The flames from the welding torch were still flickering when Chen Hao suddenly let go.
He stared at the faint light, as if he had seen through something, or as if his brain had been burned. After a moment, he put the welding torch on the table, his voice not loud but steady: "I'm not taking it anymore."
Nana's camera tilted slightly, and the resistance monitoring curve on the screen continued to move steadily. "You just said you wanted to try it."
"It's an experiment, not madness." He raised his hand to wipe his face. There was no sweat on his face, but he felt a little uneasy. "What's the difference between what we're doing now and using tape to tie a rocket together? If it explodes, we won't even be able to collect all the parts to collect the body."
He stood up, stretched his shoulders, and cracked them twice. "We can't keep relying on scraps to make a living. We have to change, completely change."
Nana didn't refute, but simply switched the terminal interface to the original structural diagram of the equipment, with the required parameters for the heat treatment process listed alongside. The difference between the two lines was as stark as the weight difference between her and Chen Hao.
“The current equipment has three major flaws,” she said. “The heat resistance limit is 42% lower than the process requirements, the conductive path is dispersed, causing excessive magnetic field fluctuations, and the structural strength is insufficient to support continuous operation.”
"To translate, it means it's sensitive to heat, unstable, and prone to falling apart?"
"precise."
Chen Hao snorted, walked half a circle around the heating furnace, and suddenly stopped in front of the control box. He picked up a pen and drew a crooked square on the whiteboard next to it. "Then let's do it in three steps. First, replace the heart—replace this damn control module; second, clean up the blood vessels—rewire the circuitry to prevent the current from running around; third, put on armor—add a heat shield, otherwise next time I won't be fixing the machine, but my grave."
The handwriting on the whiteboard was messy, but the logic was clear. Nana brought up the system evaluation model, entered three directions for improvement, and the progress bar slowly climbed to "Feasibility: 78%".
“Okay, not too bad.” Chen Hao glanced at it. “At least it’s more reliable than my final grades.”
What followed was swift and efficient. Nana initiated a full-area resource scan of the base, and dozens of red dots flashed on the 3D map, labeled with categories such as "available components," "modules to be inspected," and "backup power supplies." A route was automatically generated, traversing three areas from the tool depot to the abandoned repair bay.
"There are quite a few things, but they're distributed like my hair—sparse yet clump together."
He picked up an old tool bag and glanced back at the stove before leaving. "Don't let it get cold; I don't want to come back and have to give it CPR."
The search process was like rummaging through a garbage dump and a memoir.
Two old-fashioned relays were found in the toolbox, their casings yellowed, but tests showed that the contacts were still usable; a roll of ceramic insulating tubing was found in the corner of the repair compartment, its packaging paper brittle, and it almost crumbled into a souvenir when it was opened; the most amazing thing was that a complete set of M-type interface components was found under a scrapped control console, the model of which was so old that it looked like it was used by his father's generation.
"This thing still works?" He held up a dusty circuit board, questioning his sanity.
“Functional as usual,” Nana confirmed after scanning. “Compatibility is better than 93% of the alternatives currently in stock.”
"Then why was it left here?"
"Records show that this batch was rejected because it emitted a strange buzzing sound when it was started."
Chen Hao paused for two seconds: "...I think I can accept it."
When he returned carrying a pile of parts, it was already dark, and the workshop was only illuminated by a few overhead lights. The furnace was still in its heat-preservation mode, humming softly like a sleeping cow.
"Are all the materials ready?" Nana asked.
"All done, all antiques, but still functional." He spread out the items, sorted and arranged them neatly. "Next step, unpacking."
The real trouble begins with tightening the first screw.
The original equipment's mounting bolt holes were badly rusted; the moment the wrench was applied, the metal emitted a teeth-grinding squeaking sound. Chen Hao dared not act rashly, but could only heat it little by little, dripping oil and tapping it gently, as if he were defusing a time bomb that could explode at any moment.
"Who do you think built this machine back then?" he complained as he worked. "Did they swear they'd never repair it when they assembled it?"
"Manufacturing records were not kept."
"I guess it was some genius who hated future generations."
Half an hour later, the outer casing was finally removed, revealing a messy internal wiring skeleton. Chen Hao squatted down and looked at it for a while, then shook his head: "This isn't a circuit, it's a spider web."
Next came the reinforcement of the support structure. The original design used a double-beam structure, but the new solution required more depth. Nana modeled and simulated several layouts, ultimately settling on a "diagonal single-arm support," which, although not perfectly symmetrical, distributed the stress more evenly.
