When Chen Hao opened his eyes, it was still dark. He was lying on a bench in the garden, his neck a little stiff, and a trace of the cool essential oil still lingering in his temples. The roller bottle beside him had fallen over, leaving oil stains on his clothes, but he couldn't be bothered to care.
Nana stood to the side, saying nothing, but simply played an audio clip. The sound was very low, like a buzzing sound coming from inside a wall, intermittent and making one's teeth ache.
"What is this?" He sat up and rubbed his face.
“The sound of microcracks spreading in the north side of the second floor structure,” she said. “It lasted for seventeen minutes.”
Chen Hao was stunned for a moment, "It... can make sounds on its own?"
“Metal fatigue will produce this kind of vibration wave when it reaches a certain level.” She pulled up a hologram, where a cluster of red dots was concentrated at the connection point of the corridor. “If we don’t deal with it, the next time the wind picks up, that area might collapse.”
Chen Hao stared at the patch of red for a few seconds, then stood up and patted his pants. "Alright, I've had enough sleep anyway." He grabbed the tool bag beside him. "Replace the old bone with the new alloy plate, let's do it."
As the two climbed to the second-floor platform, dawn was just breaking. A breeze blew in through the ventilation openings, causing the scaffolding to sway gently. Chen Hao looked up at the main beam; fine lines had already appeared on its surface, like cracked mud.
"The first reinforcement plate is installed here," Nana said, pointing to the joint between the beam and the column. "It needs to be welded in place."
Chen Hao nodded and stepped onto the ladder. Halfway up, his legs began to feel weak. He glanced down at the ground, his head buzzed, and his palms immediately started sweating.
“I fell once when I was a child,” he said through gritted teeth. “I fell off the third-floor balcony and was bedridden for two months.”
“There’s a safety rope now,” Nana said. “And I’ll hold you.”
“You make it sound so easy.” He took a deep breath and continued climbing. “You robots aren’t afraid of heights.”
He finally stood on the work platform, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, a gust of wind blew, causing the entire frame to sway. He grabbed the railing tightly, his breathing quickening.
"Don't look down," Nana's voice came from behind. "Look at the line I'm casting."
A green dotted line appeared in the air, precisely aligned with the slot. Chen Hao gripped the welding torch, his hand trembling slightly.
"Fix the left end first," she reminded.
He pressed the switch, and the moment the sparks flew, his shoulders tensed. After the weld was completed, he breathed a sigh of relief and began to move his body to connect the right side.
Just then, Nana's robotic arm gently pushed him, helping him adjust his center of gravity. The force wasn't great, but it happened to hit the resonant frequency of the metal.
"Thump—"
A muffled thud came from below.
Both of them lowered their heads at the same time.
On the main beam that had just been marked as high-risk, a new crack was slowly opening, and dust was falling in clumps.
"Did you... touch me?" Chen Hao's voice trembled slightly.
“I’ve adjusted your standing angle,” she said. “The pressure is controlled at 3.2 kilograms.”
"But it's cracked."
“It’s stress release caused by resonance.” She quickly scanned the crack. “It’s currently 3.7 centimeters deep and hasn’t penetrated the main structure yet.”
Chen Hao slowly squatted down, holding his head. "Damn it, I came up to fix something, and I blew it up."
“It’s not your fault,” Nana said. “It’s because the material itself is nearing its limit.”
“But I’m the one who does the dirty work.” He smiled wryly. “Every time something goes wrong, I’m the one in charge. You’re just talking without any remorse.”
“I’m not good with words,” she said. “I’m good at analyzing data.”
Chen Hao looked up at her and couldn't help but laugh. "You're quite good at roasting people."
"I'm just stating the facts."
"Alright, alright." He stood up. "What do we do now? We can't just let it heal on its own."
“Temporary support is needed,” she said, “and a real-time monitoring system needs to be established to prevent further deterioration.”
"Monitoring?" He scratched his head. "We don't have the professional equipment."
