The ground trembled the moment the gray rabbit lightly stomped its foot. Immediately afterward, the soil at the edge of the stream collapsed, and a dark, gloomy hole slowly appeared.

Chen Hao stared at the hole, mouth slightly agape, hand still suspended in mid-air, his earlier action of handing over the carrot frozen in place. He blinked, then blinked again, making sure he wasn't seeing things. "This rabbit... it can use pressure point techniques?"

Nana had already slid to the edge of the cave entrance. A pale blue halo appeared around her optical eye as the scanning beam silently pierced through the smoke and dust. Ignoring Chen Hao's nonsense, she simply said, "The depth is about four meters. Preliminary assessment indicates it is the entrance to an underground cave, and the structure is unstable."

"Wait a minute." Chen Hao withdrew his foot. "You mean, we just dug out a spring, and a wine cellar just automatically delivered itself to our doorstep?"

“It’s not a gift.” Nana pulled up a projection image. “It’s a collapse. The water flow has loosened the soil, and long-term erosion has created cavities. The area you’re standing on could sink at any moment.”

Chen Hao looked down at his shoes, then at the hole, and silently took half a step back. "So, the spot I was standing just now almost became the starting point for a day trip to the center of the earth?"

"The probability is no less than 30%."

He sighed and pulled a torch and flint from his backpack. "Alright, now that the door's open, I should at least check if there are any discount coupons hidden inside." He lit the torch with two quick snaps, and the flame flickered, reflecting off the damp cave walls.

He bent down and peered inside, the heat carrying sparks drifting in. Several stalactites hung from the rock face, like inverted icicles, some as thin as chopsticks, others as thick as pillars. The air was damp, odorless, but with a muddy smell of stones soaked in water.

"Temperature 15 degrees Celsius, humidity 60 degrees Celsius," Nana's voice came from behind. "Constant temperature and humidity, suitable for long-term storage of organic matter."

"Including alcohol?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up.

"Theoretically, it can slow down the oxidation reaction."

"That's it!" He slapped his thigh. "The few jars we brewed before were all ruined by acid rain. If only we had this place sooner... Hey, why didn't it collapse sooner? Why did it have to wait until a rabbit kicked it before it leaked out?"

“Geological changes require a critical trigger,” Nana said calmly. “Just like you need to eat the tenth bun to feel full, it doesn’t mean the first nine were useless.”

"But I ate thirty before I was full," Chen Hao muttered, already stepping on the gravel to move further in. "Besides, who eats thirty buns at a time? I'm not some starving ghost reincarnated."

"Based on your eating history over the past week, this analogy holds true."

"Don't bring up the past." He took a few steps forward, the torch casting a wider beam. In the corner lay a pile of rubble, looking like it had fallen years ago. He crouched down and rummaged through it, suddenly discovering a flat, curved stone slab, its surface so smooth it didn't seem like a natural object.

"Is this... man-made?" He picked it up and examined it against the firelight.

Nana glanced at it. "The material is similar to sintered clay, with regular curvature, suggesting it was likely artificially processed."

"Ha! I knew this place was weird." Chen Hao grinned. "Maybe someone really lived here before, leaving behind a cellar, wine cellar, treasure vault or something... Did we find a bargain?"

"It's also possible that the animal's den was modified by the water flow."

"Can you stop saying such discouraging things?" He stood up, holding a torch as he walked deeper into the area. "At least now we know that we don't have to worry about acid rain when we brew wine anymore. We'll find a sturdy corner, put the barrels in, lock the door, and let whoever wants to do what we want."

Before he could finish speaking, a muffled thud came from above.

"Warning!" Nana suddenly pulled him back a step. "The top is under abnormal stress and is about to collapse."

The next second, a stalactite crashed down, hitting the spot where Chen Hao had just been standing. Shards flew everywhere, and several sparks were extinguished.

The two remained silent for a few seconds.

Chen Hao swallowed hard: "So... this wine cellar comes with a free massage service? The kind that involves smashing heads?"

"It is recommended to maintain a safe distance." Nana resumed scanning. "The current risk of collapse in this area is 41%, so it is not advisable to stay here for an extended period."

"Forty percent? That's almost half!" He glared. "You still want me to go in?"

"You're already inside."

