I'll sleep for three hours," he said. "We'll load the truck at 5:30 and leave at 6:00."

No one objected.

Nana turned and connected to the system to begin backing up data. Susan opened her notebook and wrote the last line of her log. Carl lay on the folding chair, muttering something to himself.

Chen Hao stared at the outline of the "Scythe Walker," examining it from head to toe. It wasn't as ostentatious as combat equipment, nor as cumbersome as a transport vehicle. It was designed for harvesting wheat—simple and direct.

He recalled what they had said during dinner yesterday.

"His name is 'Scythe Walker'."

Carl laughed at that moment.

Now this machine is actually standing here.

He reached out and patted the fuselage; the sound was muffled.

"We'll see the results tomorrow."

Susan closed her notebook, stood up, and stretched.

"I'm going to wash my face."

Carl rolled over and muttered, "Don't let me dream about it singing."

Nana's voice came from behind: "The ambient temperature has been adjusted to a suitable level, and all accessories to be installed are in the standby area."

Chen Hao nodded without turning around.

He bent down to pick up the gloves from the ground and found that his palms were covered in dust and oil, and there was also some under his fingernails.

He didn't go to wash.

It was still dark outside.

The workshop lights were always on.

The clock on the wall points to 3:25.

Chen Hao slowly slid down to the ground using the "Scythe Walker," his back pressed against the cold metal.

His eyes closed.

But his fingers were still hooked in his pocket, not letting go.

Susan glanced at him as she walked back.

She didn't wake him.

She simply draped a coat over him lightly.

Nana is still running, currently performing final data backups and compiling an attachment list.

After completing the last item in the assembly log, Susan prepared to take a short break before participating in the transport.

Karl lay on a folding chair in the corner of the workshop, closing his eyes to rest, muttering, "Don't let me dream about it singing."

Chen Hao took a short rest next to the "Sickle Walker" before leading his team to the farmland.

They were all waiting for dawn.

The first ray of sunlight hadn't yet shone in.

The heating lamp is still on.

The coating on the rollers gleamed faintly.

The screw threads on the traction interface are clearly visible.

The edges of the newly drilled holes in the protective plate are neat.

The entire machine remained stationary.

Chen Hao's breathing became steady.

Susan glanced at the time.

5:27.

She stood up and walked towards the transport cart.

"It's time to load it onto the truck."