As soon as the wind stopped, Chen Hao felt a chill on the back of his neck.

His fingers were still hooked on the bunch of red berries, and the moment his fingertips touched the stem, the canopy above his head seemed to be ripped open by something. A shadow darted down from the treetops, so fast that even the air seemed to be compressed into a muffled thud.

By the time he realized what was happening, the person had already let go and jumped.

He lost his balance upon landing, and the weight of his propulsion suit sent him tumbling several meters, the cloth bag in his backpack flying out and wild berries scattering all over the ground. He lay on the ground catching his breath, and when he looked up, he saw a dark shape circling low in the air before flapping its wings and swooping down on him.

"Nana! Is this thing coming for me?"

“Confirmed to be a predatory creature.” Nana’s voice was as calm as if she were reporting the weather. “Wingspan 2.8 meters, dive speed 35 meters per second, immediate evacuation recommended.”

"Evacuate my ass! It's practically right in our face!"

As the thing swooped down for the third time, it created a gust of wind. Chen Hao instinctively raised his hand to protect his head, and the blast of air ripped halfway off the goggles of his propulsion suit, blurring his vision. He staggered forward, only one thought in his mind: He couldn't die in a place like this, before he even finished his hotpot.

The propulsion system of the suit seemed to be working against him; the power from his right leg was inconsistent, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and he would lurch forward after taking two steps, almost crashing headfirst into a pile of rubble.

"Don't change direction!" Nana suddenly raised her voice. "System takeover, disable manual control."

The moment he finished speaking, the propulsion suit jolted violently, forcibly straightening its previously skewed path. Chen Hao felt like a drunkard being shoved into an escalator, being pushed forward.

What are you doing—

“There’s a metal tubular structure about 100 meters ahead, about 1.2 meters in diameter and of unknown length. It can accommodate a single person to hide in.” She spoke quickly. “If you deviate by another five degrees, you’ll slip into the crack at the bottom of the slope.”

Chen Hao didn't have time to refute, because the flapping of wings above his head started again.

This time it was closer; he could even hear the hiss of claws slicing through the air. He instinctively wanted to turn around, but the propulsion suit suddenly unleashed its maximum thrust, shoving him forward violently. He was airborne for half a second before crashing into a long, narrow metal pipe, his back slamming heavily against the inner wall, the shock sending shivers down his spine.

Almost at the same instant, a sharp scraping sound came from the pipe opening.

The creature's claws were wedged at the edge of the entrance, scratching deep marks into the metal and sending sparks flying. Chen Hao huddled deep inside the tube, barely daring to breathe, only glancing outside out of the corner of his eye—a claw with a dark blue sheen was repeatedly probing inwards, almost reaching his ankle.

"Will it... will it leave?" His voice trembled.

“We haven’t left yet,” Nana replied from outside. “We’re calculating the attack intervals.”

"Didn't you say you could emit electromagnetic pulses? Why not use them now and wait until the New Year?"

"Charging progress 68%, expected to be usable in three seconds."

"Three seconds? It could pull me out and devour me in the next second!"

Suddenly, a raptor outside the tube let out a sharp cry, and the flapping of its wings intensified. Chen Hao shrank even tighter, and an alarm automatically popped up on his propulsion suit: "User's stress level is too high. It is recommended to adjust breathing rate."

"I don't even have time to breathe! Hurry up!"

"Weapon module countdown activated, two seconds."

Chen Hao stared intently at the opening of the tube, his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his throat. The raptor circled the metal tube for half a turn, then suddenly swooped down, its head halfway inside—grayish-white compound eyes, a beak split into three parts, with bone fragments of unknown origin hanging inside.

“One second,” Nana said.

Chen Hao closed his eyes.

The expected shock did not come.

Instead, a metal plate popped out of the left arm joint of the propulsion suit with a "click," and a wave of heat hit us.

"Warning: Non-target mode activated, heating function started."

"What? Who opened it?"

He looked down and realized that his left hand had been pressed on the side of the propulsion suit without him noticing. The fingerprint recognition light flashed green—he had accidentally triggered the heating command!

"Turn it off quickly!" He hurriedly pressed the cancel button, but the system delayed by half a second, and the temperature of the metal plate had already soared.

The raptor was startled by the sudden noise and flapped its wings violently, causing the entire tube to shake.

"The electromagnetic pulse is fully charged," Nana said, her voice regaining its composure. "Ready to launch."

"Wait!" Chen Hao suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening. "It's afraid of this?"

"Uncertain, but high temperatures and strong light may interfere with its senses."

He stared at the reddish metal plate, then glanced at the shadow lingering outside the tube, and an absurd idea popped into his head.

"Nana, I have a plan."

Please explain.

"Could you turn the heating up to the highest setting, and then... pretend I'm a human-shaped barbecue grill?"

"...The logic is feasible, but the operational risk is extremely high."

"It's better than waiting to die."

"Agreed to proceed." She paused. "Reminder: The high temperature will last for twelve minutes; do not touch the metal surface during this time."

“I know, I’m not stupid—wait, you said ‘untouchable’? Then how am I supposed to push it away?”

“It can be wrapped with insulating cloth.”

