Carl placed the wooden piece on the table and looked up at the three of them.
"Are we really going to go to sea?"
Just as Chen Hao was about to speak, Nana suddenly turned and walked towards the main control panel. Her fingers swiped rapidly across the screen, and a few seconds later, a list popped up, densely packed with more than thirty items.
“Preparations for going to sea must be systematic,” she said. “Based on the estimated seven-day voyage and daily basic consumption calculations, there is a 62% shortage of existing supplies.”
Susan leaned closer to look at the screen. "What does 'High-Energy Compressed Biscuits' mean?"
"Dry food made from grain flour, animal oil and syrup, each piece contains 500 calories and can be stored for a year."
"It sounds like dog food."
“It’s more expensive than dog food,” Chen Hao chimed in. “And we can’t even afford that right now.”
Nana continued, "All four categories—food, water, tools, and emergency supplies—must be in place. I suggest assigning tasks to complete the packing within 24 hours."
“Then let’s split up.” Carl stood up. “I’ll take care of the tools.”
"I'm going to check the inventory," Chen Hao patted his stomach. "It'll be good for stretching my muscles."
Susan glanced at the list. "We don't have enough containers. I need to make new ones."
The four immediately dispersed.
Chen Hao took Nana to the storage area. As soon as the door opened, a musty smell rushed out. He covered his nose and bent down to rummage through the drawers. There were three pieces of smoked meat left, wrapped in oil paper, their surfaces slightly whitish. Grain cakes were piled in a corner, several bags already damp and bulging. The dehydrated vegetables were dry, but there wasn't much of them.
“These won’t last more than a few days,” he said.
Nana scanned the food and said, "I recommend treating the damp grains immediately. High-temperature drying can restore 89% of their edibility."
"Then start a fire."
They brought out a charcoal stove, spread the damp grain on a wire mesh, and lit a fire underneath. The smoke wasn't thick, but it was choking. Chen Hao squatted beside it, turning the grain over, his face blackened by the smoke.
"I look like a roasted sweet potato right now."
"You look more like you've been burnt."
Why are you mocking me? I'm not a robot.
"It is precisely because it is not that we need to remind you."
The two worked until noon and finally dried all the salvageable grain. When bagging it, Nana sealed the bags with clips and labeled each bag with the type and expiration date.
On the other side, Susan was sewing a waterproof bag. She cut recycled canvas into squares, coated them with resin, and layered them tightly. It was difficult to thread the needle through the thick fabric, and her fingers were rubbed raw.
After finishing the first bag, she picked it up and shook it; it didn't leak.
"Okay, it works."
She made six more, in different sizes, and labeled them "water," "salt," "tools," and "medicine." She also made two with straps, saying they would be convenient to carry around.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Carl began work in the workshop. He picked out a piece of hardwood from the scrap heap, measured it, and used a chainsaw to cut it into the shape of a rudder. He sanded the edges smooth and left an opening at the bottom so that it could be inserted into the metal sleeve at the stern of the boat.
Next came the sounding rope. He found an old cable, stripped off the outer sheath to expose the steel wire rope inside. He cut off ten meters of it, tied lead weights to one end, and made a knot at the other end as a marker, placing a knot every meter.
"That way I'll know how deep the water is," he muttered to himself.
He also made a simple lookout stand, secured with a tripod, which could be disassembled and taken away. His toolbox contained a small hammer, nails, spare rope, and tape, all numbered and registered.
As darkness fell, the three returned to the dock.
Nana is checking the electronic ledger. The screen shows: food items are 85% complete, drinking water items are 70% complete, tools items are 100% complete, and emergency items are 60% complete.
"There's still a significant difference," Chen Hao frowned.
“Wild berries can supplement vitamins,” Nana said. “There are two berry bushes nearby, and they are ripe enough to be picked.”
“I’ll go pick them,” Susan said. “Let’s finish picking them before dawn.”
“I’ll go with you.” Chen Hao stood up. “Anyway, I’m free.”
Didn't you say you were tired?
"I'm not tired now."
The two men set off with canvas bags. The bushes were on the east side of the base, not far from the wall. The berries were ripe and red, falling at the slightest touch. They picked and ate as they went, their faces contorted with sourness.
"This stuff tastes awful," Chen Hao spat out a seed.
"Even if it tastes bad, I have to take it back with me." Susan filled the bag. "Otherwise, my gums will bleed on the way."
