The wind comes from below.
Chen Hao stared at the newly pried-open crack, cold air still rising from it. He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, about to speak, when the alarm in the control room went off.
"Beep beep - abnormal exterior wall temperature."
Nana's projector lit up instantly, and a string of data scrolled rapidly across the screen. "Three cracks have appeared in the east wall. The current temperature is -32.7°C and is expected to drop below -40°C within two hours."
"So fast?" Chen Hao frowned. "Wasn't it supposed to get cooler tomorrow?"
"The weather model has been updated; the cold wave will arrive twelve hours earlier." Nana pulled up the infrared image. "The cracks are widening, and the rate of heat loss is accelerating."
Chen Hao suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead: "Could it be that there's something wrong with the new material we used last time?"
"The initial assessment is that the material is embrittled at low temperatures." Nana nodded. "The molecular structure of the nano-aerogel becomes unstable below -35°C, the closed pores break down, and the thermal insulation performance drops to 31% of its original value."
"So all that work was for nothing," Chen Hao sighed. "All that effort we put into applying that high-tech pudding has now turned into cookie crumbs, hasn't it?"
“I recommend initiating emergency repair procedures immediately,” Nana said. “Our spare materials inventory can only cover one-third of the damaged area.”
"One-third?" Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "The rest you'll make up for with air?"
He turned and walked to the tool shed, opened the cabinet door and took out several rolls of processed animal hides. "Anyway, there are still two hides left, let's just paste them on first."
“The original material has a high thermal conductivity, resulting in low efficiency over long-term use,” Nana added. “Furthermore, the surface is rough, leading to insufficient sealing.”
“I know it’s not as good as the expensive stuff your lab produces.” Chen Hao carried the fur toward the control room. “But this is a matter of life and death, not a competition of who publishes more materials science papers.”
Nana didn't argue further, but silently pulled up the materials database. "Try an optimized solution: combine the remaining new materials with fur, spray a modified coating on the inner layer, and cover the outer layer with animal hide to form a composite insulation layer."
“Okay.” Chen Hao spread the fur on the ground. “You take care of the brains, and I’ll take care of the hands. Neither of us should complain about the other getting dirty.”
The two split up. Nana connected to the knowledge base, searching for low-temperature polymer modification formulations. Molecular chain structure diagrams kept popping up on the screen, and she quickly screened for usable ingredients.
"Adding flexible polyether segments can improve freeze resistance," she muttered to herself. "But the ratio needs to be controlled; too much will lead to a decrease in adhesion."
"What did you say?" Chen Hao was sticking fur on the wall when his hand slipped and he almost fell.
"We need to prepare the new coating," Nana repeated. "We need your help to test the spray thickness."
"Oh." Chen Hao steadied the ladder. "Then hurry up, this piece of leather is about to slide down the wall."
Ten minutes later, Nana completed the mixing calculation. "Mix agent A and agent B in this ratio, let it stand for three minutes before use. Note that the ambient temperature for spraying must not be lower than -38°C."
"You really think I'm a chemist?" Chen Hao smiled wryly. "Give me a foolproof operating method."
“There are graduation marks on the containers.” Nana handed over two metal cans. “Match the red labels, shake for thirty seconds, then unscrew and spray.”
"That's more like it." Chen Hao took it and squatted down to start mixing.
The paint, after mixing, is grayish-white and has good fluidity. He sprayed a small section of the wall as a test, and it dried quickly, forming a matte film on the surface.
"Adhesion meets the standard." Nana confirmed after scanning, "Large-area construction can proceed."
Chen Hao carried the spray gun up the ladder, complaining as he sprayed, "You know, we've been fixing this and that, but why can't we ever last more than three days?"
“Technological iteration takes time,” Nana said. “Every failure accumulates valuable data.”
"So I'm your guinea pig?" Chen Hao turned around and glared at her. "Next time, you try climbing up the wall yourself."
“My robotic arm is not suitable for working at heights,” Nana replied calmly. “And its center of gravity is unstable, making it prone to tipping over.”
"You're quite self-aware," Chen Hao muttered as he continued spraying.
Time passed slowly. The wind outside grew stronger, pounding against the exterior walls with a thud. Every ten minutes, Chen Hao would come down to warm his hands and feet before climbing back up to continue working.