Chen Hao rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a folded cloth bag—the one he'd just used to carry the wild fruit, with a few crushed pieces of fruit still stuck to the bottom. He gritted his teeth and wrapped the cloth around the edge of the metal plate, which was glowing red-hot; he could feel the heat even through the cloth.

“Ready.” He took a deep breath.

"Pulse launch countdown: ten seconds," Nana said. "At the same time, release the heating lock."

Chen Hao aimed the red-hot metal plate at the pipe opening, raising both hands as if holding up a shield.

Ten, nine, eight...

The raptor seemed to sense something was wrong and began to make sharp turns in the air.

7, 6, 5...

He held his breath, and his arms began to tremble.

IV. Three...

The thing suddenly swooped down, heading straight for the pipe opening.

II.1.

"put!"

The metal plate flew out of his hand, streaking towards the Raptor's front with a red flash. Almost simultaneously, a blue-white arc of electricity erupted from the back interface of the propulsion suit, and an electromagnetic pulse swept across a radius of ten meters in an instant.

The bird of prey suddenly stopped in mid-air, its wings stiffened, and its body tumbled as it crashed into a dead tree beside it, breaking off a section of its trunk with a loud crash.

Chen Hao slumped inside the tube, his hands still trembling. "Did...did I hit him?"

"There is a brief disturbance in the nervous system; the recovery time is estimated at 47 seconds," Nana said. "It is recommended to take this opportunity to move out."

"Transfer my ass, my legs are about to give way." He leaned against the tube wall, the screen on his propulsion suit flashing yellow. "How much energy do we have left?"

"Currently, 17.3% remains, with the main consumption coming from short burst propulsion and pulse emission."

"Thank goodness it didn't drop to 5%... otherwise I'd have to listen to you do math problems again."

“During the last energy crisis, you ultimately adopted my path planning.”

"That was because I didn't want to become a space can."

"If you fail to take control of the control system in time, you will be dragged out of the bunker within three seconds."

"...Can you please stop remembering my embarrassing past?"

“My role is to assist in decision-making, not to replace judgment.” She paused, “but I can add one thing—your actions just now were typical of a mediocre student’s improvisation.”

"Hello!"

The raptors outside began to struggle to their feet, their wings twitching a few times before unfolding again.

Chen Hao immediately retreated deeper into the tube. "It's awake! It's awake! Hurry and think of something!"

"Proposal: Remain stationary and wait for the second charge."

"By the time you recharge, it has already carried me back to its nest for breakfast!"

"Another option: you throw a wild fruit to distract it."

"What are you going to throw it with? I can't shoot!"

"The launch mode can be used with the propellant suit and gloves."

"Isn't that thing used for jet propulsion to adjust direction?"

"Theoretically, it can be modified into a projectile device."

"Theory? You're talking to me about theory now?"

"Give it a try."

Chen Hao took off his gloves, stuffed a whole wild fruit into the tube, and aimed it at the open space outside the tube. "You have to make sure it flies in a straight line."

"It cannot be guaranteed."

"Then you might as well say 'leave it to fate.'"

He pressed the trigger button, and the wild fruit flew out with a "whoosh," tracing a strange arc, and hit the raptor on the head.

The thing paused for a moment, looked down at the fruit that had rolled to its feet, and then looked up at the metal tube.

Chen Hao held his breath.

The raptor lowered its head and pecked at a piece of fruit.

Then, he raised his head, his eyes becoming even fiercer.

"It's angry!" Chen Hao curled up into a ball.

“They probably don’t like eating it raw,” Nana said.

"Now is not the time to discuss its eating habits!"

The raptor spread its wings and approached the metal pipe again.

Chen Hao grabbed the last wild fruit, stuffed it into the heating plate slot, and pressed it with his finger.

System notification: "Unconventional operation detected. Heating mode forcibly activated. Temperature is rising."

The fruit's skin quickly charred, emitting black smoke.

He couldn't wait for it to cool down, so he wrapped it in a cloth and threw it outside.

The sizzling roasted fruit rolled in front of the bird of prey, its aroma mingling with the smell of burning fruit.

The thing lowered its head, sniffed it, and then suddenly opened its mouth and swallowed it.

A few seconds later, it burped.

Then, its wings went limp, and it lay motionless on the ground.

Chen Hao's eyes widened. "It...it really worked?"

"It is speculated that the fruit releases some kind of nerve-inhibiting component after being treated with high temperatures," Nana said after the scan, "or it may react with its metabolic system."

"So it...ate too much?"

"More accurately, food poisoning."

Chen Hao leaned back against the pipe wall and let out a long breath. "Alright, looks like from now on I'm not just a collector, but also a chef at the alien raptor canteen."

"I suggest we evacuate as soon as possible," Nana warned. "Its companions could appear at any time."

“That makes sense.” He tried to stand up, leaning against the pipe wall, but his legs gave way and he sat back down. “Give me three minutes to catch my breath.”

"Two minutes allowed."

He closed his eyes, and all he could hear was the sound of the wind and the faint snoring of the bird of prey in the distance.

Two minutes later, he opened his eyes.

Let's go.

He had just climbed out of the metal pipe when Nana suddenly reached out and stopped him.

"etc."

"What's wrong?"

She pointed in the direction of the birds of prey.

The creature's wing twitched slightly.