Chen Hao placed the saw on the cement platform, the cut of the aluminum pipe still bearing burrs. He shook his aching wrist and looked up at Nana.
"Is this diagram meant for humans?" He pointed to the rotating three-dimensional structure in the air. "I got dizzy after counting only the seventh connection point. Looking further down, it felt like reading gibberish."
Nana didn't move, but the projection instantly disassembled—the originally densely packed parts were peeled away layer by layer, categorized by color, and the labels were simplified.
"We have switched to basic teaching mode," she said. "The current display shows the docking logic between the blade assembly and the main shaft. The red-marked parts need to be pre-applied with anti-rust glue, and the blue marks indicate the tightening sequence."
Chen Hao stared at the highlighted main shaft and frowned: "Wait, this thing has to rotate vertically. What if it tilts even a little? Will it just bounce around and run around?"
“Theoretically, it shouldn’t jump.” Nana paused for half a second, “but if the base is not heavy enough, it may spin and shift, with a maximum offset distance of 3.7 meters.”
"Three point seven meters?" He sat up abruptly. "Doesn't that mean the generator just blew away in the wind?"
“There is a possibility.” She nodded. “I suggest using concrete piles or equivalent alternatives for fixation.”
Chen Hao looked around the courtyard, his gaze landing on the pile of abandoned geothermal well lining panels in the corner. "Those things are heavy enough. If we take a couple of pieces off and weld them on, they might even serve as decoration—'The Windmill That Attempted to Escape'."
"The name will not be entered into the system yet," Nana said. "Shall we begin material matching?"
“Come on.” He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s see if this junk we have can fit into your high-tech menu.”
She pulled up a simplified version of the drawing, reducing the size to one-third of the original design. The overall shape was spindle-shaped, with three curved aluminum plates arranged around the central axis.
"The model is 1.2 meters high and the blades have a diameter of 0.8 meters when deployed," she explained. "The output power is insufficient to drive any equipment; it is only used to verify structural stability and start-up wind speed."
"I understand." Chen Hao squatted down in front of the pile of materials. "It's just a big spinning toy."
He pulled out the six sections of carbon steel rods he had found earlier and gestured with them. "Can these be used as supports?"
"The length is correct, but the strength of the weld points needs to be confirmed." Nana reached out and took one, a glint of light flashing at her fingertips. "The surface oxide layer is quite thick; I recommend polishing it."
“Okay, I don’t have anything else to do anyway.” He picked up the grinder. “Otherwise, why do you think I’m wearing this greasy work uniform? It’s a professional outfit specifically designed for rummaging through garbage.”
Amidst the roar of the machines, sparks flew everywhere. Chen Hao hummed a tune as he ground the metal, his singing completely off-key and the lyrics indistinct. Nana stood beside him, her mechanical eyes constantly scanning the metal surface.
"Sixty-two percent of the oxide layer has been removed," she reported. "The remaining area does not affect the structural load-bearing capacity."
"Oh, you're actually counting?" He turned off the grinder and flicked his wrist. "I thought you were just saying it casually."
“All data is recorded in real time,” she said. “Including the melody you just hummed, which has been categorized as ‘impromptu vocalization without clear meaning.’”
"Thanks for that academic definition." He grinned, then picked up the aluminum tube again. "Next, shall we cut the leaves?"
“I suggest marking it first.” She projected the blade template and attached it to the surface of the aluminum tube. “Each section needs to be cut to 45 centimeters and bent at a 20-degree angle.”
Chen Hao took out a marker and drew lines on the tube. "Do you think if the angle were increased by five degrees, it would spin even more violently?"
“It may increase startup efficiency, but it also increases the risk of resonance,” she said calmly. “Once the frequency approaches the material’s inherent vibration mode, the structure will disintegrate within seventeen seconds.”
"Seventeen seconds?" His hand trembled, and the line he drew went astray. "Then we might as well just set off fireworks; at least that would look better."
“Fireworks display is not within the scope of this mission,” Nana corrected. “Please correct the markings.”
He sighed and used a file to smooth the edges. "Don't you think we're assembling a giant Lego set right now? Or maybe the kind where the instructions are lost and we're just guessing?"