“Strain gauges can be made by mixing resin with conductive fibers,” she said. “When attached to critical nodes, the change in resistance during deformation can reflect the stress situation.”
"It sounds like rudimentary steelmaking."
"As long as it works."
"Then who's going to climb up and patch it?" He pointed to the crack. "You're not going to make me do it again, are you?"
“I’ll be in charge this time,” she said. “You’ll be in charge of preparing the materials.”
Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "That's more like it."
They rummaged through the warehouse and found old circuit boards, removing the copper wires inside. The resin, which they found in the repair kit, was yellowish but still usable. Chen Hao cut the fibers into small pieces, mixed them into the resin, and stirred it into a paste.
"It's like paste," he said. "It just smells a bit awful."
"The volatile substances are non-toxic." Nana took the materials. "Ready to install."
She activated the robotic arm and deftly climbed onto the support frame. Chen Hao stood below, holding a handheld terminal with a screen connected to a self-made sensor.
The first strain gauge was attached to the edge of the crack, the second to the inside of the connecting column, and the third to the other end of the upper beam. Each time a strain gauge was attached, a set of values was displayed at the terminal.
“Signal reception is normal.” Chen Hao looked at the fluctuating curve. “It’s really ‘moving’.”
“The structure is deforming slightly every day,” she said. “Just because no one heard it before doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
“Now it’s talking to us, albeit unclearly.” He grinned.
By the time the sixth monitoring point was installed, it was already dawn. The six curves on the terminal showed stable fluctuations without any sudden changes.
"The initial system is operating normally," Nana said. "Data will continue to be recorded overnight."
"So I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight?" Chen Hao stretched his shoulders.
“No,” she said. “The hydraulic supports haven’t been installed yet, and the cracked area still needs to be monitored manually.”
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy," he sighed. "Let's go, let's move the stuff."
They dragged four hydraulic rods from the spare area and placed them one by one below the crack. Nana used a robotic arm to precisely adjust the height until the pressure gauge showed even pressure.
"Temporary support is complete," she said.
Chen Hao leaned against the wall, his arms covered in resin glue that he couldn't wipe off. Looking at the monitoring device flashing red, he suddenly asked, "How much longer do you think this place can hold out?"
"At the current rate of deterioration, a complete collapse is expected in 123 days," she said. "But local instability may occur earlier."
"Then we have to fix it before then."
"The prerequisite is finding a substitute material with sufficient strength."
"What about the newly mined alloy from the ore vein?"
"Performance meets standards, but quantity is insufficient."
"Then dig some more."
"Don't you want to rest?"
"Rest?" He chuckled. "The moment I close my eyes, all I see is this crumbling wall about to collapse. I'd rather keep working."
Nana didn't say anything more. Her optical glasses swept across his face, capturing his tired but clear-headed state.
A gust of wind blew in again, and the monitoring device emitted a short beep. On the screen, the curve at the third measuring point rose slightly.
Chen Hao immediately went over. "What's wrong?"
“The stress level has increased by five percent,” she said. “It’s probably due to the disturbance caused by the installation of the support column just now.”
Will prices continue to rise?
"Under observation."
He stared at the screen, his fingers unconsciously tapping the edge of the terminal.
After a minute, the curve stabilized.
"It was a false alarm." He breathed a sigh of relief.
“It wasn’t a false alarm,” she said. “It reminds us that any action could be the final straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
"So we need to be more careful."
"Or even faster."
Chen Hao nodded and turned to walk towards the toolbox. "Then let's stop talking nonsense and continue tomorrow."
He picked up a wrench, about to unscrew the hydraulic valve to check the seal, when the monitor suddenly emitted a sharp alarm.
On the screen, the curves at the six measuring points jumped violently at the same time.
Nana instantly blocked his way, and the mechanical arm extended to its maximum angle.
Chen Hao looked up.
A new crack appeared in the ceiling above, and chunks of cement were slowly peeling off.
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