At 2:00 AM, one-third of the east wall area had been repaired. Temperature monitoring showed that localized water loss had eased, but overall levels were still slowly declining.
"At this rate, we won't finish before dawn." Chen Hao rubbed his hands together and breathed on them to warm them. "My hands are almost frozen."
“I can remotely control a robotic arm to help secure the edges of the fur,” Nana said, “saving you time on adjustments.”
"Then hurry up." Chen Hao made way for him.
Nana extended her robotic arm, precisely gripped a corner of the fur, and gently pressed it against the wall. Chen Hao then sprayed adhesive, the two working in perfect harmony.
"Press down another five centimeters on the left," Chen Hao instructed.
The robotic arm finely adjusts its angle and remains firmly in place.
"Okay, that's settled." Chen Hao finished spraying the last bit. "Your arm is more obedient than mine."
“The servo system response latency is less than 0.1 seconds,” Nana said. “The average human muscle reaction time is 0.25 seconds.”
"Trying to show off, huh?" Chen Hao laughed and scolded. "Wait until you cut off the power, then let's see if you can still be so stubborn."
At 3:47 PM, all critical areas were repaired. Infrared scanning showed that the wall temperature had stabilized and heat loss had stopped.
"The internal temperature has risen to 15.3°C," Nana reported. "It is expected to return to a normal level of 16.5°C in six hours."
"I've finally survived." Chen Hao slumped to the ground, leaning against the wall. "Can't we at least have some sportsmanship in this damn winter?"
“Extreme weather conditions are not bound by morality,” Nana said. “I recommend updating the standards for the use of insulation materials.”
"Not again?" Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "Did you already know this material couldn't withstand low temperatures?"
“There were relevant risk warnings in the database,” Nana admitted, “but I did not fully assess the actual environmental pressures.”
"Wow, a robot can make mistakes?" Chen Hao sat up straighter. "Has the sun risen in the west?"
“Error analysis is a necessary step in optimizing the system,” Nana said in unwavering tone. “In the future, a tiered verification process should be established to simulate extreme operating conditions.”
"Alright," Chen Hao nodded, "but I still maintain that we can't abandon these old methods. If it weren't for these basic tools, we'd be huddled in a corner eating ice right now."
“Traditional methods have emergency value,” Nana said. “I agree to include them in the backup plan.”
“Then it’s settled.” Chen Hao stretched out his hand. “From now on, you’ll be in charge of high-tech stuff, and I’ll take over the old-fashioned stuff. Neither of us is allowed to steal the other’s job.”
Nana glanced at him and gently touched his palm with her mechanical fingers.
"The cooperation is confirmed," she said.
Chen Hao grinned and was about to withdraw his hand when he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Wait a minute." He frowned. "You...did you just laugh?"
"No." Nana's screen flashed, "The facial projection system is not activated."
"You're kidding me." Chen Hao pointed at her. "The corners of your mouth are turned up at least two millimeters!"
“That’s a projection calibration error,” Nana said. “I suggest you get your eyes checked.”
"Come on," Chen Hao waved his hand. "Don't act all high and mighty next time. You just think this is interesting."
Nana didn't respond further, but simply uploaded the maintenance log to the system. A line of text popped up on the screen: Base Survival Manual V3.1 has been updated.
[Add New Entry]
Thermal insulation strategy adjustment: Adopt a composite mode of "intelligent materials as the mainstay and traditional methods as backup", and all new materials must pass the -45°C low temperature stability test before being put into use.
Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, paint chips still clinging to his clothes. The temperature curve on the screen had stabilized; he stared at it for a long time, his eyelids growing heavier.
"I'm going to change my clothes." He stood up and shook his stiff shoulders. "I look like I just got pulled out of the mud."
"It is recommended to wash the bedding before touching it," Nana cautioned. "Residual chemicals may cause skin reactions."
"Okay, Mom," Chen Hao muttered as he walked out.
Nana was the only one left in the control room. Her projector hovered silently in mid-air, its screen constantly updating various monitoring data.
Suddenly, an abnormal signal popped up.
The air velocity inside the ventilation duct increased by 53 percent again, lasting for 19 seconds.
She turned toward the storage room.
The wind came from below once again.
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