“They’re quite similar,” she admitted. “The difference is that Lego usually doesn’t electrocute people.”
"That sounds a little scary," he said, shrinking back. "We salvaged this motor from a scrapped drone. What if the wiring is worn out..."
“The circuit insulation has been tested,” she interrupted. “The current risk level is lower than that of drinking expired soy milk.”
"You're really comparing this to soy milk?" he laughed. "Then I'll have to be on tenterhooks every time I drink soy milk from now on."
"I recommend heating it before drinking," she said expressionlessly. "It can reduce microbial activity."
Chen Hao shook his head and continued working. He cut the aluminum pipes into sections, ground the steel rods, and cleaned and oiled the bearings. He placed the permanent magnet motor on the cement platform and repeatedly compared its installation position with the blueprints.
"Do I need to drill a hole here?" he pointed to the base. "But I don't have a drill bit."
“High-temperature melting holes can be used,” Nana said. “Engineer robots are equipped with laser cutting modules as standard.”
“Oh right, you can also heat iron.” He took a half step back. “Then you come here, I’ll stand further away so I don’t accidentally become a kebab.”
She raised her arm, and a narrow beam of light shot out, instantly creating a small hole in the metal plate with a slightly reddish edge.
"The first hole is complete," she said. "A total of six positioning holes are expected, taking three minutes and fourteen seconds."
“You’re much faster than me.” Chen Hao looked at the smoking hole. “But I always feel that having a robot build a generator for itself is a bit like a cat chasing its tail—it’s busy for a long time, but it’s actually going in circles.”
“The logic is clearly different.” Nana continued her work. “A cat can’t move by biting its tail, but we can support subsequent production through energy conversion.”
“Okay, you win.” He sat down to catch his breath. “But then again, can this thing actually spin? I mean, not by you pushing it with a laser.”
“It depends on natural wind power,” she said. “Theoretically, it can be activated if the average wind speed on that day exceeds five meters per second.”
“The winds of this desolate planet are never lacking.” He looked up at the sky. “I’m just afraid it will be too intense and come up and destroy all our belongings.”
“The overturning resistance coefficient has been calculated.” She pulled up the data. “The current design can remain stable in winds with gusts of 30 meters per second.”
"Thirty meters?" he whistled. "That's a speed that can blow a person away."
“Your weight advantage is showing now.” She glanced at him. “A wind speed of over 35 meters per second is expected to be needed for aerial displacement.”
"Hey, is that a compliment or an insult?" he feigned displeasure. "I call this a stable body type, you know?"
"I understand." She nodded. "A low center of gravity helps with balance."
"Are you just saying I'm fat in a roundabout way?"
"States facts without any intention to make judgments."
Chen Hao rolled his eyes and was about to retort when he suddenly noticed a thin crack on the motor casing.
"Hey, wait a minute." He grabbed the motor and looked at it closely. "This crack... wasn't it there all along?"
Nana approached the scanner. "Minor structural damage, located in a non-load-bearing area of the outer shell," she analyzed. "It doesn't affect the operation of the internal magnetic field, but long-term exposure to a high-humidity environment may exacerbate corrosion."
"So, it's still working now, but we don't know when it might suddenly stop working?"
“The possibility exists,” she acknowledged. “I suggest shortening the testing cycle and obtaining basic data as soon as possible.”
“Okay.” He gently placed the motor back on the table. “Then let’s hurry up and not wait until it wakes up one morning and decides to retire.”
The two continued to divide the work: Nana used a laser to precisely drill all the mounting holes, while Chen Hao was responsible for assembling the bracket. The steel pole was erected, the crossbeam was fixed, the base was held down with two discarded protective plates, and then bolts were tightened.
“It looks like a cage.” Chen Hao took a few steps back to examine it. “It’s just missing a sign that says ‘Danger, Do Not Feed the Fat Man.’”
“No need for tags,” Nana said. “The visual recognition system can already distinguish between biological types.”
"You actually took that line?" he said helplessly. "I was being sarcastic."
