The hand drill was still steaming near the hole. Chen Hao plopped down on the platform, his legs dangling in mid-air. The wind wasn't strong, but it sent a chill down his back. His sweat-soaked shirt clung to his spine, as if someone had stuffed a block of ice inside.
"So all that hard work building this tower, only to find the key won't fit in the lock?" He stared at the newly drilled connection hole, his voice low as if asking himself.
Nana stood below, watching the projected interface scroll through new simulation data. A red alarm box flashed briefly before she quickly swiped it away. "We need to add a secondary buffer layer," she said. "Otherwise, the stability of the power transmission cannot be guaranteed."
Chen Hao didn't move, he just turned off the hand drill, removed the battery and threw it into his tool bag. He looked up at the sky, where clouds were pressing in from the west, a hazy gray, as if someone had poured a whole bag of flour into the sky.
“This weather…is not right,” he said.
Nana looked up, her pupils contracted slightly, and a bold message popped up on the screen: "The high-speed air front is expected to arrive in eight minutes, with maximum gusts of 14. It is recommended to immediately suspend high-altitude operations."
"What? Eight minutes?" Chen Hao jumped to his feet, nearly slipping and falling. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
“We detected the abnormal airflow change just three minutes ago.” Her tone remained unchanged. “There’s still time to evacuate.”
"Evacuate my ass!" He clung to the railing to steady himself and peered down. "Those beams below aren't welded in yet. They'll all be blown away in this wind! The generator connectors are still exposed; if they get damaged, it'll be even more troublesome!"
Nana quickly brought up the structural model, swiped her finger a few times in the air, and several red dots began to flash. "The probability of stress exceeding the limit at the third connection joint is 87%. It is recommended to urgently install cables to stabilize the main beam."
Speak like a human being!
"Tie the top with a rope and attach it to the bottom anchor to prevent it from falling apart."
Chen Hao rolled his eyes, grabbed the spare cable from his backpack, and started climbing towards the edge of the platform. The wind had already started whipping up sand, which stung his face. He gritted his teeth, looped the rope around the main beam joint, tied a tight knot, and then secured it with a buckle.
"Are you done yet?" he shouted in the wind.
“The left side is not secured.” Nana pointed to the other side. “It needs to be reinforced symmetrically, otherwise uneven stress will cause twisting.”
"Do you think I'm Spider-Man? Working on two projects at the same time?"
"You can fix it at one point first, and I'll remotely control the winch to tighten it."
"Fine, you're my remote control then." He moved over, panting, his hands trembling so much he almost dropped the rope. The wind grew stronger, and the steel frame creaked, like someone slowly snapping an iron rod next to his ear.
Finally, both cables were in place. He slumped onto the platform, his chest heaving, feeling as if his lungs were filled with sand.
“The power system has been cut off,” Nana said. “All equipment has been put into hibernation mode.”
The words had barely left his mouth when a gust of wind slammed against the base's outer wall, making the entire courtyard feel as if it had been kicked. The warehouse door in the distance rattled, and a loose piece of sheet metal was ripped off, spinning and soaring into the sky.
The beam above their heads suddenly shook, and an auxiliary support rod snapped with a "bang," crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Chen Hao's eyes widened: "It's over, is it really going to collapse?"
“The main structure is still stable.” Nana stared at the terminal, “but the top frame has shifted by 3.2 degrees and two weld points have torn.”
He leaned over the railing and looked down. Sure enough, the once straight support was crooked, like a chopstick that had been bent by someone.
The wind raged for nearly forty minutes. When it finally subsided, the entire construction site looked as if it had been plowed through. Scattered parts were scattered all over the ground, and the protective netting hung in mid-air, swaying like a tattered fishing net. The sunlight shone down again, so bright it was blinding.
Chen Hao climbed down from the steel frame, his legs so weak he could barely stand. He walked to the base of the main tower, looked up at the crooked beam, his lips moved, and finally he managed to squeeze out only one sentence: "All that work for nothing... all that work for nothing."
Nana walked over, and the scanner swept over the fracture. A series of data appeared on the screen: "Three main weld points are cracked, and the bearing assembly is displaced. If not repaired, the risk level for subsequent operation is high."
"Can it still be repaired?" He looked down and kicked a piece of scrap metal.
“Yes,” she said, “but the deformed structure must be corrected, damaged parts replaced, and the wind-resistant design enhanced.”
Chen Hao was silent for a while, then suddenly looked up: "Even if it's fixed, we still can't install that power generation module, right? We don't have the materials to make the buffer layer you mentioned."
Nana looked at him but didn't answer immediately. After two seconds, she said, "We can only talk about installation after the structure has survived."
