Chen Hao was awakened by a slight buzzing sound. He opened his eyes, the ceiling light was blindingly bright, and Nana's voice came from beside him: "The plant sample is stable, the oxygen concentration has returned to normal, and the ventilation system has been shut down."
He turned over, said nothing, and buried his face in the pillow. The alarm last night came so suddenly; in his dream, he was still watching the drop of liquid slide down from the tip of the blade and hit the tray with a crisp sound like striking glass.
"What time is it?" he asked in a muffled voice.
"7:12. You slept 12 minutes longer than scheduled."
"Anyway, it's not urgent." He sat up and rubbed his face. "The boiler is modified, the land is marked out, and the seeds have been changed. What else can we do? Stare at that glowing grass all day?"
Nana stood in front of the control panel, the camera slightly panning. "No urgent missions today. Environmental control system is operating normally, energy reserves are sufficient."
“See, this is the problem.” Chen Hao shuffled to the table in his slippers and plopped down. “It’s too normal. So normal that I’ve almost forgotten there’s another world out there.”
He stared at the empty control panel, his fingers tracing a gray mark on the surface.
"How about... we do something a little out of the ordinary?"
Please specify your requirements.
“I said, let’s do something fun.” He looked up. “Like chess? When I was little, my dad taught me to play Chinese chess. He would curse at people while he played. It was quite a spectacle.”
Nana paused for two seconds, and the database began retrieving relevant information. "Chess, originating in China, is a two-player game with thirty-two pieces. The board is a grid of ten vertical and nine horizontal lines. The rules are clear and the logic is rigorous, making it suitable as a cognitive training tool."
"It's not training!" Chen Hao waved his hand. "It's playing! Relaxing! Do you understand? That's exactly what we need right now."
"I understand. Recreational activities can effectively relieve the psychological burden of being in a long-term closed environment."
“That’s right.” He grinned. “Then you’re in charge of making the chessboard and pieces, and I’ll be in charge of winning against you.”
"According to historical data, the success rate of humans in the early stages of learning is less than five percent."
"Stop!" Chen Hao raised his hand. "You're already trying to undermine me, aren't you? Wait until you've done it before you start talking big."
Nana turned and walked to the locker, pulled open the third drawer, and took out a discarded circuit board casing. It had a few scratches on the surface, but was generally smooth, and its size was just right for a standard chessboard.
"The substrate material is available. Surface treatment is required."
She picked up the sandpaper and began sanding the edges. Her movements were steady, each stroke precisely overlapping the previous one, neither too much nor too little.
Chen Hao leaned closer to take a look. "Wait, can this thing be used as a chessboard? It's all black, and there aren't even any squares."
“Laser etching can be used to mark zones,” she said. “Color can be achieved by filling in mineral powder.”
"Alright then." He scratched his head. "What about the chess piece? We can't exactly use a screw as the king, can we?"
“The resin mixed with silicate powder can be cast into shape.” She pointed to the workbench in the corner. “The scraps left over from the last alloy melting can still be used.”
Chen Hao sighed. "More scrap metal recycling. We're living such a miserable life, even our entertainment involves scavenging for junk."
"High resource utilization is a survival advantage," Nana said.
"Why does that sound like you're praising yourself?"
There was no response. She had already turned on the heater and started preparing the resin solution.
Chen Hao, having nothing else to do, joined in to help. He was responsible for arranging the molds one by one, pouring in the mixture, and then gently shaking them a few times to remove air bubbles. The resin was a bit sticky, so he shook his fingers, only to get some on his pants.
"Oh my god!"
"Wearing gloves is recommended."
“What’s with the ’wearing’? This is what you call handcrafted warmth.” He muttered, “Do you think if someone digs this up someday, they’ll treat it as an artifact? ‘Apocalyptic Civilization Chess Set, made by the owner from circuit boards and scrap, extremely valuable historically.’”
