At 5:30 a.m., the workshop lights were still on.
The transport trolley was parked next to the "Sickle Walker," its wheels leaving two wet streaks on the oil stains on the ground. Chen Hao squatted on the right side of the machine, his fingers touching the edge of the traction interface to confirm that the screws were tightened. His eyes were heavy, his eyelids felt like they were glued on, and he could only stay awake by blinking constantly.
Susan stood on the left, holding a locking wrench, and it took her three tries to finally insert the retaining spring. Her wrist was so stiff she couldn't lift it, and her knuckles ached whenever she bent them. She couldn't remember how many lines she had written in her journal last night, only that the clock on the wall had just ticked past 3:21 when she finished the last entry.
Carl lay on the edge of the stroller, his face pressed against the metal armrest, muttering, "Just five more minutes... just five minutes..."
"You've been talking for ten minutes," Nana's voice came from behind. She stood in front of the control panel, the optical lens scanning the entire structure, simultaneously activating the transport assistance program. With a soft hum from the hydraulic system, the trolley slowly rose, ten centimeters off the ground.
"Let's go." Chen Hao stood up and slapped his thigh.
The cart moved, bouncing slightly as it crossed the threshold. The "Scythe Walker" wobbled slightly but didn't loosen. Nana walked at the front, her arm connected to a data cable plugged into the cart's interface, monitoring the center of gravity shift in real time. Her steps were steady and her rhythm even, as if she never tired.
It was just getting light outside, and the wind was a bit chilly.
They walked along the main road towards the farmland, and no one spoke. The only sounds were the whirring of the cart's motor and the soft crunch of their footsteps on the gravel. Reaching the edge of the field, Nana disconnected and took a step back.
"Arrived at the designated test area."
Chen Hao wiped his face and took a deep breath. He walked around to the front and opened the control panel. The screen lit up, displaying a system self-check. Ten seconds later, a green notification popped up: [Power normal, transmission unobstructed, ready]
"Can it be started?" he asked.
“Okay.” Nana stood beside her. “I suggest we do a low-speed test first and observe the ground response.”
"Let's do it then." Chen Hao pressed the start button.
The "Sickle Walker" emitted a deep rumble as its tracks slowly turned, pressing into the soil. It moved forward twenty meters, the cutting arm descending smoothly, the wheat stalks falling neatly, and the rollers transporting the bundled crop into the rear compartment. Everything went smoothly.
Susan stared at the ground: "No missed cuts, no blockages."
“I told you it would work,” Carl grinned.
Less than half a minute after the words were spoken, the machine entered a slightly damp area. The soil darkened in color and glistened with moisture. The roller speed suddenly slowed down for a moment, and then the right-side blade holder rose two centimeters, cutting several wheat stalks in half, leaving them hanging crookedly in place.
"Something's wrong," Susan exclaimed immediately.
Chen Hao quickly followed, his eyes fixed on the movement of the blade arm. He brought up the manual adjustment interface and entered the pressure parameters. At the same time, Nana connected to the sensor data stream and reported the real-time values: "The current ground pressure is 3.7 kilograms per square centimeter, which is lower than the preset threshold of 4.2."
"So it thought the soil was too soft and automatically raised its blade?" Chen Hao asked while entering a new value.
"yes."
"Then I'll manually press it back down."
He reset the pressure of the three sets of cutter arms, forcibly reducing the cutting height. Susan went around to the back to check the conveyor system. Carl crouched down, pried open the gaps in the tracks, and pulled out a piece of tangled straw.
“It’s cleared,” he said.
The machine continued forward. This time, the blades pressed firmly against the ground, and the wheat stalks snapped in two. The harvesting was neat and even, with no omissions.
“It’s alive.” Karl stood up and brushed the mud off his hands.
They followed the "Scythe Walker" through the first test field, a journey that took forty minutes. The recovery bin was two-thirds full, with an extremely low loss rate. Chen Hao paused the machine and opened the data panel.
"The average speed is 1.8 kilometers per hour, and the effective working area is six times that of a manual team."
“That doesn’t even include rest time,” Susan added. “We have to rest after two hours, but it can keep running.”
“Then let’s run a longer route,” Chen Hao said. “Let’s try increasing the density in the second round.”