“This shape looks like a lame crab,” Chen Hao gestured. “But as long as it doesn’t fall over, I’ll accept it even if it’s ugly.”
During installation, it was discovered that the new bracket base was two centimeters wider than expected, getting stuck on the edge of the side panel, preventing the piston from going in.
"Who measured the dimensions?" he glared at Nana.
"I."
"Then tell me, why is it two centimeters off?"
"The original drawings indicated that the parts were standard parts, but the actual parts in stock had production deviations."
"So our high-tech civilization is also using counterfeit goods?"
"It can be understood as...a legacy issue from history."
Chen Hao sighed and reached for the wrench. "I'll have to grind it down."
He removed the bracket and carefully narrowed the edge on the angle grinder. Sparks flew, like small fireworks during the New Year. In less than ten minutes, it was successfully inserted into the slot, and the fixing bolt was tightened with a crisp "click".
"It's done." He brushed the metallic dust off his hands. "Next step, replace the core."
The target was a power control module. The original plan was to use a T-type power module, which is high-performance and efficient. However, when Chen Hao took out the new component and tried to insert it into the slot, he found it wouldn't fit at all.
"Big head and small body?" He was stunned. "That doesn't make sense."
Upon comparing the actual products, it was discovered that although the new module is advertised as universal, the clip position is offset by half a centimeter, and the interface depth is also inconsistent. Forcing it in will only damage the socket.
“Generational updates cause specification drift,” Nana explained, “similar to how mobile phone charging ports changed from round to flat.”
"So we're stuck on the path of technological progress now?"
"To be precise, it is a standardization fault."
Chen Hao stared at the inaccessible module for a long time before grinning and saying, "Fine, I admit that progress can kill people."
He turned around and pulled out the old M-type module he had just brought back. It had a wide interface, a large size, and the instruction manual was still paper, but the size was a perfect match.
"Performance is 15% lower, but it's usable," Nana confirmed.
"It's good enough." He unscrewed the fixing screws. "We're not trying to do nuclear fusion, we're just giving the iron a sauna."
The new module was installed, and the wiring was rearranged. This time, Chen Hao no longer haphazardly wound the wires, but instead fixed them section by section in the insulating groove according to the path diagram given by Nana, labeling each wire with a serial number.
"I used to think that electricians were the lowest-level skilled workers," he remarked as he connected the wires. "Now I realize that they might be the closest to God in terms of profession—after all, who can make a bunch of copper wires behave?"
During a break, he leaned against the wall, munching on an energy bar, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's. "What's the point of all this fuss? It's just spinning yarn, right? Now it's like we're building a space station."
“Multiple spindles operating simultaneously require a stable power source,” Nana said. “Temporary solutions are unsustainable.”
"I know, but every time I solve one problem, three new problems pop up. It's like playing whack-a-mole, and I can never finish."
"This is the norm for engineering projects."
"So I'm now forced to become an engineer?"
"You already possess basic troubleshooting and system planning skills."
"To translate, it means I'm so sick I can't be cured."
He tossed aside the wrapping paper, stood up, and dusted off his pants. "Let's go, let's continue to prolong this old coffin's life."
The last step was to reassemble the outer casing. With the addition of the heat dissipation layer, the overall thickness increased, making it impossible to close the original cover. Nana suggested trimming the edges, while Chen Hao found an extended screw to simply raise the casing.
"Leaving a gap allows for heat dissipation and also prevents pressure buildup," he said. "The only downside is that there's an extra gap when cleaning, which can trap dust."
"Cleaning is a lower priority than operational stability."
I knew you'd say that.
Around 9 PM, the main modifications to the equipment were completed. The outer casing was half-open, with several bundles of new wires exposed, awaiting final connection. Chen Hao sat on a small stool, holding a marker, and drew an arrow on the edge of the control panel, writing "Connect to main circuit here."
Nana's light screen floated in the air, and the progress bar showed: "Structure compatibility: 78%".
"How do we fill in the remaining 20%?" he asked, looking up.
"Line integration and load testing need to be completed."
"So, this thing looks like a machine, but it's actually just high-grade scrap metal?"
"Currently, it is in the stage where it can be started for verification."
Chen Hao nodded, put the pen cap in his mouth, and squinted at the complex array of interfaces. He reached out and touched the newly added heatsink, then checked whether the grounding wire was secure.
Then he picked up a red cable and walked toward the main terminal.
Just as her finger touched the terminal, Nana suddenly spoke up: "The current ambient humidity has risen to 68%, so it is recommended to delay the high-voltage power-on."
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