The wind outside the window was still pounding against the tin bucket, the sound intermittent. The small light on the control panel was on, its blue crystal gleaming faintly on the tabletop, like sleepy eyes.
Nana's finger gently touched the projector switch, and the screen lit up again. The data table was divided into two columns: one for the living quarters and the other for the research unit's equipment requirements. She didn't speak, but simply hovered the cursor over the total consumables column, and the number jumped slightly.
“We cannot let choices become division,” she said. “We now have two goals, not two enemies.”
Chen Hao looked up, the stone in his hand falling to the table with a dull thud. He glanced at Karl, then looked at the projection, a smirk playing on his lips: "You're really good at calculations."
Susan stood up from the wall, walked to the projector, and drew a line in the middle with her finger: "Can we build a shell first? People can live in the front, and leave space in the back for the machines and wires. We don't have to finish it all, we can do it step by step."
Carl frowned: "Sharing a structure will increase construction difficulty, and what if there's a problem with the load-bearing capacity—"
“Then reinforce the beams,” Susan interrupted. “I’ll use plant fiber mixed with concrete as a sandwich layer; it’s moisture-proof and sturdy. I can solve your concerns about stability.”
The room was quiet for a few seconds.
Chen Hao suddenly laughed: "Have you guys noticed that we've started bringing up solutions when we argue now? Before, we just shouted slogans."
No one responded, but the atmosphere eased a little.
Nana looked at the four of them and said, "How about we take turns saying what we want? No interruptions allowed."
Chen Hao sat up straight: "Okay, I'll go first." He paused, his voice lower than before, "It's not that I'm afraid of hardship. I'm afraid that one day I'll wake up and find that I'm no longer a human being."
He lifted his foot and rubbed it on the ground: "The soles of my shoes have been coming unglued for three months, my socks are wet every day, and I have to sleep with a hot water bottle. The last time I had a fever, it was because water was seeping under the bed in the middle of the night. I didn't move because I was too lazy to move."
He glanced at Karl again: "You say you study technology to live longer, but what's the point of living if I can't even sleep well? I don't want to enjoy life, I just want to stop treating myself like an animal."
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and rubbed his face, as if trying to wash away his fatigue.
Carl was silent for a moment, then closed his notebook and placed it on the table. He looked up at Chen Hao: "Do you know why I'm so determined to figure out that crystal?"
Chen Hao shook his head.
“That night, the wolves rushed in, and Nana hastily dismantled the alarm and converted it into a stun gun. She was bleeding as she soldered the circuitry because you were injured.” Carl’s voice was flat, but trembled slightly. “If we had had a protective system back then, you wouldn’t be lying on the ground convulsing.”
He paused for a moment: "It's not that I don't believe you can handle it. I'm just afraid it will be too late next time. If we only realize we should learn something after we've been beaten to a pulp again, it will be too late."
Susan leaned against the projector stand and said softly, "One of you is afraid of losing your humanity, and the other is afraid of losing opportunities. Actually, we're both afraid."
She looked at Nana: "We need security, and we need hope. Without either, a person will collapse."
Nana nodded: "I ran a simulation. If a composite structure is used, the material utilization rate can be increased by 47 percent by building the framework and power supply system together in the early stage."
She brought up a new page, and a 3D model of a rectangular cabin appeared on the screen. The front half was labeled as the living area, while the back half was grayed out and awaiting activation.
"First, complete the basic construction, connect the power supply and waterproofing layer. The living function will be available immediately. At the same time, interfaces will be reserved so that scientific research equipment can be installed later. The power system will be shared, and lighting and water purification will be given priority."
Chen Hao leaned closer to look: "So you mean we can sleep in a dry room first, and you can continue tinkering with your circuit boards?"
“Yes,” Nana said.
"How are the building materials categorized?"
"The allocation will be 60% to 40%. 60% of the resources will be allocated to residential use, and 40% to research. The energy system will be jointly constructed, and the load will be adjusted according to the usage ratio after completion."
