Chen Hao stuffed the last piece of copper wire into the toolbox, clapped his hands, and dust shot up like small plumes of smoke. He stared at the small windmill still turning in the yard; the arc drawn by the blades was much smoother than yesterday, and even the voltmeter dared to stand tall and point to 0.32.
"Alright, at least you're willing to put in some effort." He muttered at the windmill, then turned and walked towards the warehouse. "But our goal isn't just to light a flashlight."
The morning sun had just climbed over the wall, making the welding slag on the ground glitter like broken glass. He stepped into the warehouse, yanked off the dust cover on the pile of scrap, revealing several thick steel pipes lying haphazardly inside—the ones he had salvaged from the scrap transport rack last week. He squatted down, took some chalk, and drew a crooked outline on the cement floor, muttering, "The base is four meters in diameter, the main tower is twelve meters high. If this thing collapses, it'll crush me."
He looked up at the sky; there weren't many clouds, and the wind was just right—a good day to start work.
Nana was already standing in front of the workbench. With a light tap of her finger, a semi-transparent interface appeared in the air, displaying a series of scrolling parameters. She didn't speak, but the words "Analysis of electromagnetic response of iridium alloy" popped up in the lower right corner of the screen.
"Have you got any results yet?" Chen Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I've finished checking the materials here, and I've gathered all the usable steel beams. All I need is your approval."
“It cannot be directly integrated.” She finally spoke, her voice still unhurried. “The peak frequency of the rare metal’s conductivity exceeds the standard reception range, and the existing rectifier casing is not compatible.”
"So..." Chen Hao scratched his head, "the treasures we dug up can't be installed now?"
“A new shell needs to be custom-made.” She pulled up a set of data curves. “I suggest dismantling the old energy compartment and extracting usable components for modification.”
"Alright, alright, all this talk of modification and reconstruction." He sighed. "I thought we'd get serious today, but it turns out we need to give the generator a new stomach first."
Nana didn't reply, but turned and walked towards the wreckage of the energy capsule in the corner, beginning to remove the outer shell screws. Her movements were so precise, as if measured with a ruler, each step stopping at the most effortless position.
Chen Hao dragged the steel pipes outside, placing them one by one on the marked lines on the base. The sun rose higher and higher, and the iron pipes became scorching hot. He was out of breath after carrying them a few times, so he simply took off his coat and draped it over his shoulder, wiping his sweat as he muttered, "If only I had been more diligent in running exercises in school, I wouldn't be struggling to breathe while carrying an iron rod now."
He placed the last steel pipe, took two steps back to look at it, and kicked it in dissatisfaction. "It's three centimeters crooked, no good, I have to start over."
He bent down to move the steel pipe, but slipped and almost fell to the ground. "This godforsaken place doesn't even have a flat spot," he cursed, taking out his spirit level and pressing it against the seam, then rummaging through his toolbox for a few washers.
“The thickness difference is 0.8 millimeters.” He muttered to himself, “Looks like I’ll have to do something fancy.”
He found a hydraulic jack and carefully leveled the steel plate, then secured it with bolts. When the welding torch was plugged in, sparks popped, startling him and making him recoil. "Let me tell you," he said, "this thing is scarier than an exam; at least an exam doesn't spew fire."
He put on his goggles, squatted down beside the joint, and began welding. The high temperature made his face red, and sweat streamed down his temples, dripping onto the weld and hissing white smoke. After welding a whole circle, he took off his goggles and let out a long breath: "Done! The base is as stable as a rock."
He patted the steel plate, making a dull thud, and grinned: "Even if a typhoon hits, you'll have to ask me first."
At this moment, Nana walked over, holding a newly modified circuit board. "The shielding layer has been installed, and the temporary rectifier module has been assembled," she said. "However, further electromagnetic compatibility testing is needed, and it cannot be connected to the main system yet."
"Does that mean the heart still can't be implanted?" Chen Hao frowned.
