The countdown stopped at forty-seven seconds, and then the screen suddenly went black.

The flashlight beam began to flicker, as if it might stop working at any moment. Chen Hao glanced down at the battery indicator light, which was as red as a warning sign.

“It’s over,” he said. “This thing can’t hold up.”

Nana didn't say anything, but reached out and unplugged the cable from the read port. She then removed the back cover of the battery panel, revealing two sets of interfaces. "The parallel connection method will last a little longer."

Why didn't you say so earlier?

"You didn't ask."

Chen Hao snorted and quickly plugged in the spare board. His fingers were so frozen they wouldn't obey him, and it took him three tries to plug it in correctly. Nana had already adjusted the load mode, blocking a bunch of random wake-up requests and leaving only the main control chip powered on.

“Try again,” she said.

Chen Hao pressed the switch.

The screen flickered, then familiar words appeared:

[System restarting - Time remaining: 02:59]

"It's alive?" he stared wide-eyed.

“For now.” Nana stared at the current fluctuation curve. “The power supply is still unstable. Don’t touch the equipment.”

The countdown started again. This time, neither of them uttered a sound; they just stood in the corridor waiting. The air was so cold that breathing it in felt like scraping sandpaper, but neither of them mentioned going back to the sled to warm up.

At one minute and twenty seconds, the screen changed.

A line of white text appeared:

Welcome back to 71 North Latitude. Access level: Visitor.

"A visitor?" Chen Hao grinned. "Not even as good as a temporary worker."

“As long as I can access the database.” Nana placed her hand on the read port. “I’ll start searching the list of available devices.”

Her eyes darkened, and the data stream was directly connected to the system. A few seconds later, her brows furrowed slightly.

“The catalog is severely damaged,” she said. “'Experimental equipment' and 'logistical supplies' are mixed together, and some files are encrypted.”

Can I guess?

"It's not a guessing game."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Nana paused for two seconds, then activated the robot's knowledge base to perform keyword matching. She picked out a few numbers from the incomplete tags and deduced the function type in reverse. She quickly identified a device codenamed mS-9.

“Mass spectrometer,” she read out the name. “A high-precision material composition detection device that can theoretically identify unknown elements.”

"Sounds pretty impressive." Chen Hao scratched his head. "Where?"

"Laboratory area, section B, third room."

The two walked down the corridor. The door was automatic, but it was stuck halfway open. Chen Hao pushed hard, making a screeching sound. The room wasn't large; against the wall stood a silver-white cabinet computer with a small screen on it, its edges gleaming with a faint green light.

"Is there still electricity?" He leaned closer to look.

“The backup power is not depleted.” Nana checked the interface. “Standard voltage, compatible with external power supply.”

Chen Hao immediately realized something, turned around and ran outside. A few minutes later, he returned carrying the solar module from the sled, removed the charging head, and plugged in an adapter.

"Will it work?" he asked.

Nana entered a string of code to simulate the original manufacturer's handshake protocol. The machine vibrated slightly, and the screen lit up.

[System self-check in progress]

The progress bar is slowly climbing.

30%……60%……98%……

The last slot was stuck for three seconds, but it was finally filled.

[System ready to receive samples]

"It's done!" Chen Hao slapped the machine. "Now we're people with scientific equipment too."

"Don't celebrate yet." Nana opened the interface. "We need a dry powder sample; we can't process lumpy soil at the moment."

"That's easy."

He took out a clump of soil he had dug up that morning from his backpack and placed it on a metal plate. He repeatedly struck it with the back of an ice pick, sending debris flying everywhere. After striking it, he carefully picked out the stones and ice chips by hand, smoothed out the remaining fine soil, and put it into the heating tank that came with the instrument.

Fifteen minutes later, drying is complete.

Nana set the parameters and started the scan. A slight running sound came from inside the machine, like an old refrigerator starting up.

While waiting, Chen Hao squatted down against the wall. "Do you think this thing can really find something amazing?"

“The probability is not high,” Nana said, “but if it does happen, it would be the key to changing our living conditions.”

"If I discover a new energy mine, I'll go back and rename the base 'Chen Haocheng'."

"The right to name it is not yours."

"I don't care, I'm going to scream."

The machine suddenly beeped.

Report generated.

Nana brought up the data panel and quickly browsed through it. Her optical lens zoomed out slightly.

“An unrecorded stable isotope has been detected,” she said. “It has an unusual atomic number and a unique energy release pattern, and is preliminarily determined to have low-radiation catalytic capabilities.”

Speak like a human.

"It can make certain chemical reactions happen faster without producing high temperatures or strong radiation."

Chen Hao froze for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up: "You mean... this thing can be used as a catalyst?"

"yes."

"Then haven't we struck gold?"

"The premise is to understand its specific nature and safety threshold."

"Who cares!" Chen Hao slapped his thigh. "At least it proves this trip wasn't a waste!"

He grabbed the storage disk and copied the data onto it. Then he removed the portable components of the instrument, secured them with straps, and stuffed them into his backpack. The main unit was too heavy, so he had to abandon it.

"Let's go?" he asked.

"Wait a minute." Nana walked to a storage cabinet by the wall and opened a drawer. Inside were several boxes of sealed reagents, the labels were blurry but still legible.

She took out a box and labeled it. "Take it with me on the way; it might come in handy."

"You really know how to pick up bargains."

"Resources should not be wasted."

The two finished packing and carried the equipment out. Before leaving, Chen Hao glanced back at the central control room. The screen was still lit, displaying the standby interface.

"Do you think the people who used to work here were like us, always thinking about how to survive?"

“They have electric grids and supply vehicles; it’s different.”

"Then why did they leave?"

"have no idea."

"Forget it." Chen Hao shook his head. "Anyway, this is our territory now."

They pushed the sled away from the pit. The wind was less intense than in the afternoon, and the snow wasn't heavy. Chen Hao held the data disk close to his chest, wrapped in a moisture-proof cloth. Nana walked beside him, carrying test kits.

As darkness fell, the outline of the base became faintly visible in the distance.

"At this rate, we should arrive by noon tomorrow," Nana said.

"The first thing I need to do when I get back is get some sleep," Chen Hao yawned. "The second thing is to see if we can use this element to improve the furnace."

"Let's do some basic testing first."

"Ugh, you're always such a spoilsport."

"I'm just talking about logic."

"Logic is not as important as dreams."

Nana didn't respond. She looked up at the sky; the star trails were clear, perfect for navigation.

The sled glided through the snow, making a soft rustling sound.

After walking for about half an hour, Chen Hao suddenly stopped.

"Wait a minute," he said. "Did we forget something?"

"What?"

"That analyzer...did it indicate the last usage time during its self-test?"

Nana checked the records.

“Yes,” she said. “The last log entry shows it was 73 hours ago.”

Chen Hao chuckled: "Pretty close. Looks like we're not the first batch to come in?"

"Not necessarily," Nana said. "It could be an automatic system check."

"But this place is frozen solid, who set the timed mission?"

Nana didn't answer. She simply switched the test kit to her other hand without stopping.

Chen Hao didn't press the matter. He tightened his coat collar and continued walking.

Night had completely fallen.

There were only two parallel footprints on the snow, one deep and one shallow, stretching towards the base.

The sled wheel axles make a slight clicking sound when they turn.

Nana suddenly turned her head and glanced behind her.

She didn't say anything.

But her arms tightened slightly.