As the morning light streamed through the workshop window, Chen Hao was already standing in front of the whiteboard, circling the word "planning" with his pen. He clicked the cap off his pen and turned to look at the people inside.
“We have electricity now, we have technology, and people are even delivering transport blueprints to our door,” he said. “But having all these things piled up doesn’t mean we can live a good life.”
Susan sat at the control panel, holding a piece of paper in her hand—the simplified electrolytic cell flow chart from yesterday. She didn't speak, but simply looked up at the whiteboard.
Nana stood up from the terminal; the data on the screen was still there. She walked over, stood next to the projector, and tapped the panel twice with her finger. A topographical map immediately appeared on the wall, layered with colors and marked with numbers and arrows.
"Based on existing resource flow models, if the gentle slopes south of 30 degrees north latitude are developed, 87 mu of new arable land can be added, and the residential area can be expanded by 40 people," she said. "The water supply line will not be affected."
Carl, who was squatting on the ground inspecting his toolbox, looked up when he heard this. "Is the power supply enough? Right now, even with the power generation array running at full capacity, it's barely enough to support water purification and lighting."
“That’s not enough,” Chen Hao continued. “So we can’t keep doing it the way we always have. We need to change the layout.”
Nana tapped the screen again, and the image switched to a heat map of the base's current state. The red areas were concentrated on the west side, which was the location of the energy center. The green areas were scattered on the east side, representing the planting modules and the water circulation system.
“Currently, cable losses are 19 percent,” she said. “The main reason is the excessively long transmission distance.”
“Then let’s move the power station forward.” Chen Hao walked to the map and drew a line with his hand. “Move it to that high ground in the middle. It can support both sides.”
Susan frowned: "But the soil layer over there is thin, and the foundation is unstable."
“Add more piles.” Carl stood up. “Try the material samples they provided. I saw a lightweight alloy connector mentioned in the drawings; it has good load-bearing capacity.”
“Okay.” Chen Hao nodded. “The first phase is to open up the main road and lay the light rail foundation. We’ll start construction as soon as the materials arrive.”
"What about manpower?" Susan asked. "The new staff have just finished training; can they fill in?"
"Shift work," Chen Hao said. "Work during the day, tutoring at night. Whoever falls behind has to find a way to catch up."
Nana opened a new page and began entering information. The screen listed timelines, responsibilities, and risk warning values. She named it "Development Plan V1.0" and uploaded it to the public terminal.
A few minutes later, the printer ejected a piece of paper. Chen Hao picked it up, glanced at it, walked to the wall, and stuck it directly onto the wall.
"This is the battle plan for the next six months," he said.
Susan walked over to take a look, her gaze lingering on the section on ecological monitoring. "Does this say there will be rotating shifts?"
“Yes,” Chen Hao said. “Two people each day record the vegetation recovery and soil changes. If a problem is found, we stop immediately.”
“I’ll arrange the duty roster,” she said, “but there have to be standards, otherwise it’s useless to keep track of it.”
"You decide," Chen Hao said, pointing at her. "You're the expert."
Carl glanced at the list, picked up his toolbox, and headed towards the warehouse. Halfway there, he turned back and called out, "The first batch of track piles can start tomorrow!"
No one responded, but he didn't care.
Nana returned to her terminal to continue organizing the files. The system automatically generated a summary, ready to be sent to her partners. She set access levels and encrypted all core parameters.
Chen Hao sat back in his chair, propping his legs up on the control panel. He stared at the planning map on the wall, muttering to himself, "Five hundred meters outward expansion... It doesn't sound like much, but it's actually quite scary."
Susan heard him and turned to look at him: "What are you afraid of?"
“I was afraid that we would forget our bottom line if we got excited,” he said. “Yesterday I even wrote the words ‘Don’t do stupid things’ on the whiteboard.”
She glanced at the corner; the three words were still there, though the handwriting was a little crooked.
“The concentration limit must be written into the manual,” she said. “Above 12.5 percent will produce gas, and that’s no joke.”
“I wrote it,” Chen Hao said. “I also asked Carl to add this to the exam.”
"That's good." She nodded. "At least someone can stop people who want to slack off."
Nana suddenly spoke up: "I suggest that the sensor network be pre-buried in the new boundary area."
"What do you mean?" Chen Hao asked.
"We monitor pressure, humidity, and current leakage in real time," she said. "An alarm is automatically triggered if any abnormality is detected."
"Sounds like we're guarding against thieves," Carl poked his head in from the doorway. "Do we need to guard against our own people?"
“It’s not about preventing people from doing it,” Nana said. “It’s about preventing accidental misoperation. Historical data shows that 68 percent of major accidents are caused by omissions in procedures.”
"Let's install it then," Chen Hao decided. "Anyway, we have plenty of materials."
Susan opened her notebook and began writing the operational guidelines for the monitoring post. She wrote slowly, reading each point over and over again.
Chen Hao looked at her and suddenly laughed: "You're actually quite convincing now."
"Shut up," she said. "Do you want to write two lines too?"
“I won’t write it.” He waved his hand. “I’ll make the final decision. You guys are responsible for making sure I don’t make the wrong decision.”
Nana pulled up a simulation diagram of the traffic support radius. The hovercraft's operating range covers a radius of three kilometers, meaning that the transportation of supplies no longer relies on manual short-haul transport.
