Chen Hao pushed open the door to the laboratory, his shoulders still catching the chill he'd brought back from the snow. He casually tossed his backpack onto the edge of the workbench, the metal casing making a dull thud.

"Is it open yet?" he asked.

Nana was already standing in front of the analyzer, her finger sliding across the control panel. "Power on, system self-test complete, awaiting sample input."

“Let’s look at the rock first.” Chen Hao took the silver-gray rock core out of the sample box. The surface texture gleamed coldly under the light. “This thing took almost an hour to dig. It must be worth something.”

Nana took the sample and placed it in the scanning slot. The instrument emitted a low-frequency hum, and the data stream on the screen began to scroll. A few seconds later, the waveform suddenly became garbled, and the red light illuminated.

"Calibration failed".

"Again?" Chen Hao leaned closer, staring at the pile of crooked curves. "It was fine yesterday."

"The laser emission angle is off by 0.3 degrees." Nana removed the side panel, revealing the internal optical components. "It needs to be adjusted manually."

"You do your thing." He turned and walked towards the culture chamber. "I'll check if that green radish is still alive."

The plant sample was placed on a temperature-controlled rack, its leaves drooping and edges slightly curled. The display screen indicated: cell water content decreased by 18%, and metabolic activity continued to weaken.

"Frozen stiff?" He reached out and touched the leaves. "It's minus thirty degrees outside, and it's twenty-five degrees inside. Who can stand that?"

He opened the filing cabinet and rummaged through it, pulling out a paper manual with the title "Cryogenic Biological Sample Pretreatment Procedure" printed on the cover.

“Found it.” He read out the parameters. “Adjust the humidity first, then increase the temperature, in three steps.”

While tightening the screws, Nana gave instructions: "Increase the ambient humidity to 65%, maintain the temperature at 12 degrees Celsius, and set the light intensity to low."

Chen Hao did as instructed. A few minutes later, the plant leaves trembled slightly and slowly unfolded.

"He's alive." He breathed a sigh of relief. "He's even slower than when I get up this morning."

“Cell dehydration has stopped.” Nana closed the instrument casing. “Optical components calibration complete. Restart the scan.”

The screen refreshed, and the elemental spectrum of the ore was clearly displayed. In addition to the iron-nickel alloy, an energy peak never seen before appeared on the right side of the chart.

"What is this?" Chen Hao pointed to the towering column-shaped bar.

“Unknown mineral composition.” Nana zoomed in on the local data. “It has the characteristic of continuous heat release, but no radiation residue, and the energy source is still unclear.”

Can you boil water?

"Theoretically feasible. The heat release per unit mass is about four times that of standard coal."

Chen Hao's eyes lit up. "So we can keep warm without a power plant?"

"The prerequisite is to establish a stable temperature control system." She paused, "otherwise, the equipment may overheat and be damaged."

"Let's try it on a small scale first." He stroked his chin. "Let's replace the core in the boiler and see if it can last all night."

Nana recorded the parameters and labeled the sample: "High-energy material_To be tested".

"Wait a minute." Chen Hao suddenly remembered something. "When I saw you putting the plant in earlier, did that sticky stuff on its roots absorb some mineral powder?"

“There are indeed attached substances.” Nana pulled up a microscopic image. “The root secretions contain organic colloids that can adsorb metal ions.”

"So..." he grinned, "this thing can mine on its own?"

“The efficiency is extremely low,” she said. “At the current concentration, it would take about three years to enrich one kilogram of iron and nickel.”

“I mean in the future.” Chen Hao leaned against the table. “We’ll plant a patch of it, specifically to let it absorb minerals, so we don’t have to smash the ground with a pickaxe every day.”

“The cycle is too long, and there are too many uncontrollable factors,” Nana shook her head. “It cannot meet short-term energy needs.”

“But it doesn’t need electricity or oil, it just grows on its own.” He spread his hands. “What our base lacks is manpower and spare parts, not land.”

“It is feasible in the long term.” She paused for a moment, “but we need to verify its growth stability and enrichment limit.”

"How about we plant a small patch and see?" he said. "It's just sitting empty anyway."

"Agreed." She nodded. "Designate a two-square-meter experimental area, and begin sowing tomorrow."

"Hey, science and nature working together!" he laughed. "One is fast, the other is economical, isn't it great to have them together?"

“Logic holds true.” Nana shut down the main system. “Data analysis for today is complete.”

Chen Hao was still flipping through the records. "Tomorrow we'll modify the boiler, and the day after tomorrow we'll prepare the experimental field. If everything goes well, we can relax and get through the winter."

"I suggest prioritizing the heating issue," she said. "Temperatures are expected to continue to drop next week."

"I know, I know." He yawned. "Wait until I finish writing this down."

He bent down to write notes, the pen scratching softly across the paper. Nana moved the plant samples into a temperature-controlled rack and set up a 24-hour monitoring program.

“The culture chamber is operating normally,” she said. “Oxygen release is slowly increasing, and trace amounts of photosynthetic products have been detected.”

"It seems it's really not afraid of the cold." Chen Hao put away his notebook. "Maybe one day it can even eat some fresh vegetables."

"The risks of consuming this product have not yet been assessed," she cautioned. "There may be unknown toxins present."

"Then let's treat it like a potted plant." He stood up and stretched. "At least it'll bring some life to the house."

The two walked out of the experimental area, and the corridor lights came on with their footsteps. Chen Hao rubbed his face, feeling his eyelids starting to droop.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"I don't need to rest."

“I know,” he smiled. “I was just asking.”

The living quarters were at the end of the corridor, and the door slid open automatically. He plunged headfirst into the sofa, sinking halfway into it.

"What time do we start work tomorrow morning?" he asked.

"Seven o'clock sharp," she said. "The boiler room needs to be preheated."

"Okay." He closed his eyes. "Call me when the time comes."

"receive."

It quieted down. Only the slight vibrations from the distant equipment could be heard on the floor.

After a while, Chen Hao opened his eyes. "You know... if this plant can really suck up ore, could we build an automated mining garden in the future?"

"Issues such as nutrient supply, disease control, and harvesting mechanisms need to be addressed," she said. "At present, these are just ideas."

“But someone has to think about it.” He rolled over. “Otherwise, how can we keep making a living by smashing rocks?”

“Your proposal has been filed,” she said. “Project name: Bio-assisted Mineral Enrichment Program.”

"Sounds pretty official," he muttered. "A bit better than 'green radish mining'."

He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke again: "Nana."

"exist."

"Do we have any seed packets left?"

"The remaining seven bags are unopened, including wheat, peas, and carrots."

“Keep two bags,” he said. “Plant the rest of those green things.”

"It exceeded the original planting plan."

“Planning is static,” he yawned. “People are dynamic.”

"The planting plan has been updated," she said. "Seedling preparations will begin at nine o'clock tomorrow."

Chen Hao didn't speak again. His breathing became even.

Nana stood still, the camera focused on the outline of his sleeping face, recording his heart rate and body temperature data.

A moment later, she turned and left, walking quietly towards the tool shed.

At 3:17 a.m., the laboratory alarm sounded.

Nana appeared instantly at the door. The temperature inside the cultivation chamber rose by two degrees Celsius, the plant leaves expanded at a 40% faster rate, and the oxygen concentration exceeded the safe threshold.

She turned on the ventilation valve and simultaneously brought up the live video feed. Tiny flower buds, pale gold in color, were emerging from the tips of the plants, shimmering faintly in the darkness.

The surveillance footage froze at that moment.

The leaf trembled slightly, and a drop of clear liquid slid from its tip, hitting the metal tray with a crisp sound.