“An interface can be reserved.” She pointed to the data terminal next to the windmill base. “I will put the module into a low-power standby state to continuously monitor the structural stability.”
“Alright.” He nodded. “Let’s build the skeleton first, then install the heart—we can’t let this big guy stand here naked in the wind.”
He grabbed the walkie-talkies—actually, a pair of intercoms he had modified himself—pressed a button, and started shouting, "Raise the left side five degrees! Keep your balance! Stay steady!"
No one actually paid him any attention, but he shouted with such earnestness that it was as if a team of workers were truly following his orders. As he shouted, he lifted the beam, propped it up against the wall, and secured it with ropes. He ran back and forth more than a dozen times, his clothes completely soaked, clinging to his back like a wet rag.
"I'm playing the entire cast all by myself." He sat on the welded base, panting, and took out an energy bar from his pocket to chew on. "I'm the director, actor, and production assistant. I'm just missing a stunt double."
Nana stood a short distance away, writing the new control program into the terminal. Her projection interface continuously refreshed the simulation data, occasionally pausing to adjust a few parameters.
"The installation angle deviation of the first section of the main frame should be controlled within 0.5 degrees," she suddenly said. "I suggest that the next step be to use diagonal bracing to improve wind resistance."
"You think I'm not tired enough?" Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "Do we have to change the design again?"
“It’s not a modification, it’s an optimization.” Her tone remained unchanged. “The current wind speed is 6.3 meters per second, with gusts reaching level 9. If reinforcement is not carried out in advance, the risk factor for high-altitude operations will increase by 47%.”
"What does 47% mean? Does it mean I'll be blown down as soon as I go up?" He swallowed the last bite of his energy bar, crumpled the wrapper into a ball, and threw it into the bucket. "Okay, okay, whatever you say goes."
He stood up, stretched his shoulders, and his bones cracked. He looked up at the steel frame that was only half-erected, feeling a little uneasy, but still grabbed the safety rope.
“I’ll go up and check the connection point,” he said. “You stay down here and keep an eye on the signal.”
"The signal is stable." Nana nodded. "I will monitor your location and vital signs in real time."
"That sounds reassuring." He grinned and started climbing.
Each section of the steel frame had makeshift footrests, but he was overweight and struggled to climb, needing to rest twice along the way. Reaching the third platform, he leaned on the railing, panting, and looked down at Nana standing below, who appeared as a tiny dot.
"The connection holes are almost aligned." He took out a tape measure and measured, "but this screw needs to be re-drilled."
He took out his hand drill, but as soon as he started it, he discovered that the power was insufficient, and the machine jammed after turning a couple of times. "Again?"
He replaced the battery pack and restarted the drill. This time, the drill bit cut into the metal smoothly, sparks flying along the edge of the hole. He focused intently on drilling a hole and was about to move it when he suddenly heard Nana's voice coming from the walkie-talkie.
"Warning: Electromagnetic coupling abnormality."
His hand trembled, and the drill bit almost slipped.
"What do you mean?" He stopped what he was doing and turned to look down.
“Rare metals exhibit hysteresis loss under high-frequency vibration.” Her voice remained calm. “The pressure on the shielding layer is approaching a critical value; continued operation may lead to module failure.”
Chen Hao was stunned, his hand still on the drilling rig.
"So now..." he began slowly, "this framework we've built might not be able to power that precious power generation compartment at all in the future?"
Nana didn't answer immediately. Her projection screen was rapidly scrolling through new simulation data, and a red alert box flashed by.
“A secondary buffer layer needs to be added,” she said. “Otherwise, the stability of power transmission cannot be guaranteed.”
Chen Hao looked down at the hole he had just drilled; the metal edge was still steaming.
He slowly packed up the drill, plopped down on the platform, and dangled his legs in mid-air.
"So all that hard work building this tower only to find the key won't fit the lock?"
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