Xiao Yang had just lifted his front hoof when he suddenly slipped and his whole body tilted to the right.
Chen Hao rushed forward and hurriedly caught it. The little guy couldn't stand steadily, its head wobbled a couple of times, and then it lay back down on the ground. He looked down and saw that Xiao Yang's hind legs were covered in something wet and yellowish, with a sour smell.
"Nana!" he called out, turning his head. "Xiao Yang has diarrhea!"
Nana's scanning beam immediately swept over, from head to tailbone. "Normal body temperature, but abnormal intestinal motility, and the excrement contains a large amount of undigested fiber and active bacteria." She paused for a moment, "This is not ordinary indigestion."
"What is that?" Chen Hao poked at the runny stool on the ground with a twig, frowning.
"The initial assessment is that it is a waterborne pathogen infection." Nana pulled up the data panel. "The ewe started showing similar symptoms four hours after drinking the water, and Xiao Guang also has mild diarrhea. We must cut off the source of contamination immediately."
"A sink?" Chen Hao looked up. The large water basin, pieced together from resin, sat quietly in the corner, its surface spotless, without even a speck of dust.
“Surface cleanliness does not guarantee internal safety,” Nana said. “I recommend sampling and testing for sediment at the bottom.”
Chen Hao grabbed an empty pipe and inserted it into the crack in the sink. When he pulled it out, the tip was completely black. He pinched his nose and handed it over: "Smell it, doesn't it taste like spoiled rice mixed with mud?"
Nana didn't smell it; she simply extended the robotic arm to take the sample and send it into the analysis module. Three seconds later, the results appeared: **High concentration of Gram-negative bacilli detected, exhibiting strong drug resistance**.
"Can this thing be cured?" Chen Hao stared at the string of letters, unable to understand them.
“It’s controllable,” Nana said, “but we must first stop using the sink, thoroughly disinfect it, and repair any potential leaks.”
"Let's do it then." Chen Hao rolled up his sleeves. "Anyway, I need to take a shower."
He poured the remaining water from the sink into the ditch, then turned the empty basin upside down. Sunlight shone on the inner wall, revealing a thin, almost invisible crack running across the bottom, its edges blackened.
"No wonder it's been leaking sewage." Chen Hao scratched at it with his fingernail. "It's so fine, how can we fix it?"
“Use the reinforced resin-blended fiber material verified in Chapter 356,” Nana suggested. “It offers the best compressive strength and sealing performance.”
"You still remember something that old?" Chen Hao grinned. "Okay, I'll go get the jar."
The resin softened after heating, and Chen Hao applied it to the crack with his hands, pressing it flat and smoothing it evenly. Nana turned on the infrared lamp to assist in curing, reminding him, "Apply pressure evenly to avoid creating air bubbles or cavities."
"Okay, teacher," Chen Hao muttered. "It's not like it's the first time I've stuck food to the pan."
As soon as she finished speaking, Nana's robotic arm bumped into a nearby bucket while adjusting its angle. With a muffled thud, a semi-transparent liquid spilled onto the ground, quickly emitting a cloud of grayish-white smoke.
"Oh no!" Chen Hao jumped back. "What's that?"
"Sodium hypochlorite concentrate." Nana quickly unfolded her protective mask. "The volatile gases irritate the respiratory tract, so we recommend wearing a filter."
Do you have a mask?
"We have a modified gas mask in stock, made from parts of an old spacesuit."
"Give it to me quickly!"
The two rummaged through drawers and found two dented face masks, attached filters, and put them on. Chen Hao took a breath and smelled a mixture of rubber and rust, but at least it wasn't pungent anymore.
“The residual liquid on the ground needs to be neutralized.” Nana picked up a packet of sodium bicarbonate powder. “I’ll sprinkle it, you rinse it with water.”
Chen Hao dragged over a water hose, and as soon as Nana finished applying the powder, he immediately turned on the tap to rinse it off. Foam bubbled up, and the smoke slowly dissipated.
"I almost poisoned myself to death." Chen Hao took off his mask and wiped his sweat. "Could you be a little gentler next time? Your arm is wobbling like a crane."