When she returned, Susan poured the fruit into a basin, added salt water to soak it, and prepared to dry it the next day.
Chen Hao then began to check the food packaging. He discovered that two water bladders were missing.
"Who took the D-type water bag?"
“I used it.” Carl didn’t even look up. “I changed it into a signal flag storage bag.”
"Then what will we use to hold the water?"
"The new bag Susan made."
Chen Hao pulled out an empty bag and poured water into it to test it. After filling it, he picked it up and walked a few steps; there was no leakage.
"good."
He reclassified all the food, dividing it into seven groups according to daily rations, and packaged each group separately. Fresh water was calculated at one and a half liters per person per day, filling twelve containers to prepare enough for two extra days.
Tools were placed in wooden crates, separated by foam padding to prevent collisions. Emergency kits were placed separately and labeled with a prominent tag.
At 8 p.m., Nana started the final inventory process.
"Food: Sufficient, with an additional three days of buffer."
"Drinking water: meets standards, contains ten purification tablets."
Tools: Complete, including spare parts.
"Emergency: One set of oxygen masks, three tourniquets, and five vials of anti-infective drugs, all of which have expired within three months."
"It still works?"
"Data shows that more than 76% of the drug's efficacy is retained, making it usable."
"Alright."
The four people stood around the boat, looking at the neatly stacked boxes of supplies.
"All that's left is the waterproof coating," Susan said. "We'll apply it tomorrow morning, let it air dry for half a day, and then it'll be ready to use."
“Where’s the sail?” Karl asked.
"The bed sheet has been altered." Chen Hao shook a piece of white cloth out of his bag. "It's patched, so it shouldn't tear."
Are you sure this isn't a rag?
"This is the sail of hope."
"I hope it doesn't leak."
Nana brought up the 3D model and marked the locations of all the supplies. Each box was numbered and corresponded to a storage compartment on the ship.
“The loading order has been planned,” she said. “We’ll start with the heavy items and then move on to the lighter ones, and then to the tools and food, to avoid shifting the center of gravity.”
"It sounds like moving house."
"It's essentially a relocation," Chen Hao said. "Except this time, it's a relocation at sea."
Carl crouched down to inspect the bottom of the boat. "The buoyancy device hasn't been installed yet."
“Use empty oil drums to tie to both sides,” Susan said. “I’ve tried it before, and it can support the weight.”
"Then let's do it together tomorrow morning."
The night breeze carried a salty scent.
Chen Hao stood at the bow of the ship and reached out to touch the base of the mast.
"By this time tomorrow, we might already be at sea."
"They may still be repairing the ship."
Don't spoil the fun.
"I am pragmatic."
Susan stuffed the last water pouch into the storage compartment and pushed it all the way in.
"I can't move."
"Then don't move."
Nana closed the data panel. "The material preparation is 100% complete."
"Finally." Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Carl patted the hull. "Don't let this stuff go to waste."
They didn't leave.
Chen Hao stared at the sea, Susan checked the rope knots, Carl tightened the lock on the toolbox, and Nana stood still, her eyes slightly flashing, as if she were running some program in the background.
The sound of the tide is soft in the distance.
Suddenly, Chen Hao bent down, picked up a small stone, and threw it into the water.
The stone didn't jump; it sank directly.
"The technology has regressed."
"You were never good enough to begin with."
"I'm just fat, not clumsy."
Susan looked up at the sky. "There are a lot of clouds. It might be windy tomorrow."
“The wind is good,” Carl said. “It saves us energy.”
"Too big is not good."
"That's still better than no wind."
Nana suddenly spoke up: "We detected a change in airflow from the southeast, and the wind speed is expected to increase to level four by tomorrow morning."
"That's enough."
"It's not enough, and there's no way to change it."
Chen Hao walked around one last time to make sure each box was securely fastened. He squatted down next to the food box, opened the top one, took out a compressed biscuit, and took a bite.
Dry, hard, and tasteless.
"This stuff tastes awful."
"You just said that."
"I'd like to confirm this."
He stuffed the rest back in and put the lid on.
"We'll eat it tomorrow."
Susan tried hanging the bag on her shoulder and adjusted the length of the shoulder strap.
Karl wiped the tools with a cloth and put them back into the box one by one.
Nana stood at the stern of the ship, tapping the screen with her finger, and the update log was automatically saved.
Everyone has finished what they were doing.
No one spoke.
Chen Hao looked up at the sea, his lips moving slightly.
"Are we really going to set sail?"
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