Chen Hao walked ahead, his shoulders aching from the weight of his backpack. He took a breath, stopped, turned around, and said, "Sigh, why is my life so miserable? Carrying the heaviest backpack, walking on the worst roads, not even a bird would poop on my head."

Susan stepped on a fallen leaf without looking up: "If you had replaced the snacks with tools, you wouldn't be so tired now."

Nana followed behind, the robotic arm gently swaying: "According to calculations, the amount of compressed biscuits you are carrying exceeds the standard ration by thirty-seven percent."

“That’s called a strategic reserve!” Chen Hao patted his backpack. “If we starve to death on the road, you can use me as rations.”

Susan paused, and her lips twitched.

Nana calmly replied, "Your body fat percentage does indeed have the potential to be preserved for a long time."

"Look!" Chen Hao pointed at the robot, "Even she acknowledges my edible value!"

There was a moment of silence in the woods, then Susan chuckled softly. The sound was faint, almost forced from her throat, but she was definitely laughing.

Chen Hao's eyes lit up, and he immediately perked up. He deliberately slowed his pace, waited for the two to get closer, cleared his throat, and said, "Let me tell you a true story. Before I transmigrated, when I was in school, I never studied for exams."

"Oh?" Susan glanced at him. "So how did you manage?"

“I copied it,” Chen Hao grinned. “But one time I was unlucky. The guy sitting in front of me was a top student. He handed in his paper as soon as he finished it. I had just copied the third multiple-choice question when the proctor stood next to me.”

Nana asked, "And then?"

“I pretended to be asleep.” Chen Hao made a snoring motion, “My head was nodding little by little, and I was drooling all over the table. The teacher patted me, and I talked in my sleep: ‘Don’t make noise, I’m doing my homework…’ The whole class laughed.”

Susan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "The teacher believed it?"

"I believe you!" Chen Hao said smugly. "I even told my deskmate not to tease me, saying that I usually have bad grades, but this time I'm unusually serious."

Nana let out a short, electronic sound, as if she was trying to suppress a laugh.

Susan shook her head: "Your school teachers are too easy to fool."

“It’s not that they’re easy to fool,” Chen Hao said seriously. “It’s that they can’t believe a fat guy can be an actor.”

The three continued walking, the dirt road beneath their feet gradually softening. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting patches of light on the ground. Chen Hao kicked at stones as he walked, then suddenly spoke up: "Actually, I did something even more outrageous once. During the physics final exam, I handed in my paper ten minutes early, but actually I went to the toilet to look for cheat sheets."

"And then?" Susan asked.

"When I came out, the exam room was in chaos." Chen Hao shrugged. "Someone reported me for cheating. The teacher pulled up my paper and found that all the essay questions were blank, but all the multiple-choice questions were correct."

"Impossible, right?" Susan frowned.

“It’s true!” Chen Hao said. “My friend filled it out for me. He didn’t know the answer himself and just guessed. He guessed all the answers correctly, and the teacher suspected that he had leaked the questions. He almost got him expelled.”

Nana said, "The probability is 3.2 in a million."

"So sometimes life depends on luck," Chen Hao chuckled. "Look at me now, I'm doing just fine, aren't I?"

Susan paused for a few steps, then suddenly said, "There's a fat guy at our school who stole cafeteria meal tickets and got caught."

Chen Hao immediately perked up: "And then what?"

“He got stuck in the window frame.” Susan said calmly, but her eyes were smiling. “He was stuck for three days. Finally, the cook rubbed lard on his waist and managed to get him off.”

Chen Hao was stunned, then burst into laughter: "Hero! That's my long-lost brother!"

Laughter carried far through the woods. Even Nana's steps became lighter.

After walking for about half an hour, we heard the sound of water ahead. A small river stretched across the middle of the road, its current gentle and its water crystal clear, with several fish swimming among the rocks.

Chen Hao squatted down to take a look, then reached out to test the water temperature: "Wow, it's cool."

Susan went around to the side to find stones to pave the way: "Don't waste time, let's continue after we cross the river."

"Wait a minute." Chen Hao stood up. "We're not in a hurry anyway, how about we catch a couple of fish and eat?"

“I don’t have the tools,” Susan said.

“The three of us can each use a pair of chopsticks to scoop it up,” Chen Hao said, rubbing his hands together. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had fresh meat.”

Nana scanned the water surface: "The test shows that the fish protein content is up to standard, and they can be replenished with nutrients after being caught."

Susan frowned: "The physical exertion outweighs the benefits."

“But happiness can’t be calculated.” Chen Hao had already taken off his shoes and socks and rolled up his trouser legs. “Are you in or not? The loser has to drink clean water for three days.”

Susan hesitated for a moment, then put down her backpack and took off her shoes.

Nana stood on the shore, the robotic arm slightly adjusting its angle: "I'll be in charge of driving them away."

The plan was quickly finalized: Nana would use a robotic arm to stir up the downstream river water and drive the fish upstream; Susan would stand guard at the shallow outlet to intercept them; and Chen Hao would be responsible for catching them.

