Chen Hao was awakened by a cold touch on his forehead. It wasn't someone sticking snowballs on his face in his dream; it was Nana's mechanical fingertips just withdrawing from his skin.

He snorted, his eyelids barely open, "Taking temperatures again? You're on duty more often than the security guards in the neighborhood."

"Radar detected an anomaly." She didn't turn around, her gaze fixed on the control panel projection. Three red dots moved slowly through the noise of the wind and snow, like three mosquitoes that refused to land.

"Ouch," Chen Hao propped himself up, a dull, pulling pain in his ribs, as if someone had stuffed a frozen rice cake into his flesh. "Besides me, who else is staying up so late at night?"

"It's the seventh lap around the track," she said. "The trajectory is repetitive and lacks randomness, so it's determined to be under continuous surveillance."

Chen Hao grinned: "Wow, our place has become a popular spot for internet celebrities to take photos?"

He shuffled over to the screen, squinted at it for a couple of seconds, then suddenly reached out and turned the projector. "Wait... are they following the same route we used to scatter fruit pit powder last time?"

"yes."

"They're after the resources." He scratched the back of his head. "But to wander around in the snow for three hours just to pick up scraps, how greedy must that mouse be?"

"Abnormal vital signs were detected. The wolf is smaller than a normal snow wolf, but its nerve reflex rate is three times higher than normal."

"Oh." Chen Hao nodded. "A clever mouse, able to avoid surveillance and know how to exploit loopholes—it's a real shame that someone with this level of skill doesn't take the civil service exam."

Nana turned to look at him.

"Just kidding." He waved his hand. "We don't have time for talent recruitment right now. Let's deal with the harassment problem first."

He bent down, opened the locker, and pulled out half a bag of chili powder. The label read, "Last half bag, don't touch it." Underneath was a crumpled sticky note: "Spiciness warning: A sneeze can collapse the roof."

"You still keep this?" Nana asked.

“Of course,” Chen Hao shook the bag. “Last time you used a torch to blow up the valve, I used this to clear my nasal cavity. Life-saving supplies.”

He took out a small tin box, mixed chili powder into the resin fragments, and stirred it into a reddish-brown paste. "This stuff stimulates the sense of smell, and if you combine it with a sudden burst of fire, it's guaranteed to send them flying on the spot."

"What's your estimate of the success rate of the plan?" she asked.

"Sixty percent." He fastened the buttons on his winter coat. "The remaining forty percent depends on the electric blanket on your roof."

"The electromagnetic network is fully charged and ready to launch."

"Great." He slammed his hand on the table. "Humans are responsible for disgusting them, and you're responsible for electrocuting them. Clear division of labor."

The wind was still howling outside, and the snowflakes were hitting the window like someone was sanding glass. As Chen Hao carried the torch out, he glanced back at her and said, "If we were in ancient times, we would be a duo. You would be called 'Lightning Net,' and I would be called 'Chili Bro.'"

“I don’t need a nickname,” she said. “But I suggest you hurry up, the insulation on your left shoulder is frosting over.”

"Tsk, so long-winded." He muttered as he stepped into the snow, his foot sinking halfway in. "How many times have I told you? I'm the host, you're the servant. What kind of servant cares how thick their master's clothes are?"

Before he could finish speaking, he stumbled and nearly knelt in the snow.

Nana didn't laugh, but the control panel automatically displayed his body surface temperature curve and quietly raised the threshold for the heating zone by 0.3 degrees.

---

Sure enough, the three claw marks on the snow circled back again, so neatly drawn as if they had been made with a ruler.

Chen Hao, hiding behind the ventilation duct, sprinkled the mixed powder along the base of the wall in a discontinuous line. A gust of wind immediately released the pungent aroma, which condensed into an invisible mist in the low temperature.

“The baiting is complete,” he said in a low voice. “Next, we’ll wait for the rats to come and gnaw on the floor because of the smell.”

A slight static sound came through the earpiece, and Nana's voice rang out precisely on time: "Target is approaching the warning zone, increase speed."

"They're here?" He gripped the torch tighter, his palms sweating. "Aren't these idiots afraid of the scorching heat?"

