A note from the east relay arrived by runner. Its bearing had worked loose and could pull the independent line out of alignment. Qiao Wen asked for a brief reduction in central feed while the local crew braced it.
Qinghe checked the east reading against the central gauge. The reserve coils remained isolated. She lowered the current from the central console, leaving the eastern barrier on its tested local path.
Yan shifted the inner ring to match her setting. The pressure dropped by a small measure. His physical anchor stayed steady while the crew at the relay worked on the bearing.
Qiao’s reply came back through the runner: the local crew had fitted a metal brace, but wanted to test it with a small pulse before asking for more current. Qinghe kept the feed low. The station light dimmed, but it did not go out.
The first pulse held. On the next gust, the brace’s outer bolt slipped. The crew stopped the test before the line could drag out of alignment. They replaced the bolt with a longer one rather than forcing the current through the loose bearing.
“Hold the low setting,” Qinghe told the central crew. “Let them finish the fastening.”
