Chen Hao capped the pen back on, pressed it twice to make sure there was no ink leakage, and then placed it on the table. He stared at the last line of the medication log for two seconds, when he suddenly heard a "beep" from the control panel.

A small red box popped up in the lower right corner of the screen: [Edge area heat source fluctuation, lasted for 3.2 seconds, has disappeared].

"Here we go again?" He turned to look at Nana. "Isn't this lousy system due for an upgrade?"

Nana was standing in front of the control panel, the camera slightly rotating to bring up the surveillance playback. "It's not a system problem," she said. "Three hours ago, there was an abnormal soil moisture level fifty meters to the southeast, and now there's a brief heat signal; the two locations overlap."

"Can leaves generate heat when the wind blows?" Chen Hao scratched the back of his head. "What else is there in this area besides stray cats and scrap metal?"

“Four-legged walking tracks.” Nana pulled up a ground scan image and traced a shallow mark with her fingertip. “The hoof prints are spaced evenly and are of uniform depth. The preliminary judgment is that it is an even-toed ungulate, of medium size, and moves slowly.”

"A sheep?" Chen Hao's eyes lit up. "A live one? The kind you can eat?"

“The species has not yet been identified.” Nana turned and walked towards the equipment cabinet. “I recommend an on-site investigation.”

"Are you serious?" Chen Hao stood up, leaning on the table. "Just to see footprints? My allergy just cleared up yesterday, and I'm going to go out and walk in the mud again today?"

“If it’s a domesticable herbivore, it can provide milk, wool, and fertilizer in the future.” Nana handed over a pair of protective gloves. “It’s more meaningful than you complaining every day that you only have compressed biscuits for breakfast.”

“You’re right.” Chen Hao took the gloves. “If there really were sheep, I’d name it ‘Breakfast No. 1’ first.”

The two donned their outer garments and followed the marked route towards the eastern edge of the woods near the base. The wind was a bit strong, making the dilapidated metal shed rattle. Chen Hao looked down at the series of dents on the ground, bent down, and gestured with his hand to compare them.

"Was this really trampled by sheep?" He poked at the soil. "It's quite neat."

“Original Capridae characteristics.” Nana took a sample with a robotic arm. “No remnants of aggressive limb structures were found, so it is highly likely to pose no threat.”

"So we can catch them?" Chen Hao rubbed his hands together. "Should we set a trap? I used to be really good at this when I played games."

“Last time you set a trap to steal your neighbor’s Wi-Fi signal amplifier,” Nana said. “You ended up locking yourself on the balcony for three days.”

"That's different!" Chen Hao exclaimed, his eyes wide. "This is a proper hunt!"

"Hunting requires considering the target's habits." Nana opened the knowledge base interface. "Goats are highly alert, have average vision but a keen sense of smell, and prefer to replenish minerals. Direct traps or snares have a success rate of less than 17%."

"So you mean—we have to invite it to dinner?" Chen Hao grinned. "Use salt as an invitation?"

“Accurate.” Nana nodded. “Setting up an open bait area, supplemented by a flexible capture net, can reduce stress response.”

"Too much trouble." Chen Hao waved his hand. "I'll just dig a hole, cover it with some branches, and put a tripwire on it. The old ways are the most reliable."

"Data analysis shows—"

"Stop talking," Chen Hao said, covering his ears. "I need to trust experience."

At 5:17 a.m. the next day, a violent impact was heard outside the base.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Chen Hao rolled off the bed and rushed to the window without even putting on slippers. It was pitch black outside, but something was clearly hitting the railing from the other side.

"No way..." He opened the door. "Did I really catch him in that trap?"

Nana was already standing at the edge of the trap area, her searchlight shining into the pit. A large, gray-black creature was frantically shaking its head, half a broken fang stuck in the rope, white steam billowing from its nostrils, its eyes bloodshot.

“A mutated wild boar,” Nana calmly reported. “Weighing approximately 140 kilograms, male, with an old injury on its left forelimb, and a violent temperament.”

"This thing likes salt too?" Chen Hao was dumbfounded.

“It doesn’t eat salt.” Nana activated the high-frequency repellent program. “It likes to dig in the soil looking for insects. Your trap is a perfect pit, which matches its digging habits.”

