Less than twenty minutes after the lights were restored, the holographic screen in the center of the control panel suddenly emitted a low-frequency hum. Immediately afterwards, the entire projection area went out as if the power had been cut off.
Chen Hao was looking down at his tablet when he suddenly looked up: "Here we go again?"
Nana rushed to the main control terminal, her fingers flying across the screen. "It's not the lighting system," she said, her voice turning serious. "It's the main display module—the quantum signal array is offline, and the coupler is overheating."
"Try restarting!" Chen Hao shouted.
Carl rushed over from backstage, shoved open the auxiliary panel, and entered the forced wake-up command. The screen flickered, then a red warning popped up: [Type B coupler damaged, unable to establish a stable channel]
"Physical damage?" Susan also rushed over, standing at the edge staring at the silent mainframe.
“Internal melting.” Karl pulled up the thermal image. “Overload caused the crystal structure to collapse, with at least an 80% probability of irreversibility.”
Chen Hao's heart sank. This device was the core of the entire technology exhibition area, responsible for three main functions: interactive demonstrations, data visualization, and real-time explanations. Without it, the "technology experience" segment of the cultural festival would be completely paralyzed.
“What about spare parts?” he asked Nana.
Nana has already opened the supplies database and is quickly searching. "The base has no spare parts of the same model in stock. The most recent supply did not include this component, and it was originally planned to be updated in three months."
"Can't we use something else to prop it up?" Chen Hao pressed.
“The structures are incompatible.” Carl shook his head. “The voltage thresholds are too different; forcing the connection could trigger a chain of short circuits.”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Susan looked around at the empty but properly set-up booths and said softly, "In forty minutes... the opening ceremony will begin."
Chen Hao clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. They had worked so hard for so many days, from planning to setting up the exhibition, overcoming difficulties at every step. Just when they were about to reach their moment of glory, they were choked by a small part.
"We can't just let this go." He gritted his teeth. "Nana, is there any alternative with a similar structure in the database? Even a temporary patchwork will do."
Nana closed her eyes slightly and accessed the knowledge base for high-speed retrieval. "Comparing historical engineering cases... found three relevant records: one is the emergency modification of old-era communication base stations, the second is the field maintenance of deep space probes, and the third is the extreme repair of civilian-grade holograms."
"Choose the last one!" Chen Hao said decisively, "It's closer to the realistic conditions!"
“However, among the required materials, the stock of ‘titanium gallium alloy foil’ and ‘nano-conductive gel’ is currently insufficient.” Nana opened her eyes. “Especially the gel, there is only 7% left, which is not enough to support a complete circuit.”
Carl quickly calculated: "If we narrow the signal output range and only activate the basic projection layer, we might be able to save half the amount of power."
"Then let's change the plan!" Chen Hao decided. "Forget the complicated interactions, just get the screen lit up! As long as the audience can see the result, that's enough!"
Susan suddenly remembered something: "Among the discarded training machines we recycled yesterday, there seemed to be a few similar interface boards—I didn't throw them away, I just piled them up in the corner of the repair shop."
"Go get it now!" Chen Hao turned to leave.
“I’ll go,” Carl stopped him. “You stay here to coordinate, I’ll be faster.”
The moment the door closed, Chen Hao turned to look at the pitch-black exhibition stand. The light hadn't yet arrived, but darkness was already pressing in. But he knew that as long as there was a sliver of hope, they wouldn't let this festival end in disappointment.
He took a deep breath and said to Nana, "Prepare the disassembly process. We'll start as soon as Carl gets back."
Nana nodded, her finger tracing a string of code windows on the console. She began stripping away redundant modules while retrieving the original driver protocol. "We can only run in the simplest mode; the image resolution will be reduced to the lowest possible level, and the animation frame rate will be locked at twelve frames per second."
"That's enough," Chen Hao said. "As long as it can move, that's fine."
Susan pulled out a toolbox from the side and rummaged through it, finding several old data cables. "These still work, and the interface compatibility is over 70%."
"Let's try connecting it." Chen Hao took the cable and plugged it into the secondary port. The screen didn't respond.
"The power supply is unstable." Nana glanced at the current reading. "The main power supply fluctuates too much; a current stabilization module must be installed."
“There’s an old-fashioned voltage regulator box in the repair shop,” Susan said. “Karl took it off last time saying he was going to scrap it, but I kept it.”
"Go get it now," Chen Hao said. "And while you're at it, see if there are any other usable parts."
Susan picked up her suitcase and headed out. But as soon as she reached the door, she turned back, took off her coat, and covered a pile of exposed circuit boards with it. "Don't let them get dusty."
Chen Hao glanced at the time: thirty-seven minutes.
He turned to Nana and asked, "If we only use static images, how many resources would we need?"
“One-third,” she said, “but the audience experience will be terrible.”
"It's better than nothing," he said. "Let's secure the opening first, and then figure out how to upgrade later."
Nana continued typing, and a progress bar appeared on the screen: [Temporary protocol loading... 6%]
The speed was so slow it made me want to smash the table.
Chen Hao went around to the back of the computer and squatted down to check the wiring. Several cables were getting hot, so he loosened a few tangled cables. "The heat dissipation isn't good either; it won't last ten minutes like this."
“I have lowered the power consumption threshold,” Nana said. “Now the system prioritizes image output and all other functions are turned off.”
"Including audio equipment?"
"Including audio equipment."
“
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