He paused for a moment, then laughed, a somewhat silly laugh: "What you said... is quite philosophical."
“It’s not philosophy.” She turned and walked toward the data terminal. “It’s engineering logic.”
He stood there, wiped the dirt off his face, and took out his water bottle to take a sip. The water was lukewarm, and drinking it felt like swallowing a mouthful of old cotton. But he didn't complain; he simply tightened the lid and casually tucked it back into his waistband.
“Then… let’s start all over again,” he said.
Nana retrieved a design scheme for a high-altitude wind turbine tower from the database. "The local topography is 68% similar to the plateau environment, so we can refer to the triangular stability structure for reinforcement." As she spoke, she drew the new layout on the terminal. "We need to add four sets of diagonal cables, replace the broken support rods, and perform cold straightening on the main beam."
"It sounds like we're going to have to tear it down and rebuild it." Chen Hao scratched his head. "Do we have steel of this specification in our warehouse?"
“No,” she answered crisply. “Standard replacement parts are in short supply.”
"What should we do then? Are we supposed to go and fetch an iron rod from the sky?"
“The material of the abandoned transport truss meets the requirements.” She pointed towards the warehouse, “It can be disassembled and reused.”
Chen Hao sighed, shouldered his tool bag, and headed towards the warehouse. The sun was blazing hotter, and the corrugated iron roof was so hot you could fry an egg on it. He lifted the dust cover, revealing several rusty I-beams lying inside—scrap he had previously dismantled but hadn't disposed of.
"Well, another rebirth ceremony for this piece of junk," he muttered, turning on the cutting machine.
As sparks flew, he jumped back, nearly knocking over the shelf. "Why didn't you warn me beforehand?"
“You did not inquire about the activation time of the warning.” Nana stood at the door, holding a measuring instrument in her hand. “I recommend wearing protective gear.”
"Is it too late for me to put them on now?" He rolled his eyes, but still put on the goggles.
The two of them took turns cutting and measuring, moving out the usable materials piece by piece. Chen Hao was in charge of sanding the edges, while Nana adjusted the curvature. He hummed a song as he worked, the tune wildly off-key, like the groan of some wounded animal.
"What are you singing?" Nana suddenly asked.
“‘Striving Xiaoqiang’.” He grinned. “I wrote it myself, but I haven’t thought of the lyrics for the chorus yet.”
"I suggest changing it to 'On-site Repair Records'," she said. "That would be more appropriate."
"You're quite good at finding fault." He wiped his sweat and continued polishing the steel plate. "But it's good, at least now I'm not talking to thin air."
By evening, the first batch of replacement components was ready. Six reinforcing beams, four sets of cable anchors, and a pile of gasket bolts were neatly stacked next to the wind turbine base, like a small team waiting to go into battle.
Chen Hao sat on the edge of the base, gazing at the unfinished steel frame. His face was covered in oil and dust, and sweat dripped from his chin onto his knees. He didn't speak, but simply looked down to check the teeth of the wrench and tested the tightness of the new bolts.
Nana stood in front of the data terminal and transmitted the new wind-resistant structural diagram to the construction panel. The projection slowly rotated, displaying the triangular support layout that was about to be installed.
"The first thing to do tomorrow is to dismantle the old beams," Chen Hao suddenly said. "Then straighten the main frame, otherwise it will become more and more difficult as we go on."
“Agreed,” she said. “I suggest starting work early in the morning to avoid the afternoon wind peak.”
"You even know I'm sensitive to heat?" He looked up at her. "Looks like you've figured me out pretty well."
“Based solely on behavioral data analysis,” she paused, “your probability of heatstroke increases to 73% after three consecutive days of working during the lunch break.”
"So you're worried I'll delay the progress if I lie on the ground?" He stood up with a smile, patting the dust off his pants. "Don't worry, I can still manage."
He walked over, picked up a newly made cable, and weighed it in his hand.
"This thing looks unremarkable, but can it really withstand the next gust of wind?"
Nana didn't answer immediately. She pulled up a simulation, showing the stress distribution on the new structure under a Force 14 wind. Most of the area was green, with only the edges slightly yellowish.
“Theoretically, yes,” she said.
Chen Hao stared at the picture for a while, then suddenly laughed: "Theory... We've been dealing with each other for so long, and every time has the theory been beautiful, only to be slapped in the face by reality?"
He threw the cable into the pile of materials with a loud thud.
“But it’s okay.” He cracked his knuckles. “It’s not like it’s the first time starting over.”
He stood under the windmill, looking up at the crooked beam. The wind blew by, stirring up a fine cloud of dust.
He raised his hand and gestured to indicate the height.
"Start work at six o'clock tomorrow morning."
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