“Execution accuracy is affected by space limitations.” Nana retracted the robotic arm. “Next time, we can plan the operation path in advance.”
"Never mind, as long as they're alive." Chen Hao patted the sink. "Has the resin solidified?"
"The curing test has been completed, and the sealing performance meets the standards."
"Alright, let's strike while the iron is hot and develop a new system."
What system?
“It’s for clean water,” Chen Hao said, pointing to the water trough. “One basin isn’t enough. If it cracks again, all the sheep in the family will have to drink dysentery soup.”
Nana nodded: "Designing a three-stage filtration scheme is feasible. The first stage is coarse filtration, using sand and gravel to intercept impurities; the second stage is activated carbon to adsorb organic matter; and the third stage is ultraviolet sterilization."
Where did the light come from?
“There are usable UV lamps in the scrapped lighting group, and the power is sufficient.”
"Then you draw the diagram, and I'll move the bricks."
The two immediately got to work. Chen Hao dug holes, buried pipes, and carried sandbags back and forth. He bumped his knee and sprained his toe along the way, cursing and swearing the whole time, but he didn't stop.
"Don't you think androids should be doing heavy work?" He panted as he put down the last bag of charcoal. "I'm practically being drained dry."
“Your physical contribution accounts for 68 percent,” Nana said. “System efficiency improvement stems from collaboration.”
"Stop trying to fool me with data." Chen Hao wiped his face. "Hurry up and install the lights."
After the UV module was installed, Nana connected it to the circuit and tested it. The turbid water flowed into the first layer of sand and gravel, gradually becoming clearer. After passing through activated carbon, the color was further improved, and finally, when it flowed through the UV zone, it emitted a faint blue light.
The liquid dripping from the outlet is clear and transparent.
"The test results?" Chen Hao asked.
"The total bacterial count is less than 10 units per milliliter, which meets the drinking water standards."
"Wow, that's great." Chen Hao scooped up a handful of water and took a sip. "It has no taste, which is good."
“I don’t recommend drinking it directly,” Nana said. “Humans and ruminants have very different metabolisms.”
"I'll just have a bite," Chen Hao spat out, "so you won't accuse me of messing around again."
After the new water trough was put into use, the goats approached one after another to drink. The ewe tentatively licked the water a few times before lowering her head to drink heartily. Xiao Guang waddled over, took a small sip, and looked up to bleat.
"Did you understand?" Chen Hao laughed. "She said thank you, Dad."
“She said ‘hungry’,” Nana corrected.
"almost."
Over the next few hours, the cub's excretions gradually became more regular, and its condition improved. Xiao Yang struggled to his feet and took three steps without falling.
“Significant progress.” Nana recorded the data. “We expect to resume normal eating within twelve hours.”
"Finally, a sigh of relief." Chen Hao slumped onto a small stool and casually patted Xiao Yang's head. The little guy didn't dodge; instead, he rubbed against his hand.
Night fell, and the breeding area quieted down. The heating lamps stayed on, and the monitoring cameras slowly rotated. Chen Hao opened his notebook and wrote:
[07:30 Discontinue use of the old sink]
[09:15 System setup completed]
[14:20 First cleaning and water output]
[18:00 The cubs stopped having diarrhea]
After finishing writing and closing the notebook, he yawned.
"Do you want to rest?" Nana asked.
"Sit a little longer," he said. "I just saved a baby, so I can't sleep."
"Emotional fluctuations are a normal reaction."
"It's not because of that," Chen Hao scratched his head. "I'm afraid something else might happen tomorrow."
"The system is currently stable and the risks are under control."
Couldn't you just say "Don't overthink it"?
"I told you."
Chen Hao paused for two seconds, then smiled.
In the distance, Xiao Guang crouched in a corner, its front legs curled up and its eyes half-closed. Suddenly, it raised its head, its ears perked up, and its mouth slightly open, as if it had heard something.
Chen Hao noticed its movement and turned to look in the direction of the water tank.
Water is slowly flowing into the new pool, creating tiny ripples on the surface.
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