Chen Hao's hands were still trembling as he stuffed the gleaming green stone fragment into his tool bag. He stared at the charred mark on the electrical box and swallowed hard.
"This thing really won't explode?" He looked up at Nana.
"The energy release is stable," she said. "There is no risk of explosion."
"What was that sound just now? Was it a firecracker celebration?"
Nana didn't reply, but simply squatted down, opened the toolbox, and took out the testing instrument. The screen lit up, and a string of data scrolled rapidly. She looked at it for two seconds, then slightly tilted the optical lens: "The carbonization rate of the main circuit insulation layer exceeds 76%, making it unable to withstand the output current of the high-gloss mineral."
"Does that mean the wire is too old?" Chen Hao stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. "Even more brittle than the one in my building's hallway?"
“The structure is similar,” she said, “but it’s more susceptible to moisture.”
Chen Hao walked over and touched the outer sheath of the wire. As soon as his fingertip pressed down, a layer of grayish-black debris crumbled off, revealing the blackened metal wire inside.
"Damn it." He pulled his hand back. "This isn't an electrical wire, it's a charcoal pencil."
"I recommend replacing the insulation layer immediately," Nana said, closing the detector. "Otherwise, all the light fixtures will be short-circuited."
"Replace?" Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "Do you think I'm a repairman? I'm not a professional at this."
“You are the only member who can collaborate,” she said.
"You've said that eight hundred times," he muttered. "You only come to me when there's dirty or hard work to do, and otherwise you just stand there like a decoration."
Nana had already slung her collection bag over her shoulder, her movements swift and efficient: "There are silk hemp vines on the north slope, whose epidermal fibers have temporary insulating properties. We need to collect at least five intact plants."
"Silk hemp vine?" Chen Hao frowned. "That stuff makes you itch for three days if you touch it. Last time I rubbed my arm while cutting grass, I couldn't sleep at night because of the scratching."
There is currently no alternative.
"Can't you say something nicer?" he sighed. "Like 'This mission will be easy and enjoyable' or 'I guarantee you won't have an allergic reaction'?"
"cannot."
"As expected." He scratched his head. "Alright, I'm free anyway. But it's agreed that I need to rest for half an hour after I finish picking, otherwise I won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow."
The two left the warehouse and walked north along the path. The sun was just past its zenith, making their foreheads feel hot. Chen Hao shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand and complained under his breath, "Why is it so difficult for us to fix a light? Other people can install an LED in three minutes, but we have to dig through rocks, pick out components, and now we have to climb mountains to find broken vines."
"The construction period of the base is limited by resource conditions." Nana walked ahead with a steady pace. "Efficiency and safety need to be balanced."
"You sound like a leader giving a speech," he shook his head. "Can't you speak like a normal person?"
"We have to take it one step at a time."
“That’s more like it.” He nodded. “At least I can understand it.”
The slope was steeper than it looked; a slip and loose rocks would tumble down. Chen Hao trudged up the rock face, panting like a tractor. Nana glanced back at him, then stopped and waited for him.
Are you alright?
"How could it not be good?" He wiped his sweat. "If this keeps going on, I won't even have to wait for the power lines to explode; I'll have a heart attack myself."
"My heart rate is normal," she said. "My blood pressure is slightly high, but not above the normal range."
"You can even test this?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Can."
"Then don't tell me," he waved his hand, "so I won't get even more nervous."
Upon reaching the top of the slope, a sparse patch of vines emerged from the cracks in the rocks, their leaves long and thin, covered with a layer of light gray fuzz. Nana pointed to several plants with thick roots: "Target plants, with a growth cycle of over three years and meeting the fiber density standard."
"How do you know how many years?" Chen Hao leaned closer to look.
“The tree ring structure can be confirmed through microscopic analysis.”
"Here we go again." He scoffed. "Can't you just use your eyes?"
“Yes,” she said, “but I won’t.”
"..." He was speechless. "You're such a machine."
Nana had already begun the operation. She inserted the robotic arm into the crevice, gently prying aside the surrounding rocks, while simultaneously securing the vine roots with her other hand. Chen Hao picked up a mallet and tapped lightly a few times at the spot she indicated; the vibrations penetrated the ground, gradually loosening the soil.
In less than ten minutes, the first intact vine was pulled out. Its roots were attached to a large clump of gravel, and its surface gleamed with a silvery-white sheen.