The operation began. Nana plunged her arm into the water and stirred it rapidly, stirring up the mud and making the water murky. Startled, the fish darted upstream.

Chen Hao stared wide-eyed at the water's surface, then suddenly reached out to grab something, only to miss and lose his balance, falling into the water.

With a "splash," water splashed everywhere.

Susan couldn't dodge in time, and half of her clothes were soaked. She froze, looking at Chen Hao who was scrambling to his feet in a disheveled state, and couldn't help but laugh again.

"I'm fine!" Chen Hao shook the water off his hair. "It was just a tactical underwater reconnaissance mission."

“If you pounce again, the fish will all be scared away,” Susan said.

"Then why don't you give it a try?" Chen Hao wiped his face.

Susan didn't speak, but slowly squatted down, her hand gliding along the water's surface. A fish swam close, and she suddenly reached out, pinching it between her fingertips, and actually caught it.

"Wow!" Chen Hao jumped up. "A master!"

He rushed over to catch it, but his foot slipped and he fell again.

Even Nana stopped what she was doing this time, and the camera turned to him.

"I didn't fall," Chen Hao said, sitting in the water. "I just felt that I could see better when I was lying down."

Susan lifted the fish up to look at it, then let go and put it back in the water.

"Aren't you taking it back?" Chen Hao asked.

“It’s better to be alive,” she said.

Chen Hao paused for a moment, then smiled: "That's true."

The three sat on a rock by the river to hang their clothes to dry. A breeze blew by, carrying the scent of water and leaves. Chen Hao looked up at the sky; the clouds were thin, and the sunlight was just right.

“When I used to walk alone, I never stopped,” Susan suddenly said.

“Things are different now,” Chen Hao said. “You now have two teammates, one who can fight and the other who can hold the line.”

“I mean…” she paused, “I won’t think about laughing.”

Chen Hao didn't reply, he just smiled.

Nana stood up: "With improved moisture evaporation efficiency, clothes will dry within eighteen minutes."

"She can even time the laundry," Chen Hao muttered. "She's truly all-around amazing."

Susan cracked her knuckles: "Let's go, let's not linger here."

The three of them put their bags back on and crossed the river by stepping on the stones. Their clothes were still a little damp, but it didn't affect their walking.

The forest grew denser, and the light dimmed. The path beneath our feet was no longer smooth, with pebbles and tree roots crisscrossing it.

Nana reminded, "The slope increases in the next 500 meters, so I suggest you adjust your pace."

Chen Hao responded, but didn't slow down. He walked in the middle, glancing back at Susan every now and then to make sure she was keeping up.

"You're saying this place really has resources?" he asked again.

“Signs of someone’s presence,” Susan replied. “Abandoned camp, transport tracks, burnt bonfires.”

"It sounds like a junkyard."

“You can find good things at scrap yards,” she said. “Batteries, circuit boards, metal frames—they’re all useful.”

"If I could find a power bank, I'd worship it like a god on the spot." Chen Hao patted his chest. "My phone didn't even have battery after time travel; the screen's been black for half a year."

“Your phone has been broken for a long time,” Nana said.

“I know,” Chen Hao sighed, “but I still press the power button every day; it’s a habit.”

Susan glanced at him but didn't say anything.

They walked through a patch of low bushes, the branches rustling against their backpacks. Chen Hao reached out to push aside the vines blocking his path, but suddenly his foot slipped, and he fell forward.

He instinctively reached out to brace himself, his palm scraping against the rough tree roots, which stung painfully.

"Are you alright?" Susan asked.

"It's nothing." Chen Hao got up and shook his hands. "It's just a scraped skin."

Nana scanned his palm: "Superficial abrasions, no risk of infection."

Chen Hao grinned: "Looks like I'm pretty sturdy."

Susan took a clean cloth out of her bag and handed it to him: "Wrap this up so it doesn't get dusty."

Chen Hao took the cloth, somewhat surprised: "You carry this with you?"

“I’m used to it,” she said. “Outside, even a minor injury can be fatal.”

Chen Hao bent down to bandage his hand, his movements clumsy. Susan saw that he was bandaging it crookedly and took it from him to re-wrap it.

Her fingers were steady, and her movements were swift.

Looking at her with her head down, Chen Hao suddenly said, "Actually, you look quite pretty when you smile."

Susan paused for a moment, without looking up or saying anything, and simply tightened the last strip of cloth.

"Okay," she said.

Chen Hao clenched his fist: "Thanks."

They continued onward. Deeper into the woods, the light grew dimmer, and the wind died down. The air seemed to settle.

Nana suddenly said, "The terrain ahead is complex. I suggest you keep your distance and watch your step."

Chen Hao nodded, his smile fading, and his steps became much steadyer.

Susan walked ahead, her back straight. She glanced back at Chen Hao to make sure he was keeping up, then turned back and continued forward.

Chen Hao touched his bandaged hand and said softly, "That fish... I could have caught it."