Chen Hao squatted at the lab entrance, holding half a fuel rod in his hand, preparing to walk back. Susan poked her head out from inside and slapped a piece of paper onto his chest.
"Take a look at this."
He glanced down at the paper; there were a few lines drawn on it, along with some incomprehensible symbols. "What are you doing now?"
“The last test data.” She pulled him by the shoulder and pushed him into the house. “The moisture content is still unstable; it goes out halfway through the fire.”
Chen Hao casually stuffed the fuel rods into his pocket and sat down at the table. "Didn't we have a drying rack?"
“It’s not drying fast enough.” Susan pointed to the pile of solar panels that had just been removed in the corner. “The heating panels that Carl installed have too low power; on cloudy days, they basically rely on the sun to dry.”
Nana stood in front of the terminal and swiped her finger across the screen a few times. "According to the meteorological model, the cloud cover will be over 85% in the next 72 hours."
"Then let's wait for a sunny day?" Chen Hao asked, tilting his head.
“We can’t wait,” Susan interrupted directly. “The tunnel construction has already started. If the equipment stops even once, the progress will be delayed by half a day.”
Just then, Carl carried in a bundle of iron pipes, put it on the ground with a dull thud. "I just finished modifying the cart, all that's left is to get the fuel in."
Chen Hao stroked his chin. "How about we try something else? Like... biogas?"
Nana immediately retrieved the data: "Organic waste can be fermented to produce gas, which is suitable for nighttime energy replenishment. The supporting system can be set up within 48 hours."
"It can even be used to burn lamps?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up.
“Lighting, insulation, and power supply for small equipment are all acceptable,” Nana nodded.
“Let’s get started.” Chen Hao stood up. “We’ll use solar energy to dry the fuel during the day and burn biogas at night to keep things running. With both methods combined, nobody can stop us from digging the tunnel.”
Susan glanced at him. "You just said you didn't want to work."
“That was yesterday,” Chen Hao waved his hand. “I feel especially energetic today.”
Carl chuckled. "Can you smell the extra food?"
"Shut up, go build the biogas digester." Chen Hao kicked him.
The three split up. Susan led a group to clean up the discarded barrels and cans in the corner of the warehouse, preparing to use them as fermentation containers; Carl and two helpers dug holes in the backyard of the base to bury the cans and connect pipes; Chen Hao, on the other hand, found a bunch of old wires, intending to connect the solar panels in parallel to boost the voltage.
Nana kept a close eye on the process, reminding everyone from time to time: "The fermentation tank must be sealed and protected from light." "The drying temperature must not exceed 60 degrees Celsius." "The electrical load must not exceed three amps."
Around noon, the first set of fuel rods was produced. Susan took them to test, and the laser equipment ran stably for forty minutes after startup without shutting down.
"Alright!" She took off her gloves. "This time it's really done."
The news spread, and the entire base sprang into action. Originally, only one rock-breaking point was planned, but now three sections are under construction simultaneously.
The front end uses laser cutting to cut the rock, the middle section is equipped with a support frame, and the rear section relies entirely on electric carts to transport the excavated soil. People come and go in the passage, and dust flies everywhere.
Chen Hao, wearing a mask, paced back and forth at the entrance. He saw that Nana had hung an old, pieced-together screen on the wall, displaying numbers.
What is this?
“The tunneling progress,” Nana said, “is updated in real time, and it counts automatically every meter it advances.”
"You can do that?" Chen Hao leaned closer to look. "It actually looks pretty convincing."
“I’ve added a countdown,” Nana continued, “At the current speed, we expect to arrive at the exit area in 123 hours.”
Chen Hao grinned. "I have something to announce."
He climbed onto a concrete block and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Listen up, everyone! For every hundred meters you move forward, you get an extra meal of meat!"
The people working below stopped what they were doing and looked up at him.
"Really?" someone asked.
"Why would I lie to you!" Chen Hao slapped his thigh. "One chicken every 100 meters, one sheep every 200 meters, and 300 meters—I'll treat everyone to hot pot!"
A cheer erupted from the crowd. Several workers who had been resting immediately grabbed their tools and rushed into the tunnel.
Susan walked over, arms crossed. "You're using this to boost morale?"
"As long as it's useful." Chen Hao shrugged. "Anyway, meat isn't expensive, and the frozen food we found is enough to last for half a year."
“The problem is efficiency,” she said. “The three districts are not keeping up. The digging in the front is too fast, and the transportation in the back can’t keep up, so the materials can’t keep up either.”
Chen Hao scratched his head, "Then do you have a plan?"
“Reschedule.” Susan pulled out her notebook. “Three shifts, eight hours each, fuel production continues. Frontline rock-breaking teams work within limited hours, intermediate support teams hand over duties at fixed points, and transport teams travel on fixed routes.”
"It sounds like an assembly line."
“That’s how it is.” She closed her notebook. “As long as each step is timed correctly, we can advance an extra thirty meters each day.”
Chen Hao thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
That afternoon, the new process went live. The fuel workshop operated 24 hours a day, with three teams taking turns operating the drying, crushing, and pressing processes.
The solar panels were connected to batteries to power the nighttime lighting; the first batch of gas produced by the biogas digester was also successfully ignited, lighting up several lights deep inside the tunnel.