“With increased transport capacity, agricultural production can be expanded,” she said. “I recommend adding two vegetable modules and a rainwater harvesting tower.”
“Growing vegetables is great,” Chen Hao said. “I’ve almost forgotten what fresh vegetables taste like since I eat canned food every day.”
“Then you need to get someone to dig up the land first,” Susan reminded him.
“We’ll start tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll build the road first, then we can talk about farming.”
Carl returned with the materials list and drew a few lines on the paper. "Set the track base spacing at 1.5 meters; a triangular support structure will be the most stable."
"You're in charge," Chen Hao said. "You're the head of the repair team."
“Not the boss,” Carl corrected, “but the only one who knows this.”
"That's why we have to listen to you even more," Chen Hao laughed. "Otherwise, who will fix it?"
Nana updated the last piece of data and closed the editing interface. The system indicated that the backup was complete.
“The planning documents have been synchronized to all devices,” she said. “Password access is under your control.”
"Just put it in a public area," Chen Hao said. "So everyone can see it. If anyone has any objections, they should raise them to our faces, instead of gossiping behind our backs."
Susan closed her notebook: "I need to go test the pH level of the new plot of land."
"While you're on your way, could you check the foundation hardness of that high ground for me?" Chen Hao said. "Tell me when you get back whether we can drive piles in it."
She didn't answer, grabbed the testing device, and went outside.
The workshop was quiet for a while.
Nana stood in front of the terminal, her fingers lightly tapping the table. She was waiting for the next batch of data to be imported, or perhaps she was thinking about something else.
Chen Hao stared at the planning map on the wall and suddenly felt a little dazed. He used to not even care what he would eat tomorrow, but now he was worrying about how to grow vegetables six months from now.
“We’ve really gone mad,” he muttered.
"What did you say?" Carl was tightening a screw and didn't hear him clearly.
“I’m telling you,” Chen Hao raised his voice, “we really dare to dream big.”
"You can't live without thinking about it." Carl put down the wrench. "Do you remember what we were doing this time last year?"
"Let's grab the last bucket of clean water," Chen Hao replied.
“Yes.” Carl nodded. “Now we can still discuss how to build two more rooms.”
Nana said softly, "The development progress is 41 percent ahead of schedule."
"It sounds like a compliment," Chen Hao laughed. "But I'd rather go slower, as long as it doesn't collapse."
“It won’t break down.” Carl patted him on the shoulder. “With me here, the machine won’t break.”
"What if you're dead?" Chen Hao asked.
“Then find someone else,” Carl said. “There’s always someone who can fix it.”
Nana opened a new window and brought up the resource allocation simulation table. The curves for energy, manpower, and materials gradually flattened, indicating that the system had entered a controllable growth range.
"The risk level has been reduced to low to medium," she said, "as long as development does not exceed the limits."
"Remember this," Chen Hao pointed to the whiteboard, "Whoever crosses the line has to pay for the parts."
“I’ve already included the breach of contract clause in the shared summary,” Nana said. “The recipient will be required to read it when they receive it.”
"That's good." Chen Hao stretched. "At least it's not just talk anymore."
Susan pushed open the door and came in, holding a tablet. She walked up to Chen Hao and turned the screen towards him.
“The soil in the highlands is harder than expected,” she said. “We can drive piles, but the depth cannot exceed 1.2 meters.”
“That’s enough,” Chen Hao said. “Notify Karl and have him revise the design.”
“I’ve already sent it,” she said.
"Pretty efficient," Chen Hao laughed. "Looks like I don't need to urge you."
"I don't like being rushed." After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked back to her seat.
Nana was printing a draft duty roster. After the paper came out, Susan took a look at it and her brow relaxed a little.
"The arrangement is fairly reasonable," she said.
“If you feel there’s anything wrong with it, you can change it,” Nana said.
"No need," Susan said, placing the paper on the table. "That's fine."
Chen Hao stood up, walked to the main wall, and ran his finger over the newly posted "Development Plan V1.0". The paper was flat and the handwriting was clear.
“Once this thing is stuck here, it has to count,” he said.
“Of course it counts,” Karl responded from a distance. “Otherwise, why would I change the design?”
“Some people just want to coast through life,” Chen Hao said, “but that’s no longer possible.”
“Nobody wants to get away with this,” Susan said, looking up. “They’re just afraid of making a mistake and taking the blame.”
"If you're wrong, correct it," Chen Hao said. "Nobody is right from the start."
Nana closed the terminal lid and stood up. Her mission was complete; the documents were archived, and the plan had been released.
“What’s next?” she asked.
"Wait for them to send out the second batch of materials," Chen Hao said, "and then teach people how to operate that thing."
“The control system is simple,” Carl said. “It takes at most a day to learn.”
"Then you're the coach too," Chen Hao said, pointing at her. "Get ready for class."
Nana nodded: "I will prepare the teaching modules."
Susan looked out the window; sunlight shone on the edge of the newly marked construction area. A wooden pole stood there, with a red ribbon hanging from it—a temporary marker.
She looked down at the testing device in her hand; the numbers on the display screen were stable.
Carl took the revised blueprints and headed towards the warehouse, humming an off-key tune.
Chen Hao took one last look at the planning map on the wall, and knocked over the pen holder as he turned around.
The pencil rolled to the ground and stopped next to Nana's shoe.
She bent down, picked it up, and put it back on the table.
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