A piercing buzzing sound rang out, and the wild boar shuddered violently. It turned and charged into the bushes, smashing through two iron pipes before disappearing into the forest.

Chen Hao slumped to the ground, patting his chest. "Thank goodness I didn't jump down to check... otherwise I'd be roast meat right now."

“Your method works for low-IQ burrowing animals,” Nana said, turning off the alarm. “It doesn’t work for highly alert herbivores.”

"I know I was wrong," Chen Hao said, panting. "I'll listen to you next time."

That afternoon, they re-set up the trap at the same location. Nana wrapped the salt blocks in a resin film to prevent moisture and sprinkled a small amount of honey water around them to enhance scent guidance. A lightweight net was set up around the trapping area, and the trigger mechanism was changed to pressure sensing for gentler movements.

"Is this net sturdy enough?" Chen Hao touched the materials. "I don't want to end up getting tangled up instead of keeping the sheep."

"The tensile strength meets the standard." Nana adjusted the sensor angle. "A response is expected within 24 to 48 hours."

For the next two days, sandstorms raged, and Chen Hao went to check on things every few hours.

"No one's coming." On the third morning, he squatted by the net. "Could it be that the ewe took her lamb and migrated?"

“A crust has formed on the surface of the salt block.” Nana checked the bait’s condition. “The attractiveness has decreased by 38%. The automatic scraping device has been activated to restore the exposed area.”

"You even hired waiters for it?" Chen Hao laughed.

As soon as he finished speaking, a notification sound came from the monitoring terminal.

In the video, a plump, brownish-grey goat slowly approaches the salt block area. Its nose twitches, it lowers its head to lick the salt, and its ears twitch occasionally, showing great caution.

"They're here!" Chen Hao said in a low voice.

The goat circled the salt block halfway, then stopped to observe its surroundings. A few minutes later, it approached again, its entire front half entering the hunting area.

“The trigger condition has been met.” Nana pressed the button lightly.

The net, hidden behind the bushes, rose up on both sides and gently closed. Startled, the goat tried to retreat, but the soft material wrapped around its front legs, causing it to stumble but not fall.

"Gotcha!" Chen Hao dashed out, "And she's heavily pregnant!"

He ran to the edge of the fence, panting, and squatted down, looking at the slightly trembling female goat inside. Her eyes were large and wet, she had a ring of light-colored down around her neck, and her belly was noticeably swollen.

"Look how well-behaved it is." Chen Hao reached out to pet it. "It's not fierce at all."

"Don't touch it." Nana followed, "Stress can cause miscarriage."

"Oh, oh." Chen Hao withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry, big sister, I didn't mean to scare you."

Nana activated the scanning mode, and the green beam swept from head to tail.

"Vital signs are stable." She reported the data: "Heart rate 82 per minute, body temperature 38.6, gestational age approximately 21 days, fetal development is normal."

"So that means it can reproduce?" Chen Hao grinned. "Our base will have lambs from now on?"

"The prerequisite is to establish a suitable breeding environment," Nana said. "Currently, they need to be transferred to an isolation area to avoid the risk of infection."

"Don't move it yet." Chen Hao took out his phone. "Let me record a video to commemorate this historic moment."

He recorded a video of the goat, adding a voiceover: "Dear viewers, this is our base's first legally resident goat, number 001, female, pregnant, and her specialties are eating salt and being caught."

Nana didn't say anything, she just held onto the grid frame to ensure the structure was stable.

A gust of wind blew in from the woods, stirring up a bit of dust. The mother goat slowly calmed down, lowered her head to sniff the salt on the ground, and then licked it.

"It seems it's not afraid anymore," Chen Hao said softly.

"Adaptation period begins." Nana put away the testing equipment. "The transfer must be completed within two hours."

"Okay." Chen Hao stood up, brushed the mud off his pants, and said, "I'll go get the transport cage."

He turned to leave when he suddenly heard a goat bleat.

Short and low, as if responding to something.

Chen Hao stopped and looked back at it.

The mother goat also looked at him, her mouth moved slightly, and then she lowered her head to lick the salt block.

Chen Hao smiled, said nothing, and started running towards the base.

Nana stayed where she was and continued to monitor the pressure values ​​of the perimeter fence.

Her mechanical fingers gently touched the net rope to confirm that the tension was normal.

Sunlight shone on the salt block, reflecting a sliver of white light.