Chen Hao stretched and leaned back in his chair, rocking back and forth a couple of times. The lab lights were on, the data on the screen was still scrolling, and the crystalline bacteria in the incubator floated quietly.
He stared at the old-fashioned oxygen cylinder in his hand for a few seconds and said, "Can this thing be a little smarter? For example, if I can't breathe, it can automatically give me more oxygen."
Nana stood in front of the control panel, tapping the interface lightly with her finger. "Your heart rate was last elevated after you turned seventeen times in succession in the undercurrent. The system detected an oxygen supply delay of 1.2 seconds."
"That was almost suffocating." Chen Hao put the bottle on the table. "We've already developed bacteria that can do work, surely we can handle an oxygen tank?"
Susan looked up from her notebook. "The problem isn't the oxygen supply, it's the adjustment speed. The current system is too slow; in case of an emergency, we can only rely on people to hold on."
Carl, who was sitting in the corner charging his headphones with the cable plugged into the earpiece, chuckled upon hearing this. "You guys want it to learn to read faces, right? So it'll spit on you when it sees your face turn purple."
"More or less." Chen Hao nodded. "What I need is equipment that can take care of people, not a lump of metal."
Nana didn't speak, but turned around and brought up the database. A few minutes later, a new structural diagram popped up on the screen—a dual-chamber gas storage system with a built-in processor and an external vital signs sensing module.
"The solution has been developed: the OX-2 intelligent oxygen cylinder," she said. "The main cabin stores oxygen under high pressure, while the auxiliary cabin dynamically adjusts the output, adjusting the flow rate in real time according to the user's breathing rate, heart rate, and exercise intensity."
"Sounds like a personal butler." Chen Hao leaned over to take a look. "Could you add a reminder function? Like, 'Master should lose weight'?"
“You can set up voice prompts,” Nana said expressionlessly. “I suggest prioritizing them below security alerts.”
“Don’t add it.” Susan closed her notebook. “If he heard the machine advising him to eat less, he’d smash it on the spot.”
“I would never do such a thing.” Chen Hao waved his hand. “I’m always gentle with the equipment.”
Carl unplugged the earphone cord. "Then why did you hit the communicator with a wrench last time?"
"That's because it ignored me first."
Nana began disassembling the old oxygen cylinder with practiced ease. She removed the control chip, rewired it, and then picked up a silver-gray alloy sheet from the side.
“This is a composite material refined from stardust ore.” Susan handed over a pair of miniature clamps. “It’s used as a reinforcement layer for valve bodies, and its compressive strength is 40% higher than the original.”
“The weld joints are prone to cracking.” Carl took a closer look. “The thermal stress is unevenly distributed.”
“Then let’s use cold bonding.” Nana switched to tool mode and used magnetic bonding technology to embed the alloy sheet into the joint. “No need for high temperature, to avoid structural damage.”
Eight hours later, the first prototype was completed.
The casing remains the familiar military green, but two additional heat dissipation slots have been added to the side, and a sensor ring has been added to the bottom. During the self-test, the indicator light changes from red to green, and a short "beep" sound is heard.
"I passed the basic test," Nana said.
"Is there a louder sound?" Chen Hao asked. "What if I'm busy running for my life?"
Nana adjusted the alarm device, and the sound increased by twelve decibels during the second self-test.
"Okay, I can hear you this time." He nodded in satisfaction.
The trial run began the next morning.
The four crew members, equipped with new gear, descended to their target area, near the previous deployment point of the observation module. The water current was calm, and visibility was good.
"Current depth 470 meters," Nana reported. "OX-2 is operating normally, and oxygen supply is stable."
Chen Hao stretched his shoulders and felt the bottle on his back was lighter than usual. "You know what, this thing seems to know I'm going to move and it supplied the gas in advance."
"Because your heart rate rose by 0.3 when you just raised your hand," Nana said. "The system predicted that you were about to make a physical movement."
"It knows me better than my wife," Chen Hao muttered.
“You don’t have a wife,” Carl corrected on the channel.
That's why I treat it like family.
Susan checked her readings: "Blood oxygen level is constant, breathing resistance has decreased by 18%. It's definitely smoother than the old model."