"It looks pretty clean." Chen Hao reached out to take it.
"Don't touch it directly," Nana stopped him. "The down contains irritating particles; inhalation or skin contact can cause a reaction."
"You should have said so earlier." He withdrew his hand.
She handed him a simple mask and gloves. Chen Hao put them on before daring to start, moving the vines to an open space nearby. Working together, the two dug out five intact vines and neatly stacked them in a collection bag.
On the way back, Chen Hao carried the heaviest bundle, walking slowly. The wind blew across the hillside, raising a bit of dust. He took a breath, and his nose immediately itched, causing him to sneeze three times in a row.
"Ouch...no, this smell is hitting my head." He rubbed his nose. "It feels like someone is sprinkling pepper up my nostrils."
“The concentration of particulate matter in the air is decreasing.” Nana adjusted his shoulder strap. “The remaining distance is about 800 meters. We expect to arrive in thirteen minutes.”
"You're still timing me?" he panted. "Couldn't you just say something comforting like 'almost there'?"
"We're almost there."
“That’s more like it.” He grinned. “It’s still cold, but at least it sounds more pleasant.”
Back in the warehouse, the two placed the vines on the workbench. Chen Hao took off his mask, revealing a flushed face and slightly swollen knuckles.
"I knew it would turn out like this," he muttered. "I won't believe anything you say next time."
"Allergic reactions can be relieved with ointment." Nana opened the medicine box. "Do you need it?"
"No rush," he waved his hand. "Let's deal with this rotten vine first. Otherwise, nobody will have a peaceful night."
The problem was that there were no special tools to peel off the outer skin. Scraping by hand was inefficient and could easily hurt one's hands. Chen Hao found a sharpened metal sheet, tied it to a wooden handle to make a scraper, and tried it on a vine.
"Hiss—" As soon as he exerted force, a fine powder floated out, choking him and causing him to cough twice.
"I suggest turning on the ventilation fan." Nana started the small fan to direct the dust outside the window, "while controlling the scraping force to avoid fiber breakage."
“You make it sound so easy,” he said, blowing on it as he scraped. “This stuff is harder to get than pigskin.”
“Pig skin is typically used in food processing,” she said. “It has nothing to do with this.”
“I know!” he rolled his eyes. “I was just using a metaphor!”
“Metaphorical phrases are not essential,” she said. “They can be omitted.”
"You really are..." he gritted his teeth, "Fine, I won't argue with you."
The two worked together smoothly, scraping and collecting the fibers. The three bundles of processed, silvery-white fibers were neatly arranged on the table, like some kind of material waiting to be used.
Chen Hao looked at them, then looked up at the charred electrical box on the wall.
"It has to be done by tonight," he said.
"The repair program has been loaded." Nana laid out the tools one by one. "The heating device, clamps, and insulating tape are all ready."
"If these cables had broken even a day earlier, wouldn't we have had to eat in the dark?"
"The probability has increased by 63 percentage points."
"You're really good at calculating." He laughed. "But hearing you say that makes me feel more at ease."
“Emotional fluctuations do not affect task execution,” she said.
“I know.” He cracked his knuckles. “But I still feel that this isn’t so simple.”
Nana looked at him.
“That breathing stone, and this suddenly smoking wire.” He touched the fragments in his tool bag. “Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?”
"The existing data is insufficient to support conspiracy theories," she said.
“I’m not saying someone is trying to harm us.” He shook his head. “I mean… these things have been here for so many years, and the moment we touch them, something goes wrong.”
“System aging has a cumulative effect,” she said. “The triggering timing depends on load changes.”
“Oh.” He nodded. “So, we’re the ones who broke it?”
"To be precise, it is the use of the product that has accelerated the exposure of the original hidden dangers."
"I understand." He sighed. "Good things come to those who wait."
He sat down and rubbed the newly calloused hands. The dim light cast a faint shadow on his face.
Nana stood to the side, holding the list, waiting quietly.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Okay." He stood up and unbuttoned his coat. "Let's begin."
He picked up the first fiber and brought it close to the wire connector. Nana activated the heating device, and the temperature slowly rose. The edges of the fiber began to soften and adhere to the metal surface.
Just as he was about to press it down, the stone fragments in his tool bag suddenly jolted.
Chen Hao looked down and saw the green light shining through the fabric, flashing, stopping, and then flashing again.
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