“I mean—” He paused, then sighed, “Okay, I’ll admit I spoke too quickly. But the odds of being over forty aren’t that high, are they? I’ll take the gamble. If I win, I get to drink; if I lose… well, at worst I’ll become an underground sculpture, and future generations can erect a monument for me: ‘Here lies a warrior who sacrificed himself for alcohol.’”

"Your epitaph will probably read: 'Died of foolishness, cause of death: drinking near a dangerous building.'"

"That's too harsh." He shook his head, but still took a few steps back and stood against the wall. "Then what do you suggest? Just give up like this? Just watch a perfectly good storage site turn into a graveyard?"

“Short-term use is feasible.” Nana pulled up the data stream. “As long as we avoid high-risk areas, set up buffer zones, and monitor the vibration frequency regularly.”

"Does that mean we can use it in an emergency, but not as a permanent home?"

The Chinese expression is 'stay temporarily, but don't linger.'

"Got it." Chen Hao stroked his chin. "Then let's move some things to test the waters first. Anyway, we don't have any other choice now. Leave it in the open? When the next acid rain comes, there won't be any residue left."

He turned and walked out, picking up a shard of a ceramic jar—the very one that had cracked during fermentation a few days earlier. The crack's edges were covered in damp mud, and in the firelight, they gleamed faintly.

"Huh?" He leaned closer to look. "This thing can even glow?"

Nana took the fragment and lightly touched the crack with her fingertips. "The soil contains trace amounts of aluminosilicate minerals, which precipitate out when exposed to water, potentially forming a natural glaze layer."

"What do you mean? The soil contains its own waterproof coating?"

"If this ingredient is mixed into the pottery making process, it may improve the pressure resistance and sealing."

Chen Hao's eyes slowly brightened. "So... the reason our pottery jars cracked before wasn't because of poor craftsmanship, but because the recipe was wrong?"

"The logic is sound."

"Hahaha!" He slapped his thigh. "So the failure wasn't because I'm stupid, it's because I didn't add the right ingredients! I've finally gotten rid of this mess!"

"You are still responsible for the fact that the mixing was uneven, the temperature was out of control, and the kiln was turned into a pile of charcoal."

"Shut up." He chuckled and scolded, but had already bent down to collect the scattered pottery shards. "Since there's this treasure in the soil, next time we make pottery, we'll try mixing it in. I hereby declare that this formula will be called 'The Secret Recipe for Cracked Pottery,' and all the jars that come out of the factory from now on will be printed with this name."

"The right to name it does not belong to you."

"To whom does it belong?"

"It belongs to the first person to successfully use it."

"Isn't that me?"

There are no finished products yet.

"I'll have it right away!" He picked up a few planks of wood. "I'll go back and repair the kiln first, then build a rain shelter. This time I'm going to make a super ceramic jar that can't be broken by dropping, won't crack by boiling, and can withstand being soaked in acid rain for three days!"

Nana followed behind him, the robotic arm recording the structural parameters of the cave entrance. "It is recommended to reinforce the cave entrance simultaneously and lay anti-slip channels to avoid accidents during transportation."

“Okay, whatever you say.” Chen Hao glanced back at the black hole. “But we have to agree that it’s only for storing alcohol, not for living in. I don’t want to be sleeping one day and the ceiling collapses down and I end up with a stone blanket.”

"Your sleep quality is poor and your alertness is low, so you are indeed not suitable to spend the night underground."

"Hey, can you stop adding insult to injury?"

They retraced their steps along the stream, dusk was falling, and the wind blew damp air across the sand dunes. Chen Hao carried a plank on his shoulder, humming a little off-key tune, but his steps were much lighter than when he had come.

Nana walked behind, muttering to herself: "Record: The vibration frequency of the cave is increasing by 0.3 Hz per hour. It is recommended to prioritize the reconstruction of the pottery kiln tomorrow and set up an early warning mechanism."

Hearing this, Chen Hao turned around and smiled: "Don't worry, this time we don't expect it to last forever, we just hope it can withstand the next rain."

He turned forward, his steps unwavering.

The outline of the planting area can be vaguely seen on the back slope of the distant sand dunes.

He had just taken his third step when his foot suddenly slipped.

A metal edge buried in the sand scraped against the sole of the shoe, making a slight scraping sound.