“Understanding the irony mechanism.” She turned to the stack of materials. “Next step: blade installation.”
Chen Hao picked up three sections of aluminum tubing, bent them into arcs according to the markings, drilled holes at both ends, and prepared to fix them to the wheel hub.
"Where did this wheel rim come from?" He looked around. "I don't remember having this part."
“Modified from an old irrigation pump bearing.” Nana took a silver-gray disc from her toolbox. “The outer diameter is matched, and the inner shaft has been repaired to be compatible with the main shaft size.”
"You dug this out again?" He took it and examined it closely. "Wasn't this thing scrapped three years ago?"
“Idleness does not mean failure,” she said. “As long as the core structure is intact, it can be reused.”
"Impressive." He gave a thumbs up. "Your brain is practically an encyclopedia of the scrap recycling world."
“The knowledge base covers global industrial history,” she replied casually, “including the ‘poor man’ engineering of the twentieth century.”
“The name sounds down-to-earth.” He smiled as he installed the blades one by one. “So our windmill can be said to have inherited a glorious tradition—no money, no materials, but no tricks.”
With the three blades installed, the overall shape resembled a spiral. Chen Hao, holding the support, tried rotating the blades, producing a slight metallic scraping sound.
"The sound isn't quite right," he said. "Is something stuck?"
"The bearing is not properly lubricated." Nana handed over a tube of grease. "Applying it to the contact surface will improve the situation."
He squeezed it once, tried again, and it rotated much more smoothly.
"Okay, it's starting to take shape." He clapped his hands. "Although it looks like someone sleepwalked and built it in the middle of the night, at least it's something that can turn."
"Function takes precedence over aesthetics," she cautioned. "Should we conduct an initial stand-up test?"
“Of course.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s see if this pile of junk can actually dance in the wind.”
Nana held the bottom of the support with both hands, while Chen Hao supported the upper part. Together, they lifted the entire structure off the ground and slowly erected it.
The base was firmly in place, the protective plate held it down, and the bolts were used for reinforcement. The windmill stood quietly in the center of the courtyard, its blades swaying slightly, as if testing the air.
Chen Hao took a few steps back and looked up at it.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect it to actually turn out like this,” he said in a low voice. “At first, I thought it was just something to play around with.”
“All major projects begin with a simple attempt,” Nana said, standing to the side. “Your current emotional fluctuations are in line with the psychological response curve of ‘expected breakthrough’.”
"Can't you just say 'Well done'?" he said with a wry smile. "You have to use technical terms."
“The evaluation has been generated,” she said. “The content is: the operation process complies with safety regulations, the assembly error is controlled within the allowable range, and the initial structural integrity meets the standards.”
"You call this praise?" He shook his head. "If I were the boss, I would have given you the 'Most Unable to Speak Award' long ago."
Nana didn't respond, but simply raised her hand, adjusted the projection scale, and re-overlaid the simplified drawing onto the object for final calibration.
Chen Hao stared at the overlapping images and suddenly noticed a discrepancy.
“Wait a minute.” He pointed to the base of the leaf. “The angle here doesn’t seem to match. The blueprint says 20 degrees, but what we made looks like 25 degrees.”
Nana immediately zoomed in on the detail.
"The measurement results show that the actual bending angle is 23.1 degrees," she confirmed. "The deviation comes from the elastic rebound during the manual forming process."
Will that affect the transfer?
"It may alter the airflow response characteristics." She paused for a second, "but it's still within the operational range."
"So, it can still spin, just not quite perfectly?"
"precise."
"Alright then." He smiled. "Anyway, no one says a windmill has to look standard. As long as it's willing to turn, I'll be thankful."
He took out his phone and turned on the camera.
“Come on, let’s take a picture together,” he said, “to commemorate the first time humans have built a working windmill out of trash on a desolate planet.”
Nana stood next to him. In the shot, the man and the robot stood side by side, with the crooked but already formed windmill frame behind them.
The moment the flash went off, a strong gust of wind swept across the courtyard.
The blade trembled suddenly, emitting a crisp metallic hum.
Chen Hao squinted, watching the first arc of shadow that was about to begin to rotate.
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