They continued on, rounding a group of reefs. Suddenly, a localized current surged in, churning the water and kicking up silt.
Chen Hao was pushed, his foot slipped, and he crashed into a narrow gap, his body tilted to the side, and his head got stuck.
"Damn it!" he slammed his hand on the oxygen tank. "I can't breathe!"
“Posture abnormality detected.” Nana immediately connected to remote monitoring. “Switch to backup channel and restore oxygen supply.”
A slight vibration came from the bottle, followed by a bone conduction prompt: "Tilt mode activated, gas supply adjustment complete."
"Can you hear me?" Nana asked.
"I can't hear, but I can breathe," Chen Hao gasped for breath. "For a second just now, I thought I was going to die here."
"Your blood oxygen saturation is currently 96%," Nana said. "You are not showing any symptoms of hypoxia."
“The auxiliary nozzle is still usable,” Karl reminded him. “Short pulse propulsion to help you adjust the angle.”
Chen Hao pressed the button on the side of the bottle, and a weak push came out from the right side, slowly straightening his body. He used the force to push through the gap and regain his footing.
"This thing saved my life." He patted the oxygen tank. "From now on, I'll call you Second Brother."
“It doesn’t respond to the address,” Nana said, “but this incident has been recorded as an emergency case for future algorithm optimization.”
Don't you think it has a human touch?
"It is a machine."
"But it's more reliable than my friend."
Susan reviewed the data packet. "The oxygen consumption during the entire process was 23 percent lower than expected, indicating that the intelligent adjustment effectively reduced waste."
“Energy saving is just a side benefit.” Nana pulled up the log. “The key is that it can maintain life support without interruption in complex environments.”
They continued along the remaining route, testing its response at different swimming speeds. Whether it was a sudden stop, reversing, or hovering, the ox-2 was able to promptly match breathing requirements.
On the return trip, Chen Hao carried the new bottle on his back the whole time, and touched the sensor ring on the side from time to time.
"Do you think we could add another feature?" he started thinking again. "Like, if I get nervous, it could play some music?"
“It will affect concentration,” Susan objected. “The deep-sea environment is not suitable for additional auditory interference.”
"I can choose light music."
"Last time you played rock music."
"That's to keep you alert."
"As a result, you shook your head to the rhythm and almost crashed into the rock wall."
"That was an accident."
Carl chuckled on the channel. "If you really want to hear music, why don't you have it play 'Calm down, Chen Hao' when your heart is racing?"
"No." Chen Hao shook his head. "It sounds like a suicide note."
After recording the last set of data, Nana marked the test as complete. The system displayed: The OX-2 model has passed all practical tests and is recommended for mass deployment.
The submersible was returning to port, and the lights shone on the metal walls, casting blurry shadows of four people.
Susan took off her mask and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Go back and write a report, focusing on the stability of the oxygen supply."
“I want to write one too.” Chen Hao took off the oxygen cylinder and hugged it to his chest. “I have to write a biography for my second brother.”
“It’s just a device,” Nana repeated.
“All great things begin as tools.” Chen Hao leaned back in his chair. “Fire is a tool, the wheel is a tool, and what I’m holding now might be the next one.”
Carl switched on the communication band and reported to the base: "Mission accomplished, returning to base."
The signal was connected, and the base confirmed the connection.
Chen Hao closed his eyes, feeling a significant weight lift from his shoulders. He knew he wouldn't be afraid of sudden currents or struggle to breathe next time he went into the water. That metal contraption would take care of everything for him.
He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Nana.
"You said... if I modified this bottle to make coffee, could you make it heat up automatically?"
Nana looked at him.
“No,” she said.
"Give it a try."
"Energy does not support additional features."
"Adding a small stove would also work."
"Violation of safety regulations".
"Are you saying you don't understand my needs?"
“I understand,” Nana paused, “but I refuse to cooperate.”
Chen Hao sighed and leaned back against the wall.
"How come you high-tech products don't understand human-centered design at all?"
The submersible passed through the shallow sea transition zone, with a ten-minute journey remaining to the base. The seawater rippled slightly, while the lights inside the cabin remained steady.
He looked down at the oxygen cylinder in his arms and patted it gently twice.
"It's alright, Second Brother, at least you understand me."
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