"Without the continuation of human civilization, the definition of cultural relics will become invalid."
"Can you please stop being so discouraging?"
"I'm just stating the facts."
“Facts also need to be packaged.” He rolled his eyes. “For example, you could say right now, ‘This chess set embodies wisdom and emotion and is a symbol of the enduring human spirit.’”
Nana paused for a moment. "This statement doesn't make sense based on the data."
"Sigh, hopeless." He waved his hand. "Once the game is finished, I'll make you surrender in the first game."
"The rules allow for conceding, but only if the conditions for determining the situation are met."
"You wait."
Half a day later, the resin solidified, and Nana used a miniature laser to engrave the corresponding characters on each chess piece: General, Advisor, Elephant, Horse, Chariot, Cannon, and Soldier. The characters were neat and the depth of the ink was consistent.
Chen Hao picked up a "cannon" and examined it from all angles. "Not bad, it's even sturdier than the plastic one I had when I was a kid."
He put a red sticker on the bottom to represent the red side. The black side used blue. Although it's unconventional, there weren't any other colors available at the moment.
Once the chessboard is finished, the black background is divided into neat grids, with red and blue lines alternating and clearly defined.
"It's done." Chen Hao placed the chessboard on the low table in the living quarters, set out the chess pieces, and looked around. "All that's missing is the opening ceremony."
Do you need background music?
“No need.” He slammed his hand on the table. “Let’s use the classic line—‘What are you looking at?’”
"This statement has no practical meaning and is easily misunderstood."
"That's exactly what we want to do!" he laughed. "There has to be a bit of tension when playing chess."
Nana sat down opposite, pointed the optical lens at the chessboard, and automatically adjusted the focus.
"Red moves first. The standard opening is recommended as either Cannon 2 to 5 or Horse 2 to 3."
"I'm going to push the car forward one step at a time." Chen Hao pushed the car forward one step.
"There are no targets at this location, so it poses no threat."
“I know,” he said smugly. “I just wanted to scare you.”
"Intimidation tactics are ineffective in chess."
"You don't understand, this is called psychological warfare."
Nana moves the black knight, "Knight to 7".
Chen Hao stared at the chessboard, then suddenly frowned. "Wait, can the bishop cross the river?"
"No. Like walking across a field, one must not cross the river boundary."
“I remember when I was a child, my dad told me that I could cross the river.”
"You've misremembered."
"Impossible! I clearly beat him once, and it was thanks to the 'General Crossing the River' technique!"
"Violations will not be counted as valid victories."
Chen Hao slapped his forehead. "Sigh, I didn't even realize I'd been cheating all along."
"Correcting it now will not affect the fairness of subsequent games."
"Alright." He moved the elephant back. "Then I'll start over."
He changed direction, moving the cannon from rank 2 to rank 5.
Nana immediately responded: "Ma Ba to 7."
Chen Hao nodded. "Yes, that's more interesting."
He reached for the soldier, about to push him forward, but then stopped.
"You know... what if we could make a game record and write down every single game?"
"It can record the sequence of chess moves."
“It’s not just about taking notes.” His eyes lit up. “You also have to write comments! For example, ‘This move is brilliant, a stroke of genius,’ or ‘A terrible player, making one blunder after another.’”
"Comments are highly subjective and may affect data analysis."
“Analysis my ass,” he laughed. “I want fun, not ratings.”
Nana looked at his face, which was wrinkled from smiling, and the camera flashed slightly.
"Start recording mode. First round, time: 10:43 AM. Location: Central table in the living pod. Players: Chen Hao (Red), Nana (Black)."
Chen Hao tapped the chessboard lightly. "Come on, let's see who crushes whom first."
He took a step back.
Nana should vault.
The air grew quiet, with only the soft sound of resin chess pieces falling onto the circuit board.
Chen Hao scratched the back of his head, stared at the chessboard for half a minute, and then suddenly looked up.
"What if we made a Go game..."
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