Chen Hao stared at the notification in the lower right corner of the console for a few seconds, then tapped his finger twice on the desktop. He turned to Nana, "Shouldn't we be organizing the supplies next?"
Nana's optical lens twitched slightly. "The system has recorded your suggestion."
"It's not just talk." He stood up, stretched, and his coat brushed against the edge of the chair and fell to the ground, but he didn't bend down to pick it up. "The heating is stable, and the boiler is off. We can't just stare at the temperature curve all day long."
“You can rest,” Nana said.
"I don't want to be climbing through the snow in cotton-padded trousers when the sun actually comes out one day." He scratched his head. "It would be so embarrassing if everyone else was digging in short sleeves while we were wrapped up like dumplings."
Nana brought up the supplies management interface. "According to the seasonal rotation agreement, we need to store warm clothing and activate lightweight equipment. We suggest prioritizing the storage lockers in the living area and the spare warehouse."
"Okay." Chen Hao flexed his wrists. "Let's start with the bedroom. That pile of winter clothes is practically blocking my bedside."
They went to the master bedroom first. As soon as the closet door was opened, thick sweaters, fleece-lined pants, and windproof face masks all came out at once. Chen Hao reached out and rummaged through them for a bit, pulling out an old sweatshirt with a crooked penguin print.
"I didn't wear this last winter." He shook out his clothes. "It's perfect to wear now."
"The current average indoor temperature is 17 degrees Celsius, which is suitable for transitioning to spring clothing." Nana scanned the clothing label. "It is recommended to separate wool products to avoid them getting damp and moldy."
"I know I need to air them out," Chen Hao said, carrying a stack of quilts towards the door. "But the dehumidifier is still under repair. What should we do?"
"The waste heat from the solar collectors during the day can be used as a drying source." Nana opened the greenhouse monitoring screen. "The roof slope currently has a high accumulated temperature, and clothes can reach a safe moisture content within three hours of being laid out."
"Your brain is a complete waste of its potential," Chen Hao grinned. "No, it's a waste of all that data you've collected."
He carried the quilts to the top of the greenhouse and spread them out. Sunlight shone through the gray-white clouds, casting a faint warmth on the fabric. Nana remotely activated the ventilation fan, speeding up the airflow.
"Collect it after two hours and forty-seven minutes," she said. "Exceeding this time may cause the fibers to age."
"Got it." Chen Hao wiped his sweat. "I still need to go to the warehouse to find the tools later."
Back in the storage room, they began to take stock of what they would need for spring. Backpacks hung in a row on the wall, flashlights were arranged by size, and first-aid kits were labeled with new tags. Chen Hao picked up an old-fashioned compass, shook it, and the needle trembled a few times before stopping.
"This thing still works?" he asked.
"The magnetic field is stable and undisturbed." Nana took the inspection. "However, there is slight corrosion on the outer casing. I suggest replacing the battery and testing the accuracy."
"Anyway, I'm not expecting to find the North Pole with it." Chen Hao casually stuffed it into a canvas bag. "It's mainly for taking pictures. I'll take a 'We're setting off' photo later and use it as the cover of my blog."
"A journal doesn't need a cover."
"Do you understand the atmosphere?"
The tool repairs took most of the day. A crack appeared on the edge of the ski, so Chen Hao patched it little by little with metal glue, then weighed it down and waited for it to harden. The ice axe's connection was loose, so he tightened the screws and reinforced it with extra wire.
"This design is pretty cyberpunk." He patted his pickaxe. "Maybe it'll create sparks next time I break ice."
"It's not recommended to intentionally create friction." Nana noted down while charging. "Communicator battery fully restored, headlamp battery life test normal, rope load-bearing capacity test in progress..."
She paused for a moment.
"An anomaly detected."
"What's wrong?" Chen Hao looked up.
"The breakage strength of the spare climbing rope is 62 percent lower than the standard value." Nana showed the test report. "The outer sheath is aged, the internal fibers are brittle, and there is a risk of sudden breakage."
"Isn't that just sitting there doing nothing?" Chen Hao frowned. "I was thinking that we might need to climb the slope in case."
“It has been added to the warning list.” Nana entered a note, “It can be rewoven from recycled materials or alternatives can be found later.”
"That's all we can do," he sighed. "It seems spring can't just go wherever it wants."
They continued organizing. Nana redesigned the storage room layout, dividing it into three areas: travel gear, repair tools, and emergency supplies. Each area was labeled with a color-coded tag, listing the items and quantities contained within.
Chen Hao hung his backpack on the wall hook, put his tools in the transparent drawer, and packed the medicines into boxes. After finishing the last round of work, he took two steps back, looked around, and nodded.
"Now this looks like we're preparing for spring."
“System mark: Spring preparation phase 1 completed.” Nana updated the log, “The status of all materials can be checked, and the repair progress has been synchronized to the main control terminal.”
"That's good." Chen Hao leaned against the wall, catching his breath. "Shouldn't we be thinking about where to go for a stroll next?"
“Outdoor activities have not yet been approved,” Nana said. “Environmental monitoring is ongoing, and we are currently still in the remnants of winter.”
“I know.” He waved his hand. “But can I dream first? In my dream, I’m already stepping into the mud, my shoes are covered in grass roots, I can smell the earth, and the sun is burning my neck—tell me, who cares about the residual period at a time like that?”
“Dreams cannot be taken into account in the action plan,” Nana replied calmly. “But your body temperature has indeed risen by 0.3 degrees compared to last week, which may be related to increased activity.”
“Look, my body is already responding to spring,” he laughed. “I didn’t even realize it myself.”
Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the door. It was the residents of the living area coming out one after another. Someone saw the open storage room and peeked inside.
"Are they packing up for winter?"
"Yes." Chen Hao waved the compression bag in his hand. "The sealing ceremony for the cotton trousers is underway."
"Can I leave my windbreaker here?"
“Of course.” Nana pulled up the registration form. “Please provide the number so we can file it.”
More and more people gathered around, asking all sorts of questions. Some wanted to get new gloves, some asked if they could change their shoes earlier, and others pointed to the backpack wall and asked if they had any backpacks.
Chen Hao stood in the middle, answering each question one by one. He gestured constantly as he spoke, and when he got excited, he almost knocked over the shelf, but Nana caught him in time.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Everyone gets a share. Spring hasn’t officially arrived yet, but we can’t pretend it won’t come.”
After the crowd dispersed, he and Nana returned to the corridor. The storage room door was closed, and the colorful zoning map was posted on the outside, clean and clear.
"Do you think that's enough?" he asked.
"Currently, we are prepared to cover basic travel needs," Nana said. "Barring unforeseen circumstances, this is sufficient to support short-distance external reconnaissance."
"We're just one step away." He rubbed his face. "Just one command away."
He looked down at his heavy snow boots, a scratch on the upper from when he was dragging a suitcase last year. He kicked the ground, making a dull thud.
"It's time to change your shoes," he said.
Nana did not respond. Her camera panned to the label on the storage room door and lingered for a second.
Chen Hao turned and walked towards the main control area, his steps much lighter than in the morning. The corridor lights were stable, and the thermometer in the corner showed a perfect 18 degrees Celsius.
He stopped suddenly halfway through his journey.
"Nana".
"exist."
"On the day we go out for the first time—"
The corners of his mouth had just turned up—
Suddenly, the loudspeaker at the end of the corridor blared, interrupted by a crackling static.
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