Three gray shadows emerged from the wind and snow. They were small, pure white with gray spots, and their eyes glowed with an eerie green light. Their walking posture was not like that of rodents, but rather more like gliding along the ground.

"Wait a minute..." Chen Hao squinted, "Do they have metallic sheen on their claws?"

"Preliminary identification suggests it's slag residue," Nana responded. "It's possible it came into contact with abandoned equipment."

The leader stopped, twitched its nose twice, and suddenly looked up, its green eyes staring straight at the direction where Chen Hao was hiding.

"Oh no, we've been found out."

The creature suddenly darted out, followed closely by the other two, rushing straight towards the powdery area.

As soon as its front paws stepped in, it shuddered instantly, as if its mouth had been pricked by a needle, and turned its head to try to escape.

"Now!" Chen Hao tossed the torch.

The resin-soaked stick traced an arc as it struck the snow and burst into flames, which shot into the air and blocked their escape path.

Startled, the three mutated rats leaped about, crashing headfirst into a metal mesh that suddenly unfolded in mid-air. A flash of blue light appeared, and high-voltage current crackled and spread along the mesh.

“Capture complete.” Nana’s voice fell calmly. “All unconscious, no fatal injuries.”

Chen Hao walked over, panting, and squatted down to rummage through the net bag. "Wow, it's quite fat. This layer of fat makes it look like a big eater."

He picked up the smallest one and shook it. "This skinny one is probably an intern, the kind who does the dirty work and takes the blame."

Nana lowered the electromagnetic net and transferred the three snow rats to the isolation chamber for scanning. Data popped up on the screen:

[Neural synapse density +210%]

[Strengthening Muscle Fibers to Resist Cold]

The stomach contents contained trace amounts of resin and fruit pit residue.

"No wonder he knew what we spilled." Chen Hao stroked his chin. "He ate it all, and even learned how to analyze the ingredients?"

“We cannot rule out the possibility of group learning,” she said. “I suggest temporarily detaining them to observe whether they transmit information to their peers.”

“Okay, keep them.” He clapped his hands and stood up. “When the base needs pets someday, we’ll have them take turns being greeters.”

After dealing with his spoils, he turned to take off his coat, his eyes glancing at the storage cabinet—there was a sealed box on the bottom shelf, with a neatly printed label: [Spare Ingredients | Priority Supply to Host].

Inside lay the largest snow rat, its fur glossy and its belly bulging.

Chen Hao stared at it for three seconds, then suddenly laughed.

He pulled half a piece of dried meat from his pocket and, while Nana was looking down at the system, shoved it between her fingers.

"Here you go, performance bonus."

She paused, slightly tightened her fingers, and clamped the meat between her fingers.

“Based on nutritional calculations,” she began, her tone serious, “you are currently not getting enough protein and need to supplement it.”

"Don't give me that." He leaned against the wall and laughed. "You think I didn't see through you? You always push the good stuff onto me. Last time it was the fruit pit powder, this time it's the snow rat king. Are you planning to make me the base's chief freeloader?"

She didn't answer, but silently put the piece of dried meat into the side bag, changing the label to: [Non-recyclable | Do not discard].

The two returned to the control room, where the heater hummed like an old refrigerator starting up. Outside, the wind and snow subsided, and the radar screen returned to its calm green glow.

Chen Hao slumped into his chair, still chewing the last bite of jerky. "Why do you think they keep circling around us? Just for those little bits of fruit pits?"

“We may have sensed energy fluctuations,” she said. “Our repair process released unstable signals.”

"Ha." He yawned. "So it turns out that the two of us, with our light and heat, can also be used as trap lights."

He closed his eyes, his voice gradually lowering, "Next time you come, remember to call me in advance. Don't stay up all night by yourself."

At the control panel, Nana's electronic eyes dimmed slightly for a moment.

She accessed the isolation chamber's monitoring system, encrypted the file of the largest snow rat separately, and renamed it: [Host-Exclusive Reserve Food | For Use Only].

Then she raised her hand and gently touched the piece of dried meat hidden in her side pocket.

The temperature of my fingertips rose by 0.8 degrees.

Chen Hao suddenly opened one eye.

"Did you secretly turn up the heat for me again?"