They guided the machine to the southeast. The crops there grew densely, with thick stalks, making harvesting them by hand the most laborious task in previous years. After only a hundred meters, the right-side conveyor belt suddenly stopped with a muffled thud.
"It's blocked!" Carl rushed over.
The conveyor chute was overflowing with wheat ears, piling up higher and higher. The rollers were still turning, but they couldn't move the pile. Chen Hao immediately cut off the power, frowning as he looked at the screen's alarm message: [Material congestion, it is recommended to start the unblocking procedure]
"What do we do now?" Susan asked.
“We have a backup plan.” Nana stepped forward and swiped her finger across the control panel. “Activate the low-frequency vibration clearing mode.”
She pressed the confirm button.
A short, sharp vibration came from inside the machine, lasting ten seconds. The conveyor belt shook a few times, dispersing the clogged wheat ears and allowing them to flow again.
"It's connected." Susan breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't get too excited." Chen Hao stared at the operating status. "That last meal almost burned out the motor."
“I’ve already adjusted the feed rate,” Nana said. “Next, I will adjust it dynamically based on the density.”
They continued harvesting the remaining areas. The entire process took two hours and seventeen minutes, and the harvested area was more than eight times the average daily manual workload. Data was recorded completely, with a loss rate of 2.8%.
By the time the test ended, the sun was high in the sky.
Chen Hao sat on the edge of the field, printing out a report. The paper was still a little hot to the touch, fresh from the press. He flipped through the pages, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"It's done," he said.
Susan took the report, looked at it for a few minutes, then looked up and smiled: "Now we really don't have to worry about not being able to collect them all."
Carl lay down directly on the stubble after the harvest, arms outstretched: "It doesn't need to sing anymore, it's already a hero."
Nana stood beside the "Scythe Walker" and began retrieving the energy module. She removed the battery pack, placed it in a special box, and checked the temperature of the transmission system. Everything was normal.
Chen Hao stood up, walked to the machine, and patted it. The sound was solid.
"Better than I expected."
"The design meets expectations," Nana said. "It can be replicated in batches later."
“Then let’s build another one,” Chen Hao said. “With both running together, we can harvest all the wheat fields in half a month.”
"Are there enough materials?" Susan asked.
"Just use them sparingly." Chen Hao pointed to the last column of the report. "The time we save can be used for other things."
Carl sat up, grabbed a handful of wheat and rubbed it in his hands: "Can we have an extra meal tonight?"
"Do you want some roasted wheat?" Susan asked him.
“I want fried noodles,” Carl said, “made from freshly harvested wheat.”
"Dream on," Chen Hao laughed. "Let's have this land cleared out first."
Nana completed the initial maintenance and turned to walk towards the transport cart. She reconnected the data cable and prepared to return.
Susan closed her notebook and rubbed her wrist. It still hurt, but she didn't complain. She looked up at the sky; the sunlight warmed her face.
Chen Hao glanced at the test report one last time, folded it, and stuffed it into his inner pocket. He then caught up with the group, his steps much lighter than when he arrived.
The trolley started moving, carrying the "Sickle Walker" back.
The farmland quieted down, with only the rustling of the wind blowing through the wheat stubble.
Back at the base entrance, Nana stopped and glanced back at the distant fields.
"For the next test, I suggest adding a slope adaptation module," she said.
"Wait for the next machine." Chen Hao waved his hand. "Let's organize today's data first."
Susan nodded: "I need to sleep for two hours first."
“I want to sleep too,” Carl yawned. “I even dreamt I was eating noodles.”
Chen Hao smiled but didn't say anything. He touched the report inside his clothes; it felt rather thick.
Nana began uploading test data, and the progress bar on the interface slowly advanced. She stood in front of the terminal, the optical lens flickering slightly.
Susan went into the rest area, took off her shoes, and got into bed.
Carl leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and started snoring after less than two minutes.
Chen Hao stood in the center of the workshop, looking at the empty assembly area. He knew he would be busy again soon.
But he wasn't bothered.
He took out the report and turned to another page.
The numbers are very clear.
Efficiency has indeed skyrocketed.
He looked up at the window.
The sun was shining on the freshly harvested fields.
The wheat stubble is neatly arranged.
The ground is empty.
But not in my heart.
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