At 11 p.m., Chen Hao was still wandering around the passageway. He walked to the middle section and saw Karl leading a group of people welding support frames.
Are you tired?
"Not bad," Carl said, wiping his brow. "It's just that this job is more demanding than I expected."
"Hang in there." Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder. "In another two days, you'll see a noticeable change."
Sure enough, the next morning, the progress screen showed 476 meters. The entire support structure was completed, and the ventilation ducts were laid at the very front.
After inspecting the last section of pipe, Susan turned to Chen Hao and said, "The wind speed is up to standard, and the oxygen content is normal."
"Then let's keep digging." Chen Hao rubbed his hands together. "Let's try to break five hundred today."
At nine o'clock in the morning, the laser head cut through the last piece of hard rock. Debris fell with a clatter, revealing a smooth cavity ahead.
"Is it connected?" someone shouted.
"Not yet." Susan stepped forward to check. "This is just a small cave; the main passage is further ahead."
But everyone was already excited. Some people were banging on iron pipes to keep time, some were whistling, and even Old Li, who was usually quiet, was smiling.
Nana updated the data, and a red notification popped up on the screen: **Cumulative tunneling has exceeded 500 meters**.
Chen Hao grabbed a marker, rushed to the map at the entrance, and forcefully drew a horizontal line.
We've arrived!
He turned around and shouted, "Extra dinner tonight! Start cooking the chicken first!"
A group of people joined in the jeering. Carl raised a wrench as a microphone, "Now, please listen to Comrade Chen Hao's acceptance speech!"
"Get lost." Chen Hao laughed and tossed a glove over.
Susan stood beside them, watching the numbers on the screen slowly rise. She didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth remained turned up in a smile.
By noon, all processes were running smoothly. Fuel supply was stable, equipment was functioning without fault, the transport team was operating at a steady pace, and even the most strenuous rock-breaking team was working without complaint.
Chen Hao sat in front of the progress screen eating dry food when Nana came over and handed him a cup of hot water.
“The energy system is operating in a closed loop,” she said. “Current reserves can support continuous construction for 107 hours.”
"Not bad." Chen Hao took a sip. "Shouldn't we be thinking about something else next?"
"for example?"
“For example…” he took a bite of his biscuit, “the doors and windows in our base are always drafty, can we fix them?”
Susan happened to be passing by and heard this, so she stopped in her tracks.
"You're only thinking about this now?"
“I didn’t have time for that before,” Chen Hao said, chewing on a biscuit. “Now that our energy supply is stable, we should at least improve our living conditions.”
Carl emerged from the passageway, covered in dust. "You want to modify the doors and windows?"
"Just a quick note," Chen Hao waved his hand, "No rush."
“Not in a hurry?” Karl glared. “You said yesterday that you were so cold that you curled up like a shrimp while sleeping.”
"That's an exaggeration." Chen Hao coughed twice.
Nana opened the terminal. "Building maintenance module available. If recycled materials are used, the estimated cost is zero."
Susan crossed her arms. "We have enough materials, but we lack the tools. We need to prioritize the cutting machine for the tunnel."
"Then we'll use it in shifts," Chen Hao said. "We can dig tunnels during the day and modify doors and windows at night, so we can do both at the same time."
"You still want to stay up all night?" Susan raised an eyebrow.
"Haven't I been staying up all the time?" Chen Hao grinned. "I'm practically a night owl."
No one responded. But the atmosphere had clearly changed. A new rhythm was forming.
At 3 PM, the progress reached 512 meters. Support frames were neatly arranged, spaced five meters apart. Ventilation ducts were installed flush with the ceiling, and electrical lines were laid along the walls.
Chen Hao stood at the very front, his headlamp shining into the distance. Dust motes floated in the beam of light.
"At this rate, we should be able to get through in five days at most."
Susan walked up and stood next to him. "Don't just think about getting through; safety measures need to be in place too."
"Understood." Chen Hao nodded. "Exit camouflage and trap setup are both essential."
Nana marked several points on the terminal and suggested adding a double gate structure in the last fifty meters to prevent external intrusion.
"It sounds like a bank vault," Chen Hao laughed.
“The goal is the same,” Nana said. “To protect internal security.”
They discussed it for a while and decided to start from tomorrow, while advancing the project, to pre-embed the gate frame.
Before sunset, the first batch of steaming hot stewed chicken was served. The workers gathered around to eat, their laughter filling the air.
Chen Hao was gnawing on a chicken leg when he suddenly remembered something. He looked up and asked, "Besides digging tunnels, is there anything else we can do with this fuel?"
Susan glanced at him. "What do you want?"
“For example…” he swallowed a mouthful of meat, “…get a heater? Winter is too unbearable.”
Carl immediately responded, "I can fix it! Just use a discarded air conditioner core and add a fan!"
"Add a timer switch," Nana added, "and use an electromagnetic relay to control the start and stop."
"How come you guys are all more enthusiastic than me?" Chen Hao was stunned.
“Because you asked a good question.” Susan picked up a piece of chicken. “And—we finally have the energy to think about these things now.”
Chen Hao paused for a moment, then lowered his head and smiled.
After lunch, he returned to the laboratory alone. The fuel production line was still running, and the molding machine was humming.
He picked up a freshly made fuel rod, examined it in his palm, and then placed it in the storage tank.
Inside the box, fuel rods were neatly stacked in a row.
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