As soon as it was light, the lights in the workshop came on.
Chen Hao squatted in front of the equipment, holding a temperature record sheet in his hand, breathing on it as he looked at it. The metal piece hadn't caused any problems after cooling down last night, but he was still uneasy. He stuffed the sheet into his pocket, turned around, and patted the control panel.
"Power on."
The machine hummed, and the cooling fans started spinning. Carl climbed up from the small stool in the corner, rubbing his eyes. "So early?"
"The sooner the better," Chen Hao said. "The method we tested yesterday needs to go through the proper procedures today."
Nana stood beside the terminal, her mechanical fingers rapidly tapping the screen. The system self-check progress bar slowly advanced, and she reported a set of data: "Insufficient preheating; the current machine temperature is 1.2 degrees Celsius below the standard value."
“Then start it ahead of time.” Chen Hao pointed at Karl. “You go and watch over the heating element. Call me when it’s stable.”
Carl responded, picked up the infrared thermometer, and walked over. Susan arrived at that moment, a tool bag slung over her shoulder. Her first words upon entering were, "The paint has been changed; a primer and sandpaper have been added. It won't crack this time."
She walked to the workbench, placed the new jar beside it, opened the lid, and smelled it. "The smell is a bit strong, but it should work."
Chen Hao leaned over for a look. "This looks like cement."
"As long as it sticks, that's fine," she said. "We're not getting a beauty treatment."
Nana has updated the program, and a new workflow has appeared on the screen: Preheating → Shielding → Targeted Heating → Heat Preservation → Natural Cooling. A small note below reads: Delay compensation algorithm added.
"The temperature measurement delay issue has been resolved," she said. "The output power will be dynamically adjusted based on feedback."
“Sounds like self-driving cars,” Carl shouted over there. “But if it veers off course, nobody’s going to step on the brakes.”
"I'll keep an eye on things." Chen Hao sat down in the operator's chair. "No one is allowed to doze off."
The production of the first complete transmission rod officially began.
Susan secured the metal billet to the fixture, applied a double coat of paint to both sides, leaving a heating zone in the middle. She took a step back after finishing. "All done."
Nana started the preheating program. The heating element gradually turned red, and the air in the workshop slowly became hot. Five minutes later, the main program was connected.
"We've entered the shielding phase," Nana said.
The infrared sensor was monitoring three key points. The readings fluctuated a few times before stabilizing.
“Left side is normal,” Karl read. “Middle +0.1, right side is flat.”
“Within the acceptable range.” Chen Hao looked at the graph. “Continue.”
The heating head slowly approached the target area, and the color of the metal surface began to change, from grayish-white to dark yellow. Time passed, and the second stage was complete.
"Switch to keep warm," Nana typed.
Everyone quiet down. This is the most crucial step. If the cooling isn't controlled properly, everything else will be for nothing.
"What do we do now?" Carl asked.
"Wait," Chen Hao said. "Wait for it to come down on its own."
They originally planned to let the parts cool naturally in the workshop, but the temperature dropped too quickly when the wind blew. Nana pulled up the data from last night and found significant fluctuations.
“No,” she said. “Uneven cooling will lead to residual stress.”
Susan thought for a moment, "How about the old storage room? The walls are thick there, and there's basically no wind."
"Move over there." Chen Hao nodded.
The two worked together to push the experimental setup away, with Karl following behind holding the thermometer. Nana disconnected the main control connection and switched to wireless signal synchronization for monitoring.
The storage room was warmer than outside. They put the shelves in the middle and closed the door.
"The windproofing problem is solved," Nana said. "Now we just need to maintain a slow cooling process."
An hour later, the temperature of the transmission rod dropped below the safety line.
Susan put on gloves, took it off, and placed it on the testing table. Nana used a probe to test the hardness while simultaneously performing a bending simulation.
"The surface hardness meets the standard, and the internal toughness meets expectations," she said. "There are no cracks or deformations."
Chen Hao reached out and tapped it. "The sound is quite solid."
“What about the stress test?” Carl asked.
“Get it on the machine,” Susan said.
They installed the transmission rod into the test bench and gradually increased the pressure. The pointer rose all the way to the design limit, stopped, and then moved up two more increments.
"It's over by two percent," Chen Hao chuckled. "We can still manage."
"Passed." Susan released her grip. "The first one is done."
No one cheered. Everyone was too tired to move, but the expressions on their faces relaxed.
"Take a ten-minute break," Chen Hao said, "then we'll assemble the whole machine."
Ten minutes later, everyone returned to the main workshop.
The drive rod, plowshare bracket, and traction shaft bore plate—these components have all been optimized and are now to be assembled into a complete implement frame. Carl is in charge of moving them, Susan checks the interface dimensions, and Nana uses a laser calibrator to align the positions.
The first problem quickly arose.
“The shaft hole doesn’t align.” Karl rubbed the edge with a file. “It’s almost there.”
“Tolerances accumulate.” Chen Hao lay on the ground examining the joints. “If one part is off by even a hair’s breadth, the three of them together will be unacceptable.”
“Let’s fix it by hand,” Susan said, handing over a file. “Take it little by little.”
Karl crouched down and began grinding the hole bit by bit. He would test it every few strokes, and with the help of a lubricating coating, the frictional resistance gradually decreased.
“This is working,” he said.
The next interface was still stuck. Nana adjusted the laser beam, guiding them to reposition the component angles.
“Move it 0.5 millimeters to the left,” she said. “Insert it now.”
Susan held the axle and gently pushed it in. With a click, it was in place.
"Okay." Chen Hao stood up. "Continue."
Four hours later, the final connection was completed.
The entire farm implement stood in the center of the workshop, a head taller than a person, with a compact structure and smooth lines. Chen Hao walked around it three times, then reached out and patted the main beam.
"The sound was crisp and clear, not like it was about to fall apart."
“It’s not that I can’t do it, it’s that I really can’t.” Susan tightened the last bolt and threw the wrench into the toolbox.
Carl looked up at the metal contraption. "Let's give it a name?"
“Call it ‘Iron Spine’,” Susan said. “It can support the ground and withstand pressure.”
No one objected.
The light shone on the farm implement, revealing neat welds and a cool, metallic sheen. It hadn't yet tilled an inch of soil, but it already stood firmly in place.
Chen Hao took out his notebook and turned to a new page. He wrote down the date, then looked up and asked, "What's next?"
“Performance testing,” Nana said. “I suggest arranging field trials.”
"We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning." Chen Hao picked up his pen. "Let's find a hard spot first to test the effectiveness of deep tilling."
Susan began tidying up the parts, picking out spare bolts, lubricant, and measuring tape. Carl brought out a canvas, preparing to wrap the main body of the implement to prevent it from being bumped during transport.
Nana connects the circuit and performs a final self-test. The optical lens scans each connection point, and the green lights illuminate sequentially.
“The power system is functioning normally,” she said. “The sensors are responding sensitively.”
"Then there's nothing to delay." Chen Hao closed the notebook and stuffed it into his inner pocket.
He walked over to the farm implement and reached out to touch the drive rod. There was a faint heating mark there, like a brand.
He didn't say anything, but just stared at it for a couple more seconds.
Susan put the sealed box into her backpack, which contained plant samples she had collected the night before. Carl tightened the canvas knot and gave it a tug.
“Sturdy,” he said.
Nana turned off the main control power, and the screen went dark.
Only a few lights were still on in the workshop.
Chen Hao stood at the door and glanced back at the standing iron thing.
It stood there quietly, like a stake driven into the ground.
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