Carl stared at the drawing for a long time before finally speaking: "I'll do the design. But an emergency power-off device must be installed to prevent the experiment from overloading and affecting the power supply to the living area."
“Okay,” Nana replied. “I will set up an independent circuit breaker mechanism in the system.”
Chen Hao grinned: "So you agree?"
Carl ignored him and turned to Susan: "When will you have the formula ready for the sandwich process you mentioned?"
"We can test the first batch tomorrow," Susan said. "We have enough fiber and cement in the raw material warehouse."
“I’ll draw the structural drawings tonight,” Carl said, picking up his pen and turning to a new page. “First, we’ll reinforce the foundation, then erect the main beams. The transition compartment will be eight meters long and four meters wide, with the roof tilted at a 15-degree angle for drainage.”
Chen Hao stood up, walked around to his side, and glanced at it: "This size... can fit two beds, right?"
“One and a half.” Karl didn’t even look up. “The remaining space needs to be reserved for storage and passageways.”
"That's enough." Chen Hao nodded. "At least we don't have to sleep on the floor anymore."
Susan asked Nana, "Who's keeping an eye on the progress?"
"I'm in charge of overall coordination," Nana said. "I record key milestones every day and remind people to hand over tasks."
“Then I’ll take care of the walls and floors,” Susan said. “Especially the seams, they must be completely moisture-proof.”
Chen Hao slapped his thigh: "Then I'll move bricks, hand out tools, and help out. I'll take on all the heavy lifting."
Carl looked up at him: "The roof truss requires two people to install. What if you can't keep up physically?"
“Being fat doesn’t mean I’m weak,” Chen Hao snorted. “I didn’t fall down when I carried you up the hill last time.”
“That’s Nana pulling in front,” Karl said casually.
"But I carried two hundred pounds of your flesh." Chen Hao rolled his eyes. "Where's your conscience?"
“I didn’t say you were useless,” Carl finally looked up. “It’s just that the facts need to be made clear.”
"Alright," Susan interrupted. "Stop arguing. This is about assigning tasks, not a merit-sharing ceremony."
Nana stared at the confirmation page on the screen, her finger hovering over the confirmation button: "Everyone, one last confirmation. Do you agree to the construction plan?"
Chen Hao held out his hand: "I agree."
Susan walked over and placed her hand on top of Susan's: "I agree too."
Carl hesitated for a second, then reached out and placed his hand on it. His fingers were a little cold.
Nana placed it last and gently clicked "confirm".
A system notification sounded, a task list was automatically generated, and a stack of papers slowly emerged from the printer.
Looking at the stack of papers, Chen Hao suddenly said, "Shouldn't we give this house a name?"
“There’s no need,” Carl said.
“Yes,” Chen Hao insisted. “How about calling it ‘Half a Room’? Half for living, half for dreaming.”
"Vulgar," Carl commented.
"Down-to-earth," Chen Hao retorted. "Why don't you come up with one?"
Carl thought for a moment: "There are no naming plans at the moment."
“Then let’s call it Half a Room,” Chen Hao announced. “From now on, if anyone complains about a leak, just say our house is still evolving.”
Susan's lips twitched, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Nana distributed the printed task sheets. Each person received a sheet with the start time and division of responsibilities for the next day.
"The first construction milestone is at 10 a.m. the day after tomorrow," she said. "The foundation excavation will begin."
Chen Hao folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket, then stretched his shoulders: "Finally, we don't have to argue all the time."
Carl had already begun drawing the second blueprint, the pen scratching softly.
Susan picked up a knife, this time to whittle a wooden strip that she was going to use to measure the level.
Nana stood in front of the control panel, watching the system interface update status: [Project Launch | Phase One: Foundation Construction Preparation]
The wind outside has stopped.
The lights in the room flickered briefly, then settled.
Just as Chen Hao was about to say something, he suddenly heard a soft sound from above.
They looked up together.
A drop of water condenses at the edge of a crack in the roof, slowly grows larger, and then falls.
It passed through the beam of light and struck the first construction drawing of the "half-room," leaving a small dark stain.
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